Why you love a love triangle so much (and what to read)

Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?

Who was Rory’s best boyfriend: Dean, Jess, or Logan?

Should Carrie have ended up with Aidan instead of Big?

If you have an answer ready to go for any of these questions (and are ready to defend that position!), then congratulations: You’re a fan of the love triangle trope.

What is the love triangle trope?

Take a look around and you’ll find some of your favorite books, movies, and TV shows are packed with the love triangle trope. From fantasy romance favorites like “Twilight” and “Vampire Diaries” to movie classics like “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and “Sweet Home Alabama,” love triangle stories have been taking center stage in books, TV shows, and movies for ages.

Love triangles are centered around the idea of two people fighting for the romantic attention of a third person (think Edward and Jacob fighting for Bella in “Twilight” or Peeta and Gale from “The Hunger Games” fighting for Katniss’s affection). At the center of every love triangle storyline is a main character who is angst-ridden and has no idea what to do. And because we’re lucky, authors take us readers along for the heart-twisting journey.

It’s not just fictional love triangles that have us captivated! The real-life love triangle of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Jennifer Aniston dominated the tabloids for years and even the British Royal family had a tangled love triangle with King Charles, Princess Diana, and Queen Camilla.

Why we love this trope

So what is it that has us all aboard the love triangle train?

The competition

Whether it’s rooting for our favorite sports team or hoping our favorite artists wins big at an award show, humans love competition. We love a good debate (chocolate or vanilla, NSYNC or the Backstreet Boys, does pineapple belong on pizza) and the only thing we love more than picking a side is passionately defending it to anyone who will listen (for example, I like vanilla, the Backstreet Boys, and no, pineapple does not belong on pizza).

Picking sides in silly, low-stakes things is fun and it’s one of the most appealing parts of a love triangle story. And even though it seems low stakes, there’s nothing people take more seriously than picking a side (I became a member of Team Edward in 2008 and yes, I am still carrying that opinion with me all these years later!).

The jealousy and possessiveness

In books, having a jealous, possessive boyfriend who is willing to go to war for you is kind of sweet, but in real life that can feel like a walking red flag. If you don’t like jealousy or possessiveness, then this trope might not be for you.

Whether it’s verbal sparring or trading punches, it’s not uncommon for this rivalry to flare up into a heated argument. If you’re like me and love a possessive book boyfriend (what can I say, morally gray is one of my favorite character types), then you’ll like this trope!

The drama and suspense

Romance novels tend to follow similar patterns and most end with the love interests living happily ever after. The journey might take some time, but you sort of know what to expect going in.

But with love triangles, we get an element of suspense! Just when you think you’ve figured out who the main character is going to fall for when BAM!, a third person enters the equation and stirs the pot. Now there’s someone else to fall in love with. Bet you didn’t see that plot twist coming!

The character-driven stories

One of the hallmarks of this trope is that the main character has feelings for more than one person (and has no idea what to do about it). To help them along, the author has to really flesh out the characters so readers feel invested. If one character was incredibly deep while we barely knew anything about the other one, it would be a no-brainer who we think should win the main character’s heart.

Falling in love with thoughtful, complex characters is one of my favorite parts of reading and lucky for me, love triangle stories are packed with incredible characters for me to love.

As you see snippets of the main characters' relationships with each of their love interests, you also get a chance to see different parts of their personality peeking through. They may have great chemistry with both suitors, but maybe they seem more themselves with one person over another.

Often, the main character doesn’t so much choose one person over another as they choose the version of themself they feel most comfortable with. It’s truly impossible to finish a book with a love triangle and not come away with lots of feelings about the main characters.

“Why choose” trope

If you love getting to know the characters in a love triangle and the messy, chaotic drama they bring but are devastated by the thought that someone is going to get their heart broken (unrequited love is no joke!), let me introduce you to the “why choose” trope.

With this trope, the main character has more than one possible love interest but instead of being forced to choose just one, they all live happily ever after together as a group. These polyamorous love stories feature main characters who pursue romantic relationships with more than one person (with everyone’s consent, of course).

You still get all of the drama, excitement, and rivalry (this especially ramps up when the characters haven’t been involved in a polyamorous romance before) that make us go nuts over love triangles, but there’s no one going home with a broken heart. It’s really a win-win situation.

What to read

Have I convinced you to give the love triangle trope a shot? Yes? Excellent! Here are some of the best love triangle books around:

“One True Loves” by Taylor Jenkins Reid: High school sweethearts Emma and Jesse are celebrating their first wedding anniversary when Jesse goes missing in a helicopter crash. Years later, Emma has found love with her new fiancé Sam when Jesse reappears.

“Pucking Sweet” by Emily Rath: Poppy is the head of PR for the Jacksonville Rays hockey team and finds herself falling for not one, but two of the team’s defensemen: wise-cracking, sarcastic Lukas and sweet, gentle Colton. Heads up: this is a great one to read if you’d like to try out a “why choose” romance!

“Avalon Academy” by Dipsea: When Evie enrolls at Avalon Academy, she’s expecting to be a Healer and spend time with her boyfriend Elliot. Instead, she is sorted into Blackthorne Tower for Seeing and is stuck with Rory, her obnoxious and troublemaking classmate. In addition to a love triangle, this three-part audio series has English accents, an enemies-to-lovers romance and the energy of BookTok-favorite “Fourth Wing.” Seriously, what’s not to love?

Looking for even more love triangle stories or wondering what other tropes you might like? Check out Dipsea, the app for original spicy audiobooks, and find more stories and recommendations you’ll love!