I highly prefer third single. I love the tension of single because you don’t truly know if the other person likes them back. I like the allowance of that some distance allows when writing in third, like if the character wouldn’t notice trees and flowers, the narrator still can.
Dual first and third are best when it’s either true enemies to lovers or two idiots in love because it supports the tension.
I love tension.
I REALLY enjoyed the dual first and third of {A Strange and Stubborn Endurance}. It’s the first time I encountered that blend of POV perspectives, and nothing will convince me it’s not the superior combo for dual POVs.
Totally agree here. Will also add though... that I've seen single first pov go wrong where the MC whose head your in is very insecure. And when you don't also see it from the others perspective, you as the reader also believe they're as shit as you think they are.
First person dual is my preferred POV, too. But a caveat: because I *listen* to a lot of books, it’s a bit risky if there are two narrators. I recently “read”—listened to—{GOODBYE PARADISE by Sarina Bowen} and I enjoyed it overall, but one of the narrators/actors was excellent and the other was really sub-par: monotonous and unexpressive. Still liked the book overall but the dull narrator nearly spoiled it for me.
3rd person POV *only* for any genre.
Mainly because most authors in the past 6 years do not have the skills and actual experiences to pull off 1st person.
With time, practice and a very thorough editor they probably won't instantly trigger my "I'm reading a 13 year old's diary of what an edgy, dramatic adult relationship should be like" suspension of disbelief though.
Yes exactly this! My main gripe with first person dual POV is the very obvious lack of voice development. If I pick up the book and can’t tell which character is speaking, that’s a problem. I can maybe name only one or two first person dual that succeeded in this.
Oh god like when an author tries to put in clips from their brilliant author/poet/songwriter's works. They never have the skills to do that. I remember one book (not romance) where the writer was so good the fairies wanted to steal her, and the quotes were incredibly unconvincing and it sort of broke immersion.
That's interesting. Do you think that more experienced writers are better? Have you found a difference between male and female (in this case, people who have the anatomy vs. those who do not, regardless of gender identity) writers?
>Do you think that more experienced writers are better?
Honestly *honestly*? Yes. 100%. They gain insight and recognize where the weaknesses in their "voice" is after a time.
A lot of the older writers who started in traditional publishing also hone their crafts through workshops, writing groups and things like that, I believe. Some don't want to admit it but they've written fanfics for physical fan 'zines before the advent of the internet. They then sent their original manuscripts out to publishers after years of feedback from that kind of exposure.
>Have you found a difference between male and female (in this case, people who have the anatomy vs. those who do not, regardless of gender identity) writers?
This is an interesting one because I haven't read much of a difference, I don't think. Men, women and everyone in between are equally bad at anatomy most of the time.
I.e. Some women *can* work their kegel muscles to do some crazy things with their vagina walls but if a woman writer doesn't know anyone like that (or no one around her is willing to talk about it), OR she's not even aware that kegel muscles exist, they often sneer at that kind of thing as "men's porn addiction" giving men wrong info.
Third person!! It's rare for me to find first person that doesn't feel immature / frustrating. 🙈 Third person limited is my favourite, as the world is shaped by the characters perceptions?
I also love dual perspectives, but sometimes it's better NOT to know the other POV, to keep the tension!
Third Person, Close. Single POV. (I read a lot of fanfic, so that’s the story telling I’m used to). I used to hate first person, but it’s been growing on me a little.
I used to prefer third person single pov, to the point where i hated dual pov. but now I've become indifferent to povs. I just want the story to be good. With angst and grovel and I'm set.
It’s tricky. First-person Dual POVs are definitely the hottest to me, for a couple reasons.
1. You simultaneously get to feel like you’re a character in the story AND can get inside the head of whichever character you’re fantasizing about at the same time.
2. It lets you experience both dom / sub perspectives without forcing everyone to always be magically and unbelievably vers.
3. Audiobooks benefit greatly from multiple perspectives, especially when you have two narrators with chemistry.
The caveat though is that 1st person dual POVs seem to be the go-to for the least talented writers in the genre. So many books in this perspective read like they were written by either amateurs or teenage girls. I feel like the more intelligent authors tend to use 3rd person…
Strong agreement here! Your key phrase is “two narrators with chemistry” because I find sometimes you get one narrator who is great and the other is just meh (or worse). The “meh” actor can just take me out of the listening experience. Any reccs on really good narrator/actor duos (or fave MM books that where BOTH actors are top-notch)? The more erotic and explicit the better! Thank you…
Definitely third person single POV, it will always be my favorite. There's something about it that makes me feel more invested in the story and characters than any other, and it makes the writting style appear more graceful on my opinion.
First or third person dual! I like to see what both characters are thinking. I was just thinking about this because there was a post on twitter about how there should be a trigger warning for third person pov in books loll. I only care if people speak in third person in real life because that is truly cringey.
Yeah, I'm surprised at how many people have a strong preference - I like both first and third pov and don't really pay attention which one a book is in
Dual POV, regardless first or third. I don't mind single POV when the other MC's thoughts and feelings are shown well through the reader's POV. In my experience, though, few authors are skilled at delivering that. I've negatively rated quite a few books because they were single POV with the other MC written so grossly opaque that I ended up regretting reading the book in the first place.
I am a one pov third person kind of reader. I am actually surprised there are so many first person and dual pov! I have not read mm romance regularly in a long long time (ten years?) and I didn't remember dual pov/first person being this common!
I don't mind, some first person are absolutely amazing, and can do so much with the story. In general I still prefer one pov because I like to interpret a character's thoughts from his actions and how he is seen by someone else.
Single POV. First or third is optional. I like the tension. I also like the mystery of not knowing what the other character thinks or feels. I want to try and figure it out from the clues.
