(NOTE: Don't worry, guys! I made sure to keep this post spoiler-free!)
I know that there are a lot of you out there that are absolutely against love triangles, but I am one of those people who lets out a little squeal of joy every time I hear that a book I read has a great love triangle in it. Yes, I can live without love triangles, but most of the time, I feel that they make everything just a bit more exciting. Everyone around me is always complaining about these triangles, and how they always feel bad for the guy who gets left behind. I don't know if I'm inhuman or what, but I've never really felt too bad about what happens to the other guy. In middle school, I read the Twilight series, and I was absolutely against Jacob, so I had no problem with the fact that he didn't end up with Bella. Similarly, in pretty much every other YA novel - with a few exceptions that I can't remember - I always root for one guy, and he's always the one who gets chosen. So I guess you could say that I have pretty good luck when it comes to loves triangles.
However, I really do realize that there is something inherently wrong with love triangles; I've just never paid much attention to it before because with the books I read, the girl doesn't usually lead both dudes on. Well, most of the time. Sometimes I'm just so set on the one guy that, let's be honest, I don't even notice the other. Pretty recently though, I read Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. It's book two of The Naturals, and the main character, Cassie Hobbes, ends up having to make a choice between her two favorite guys: Dean and Michael. Now, I've had a thing for Dean since the first book. While reading this however, both guys were great. I still preferred Dean, yeah, but this time, Cassie was leading both guys on (not that she didn't in the last book as well). Dean was completely ignoring her (like most of my favorite guys do), and Michael was paying an excessive amount of interest to her, but she still kept her relationship open, to the point where it got uncomfortable. I mean, you have two awesome guys begging to be your boyfriend (more or less). Great. You seem to like both of them as well, one more than the other. Double great. Now PICK ONE. Don't wait to see whether the guys YOU WANT wants you back, JUST PICK THE ONE YOU LIKE. Honestly, you'd think it'd be an easier concept to grasp. Not having a boyfriend isn't the end of the world. Still, it didn't bother me too much until the very end of the novel, when *cue old horror movie background music*, Cassie finally picks a dude.
And of course, I was playing it cool - as was Cassie - until the guy she doesn't pick gets this pissed look and kiiiind of goes into a fit of rage. Cassie deserved it, but still. IT HURT MY FEELS, GUYS. Like I said earlier, both Michael and Dean were great people, and I was NOT okay with seeing either of them hurt. The book ended with the guy who wasn't chosen storming away and cutting off all ties with Cassie, so to say I was stressed out would be an understatement. There wasn't a third book up on Goodreads either, so I was freaking out, because the series could not end that way. Imagine my surprise and immense pleasure when I found out later that there will indeed by a third book! Boy, would I like to see how Cassie is going to fix that love of a mess she made...
That was a pretty stand-out love triangle experience for me. As for now, I still get that slightly giddy look on my face whenever I hear the phrase "love triangle". I don't go purposefully picking them out or anything - not consciously, at any rate - but I'll admit I continue believing that sometimes they enhance the romance. Sometimes. *points at Cassie and Michael and Dean* Still, this one love triangle gone wrong is one I won't forget any time soon. Unfortunately, that means I'll probably have more sympathy for the third wheel (corner?) of the triangle. Ignorance is bliss. I'm going to miss it.
Oh, and if you haven't read The Naturals series yet, WHY???? Fans of crime-related television shows and mysteries, YOU ARE MISSING OUT.
Oh, and if you haven't read The Naturals series yet, WHY???? Fans of crime-related television shows and mysteries, YOU ARE MISSING OUT.
