These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner is released today. The first in a sweeping science fiction trilogy, These Broken Stars is a timeless love story about hope and survival in the face of unthinkable odds.
To celebrate the release, authors Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman share with Hypable their favorite hate-to-love couples.
—
When we set out to co-author a novel about two shipwrecked characters on an abandoned planet, we knew we wanted these characters to start out with immediate sparks—of mutual loathing! Some of our all-time favorite romances have begun with two people who couldn’t stand each other, so that’s what we set out to write in These Broken Stars! To celebrate that inspiration, we’ve compiled a list of our five favorite hate-to-love romances in literary and movie history.
Want to add to our list? Weigh in down below in the comments!
Belle and the Beast
5. Belle and the Beast, from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. It’s our favorite Disney movie, and it’s no big secret why! Setting aside the whole Stockholm Syndrome issue, there are still sparks between Belle and the Beast from the moment they meet. Maybe not exactly romantic ones, but there’s some definite heat! We love watching them unbend bit by bit, two very proud, very independent people learning that it’s okay to get close to someone else. (Plus, he gives her a LIBRARY, guys. That dude has got game, y’all.)
Patrick Verona and Kat Stratford
4. Patrick Verona and Kat Stratford, from 10 Things I Hate About You. Yes, we know this movie is a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, which has to be one of the oldest hate-to-love romances out there. But we can’t help but fall for the updated characters, with Patrick’s tough-boy exterior and gooey insides, and Kat’s badassery that doesn’t have to go anywhere for her femininity to come through. We love watching them banter almost as much as we love watching them make out, making this one of our top rom-com faves ever!
Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley
3. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. While we can’t claim that the sparks little Hermione and Ron gave off at their first meeting were of the hidden-love variety, there’s no denying that their relationship got off to a rocky start. Take one lofty know-it-all girl and one comedically-gifted and academically-challenged boy and you’re going to get some fireworks. But the payoff seeing them grow up and fall in love, after finding each other so mutually annoying as children, is THE BEST.
Han Solo and Princess Leia
2. Han Solo and Princess Leia, from Star Wars. Of all the relationships here, the setup for this one is closest to our hearts. Galactic princess meets wrong-side-of-the-tracks boy, and hijinks ensue. But there’s just something about the on-screen chemistry between Han Solo and Princess Leia that keeps this romance at the top of every chart, decades later. Plus, it just tickles us that the most memorable line from the romance, Han Solo’s response to Leia saying “I love you,” wasn’t in the script, and was ad libbed on set. Harrison Ford asked George Lucas if he could change it, and that’s how we ended up with the swoon-worthy line, “I know.”
Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy
1. Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. How can this brilliant romance not top ANY list of the greatest love stories of all time? Jane Austen was writing strong, smart, feisty women before the rest of the world caught on to how awesome they are. Lizzie and Mr. Darcy have one of the most famously bad meet-cutes in literary history, where he disses her in front of all her friends in a world where that’s pretty much the worst insult ever. And it only goes downhill from there, until Lizzie starts to see the heart lying beneath Darcy’s arrogant exterior. The harder they fight in the beginning, the more we cheer when they finally realize how much they need each other!
About the Authors
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner are the authors of These Broken Stars, a young adult science fiction novel forthcoming from Disney-Hyperion. They’re longtime friends and sometime flatmates who have traveled the world (but not yet the galaxy), covering every continent between them. They are sure outer space is only a matter of time. Meagan, who is also the author of the Skylark trilogy, currently lives in Asheville, NC, while Amie lives in Melbourne, Australia. Although they currently live apart, they are united by their love of space opera, road trips, and second breakfasts.
Visit the These Broken Stars website for the latest news on the series and follow the authors on Twitter at @AmieKaufman and @MeaganSpooner. You may also sign up for their newsletter as well! These Broken Stars will be available in North America on December 10, 2013.
Fan of our book coverage? Why not join our Hypable Books Facebook group!
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.