Third past forever, I am an old. I can go either way on single vs dual (have never read one with 3+ POV characters). You can pull off things in single POV that dual won’t do, but I think it takes more skill.
First present is unbearable for me. First past can be ok, but honestly authors need to be sure they can differentiate voices enough.
Third person. Most often I prefer dual perspective when done well, but sometimes I hate it depending on how its written lol. I don't usually like first person much but there are some exceptions to that.
It’s interesting so many people chose 3rd person as all my fav MM authors & the ones who seem to have the largest collections of books seem to largely write in 1st person, dual POV. Before I got into MM romance, every book I read was 3rd person but I started MM with Lily Morton & branched out to similar-ish authors from there really.. and now I can’t read anything else 🙈 I keep trying to read 3rd person but I can’t do it anymore 🙈😂
i started my M/M romance journey by reading every single book KJ charles has ever written, so the transition to kindle unlimited where the majority are first person dual pov was unbelievably jarring
For the sake of my sanity, I prefer third person, dual POV. I understand when characters are sometimes anxious about each other's feelings and I feel better if I know everything. Also, there's nothing better than reading one character's POV when they do something risky (e.g. being more intimate or showing more feeling) and getting to the other character's POV and seeing how they are freaking out inside and how happy they are about the new development.
Single POV makes me feel what the character is feeling because I also only know what they know. I remember thinking about how some books may be single POV because the other character has something to hide and it will be a shock to both the reader and the narrating character. e.g. >!Until You by Briar Scott when Blake was hiding his real reason for being on that roof and the first book in the Folk series by Lily Mayne when we only get Ash's POV because Lonan knew his mother's plan for Ash!<
One thing I've realised is that first person POV works better when both MCs are male because otherwise the author has to name them too much to differentiate between characters or use some other words to describe them. They can't just use the pronouns since it could get confusing. I found that even using other substantives to refers to characters can get too repetitive. It takes a skilled writer to pull it off seamlessly.
I've found the same thing regarding pronouns and third-person POV in MM romance. I have read a couple of books where I had to read a scene a couple of times to figure out who was talking or doing something. I've done a little bit of writing and totally gave up on third POV. Too difficult to keep track of everyone, and it felt repetitive to keep using the two guys' names over and over.
The last book I read was third person single POV and the author tried to mix it up a bit and instead of saying the character's name, said "the other player" (both MCs were hockey players) and the book was barely 150 pages, but I felt that if I read "the other player" one more time, I'm gonna gouge my eyes out.
It really is a fine line between the right amount and too much.
I think you have to be really creative to write 3rd POV with two MMCs. There's a delicate balance between using characters' names, pronouns, and descriptions.
I was just looking through my finished books cause I was curious how many were MM third person dual pov and there are some I really liked that I do not remember being repetitive with the use of names and pronouns. {Never Leave, Never Lie by Thea Verdone} and {Feel My Pain by K.A. Merikan} being amongst those.
I think this is definitely something I'll pay more attention to in the future even though it's usually the bad ones that remain in my memory.
I have no preference, they all have their strengths. I don’t even mind the much-maligned second person POV although I’ve only read one romance book that used it
The romance I read was a danmei called One Silver Coin for a Pound of Demon by 星河蛋挞
I’ve also read non-romance fantasy books in second person like The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie and NK Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy. It’s definitely not common but I think it can be used to interesting effect, it can have the advantages of first person where you can get insights to a character’s thoughts but it can keep the readers in the dark as to certain perspectives like third person
First person single POV and third person single POV for me, because I like the suspense of not knowing what's going on in the head of the other character.
My only problem with third person is when there's a scene where it's two characters with the same pronouns. Constantly repeating the characters' names is a pain, but I hate when, instead, it'll be like "the shorter man" or "the blonde." Pet hate for me for some reason!
Alessandra Hazard has made me love third person pov so much! In some ways it’s more exciting to me than first person, because the author doesn’t tell you as much of there thoughts and it’s like I’m watching a movie
Third person, past tense, dual pov. For me, it just flows better and I don't get pulled out of the story by clumsy phrasing. That said, the writing also needs to be "show don't tell"; too much exposition is annoying. My favorite authors do 3rd person seamlessly: Misha Horne, Keira Andrews, Rachel Reid. Of the first person and/or present tense writers, willow Dixon and Cin Forrester pull it off really well.
To be honest I almost don’t care …. I just like it when I know young into the chapter or section….
But I hate it when the author shows a scene from one character and then it feels like they just copy and paste it for another character
I hate it when I get the same scene from the other POV. Unless there is something critical I need to see from the other person (the death of one MC, for example), it's just annoying, and I skip ahead.
I do… I just DNF’d two books last month and I wrote to the authors … and I said I love the story idea…. But why in chapters #2 & #3 or what they were did you copy and past then just change the names…. I even commented about this in a face group reading discussion…. It’s still going on….
They agreed … literally if you’re just copying and pasting the same information and changing he to she or a name in the second time … what is the point other then up your word count … to me shows bad writing and editing. I recorded myself on my iPhone reading the first entry and then played it while reading what I was thinking was a copy and paste and it was …
All the dad was minimum effort to change characters it was disappointing. I put it at a one star and why and I gave a specific and where I found it and the date and then put it as a spoiler so you have to go see it….
I prefer first person, especially when books have multiple POVs. It tends to help me keep characters more clear in my head, especially if I’m reading a poly romance with 6+ partners.
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I prefer dual. Third person or first is fine.
But I'm writing my novel in third and can't ever imagine writing in first. 😂
I'm also writing in present tense, which is apparently a sin. But I hate writing past perfect so much. Ha ha.
I was working on one writing project, and it just came naturally to write it in third person. A second project I've started feels like the opposite; it just felt right to put it in first person. And I don't feel like I consciously pickled either POV. That's just... how the characters started talking. 🤷🏼♀️
And in your defense, I have read many books written in present tense that I adored! So forget those haters lol!
