Edward, Jacob, Peeta, Gale, Jace, Four, Etienne, Cricket. We know their names, we drool over their broody eyes and chiseled abs, we dream about being the object of their sweet, lavish affection. But recently I read a book that inspired a different kind of love: Sweethearts by Sara Zarr.

Many readers will tell you that the hero, Cameron Quick, is perfect. He's tall, dark, and handsome -- plus mysterious and wounded, to boot. All the right ingredients, no?

And yet the character I really fell in love with was Jenna Vaughn. The heroine, in every sense of the word.

Reading Jenna's story was like sitting atop a mountain to watch the sun set. You see the brilliant oranges and pinks as they melt into the horizon. You feel the wind turn cool against your bare skin. You hear the crickets begin to chirp in the woods behind you. And then suddenly you realize that the thing you were watching -- the sunset -- is long gone. And while you were so focused on its disappearance, the world became something else entirely. Something dark and magical, filled with twinkling stars and fireflies, and a great big moon beaming brightly overhead.

That's what Jenna is: a quiet, beautiful surprise sneaking up on you, right in front of your face. Right in front of her own face, too. It amazed me how the author was able to reveal Jenna's true nature to me at the same gradual pace that Jenna realizes it herself. Tentative girlfriend, sympathetic stepdaughter, high school misfit, former fat kid. Jenna is so much more than the sum of her parts. She's so much more than she gives herself credit for.

And she's what I want so much more of in YA fiction. Forget the boys. Give me clever, flawed, brave, vulnerable, passionate protagonists -- and I'll give you my heart every time.

So tell me, who else should I fall in love with? Who are some of the non-love interests that have captivated you?