7 YAs with Romantic Rivalries You’ll Relish

The Game of Love And Death, by Martha Brockenbrough
It’s 1930s Seattle, and the game’s afoot. Brockenbrough’s stunning Game puts a sharp twist on the traditional romantic rivalry, upping the stakes by turning two star-crossed lovers, Flora and Henry, into pawns in a battle between Love and Death themselves. Can they overcome circumstance and obstacles to make love the champion? Or will Death take the crown—and Flora’s life—as forfeit? Lyrical, gorgeous, and devastating, Game offers romance while exploring issues of race and class, fate and fortune in a riveting read.

The Summer I Turned Pretty, by Jenny Han
Han knows how to work a love triangle, as we’ve seen in her latest All the Boys trilogy. But her first series, beginning with Pretty, set the bar high. Belly has been in love with summer boy Conrad—her mom’s best friend’s son—since forever. But Jeremiah’s her best friend, and as she turns 15 and starts to bloom, he has definitely noticed. A master in the art of the impossible love story, Han’s trilogy pits two brothers against each other,…and things only get more complicated from there in this swoony, atmospheric summer romance.

The Vampire Diaries, by L.J. Smith
If Han’s Summer stories offer a down to Earth triangle, LJ Smith’s series—yes, these were YA reads before they became a CW staple—elevate that angst to supernatural proportions. Everygirl Elena Gilbert is also torn between two brothers, who happen to be more than 100 years old. Swoony Stefan is sweet and smitten, claiming Elena as his eternal love. Bad boy Damon is a force to be reckoned with, and he has set his sights on the mortal charmer, too, even though she starts off hating him. If you love the TV show, go back and check out the books. It’s interesting to see how the triangle develops, both onscreen and off.

And I Darken, by Kiersten White
White’s deliciously dark new historical centers on a genderbent Vlad the Impaler—Lada Dragwlya, who is as brutal and riveting a character as any on Game of Thrones—and her gentle brother, Radu, both of whom struggle to find their footing in every realm, including the romantic. Along with object of desire Mehmed, the lonely future sultan, the three form a love triangle unlike any other seen in YA thus far. It’s toxic and intoxicating, a harsh and dazzling power struggle that will leave you at the edge of your seat.

Famous In Love, by Rebecca Serle
Not since Edward, Bella, and Jacob has a teen triangle been so polarizing—and for good reason. Serle’s Famous capitalizes on the energy of the infamous Twilight trope with all the drama of your favorite celebrity soap. Just-discovered Hollywood It Girl Paige shoots to stardom in a teen flick about a love triangle—and falls right into a real one with her two costars, golden boy (and producer’s son) Rainer, and rough-around-the-edges Jordan. It reads like a teen TV drama, and it’s about to become one, debuting on Freeform in 2017.

Fans of the Impossible Life, by Kate Scelsa
Mira and her best friend, Sebby, are misfits, but together, they fit. She’s crawling out of a deep depression, and being the new kid at school doesn’t help. Sebby is gay, and a foster kid. In each other, they find something no one else can give them. And nothing can come between them. Except for Jeremy, the shy, sweet artist, who they both fall for hard—and who has a hard time choosing between them.

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Of course the stakes here are actual life and death, but what would a dystopian YA be without a hearty dose of heartstring-tugging angst? Our heroine Katniss can stand alone, but she finds support, solace, and swoons in her two love interests, rebellious childhood friend Gale, and the safer bet, baker’s son Peeta. The dynamic Collins built here is the triangle as a form of analysis and crystallization of Katniss’s inner turmoil—the two boys represent different parts of our heroine, and she uses them to figure out who she wants to be, which, of course, is hard to figure out when you’re fighting for your existence and living life in a dangerous media fishbowl.