There's always tons of talk about fictional boyfriends among both YA and adult readers. I love reading a hero I can swoon over, a hero who gives me the tingles, makes me laugh, makes me feel.
I could make a (massive) list of fictional boyfriends. (Captain Wentworth! West! An older Percy Jackson! Edward Cullen! Gansey! Mr. Darcy! Cricket Bell! Captain Thorne! Mr. Tilney! Etienne St. Clair! Pretty much every boy in every Kasie West book!)
See what I mean about massive?
But if I had to choose just one...
I would pick Peeta Mellark.
Last week during Easter break, we watched all four Hunger Games movies. My 11-year-old daughter wanted to see them, mostly because she'd seen Studio C videos and wanted to know what the real story was about. (And if you haven't seen Studio C, check out one of their Hunger Games sketches below, or their most famous sketch Scott Sterling.)
Anyway, I was reminded again what total perfection Peeta is.
Okay, he's not the most handsome. Not the strongest, the bravest, the toughest. Not the tallest (if we're thinking the movie version). BUT. I don't know if there's another character anywhere who loves as hard as Peeta does. Whose love never wavers. If you know of one, I challenge you to name him! Peeta never stops loving Katniss. And it's not the clingy, I-love-you-so-bad-you-must-be-mine-for-all-time kind of love. It's not toxic, and it's not jealous. When they're competing in the Quarter Quell, Peeta designs his token from Effie to be a gift for Katniss- a locket with photos of her mom, her sister, and GALE. Not himself. When they get back from the first games, he's willing to let her go, despite how she used him and how much he's hurting. When he's healing after being hijacked, he stays away from her until he's fully healed and safe to be around her again. Peeta loves Katniss, no matter what she does.
Peeta is just so good. You can call that boring or blah or vanilla or whatever you want, but I call it perfection.
Ha!
Who would you choose as your fictional boyfriend and why? No matter who it is, they won't beat Peeta in my view. ;)