Everybody loves a good love triangle, especially really really good ones like Will-Tessa-Jem or Dimitri-Rose-Adrian. Okay, sometimes we pretend to love the triangle when we really just love declaring a team. But don't you sometimes feel like love triangles are all you read? I do. Have no fear, friends, because I've made up a list of plain old love segments (lines from point A to point B. How's that for dragging up middle school math? :P) for when you want a relationship filled with drama and tears...but just between two participants. Teams need not apply! Like all my lists, this one is far from complete as I can really only use books I've read. Let me know what I'm leaving off! When you guys comment, you give me recommendations, for which I'm always greatful!
Public Service Announcement: I do try to keep my posts fairly spoiler-free, however, in this post, this break line actually covers up actual spoiler-y material. If you don't want to know if your series is going to end up love-triangle-y, you may not want to continue after the break. Some series that you didn't imagine would become a triangle change. See: Twilight. I have no problem using that as my example as it was 1. originally written as a stand-alone novel and therefore the Jacob/Bella nonsense was not actually intended and 2. Hello. The movies. Everybody on the planet has an opinion about Team Edward or Team Jacob. I'm pretty sure the pope has fielded that question at some point. But I digress. Seriously. Some sequels brought the triangle with a BANG! out of left field. If you're not sure you want to know, don't keep reading.
Note 1: If I mean the entire series is relatively triangle-free, I'll use the series name. If not, I only mean whichever book is listed. See Delirium.
Note 2: Some of you may not entirely agree that these are triangle-free. I have included them on this list either because a) the "triangle" is super weak (not necessarily the writing, but just one character may not be as invested: See: Jennifer Echols's Going Too Far) or b) the "triangle" is not exactly played out in the novel itself. See: Amy Plum (I really don't consider DFM or UID a triangle, even though there is the tiniest inkling [and some extra scenes and/or a novella] that it is). Any novels/series marked with an *asterisk* are disputable so feel free to, well, dispute! :D
Note 2.5: I also don't consider "triangles" that include a friend who just has a crush and like .3% of a chance to get the guy or girl to be a triangle. See: Jodi Meadows's Incarnate series. Seriously. Did you READ Asunder? No? Well, go count how many times Sam & Ana make out, then come back and try to tell me with a straight face that it's a triangle.
Note 3: Some of these books may have a triangle between lesser characters, but I have included them on this list for main character love arcs. See: Under the Never Sky.
Josephine Angelini - Starcrossed
Libba Bray - Beauty Queens
Meg Cabot - Abandon
- Ransom My Heart
Ally Carter - Gallagher Girls series*
Sarah Dessen - Dreamland
- Keeping the Moon
- Lock and Key
- What Happened to Goodbye
Jennifer Echols - The Ex Games
- Forget You*
- Going Too Far*
- Love Story
Huntley Fitzpatrick - My Life Next Door
Gayle Forman - If I Stay
- Just One Day*
Jodi Gehrman - Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty
Claudia Gray - Evernight
- Fateful
John Green - The Fault in Our Stars
Shannon Hale - Princess Academy
Michelle Hodkin - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Carrie Jones - Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend series
Julie Kagawa - The Lost Prince (Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten)
Sherrilyn Kenyon - Infinity (The Chronicles of Nick)
Marie Lu - Legend
Tahereh Mafi - Shatter Me
Jodi Meadows - Incarnate series
Jenny Meyerhoff - Queen of Secrets
Sarah Ockler - Bittersweet
- Fixing Delilah
- Twenty Boy Summer
Lauren Oliver - Delirium
Amy Plum - Die for Me*
- Until I Die*
Beth Revis - Across the Universe
- A Million Suns
Veronica Rossi - Under the Never Sky series
Veronica Roth - Divergent series
Jennifer E. Smith - The Probability of Love at First Sight
Nicholas Sparks - The Last Song
Maggie Stiefvater - Shiver
Scott Westerfeld - Leviathan series
I see what you mean about when teams don't apply & it's not really a triangle because it includes a friend who just has a crush and like .3% of a chance to get the guy or girl... That's like in the Dark Side Of Night (by Amanda Day) - that book was very good!
ReplyDeleteThere are other books with no love triangles too- but I recommend that one the most for you!
Bookish love (:
Amy @ http://englishhating-and-bookloving.blogspot.com
(Perhaps you could check out my Valentines post- it has quite the topic of love triangles in it- and in the comments too!)
I'm very picky about my love triangles. I think that some people think just because there are 2 people interesting in another, it equals a love triangle. I'm not really into that kind of thinking. For it to be a true love triangle, there has to be some kind of relationship between all participants. The Infernal Devices are my absolute favorite true love triangle because everybody's equal. Thanks for the rec! I'll definitely check that one out. :)
DeleteSoooo Prodigy has a love triangle? :o I need to read that like now! Love Leviathan, Shiver, The Lost Prince, TFIOS, Beauty Queens and a lot of the others!
ReplyDeleteProdigy is one that I'm not sure if I should add to this list. There's definitely a third player, but I haven't quite made up my mind yet. I probably will add it to this list, but I have a feeling #3 is going to be...um...intense. You'll see. It's a great read, but you're definitely going to have some OMGWTFBBQ moments. :P
DeleteYou could also add The Evolution of Mara Dyer to the list ... there aren't any at all in the sequel either :)
ReplyDeleteI usually am annoyed by love triangles but on occasion I don't mind them. If they are done well. It does seem to be a too common theme for YA books!
ReplyDeleteI'm generally not a fan of love triangles, and I don't definitely don't do "teams". Of course, if I did, it would always be "Team Winner" because why bother with being Team Jacob, for example, when we all know that Bella ends up with Edward? lol
ReplyDeleteLove triangles aren't always awful, but usually they're frustrating knowing that someone is going to get hurt. Nice list. :)