If you’re a romance reader, it doesn’t matter if you are single, taken or have been married for ten years – I guarantee you have a book boyfriend. It’s that one character that sticks with you, no matter how many other books you read. They could be the love interest in your favorite comfort read or maybe the book that got you out of a reading slump. Now, I struggle with picking favorites, but I just had to know: Who do you think is the top book boyfriend?
After collecting very extensive data from different women around campus (because this is a very serious research experiment), the votes have been tallied, quotes from anonymous sources have been left and the results are…
10. Cardan Greenbriar (The Cruel Prince)
Cardan is just as the title says, an arrogant and emotionally immature, cruel prince. Yeah, he sounds pretty bad, but hear me out: Cardan grows, opens up and chooses Jude (one of the best main characters in my opinion) publicly. For many readers, this transformation stuck with them, and others just loved their dynamic.
If you chose Cardan as your Book Boyfriend:
You appreciate vulnerability and want someone who would beg for forgiveness when they know they’ve messed up.
9. Johnny Kavanagh (Binding 13)
Johnny is a rugby player with trauma, trust issues and a fiercely protective instinct. Sports romance fans love him because he’s intense without being completely emotionally unavailable. He shows up, protects and commits. I also found out that Johnny is loosely based on the author’s own husband, so maybe not all love is lost.
If you chose Johnny:
You want someone who will be there to protect you, be a safe space, remember the little things and choose you consistently.
8. Wes Bennett (Better Than the Movies)
Wes is THE childhood-friends-to-lovers golden retriever. He’s sarcastic, patient and has been secretly in love the entire time (which is honestly a girl’s nightmare, unless she likes him too). Readers who voted for Wes understand that he’s proof that sometimes the best love story isn’t dramatic or rushed, it’s steady and certain. I should clarify that this is Wes from the first book. We won’t be discussing the sequel, which is a second-chance romance book.
If you chose Wes:
You are a rom-com girl that adores the longing glances, inside jokes and joy of being with someone who will always put you first, even if it’s just making you laugh.
“Wes Bennett has set my boyfriend standards!! He’s literally the perfect character and would do anything to make Liz happy.”
Quote by: a friends-to-lovers enthusiast.
7. Ilya Rozanov (Heated Rivalry)
Ilya is an intense, competitive and emotionally layered character. As a professional hockey player in a secret slow-burning romance, he represents tension paired with vulnerability. On the surface, he is all ego and rivalry, but in typical main character fashion, it’s all just a defense mechanism. He’s not always loud about love, but when he commits, he commits fully.
If you chose Ilya:
You’re drawn to passion and believe that love should be electric. You don’t want casual, you want commitment and to be honest, you like his accent.
6. Alex Nilsen (People We Meet on Vacation)
Alex is thoughtful, steady, deeply loyal and has been quietly in love for years. He doesn’t shout how much he loves Poppy off a rooftop, but instead shows her through his actions every day.
If you chose Alex:
You want someone who truly knows you and puts friendship first. You value emotional intimacy over drama and crave connection, not chaos. You believe love is built, not chased.
5. Rhysand (A Court of Thorns and Roses)
A cult classic! Rhysand is the blueprint for the “powerful and I hate everyone but her” archetype. He is powerful, charismatic, morally gray and fiercely protective. He is dangerous … and has wings.
If you chose Rhysand:
You are an enemies-to-lovers connoisseur. You want someone who sees your power and encourages it. You are drawn to confidence and just admit it, you like bad boys.
4. Aaron Warner (Shatter Me)
Warner is controversial because he is cold, calculated and obsessive, which is quite the combo. He really embodies the “I can fix him” fantasy, but in this case, he genuinely evolves. We go on to see that his cruelty is armor, and he is capable of being part of a crazy love story.
If you chose Aaron:
You believe in redemption arcs, you love intensity and you are drawn to passion that is borderline reckless.
