First Love, Vampires and Cynicism

After numerous recommendations, I finally read Twilight this month.

While the book snob in me tries to avoid "popular" fiction, I happen to not-so-secretly love young adult fiction and some sci-fi. Plus, I also have a really-not-secret love of vampire lore. (This does not mean I've ever bought a cape over the Internet, but it does mean that I've seen every episode of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. I've also seen everything the History channel has to offer on Vlad the Impaler.)

With Twilight, I thought the stage was set for me to fall in love with a book. And boy was I wrong.

* SPOILER ALERT* For those of you who haven't read the book and don't want to know the ending, I suggest you stop reading now.  

Truth be told, I was doing great with Twilight for most of the novel. I liked all of the snuggling and touching. Edward sounded hot. It was all good. 

Then I got to the part where Bella wants Edward to turn her into a vampire, and I just started to feel pissed off.   

At 17, this girl is ready to die to be with the boy she loves, and that's considered romantic? I'm sorry. I just can't get on board with that. What about college? A job? Kissing other boys? Not living eternally among the undead?

Now, maybe I'm being too hard on the story, but I feel like Bella is the opposite of the role model I would want for my unborn daughters.Call me crazy, but I think a girl should have dreams beyond her high school boyfriend. And I'm not thrilled about romanticizing death either.  

I do wonder if my experience with Twilight was so negative because of how I feel about my first relationship. My own experience with first love wasn't exactly rosy. I don't have fond memories of my first real boyfriend that make me smile. I don't keep love letters or mementos. If anything, I'm immensely grateful for the fact that my first love didn't last and that I went on to have other boyfriends and other loves. 

If I'd made anything about my first love permanent, I'd be a very unhappy person today. I would also be a person without her own voice or identity and what fun would that be?

What do you think? Am I being too hard on Twilight? Did you like the book or not?Am I missing out on the romance? Has my own experience with first love jaded me too much?

For coming of age love stories, my money's still on Forever by Judy Blume.