There are a sundry of aspects that have to be contemplated when deciding whether or not a love story can be considered “the best”. Admirable characters are a must, particularly the ones that experience extraordinary things because of their love, but are familiar enough to be relatable to as well. Fate should play have important role; characters should be able to act upon the seemingly random opportunities presented to them. In addition to having admirable characters, a strong female protagonist will capture the interest of both the love interest in the story and the reader.

A simple villain is more common for a comic book. A great love story needs an antagonist that is humanized, with a complicated relationship to the protagonist. Great love stories describe what it is like to feel alone, what it is like to meet someone who changes life’s perspective. Love is something worth sacrifice and a great love story happens when one person is willing to go to any lengths to overcome any obstacles standing in the way of their love.

99 Days by Katie Cotugno can be classified as a mediocre love story. Protagonist Molly Barlow has returned to Star Lake for exactly ninety-nine days before heading to Boston for college. Day by day, Molly deals with the drama presented to her by ex-friends, boyfriends, and even her mother. Now the reader can make the assumption that Molly’s ex-friend Julia is the villain in this tale based on Julia’s actions. Sticking with this assumption, Julia does what one can consider a “selfless act”, enabling Molly and Julia to start their friendship again.

Now 99 Days does allow the reader to connect to Molly and her feelings of loneliness when she is binge-watching Netflix, but neither Molly nor two boys she has feelings for, make a tremendous sacrifice or cross any challenging obstacles to portray their love. While 99 Days is a good love story, it is not the “best”.

Described as “everything your heart is longing for”, Stephanie Perkins’s Anna and the French Kiss is a charming read with its Parisian setting, fresh characters, and graceful combination of love and realism (McMann). Anna, our lovely protagonist, is flown halfway around the world to attend a boarding school in Paris under the command of her father. Once there, Anna is overwhelmed with feelings of doubt, sadness and nostalgia for familiar surroundings.

Some might say that this is a work of fate- for if Anna had never left Atlanta, she never would have met the dashing Etienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately he is taken, introducing the self-styled villain named Meredith. Now the reader does not have a chance to form a connection with Meredith nor does she commit a selfless, humanizing act, but the reader still loathes her for keeping Anna and Etienne apart. In the end, it is Etienne’s act of love, overcoming his fear of heights, proves his feelings for Anna and makes for a picturesque ending.

The exploration of oneself and the willingness to go to extreme lengths for love is the theme in Sarah Dessen’s 2004 novel, The Truth About Forever. Macy Queen is practically perfect- she is dating the perfect boy, Jason Talbot, is insanely smart and studies all the time, volunteers on weekends, and helps her mother with work. When Jason ends their relationship in the beginning of summer, Macy begins to question her choices in life; some can argue that this was fate playing a role. Another exemplar of fate in The Truth About Forever is Macy’s meeting with the owner of the Wish Catering who offers her a job, leading to the acquaintance of Wes and his eccentric friends. As the summer wears on, Wes and Macy become closer and Macy starts to worry less about being “perfect”. Macy’s mother can be classified as this love story’s villain. As Macy and Wes continue getting closer, Macy’s mother decides to put an end to Macy’s job and forces her to stay home to work on her studies. After Macy rescues her mother’s house party, the reader can see a more “human” side to the mother and starts to reevaluate their stance on her.

Admirable characters make Nicholas Sparks’ The Lucky One a prime example of an epic love story. Logan Thibault, a United States Marine, fits the definition of an admirable character. On his third tour of duty in Iraq, he comes across a picture of a smiling woman half-buried in the dirt of some rubble. He pockets the picture with the intentions of finding the owner. After experiencing a streak of luck- winning a poker game and even surviving deadly combat that kills his two closest comrades, Logan dubs the picture his lucky charm and returns to Colorado, unable to get the picture, and the woman, out of his head. This is where the attribute of fate comes in: Logan decides to search for the woman across the country, following his instincts and seizing life’s opportunities.

The woman from the picture, Beth, can be classified as this story’s strong female protagonist as she is an independent, single mother who matures towards the end of the novel. Beth’s jealous ex and father of her son, Keith Clayton, is The Lucky One’s antagonist. Keith draws on his son’s insecurities and Beth’s submissiveness, making him seem the evil villain when in reality he is just as insecure as his son. In the end, he is redeemed with a last act of selfless courage in which he sacrifices his life to save his son; this humanizing act forces the reader to question any assumptions they may have had about Keith.

The actions of both Logan and Keith assist in the classification of The Lucky One as one of the best love stories. Logan’s determination behind the spontaneous cross-country trip to find Beth after his tour of Iraq and the compassion he showed to her, even when she threw him out, prove that Logan was willing to go to any length for his love for Beth. In personal opinion, Keith’s sacrifice for his son is another exemplar of true love, proving that people are willing to go to any lengths for the people they love. This combination of aspects makes for a truly great love story.