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Ectoplasmic-fungi OP t1_jdsbm3s wrote

Reply to comment by Ireallyamthisshallow in The Problem w/ YA books by Ectoplasmic-fungi

Yes I have been. Perhaps it was only my experience, but I didn’t have real romantic relationships ‘till I became an adult.

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Raindrops_On-Roses t1_jdsbxos wrote

I had a two year relationship in high school. A lot of people have relationships in high school. Is it the same as an adult relationship? No, but they do happen, and it feels intense and real at the time.

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Ireallyamthisshallow t1_jdsc6jl wrote

I get that not everyone does, but you must have noticed all the ones going on around you - maybe with friends, but certainly throughout the school as a whole ?

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Ectoplasmic-fungi OP t1_jdsd9ag wrote

Thank you for your opinions, first off. My real problem with teen relationships is that in books, mostly fiction, the couple are in horrible circumstances and they fight together against all odds. It feels like they make the relationship the most important to the plot and not the story. It also gives them an adult perspective which most teens don’t have.

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Ireallyamthisshallow t1_jdsetyn wrote

Most teens might not, but you're not looking at stories about Bob and Brenda going to school with each other every day where their biggest obstacle is getting their homework done on time. You have the example of Illuminae - a massive futuristic space opera - and the suspension of disbelief ends at being too mature for the type of relationship you'd really attribute to a teenager in a 2023 school ?

It's also worth remembering who these books are aimed at. When you're at age, relationships often do feel central to your life. If you're going through a horrible circumstance, the one good thing in your life often is the most important. I think that works on a relatability that you move past as you age.

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hyperdream t1_jdsdso2 wrote

Regardless of whether someone has one or not, negotiating the ins and outs of romantic relationships are huge part of being a teen. It's one of the last great unknowns for kids, so they tend to obsess over them and that obsession helps sell books.

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