I think the only time I actually liked this phrase was in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when Harry kisses Ginny: "And without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that fifty people were watching, Harry kissed her. After several long moments, or it might have been half an hour-or possibly several sunlit days- they broke apart.” I don't know, but it felt like JKR was poking fun at the phrase, which made it so much better. "Several sunlight days," I ask you.
This is the one I cannot stand the most. It happens so often, or the LI mentions it and I just want to throw the book every time. I sit on the couch and groan "Why? Why did you have to say it?" Especially if it's a good book and it pulls this stunt. UGH!
I kid you not, whenever that phrase pops up it makes me hate the main character. Like, wow, grow up, most girls don't actually fit into that "most girls" category. Even if they do, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Yeah unless she was physically raised different like Hit Girl, or is an android, an alien, or some other type of nonhuman thing, then yeah, you're like every other girl. Everyone else is like every other girl, get over yourself. >.> You're only saying that to be a snob.
This one though can actually happen by surprise or shock or something like that without the person having a heart disease, but lol it's still an overused sentence and mostly used in an overdramatic way. Don't know if you meant the comment sarcastic though?
Along the same lines there's the classic, "I didn't know where they ended and I began." Yes, you did. You're still two separate, physical people. You know what parts are and aren't yours.
In my work-in-progress the phrase would make sense because one of my characters has electricity magic. Maybe I should parody the electrical shock line ... for example, "I felt like a bolt of electricity went through me--because one did. She just shocked me. And here I was thinking I was getting some good action."
Bugette did you know that the most common way for a heart to skip a beat is through a sneeze? So if your heart skips a beat when you're kissing someone, you're most likely sneezing in their mouth.
+SandyTheMaster Ah! I hate it so much! Especially when the reason for it is that the character doesn't like dresses or wear much make-up, and I fly into a complete rage when other girls are described to be vain selfish dimwits because they do like dresses or make-up. Makes me want to scream.
Not a particular phrase, but that weird-ass obsession every YA heroine has with cheekbones. Seriously, every time she describes her love interest, she mentions his cheekbones. Usually, the description goes "His cheekbones looked like they had been sculpted" or something. Sculpted into what? Cheekbones? So his cheekbones were cheekbone-shaped? You can sculpt anything into anything, authors!
Yeah I'm more a fan of lips, the pouty David Duchovny kind, or big eyes on women, Amanda Seyfried and Christina Ricci types... That does it for me, I only notice cheekbones if they off in some weird way.
Yes! I think the big problem is we need more descriptive words used! Not every guy has the same descriptive smile. They don't all need to be classically good looking!
Morgan Pruitt I can only tolerate when there’s like an abusive or toxic relationship, because then it makes more sense ya know? But maybe that’s just me.
Not really a specific line, but I hate the "bad boy who seems like a douche but has a Past which makes everything okay" cliche. Like there's always some dude who acts a bit flirty and self assured and the main girl maybe doesn't take him seriously because of that, and then there's a moment when the dude is like "my little brother was eaten by polar bears... and all I could do was watch" or some dramatic shit like that and the girl immediately changes her mind about him and suddenly the boy is all tragic and ooh.
+GeekStinkLaura It's like the writers don't understand human interactions like if someone told me that i would say sorry about that but wouldn't fully change my opinion on them
I hate when authors say, "I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding," I think some people already mentioned this, but it's sooooo annoying. When I was reading the Selection series, the main character said, "He let out a breath I didn't realize he was holding," WHAT?? Why would you know if he's holding his breath or not omfggggg.
Okay, I have to admit, I like the smell of sweat, maybe it's just me but when my boyfriend walks up to me and he smells like sweat and his skin is glistening with a sheen of sweat I'm like... "Good God I can't breath, catch me if I faint. "
This is not a phrase, but when the main character gets a love interest and all of a sudden their previous problems become less significant. News flash: When in a relationship the rest of your life still goes on, and it affects you just the same. A relationship is not a magical key which makes problems disappear.
So true. "My grand-dad just died/My sister disapeared/I need to find money to pay off my debts/Someone is bullying me/I just had this huge fight with my bestie and they won't talk to me now/I have this homework due next day, it's very important to pass that course and I can't get it right .... but everything is fine 'cause I just got myself a hot dude". NOPE.
One I hate is 'I released a breath a didn't know I was holding' and sadly, even my favourite books used it. And like you said, it's to portray an emotion and tell us how the character is feeling but it's so over used and it's always there. It pops up everywhere when I don't expect it and sometime I know it's gonna happen a few sentences before it does.
it is not a phrase, but i dont like when the solution to the problem is really simple but the protagonist always goes for the worst choice just to make a little suspense or drag the plot until the end.
As a YA author, the only time I use that sort of phrasing (though I don't use electricity, I tend to use things like tidal waves as an alternative metaphor, as it seems to fit better) when the kiss is more than just a first kiss. For example, I'm writing an LGBTQ book, and when my protagonist kisses a girl, it's a huge deal, because she's letting go of everything she used to hide herself for all of her life.
Laura E Something like that actually works because of that new element you threw in. 🙂 I think sometimes cliche sayings work IF they bring something new and refreshing. Yours is!
I think one of my least favourite phrases is "his eyes darkened/changed colours" or something like "I got lost in the deepness of his eyes/ drawn into his eyes" like, what? Is it a medical condition? Eyes don't change colours, as cute as that description may seem, and when they "smoulder" you know something is definitely wrong there.
prin christina the worst I've ever seen of this was in Matched where I'm pretty sure she discribed the male love interests eyes as blue, green, Brown, grey, couldn't tell what colour his eyes were but they were a mix of all of those all at the same time.
i hate it when a character described as really really beautiful has this moment when they look in the mirror and say that they're "plain" like shit ur described as a goddess and ur telling me ur "plain"?
especialy if THEY are the ones who just descibed themselvs, I was fives seven and fit from sockers with wavy bond hair, smooth tan skin and bright blue eyes with long lashes...i'm totally plain though
This made me laugh SO much, too hilarious! I hate 'I'm not pretty'. It may sound mean, but I am sick to death of EVERY main character in YA thinking she's butt ugly next to this beautiful boy. Its okay not to be massively confident but....do all the romances have to have her thinking shes ugly until he tells her otherwise?
Haha thanks! YES! Especially when the guy is like "don't you see everyone staring at you, you're gorgeous." Like really, girl, you haven't noticed everyone taking an interest in you before this one guy?? Seriously?? On a similar note, when the guy is supposedly so hot that every single female they run into flirts with him. Regardless of seeing the main character on his arm. No. No no no no no. No one is that hot. Ladies can control their damn behavior when they see a guy is taken. Your man is not the center of the universe. (Can you tell I just finished a book with this in it????)
I hate the cliche of the girl that isn't like other girls and that is why the guy falls for her. Especially when it is something like, she just likes to read, draw, or doesn't wear makeup.
TRUE like I’m like that, all of my friends are like that and many other girls are like that. Don't say you’re special because « Oh I can read, I can draw and I don’t usually wear makeup. Therefore, I’m more special than you bitch hahaha » I found this exact phrase in a Wattpad book (the girl was saying this to her crush's girlfriend that, I can assure, was 100x less bitch than her... )
I hate books with a "Chosen One" I mean, the main character can end up saving the day or even the whole world, but when it's like a destiny, I find it cliché.
