What if I told you that the greatest love story of all time would have ended in a breakup if Romeo and Juliet didn’t die? I’m the kind of person who has a hard time reading a book if it doesn’t include at least a little romance. However, I think I can speak for most romance book consumers when I say that some love stories just don’t feel as believable as others. Sure, their meet-cute was nice, and the trope might seem fun and sweet, but is their chemistry really working? Let’s look at some popular book couples such as Bella and Edward, Aaron Warner and Juliette Farres, and Romeo and Juliet to see if they will truly live happily-ever-after. 

Whether or not you are team Edward or Jacob, Bella ended up with Edward. The couple from Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series was so enamored with each other that they had to be end game, right? Wrong. I don’t think they would have lasted forever if they hadn't had a kid and Bella didn’t become a vampire? Let’s look at the facts. For starters, Bella hates the cold. Over time, she would have decided Edward’s lifestyle was too cold and living in cool cloudy places would have gotten on her nerves. She would have left Edward for a warmer and sunnier environment. Second, if Bella actually took a few seconds to stop and look at her situation, she would have realized that Edward wanting to eat her was weird and she would have left. Third, their chemistry didn’t mesh well. The couple was so dependent on the other that it turned into an obsession around trying to please the other. In the end, they sacrificed their own happiness to make the other person happy.

Next, let’s see how Juliette Farres and Aaron Warner from Tahereh Mafi’s “Shatter Me” series will fare after the books end. First, they have amazing communication all throughout the series which is just a plus all around. Second, unlike Bella and Edward, the couple has a life outside of the other person. Aaron has to tend to the New Republic and Juliet has her own responsibilities within the rebellion to oversee. This gives the couple a healthy, balanced relationship full of independence and the choice to stay with each other. The final and most important reason this couple will last forever and then some is because he fell for her. Every. Single. Time. If you know you know. It didn’t matter how many times Aaron’s memories were wiped by his dad, because every time he met Juliette again, he fell in love with her. That takes a lot of dedication and sets them up for a true happily-ever-after.

Lastly, we all know the greatest love story of all time: Romeo and Juliet. They were supposedly so in love that they could not live without each other and thus, when Romeo thought Juliet was dead, he killed himself, only for Juliet to have been alive the whole time. When she learned Romeo was dead, she too killed herself. But is that really love? After all, Juliet was only thirteen and Romeo not that much older. I thought I was in love when I was thirteen and let me just say, I had no idea what I was talking about. So, if the couple hadn’t been so quick to kill themselves, would they have dated for long?

Absolutely not. Like every teenager, they would have dated for a week, maybe two, then decided the responsibility of keeping up a relationship was too hard. Plus, the pressure from their families to end the relationship would have been too much for a teenager that young to handle and that would have played a big part in their breakup as well. The biggest lesson from the biggest love story is to not be so quick to end your life over someone you just met, honestly.

So, what makes couples like those in “Shatter Me,” seem more likely to last? I think it’s a combination of three things. First, it matters how dependent the couple is on one other. Much like “Twilight,” if a couple is too obsessed with one another their dependency could ultimately ruin the relationship. Second, why have couples bonded? Trauma, like “Shatter Me?” Reunited old friends? The more organic the meeting, the more likely I think a couple will last. Lastly, a couple's communication skills play the biggest role in whether or not a couple will stay together. Much like a real couple, fictional couples need to have good communication. I think that there can still be tension in a book while the characters communicate effectively.

Do you agree with whether or not these couples will stay together?