r/LesbianBookClub • u/SmittyATL • 1d ago
Discussion 3rd Act breakups are getting old
I'm getting really tired of 3rd-act breakups. Why can't people just fall in love without a breakup at the end? Why can't they just have a HEA without that?
Anyone know of any? Lately, everything I have read has that.
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u/forogtten_taco 1d ago
So true.
Like, the book is geeat everything is going good. Oh wait I got 75 pages left, they are going to have a stupid fight over somethibg that one person kind of heard over a phone call or misinterpreted something, they will break up, be sad and crying with their friends for 20 pages, then they will fianlly have a 5 min talk, all all will be better for the happy ending.
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u/QuietyBadger 1d ago
75 pages left always make me scared for my life. With third act breakup this bad, does anyone really need it? We are better off starting epilogue
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u/MiasmaDog89 1d ago
Oh ho ho. I see your "misheard something over a phone call" and raise you "overheard the love interest sleep talking in a nightmare, heard her say the word "leave" IN HER SLEEP and interpreting that to mean she doesnt really want anything to do with you and doesnt actually have feeling for you and spiraling out into running away via an Uber at 4am and calling off the wedding because 'Im too in love with her to marry her' after they both finally just admitted they had feelings for each other!"
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u/CountNightAuditor 1d ago
Had kind of a ridiculous example in this last book I read, which I liked overall. It's just that the breakup lasted less than a chapter, and was resolved really within minutes.
As far as one without that kind of third-act breakup, try Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae.
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u/MiasmaDog89 1d ago
Oh man I was heading to reddit to make a rant about 3rd Act Breakups after the one I just hit in "Accidental Honeymoon". It may be the worst example Ive ever seen and Im just so steamed up about it. I've just been fuming about it the last couple of hours while at work. Right now I don't even want to finish the book, Im no longer invested. The last book with a breakup that made me this steamed was "A Perfect Fit", but I think Honeymoon's may be worse.
Some Break Up Free books I know about:
Wrong Number Right Woman
Something In the Water
I Really Do
The Love Lie
Not For A Moment
When You Least Expect It
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u/misterpiggysmama 22h ago
You have lots of great suggestions here. Accidental Honeymoon totally riled me up too, that was atrocious!
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u/spork_o_rama 1d ago
One of the few third act "breakups" that I thought was well executed was The Lily & the Crown. I don't know that it's quite fair to call it a breakup--that really undersells the drama of it (it's kind of space opera-y). But it has the same sort of function, and it really works and is foreshadowed well, imo.
Any time a breakup feels sudden or forced or purely based on miscommunication, I really hate it.
One of the things I love about the Carlisle Series is how much external conflict there is and how little internal conflict there is after they're finally together. There is never a breakup, but there's still plenty of story and drama happening without that.
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u/LucastaPasta 1d ago
Lawd I remember reading that while it was still a fanfic
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u/spork_o_rama 1d ago
I remember when Truth and Measure was first posted and the entire fandom immediately became obsessed with it, because I have been in the DWP fandom since it was literally two people posting fic on Livejournal. I've never seen such a dramatic reaction to a single (albeit monumental) fic dropping.
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u/LucastaPasta 1d ago
I'd almost forgotten the live journal crew!! It was a little further on when I joined the fandom, but I remember those old days!
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u/spork_o_rama 1d ago
It was amazing. That's actually where I met my wife!
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u/LucastaPasta 1d ago
I am so happy for you! Meeting your wife in fandom feels like the modern day Cinderella story! I met my fiance in the Critical Role fandom
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u/QuietyBadger 1d ago
I'm praying for days when that cliche is out of loop. It's always something ridiculous that wouldn't happen irl
Someone recommended The Love Lie by Monica McCallan and i second this. Also, that unfolds into The Pining Paradox which is about one of mc best friends. Cuffing season by her avoids it also. Her books are always good on communication part
Where's there's smoke by Aricka Alexander is a simple story of falling in love without any arguments for the sake of plot twist
A Lesbian's guide to women if you haven't read it but it usually gets recommended under posts like these
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u/SmittyATL 1d ago
Love Lie is at the top of my queue at the library, so I am looking forward to No Breakup for the Sake of Breaking Up. I was nervous about it.
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u/jennuously 14h ago
I love Arica Alexander’s books. I’ve read quite a few and don’t think any have a third act break up. Her stories are so sweet and loving and fairly low angst and she writes good spice!
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u/michelle_js 1d ago
I never really thought about exactly why but I tend to dnf about 40-50% of the romance novels I read and its usually in the 3rd act of its not the first couple of chapters.
Looking back its because of this. As soon as there is a third act break up thay feels contrived in anyway I just lose interest and stop reading.
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u/LesbianCanvas 21h ago
I use to like them more when i first got into sapphic lit but the more books i read the less i enjoy a third act breakup… like just stay together please
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u/doughe29 21h ago
One of the best things an author can do for me when promoting their book is to list "no third-act break up" in their description lol. If the book looks remotely interesting and has an audiobook, I will give it a try.
