Switching Love Interests Halfway Through?

I mean there IS a trope for this. And as you already pointed out it wouldn't be unrealistic. The important thing I think is to make sure it serves the story and character development. You've noted that the relationship is going to be part of the MC coming to terms with his sexuality, so it certainly serves the character in that regard, so make sure to follow through with whichever choice you make.

As for 1, 2, or 3, I'd say to pick one as your overall plan, but be flexible enough to switch it up if, as the story develops, you realize one of the other options better fits the characters' arcs.

These kinds of questions are very difficult to answer without more context, but I'll give it a shot. Basically, I'd go for the option that:
(1) brings the story to a fulfilling ending;
(2) is consistent with the characters' personalities, background and arcs;
(3) doesn't waste the reader's time at any point in the story.

1) The MC and the boy become friends again after about a year and a half and admit they have strong feelings for each other/end up together

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That might be a fulfilling ending. It might have problems with consistency (as you mentioned, it might be unlikely,) but not necessarily; you can make it work. Most notably, this option probably doesn't waste the reader's time, bothering with storylines that'll never come to fruition. (Unless, in a very clumsy way, their state reverts to exactly what it had been before, and the entire space since then becomes irrelevant in terms of character development.)

2) The MC and the boy never become friends again, and the MC meets another boy much better for him

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This, too, might be a fulfilling ending, depending on the executions. It's also quite believable, and easily consistent. The only thing to worry about here is making sure that the previous relationship made a difference. As a reader, I wouldn't want to read a hundred pages about a relationship that means nothing in the long run. That's not to say it has to be THE ONE, but has to be significant. It has to mean something. This can be done, surely, but might require a more nuanced approach (which is definitely not a bad thing.)

3) The MC and the boy become friends again but don't end up together

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Is this fulfilling? Depends. It could be dry, but it could also be emotional and moving. (Again, nuance.) Regarding consistency, this options seems easy to pull off. Also, making up (even without ending up together) makes the relationship, in storytelling terms, somewhat more worthwhile. It makes sure that the reader doesn't forget its significance and lasting effect.

In conclusion . . . I haven't got a clue. I hope I laid out my thoughts clearly, to help you see some factors I may have considered. You may consider others, and that's fine. But based on my (rough) analysis, I'd say that the first option is the easiest to pull off, but that if you seek profundity, I'd go for a combination of the other two. How about he meets another boy, and also makes up with his old friend--both providing closure, continuation and a sense of progress?

Good luck!

I like the idea of switching love interests over the course of a story. A lot of relationships don't last forever and that's completely okay, so I think it's nice when books acknowledge that. It's also an opportunity to include some character interactions that you don't get to see in stable relationships that last all the way to the end of a story. My own WIP novel involves multiple characters (including the MC) in more than one relationship over the course of the story.

1) The MC and the boy become friends again after about a year and a half and admit they have strong feelings for each other/end up together

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I'm no relationship guru, but people getting back together after breaking up seems to be relatively uncommon (though definitely not unheard of), which makes this idea feel a bit forced. It's not a bad idea by any means, and if you write it convincingly it could definitely work.

2) The MC and the boy never become friends again, and the MC meets another boy much better for him

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Do you already have a specific idea for who this other boy is? Better yet, does this character already exist in the book and have a plausible reason to be the MC's next boyfriend? If the answer to those questions is no, then having him show up at the last minute and fall in love with the MC would almost certainly come across as corny and/or contrived. This is a good idea, but for it to work well you definitely need to build up to it gradually, which could take a decent amount of planning in advance.

3) The MC and the boy become friends again but don't end up together

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In many ways I think this is my favorite idea. Based on the high school setting and because your profile says you write YA, I'm assuming this is a YA novel. Unless things have drastically improved since I was in high school, many teenagers feel intense pressure to be in a relationship at all times and can fall into the trap of devaluing themselves when they are single. This idea allows you to subvert those nasty social norms by showing how a person can be single but still have a happy ending, which might be a very useful message for some of your readers.(Assuming this is a YA novel - if it's not then the ending could be happy, depressing, bleak, ambiguous, whatever).

I feel like it could be cheating the reader almost because the boy is the first person you see the MC fall head over heels in love with.

