Let’s face it: there are countless irritating FMCs and MMCs in romance. They ruin the plot and romance and test our patience with each page, and sometimes it’s enough for us to DNF the book. It seems — at least to me — this type of character is prevalent in the more popular works. Not that all popular books follow this unfortunate trend, but the ones below certainly do.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own and not necessarily those of Bookstr.
Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James
Christian is incredibly abusive toward Ana: he ignores her boundaries, stalks her, and manipulates her. He’s so condescending, and I’d love the chance to punch him. But Ana is the truly annoying one in their relationship. She’s so insecure that she immediately thinks any woman who talks to Christian, who isn’t related to him, is attracted to him. She’s also immature, hates women who actually take care of themselves, and doesn’t see beyond her own nose. Even if Christian wasn’t the abusive asshole he is, their romance would be ruined because she’s an insecure, jealous, and possessive woman who hates other women.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
They’re both annoying as hell. Bella is too dependent on Edward, has no ambitions or desires of her own, and makes terrible decisions without thinking them through first. She’s basically a blank slate for readers to insert themselves into. Edward is awful because he’s incredibly controlling and possessive over Bella, is emotionally manipulative, and doesn’t take what Bella wants into account when making decisions, especially the ones he makes for her. For goodness’ sake, the dude breaks into her home to watch her sleep! Their relationship was so frustrating to watch, and it could have been so much better.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Noah is a creepy stalker. He first sees Allie at a carnival, then decides that he must “have” her. So he coerces her into going on a date, and the rest is history. Not to mention that he hates how she lives her life — as if that’s his business — because she’s not “free” like he thinks she should be. They also don’t get along; they fight all the time, and their lifestyles are so different that they’re completely incompatible. Allie isn’t perfect, but Noah just makes me want to throw the book.
The Selection by Kiera Cass
Listen, I really like this series, but America is insufferable. She’s always jaded about everything and everyone; she keeps flipping between Maxon and Aspen, and she makes rash decisions before thinking about the consequences. She’s also self-righteous and can’t possibly understand why someone would feel differently than she does. Sometimes, I’d just like to smack her to get her head on straight.
Avalon High by Meg Cabot
Since Ellie and Will are reincarnations of the Lady of the Lake and King Arthur respectively, they’ve met in past lives. Their attraction and feelings toward one another make sense, but Ellie is so irritating about it! Will is dating Jennifer when they first meet, and Ellie keeps wishing he’d break up with her so they can be together instead. She’s so focused and obsessed with him that it’s like nothing else matters. Yes, they do get together. No, it’s not her fault that he and Jennifer break up. But I got so frustrated with Ellie during a recent reread that it made me want to throw in the towel.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
I didn’t like Mare from the beginning. She costs her sister, Gisa, her hand because Mare wants her to help steal money to save her best friend. It isn’t directly her fault, sure, but she shouldn’t risk her little sister — especially when Gisa is the main breadwinner. Mare’s always thinking negatively, is impulsive, rude, and downright immature. I couldn’t even enjoy the romance or plot because all I could think about was how much I didn’t like her. Couldn’t even pick up the next book after that.
The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles
Elle certainly isn’t the worst romance protagonist, but she’s still unlikable. She takes people for granted, like her best friend, and she’s selfish and wants things her way; she doesn’t communicate but likes to make assumptions. Noah is just as bad, if not worse. He’s possessive and controlling, has communication issues just as bad as Elle’s, and has horrible anger management. He gets into fights all the time, and he doesn’t seem to care how Elle is hurt or affected by his actions. How their relationship is considered romantic and sweet, I’ll never know.
Emma by Jane Austen
Emma is rude and judgmental of everyone around her. She’s not afraid to say what she thinks, which would be great if she didn’t go around insulting people. She’s part of the upper class and is aware and snobby of her social status. Not to mention her constant meddling in other people’s love lives by playing matchmaker when she thinks two people look good together — regardless of whether they’re even interested in one another.
Wolf Girl and Black Prince by Ayuko Hatta
Kyōya is a horrible guy and an even worse fake boyfriend to Erika. He treats her like a dog (literally!) and strings her along, often pretending he doesn’t have a girlfriend even after he finds out she likes him. Erika stays with him because otherwise, he’ll tell everyone they aren’t really dating and that she lied about their relationship. The fact that Erika lies at the beginning is a little annoying, but Kyōya definitely deserves the award of most annoying — and awful — “romantic” MMC.
There are plenty of romance books led by great couples! I swear! Just, maybe not the ones listed here.
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