It's no surprise how much I love my characters in books. Throw in a beautifully broken bad boy & I am completely sold! I love books that present a character conflict, and it's a given there will be MANY conflicts when there's a bad boy present.
My good friend Anna (from Anna Reads) and I have this never-ending debate: Good Boys vs. Bad Boys - Which are better? She tends to like the "good boys" - you know the kind; the sweet, innocent type. Though I do have a soft spot for those dudes as well, it's still the BAD BOYS that keep me turning the pages.
We've put together this little feature today to settle this debate (or at least give the other bragging rights? ha). I'll state my case, then hop on over to her blog where she'll state her's. After reviewing the facts, we want YOU to decide which is better... the good boy? or the BAD BOY? Take our poll & let the results stand for themselves.
Subject: The Bad Boy
Characteristics:
- Confident, Unpredictable, Risk-taker, Bold, Adventurous, Experienced, Tough skin, Wounded heart, Mysterious, Challenging, Irresistible, Charming, Sexy...
Examples (in YA lit):
Will from The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra ClareJace from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
Wesley from The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
Rusty from In Honor by Jessi Kirby
Conrad from The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Patch from Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Jake from Saving June by Hannah Harrington
Jeremy from Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
Adam from Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols
Noah from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Cole from The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater
Four from Divergent by Veronica Roth
Travis from Something Like Normal by Trish Doller
- He's arrogant, yet so sexy doing it.
- He has a wounded heart we so badly want to heal.
- He can make us melt with one smoldering look.
- His cockiness usually comes with a sense of humor.
- He's made a few mistakes which validate him being real.
- He usually has a guitar in hand, or close by.
- His hair is almost always glorious.
- He sports that half crooked smile at just the right time.
- He may act like he doesn't care, but he's the first to protect us.
- He's loyal to the ones he loves.
Verdict: Clearly it's the Bad Boy who is the winner here. How can you resist all of that?! He may have his low moments, but it's those high moments that make up for everything & then some. *SWOON*
**MARCUS FLUTIE. He is the one thing both Anna & I can agree on. Give us good, give us bad. We love every bit of him. You. Yes, you MARCUS FLUTIE belong on both lists. Neutral ground it is.
Good Boy vs. Bad Boy
I love BOTH of your posts so hard. I think a part of me feels like I go for the good guy. I love me some Peeta and Cricket like WHOA. But if I'm being honest with myself, I fall for the bad ones. The reckless and dangerous. I am not Team Gayle, but I feel like I would fall for him if I was in Katniss's position. However, I do LOVE me some Noah Shaw and Four. Oh god. *fans self*
ReplyDeleteHehe, I kinda wonder why this is even up for discussion, the answer is so clear!!! BAD BOYS ARE THE BEST!!! x)
ReplyDeleteOh Conrad and Four - pretty irresistable! BUT, I'd like to think the Good Guys always win in the end! Hello, Augustus Waters!
ReplyDeleteBad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do when they come for you!
ReplyDeleteSorry I had to!
I vote bad boys! Always! Ed from Graffiti Moon, Tom from The Piper's Son, Puck from the Iron Fey! Yum Yum!
Well, I'm kind of biased in this debate because my character is one of those listed. But I'm all for bad boys.
ReplyDeleteAHAHAHAHA impartial jury, Trish!
DeleteWow, this is such a tough decision! I seriously couldn't live without either of those type of guys. I loved Four in Divergent, I loved Dimitri in the Vampire Academy and I loved all those cocky and sexy guys that came along the way.
ReplyDeleteBut then... I have to admit that there are two guys who got to me the most: Roger (Amy & Roger's epic Detour) and Adam (If I Stay). And since I loved them so much, I have to go with the good guys.
But think of it this way: don't we all love the bad guys so much because we know that they are actually the good ones deep at heart? ;)
Nice debate, btw and awesome entries of both of you!
GOOD BOYS! <3
ReplyDeleteI mean, I date a good boy who cooks me food, cleans, gives me thoughtful presents and is just as nerdy and good looking as I am. SO I'm turning to real life to make my decision.
But then someone mentioned Dmitri which definitely makes the choice hard because YUM.
And I like guitars.
But overall, I'm voting for good boys.
Cole is underrated, and I can't understand why. Sam is a snooze! Nice work including him on this list! Its hilarious. So much smoldering.
ReplyDeleteOMG!!! I can't choose! Four...I love him. But the other list has so many guys I like too!! And you so cheated with a pic of Damon!! I'm struggling to not
ReplyDeleteVote for his side! Haha.
