Designated Love Interest in YA

From a romance point of view, it's all about rooting for a couple to be happy. It's quite normal, if not standard, to designate the two love interests straight away. The reader's tension comes from the whole 'will they, won't they?' and hoping they'll find happiness and be together.

Of course, that's for pure romance. With YA romances, it can vary somewhat. I find designated love interests boring myself, but someone who reads mainly for the romance may not.

It depends on how it happens, I think. I can think of plenty of good books where a character turns up and you can tell within a few pages that they're the one the MC ends up with. The trick is to not make it obvious how it happens. There are struggles, setbacks, and obstacles to overcome. The rules for general plot apply to the love interest as well - it's ok to know how it ends, as long as the journey there is interesting. In the Harry Potter books, you knew Harry would defeat Voldemort. In LotR you knew that Frodo would make it to Mount Doom and the ring would end up in the fire. They weren't boring, though, because the journey to get there was interesting. The same goes for love interests - it's ok to let the reader figure out who, as long as the how is interesting enough to keep them reading.

I agree, the journey to happiness with the DLI can be difficult, but personally, I like knowing who it is. Maybe not too early, but eventually. I like having a couple to root for during the book. If the triangle tension goes on for too long, I just get frustrated with the MC.

I don't care for predictable love interests if there's another guy in the mix. You have to ask yourself why the couple can't be together. I have read so many bs, convoluted reasons from stupid YA heroines that I have very little patience for the love triangle. I usually end up rooting for the guy who the heroine doesn't pick. And I hate her for jerking him along.

You have to ask yourself why she can't pick one and why she picks one over the other. Not to slam opinions on books, but in Fallen, I hated Luce for running to Daniel instead of Cam. I hated Scyluer for choosing Jack instead of Oliver. I hated Bella for running to Edward instead of Jacob. *spoilers for Evermore* and I hated Ever for running to Damon instead of Jude *end spoilers* And I hated Rose for cheating on Adrian to get with Dimitri.

Indecisive heroines annoy me, especially if I don't care about her DLI. At the very least, make both guys interesting if you want me to root for her.

And if there's only one guy, don't make the reason why they can't get together dumb. Misunderstandings = me not caring. While I like Wuthering Heights, I hate that Emily Bronte released that trope into the world.

Predictability isn't necessarily good if I can see that the heroine is going to end up with the asshole. I usually close the book. Just make sure her DLI is one worth rooting for. And if there's another guy, make sure there's a good reason why she doesn't pick right away.

And I'm not directing, or assuming anything about your MS. Just a trope I had the misfortune of reading over and over again last year. I just wanted to make sure that you were informed about my pet peeves. As if anyone actually cares

Netz said:

Lol, don't worry - I took it that your rant was a general one. (I'm not concerned about it being an issue in my MS - my girl knows who she wants to be with.)

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Thank god. A heroine who knows what she wants. You have made my day. I mean, I'm a wishy washy person, but not even I can stand the "do I want hot boy one, or hot boy two" drama.

If there is a love triangle in the story then I hate it when it becomes obvious who the MC is going to be with the second the DLI pops onto the page. It almost becomes pointless to have the love triangle except to add easy drama/angst. I also agree with thebloodfiend about there needing to be a good reason as to why she/he can't choose one.

If there is only one LI in the story then I don't care if it's predictable. At that point I just honestly want a good story with an interesting and believable relationship (which I'm sad to say I have a hard time finding).

I'm reading a book right now where, close to the beginning, a "bad boy" with longish hair and rocker clothes named Liam is mentioned, and I knew he was the love interest before he even had any dialogue. I'm not done the book, and it's becoming less clear that they'll get together (thank god), but I was annoyed. I hate the designated love interest.

I think this is about taste, not about the quality of the writing. I don't mind the obvious DLI. In fact, most of my favorite books with romantic plot lines have one, both classic and contemporary (Jane Eyre, Daughter of the Forest, Goose Girl etc.)

I'd say my MS makes it obvious. He's the first person the reader meets outside of my MC and her mom. Not that their relationship doesn't have conflict, but she isn't really interested in anyone else. Initially she isn't even interested in him.

It is usually very predictable, but it doesnt really bother me. (Otherwise, no one would ever bother watching romantic comedies.) It is different with some triangles, though. All the Jacob fans seemed hopeless and pathetic, you know?

I think The Hunger Games did it best with Peeta and Gale.

When I say I hate the Designated Love Interest, I just hate it when there's an obviously hot guy in the story who is obviously going to be the LI even when they have no chemistry nor any reason to love each other. That bugs me.

I decided who was going to be with out during the outline and research phase. But through the course of the writing itself they wouldn't do what was in the outline so my MC ended up with someone completly different and her original LI ended up being the real villain! This is why I have decided to never outline again!

thebloodfiend said:

I don't care for predictable love interests if there's another guy in the mix. You have to ask yourself why the couple can't be together. I have read so many bs, convoluted reasons from stupid YA heroines that I have very little patience for the love triangle. I usually end up rooting for the guy who the heroine doesn't pick. And I hate her for jerking him along.

