It’s not a secret that when readers get immersed in their books, the characters start to haunt their real lives. Wishing fictional families and friends becomes a part of your daily life, and so does envisioning the book scenarios. But the most common practice is to daydream about book boyfriends!
Books have given us many boyfriends, from the charming Mr. Darcy to the borderline-toxic Edward Cullen. All of them have made us laugh and cry, whine with pleasure and dance with joy. And ultimately, they have made every reader wish that they were real and with you.
Since there are so many fictional lovers, it could get confusing to choose the one you would like the most. So, here is a narrowed-down list of ultimate book boyfriends you won’t get over anytime soon!
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Augustus Waters – The Fault in Our Stars
Let’s be honest: everyone expected Augustus Waters to be on this list, didn’t they? Well, here he is, the charming, kind and dashing hero of John Greene’s The Fault in our Stars. Augustus is a cancer survivor at the age of 17, and that has given him a unique perspective on life and death. As you can imagine, he is one of the most responsible, mature, and kind teen boyfriends you will ever find!
With Augustus, there is no hide your feelings, or is it too much? He never sends any mixed signals, instead opting to express his feelings as soon as he acknowledges them. In fact, when it comes to confessions, no one can hold his hand. Because he speaks his feelings with so much love that you are moved to tears (like Hazel).
But his biggest romantic move was to give his last wish to Hazel since she had used her own ages ago. He may have seemed nonchalant about it, but every reader knows what it means. Augustus will go the extra mile for the one he loves and do things for them without drawing attention to it.
Simply put, Augustus Waters is someone who your teenage self will love and cherish forever. Okay? Okay.
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Garrett Graham – The Deal
Elle Kennedy kickstarts her Off Campus series with The Deal, narrating the heartwarming story of Hannah Wells and Garrett Graham. The plotline of this book is basic. A famous player helps an unpopular, nerdy girl to win her crush’s attention in exchange for tutoring. The magic, however, resides in Kennedy’s writing. Not only is the story average, but it also gives the readers something other than the usual athlete fuck boy. And Garrett is anything but that!
Garrett is the captain of the hockey team, dedicated to playing professionally even after school. He also keeps his grades up in school, caring enough to hunt a tutor for a class he is failing. His personality is funny, too, his snarky remarks in his banter with Hannah making the narrative light-hearted. But underneath it all, Garrett is kind, sweet, respectful, and sometimes too cocky. Readers see this side of his personality more and more once he gets close to Hannah.
This book deals with some heavy themes, such as abuse and rape, and Garrett handles them delicately and with consent. With this pair, there is no room for miscommunication, even when they go from friendship to attraction to gradual love.
Now put yourself in Hannah’s shoes, and you will feel so loved, making him a fantastic book boyfriend for many!
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Dimitri Belikov – Vampire Academy Series
Michelle Reed’s Vampire Academy is a masterpiece – badass heroines, swoon-worthy love interests, and an attractive plot to back them up. But, more importantly, it is also where you will find one of the best book boyfriends, Dimitri Belikov! This dhampir (half-human, half-vampire) is Rose’s love interest but has the readers wishing he was theirs!
He is tall, has lustrous hair, deep eyes, and an irresistible Russian drawl to his voice. A brown duster is his chosen clothing, which hides a surprisingly powerful yet sexy body. But his physical appearance dims in front of his personality, which is even more interesting. He may come across as quiet and strict, but that’s because he always controls himself and his emotions. He is kind, caring, dedicated to his work, and will do everything for the one he loves.
Dimitri also fiercely protects his loved ones, even if he himself turns into a Strigoi (or equivalent of an evil vampire). In fact, his morals are so strong that they didn’t let him kill Rose when he held her captive as a Strigoi. If this single thing doesn’t prove he’s a fantastic book boyfriend, I don’t know what could!
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Kaz Brekker – Six of Crows Duology
Kaz Brekker, the protagonist of Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo, is the ultimate boyfriend – but not in the way you’d think! Everyone who’s a fan of this series – or has at least heard about it – knows Kaz is not the good guy. He is a ruthless, smart, sarcastic criminal who knows how to control everyone around him.
