Super Picky About Romance Part 2-- The Exceptions and The Rules

So I did a post last week about YA Romance and how I'm super picky about it.  Basically I talked about how I need the romance to give me some perfect, unexplainable feeling or I don't like it very much.

But I also said that all of my dislikes have exceptions.... so today I'm going to share with you books that fall into:

the RULE category-- meaning they showcase exactly what I don't like in romance
the EXCEPTION category-- which are books that do the thing the RULE does, but somehow it works for me

Category: Boy Crazy

The Exception-- The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

• Ruby Oliver is definitely boy crazy and it gets her into a lot of trouble at times... but the book has a fun feel to it, so it works.

The Rule-- Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

• I had to DNF this one in big part thanks to Snow having a crush on EVERY male she comes into contact with.  Just no.

Category: Uncomfortable Romance

The Exception-- The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

• So some inappropriate things go on with Lennie and her dead sister's boyfriend Toby.  Which is alarming, but ultimately it was part of her grief process, so I could handle it.

The Rule-- Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

• Jacob goes to this island which is stuck in a time-loop and there's a girl there that is his age, but also was his grandfather's girlfriend before the time-loop started.  There's just something about hooking up with your grandfather's ex that makes me feel icky.

Category: Instalove

The Exception-- Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

• I loved Noah and Echo and YES it was a little bit Instalove, but they had CHEMISTRY.

The Rule-- Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

• Oh gosh, this relationship.  Sorry to all you Twi-hards, but I just can't with the "you are exactly my brand of heroin" crap.

Category: Stuck Together

The Exception-- From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer & Val Thomas

• Kylie and Max get stuck in Mexico on high school graduation day, and I thought they were adorably cute together.  Their adventure didn't feel super forced and the romance developed without having to rely on them starting out as MORTAL enemies.

The Rule-- Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

• Jason and Julia are opposites that get stuck together as partners during a class trip to London.  It's the case of "the rule breaker" and "the rule follower" and I sort of liked the book.  But the romance wasn't the part that I liked.

Category: Inappropriate Love

The Exception-- Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

• Amelia is 15 and Chris is 21.  That is a no-go for me.  BUT guys, this goes to show the power of Laura Buzo's writing, because by the end of the book I actually liked this couple.

The Rule-- You Against Me by Jenny Downham

• The romance in this book is between the brother of a girl who was raped and her rapist's sister.  That is just ick for me.

Category: Immaturity

The Exception-- Winger by Andrew Smith

• Ryan Dean West is SO immature and Annie should have never given him any time of day.  BUT she did and he's awesome and just-- YAY!!

The Rule-- Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

• Lily.  Oh jeez Lily.  I liked Dash, but Lily was so immature she was practically non-functional.  So no, I did not like this romance.

Category: Instalove

The Exception-- Mara Dyer series by Michelle Hodkin

• Maybe not a true exception because these 2 did get on my nerves at times.  Maybe I just have a thing for hot dudes with accents.  Whatever the reason, I didn't HATE their Instalove as much as I normally do.

The Rule-- Shadowlands series by Kate Brian

• The first book in this series is THRILLING and awesome... but then Tristan and Rory happen.  BLAH.  They're dropping the "soulmate" bomb after like a day and it's very hard for me to work with that.

Category: Pedestal Love

The Exception-- Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

• I felt like Isla put Josh up on a pedestal because his life was more mapped out and she was such a romantic that she expected things from him without KNOWING who he really was.  But it was a very cute romance and I didn't hate them as a couple.  I just wished Isla didn't put herself down so much because she saw Josh as being so high.

The Rule-- Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour

• I really liked this book... I just really DIDN'T like the romance.  Emi put Ava on a pedestal and expected her to live up to that pedestal and it pissed me off because Ava didn't ask for that!!

Category: Siblings Liking the Same Person

The Exception-- Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

• Sisters Dara and Nick both have a thing for the neighbor-boy Parker.  It wasn't icky because, well, I don't know.... the situation??  Because Josh was totally love-able??  I don't know, but it didn't irk me at all.

The Rule-- Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

• This book = EWWW.  2 brothers are knowingly sleeping with the same girl and the whole thing just felt creepy and ICKY.

Category: Hate to Love

The Exception-- 52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

• So Lexi's dad sends one of his interns to "babysit" her while she's out doing her 52 jobs.  Of course, she hates his guts... he's a brown-noser and totally stuck up!!  But he changes and feelings change and I didn't hate it.

The Rule-- Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

• I apologize up-front about this one.  I know a lot of you like this series..... but ughhh.  I had to DNF because it was giving me Twilight-vibes.  Katy hated Daemon at first meeting, and he was such a jerk.... but also super interested in her and wanting to save her all the time.  I hate that stuff!!  I just know they were going to get it on and it was just a giant NO for me.

Category: Geeky/Cute

The Exception-- Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

• I loved the trope of the popular girl falling for the Geeky/Cute boy (Kent forever!!) in this book.  LOVED it!!

The Rule-- Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes

• The popular girl falling for the Geeky/Cute boy in this book didn't go as well.  There was a love triangle and the Geeky/Cute boy had problems (which is fine, but his problems sort of defined him).  

Category: Bad Boy

The Exception-- The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

• Jude is forbidden from the Vargas brothers by her older sisters, but after they all leave the house, she starts spending time with bad-boy Emilio Vargas.  Emilio really wasn't a bad-boy.  He just liked motorcycles.  And this book was about so much more than a romance.

The Rule-- My Secret to Tell by Natalie D. Richards

• Emmie loves Deacon, but he's her best friend's brother and he's a bad boy man-whore.  Emmie is a SUPER good girl, so she doesn't dare act on these feelings until Deacon looks super guilty for attempted murder... because there's nothing more attractive than a guy who probably tried to kill his dad.  This was the "forbidden bad boy" trope done bad.

So Let's Talk:
Do you have THINGS in romance that bug you, but yet you find yourself having some exceptions from the dislike?  What are some of your EXCEPTIONS and what are some of your RULES??