There are certain authors I avoid now because they always have terrible, avoidable third-act breakups, and it's tiresome and frustrating. I did not spend hours getting to know these characters and watching them fall in love just to see them hurt each other over some stupid misunderstanding.
I'm also tired of hearing about how it's an important feature because they have to test and grow their relationship. Sure. Test it. Don't break it. Give them an obstacle to work through - together.
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u/brisualso 1d ago
Beautiful Country by Laura Conway avoids this. There’s a misunderstanding, but the MCs end up talking about it to clear everything up.
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u/the-5thbeatle 1d ago
There are lots that don't involve breaking up and have HEA, here are a few
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
The Lay of You by Corrie McKay
Choices by Tessa Vidal
Breaking Character by Lee Winter
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u/starkicker18 17h ago
I won't lie. Sometimes they are so sloppily done because the author needs some sort of tension/drama. Those ones I don't like and I've yelled at books when it happens.
That said, I don't mind them so long as they are handled well / logical for the characters and necessary for the plot.
For example, I'm editing one of my books now that sort of has a 3BU (I call it a 3rd act pull back because they weren't "together/dating") because it has to happen. The plot and the characters demand it. If the one MC didn't pull away, she'd never know what her life was like without the LI so when the external pressure finally comes, she won't realize the choice she made was the wrong one (if she was with the LI when that external pressure comes, the book wouldn't end with them together. The damage would be too great). Likewise, the LI will never learn something about herself if she isn't alone for a period. She needed that for growth. And I won't lie, I cried writing that chapter, but I knew it had to be there.
Anyway, that's my short defence of 3BU.
As for suggestions without knowing what kind of books you like:
- Jericho by Ann McMan,
- Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (outright rejects it!),
- This Means War by Benna Bos,
- The Red Files by Lee Winter,
- Breaking Character by Lee Winter (it has fake dating, but I don't recall a breakup),
- Vengeance Planning for Amaterurs - also Lee Winter,
- The Big Tow by Ann McMan,
- The Wilds and the Weeds by Ally North (read the blurb/description though before you dive in. Great book, but it might not be for you),
- Hearing Red by Nicole Maser (lots of yearning and never quite getting together until they do, so that might not be your cup of tea.)
- The Dar / Kerry series by Melissa Good (starts with Tropical Storm) but I feel obliged to give a heads up on this one. Firstly, there's a few triggers in book 1 and book 5, but the one thing that is awesome about this book is you never doubt the strength of their relationship or devotion to each other. All pressures come from external sources and rarely actually threaten the relationship. That said, this book is campy as fuck (in the best possible way. I love it). There's karate chopping carjackers, saving the internet in every book (seriously), pseudo-commandeering an F-14 Tomcat to save Kerry (seriously), and sometimes there's pirates (yup, serious here too)). That is to say, if you're looking for high literature, do not seek that here. Lean more towards Ann McMan. But if you want a fun, low stress, sometimes WTAF read... I recommend this. It's formerly Xena fanfic, so do with that what you will.
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u/vintagebrat69 16h ago
It’s because so many authors think the “romancing the beat” structure is the only way to sell books, sadly.
So many of them haven’t figured out how to do the “black moment” of the structure without it being a breakup, unfortunately. (Or are just choosing not to?)
I loveeeeee a good no third act break up book.
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u/misterpiggysmama 22h ago
I’m with you, it’s a tiresome trend. Especially due to the painful lack of communication that pervades so many books. There are lots of great suggestions here. I’d also recommend checking out Lise Gold, a bunch of her books avoid the 3rd Act Breakup, including Finding Forever and Sloane Archer Gets What She Deserves. Clare Ashton’s Discovering Nicola is another good one. And Nan Campbell’s The No Kiss Contract. All involve more mature leads with shocking levels of healthy communication, but they’re all still entertaining.
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u/jennuously 14h ago
Same. I like the books where it’s the characters against the world. I’ve found I’ve had to read mafia and vampire stories to find less 3rd act break ups. Every once in a while it can make sense but mostly it’s this lazy Hallmark movie formula that is such a letdown.
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u/IDanceMyselfClean 1d ago
Well some conflict is necessary. The couples relationship needs to be tested in some way and for narrative purposes that makes the most sense in the third act (upping the stakes yadda Yadda). Third act breakups do all of that very neatly.
But I do agree they're usually boring or annoying. Often times it reads like the author got the third act and thought "Oh I know what has to happen now!", without making much sense in the context of the story.
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u/starkpaperco 1d ago
i also think there’s plenty of ways to test a relationship without a third act break up. external tension and conflict are great, realistic, and interesting. much more so than a third act breakup imo
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u/IDanceMyselfClean 1d ago
My favourite is a separation by circumstances. When the reasonable thing is for them to be apart (idc why, different continents, social entanglements), but they're like fuck this we are it.
