My Top Five Book Boyfriends

I was going to wait until February for this one, but sometimes you just have to write a blog post naming your...

Top Five Book Boyfriends.

1. John After from Jennifer Echols' Going Too Far

From GoodReads: One crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, Meg goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back. John made a choice to enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge.

Why he's my book boyfriend: I hereby declare that John After will never not be my #1 book boyfriend. Hear that all other future book love interests? Do you know why? Because the description above only portrays him as a hard ass. And don't get me wrong, he was for the first 30 or 40 pages. But then, during the ride alongs Meg was sentenced to go on with him, he softened up. He's an artist and can tell the difference between indigo and cyan. And he's funny, and says things like, "I love Cops. It’s like my life, but with the boring parts taken out.”

Am I not doing a good enough job convincing you? WELL GOOD. Because I want him all to myself. Go pick another book boyfriend or there'll be a smackdown in the girl's bathroom.

“And the rest is happily ever After.”

2. Travis from Trish Doller's Something Like Normal

From GoodReads: When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.

Why he's my book boyfriend: I know, I know. I won't shut up about this book! Seriously though, if you haven't read it, please don't speak to me until you do. Who can resist a nice guy like Travis? He just needs a girl like Harper me in his life! I would totally tell his dad off and then trip his brother. Funny and irresistible, if John After were to ever leave me for some incredibly attractive girl, I'd completely run into Travis's very strong Marine arms.

3. Owen from Sarah Dessen's Just Listen

From GoodReads: Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything" — at least that's the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf's Department Store. This year, she's the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen's help, maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.

Why he's my book boyfriend: Um, hello? He was the only boy who would sit with her on the wall at lunch time and made her SEVERAL mixed CDs to help widen her taste in music. For those reasons alone, I love Owen. Throw in an adorably precocious sister who tells it like it is and a beat-up van to listen to all your tunes in, and I am sold on Owen as a book boyfriend.

4. Adam from Gayle Forman's Where She Went (also, If I Stay)

From GoodReads: It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever. Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future-and each other.

Why he's my book boyfriend: So...I have this thing for guys in bands. I don't think that's a secret. But a bona-fide rock star boyfriend? Who writes entire hit albums about me? Mia is crazypants to leave that! But that's okay, Adam. I'm right here.

5. Ed / Shadow from Cath Crowley's Graffiti Moon

From GoodReads: Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

Why he's my book boyfriend: Dark, mysterious and full of depth and artistic vision, that's how I'd describe Shadow, Ed's graffiti artist alter ego. I'd totally sneak out late at night to watch him paint the side of a building, but I'd probably be horrible at watching out for the cops.

So, now's your turn. Who's your book boyfriend(s)???