How Do You Like Your Endings?

Photo by Leah Jones (creative commons)

This week I raced through the book Goodnight Tweetheart  by Teresa Medeiros. My friend Ashley March recommended it and the premise intrigued me--a whole romance novel composed mostly of tweets. My husband and I met online through chat (back when people still used AOL) and so of course, that kind of romance is something close to my heart.

The book was fun and full of pop culture references (many from the 80s and 90s) that I could relate to. I found myself laughing a number of times. However, this story is a poignant one and takes a turn 2/3 of the way through that deepens what started as a light-hearted story.

It was wonderfully written and I really enjoyed the book, but when I got to the end, things were left on a hopeful note but not a fully wrapped up one. And I was left turning the pages, dying for an epilogue. I even went to the author's website to see if there was "bonus" content that gave us more. 

Now this was an artistic decision and a testament to how good the story was because I was emotionally attached and wanted to know more about these characters. But it got me to thinking about endings.

I am an unapologetic happy ending whore. I like my stories wrapped up and riding into the sunset by the end. I don't necessarily need the big wedding or anything, but I want to be left with the sense that these two people will be together and will have a happy life. 

If someone pulls a Nicholas Sparks on me and kills off a main character in a romance, I'm ready to wield a pitchfork. Hence the reason I like to read romances where I'm guaranteed my happy ending.

And maybe it's just me, but I kind of want it spelled out for me. I don't want to be left wondering if the couple is going to make it. And not just that, but I want to see the big "we're so in love and everything is going to work out" moment. So that was the only reason I gave this book 4 instead of 5 stars. One extra chapter at the end and I probably would've rated it a 5. (Regardless, I highly recommend it for a great read.)

Now if I go into a book knowing that it's not a happy ending kind of thing, I'm okay. I'm prepared. I mean, I didn't go into watch Titanic and expect it to be rainbows and sunshine. But I do tend to gravitate towards genres that are going to give me my happy at the end. And I can't imagine writing a non-HEA story.

So how do you feel about endings? Are you a happily ever after whore like me or do you prefer more open-ended finales? Have you ever read a book where you just needed a little more to get closure?