+Robert Gronewold I agree! I think that trope has been run into the ground. I like seeing a character who isn't destined, but just happens to be there and care save the world instead!
That's partly why I loved Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill because the protagonist was so deeply flawed like everyone else and she wasn't there to save the world
+Robert Gronewold read The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman. It's one of my favorite series, particularly because it's a fantasy series that completely does away with the idea of a 'chosen one'. In fact, it rebels against it in the best way.
I can't stand the phrases "let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" and "my heart beat was so loud I swore everyone else could here it." And the growing phrases "I'm not special" or "I'm not like other people."
some quotes from the book Landline, that are descriptions on love. these are very different and i understood them better. “Nobody's lives just fit together. Fitting together is something you work at. It's something you make happen - because you love each other." “You don't know when you're twenty-three. You don't know what it really means to crawl into someone else's life and stay there. You can't see all the ways you're going to get tangled, how you're going to bond skin to skin. How the idea of separating will feel in five years, in ten - in fifteen. When Georgie thought about divorce now, she imagined lying side by side with Neal on two operating tables while a team of doctors tried to unthread their vascular systems. She didn't know at twenty-three." "It's not like that," Georgie said. "You'll see. It's more like you meet someone, and you fall in love, and you hope that that person is the one - and then at some point, you have to put down your chips. You just have to make a commitment and hope that you're right." 'Real isn't relevant,' Georgie said, turning completely to face Heather. 'It's like . . . you're tossing a ball between you, and you're just hoping you can keep it in the air. And it has nothing to do with whether you love each other or not. If you didn't love each other, you wouldn't be playing this stupid game with the ball. You love each other--and you just hope you can keep the ball in play."
Something I've seen a lot and makes me roll my eyes. "I have a bad feeling. I don't know - but something bad is going to happen, I feel it." 🙄 So apparently there's a psychic on the story now...
I don't like when the main character's appearance is described by having her looking in the mirror and tell you exactly what she looks like. It seems like a quick and lazy way to describe the character. Also, all the details of her hairstyle, makeup, and outfit are usually unnecessary for the story
When they talk about how the love interest smells like apples or cinnamon or mint or something... unless a person wears perfume or lotion or something all the time, who the heck smells like that???
Weird mention, but my ex weirdly did smell like cinnamon when he was stressed out and sweating. I don't know why. I guess sometimes, thanks to that person's hormones or whatever bodywash/shampoo they use, they can smell a bit different but it is overused.
I hate so many lines in YA books. It's gives off the wrong impression of what is to be expected in love and kissing. We need more descriptive words! To me the worst thing has to be the descriptions used to describe sex without saying what is really happening. We don't need similes and metaphors and cliche statements like 'I don't know where he ended and I began" or something along that lines. Come on. That is just an awkward phrase. If they are happy to describe how bombs are blowing off people's limbs or cutting people and all the violence, I truly don't understand how they can't be more up front about sex!
Or the YA version of sex: "there was no start or end to where I ended and he began" (not exactly the line but that's the gist) I get the phrase but I don't know that's just something about it that irks me every now and again
I HATE that line. It's just so awkward. So much more awkward then if they just came out and said what was happening. And honestly, who even thinks like that. Ugh that one annoys me so much.
yeah it's just incredibly awkward, and I know there are tons of kids or teens that are virgins but they aren't ignorant, they know what sex is so just say it
That's the kind of overblown and unrealistic language I expect to see (and have almost certainly used) in fanfiction but it's not the kind of thing I really appreciate in published works. I don't think that bothers me quite as much as it bothers you, though. I have a huge problem with the whole 'not like other girls/guys' thing, though. Also hearts that skip beats. That just doesn't happen. Someday I want to read "We kissed and my heart skipped a beat. I keeled over. He called the paramedics and I was rushed to the hospital where I was diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome and admitted immediately."
Hahaha I would love that. Yes, there are so many common tropes I hate. "Not like other girls" is a phrase we need to eradicate from YA fiction. It is not a crime to be a woman. Also, the theme of the main character not knowing they are attractive. So attractive that everyone around them states at them but they are unaware. Come on. So unrealistic.
"I am not who you think i am" yuck,1) that's not sugar-coating a big secret you're about to reveal, the person is gonna be shock anyway, just spit it out, stop trying to be mysteriously vague, you're telling them your secret, you are not that mysterious anymore, tell the truth already 2)if you want them to stop getting involve in your business that is definitely not the way. everybody knows people love solving puzzle, the more you hide, the more intrigue they become. Stop being cute, if you really want them to back off, be mean, be rude, be without a care. And if the (often female) character still insists on following you to the end of the world then she has got a severe case of hopeless romantic and that is not a compliment
This is so good and so true!! So many YA books set you up for the drama - to the point where a few times ive found myself second guessing why I don't have fire/drama/constant tension in my relationships....and then you realise.... thats insane!
Thanks for the video! I always noticed 'the electricity thing' but I considered it to be a metaphor for strong mutual emotion. And there are many of those about in literature. Even the proper literature!
Love your videos!! I couldn't agree more with your points! I'm a writer working on finishing my debut YA science-fiction novel as Book 1 in a trilogy series. I am constantly researching, reading and listening to better my writing for the audience and I think your videos are very helpful to aspiring authors not to fall into the same pits and patters within modern literature. We writers should be working closely with the readers to learn from their reading experiences so we can constantly evolve our writings. Thanks for your thoughts! X
I actually just read a version of that line in Silence the third book in the Hush Hush series. it is kind of dramatic but that's what authors do that's pretty much what they're there for to make us feel some sort of emotion for these characters. I kind of need the drama, the intensity even though it's sometimes ridiculous lol.
i've never noticed how prevalent that line is, but now that you've mentioned it i'm sure i won't be able to ignore it haha. my least favorite is when the character "lets out the breath they didn't know they were holding". ugh.
Anne Goode so true. Congratulations pause, when are you due? Does the father know yet? My thought process in a serious situation ruins the mood for me.
+Ida Gramatikova Hearts can skip beats, and usually isn't dangerous. Unless it happens frequently, which can be a sign of something being wrong with electrical impulses or some other medical condition. But I do agree with the phrase being overused, event though it makes more sense to me than "I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" Personally, I tend to realize when I'm holding my breath...
+Jenny Wilhelmsen Actually if you're really anxious, you might hold your breath without realizing it. The problem with "I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" is that it's over-used, not that it can't happen.
+Sarsourette2002 I didn't mean to imply that it can't happen, just that it normally isn't something that I can relate to. Especially in a lot of the occasions that it is the described in books, when it's not necessarily related to anxiousness. But I agree, the problem with the phrase is that it is over-used. I literally read the phrase just now in the book I'm reading.
I also agree on the electrocution references... there are other ways to describe a kiss, like the anticipation, shock/surprise, if it was a good kiss/bad kiss because you can have two people who like each other, and their first kiss can be the most awkward thing ever. like clammy, sticky, gummy (i've had a few bad kisses i'd describe that way!) there needs to be more honesty in how kissing is talked about, especially for younger readers, so they know if their first kiss was terrible, its ok, because behind every great woman is a bad kissing story or an embarrassing period story, or both!