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You're right, some of your readers probably won't like it if the original couple isn't together at the end of the story, but at the end of the day it's your book, so if one of these ideas is important enough to you then you should just go for it.

Just throwing this out FWIW, but I'd think a well-executed 3 would make for some good emotional closure. Despite what Hollywood and storybooks like to tell us, first loves, especially teen loves, are rarely The One, especially if your MC is still figuring out his sexuality. You don't even know yourself by that age, so how can anyone you meet know themselves, either - and how can any lasting relationship be built on a foundation where the cement hasn't even set? The relationship would obviously be an important part of the MC's maturing process, as he learns himself, but we usually don't stay who we were in high school for good reason. The two becoming friends later, after the emotions of adolescence and other Issues have mellowed - or, if not friends, at least reconciling in some manner, so wounds aren't left to fester - could be a nice touch, maybe a mark of the MC accepting who he used to be (not always easy) and how it helped him, even through pain, to become who he is now, a better person than he might have been.

But, definitely, listen to your story and characters as you write. Even if you've outlined and plotted, listen to them as you put that outline into words. The ending has to be true to your characters, or it'll never be true to anyone reading about them.

It sounds to me like the first love interest has a much more crucial role in the story. The second love interest doesn't have any particular impact on the MC, it's just the fact that he has a new love interest that's significant. Which is fine, just don't give the new love interest that big a role. Have him show up in a few scenes, or even only talk about him without having him appear on camera. The main story is about the relationship with his first love, even if it transforms into a non-romantic relationship.

I'm a little confused by your premise because you refer to "the boy" but say there are two love interests... is "the boy" Boy#1 or Boy #2?

Agree with all previous points about making sure the relationships are both valuable, serve important characterization purposes, etc. Also, I would show whomever is "endgame" in your book in some capacity from the start, maybe as an important friendship, even if Boy #1 is the initial relationship. I know in real life you might date someone for years, break up, then meet someone out of the blue and that might be your forever person. However when reading a romance-focused book where this occurs, it can feel like wasted page space.

As for whether Boy #1 should get back together with MC? Sure. Should they be friends? Sure. Should they never speak again? Sure. Whatever fits. As long as whatever is the endgame relationship is on page from the start. My two cents.

Consider your genre. If you're thinking this will be literary or general fiction (coming of age), you should be fine.

If you're thinking it'll be specifically romance, it may not be so well received, because romance readers expect the love interest introduced at the beginning to be the love interest with the happily ever after at the end.

For my book club we've just read "Another Country" by James Baldwin. That did delve in repeatedly to bi-sexuality and the angst of passionate first loves. One love story within the novel was a gay couple Yves and Eric. Your characters will whisper in your ear if you listen. And truth is always stranger than fiction. See if your fiction can meet up to the truth.

What does the story want? My advice, something that always works for me if i'm guessing... is to really flesh out the characters. KNOW them, intimately. The story pretty much tells itself at that point. As for upsetting people, ask yourself this: do you want to make art? or money? If it's the former, write the story that needs to be written, and screw what anyone thinks. If it's the latter, well then... you dont want to piss too many people off. If you're really good, or lucky, you can do both. Personally, I absolutely refuse to compromise my art, and i'll suffer for that if need be. It kinda sounds like you want a happy ending. Write one. There's one in there somewhere...

I think you could go with any of them and create an awesome story. Real quick though, there was one time I got irritated and felt cheated by a love interest being switched in a book, and that was when the description described the first one in the description, made it seem really epic, and then the main character ended up with someone else half-way through. Now, granted, the writing was also atrocious. But I think if a reader feels lied to, such as if the description is trying to sell something that the author does not produce, can cause some hurt feelings. However, I look the idea of a realistic story because I believe most people don't end up with their firsts, especially when they are exploring themselves and who they are.

It depends on how you setup the story. How many people watched Game of Thrones, fell in love with Ed Stark on the first episode and then had to decide if they wanted to keep watching the show when he died. Fortunately they had already introduced a host of other characters to be interested in. That was critical. If you remove a main love interest with a stranger to the audience, it's going to lose a few people.

- Mark Charke