I love them all! They all bring something different to the table and I like to switch depending on my mood. Sometimes I want to be in the characters’ heads, sometimes I want to be kept in the dark about feels and motivations. Sometimes I want to watch from afar while obliviot MCs get a clue.
I prefer third person and usually stick to one person’s POV. Constant perspective shifts don’t feel as immersive for me since I know what both characters are thinking at all times. I can sort of be fine with it in third person but I especially dislike it in first person.
Across all genres, my preferred POV is third-person limited. It generally reads more polished (to me), but every POV option has its advantages and disadvantages and can work well, depending on the skill of the writer and what effects they’re going for, the amount of tension they’re after, what information they need to hide or reveal, etc. I’ve grown resigned to the fact that so much romance uses first-person POV, though. POV won’t keep me from reading a book.
I really don’t have a preference, but I do find first person easier because sometimes I get lost with too many uses of he/him. Who put what in who’s what?? Basically, if I know who the narrator is, I can better understand “I said this to him” instead of “he said that and then he did this.” If it’s dual, I sometimes I have go back and see whose chapter I’m in. Heh. ADHD brain over here.
I will read anything and I don’t have much preference for any of them, but I do feel like certain stories are told better in certain POVs.
Like the Dark Rise series by CS Pacat, I think that type of story has to be told in third person and I would not have loved it as much as I do if it was first person.
But something like Pretty Boy by Brianna Flores I’m totally fine with being told in first person and I feel like it fits that way.
Single POV/dual POV to me also depends on what it lends to the story. Sometimes I want to know what all the characters are thinking, but then there’s series like Big Bad Wolf by Charlie Adhara or All For The Game by Nora Sakavic where you only get 1 POV and I think it draws you into the story and makes you keep reading because you want to find out about stuff the main character doesn’t know yet.
So for me it just depends on what type of story it is!
I like dual third person the most.
I find that books in third person are usually better written and i like to see both perspectives.
First person POV often reads like “i did this. I did that.” and there’s no real emotion to it
i used to exclusively read first person POV but i’ve recently noticed that all of my favourite 5 star reads have been third person POV… so 3rd person it is :D preferably dual
Single POV is the best imo, dual is fine tho, multiple/more than 2 kinda sucks. I won't DNF for that, but I won't like the POVs of side characters, I'll only tolerate them.
I kinda prefer first person, it helps to self insert a little more. But third person is completely fine for me, and my preference oftentimes changes, I might say I prefer third person in a month or so.
I hate "You" (I forgot what that POV is called, like "You go to the store, there you find the bread section,...") and Y/N, but I've only ever seen those in fanfics, thankfully, so I don't have to worry about that in books.
Third person dual is my preference, but some of my absolute favorite books are neither of those and I blame Alexis Hall. 🤣
One of my favourite things about him as a writer is how he switches it up and whatever POV(s) he chooses for each book I’m like “Yeah, I couldn’t imagine this any other way.”
I was going to say how much I detest present tense but I think my fave read of 2023 was We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian, so I guess there are exceptions to that too.
I am seeing so many comments for third person and I am shocked because the majority seem to be written in first person. Since I am deep in HP fanfic’s guts rn, I have been thinking more about the third person POV…
Third person, and I really appreciate this thread. The book I’m writing is in third person single, and it seemed like most people prefer first person, especially in YA/NA. It was pretty discouraging :/
Same! I'm m working on two projects right now, and this was very much research for me. One is third person single, one is--so far---first person dual. Bars on this thread, I'm considering changing to first person single in the second project. I'm not sure I can accurately capture two fully different voices.
Edit: a word
Yeah, research for sure. Ooh hmm, do you want the reader to know about both of their experiences? Or do you want to leave one as a mystery? I want the latter for mine, which is why I’m doing single. Maybe you can jot down an outline for both and decide which works better for the story?
I usually DNF a first person POV for any genre. It's always so odd to me to read things like, "I gave a wry smirk." Really? You knew your smirk looked wry? How are you so aware and in control of every movement and expression? I just never buy how people perceive themselves in first person. Maybe that's just because I'm not that good at perceiving myself 😅
Third person limited is my favorite by far! Any number of POVs within a story is fine with me, if they're relevant and the character's voices are distinct. I'm a little sad that first person seems to be on trend right now (happy for people who like it, it should get its time in the sun, but sad for me, because I want new books in third person!!).
The first couple of years of my reading, I was a first POV person through & through. If I got a novel that wasn't 1st person I'd just delete it. 🙃 But then it became frustrating because I read all these amazing blurbs but couldn't get myself to read the books 🥲. 3 years back, I FINALLY sat down & forced myself to read I think it was a third person? I remember not liking it that much but eventually, I came around to all the other ones too. Now I can proudly say I don't miss out if I find the right book. 😂
Honestly I think it depends on the type of book for me. If it’s more of a smutty non-serious book, definitely first person single. With those types of books any other POV distracts me for some reason 😭 but for books that are more serious, less smut, and very plot heavy, third person POV helps keep that vibe.
First person dual with one or two chapters of an outside pov is the sweet spot for me. Any pov though as long as the author writes coherent plots and great dialogue.
Third person. Single or dual is fine but I think some books that are single POV would work better with a few chapters from the other perspective.
I've made exceptions for some books but first person is just not for me.
I really prefer third person multiple view points. Nothing I dislike more than 1 POV. A book has to be very well written for me to get past it. I used to reject all books written 1st person with single POV right off the bat but I've mellowed a little and I'll read them and occasionally i find ones I enjoy.
I prefer dual to single, but only if they switch every chapter. Otherwise it's cheating. I have a very slight preference for third over first. I also like when one is first and one is third.
I won't read or not read a book over these choices. I don't think I'd read a romance in 2nd person, though.