HAHA YES YES! I definitely think that this creates unrealistic ideas about love and 'first kisses'. Relationships grow with mutual trust, spending time together, and work, of which love becomes a product. You don't find someone, kiss them, sparks and rainbows appear and suddenly you are both in love and your life depends on each other. Although if it was like that it would be a nice world!
What about that whole "I let out a breah I didn't know I was holding" thing? I hate that line. I've seen it a couple of times and now I can't un-see it XD There are a lot of cliché lines in YA but I try not to mind it that bad..
I laughed out loud when you said it. One thing that's been annoying me recently is when the guy in the book is mad and he "clenches his jaw" or "his jaw throbbed". Idk why this bothers me so much lol
That one annoys me when it keeps being said over and over in the same book. I recently read a book where the guy kept setting his jaw in a certain why and the main character didn't know why. I know the author was trying to tell me something but can we use something else other than the jaw setting please?!
Oh my god haha this is so true!! Watching this made me run back to my print copy of my YA fantasy novel Will of Hope and flipping to the kiss to see how I wrote it LOL you freaked me out but I'm goooood. I didn't subconsciously write an "electric" kiss haha
Personally, I hate the way romance in general is portrayed in YA novels, and as a writer myself I try to make the romance in my work more realistic. Slow development, actual emotions that occur in a healthy relationship, make the toxic relationships notable and not romanticized, and a whole lot of other things. I also try to make the romance more a result or an addition of the ongoing plot rather then the focus or the drive.
as many others have stated, the "i let out the breath i didn't realize i was holding" cliché really gets to me lol. also, when they describe things as "crimson red" or "raven black" ugh. and another thing that annoys me with books is when someone will meet someone hot and will be "in love" with them after 2 days of knowing them. like... what?? especially when it's based on nothing but the other persons good looks, i find it incredibly superficial and boring
Haha this is so funny! One phrase or word I LOATHE and I don't know why is when authors say "he/she quirked his/her lips" or "his lips quirked upwards". Wtf does that mean??? Just say they smiled! I don't know why it annoys me so much but it's literally like nails on a chalkboard to me. Much as I love her books Cassandra Clare writes that line all the time and I'm just reading Rebel Spring and there it was. Another one that seems to drive everyone crazy is "I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" *cringe*
Haha I don't hate the lip quirk thing but now that you mention it, it is used A LOT! Oh yes the dreaded "breath I didn't know I was holding." It's so awful.
I really agree with all of your points. Particularly the part where you went into how dramatic the phrase was. I find it kind of interesting how a lot of authors sort of apply this dramatic stigma to love. I was watching a video by psych2go, and the video basically talked about the differences between having a crush and being in love. The difference was basically that crushes are more spontaneous and ecstatic, while deep love is more mature and serene. I think it’d be interesting to read a book that tackles teen relationships in a more mature way.
I have recently found your videos and immediately subscribed to your channel. I haven't watched every video but I plan to soon and I have so many books added to my TBR pile thanks to you. :) I am reading the book "There you'll find me" by Jenny B. Jones, and this line came up, "Our fingers touched as I handed him the bottle, and electricity shot up my arm." I started laughing because I had just watched this video. It's true, this line is used too much. Also when the protagonist talks about the love interest's eyes. Either how blue/green/silver whatever color they are, or they can see something special in their eyes. I love your videos, and your book recommendations. You didn't technically recommend "Vengeance Road" by Erin Bowman, but I saw it in your "First sentence challenge" video and I checked out a copy from my library. Thanks again for being you and your awesome videos! :)
Basically all pharases about the boy love interests eye color but my least favorite is definitely his eyes "glittering, sparkling" which I literally don't understand how can someones eyes glitter/sparkle/gleam?!? Is it the sun reflecting, is he crying? I'm always confused whenever I come across this line uggh
+Mamadi Kanoute Oh my god yes! And why does everyone have to have the most unique eye colors? They can't just be brown. They have to be mahogany with golden honey flecks in them that change with their mood. What? Why?
Has no one else ever got an adrenaline rush when kissing someone for the first time? I do. That's what I always assumed the "spark of electricity" is. I literally feel it travel from my head to my toes. And it always lingers in my toes. lol
it's honestly a play on words, to describe the direct feelings of being kissed/touched for the first time by the other person.. so its a metaphor of deep passion, often described as undescribable, which is probably why you're having a difficult time understanding it lol. no hate though. I agree the phrase is used way too much. there are far more creative ways to describe the intense experience. I do find it interesting why people tend to lean towards "incineration" though. I agree burning alive doesn't sound lovely XD
Sara Y. if it's hated then she has a problem with it, either big or small :p and in this context, a play on words is meaning a metaphore; sorry for the confusion, thanks for correcting me though.
Haha It is a tired phrase but having been electrocuted with low level house current I can say that it leaves the body tingling, excited, energized, and jolted...all of which can certainly happen with a good kiss. ;)
that's so funny because someone else recently commented that they'd been electrocuted and it was painful and not fun which is what kisses shouldn't be like so there is some conflicting experiences here
I was sort of grounded in my experience. I touched one of the three prongs and just felt the flow running through my hand rather than the a giant sparking zap. I held it there for a bit trying to figure out what it was before the warnings of adults went off in my seven year old brain. Hey! You're getting electrocuted genius! Probably should take your finger off now....
I'm listening to this one book on Audible and literally every time the two love interests touch in any way the narrator says "heat rushed through me." Last time I heard it I screamed HEAT ALWAYS RUSHES THROUGH YOU. Mostly because I was angry.
Love triangles. They bug the crap outta me. Especially when it's this girl, or guy, who 'aren't particularly attractive' beforehand, but then love interest 1 shows up-- that's fine, it's all sweet and whatnot. THEN, love interest 2 shows up and the protagonist has these two people vying for his or her attention and they can't decide which one to go for. I hate to burst anyone's bubble but that doesn't happen. You don't go from being unnoticeable to 'man eater' or 'lady's man' over night. Agree?
I keep a running tally on how many time I've heard the word flecks when referring to eye color. Golden flecks... silver flecks... white flecks...red flecks... Eyes must just be better flecked!
ugh man i remember being like 13 and wondering why it didn't feel like I was getting electrocuted when I kissed my boyfriend. knowing that isn't the norm comforts me lol
I've been seeing "I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding." or a variation of that one a lot, now that is has been brought to my attention. Insta love and super cheesy where the lovers say silly cliche declarations of love. I like the ones that are awkward, real, and fit that couple specifically. I will watch the cheesy, cliche romances around Christmas on the Hallmark channel.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA before clicking on this video I thought you were gonna talk about 'the breath I didn't know I was holding" line also overly used in ya literature but this was sooo accurate!! I have seen this phrase everywhere!!
I know I have literally shocked other people just by touching them, not metaphorically. I'm sure this happens to many people, but for me it happens infrequently, only after storing up enough static electricity due to the fact I sometimes drag my feet when I pivot, and I tend to to pivot a lot when working. I'll sometimes shock myself when I touch metal objects. Typically, the only individuals I've ever 'shared' this experience with, I either didn't know or didn't like, and none of them have ever described the sensation as a pleasant one, as a kiss or touch would probably feel. If an author wants to keep a reader on their toes, they ought to turn this cliche on its head and give a rational reason like this when when the love interest experiences the shock. Or use it as a negative sensation between foes and foils rather than to describe a romantic moment.
