- - “Anne of Green Gables”, “ACOTAR” and “The Princess Bride” All Have This One Thing In Common

Rachel RaposasJanuary 3, 2026 at 12:09 AM

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Gilbert Blythe in Anne of Green Gables, and Wesley in The Princess Bride. -

A new study has determined which book boyfriends are the most popular

Heroes from Sarah J. Maas'Throne of Glass, Anne of Green Gables and Rebecca Yarros' The Empyrean series were the most referenced and searched for over a period of 11 months

The study also determined a number of characters whose popularity with romance readers is rising the fastest

Book boyfriends have never been more popular!

As romance — especially the romance and fantasy subgenre romantasy — continues to gain traction with wide audiences, some of the most popular books' heroes are gaining fan bases of their own. In a new study conducted by Monsta Toys, a "fantasy-driven adult toy brand," social media trends and online searches were analyzed to assign 25 male love interests a "popularity score" — thus determining the ultimate book boyfriend.

According to the study, the most-searched fictional characters are Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, Xaden Riorson in Rebecca Yarros' viral The Empyrean Series and Gilbert Blythe from classic Anne of Green Gables — ranking first, second and third, respectively.

Piatkus Ltd

The Empyrean Series.

“Rhysand represents the fantasy of someone who is powerful in the world but soft with you,” said Jenna Brightwell, a dating and relationship expert at Monsta Toys. “He's the character who respects boundaries, communicates openly and puts his partner first. That's incredibly appealing in a genre where emotional connection matters as much as the fantasy elements.”

Runners up include Rowan Whitethorn and Dorian Havilliard from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas Aaron Warner in booktok breakout Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, Kaz Brekker in Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse installment Six of Crows, Howl Pendragon in Diana Wynne Jones' classic Howl's Moving Castle, Cardan Greenbriar in Folk of the Air by Holly Black and Wesley in The Princess Bride.

The study also measured which fictional boyfriends are gaining popularity amongst readers the fastest. Some characters — like Wesley, Gilbert Blythe, Rowan Whitethorn and Xaden Riorson — made both lists.

Bloomsbury Publishing

The ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas

Bastian Marwood from romantasy A Kiss of Iron by Clare Sager came in first with a massive 350% increase in reader interest over the 11-month period. That was followed by The Hollow's Jacks and The Cursed Kindred Saga's Luther Corbois in second and third, respectively. Additional runners up include Keris Veliant in The Bridge Kingdom, Richard Gansey III in The Raven Cycle and Wendell Bambleby in Emily Wilde.

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Bloomsbury Publishing

A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Conducted between November 2024 and October 2025, the study first determined its list of characters based on Reddit forums like r/YAlit and r/fantasyromance. The researchers then examined search volume data and Instagram hashtag mentions associated with each character.

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These results are consistent with the types of books readers are picking up lately, too. According to Spotify's first-ever Audiobooks Wrapped and Everand and Fable, Scribd, Inc.’s reading services State of Reading Report, romance and fantasy both ranked in the top five genres.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”