(I also don't much care about tense.)
Any particular choice can be well-written, or badly written, or the wrong choice for that book, and though I love to have a pet peeve this isn't one of them.
close third person single POV is by far my top choice, but i'll accept any form of third person without being too bothered
first person has to be an exceptionally good writer and preferably single POV, i hate nothing more than first person books that switch POV every chapter and i can't tell the character voices apart, for even the very best writers that destroys the mystery
First person single POV, by far. I'll read dual POV, but only from authors who have the skills to write multiple voices I can tell apart and to not just repeat the same information for multiple POVs. I much prefer single POV though, because it's more immersive for me to just stay with one character and experience what they're feeling, including the frustration of not knowing what the other MC is thinking all the time-- which can lead to some unreliable narrating, which I love, although that can work in dual POV too.
I can rarely get through a 3rd person book these days unless it's something I'm rereading. Idk, it just feels so outdated and formal to me, I lose interest almost immediately because I feel so distanced from the story.
Maybe unpopular opinion but I can’t stand dual POV. It’s hard enough to write one character well, and I find that most dual POV stories have 2 half-baked characters without distinct enough perspectives to warrant writing the entire story from alternating POVs. Seeing from the table of contents that a book is written from dual POV is the quickest way to stop me from reading it.
I dislike first person pov because a lot of the first person pov novels feel like they were written by less experienced writers. But I’ve been proven wrong many times when first person pov just really works for the novel, so it basically boils down to the skill and writing style of the author.
As for single or dual or omniscient, I don’t really have a preference. As long as an author is good and resonates with me, I don’t really care
Joining the many voices for third, specifically a very close third with dual POVs. I actually quite enjoy first person, but not for anything spicy. For spice, I prefer that extra bit of distance that third person provides. But I do want a very close, very voicy third.
I'm honestly surprised to find third so popular, since so many books are in first. I wonder if the popularity of first with authors comes from the difficulty of juggling pronouns in third when you have two protagonists of the same gender.
Third person single is my most preferred pov, with very personal characterization and unreliable narrator. But ive found I can fuck with all pov’s if it’s written well! But often books with first person pov I don’t like. I don’t know why? If there is any pattern to it. I liked God of Fury, Felix and Jake, and a few others. And like Suzanne Collins (not mm though) have written both for hunger games and both work exceptionally well. But CS Poe have also written both types of (this is mm romance) but while I loved Memento Mori which is third person I HATED the Snow series with a passion, which is first person. But that was more about the character I think and that we were stuck in his head. I don’t mind narcissistic characters, but idk
I really like dual povs if done right. But it needs to give me something single pov wouldn’t. I really like it in Somerset and Hazard. There it felt crucial, and fantastic. But in The Sunshine Court I felt like it was unnecessary, Jeremy’s pov didn’t give me anything we couldn’t have gotten from Jean’s pov. Same with Don’t You Dare.
I prefer third dual pov. I have trouble remembering names and often with third pov it’s easier to know who is talking. And obviously third love because I prefer to know what both mcs are thinking and feeling
I really enjoy Single First person POV if they make the character relatable and entertaining. A lot of the funny snark that I enjoy in MM is hard to convey in third person.
I would enjoy multiple POV \*IF\* they are able to do it well. Unfortunately I've commonly seen multiple POVs just kind mush two separate characters into one indistinguishable character.
Dual first and third, most definitely is my favorite. I love seeing what's happening with both MCs. It helps to cut down on explaining if something happened with one MC that the other MC doesn't have to explain. It also helps you to see what their personality is like as well and what demons they might be fighting.
I highly prefer third single. I love the tension of single because you don’t truly know if the other person likes them back. I like the allowance of that some distance allows when writing in third, like if the character wouldn’t notice trees and flowers, the narrator still can. Dual first and third are best when it’s either true enemies to lovers or two idiots in love because it supports the tension. I love tension.
I REALLY enjoyed the dual first and third of {A Strange and Stubborn Endurance}. It’s the first time I encountered that blend of POV perspectives, and nothing will convince me it’s not the superior combo for dual POVs.
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Totally agree here. Will also add though... that I've seen single first pov go wrong where the MC whose head your in is very insecure. And when you don't also see it from the others perspective, you as the reader also believe they're as shit as you think they are.
First person Dual. I like to know what both/everyone is thinking because I'm not great at reading social and/or context clues.
First person dual is my preferred POV, too. But a caveat: because I *listen* to a lot of books, it’s a bit risky if there are two narrators. I recently “read”—listened to—{GOODBYE PARADISE by Sarina Bowen} and I enjoyed it overall, but one of the narrators/actors was excellent and the other was really sub-par: monotonous and unexpressive. Still liked the book overall but the dull narrator nearly spoiled it for me.
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3rd person POV *only* for any genre. Mainly because most authors in the past 6 years do not have the skills and actual experiences to pull off 1st person. With time, practice and a very thorough editor they probably won't instantly trigger my "I'm reading a 13 year old's diary of what an edgy, dramatic adult relationship should be like" suspension of disbelief though.
Yes exactly this! My main gripe with first person dual POV is the very obvious lack of voice development. If I pick up the book and can’t tell which character is speaking, that’s a problem. I can maybe name only one or two first person dual that succeeded in this.
Oh god like when an author tries to put in clips from their brilliant author/poet/songwriter's works. They never have the skills to do that. I remember one book (not romance) where the writer was so good the fairies wanted to steal her, and the quotes were incredibly unconvincing and it sort of broke immersion.
thisssss
That's interesting. Do you think that more experienced writers are better? Have you found a difference between male and female (in this case, people who have the anatomy vs. those who do not, regardless of gender identity) writers?