Keeping the apparent dark side of his personality apart, Kaz is also strategic, fiercely protective, and caring towards his people. Those are few, lesser than the fingers on our hands, but under his care, they won’t face any danger. He makes sure of that. Pair that with his self-assured swagger that has everyone drooling over him. A deadly combination for instant attraction!
As the series progresses, readers come face to face with Kaz’s inner self, which is riddled with trauma and conflicting emotions. He is definitely self-aware but tries hard to squash everything back. It is only with Inej, his love interest, that he starts to heal himself, also helping her accept herself. Now, that’s the kind of love readers look for in reality – accepting and uplifting.
Kaz Dirtyhands Brekker is too morally grey to be considered an ideal real-life partner. But every human oscillates on the morally grey scale a little too much to judge one of the best book boyfriends ever!
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Jacob Yeun – Her Good Side
Her Good Side is still a new addition to the YA romance genre, featuring a plus-size basketball player and an aspiring Korean-American filmmaker. Jacob agrees to go to the high school dance with Bethany platonically, which leads them to practice dating each other safely. And you all know how fake dating stories end up!
But let’s backtrack to Jacob Yeun, the absolute heartthrob who creates a home in Bethany’s heart. He defies all the stereotypes that the world dumps on Koreans. Jacob is not an idol, nor is a straight-As student. Instead, he is a shy and quiet film student who wants to be a filmmaker someday. Poor guy gets dumped constantly, but that’s because he just doesn’t know how to be active and engaged in relationships. It’s refreshing to see a seemingly hot boy being bad at dating without it being dramatic! This fact makes Jacob real and, consequently, relatable.
Jacob is kind-hearted, full of support, sweetness and respectful of the woman he loves. With Bethany, he takes his sweet time to change their friendship to a relationship, letting themselves understand each other first. Life for Jacob comes to a full circle when he helps Bethany put together a video for her. It is symbolic since Jacob has difficulty in putting emotions in his screenplays. But this documentary-style video is full of emotions because his love is in front of the camera.
2023 has given the readers Jacob Yeun – it won’t take long till everyone knows (and falls in love with) him!
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Jamie Fraser – Outlander Series
Jamie Fraser is a widely popular character, thanks to Diana Gabaldon’s novel and the drama series! One thing Outlander readers and watchers will agree to is the fact that Jamie is boyfriend material, and here’s why!
Jamie is full of courage, in the truest sense of the word, putting himself at risk for Claire numerous times. He is also loyal to the core, devoting himself to loving and caring for Claire from the moment they met. You can even say his love is transcendental because his heroine is from another century altogether.
Considering the fact that he is from the 18th century, you would have expected Jamie to be dull, patriarchal, and simply unlikeable. Not only is he intellectual and worldly, but also respectful towards women, with a strong code of conduct. He is also someone who accepts his mistakes and learns from them, striving to be better for his loved ones.
More importantly, though, Jamie is absolutely hot! This guy can pull off a kilt flawlessly, speaks (and makes you laugh) with a Scottish accent and can confess to you in French. He makes a historical boyfriend sound sexy, doesn’t he?
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Rhysand – A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) Series
Rhysand, from the ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas, has become quite a Booktok sensation! Why? Because of his quintessential boyfriend-ness. He is the High Lord of the Night Court, is a bad boy with a soft heart, and if you see his fanarts, he is absolutely sexy!
Admittedly, he doesn’t appear for a big chunk of the first book, but once he does, the narrative gets so much better. Rhysand is incredibly passionate and self-sacrificing, doing everything to make Feyre comfortable and happy. From joking with her to keep her from losing it to not letting the fact that his mate was with another person get into his head. And once they get together, he is all the more charming, open, and honest about his feelings.
There are people who are put off by him, but that is because Rhysand is very much a human, complex character. His personality is made up of many layers, some appealing, some heart-wrenching, and some downright ugly. But if you peel those layers, you will find a strong, protective and unwaveringly loyal man!
Final Words
Each of these book boyfriends is starkly different from the other. One will court you like a gentleman, while one won’t hesitate to kill for you. The only – and most important – thing common between them is that they will love you with all their heart. And that’s what matters in the end, isn’t it?
Thanks for the recommendations 😙