I know this is an older video, but...THANK YOU!! I actually had very unrealistic expectations about relationships because of things like this in books and movies...it DOES influence young people and authors need to be more careful about setting up realistic relationships...
The electricity thing I kind of relate to a bit. Like, I remember I was 14 and a guy at school that I kind of liked touched my knee as we were having a platonic conversation just to emphasize his point and I froze. I felt like my whole body was charched with electric waves and I was shocked. I know we aren't meant to expect it to happen every time, but I feel its common to feel that when you've never been touched by a love interest before.
Just found this video and I totally agree! Other phrases I hate in YA are, "I put on a touch of lipgloss and a dash of mascara" and "I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" 😂
+Aimee MacDonald Omg the makeup thing gets me every time. Especially if it's for a big event. Can't we have a main character slathering on some foundation, a red lip, and false eyelashes??
This isn't a line, but when the main protagonist (usually a female) and the love interest only care about each other, it really bugs me. Like, there's a group of about 5 "friends", but if 3 of them died, the main protagonists would barely care, but they'd be willing to kill their friends if something happened to their love interest. It's just so . . . UGH!!
not a phrase, but I hate when the guy always is described wearing a "plain black shirt " , like, is there no other color out their?? how bout a red shirt, or maybe add some stripes?? lol that's always makes me so crazy, and the phrase I really hate is ... " I POPPED (piece of food) in my mouth" don't know why that makes me so irritated, but just the word "popped" gets on my nerves, it's always in the books I'm reading =/ very irritating
This one is author-specific but it drives me crazy. Sarah J. Maas has written that her characters "clicked their tongues" so many times I've lost count.
Now I probably will notice it every time i read it :) Something that i hate in books is when it says "a tall shadowy figure loomed in the doorway" or something similar. I find it so overused that it just annoys me. Or when someone is described as 'glistening': "her hair glistens like moonlight" I read it once and had to put the book down, I honestly hate it when books describe something like that because to me, it doesn't sound like good writing, it sounds like what our teachers told us to write when we were learning about similes and metaphors at age 8 or something.
Omg yes!!!! Thank you for saying that! I recently had my first real kiss and it felt good. Great actually. But it wasn't like in books and I was like confused. Was there something wrong with me? Is he the right guy (he wasn't afterwards but whatever 😂)? These phrases REALLY set up expectations which aren't realistic
I always notice the line "then we kissed, and nothing else mattered"
"then there was only us and we might as well have been the only people in the world" yes kind of annoying tbh
Lorena Moronte "a meteor could have hit and wiped out all life on earth and I wouldn't have cared"
"i let out the breath i didnt realize i was holding" 🙄 🙄 🙄 soo cliche
I think the only time I actually liked this phrase was in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when Harry kisses Ginny: "And without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that fifty people were watching, Harry kissed her. After several long moments, or it might have been half an hour-or possibly several sunlit days- they broke apart.” I don't know, but it felt like JKR was poking fun at the phrase, which made it so much better. "Several sunlight days," I ask you.
Molly Rose That is everywhere XD
I absolutely loathe the phrase "I'm not like other girls."
SAME
This is the one I cannot stand the most. It happens so often, or the LI mentions it and I just want to throw the book every time. I sit on the couch and groan "Why? Why did you have to say it?" Especially if it's a good book and it pulls this stunt. UGH!
same!!
I kid you not, whenever that phrase pops up it makes me hate the main character. Like, wow, grow up, most girls don't actually fit into that "most girls" category. Even if they do, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Yeah unless she was physically raised different like Hit Girl, or is an android, an alien, or some other type of nonhuman thing, then yeah, you're like every other girl. Everyone else is like every other girl, get over yourself. >.> You're only saying that to be a snob.
"I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding."
Hannah Ellsworth In every book ever!
THIS!
Which books can you find this phrase in? I have never encountered it before.
Cat M.
Look up "The Evil Sentence" on Pinterest, someone has a board with 100+ occurrences of the sentence in books.
Eden Zak Oh ok thanks
I was sure you were going to say "I let out the breath I didn´t know I was holding" damn. I was so sure!
+Jade YES. Literally EVERY. SINGLE. BOOK. To the point where it totally pulls me out of the moment because I'm laughing at how cliche it is!!
I thought the same
"you're not like other girls"
ewww
pauline ottavi I literally shouted YES when I saw this haha xD I HAAAATE that phrase.
pauline ottavi yes. yes. yes. YES. how many more times can I say yes? I don't know
pauline ottavi 'I'm not like other girls'
Meyra Lol yes I didn't think about that but actually it's almost worse
"My heart stoped beating for a moment" are you having a serious heart disease or why the hell is your heart beat so unregular?
This one though can actually happen by surprise or shock or something like that without the person having a heart disease, but lol it's still an overused sentence and mostly used in an overdramatic way. Don't know if you meant the comment sarcastic though?
Lukamericanhorrorstory it was meant sarcasticly 😅
Yeah I thought so, just wanted to make it clear. xD
Well shit I used this one in of my stories. xD
or “my heart skipped a beat.”
need some help bro?
"I didn't know where he ended and I began" which is YA code for they bangin
+Sarah McDonough AND IT'S THE WORST
Along the same lines there's the classic, "I didn't know where they ended and I began." Yes, you did. You're still two separate, physical people. You know what parts are and aren't yours.
Only justified if they took a big hit of acid beforehand, haha
you must be pretty high to NOT know where someone else’s body ends.
ROFL! Exactly
I LET OUT THE BREATH I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS HOLDING. (That line makes me want to throw the book across the room. UGH!
+Recovery Rage Ugh yessss
+Recovery Rage same!
+Recovery Rage so guilty of using this lol. I know it is so dumb but...no excuse.
+Recovery Rage OMG xD that one is even worse!
+Recovery Rage YES OMG YES!
In my work-in-progress the phrase would make sense because one of my characters has electricity magic. Maybe I should parody the electrical shock line ... for example, "I felt like a bolt of electricity went through me--because one did. She just shocked me. And here I was thinking I was getting some good action."
+Bethany Ingham I would like to read something like that;)
Bethany Ingham was
did you finish your book?? :)
YES ! Do it ! (or did youalready ?). This idea is great !
"My heart skipped a beat"
.............
I mean, the image is cute and might be accurate for some people but... EVERY. TIME. Can't handle this no more.
LOL yes!
Bugette did you know that the most common way for a heart to skip a beat is through a sneeze? So if your heart skips a beat when you're kissing someone, you're most likely sneezing in their mouth.
True...
Bugette "My heart pounds in my ears - I think the rythm of my heart has been corrupted for just a second, and anxiety creeps up my spine."
im cool as heck SNEEZING IN THEIR MOUTH
Mine is ''I'm not like the other girls''
GAAAAHHHHHH I feel like throwing the book in a fireplace and then roasting some marshmallows over it.
+SandyTheMaster UGH YES I hate that one!
+SandyTheMaster Or even worse when the guy's like "you're not like other girls/you're different." Just NO. :P
***** LOL true. Funny story, I have a friend at work who always says that, but not in a romantic way, more like ''you're weird for a girl''
+SandyTheMaster Ah! I hate it so much! Especially when the reason for it is that the character doesn't like dresses or wear much make-up, and I fly into a complete rage when other girls are described to be vain selfish dimwits because they do like dresses or make-up. Makes me want to scream.