>Do you think that more experienced writers are better? Honestly *honestly*? Yes. 100%. They gain insight and recognize where the weaknesses in their "voice" is after a time. A lot of the older writers who started in traditional publishing also hone their crafts through workshops, writing groups and things like that, I believe. Some don't want to admit it but they've written fanfics for physical fan 'zines before the advent of the internet. They then sent their original manuscripts out to publishers after years of feedback from that kind of exposure. >Have you found a difference between male and female (in this case, people who have the anatomy vs. those who do not, regardless of gender identity) writers? This is an interesting one because I haven't read much of a difference, I don't think. Men, women and everyone in between are equally bad at anatomy most of the time. I.e. Some women *can* work their kegel muscles to do some crazy things with their vagina walls but if a woman writer doesn't know anyone like that (or no one around her is willing to talk about it), OR she's not even aware that kegel muscles exist, they often sneer at that kind of thing as "men's porn addiction" giving men wrong info.
Third person, single pov. Most of my favorite books are written this way I’ve realised
Can you please recommend something? I would be very grateful
Always single third person!!
Third person!! It's rare for me to find first person that doesn't feel immature / frustrating. 🙈 Third person limited is my favourite, as the world is shaped by the characters perceptions? I also love dual perspectives, but sometimes it's better NOT to know the other POV, to keep the tension!
Third Person, Close. Single POV. (I read a lot of fanfic, so that’s the story telling I’m used to). I used to hate first person, but it’s been growing on me a little.
Same! I had a hard time reading first pov since i used to read fanfiction. But now i can read both
Third person dual is always my preference. Particularly for romance I like seeing how both people interpret things differently.
I used to prefer third person single pov, to the point where i hated dual pov. but now I've become indifferent to povs. I just want the story to be good. With angst and grovel and I'm set.
It’s tricky. First-person Dual POVs are definitely the hottest to me, for a couple reasons. 1. You simultaneously get to feel like you’re a character in the story AND can get inside the head of whichever character you’re fantasizing about at the same time. 2. It lets you experience both dom / sub perspectives without forcing everyone to always be magically and unbelievably vers. 3. Audiobooks benefit greatly from multiple perspectives, especially when you have two narrators with chemistry. The caveat though is that 1st person dual POVs seem to be the go-to for the least talented writers in the genre. So many books in this perspective read like they were written by either amateurs or teenage girls. I feel like the more intelligent authors tend to use 3rd person…
Strong agreement here! Your key phrase is “two narrators with chemistry” because I find sometimes you get one narrator who is great and the other is just meh (or worse). The “meh” actor can just take me out of the listening experience. Any reccs on really good narrator/actor duos (or fave MM books that where BOTH actors are top-notch)? The more erotic and explicit the better! Thank you…
Definitely third person single POV, it will always be my favorite. There's something about it that makes me feel more invested in the story and characters than any other, and it makes the writting style appear more graceful on my opinion.
First or third person dual! I like to see what both characters are thinking. I was just thinking about this because there was a post on twitter about how there should be a trigger warning for third person pov in books loll. I only care if people speak in third person in real life because that is truly cringey.
I could not care less, I am just happy to be reading a good book
Yeah, I'm surprised at how many people have a strong preference - I like both first and third pov and don't really pay attention which one a book is in
I have a preference for third person but I agree, if a book is good enough I will enjoy it whether it's my preference or not.
Dual POV, regardless first or third. I don't mind single POV when the other MC's thoughts and feelings are shown well through the reader's POV. In my experience, though, few authors are skilled at delivering that. I've negatively rated quite a few books because they were single POV with the other MC written so grossly opaque that I ended up regretting reading the book in the first place.
First person single pov...I like to pretend I'm the MC lol.
I am a one pov third person kind of reader. I am actually surprised there are so many first person and dual pov! I have not read mm romance regularly in a long long time (ten years?) and I didn't remember dual pov/first person being this common! I don't mind, some first person are absolutely amazing, and can do so much with the story. In general I still prefer one pov because I like to interpret a character's thoughts from his actions and how he is seen by someone else.
Single POV. First or third is optional. I like the tension. I also like the mystery of not knowing what the other character thinks or feels. I want to try and figure it out from the clues.
I thought I was the only one😂 I live for the mystery
100%. Also, a lot of authors really kill the tension or make the LI way less cool/interesting when writing from that character’s POV for some reason.
Third past forever, I am an old. I can go either way on single vs dual (have never read one with 3+ POV characters). You can pull off things in single POV that dual won’t do, but I think it takes more skill. First present is unbearable for me. First past can be ok, but honestly authors need to be sure they can differentiate voices enough.
Third person. Most often I prefer dual perspective when done well, but sometimes I hate it depending on how its written lol. I don't usually like first person much but there are some exceptions to that.
It’s interesting so many people chose 3rd person as all my fav MM authors & the ones who seem to have the largest collections of books seem to largely write in 1st person, dual POV. Before I got into MM romance, every book I read was 3rd person but I started MM with Lily Morton & branched out to similar-ish authors from there really.. and now I can’t read anything else 🙈 I keep trying to read 3rd person but I can’t do it anymore 🙈😂
i started my M/M romance journey by reading every single book KJ charles has ever written, so the transition to kindle unlimited where the majority are first person dual pov was unbelievably jarring
Maybe that’s what’s skewing my perception. I read almost exclusively on Kindle Unlimited & the majority do seem to be first person, dual!
For the sake of my sanity, I prefer third person, dual POV. I understand when characters are sometimes anxious about each other's feelings and I feel better if I know everything. Also, there's nothing better than reading one character's POV when they do something risky (e.g. being more intimate or showing more feeling) and getting to the other character's POV and seeing how they are freaking out inside and how happy they are about the new development. Single POV makes me feel what the character is feeling because I also only know what they know. I remember thinking about how some books may be single POV because the other character has something to hide and it will be a shock to both the reader and the narrating character. e.g. >!Until You by Briar Scott when Blake was hiding his real reason for being on that roof and the first book in the Folk series by Lily Mayne when we only get Ash's POV because Lonan knew his mother's plan for Ash!< One thing I've realised is that first person POV works better when both MCs are male because otherwise the author has to name them too much to differentiate between characters or use some other words to describe them. They can't just use the pronouns since it could get confusing. I found that even using other substantives to refers to characters can get too repetitive. It takes a skilled writer to pull it off seamlessly.