You have to ask yourself why she can't pick one and why she picks one over the other. Not to slam opinions on books, but in Fallen, I hated Luce for running to Daniel instead of Cam. I hated Scyluer for choosing Jack instead of Oliver. I hated Bella for running to Edward instead of Jacob. *spoilers for Evermore* and I hated Ever for running to Damon instead of Jude *end spoilers* And I hated Rose for cheating on Adrian to get with Dimitri.

Indecisive heroines annoy me, especially if I don't care about her DLI. At the very least, make both guys interesting if you want me to root for her.

And if there's only one guy, don't make the reason why they can't get together dumb. Misunderstandings = me not caring. While I like Wuthering Heights, I hate that Emily Bronte released that trope into the world.

Predictability isn't necessarily good if I can see that the heroine is going to end up with the asshole. I usually close the book. Just make sure her DLI is one worth rooting for. And if there's another guy, make sure there's a good reason why she doesn't pick right away.

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Once again, you spoke my mind. And I was infuriated with Wuthering Heights, even though I kinda-sorta fell in love with it. That book was so draining. I love a good romance, but I keep in mind how I want it done in my YA mss. I'm dealing with this designated love interest in my current ms but since I'm sooo obsessive about the psychology behind everything...I think that says enough about my take.

thebloodfiend said:

You have to ask yourself why she can't pick one and why she picks one over the other.

Indecisive heroines annoy me, especially if I don't care about her DLI. At the very least, make both guys interesting if you want me to root for her.

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This.

I think it's important to flesh out both LI's so her/his decision is difficult to make. Almost like both LI's are playing a tug-of-war with her, because one LI is missing a trait that the other one has and vice versa. I don't think it's fair when authors just glorify one LI more than the other. the attention the MC gives the LI's should be in equal amounts, that way it doesn't seem so obvious who she's going to choose.

In my MS, my MC is caught between her "boyfriend", who has been with her through everything--but is a drug addict, and his younger sister, the best friend who abandoned her--but can help her get clean of her own addiction. So, basically there's a need and a want contest of what sorts.

I don't mind an obvious love interest as long as they have a reason for being together (other than fate). They're relationship should have some conflict, but there are plenty of opportunities for conflict without adding another love interest.

At this point, I'll take anything without a love triangle--mostly because you can't really build a good relationship if one party isn't committed to it.

You know, I have a weird opinion on this. Sometimes I hate it when it's so obvious.
But let's take Tamaki and Haruhi from Ouran High School Host Club, for example.
Although it was very very obvious that Tamaki and Haruhi were going to end up together, I still rooted for them and I still got upset when it looked like they were going to fall apart, even though I knew they'd end up together one way or another. I found myself rooting for them anyway, just because they were so obviously made for each other.
So yeah, just seconding what the others said, it's all about being able to tell that the two characters are in love, it's all about rooting for the couple.

She mentioned the book was predictable and she knew who the female MC would end up with the minute the guy was introduced.
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Do other readers find it a problem if the DLI is so obvious? Or is it expected that the DLI should be obvious?

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Not to derail the thread, but is it bad to have an obvious designated love interest that doesn't end up working out?

(I'm half way through and can't decide which way my pair are going. It's driving me nuts. They belong together. But if timing is everything, they're screwed...)

I think it's all in how you play it off. The vast majority make it pretty obvious. I think it's becoming more common for the triangle thing, though. At least since TWI (Jacob all the way!)

I personally have written with a DLI and really enjoyed it. My most recent ms, though, seems to be more of a twisty one. My betas were a little surprised by who she ended up with in the end. Except I always meant for it to go that way, while writing it--so, it was more of a DLI on my side, but not the reader's. Interesting.

I'll take one predictable love interest any day, a la Graceling, over a love triangle where you don't know who ends up with who, because with love triangles, it seems I am always but always rooting for the guy she doesn't end up with. (Every. Single. Time.)

And consequently I'm sick to death of love triangles. Although if the love interest isn't predictable and there isn't a triangle involved I'll be perfectly happy. I just need a pair of people I can root for, really.

I'm no expert on YA but I think it goes for most stories and even real life. There are simply relationships which seem plausible and those which don't. Setting up a doomed relationship is possible but generally not of interest as there's little to gain in the long term for anyone involved.

Being able to guess a love interest as being such isn't much of a killer. Unless the question of who's in love with whom and how will it end is the entire point of the story, I'd be glad to know who I should be rooting for. Of course, there are ways to do this well and other ways where it's obviously a hindrance. Depends on what you're writing and how you write I guess.

I think it depends on how central romance is to the entire plot of the book. My favorite example of this is The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen. I really enjoy the slow build of the romantic tension throughout the novel, because even though the love interest was apparent fairly early on, it still remained a subplot for most of the book.

As for love triangles, I'm not a fan. Although, they're quite the marketing tactic for series books, so I also understand why they exist. I just think they're a boring, overused plot device. Hmm, now I want to find a well written example...

E. Lockhart is incredible at this. Fucking incredible. The whole Ruby Oliver series she introduces all these guys as possibilities and they all kind of hang out and you NEVER SEE her pulling the strings aiming you towards one guy...but she ends up with one, and I've never heard a single person not swoon and go crazy that he's the one she ended up with. I don't know HOW she does it but God would I kill to find out.

I'm trying it. I have a bunch of guys around. It's not a love triangle, because they aren't all vying for her or anything, they're just...around. And hopefully I'm pointing you subtly towards the right guy.