Like I said on Anna's blog: I CAN'T TAKE SIDES ON EITHER ONE. It just really depends. Plus, I'm a fictional boy slut. I fall in and out of love so easily with these guys that it doesn't matter if maybe they're a little bit douche-y or tad too goodie-goodie. As long as they got the right package downstairs, they stand a chance. It's a sickness, I will admit. *nods solemnly*
ReplyDelete— Asher
I voted for the Good guys. I totally get the bad boy thing, especially because they are truly good at heart in books. But in real life, bad boys are typically just bad news and best to avoid. So good boys win for me. Besides, I like a guy with no issues and baggage. =)
ReplyDeleteToo many boys, so little time :)
ReplyDeleteUgh, Ginger! I CANNOT DECIDE FOR THE LIFE OF ME. I'm so torn. I do love, love, love that you and Anna put this together. How could I ever choose between Four and Cricket? Well, actually... knowing I might have a bookish date with Four coming up in...oh, May...makes the decision a little easier. ;)
ReplyDeleteUgh, I love both. I voted Bad Boys because there's something so appealing about the idea of healing a broken boy. I loved Conrad in the Summer books. He was so.....attractive.
ReplyDeleteBut the Good Boys are attractive too. Peeta in Hunger Games? Oliver in Statistical Probability? Sarah Dessen's boys? I love them all.
But my biggest book crush is Dimitri from Vampire Academy, and I'm fairly certain he's a Bad Boy. :)
I have to say that I love to read about Bad Boys, but Good Boys are the ones that steal my heart.
ReplyDeleteBut, let's just say that the best of all is a Bad Boy who really is a good man :D that wins them all!
:D
I can't do it, it's too hard! :o I'm neutral. First of all, Four is a bad boy?! I actually thought he was good. Anyway, when it comes too it, I like a good boy with a little bit of an edge. They're sweet and considerate, can be funny and teasing like Tucker from Unearthly, but they don't get boring. And most of all, they're reliable. They're not goodie-goodies, but they aren't bad boys either. They can be (almost) just as fun as bad boys, without the headache. I love bad boys, *sigh Damon Salvatore, but in the end I'd rather go for the good boy with an edge.
ReplyDeleteCLEARLY, it’s the bad boys who win this battle! Although, you could have made your point of the debate with toads and I would have agreed as long as you included a picture of Alex Pettyfer! ;)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite bad boys have to be Jace and Will from Cassandra Clare’s books, she really knows how to make a super sexy bad boy character.
Darlene @ Leather Bound and Lovely
Ahh! Such a hard decision. I love Bad Boys, but at the same time I love Good Boys. My favorites are probably the Bad Boys who are really Good underneath all of their layers. (:
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion!!
I have to say, I'm definitely a fan of Will, although I love Jem, too. (: But then there's Noah from Mara Dyer and he's perfect!! haha
ReplyDeleteBad Boys! No question. I love the need-to-be-redeemed element of them. And I feel like bad boys aren't hiding anything. They can't be bothered to. It's the "good boys" that usually have the most secrets.
ReplyDeleteBad boys definitely used to be my thing but somewhere along the lines I turned into a complete good guy lover. There are still the occasional bad boys that I <3, but if it's a love triangle, I'll almost always choose the good guy (Damon Salvatore being the exception *drools*)
ReplyDeleteGive me a bad boy any day! And seriously, Marcus Flutie is one of the best guys in literature... ever.
ReplyDeletewho is marcus flutie?
ReplyDeleteI will always always always love the bad boys! You had me sold before your argument and even more sold after it because you totally just described the guy I'm crushing on now. And as I told Anna, I love Peeta to death and rooted for him to the end, but Four...hello Four, there is no topping him :D
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THIS SO MUCH.
ReplyDeleteI am a fan of the good boy. Unless we're talking Warner and in that case OH MY GOD get the fire extinguisher. YUM YUM YUM. I CAN FIX HIM.
Sorry for yelling.
SO MUCH HOTNESS! I'm feeling faint...
ReplyDeleteI love both bad and good boys for different reasons. If they have a snarky personality, they win.
I LOVE this post and I love that WIll and Jace grace the top of the list!
ReplyDeleteI defnitely vote for bad boys!!! Jace, Will, Four... do I need to say more?! SWOON<3
ReplyDeleteI kind of love the "bad boys" who are actually good guys in disguise. You know, like they have mysterious-ness and a teensy bit of arrogant charm, but they treat the girl right and are generally nice guys. I think those would be my favourite... the good-bad hybrid. ;)
ReplyDeleteIn my fictional life, I would definitely go for the BAD BOYS. They just make me swoon a whole lot more and picturing them in my head is just so much fun! Plus, it's appealing because it's different than what I usually go for...
ReplyDeleteBecause in real life, I definitely take the side of the GOOD BOYS. After all, I'm in love with and engaged to a perpetual good boy - and I wouldn't have it any other way!