Not a particular phrase, but that weird-ass obsession every YA heroine has with cheekbones. Seriously, every time she describes her love interest, she mentions his cheekbones. Usually, the description goes "His cheekbones looked like they had been sculpted" or something. Sculpted into what? Cheekbones? So his cheekbones were cheekbone-shaped? You can sculpt anything into anything, authors!
hahahah "sculpted i into what? Cheekbones? had me LOLing!!
I love this comment
Yeah I'm more a fan of lips, the pouty David Duchovny kind, or big eyes on women, Amanda Seyfried and Christina Ricci types... That does it for me, I only notice cheekbones if they off in some weird way.
+
Saku Yuu ROFLMAO
Let's not forget about the "crooked smile" that every male character seems to have these days.
I forgot about that, it AGGRAVATES me to no extent
Yes! I think the big problem is we need more descriptive words used! Not every guy has the same descriptive smile. They don't all need to be classically good looking!
7 years later... I still agree lol
I hate the line, "He (or she) was like a drug, and I was addicted." Or any reference to the love interest being like a drug. UGH. Too annoying.
Morgan Pruitt I can only tolerate when there’s like an abusive or toxic relationship, because then it makes more sense ya know? But maybe that’s just me.
@@leahgal2353 yes yes lmaoo
Not really a specific line, but I hate the "bad boy who seems like a douche but has a Past which makes everything okay" cliche. Like there's always some dude who acts a bit flirty and self assured and the main girl maybe doesn't take him seriously because of that, and then there's a moment when the dude is like "my little brother was eaten by polar bears... and all I could do was watch" or some dramatic shit like that and the girl immediately changes her mind about him and suddenly the boy is all tragic and ooh.
Eaten by polar bears 😂😂😂 omg
+GeekStinkLaura It's like the writers don't understand human interactions like if someone told me that i would say sorry about that but wouldn't fully change my opinion on them
NOAH SHAW OMG YES
true
hahahahahahaha
'eaten by polar bears' just about made my entire week
Also "he was air and i was dying to breathe"
"I released the breath that I didn't even know I was holding" just...ugh!
HAHAHAHA ALWAYS
OMIGOD SO TRUE!
Yes! The epitome of overused phrases in YA
I hate when authors say, "I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding," I think some people already mentioned this, but it's sooooo annoying. When I was reading the Selection series, the main character said, "He let out a breath I didn't realize he was holding," WHAT?? Why would you know if he's holding his breath or not omfggggg.
Larry Stylinson oh YES THAT MOMENT IN THE ONE WAS SO CONFUSING
Lisa Bodin Jagell DUDE I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO NOTICED IT
lmao😂😂😂😂
"He tasted like sweat." Um...ew! I've never kissed a boy (or my husband) and been like, "Mmmm...sweet, manly sweat taste. That's the stuff."
+Becky Savoie LOL true! That is a common one too.
Okay, I have to admit, I like the smell of sweat, maybe it's just me but when my boyfriend walks up to me and he smells like sweat and his skin is glistening with a sheen of sweat I'm like...
"Good God I can't breath, catch me if I faint. "
Red_Queen_of_Shadow-Hunters And_Crows haha
And this is why a read 19 century books.
lordjor96 Sounds lame as hell, my dude.
This is not a phrase, but when the main character gets a love interest and all of a sudden their previous problems become less significant. News flash: When in a relationship the rest of your life still goes on, and it affects you just the same. A relationship is not a magical key which makes problems disappear.
So true. "My grand-dad just died/My sister disapeared/I need to find money to pay off my debts/Someone is bullying me/I just had this huge fight with my bestie and they won't talk to me now/I have this homework due next day, it's very important to pass that course and I can't get it right .... but everything is fine 'cause I just got myself a hot dude". NOPE.
"I felt his hand settle on the small of my back."
UGHHHHHHHHH HATE
marty pride Wtf is 'the small of my back'?
One I hate is 'I released a breath a didn't know I was holding' and sadly, even my favourite books used it. And like you said, it's to portray an emotion and tell us how the character is feeling but it's so over used and it's always there. It pops up everywhere when I don't expect it and sometime I know it's gonna happen a few sentences before it does.
misszully03 That one is so prevalent! It really does pop up in every book.
it is not a phrase, but i dont like when the solution to the problem is really simple but the protagonist always goes for the worst choice just to make a little suspense or drag the plot until the end.
Oh I hate that! It is such a relief to read books with smart protagonists once in a while xD
"I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding"
As a YA author, the only time I use that sort of phrasing (though I don't use electricity, I tend to use things like tidal waves as an alternative metaphor, as it seems to fit better) when the kiss is more than just a first kiss. For example, I'm writing an LGBTQ book, and when my protagonist kisses a girl, it's a huge deal, because she's letting go of everything she used to hide herself for all of her life.
Laura E Something like that actually works because of that new element you threw in. 🙂 I think sometimes cliche sayings work IF they bring something new and refreshing. Yours is!
I think one of my least favourite phrases is "his eyes darkened/changed colours" or something like "I got lost in the deepness of his eyes/ drawn into his eyes" like, what? Is it a medical condition? Eyes don't change colours, as cute as that description may seem, and when they "smoulder" you know something is definitely wrong there.
Winter Krane interesting, thanks for the info!
prin christina the worst I've ever seen of this was in Matched where I'm pretty sure she discribed the male love interests eyes as blue, green, Brown, grey, couldn't tell what colour his eyes were but they were a mix of all of those all at the same time.
prin christina Aw, c'mon , I love when books say that!
@@87idk you mean like Sam winchester eyes, they literally change color all the time! Okau not Sam's but the actor who playa him: Jared Padalecki
what about the line that's always like "i could feel his stare ripping through me. . " that doesn't sound comforting but okay lololol
Right! All of these phrases are just overly violent! ha!
"She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding" I. HATE. THIS. LINE
i hate it when a character described as really really beautiful has this moment when they look in the mirror and say that they're "plain" like shit ur described as a goddess and ur telling me ur "plain"?
Lorena Moronte *cough* Tigers Curse *cough*
Yeah, that only works if you're exploring insecurities or talking about EDs.
especialy if THEY are the ones who just descibed themselvs, I was fives seven and fit from sockers with wavy bond hair, smooth tan skin and bright blue eyes with long lashes...i'm totally plain though
Lorena Moronte when they're described as plain and the love interest is hot. half the book is why me I'm just plain.
Lorena Moronte *Plain* blue eyes and *plain* golden blonde hair with *annoying* freckles and long, dark lashes
Like bish what?
This made me laugh SO much, too hilarious!
I hate 'I'm not pretty'. It may sound mean, but I am sick to death of EVERY main character in YA thinking she's butt ugly next to this beautiful boy. Its okay not to be massively confident but....do all the romances have to have her thinking shes ugly until he tells her otherwise?
Haha thanks!
YES! Especially when the guy is like "don't you see everyone staring at you, you're gorgeous." Like really, girl, you haven't noticed everyone taking an interest in you before this one guy?? Seriously??