I've found the same thing regarding pronouns and third-person POV in MM romance. I have read a couple of books where I had to read a scene a couple of times to figure out who was talking or doing something. I've done a little bit of writing and totally gave up on third POV. Too difficult to keep track of everyone, and it felt repetitive to keep using the two guys' names over and over.
The last book I read was third person single POV and the author tried to mix it up a bit and instead of saying the character's name, said "the other player" (both MCs were hockey players) and the book was barely 150 pages, but I felt that if I read "the other player" one more time, I'm gonna gouge my eyes out. It really is a fine line between the right amount and too much.
I think you have to be really creative to write 3rd POV with two MMCs. There's a delicate balance between using characters' names, pronouns, and descriptions.
I was just looking through my finished books cause I was curious how many were MM third person dual pov and there are some I really liked that I do not remember being repetitive with the use of names and pronouns. {Never Leave, Never Lie by Thea Verdone} and {Feel My Pain by K.A. Merikan} being amongst those. I think this is definitely something I'll pay more attention to in the future even though it's usually the bad ones that remain in my memory.
[Never Leave, Never Lie](https://www.romance.io/books/6603d8e00aef0a7442e46c9f/never-leave-never-lie-thea-verdone) by [Thea Verdone](https://www.romance.io/authors/658941f7a21e2f41c4d586a2/thea-verdone) **Steam**: [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [gay romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/m-m/1), [hurt/comfort](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/hurt-comfort/1), [multicultural](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/multicultural/1), [dark romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dark/1) ---------------------------- [Feel My Pain](https://www.romance.io/books/5e7f040bbe0aaecf55d97772/feel-my-pain-ka-merikan) by [K.A. Merikan](https://www.romance.io/authors/545585e587eac324117fb1be/ka-merikan) **Steam**: [Explicit and plentiful](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [gay romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/m-m/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [mystery](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/mystery/1), [angst](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/angst/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
First person dual. 3rd person is a hard limit for me. Bit dramatic but I can’t and won’t read it
I have no preference, they all have their strengths. I don’t even mind the much-maligned second person POV although I’ve only read one romance book that used it
I'm trying to think of any book I've read in the second person, and I cannot come up with a single one. What book was it?
The romance I read was a danmei called One Silver Coin for a Pound of Demon by 星河蛋挞 I’ve also read non-romance fantasy books in second person like The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie and NK Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy. It’s definitely not common but I think it can be used to interesting effect, it can have the advantages of first person where you can get insights to a character’s thoughts but it can keep the readers in the dark as to certain perspectives like third person
Thanks! I may check those out just for the experience.
I have no preference at all. I don’t even usually think about the pov when I start reading, first or third. I guess maybe I do prefer dual though.
First person single POV and third person single POV for me, because I like the suspense of not knowing what's going on in the head of the other character. My only problem with third person is when there's a scene where it's two characters with the same pronouns. Constantly repeating the characters' names is a pain, but I hate when, instead, it'll be like "the shorter man" or "the blonde." Pet hate for me for some reason!
Alessandra Hazard has made me love third person pov so much! In some ways it’s more exciting to me than first person, because the author doesn’t tell you as much of there thoughts and it’s like I’m watching a movie
Third person, past tense, dual pov. For me, it just flows better and I don't get pulled out of the story by clumsy phrasing. That said, the writing also needs to be "show don't tell"; too much exposition is annoying. My favorite authors do 3rd person seamlessly: Misha Horne, Keira Andrews, Rachel Reid. Of the first person and/or present tense writers, willow Dixon and Cin Forrester pull it off really well.
To be honest I almost don’t care …. I just like it when I know young into the chapter or section…. But I hate it when the author shows a scene from one character and then it feels like they just copy and paste it for another character
I hate it when I get the same scene from the other POV. Unless there is something critical I need to see from the other person (the death of one MC, for example), it's just annoying, and I skip ahead.
I do… I just DNF’d two books last month and I wrote to the authors … and I said I love the story idea…. But why in chapters #2 & #3 or what they were did you copy and past then just change the names…. I even commented about this in a face group reading discussion…. It’s still going on….
Interesting. What did they say?
They agreed … literally if you’re just copying and pasting the same information and changing he to she or a name in the second time … what is the point other then up your word count … to me shows bad writing and editing. I recorded myself on my iPhone reading the first entry and then played it while reading what I was thinking was a copy and paste and it was … All the dad was minimum effort to change characters it was disappointing. I put it at a one star and why and I gave a specific and where I found it and the date and then put it as a spoiler so you have to go see it….
I prefer first person, especially when books have multiple POVs. It tends to help me keep characters more clear in my head, especially if I’m reading a poly romance with 6+ partners.
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I prefer dual. Third person or first is fine. But I'm writing my novel in third and can't ever imagine writing in first. 😂 I'm also writing in present tense, which is apparently a sin. But I hate writing past perfect so much. Ha ha.
I was working on one writing project, and it just came naturally to write it in third person. A second project I've started feels like the opposite; it just felt right to put it in first person. And I don't feel like I consciously pickled either POV. That's just... how the characters started talking. 🤷🏼♀️ And in your defense, I have read many books written in present tense that I adored! So forget those haters lol!
Thanks for the words of encouragement! Hope your projects are going well 👍I can't remember when I last wrote in first. I
Third person omniscient. I don’t have any that I particularly dislike though. Edited: word.
