With summer on the horizon, a lot of us are praying for a cute holiday romance filled with beach trips, secret meet-ups and jumping-into-their-arms-kissing. Of course the chances of us actually having a holiday of Sun, Sex and Snogging are not particularly high. With this in mind, many of us turn to the next best thing: watching The Notebook.
But here at HCX we have decided that enough is enough. Noahâs relationship with Aly is, in fact, far from ideal. We shouldnât be swooning over the chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, but should instead think about the coupleâs big flaws that no-one really talks aboutâŠ
1. Noah is a manipulative creep.
When Noah asks Aly to dance she says ânoâ because âI donât want toâ. Now, any normal guy would accept this rejection and move on. But not Noah. He instead climbs on top of a Ferris wheel and threatens to kill himself if Aly wonât go out with him. Whilst some see this gesture as wildly romantic, itâs actually manipulative and just not acceptable.
2. The relationship is super intense.
Noah and Aly spend every minute of every day together. Thatâs not a healthy relationship. Why isnât Aly spending any time with her parents? Arenât Noahâs friends a bit miffed that he now comes as a packaged deal with Aly? Itâs all just a bit too claustrophobic and, when they are separated, you see that they literally donât function without each other.
3. They donât have much in common.
They fight all of the time, and resolve their fights by kissing. Thatâs not a great basis for a lifelong relationship. We donât even get a sense that they have much to talk about when they are together â they hardly know each other, really! Itâs like theyâre in love with the idea of their relationship â not really with each other.
4. They hurt people around them.
Of course itâs terrible that Aly cheats on her lovely, supportive fiancĂ©. But thatâs not the worst part: Noah uses Martha Shaw in a much more cruel way. Martha is the woman that Noah sleeps with to try to get over Aly. That in itself is cruel, and he doesnât treat her right. He should be taking her out for dinner, giving her compliments, trying to be a decent partner⊠But instead, he looks through her and that canât be great for Marthaâs self-esteem.
5. Noah just canât move onâŠand thatâs not healthy.
When Aly leaves, Noah writes her 365 letters. 365. How would he even find enough to write about for that long to a girl he barely knows?! When he doesnât hear from Aly, Noah spirals into depression and cannot move on with his life. Again, this is not healthy. You should not aspire to be in a relationship where you physically canât cope without the other person.
Whilst the kissing in the rain scene does look fun, itâs clear that Noah and Alyâs relationship is not that great. So donât feel too gutted when your cheeky kiss with Paolo by the pool doesnât turn into an all-consuming love affair. Itâs more fun to keep the romance light and breezy, and leave them behind as you get on that plane heading for Heathrow.
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