On a similar note, when the guy is supposedly so hot that every single female they run into flirts with him. Regardless of seeing the main character on his arm. No. No no no no no. No one is that hot. Ladies can control their damn behavior when they see a guy is taken. Your man is not the center of the universe. (Can you tell I just finished a book with this in it????)
Yes, this exactly!!
I hate the cliche of the girl that isn't like other girls and that is why the guy falls for her. Especially when it is something like, she just likes to read, draw, or doesn't wear makeup.
Phyllis Turner TRUE
TRUE like I’m like that, all of my friends are like that and many other girls are like that. Don't say you’re special because « Oh I can read, I can draw and I don’t usually wear makeup. Therefore, I’m more special than you bitch hahaha » I found this exact phrase in a Wattpad book (the girl was saying this to her crush's girlfriend that, I can assure, was 100x less bitch than her... )
I hate when romance is the main thing in a story and they postpone things just so they can be in love like please stop
same!!
I hate books with a "Chosen One" I mean, the main character can end up saving the day or even the whole world, but when it's like a destiny, I find it cliché.
+Robert Gronewold I agree! I think that trope has been run into the ground. I like seeing a character who isn't destined, but just happens to be there and care save the world instead!
That's partly why I loved Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill because the protagonist was so deeply flawed like everyone else and she wasn't there to save the world
+Robert Gronewold read The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman. It's one of my favorite series, particularly because it's a fantasy series that completely does away with the idea of a 'chosen one'. In fact, it rebels against it in the best way.
+Robert Gronewold i probably hate this more than anything
+paula cantu My comment or Chosen Ones?
I can't stand the phrases "let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" and "my heart beat was so loud I swore everyone else could here it." And the growing phrases "I'm not special" or "I'm not like other people."
what about like a shiver down the spine kinda thing? yes? no?
It's a bit cliche, but at least its an actual sensation that people experience and have described as such.
some quotes from the book Landline, that are descriptions on love. these are very different and i understood them better.
“Nobody's lives just fit together. Fitting together is something you work at. It's something you make happen - because you love each other."
“You don't know when you're twenty-three.
You don't know what it really means to crawl into someone else's life and stay there. You can't see all the ways you're going to get tangled, how you're going to bond skin to skin. How the idea of separating will feel in five years, in ten - in fifteen. When Georgie thought about divorce now, she imagined lying side by side with Neal on two operating tables while a team of doctors tried to unthread their vascular systems.
She didn't know at twenty-three."
"It's not like that," Georgie said. "You'll see. It's more like you meet someone, and you fall in love, and you hope that that person is the one - and then at some point, you have to put down your chips. You just have to make a commitment and hope that you're right."
'Real isn't relevant,' Georgie said, turning completely to face Heather. 'It's like . . . you're tossing a ball between you, and you're just hoping you can keep it in the air. And it has nothing to do with whether you love each other or not. If you didn't love each other, you wouldn't be playing this stupid game with the ball. You love each other--and you just hope you can keep the ball in play."
Something I've seen a lot and makes me roll my eyes.
"I have a bad feeling. I don't know - but something bad is going to happen, I feel it." 🙄
So apparently there's a psychic on the story now...
Loyda Perez * foreshadowing * to the max
Loyda Perez That actually happens in real life, though...
lol i get where you're coming from but tons of people feel that sensation in real life! esp when ur dealing with anxiety
I don't like when the main character's appearance is described by having her looking in the mirror and tell you exactly what she looks like. It seems like a quick and lazy way to describe the character. Also, all the details of her hairstyle, makeup, and outfit are usually unnecessary for the story
Would such a trope be excused if the scene was also used to establish a fear or mirrors as well?
When they talk about how the love interest smells like apples or cinnamon or mint or something... unless a person wears perfume or lotion or something all the time, who the heck smells like that???
Weird mention, but my ex weirdly did smell like cinnamon when he was stressed out and sweating. I don't know why. I guess sometimes, thanks to that person's hormones or whatever bodywash/shampoo they use, they can smell a bit different but it is overused.
haha it's a bit less romantic when the protag starts describing the love interest scent while theyre stressed and sweating
This is very true
LOL I thought you were gonna say "I've never met anyone like you" gosh I hate that phrase
That's an awful one too! Or "no one understands me the way he/she does." Yeah.... okay... you met 2 weeks ago.
"no one is being electrocuted" 😂😂😂
I hate so many lines in YA books. It's gives off the wrong impression of what is to be expected in love and kissing. We need more descriptive words!
To me the worst thing has to be the descriptions used to describe sex without saying what is really happening. We don't need similes and metaphors and cliche statements like 'I don't know where he ended and I began" or something along that lines. Come on. That is just an awkward phrase. If they are happy to describe how bombs are blowing off people's limbs or cutting people and all the violence, I truly don't understand how they can't be more up front about sex!
I hate the phrase "She let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding."
Or the YA version of sex: "there was no start or end to where I ended and he began" (not exactly the line but that's the gist) I get the phrase but I don't know that's just something about it that irks me every now and again
I HATE that line. It's just so awkward. So much more awkward then if they just came out and said what was happening. And honestly, who even thinks like that. Ugh that one annoys me so much.
yeah it's just incredibly awkward, and I know there are tons of kids or teens that are virgins but they aren't ignorant, they know what sex is so just say it
That's the kind of overblown and unrealistic language I expect to see (and have almost certainly used) in fanfiction but it's not the kind of thing I really appreciate in published works. I don't think that bothers me quite as much as it bothers you, though. I have a huge problem with the whole 'not like other girls/guys' thing, though. Also hearts that skip beats. That just doesn't happen. Someday I want to read "We kissed and my heart skipped a beat. I keeled over. He called the paramedics and I was rushed to the hospital where I was diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome and admitted immediately."
Hahaha I would love that. Yes, there are so many common tropes I hate. "Not like other girls" is a phrase we need to eradicate from YA fiction. It is not a crime to be a woman. Also, the theme of the main character not knowing they are attractive. So attractive that everyone around them states at them but they are unaware. Come on. So unrealistic.
"I am not who you think i am" yuck,1) that's not sugar-coating a big secret you're about to reveal, the person is gonna be shock anyway, just spit it out, stop trying to be mysteriously vague, you're telling them your secret, you are not that mysterious anymore, tell the truth already
2)if you want them to stop getting involve in your business that is definitely not the way. everybody knows people love solving puzzle, the more you hide, the more intrigue they become. Stop being cute, if you really want them to back off, be mean, be rude, be without a care. And if the (often female) character still insists on following you to the end of the world then she has got a severe case of hopeless romantic and that is not a compliment
This is so good and so true!! So many YA books set you up for the drama - to the point where a few times ive found myself second guessing why I don't have fire/drama/constant tension in my relationships....and then you realise.... thats insane!
Thanks for the video! I always noticed 'the electricity thing' but I considered it to be a metaphor for strong mutual emotion. And there are many of those about in literature. Even the proper literature!
Love your videos!! I couldn't agree more with your points! I'm a writer working on finishing my debut YA science-fiction novel as Book 1 in a trilogy series. I am constantly researching, reading and listening to better my writing for the audience and I think your videos are very helpful to aspiring authors not to fall into the same pits and patters within modern literature. We writers should be working closely with the readers to learn from their reading experiences so we can constantly evolve our writings. Thanks for your thoughts! X
I actually just read a version of that line in Silence the third book in the Hush Hush series. it is kind of dramatic but that's what authors do that's pretty much what they're there for to make us feel some sort of emotion for these characters. I kind of need the drama, the intensity even though it's sometimes ridiculous lol.
i've never noticed how prevalent that line is, but now that you've mentioned it i'm sure i won't be able to ignore it haha.
my least favorite is when the character "lets out the breath they didn't know they were holding". ugh.