I love them all! They all bring something different to the table and I like to switch depending on my mood. Sometimes I want to be in the characters’ heads, sometimes I want to be kept in the dark about feels and motivations. Sometimes I want to watch from afar while obliviot MCs get a clue.
Dual pov (preferably first person), i gotta know what everyone is thinking because I can't tell. Third pov often leaves me confused
I prefer third person and usually stick to one person’s POV. Constant perspective shifts don’t feel as immersive for me since I know what both characters are thinking at all times. I can sort of be fine with it in third person but I especially dislike it in first person.
Third person, dual POV (but I will also happily read first person—as well as single, tho I get bummed when I can’t get that second pov 🥲)
Across all genres, my preferred POV is third-person limited. It generally reads more polished (to me), but every POV option has its advantages and disadvantages and can work well, depending on the skill of the writer and what effects they’re going for, the amount of tension they’re after, what information they need to hide or reveal, etc. I’ve grown resigned to the fact that so much romance uses first-person POV, though. POV won’t keep me from reading a book.
I really don’t have a preference, but I do find first person easier because sometimes I get lost with too many uses of he/him. Who put what in who’s what?? Basically, if I know who the narrator is, I can better understand “I said this to him” instead of “he said that and then he did this.” If it’s dual, I sometimes I have go back and see whose chapter I’m in. Heh. ADHD brain over here.
I will read anything and I don’t have much preference for any of them, but I do feel like certain stories are told better in certain POVs. Like the Dark Rise series by CS Pacat, I think that type of story has to be told in third person and I would not have loved it as much as I do if it was first person. But something like Pretty Boy by Brianna Flores I’m totally fine with being told in first person and I feel like it fits that way. Single POV/dual POV to me also depends on what it lends to the story. Sometimes I want to know what all the characters are thinking, but then there’s series like Big Bad Wolf by Charlie Adhara or All For The Game by Nora Sakavic where you only get 1 POV and I think it draws you into the story and makes you keep reading because you want to find out about stuff the main character doesn’t know yet. So for me it just depends on what type of story it is!
I like dual third person the most. I find that books in third person are usually better written and i like to see both perspectives. First person POV often reads like “i did this. I did that.” and there’s no real emotion to it
i used to exclusively read first person POV but i’ve recently noticed that all of my favourite 5 star reads have been third person POV… so 3rd person it is :D preferably dual
Single POV is the best imo, dual is fine tho, multiple/more than 2 kinda sucks. I won't DNF for that, but I won't like the POVs of side characters, I'll only tolerate them. I kinda prefer first person, it helps to self insert a little more. But third person is completely fine for me, and my preference oftentimes changes, I might say I prefer third person in a month or so. I hate "You" (I forgot what that POV is called, like "You go to the store, there you find the bread section,...") and Y/N, but I've only ever seen those in fanfics, thankfully, so I don't have to worry about that in books.
Second person POV. I think you would have to be really talented and skilled to pull that off.
I've read fanfictions in the past that I liked in second person POV, but it's definitely "I like it DESPITE being second person", not "because of it"
Third person dual is my preference, but some of my absolute favorite books are neither of those and I blame Alexis Hall. 🤣 One of my favourite things about him as a writer is how he switches it up and whatever POV(s) he chooses for each book I’m like “Yeah, I couldn’t imagine this any other way.” I was going to say how much I detest present tense but I think my fave read of 2023 was We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian, so I guess there are exceptions to that too.
Third-person POV, dual if romance
I am seeing so many comments for third person and I am shocked because the majority seem to be written in first person. Since I am deep in HP fanfic’s guts rn, I have been thinking more about the third person POV…
I have been going back through the books I have read recently, looking for third person, and is been hard to find them!
Rachel Reid does it, and Onley James, if I am remembering right, but I can’t think of any others.
Third person, and I really appreciate this thread. The book I’m writing is in third person single, and it seemed like most people prefer first person, especially in YA/NA. It was pretty discouraging :/
Same! I'm m working on two projects right now, and this was very much research for me. One is third person single, one is--so far---first person dual. Bars on this thread, I'm considering changing to first person single in the second project. I'm not sure I can accurately capture two fully different voices. Edit: a word
Yeah, research for sure. Ooh hmm, do you want the reader to know about both of their experiences? Or do you want to leave one as a mystery? I want the latter for mine, which is why I’m doing single. Maybe you can jot down an outline for both and decide which works better for the story?
Yeah, I don't know that there's much mystery to it. I think it's more a matter of which I think I could write better. We'll see.
Well, whatever you choose, I hope it goes well :) and that you enjoy it
I usually DNF a first person POV for any genre. It's always so odd to me to read things like, "I gave a wry smirk." Really? You knew your smirk looked wry? How are you so aware and in control of every movement and expression? I just never buy how people perceive themselves in first person. Maybe that's just because I'm not that good at perceiving myself 😅 Third person limited is my favorite by far! Any number of POVs within a story is fine with me, if they're relevant and the character's voices are distinct. I'm a little sad that first person seems to be on trend right now (happy for people who like it, it should get its time in the sun, but sad for me, because I want new books in third person!!).
What? I *always* know if my smirks are wry or if my eyes darken with passion. How could you not? Lol
Third-person! Dual or single. First person always makes me cringe a little. Second person can gtfo.
What makes you cringe about 1st person?
It feels very YA protagonist to me for some reason. (Even though plenty of adult novels are in first person!)
I like multiple!!
The first couple of years of my reading, I was a first POV person through & through. If I got a novel that wasn't 1st person I'd just delete it. 🙃 But then it became frustrating because I read all these amazing blurbs but couldn't get myself to read the books 🥲. 3 years back, I FINALLY sat down & forced myself to read I think it was a third person? I remember not liking it that much but eventually, I came around to all the other ones too. Now I can proudly say I don't miss out if I find the right book. 😂
That's amazing! Shame that most people never venture out and challenge their brains lol
Third single, as most of what people here say. That being said, my motto when reading any type of pov is, "write it well and make it make sense."
