YA romances from male perspectives

11 Oct 2016

Boys. We know they have feelings – Big Feelings. But while there’s many YA books that speak of love and romance from a girl’s point of view, it’s a little more difficult to find stories coming straight from a teenage boy’s heart. Which could give everyone the inaccurate impression that boys don’t overthink, worry about, obsess over and get completely floored by love, or lust or a crush or something in-between.

So here are some recommended YA novels that show us the messy, heartbreaking, heart-on-a-rollercoaster stuff from male perspectives.

BOYS IN LOVE…

When talking about this topic I’m tempted to say ‘almost every John Green novel ever’ as the author has made a career writing about sensitive young men. But if pushed to pick one of his books, I choose his debut novel Looking For Alaska. This story is a great example of a raging crush that’s based more on an idea than the reality (a mistake I’m sure I repeated a dozen times over when I was younger). Miles Halter forms a close trio of friends at his boarding school – a place rife with tribalism, pranking and hijinks. It’s almost inevitable that he will fall in love with his beautiful friend Alaska, and it’s equally inevitable that he will attempt to date several other girls, stumbling about foolishly before confronting his feelings.

The hothouse boarding school atmosphere in Looking For Alaska – which allows for plenty of late-night revelations and confessions – contributes to demonstrating how tangled and confusing young love can be.

Complications are also at the heart of Krystal Sutherland’s debut, Our Chemical Hearts. It isn’t love at first sight when Henry Page first meets the enigmatic new girl at school, Grace Town, but when he does fall for her, he falls hard. The spark of first love is palpable in this novel – Henry and Grace tentatively bond over movies, music, and poetry, and Henry begins the exquisite agony of friending Grace. He texts her, plans when he can see her next, and wonders if his feelings could ever possibly be returned. The problem is that it’s not all about him – Grace is fighting a huge battle with grief and loss after a recent traumatic event.

Our Chemical Hearts is a notable mention for showing the grey areas that can exist between two friends, and how sometimes love might not conquer all.

For those partial to stories with non-cookie-cutter characters, try Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – a perennial favourite for our St Kilda children’s book buyer Kim Gruschow.

Kim says: ‘This is a beautiful book detailing the monumental friendship and love of two Mexican-American teenage boys that develops over the course of a Texan summer. Ari has a brother in prison and a father suffering from PTSD; his angry outlook contrasts with Dante who is quiet, artistic and philosophical. Their friendship is immediately intense and enriching. The love and struggles of their families are also deeply present in this thoughtful, affecting book about identity, sexuality, ethnicity and community.’

Rainbow Rowell is another favourite here at Readings. Digital content coordinator Bronte Coates highly recommends her latest novel, Carry On, which is a Harry Potter-esque romantic adventure story set in a boarding school. She says: ‘Rowell has always written teenagers – their fears and dreams, their romantic entanglements – with skill. Her portrayal of them is sharp, sometimes ironic, but never without empathy. Carry On has so much heart to it that it’s almost a tangible presence in the book itself.’ The chemistry between prophesied ‘chosen one’ Simon Stone and his longtime nemesis, the enjoyable snarky Baz, is a delight.

DUAL PERSPECTIVE ROMANCES…

Dual perspective novels are proving a hugely popular method of showing a teenage boy’s side of things. In the wise words of Brooding YA Hero: ‘How do I know we’re gonna fall in love? We’ve got alternating point-of-view chapters. That always leads to true love. Duh.’

Here’s a few of our favourite dual perspective novels published this year…

Let’s travel deep, deep, deep into the Friend Zone for Words in Deep Blue. Henry and Rachel have known each other for a long time, but their best friendship has been on ice since Rachel moved to the coast. Rachel knows why; Henry has no clue. After a family tragedy that she won’t talk about, Rachel returns to the city, to Henry and their collection of wonderful friends, and to a job at the second-hand bookshop owned by Henry’s family. Henry is back with his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Amy (who let’s face it, is only around when it suits her). The alternating perspectives in Words in Deep Blue let us know without doubt that Henry and Rachel belong together, but there are some very real problems and complications holding both of them back.

Also, I would like to say: please don’t kiss your best friend unless you’re prepared for serious angst.

This is advice I could also give Mark in David Levithan and Nina LaCour’s You Know Me Well. This co-authored novel is a delightful heartfelt romp through San Francisco’s Pride Week, as told by alternating narrators Mark and Kate. It’s a dual perspective with a difference: Mark and Kate are not in love with each other, but with other people. Mark has been messing around with his best friend Ryan, who is oblivious to how deep Mark’s feelings run.

Mark is such a gorgeous character – a deeply romantic guy who’s lack of confidence means he has has trouble asking for what he wants. He finds an ally and new friend in his classmate Kate, who he unexpectedly spots while dancing on a bar in his underwear (the best scene ever). Kate has her own love troubles too, and in the form of bohemian circus performer Violet.

You Know Me Well so perfectly captures its characters as they balance on the cusp of adulthood, and the supportive friendship that develops between Mark and Kate is genuinely uplifting.

When Michael and Mina first meet at a refugee rally, they are there to support opposing sides of the debate. Mina’s family are Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, while Michael’s upper-middle class family are the founders of an anti-immigration political party called ‘Aussie Values’. So it’s understandably confusing when both teenagers feel an undeniable spark of attraction for one another, and even more so when Mina shows up as a scholarship student at Michael’s school.

When Michael Met Mina explores their growing relationship, and follows Michael as he starts to question the values he’s been given by his parents. Readings Kids buyer Angel Crocombe was hugely impressed by When Michael Met Mina. She describes it as ‘a classic Romeo and Juliet love story set against a contemporary backdrop of the current refugee crisis and without the tragic ending’.

FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS…

One Step by Andrew Daddo
Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Six Impossible Things by Fiona Wood
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan (multiple perspectives)

BOOKS WHERE ROMANCE IS A SIDE DISH…

Perhaps you don’t want to pick up a romance per se, but you wouldn’t mind if a little bit of kissing crept in… Here are some books where love isn’t the main course, but is still part of the story.