Let’s Talk Bookish – Believable Fictional Romances

Aria @ Book Nook Bits is the new host for Let’s Talk Bookish! If you aren’t following her yet, good check out her blog and give her a follow!

February 16: What Makes a Fictional Romance Believable?

Prompts: In honor of Valentine’s Day, here’s a romance related topic! What makes romance in books believable and compelling? What makes fictional romance feel fake? Who are your favorite bookish couples?

Welcome to another week of LTB here at DTRH, everyone! Today’s topic is about fictional romances, and how they’re written. Perfect for the Valentine’s Day season that just passed. I’m definitely interested in what you all have to say for what makes romances believable for you, since it’s likely different for everyone depending how you read.

I think for me, the real ones and compelling always take time to develop, or at least have some sort of back story to back up the believability. Love at first sight is kind of passé and we really need more than just some fairytale romance for it to be believable. I think it’s compelling when the author can write it in such a way that you kind of think or know that the romance might be coming, which starts to get you hooked and interested. For me, I think what works best is when we get to see some character development, or at least know more about a character, before we dive straight into full-blown relationship. Side-by-side development of character and relationship works too, but I think a lot of the believability comes from the reader’s understanding of the character and then the subsequent understanding for why the romantic interest would be a compelling fit.

For me, love at first sight, with no real subsequent explanation is just a little bit unrealistic. I mean sometimes it can work, but for the most part it just seems like a cop out from providing a more fleshed out relationship history or any character development. Enemies to lovers is also a trope that is dangerous in execution, because the turning point can feel too sudden in the story (even though we basically always know it’s coming). If the reader can see no real basis for a relationship, and the story relies on that relationship, then it will not be believable and seem fake. If the story doesn’t really rely on the nature of the relationship, then it doesn’t really matter whether a side couple’s romance feels real or not. But the more the relationship is explored or used as a major plot point, there better be some explanation!

I really enjoyed the couple from the Stalking Jack the Ripper series. It felt light and natural, and although of course it was obvious from miles away, I still felt the execution was appropriate, and the transitions works to create a compelling story about the two main characters. The romantic relationships in The Song of Achilles and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo were also so compelling and well-done, and while they’re not necessarily my “favourite couples,” I definitely really enjoyed the story around their relationship.

What about you all? What makes a relationship believable and compelling? Or do you just take what you read at face value? Let me know in the comments below!