Also a pet peeve of mine!
"And she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding" another annoying phrase
"There was a pregnant pause" It just seems so awkward and there's so many better ways to phrase that
Anne Goode so true. Congratulations pause, when are you due? Does the father know yet? My thought process in a serious situation ruins the mood for me.
I really hate the "My heart skipped a beat" or "Her heart skipped a beat"...if your heart is skipping beats you need urgent medical attention!
+Ida Gramatikova EXACTLY!
+Ida Gramatikova Hearts can skip beats, and usually isn't dangerous. Unless it happens frequently, which can be a sign of something being wrong with electrical impulses or some other medical condition.
But I do agree with the phrase being overused, event though it makes more sense to me than "I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" Personally, I tend to realize when I'm holding my breath...
+Jenny Wilhelmsen
Actually if you're really anxious, you might hold your breath without realizing it. The problem with "I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" is that it's over-used, not that it can't happen.
+Sarsourette2002 I didn't mean to imply that it can't happen, just that it normally isn't something that I can relate to. Especially in a lot of the occasions that it is the described in books, when it's not necessarily related to anxiousness.
But I agree, the problem with the phrase is that it is over-used. I literally read the phrase just now in the book I'm reading.
I also agree on the electrocution references... there are other ways to describe a kiss, like the anticipation, shock/surprise, if it was a good kiss/bad kiss because you can have two people who like each other, and their first kiss can be the most awkward thing ever. like clammy, sticky, gummy (i've had a few bad kisses i'd describe that way!) there needs to be more honesty in how kissing is talked about, especially for younger readers, so they know if their first kiss was terrible, its ok, because behind every great woman is a bad kissing story or an embarrassing period story, or both!
HAHA YES YES! I definitely think that this creates unrealistic ideas about love and 'first kisses'. Relationships grow with mutual trust, spending time together, and work, of which love becomes a product. You don't find someone, kiss them, sparks and rainbows appear and suddenly you are both in love and your life depends on each other. Although if it was like that it would be a nice world!
Right?! I prefer the slow building romance! Why can't we have more like that?! I could care less about electricity and fireworks.
What about that whole "I let out a breah I didn't know I was holding" thing? I hate that line. I've seen it a couple of times and now I can't un-see it XD There are a lot of cliché lines in YA but I try not to mind it that bad..
That one bothers me too!!! Ugh. Or don't even get me started on all the lines to imply that sexy times happened but they won't actually say it...
This is all so funny!! All the comments. All the electrical firey heart stopping moments.
I laughed out loud when you said it. One thing that's been annoying me recently is when the guy in the book is mad and he "clenches his jaw" or "his jaw throbbed". Idk why this bothers me so much lol
That one annoys me when it keeps being said over and over in the same book. I recently read a book where the guy kept setting his jaw in a certain why and the main character didn't know why. I know the author was trying to tell me something but can we use something else other than the jaw setting please?!
Exactly! There are so many other body parts! lol
Oh my god haha this is so true!! Watching this made me run back to my print copy of my YA fantasy novel Will of Hope and flipping to the kiss to see how I wrote it LOL you freaked me out but I'm goooood. I didn't subconsciously write an "electric" kiss haha
+Yasmin Fazli lol good!
haha I know I feel proud now lowkey haha
Personally, I hate the way romance in general is portrayed in YA novels, and as a writer myself I try to make the romance in my work more realistic. Slow development, actual emotions that occur in a healthy relationship, make the toxic relationships notable and not romanticized, and a whole lot of other things. I also try to make the romance more a result or an addition of the ongoing plot rather then the focus or the drive.
If I see that electrical phrase in a Star Wars book, I'm assuming it's from Palpatine. "Do It!"
oh my god... OH my GOD
as many others have stated, the "i let out the breath i didn't realize i was holding" cliché really gets to me lol. also, when they describe things as "crimson red" or "raven black" ugh. and another thing that annoys me with books is when someone will meet someone hot and will be "in love" with them after 2 days of knowing them. like... what?? especially when it's based on nothing but the other persons good looks, i find it incredibly superficial and boring
Instalove is the WORST
April I swear! Crimson is already red; raven is already black!
Haha this is so funny! One phrase or word I LOATHE and I don't know why is when authors say "he/she quirked his/her lips" or "his lips quirked upwards". Wtf does that mean??? Just say they smiled! I don't know why it annoys me so much but it's literally like nails on a chalkboard to me. Much as I love her books Cassandra Clare writes that line all the time and I'm just reading Rebel Spring and there it was. Another one that seems to drive everyone crazy is "I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" *cringe*
Haha I don't hate the lip quirk thing but now that you mention it, it is used A LOT! Oh yes the dreaded "breath I didn't know I was holding." It's so awful.
You'll notice it all the time now that I've pointed it out haha
"She let go of the breath she didn't know she was holding"
Okay so you gone hold your breath and not know it...damn bitch gone suffocate herself xD
just waiting for the day "a bolt of electricity shot through my body" describes a character actually being hit by a bolt of electricity
I really agree with all of your points. Particularly the part where you went into how dramatic the phrase was. I find it kind of interesting how a lot of authors sort of apply this dramatic stigma to love. I was watching a video by psych2go, and the video basically talked about the differences between having a crush and being in love. The difference was basically that crushes are more spontaneous and ecstatic, while deep love is more mature and serene. I think it’d be interesting to read a book that tackles teen relationships in a more mature way.
I have recently found your videos and immediately subscribed to your channel. I haven't watched every video but I plan to soon and I have so many books added to my TBR pile thanks to you. :) I am reading the book "There you'll find me" by Jenny B. Jones, and this line came up, "Our fingers touched as I handed him the bottle, and electricity shot up my arm." I started laughing because I had just watched this video. It's true, this line is used too much. Also when the protagonist talks about the love interest's eyes. Either how blue/green/silver whatever color they are, or they can see something special in their eyes. I love your videos, and your book recommendations. You didn't technically recommend "Vengeance Road" by Erin Bowman, but I saw it in your "First sentence challenge" video and I checked out a copy from my library. Thanks again for being you and your awesome videos! :)
Basically all pharases about the boy love interests eye color but my least favorite is definitely his eyes "glittering, sparkling" which I literally don't understand how can someones eyes glitter/sparkle/gleam?!? Is it the sun reflecting, is he crying? I'm always confused whenever I come across this line uggh
+Mamadi Kanoute Oh my god yes! And why does everyone have to have the most unique eye colors? They can't just be brown. They have to be mahogany with golden honey flecks in them that change with their mood. What? Why?
Hahhaha I feel you!! It makes me want to scream!! And also 'I released a breath I didn't know I was holding'
'His eyes saw right through me'
'Her eyes were made of ice'
'He was a puzzle I was desperate to solve'
'She wasn't like the others'
India Knipe I like the 2nd one, though!