3. Conrad Fisher (The Summer I Turned Pretty)
Ah, yes. The broody summer boy, a classic. Conrad is guarded, emotional, deeply feeling and oftentimes frustrating. Why do readers love him? Well, longing is powerful. He feels everything, even when he can’t say anything (although he really should’ve said something earlier).
If you chose Conrad:
You romanticize longing and don’t mind emotional complexity as long as the feelings are genuine. You believe that love is never easy, but it is always worth fighting for.
2. Xaden Riorson (Fourth Wing)
On our next stop, we have a BookTok favorite. Shadow wielder, rebellious leader and protective to a fault. Xaden represents: “Touch her and you die” to his very core. Xaden proves that power + emotional loyalty + dragons = second-best book boyfriend.
If you chose Xaden:
You need partnership and respect. You need someone strong enough to keep up with you, not take over. You’re independent, but you still want someone who will fight for you.
Now, we are at the part you have all been waiting for: Who is UF’s top book boyfriend? Drumroll please!
1. Peeta Mellark (The Hunger Games)
And somehow, in a sea of shadow bad boys, UF chose the sweetest guy. I was very surprised to see the results, but I totally get it. Peeta is kind, publicly devoted and emotionally expressive. He’s brave without an ego, and he loves unconditionally.
If you chose Peeta:
You value emotional safety, communication and loyalty. You believe strength and kindness can create a devoted and steady love.
“A lot of book boyfriends tend to be … super toxic, honestly. I love honest, safe romances!”
Quote by: a proud, hopeless romantic.
Peeta took the crown, but limiting UF to only ten fictional men is a nearly impossible task. This ranking contains fairly popular book boyfriends, but there are many more out there so here are a few that were selected by students.
Honorable Mentions
- Rowan Whitethorn – Throne of Glass
- Percy Jackson – Percy Jackson + Heroes of Olympus
- Kingfisher – Quicksilver
- Jacks – Once Upon a Broken Heart
What all these characters have in common is the impact they left on their readers. However, when discussing books, fiction readers are often dismissed and viewed as “less than” compared to individuals who read non-fiction. But neuroscience suggests otherwise.
Your Brain Thinks He’s Real
Dr. Aditi Subramaniam, a neuroscientist studying the science of storytelling, explains that when we read fiction, our brains activate many of the same pathways used in real-life social experiences. In other words, our brains do not treat these stories as meaningless fantasy or a means to escape. Functional MRI studies show that the same regions used for processing emotion, empathy and social interaction light up when we read about fictional characters. Fiction becomes a low-risk space where we practice navigating love, conflict, vulnerability and trust. So when students voted for their favorite book boyfriends, the traits they gravitated toward reveal a lot about why these characters made the top ten.
The Traits, Tropes and Trends We’re Drawn To
Students gravitate towards humor, charisma, protectiveness, emotional safety and vulnerability. These are traits and qualities that made them feel secure, seen and look forward to being with a significant other. Surprisingly, I think that is why enemies-to-lovers is one of the most popular tropes.
At first glance, it’s tension, banter and passion, but I think it’s a little deeper than just that. It’s the idea that someone could know everything about you, from your flaws and mistakes to your hidden secrets, and still choose you. To be fully seen and fully loved is something we all hope to experience, and perhaps that’s why contemporary romance was the most voted genre.
There are many book trends, but contemporary romance is grounded in our everyday lives. They are real conversations, relatable problems and relationships that feel attainable. Contemporary romance allows readers to envision themselves in a love that could exist in our own lives.
As one student wrote: “I wish men read books, like women do, because then maybe they’d live up to the standards romance books have set for us. These made-up men give me hope because there’s got to be someone out there these authors based them on. There must be.”
This fellow hopeless romantic is saying what we are all thinking: Is there a chance that the love we read about exists?
It’s intriguing to see what other readers think are iconic characters, but also reflects the type of love UF students believe is worth waiting for. While some say that reading romance is making our standards “unrealistic,” it simply reminds us of what we value and most want in our own relationships: to be seen and loved just as we do.