Cuffing season is upon us, which means it’s time to round up everyone’s favorite book boyfriends and girlfriends to celebrate and pretend they belong to us. Booktok has exploded with fan-favorite characters, but they almost always seem to involve some of the same characters every time. Here is a quick list of the most popular book boyfriends and girlfriends right now, and hopefully you’ll find a new one that catches your interest.
Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
This book went viral on BookTok and Bookstagram for Sarah J. Maas’s addictive storytelling of a new magical world with powers, villains, heroes, and quests. When Feyre accidentally kills the wrong wolf, she is taken from her family and thrown into the fae realm to pay the price. There, she meets, every reader’s favorite, Rhysand, the half-fae High Lord of the Night Court. Enemies at first, and not her biggest fan, he becomes protective of Feyre over time and is wholeheartedly committed to her.
Aaron Warner from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Known as one of the most morally grey characters to ever exist on BookTok, book lovers everywhere can’t stop talking about him. A dystopian young adult book that also includes romantasy as a genre, fans everywhere praise Aaron Warner as one of the best book boyfriends. Juliette can kill anyone with a simple touch, making her every army’s ideal weapon, including Aaron Warner’s army. Aaron is obsessed with her and her capabilities, but more than anything, he wants to protect her from all things bad in the world. When Juliette discovers she can touch two young men who are immune to her powers, one of them being the antihero, Aaron. We all love to side with and root for the bad boy.
Xaden Riorson from Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
No one has been the same since Rebecca Yarros’s introduction to the mysterious Xaden. Violet is the bookish daughter of an intimidating mother who has to conquer her fears of riding a dragon. Before becoming a dragon rider, she must survive and graduate from Basgiath War College where everyone wants her dead. Even Xaden wants to kill her at first as a respected wingleader. Their animosity towards each other grows into an undeniable attraction, so if you’re a fan of enemies-to-lovers, you’re sure to love Xaden Riorson.
Dr. Adam Carlsen from The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Olive is a Ph.D. candidate and doesn’t believe in wasting her time trying to fool herself into finding love. While she’s trying to convince her friend that she should date the man she wants, she kisses Dr. Adam Carlsen, the hotshot rude professor everyone despises. To keep up the scheme, Dr. Carlsen agrees to play Olive’s boyfriend. Only he plays the part way too well. He is the perfect gentleman to her and stands up for when anyone tries to walk all over her, who doesn’t want that quality in a book boyfriend?
Jude from The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
If you’re a fan of the hate-to-love romance, The Cruel Prince is for you. Jude is one incredible antihero who was put through a lot, making it easy to understand why she became the way she did. She was bullied and ridiculed for being different, for being a human instead of a faerie like everyone else in the kingdom. She decided not to let the bullying get to her like most people would, instead she used it as motivation to beat them at their own games and came out on top. She’s not letting anyone walk all over her again, and she wouldn’t let them do it to you either.
Evangeline Fox from Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
When Evangeline learns the man she loves is engaged to her stepsister, she is convinced there is something else going on. In an attempt to stop the wedding, she makes a deal with the wicked Prince of Hearts, three kisses to be given whenever he chooses in exchange for his help. Only, those three kisses might just change her perspective and her heart. Evangeline is smart, quick-thinking, brave, and too optimistic for her own good. Evangeline will believe and trust in you until the end, but that might get her into trouble. Her emotions are powerful and she’d even sacrifice her life for those she cares about.
BookTok has spoken and these are the significant others they can’t stop talking about. In every book recommendation video, you’ll likely see one if not all of these characters because of the amazing authors who put in so much time making them enjoyable for others. If you’re looking for a new book character to obsess over, try reading one of these books and fall in love just like others did.
To find more book characters to obsess over, check out this article.
To find more book recommendations, check out our Fantasy shelf on Bookshop.