Has no one else ever got an adrenaline rush when kissing someone for the first time? I do. That's what I always assumed the "spark of electricity" is. I literally feel it travel from my head to my toes. And it always lingers in my toes. lol
it's honestly a play on words, to describe the direct feelings of being kissed/touched for the first time by the other person.. so its a metaphor of deep passion, often described as undescribable, which is probably why you're having a difficult time understanding it lol. no hate though. I agree the phrase is used way too much. there are far more creative ways to describe the intense experience. I do find it interesting why people tend to lean towards "incineration" though. I agree burning alive doesn't sound lovely XD
Sara Y. if it's hated then she has a problem with it, either big or small :p
and in this context, a play on words is meaning a metaphore; sorry for the confusion, thanks for correcting me though.
Sara Y. ohhh, you're okay (:
have a blessed day
Haha It is a tired phrase but having been electrocuted with low level house current I can say that it leaves the body tingling, excited, energized, and jolted...all of which can certainly happen with a good kiss. ;)
that's so funny because someone else recently commented that they'd been electrocuted and it was painful and not fun which is what kisses shouldn't be like so there is some conflicting experiences here
I was sort of grounded in my experience. I touched one of the three prongs and just felt the flow running through my hand rather than the a giant sparking zap. I held it there for a bit trying to figure out what it was before the warnings of adults went off in my seven year old brain. Hey! You're getting electrocuted genius! Probably should take your finger off now....
I'm listening to this one book on Audible and literally every time the two love interests touch in any way the narrator says "heat rushed through me." Last time I heard it I screamed HEAT ALWAYS RUSHES THROUGH YOU. Mostly because I was angry.
Once you notice that overused lines, there's no going back.
It's even more noticeable when it's audiobook.
Love triangles. They bug the crap outta me.
Especially when it's this girl, or guy, who 'aren't particularly attractive' beforehand, but then love interest 1 shows up-- that's fine, it's all sweet and whatnot. THEN, love interest 2 shows up and the protagonist has these two people vying for his or her attention and they can't decide which one to go for.
I hate to burst anyone's bubble but that doesn't happen. You don't go from being unnoticeable to 'man eater' or 'lady's man' over night.
Agree?
Can’t stand love triangles!! I totally agree with you
"She let go of a breath she didn't realise she was holding."
Or something along those lines. I spot it all the time and it gets on my nerves.
I keep a running tally on how many time I've heard the word flecks when referring to eye color. Golden flecks... silver flecks... white flecks...red flecks... Eyes must just be better flecked!
ugh man i remember being like 13 and wondering why it didn't feel like I was getting electrocuted when I kissed my boyfriend. knowing that isn't the norm comforts me lol
+Shannon Reid Media totally has you expecting fireworks and when that doesn't happen, you wonder is something is wrong!
I've been seeing "I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding." or a variation of that one a lot, now that is has been brought to my attention. Insta love and super cheesy where the lovers say silly cliche declarations of love. I like the ones that are awkward, real, and fit that couple specifically. I will watch the cheesy, cliche romances around Christmas on the Hallmark channel.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA before clicking on this video I thought you were gonna talk about 'the breath I didn't know I was holding" line also overly used in ya literature but this was sooo accurate!! I have seen this phrase everywhere!!
+anthi'sbooknest Both of them are soooooo overused!
"His mouth filled mine" "His mouth filled hers" -- it just sounds so gross to me.
I LOVE YOUR HAIR sorry this is the first video of yours I've seen and I was drawn to the title and subject but now I've seen your hair ON POINT DAMN
+83croissant Thank you :)
I know I have literally shocked other people just by touching them, not metaphorically. I'm sure this happens to many people, but for me it happens infrequently, only after storing up enough static electricity due to the fact I sometimes drag my feet when I pivot, and I tend to to pivot a lot when working. I'll sometimes shock myself when I touch metal objects. Typically, the only individuals I've ever 'shared' this experience with, I either didn't know or didn't like, and none of them have ever described the sensation as a pleasant one, as a kiss or touch would probably feel.
If an author wants to keep a reader on their toes, they ought to turn this cliche on its head and give a rational reason like this when when the love interest experiences the shock. Or use it as a negative sensation between foes and foils rather than to describe a romantic moment.
I imagine a first kiss can be more intense when they've been wanting to do it for 2 and half fecking books! :P
I know this is an older video, but...THANK YOU!! I actually had very unrealistic expectations about relationships because of things like this in books and movies...it DOES influence young people and authors need to be more careful about setting up realistic relationships...
I just found this video...*amazing*!
My cliche to avoid, "I saw fireworks."
Awesome post!
Love triangles are the worst, like why a triangle? Why not a square or a pentagon?
The electricity thing I kind of relate to a bit. Like, I remember I was 14 and a guy at school that I kind of liked touched my knee as we were having a platonic conversation just to emphasize his point and I froze. I felt like my whole body was charched with electric waves and I was shocked.
I know we aren't meant to expect it to happen every time, but I feel its common to feel that when you've never been touched by a love interest before.
There's a foot fetish thing that sometimes happens with toes curling or feet popping (ala Princess Diaries).
Just found this video and I totally agree! Other phrases I hate in YA are, "I put on a touch of lipgloss and a dash of mascara" and "I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" 😂
+Aimee MacDonald Omg the makeup thing gets me every time. Especially if it's for a big event. Can't we have a main character slathering on some foundation, a red lip, and false eyelashes??
This isn't a line, but when the main protagonist (usually a female) and the love interest only care about each other, it really bugs me. Like, there's a group of about 5 "friends", but if 3 of them died, the main protagonists would barely care, but they'd be willing to kill their friends if something happened to their love interest. It's just so . . . UGH!!
ugh agreed that's the worst
not a phrase, but I hate when the guy always is described wearing a "plain black shirt " , like, is there no other color out their?? how bout a red shirt, or maybe add some stripes?? lol that's always makes me so crazy, and the phrase I really hate is ... " I POPPED (piece of food) in my mouth"
don't know why that makes me so irritated, but just the word "popped" gets on my nerves, it's always in the books I'm reading =/ very irritating
“and then our lips smashed together (or something along those lines)”
want me to call an ambulance? that doesn’t sound very good.
That line is at the end of Ready Player One, too.
This one is author-specific but it drives me crazy. Sarah J. Maas has written that her characters "clicked their tongues" so many times I've lost count.
LOL I've never noticed that with her. I'm too distracted by all the damn dashes she uses.
"No one was actually being electrocuted" hahahhahaha you said it girl.
Haha thanks!
Now I probably will notice it every time i read it :)
Something that i hate in books is when it says "a tall shadowy figure loomed in the doorway" or something similar. I find it so overused that it just annoys me.
Or when someone is described as 'glistening': "her hair glistens like moonlight" I read it once and had to put the book down, I honestly hate it when books describe something like that because to me, it doesn't sound like good writing, it sounds like what our teachers told us to write when we were learning about similes and metaphors at age 8 or something.
Yes! I remember Whittynovels mentioned the line "he smelled like sunshine." What does that even mean?!
Omg yes!!!! Thank you for saying that! I recently had my first real kiss and it felt good. Great actually. But it wasn't like in books and I was like confused. Was there something wrong with me? Is he the right guy (he wasn't afterwards but whatever 😂)? These phrases REALLY set up expectations which aren't realistic