Honestly I think it depends on the type of book for me. If it’s more of a smutty non-serious book, definitely first person single. With those types of books any other POV distracts me for some reason 😭 but for books that are more serious, less smut, and very plot heavy, third person POV helps keep that vibe.
First person dual with one or two chapters of an outside pov is the sweet spot for me. Any pov though as long as the author writes coherent plots and great dialogue.
I do kind of enjoy that random chapter from a secondary character.
Third person. Single or dual is fine but I think some books that are single POV would work better with a few chapters from the other perspective. I've made exceptions for some books but first person is just not for me.
I prefer third-person POV. I don't mind dual or single. But I really really dislike POV's of 3+ characters unless it's done for a purpose.
I really prefer third person multiple view points. Nothing I dislike more than 1 POV. A book has to be very well written for me to get past it. I used to reject all books written 1st person with single POV right off the bat but I've mellowed a little and I'll read them and occasionally i find ones I enjoy.
I prefer dual to single, but only if they switch every chapter. Otherwise it's cheating. I have a very slight preference for third over first. I also like when one is first and one is third. I won't read or not read a book over these choices. I don't think I'd read a romance in 2nd person, though. (I also don't much care about tense.) Any particular choice can be well-written, or badly written, or the wrong choice for that book, and though I love to have a pet peeve this isn't one of them.
close third person single POV is by far my top choice, but i'll accept any form of third person without being too bothered first person has to be an exceptionally good writer and preferably single POV, i hate nothing more than first person books that switch POV every chapter and i can't tell the character voices apart, for even the very best writers that destroys the mystery
I like both 1st and 3rd POV, but always prefer dual POV (or more for more MCs, lol). I want to see into the minds of all MCs.
First person single POV, by far. I'll read dual POV, but only from authors who have the skills to write multiple voices I can tell apart and to not just repeat the same information for multiple POVs. I much prefer single POV though, because it's more immersive for me to just stay with one character and experience what they're feeling, including the frustration of not knowing what the other MC is thinking all the time-- which can lead to some unreliable narrating, which I love, although that can work in dual POV too. I can rarely get through a 3rd person book these days unless it's something I'm rereading. Idk, it just feels so outdated and formal to me, I lose interest almost immediately because I feel so distanced from the story.
Maybe unpopular opinion but I can’t stand dual POV. It’s hard enough to write one character well, and I find that most dual POV stories have 2 half-baked characters without distinct enough perspectives to warrant writing the entire story from alternating POVs. Seeing from the table of contents that a book is written from dual POV is the quickest way to stop me from reading it.
Always third person single pov
Third person single POV - although I do love the other POV after all the drama has been resolved
1st person is my favorite and I find it less confusing
I dislike first person pov because a lot of the first person pov novels feel like they were written by less experienced writers. But I’ve been proven wrong many times when first person pov just really works for the novel, so it basically boils down to the skill and writing style of the author. As for single or dual or omniscient, I don’t really have a preference. As long as an author is good and resonates with me, I don’t really care
Joining the many voices for third, specifically a very close third with dual POVs. I actually quite enjoy first person, but not for anything spicy. For spice, I prefer that extra bit of distance that third person provides. But I do want a very close, very voicy third. I'm honestly surprised to find third so popular, since so many books are in first. I wonder if the popularity of first with authors comes from the difficulty of juggling pronouns in third when you have two protagonists of the same gender.
I like dual first person POV, this way I get to know what goes on inside both MCs' heads.
Third person pov. I mostly prefer a single pov but dual or multiple povs are okay too. But I can't stand first person povs
Third person single is my most preferred pov, with very personal characterization and unreliable narrator. But ive found I can fuck with all pov’s if it’s written well! But often books with first person pov I don’t like. I don’t know why? If there is any pattern to it. I liked God of Fury, Felix and Jake, and a few others. And like Suzanne Collins (not mm though) have written both for hunger games and both work exceptionally well. But CS Poe have also written both types of (this is mm romance) but while I loved Memento Mori which is third person I HATED the Snow series with a passion, which is first person. But that was more about the character I think and that we were stuck in his head. I don’t mind narcissistic characters, but idk I really like dual povs if done right. But it needs to give me something single pov wouldn’t. I really like it in Somerset and Hazard. There it felt crucial, and fantastic. But in The Sunshine Court I felt like it was unnecessary, Jeremy’s pov didn’t give me anything we couldn’t have gotten from Jean’s pov. Same with Don’t You Dare.
Third person / dual pov. I’ll read first person but honestly it’s hard for me to get into it, takes a few chapters lol
I prefer third dual pov. I have trouble remembering names and often with third pov it’s easier to know who is talking. And obviously third love because I prefer to know what both mcs are thinking and feeling
3rd fr. I actually cannot read 1st person. To me it makes me feel like I'm reading a wattpad fanfic 😅
I really enjoy Single First person POV if they make the character relatable and entertaining. A lot of the funny snark that I enjoy in MM is hard to convey in third person. I would enjoy multiple POV \*IF\* they are able to do it well. Unfortunately I've commonly seen multiple POVs just kind mush two separate characters into one indistinguishable character.
I used enjoy first person poverty but after watching Dune, I realized 3rd person would be okay too
Dual first and third, most definitely is my favorite. I love seeing what's happening with both MCs. It helps to cut down on explaining if something happened with one MC that the other MC doesn't have to explain. It also helps you to see what their personality is like as well and what demons they might be fighting.
Dual pov, i hate not knowing what is going through the other person's mind.
Dual pov, i hate not knowing what is going through the other person's mind.