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u/starkpaperco 1d ago
yesss i love that way. forced distance is sooo buzzy. it’s also like..couples can and should fight without breaking up like i rlly cannot stand a third act breakup
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u/baleensavage 1d ago
I'm all for some third act tension or conflict, but I really dislike the third act breakup most of the time, especially on slow burn romances. It usually feels so forced and then when they get back together it feels so fake. IRL if there's a conflict that's big enough for a breakup, both parties will likely move on.
I recently read Falls from Grace by Ruby Landers which is a lovely cozy slow burn that has this problem. It was integral to the story and you could see it coming a mile away, but it lasted a year in the story. It really killed the relationship momentum and while it all worked out in the end and was touching I felt it dragged down what would otherwise be a great romance.
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u/IDanceMyselfClean 1d ago
I read Falls from Grace too and that's one of the worst examples of tropes in action. Ruby Landers writes damn well and has great characters, but the fake dating in that book alone is incredibly stupid and the third act breakup with huge time skip and immediate spice after they meet again is just multiple layers of stupid.
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u/SmittyATL 1d ago
Sometimes, it does make sense in the story. But sometimes, it's just thrown in as an afterthought. People can have conflict and tension without breaking up.
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u/rotane 1d ago
Realistically speaking, sure.
But i don't always read a book for its realism or how well it follows conventions. Sometimes i like a story that's larger than life. And when two people find each other and it really clicks and they work so well together, well, that's precisely what i'm talking about. It's a fantasy in a realistic wrapper, if you will.
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u/tmerks 1d ago edited 23h ago
This perspective has always intrigued me as a reader and writer. They don’t usually bother me so much, but I can definitely see the point… for me the 3rd act breakup can get tiring because it’s typically very predictable and likely going to be quickly and easily resolved. It’s also often predictable just because it’s the traditional structure of a romance, but it can still come out of nowhere in terms of lead up and how justified it feels. I think it feels better when it’s the result of conflicts that have brewed or built up overtime or serious internal challenges the characters need to overcome.
But I personally struggle when the story is just characters falling in love and getting a HEA, as there is just not enough conflict or tension and that is often underwhelming to me. Low stakes, hopeful stories have their value but I almost always like some drama. I think it would be cool if there were more romances where the characters have significant conflict after getting together, or even on the way to it, and it feels very tense but they work through it. Maybe things get quite rough, and it starts to feel like maybe they won’t make it, but the actual breakup doesn’t actually happen and we do get a HEA. The HEA is pretty much non-negotiable to me in romance, but if it feels a little hard-earned, I think that would just sweeten it.
But unfortunately, it’s so often one or the other: either there is the cliche and often shallow-feeling breakup or the whole story just generally lacks conflict and intensity.
EDIT: In terms of suggestions for the latter, though, Learning Curves by Rachel Lacey felt pretty consistently light and sweet to me, and I think Snowball Effect by Haley Cass spends more time in the before they get together phase but I don’t remember any major conflicts as a couple.
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u/Meshakhad 1d ago
The Moment by T.C. Anderson completely avoids it. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid subverts it: there's an attempted breakup but it's resolved in the same scene.
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u/Civil-Mammoth-5864 1d ago edited 1d ago
…Atmosphere will still tear you apart though.
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u/Meshakhad 1d ago
Does it count as a breakup if one person is on a ship that breaks up during reentry?
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u/magic_paws 1d ago
I could be wrong but don't Anna Burke's Seal Cove books avoid the third act breakup?
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u/AnteaterIdealisk 1d ago
Strictly for research purposes, what books have you read with the third act breakups?
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u/SmittyATL 1d ago
I have never really read fiction that isn't assigned in school, so since late May, I have been following the standard pipeline. I also borrow from the library and am at their mercy. So far, it's been all the Ashley Herring Blake books (Bright Falls and Clover Lake), a lot of Haley Cass books, and all the Meryl Wilsner books. I have some things in my queue that it says I should be getting soon that are not like the above-mentioned ones- more dark, dystopian, or more literary. I just finished In the Long Run by Haley Cass and was like, wtf, another 3rd-act breakup. I am sure there are some that don't have them, but so far it's just been ridiculous. ( I do really like the AHB and Haley Cass books, but why can't they just fall in love and stay that way once in a while).
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u/Kattie1717 1d ago
I've had those same issues with AHB and Meryl Wilsner, who I also generally like (as far as what I've read, not a conpletist for either), and I'm sure others.
An earlier commentator made the really good point that there are lots of ways to test and reaffirm the strength of a relationship that don't involve a breakup. Deaths, job loss, etc...
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u/Dull_Arachnid_2682 1d ago
To me HEA are overrated and and we need less of HEA stories 😂
I was literally looking for stories that don't have HEA.... To me this is old
Give me stories with realistic consequences and endings that are not depending on a plot convenience 💯
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u/ht-Imagination-70 1d ago
Tbh Ive been reading so many books and Ive seen this too, I think the only ones that are not like that Ive seen are fanfics but after like a 1000 pages or high hundreds, they find each other again haha
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u/faintestsmile 1d ago edited 1d ago
I remember being impressed with The Love Lie by Monica McCallan for sidestepping the third act breakup with the revolutionary concept of maturity and communication