Top Ten Tuesday Freebie!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is a freebie.

We're all familiar with Romeo and Juliet. Love him or hate him, William Shakespeare hit all the bases: parental disapproval, gang warfare, teen marriage, murder, and suicide. And this was in the 16th century!! It's hard to follow in his gigantic footsteps. So in his grand tradition, I present you with: 

Top Seven YA Books about Star-Crossed Lovers! 
*Seven because I ran out of ideas and time! :)

What makes it Shakespeare worthy: Clary and Jace, Shadowhunter extraordinaire, are intensely drawn to each other. There's only one hitch: they might be siblings. Oh yeah, and their father is plotting to destroy the world.  

What makes it Shakespeare worthy: Oh my, where to begin?! Mia's in a coma after a horrific car accident. She's caught in limbo, her body immobile, her mind sharp. Her boyfriend, Adam, sits in her hospital room day after day. If his voice enough to convince her that her life is worth fighting for? 

What makes it Shakespeare worthy: Teenagers fighting to the death in a manipulated environment. Katniss taking her little sister's place as tribute. The scene at the very end with the berries (so very Shakespearean!!). The genius is that there are two pairs of starcrossed lovers in play here -- Katniss and Gale (who I admit I was rooting for), and then Katniss and Peeta. 

What makes it Shakespeare worthy: Hazel has terminal cancer. Augustus is an amputee and cancer survivor. You know that time is running out for this pair before they even meet, but you read the novel anyway, and then you find yourself both laughing and crying. Because John Green is a genius. But you already knew that, right? 

What makes it Shakespeare worthy: First, a confession. This is technically not a YA. It's MG. But that said, everyone should read this novel. It's a mystery, a sci-fi, and a tear-inducing masterpiece. And because this is MG, there are no "lovers" in the traditional sense, but Miranda and Marcus's story is intricate, beautiful, and tragic. 

What makes it Shakespeare worthy: A and Rhiannon's relationship is impossible from the very beginning. A wakes up every morning in a different body. A meets Rhiannon while inhabiting her boyfriend's body, and feels a connection to her that A has never felt before. But how can they maintain a connection when A is never the same person twice? 

What makes it Shakespeare worthy: Lyra and Will are children burdened with the impossible task of saving the world. They come from different worlds (literally), and don't even cross paths until the second book. When they finally do meet, their lives are never the same again. The climactic scene in book three makes me weepy just to think about.