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What Makes the Perfect Ship? // ft. My Favourite Couples In Books

Aline @ Fully Booked26 Comments

Let me preface this by saying: I have a HECK TON of YA ships I would DIE FOR.

(Let’s not put that to test though.)

Over the years, quite a many (literally most of them, give or take a handful) books feature a romantic relationship. And okay, not all of them are good (ahahah @ The Selection days) but there are several that were SO GREAT I LOVE THEM TO DEATH.

But how do you KNOW which ones are the amazing ones and which ones aren’t? (Ya just do, Aline, stop questioning everything uselessly) LET’S SEE.

  • ft characters that are strong individually, and together 👬
  • ft characters who complement each other
  • ft characters who don’t hold each other back 🙌
  • ft characters who have CHEMISTRY 🔥👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩
  • ft characters who don’t “cure” their partner’s demons, but helps them to defeat them themselves 💪
  • ft a slow burn hate-to-love relationship 🔥😠–>😍 (always a win unless it’s just done very badly lmao

I feel like my favourite couples tick at least one-two, if not more or all of these “criteria”?! Some of it just makes SENSE. Like if they don’t have chemistry? Ship is sinking. If the characters are boring or their sole winning characteristic is when they’re with their partner? Ship is sinking. If the characters are strong individuals, and just FIT together?? SHIP HAS SAILED, AND I’M ON THAT SHIP OKAY.

So in honour of Valentine’s Day coming up and to comfort my very single status, here’s some of my favourite ships*!! In case you are looking for the perfect romance this Valentine’s Day 😉

*I’m linking up with this week’s Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) prompt: Top Ten Favourite Couples in Books!

Literally all the ships from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo but particularly KAZ & INEJ and JESPER & WYLAN ❤ ❤ ❤ (Okay that’s 2/3 so I might as well also scream NINA & MATTHIAS)

  • Kinej has such a unique, heartbreaking relationship, I just…!!! They complement and contrast each other SO WELL yet are similar in so many ways aaaah
  • Jylan (?)/Wesper (?) is such a PURE and wholesome ship?? Jesper and Wylan are both so precious and to see them both support and lift each other up is the most beautiful thing
  • Natthias / Mina (??) HATE-TO-LOVE! (Mostly on Matthias’ side but whatever) These two have such an opposites-attract relationship and I LOVE
  • What is the ship name for all these characters, idek. Perhaps using their last names? Ghrekker? (no.) Brafa? (No.) Helvik? (?) Zelvar? (Maybe?) And Wesper is actually kind of cute! I’m not quite sure whether any combos of Van Eck (or Hendricks) would work with Fahey …
  • THIS ISN’T EVEN IMPORTANT WHY AM I DOING THIS

Jem & Tessa / Will & Tessa from The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare: not gonna lie, I was tempted to put “Jem & Aline” or “Will & Aline” there for a second BECAUSE AH MY FAVES. 😭

Lei & Wren from Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan: LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL F/F SHIP IN FANTASY CAN I JUST??!?!?! It breaks my heart to see what they must go through but I ADORE these two. What an amazing ship 😭

Monty & Percy from The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee: Monty is such an idiot but I love him!! Their relationship was just the cutest and most precious omg.

Lila & Kell and Rhy & Alucard from Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab: Am I cheating a bit? Yes. Do I care? Nope!! Because UM HI THESE TWO COUPLES ARE AMAZING. I adore Kell & Lila’s relationship, and Rhy & Alucard’s banter is so fantastic.

Simon & Blue from Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli: The cutest!! Their emails to each other made me smile so much and made me so happy

Lara Jean & Peter in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han: COVINSKY IS SO AMAZING AAH!!! I so want to reread this books now ahahah

Shahrzad & Khalid from The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh: What an amazing hate-to-love romance OH MY GOD. So spectacular and literally all the feels!!

Tanner & Sebastian from Autoboyography by Christina Lauren: THE SWEETEST. SO PURE. BEAUTY. GOODBYE.

Tella & Dante from Legendary by Stephanie Garber: It was either this or Lira & Elian but I’m going with this one because that book had me SHOOK okay and it’s just… ahhhh all the chemistry between these two!!

Honourable mentions: Lira & Elian from To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo (THEIR BANTER), Helen & Aline from The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare (WHAT A beautiful HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP AAHHH)

Also can I just make a note as to how little f/f ships I have on here? I have ONE. ONEEEEEEE. I need more in my life omg 😭 GIVE ME RECS.

What makes you love a particular ship/fictional couple? What are some of your favourites?! (I need to live vicariously through the romances of fictional characters okay) Oh and if you have any m/m or f/f favourites, non-binary or QUEER ❤ favourites for that matter, let me know because I CRAVE more of them ok. They’re fabulous AND I NEED MORE. Also if you’re participating in this week’s TTT, feel free to link your post as well! ❤

26 thoughts on “What Makes the Perfect Ship? // ft. My Favourite Couples In Books”

  4. “They complement and contrast each other SO WELL yet are similar in so many ways”
    This is so true and Kanej’s dynamic is everything to me too. They faced trauma in very different ways but the way it affected them wasn’t that different and that’s why they can understand each other and bring out the best in each other. I love them.

