Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Least Favorite Slow-Burn & Insta-Love Romances

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jamie @ The Broke and the Bookish.

In honor of Valentine’s Day this week’s theme is all about those romance tropes and types! Since I’m not the biggest fan of all YA romances I thought I would share with you guys my favorite slow burn romances in YA along with my most hated insta-love romances as well!

****There will be spoilers for romances in this list, however, many of them are already implied in their book’s descriptions. You have been forewarned though!****

I will link up my reviews for each of these books to the titles, if you’re interested in reading more of why I loved or hated the book! (Although I would say just skip over Shadow & Bone because it was one of my first reviews, so yikes!)

Also I’d love to hear your thoughts on these as well but please remember to be polite with others’ opinions, if you liked a romance I or another did not that’s fine! If you hated one that I or another person loved, that’s fine too! We all have different tastes! So let’s all get along and enjoy chatting books!

Least Favorite Insta-Love Romances

---

5.) Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Alina + The Darkling

Okay so not only do we have a love triangle in this book but we also have an awful case of insta-love because Alina is instantly attracted to The Darkling even though she “loves” Mal. Sorry honey but if that was the case you wouldn’t have fucked all the shit up in this book.

---

4.) Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Celaena + Chaol + Dorian

Once again we have an insta-love triangle! Booooooo! Celaena is instantly head over heels for BOTH of these guys and is constantly thinking about them throughout the duration of the book….instead of ya know….KILLING PEOPLE!

---

3.) Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman

Anne + Edward

Yep Anne falls instantly in love with Edward even though he is a huge asshole to here right away. That doesn’t even make sense! And don’t even get me going on this book…it was all around awful.

---

2.) The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye

Vika + Nikolai + Pasha

Insta-Love? Check. Another love triangle? Check. This is probably one of the worst cases of insta-love I’ve seen because the minute both boys see Vika they are smitten to the point where they can’t stop thinking about her and they didn’t even TALK to her!

---

1.) Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Violet + River

River shows up to rent Violet’s guest house and BOOM destined to be together, forever. Hell, she goes as far as sleeping with him on the couch the same day she meets him! (and I do mean sleeping, not “sleeping”)

---

Favorite Slow-Burn Romances

---

5.) My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

Jane + Gifford (“G”)

These two are forced together by an arranged marriage but are not instantly attracted to reach other, Jane actually strongly dislikes Gifford at first based off of things she’s heard about him. However, after going through the adventures in this book they become closer and realize their true feelings. I really do love a slow burn romance, I find it far more rewarding!

---

4.) The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

Zahra + Aladdin

The title really says it all here, Jinn and humans are forbidden to fall in love because of the resulting “forbidden wish” so we get a very slow burn romance since Zahra knows the consequences of loving Aladdin even as she slowly falls for him.

---

3.) The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Kestrel + Aren

Another case of “forbidden love” (maybe that’s my favorite trope…) where the caste system keeps them apart although Kestrel does not have feelings of love for Aren early on she slowly develops them as the major events of the plot unfold.

---

2.) The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

Nemesis + Tyrus

This romance was a HUGE surprise to me since I wasn’t expecting romance at all and I (also surprisingly) loved it! These two are stabby and clever and meant to be together! (that rhymes!) The reason this is a slow-burn romance is because there’s an actual plot and they use each other at first to further their own agendas.

---

1.) And I Darken by Kiersten White

Lada + Mehmed

While there is a love triangle in this book it’s very nontraditional and unique which is why it does not annoy me in the least bit, thought I’d mention that first! Lada is cruel, violent, clever, and far from beautiful so romance is the last thing on her mind but she ends up falling for Mehmed and vice versa. I shipped these to SO MUCH!

Do you agree or disagree with any of my choices?

What are some of your most hated or loved romance tropes?

How about your favorite book romance or couple?

Let me know in the comments and feel free to link up your TTT as well!