    And Lei and Wren!! It means so much to me to see an f/f fantasy book get somewhat popular and this book deserved all the hype it got. And they were such a great couple too, I love slow-burn forbidden romances.

    (Also not to be annoying with the self promotion but if you want to know my recommendations for queer couples, there are many in my top ten tuesday post)

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    • Right?? It’s EVERYTHING. ❤ Yes! You phrased it so well, the way their trauma affected them is so similar and they have such a beautiful mutual understanding of each other aahhhh.

      YES! I'm so happy to see a f/f book getting so much hype, it is so amazing. The slow-burn WAS EVERYTHING. 😭❤️

      (Not annoying at all, I would LOVE to read that post omg, thank you!!)

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  5. it’s whesper and kanej amongst the fandom ahah! THEY’RE ALL SO PURE THO!!! also i can’t wait for girls of paper and fire book two it’s going to be so epic. lei and wren support each other so much and it’s so very heartwarming so i’m happy that so many people enjoy their relationship so much!! also, tella and Dante’s romance was so extravagant and beautiful – i adore them so much – i’m excited to see how they move forward in the finale though?

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    • Ahaha makes sense! 😂 I KNOW RIGHT. And AAAAH I KNOW!! So excited for book 2, that ending had me SHOOK. And yes! It’s so great this book and their romance is hyped. 😊 Ooh yes for sure!! It’s going to be so complicated and interesting and asashdihsdsakdas I’m so excited!!

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  7. Aahhh love this post Aline!! Your intro is a big mood, I have literally 1238923 ships I’d die for too. 😂💓 I loveee Monty & Percy, Simon & Blue, Shahrzad & Khalid, and Tanner & Sebastian too!! 😍 I’m honestly so freaking excited to read SOC and fall in love with all those characters as well. Another one of my favorite YA ships is Claudia and Gideon from Foolish Hearts (by Emma Mills). 💞 They’re so cute together, and their relationship just warms my heart. Their interactions and banter are really funny, too, hehe. You should totally read Foolish Hearts if you haven’t already; it’s one of my favorite YA contemporaries – it’s so heartwarming, hilarious, and relatable ☺️

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    • Thank you Dezzy! ❤️ I KNOW RIGHT. 😂 I have a big heart okay and they’re just too amazing ahhhh. YESSSS they’re such great ships!! 😭💕 Oh my gosh yes, you will LOVE the characters in SOC they’re so incredible! Ooh I’ve heard such good things about Foolish Hearts, I definitely want to read that one sometime! I’m so glad you enjoyed their relationship, they sound so adorable. 😍

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  11. AHHHHHHH I love almost all of these ships!! (Except for Legandary, which I haven’t read, and The Wrath and the Dawn, which I don’t remember). Especially Monty and Percy, Simon and Blue, Rhy and Alucard, and ALL the Six of Crows ships!! Also I adore Helen and Aline. They’re so good together!!!

    Also I’m not sure about Nina and Matthias (Mattina?? Ninias??), but the other two ship names are Kanej and Wesper 🙂

    And as for queer recs… I always have tons, but a few faves off the top of my head are Cielo and Teo from The Brilliant Death (genderfluid love interest! And the MC is questioning gender identity I think…), Cas and Swift from The Abyss Surrounds Us (super slow burn hate-to-love f/f), Evelyn and Celia from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (painful but beautiful f/f), Achilles and Patroclus from The Song of Achilles (So. Much. Pain. m/m), Nick and Charlie from Heartstopper (m/m webcomic), aaaaand I’m going to stop now… I got carried away… 😁

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    • YAYYYY I’M SO GLAD WE CAN FANGIRL TOGETHER!! 💕
      (You HAVE to read Legendary aaaaaah) Oh my gosh right?!! Those are such amazing ships omg. 😍😍 YES!

      Ahahah Ninias sounds so funny 😂 but Kanej and Wesper make sense!! So cute.

      OOH yes I totally should’ve put that one on here?! Cielo and Teo made such an amazing couple ❤️ I haven’t read any of the others, but they’re literally all on my TBR so I’m super excited ahh!! I’m so glad you loved those ones, I’m sure I will too ahaha. 🙈💕

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  12. AHHHH This list, such great choices! ❤️ I really love all of the ships on Six of Crows as well, but I think I have a little preference for Kaz and Inej ❤️ I also LOVE the two ships in the ADSOM series, Simon and Blue and Lara Jean and Peter aaaah these two warm my heart SO, so much, I adore them!! ❤️ I haven’t read Girls of Paper and Fire just yet, but I can’t wait to do so, I’ve only heard amazing things about this book and these girls ❤️

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    • AW THANK YOU!! ❤ Omg yes, totally get you!! Kaz and Inej are such a power couple, I love them. Oh my gosh yes!! Simon & Blue and Lara Jean & Peter are the absolute cutest 😭❤️ I can't wait for you to read it, (it's a difficult book to read at times though so do take care of your mental health in case it's a trigger! 💕) Lei and Wren are an absolute GEM of that book. 😍

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