Blood and Chocolate (1997) / YMMV

Alternative Character Interpretation: Aiden's motives for spreading lies to his friends about Vivian being a violently unstable Clingy Jealous Girl to turn them against her. Is he just going out of his way to cut Vivian out of his life completely after rejecting her for being a werewolf? Or is he actually trying to protect himself and his friends from Vivian without sounding like a crazy person, as he now believes her to be dangerous? It's worth noting that Aiden not only knows Vivian is a werewolf but he also has good reason to believe she's killed at least two people. While his actions are hurtful and unfair to Vivian, it's debatable as to whether Aiden was acting purely from spite.
Applicability: Vivian's relationship with Aiden and its eventual outcome could be interpreted as an allegory for how people - especially women - are expected to look and act a certain way to be seen as desirable and worthy of love. Aiden likes Vivian just fine when she fits his idea of what an attractive woman is, but the moment Vivian deviates from this by showing him her other form, he is repulsed and rejects her. He completely dismisses their previous bond and Vivian's sincere affection for him because the real Vivian doesn't match his idealized version. In fact, he almost immediately starts going out with a different girl who more neatly fits into what he finds attractive. Vivian is left devastated by his rejection, wondering if there's truly something wrong with her and trying to convince herself she's still beautiful (whereas before she'd never been insecure about her appearance). Notably, Vivian ends up in a relationship with Gabriel, who states he loves all of Vivian (including kissing her while she's stuck between her wolf and human forms) and loves her for who she is, as opposed to just being superfically attracted to her body.
Base-Breaking Character: Gabriel. Some like him for his Hidden Depths, such as being a genuinely good leader who devotes himself to protecting the pack and his tragic backstory; they also like that he accepts Vivian just the way she is and emotionally supports her after her ordeal. On the other hand, some readers find him to be unsympathetic and problematic due to his refusal to respect Vivian's rejections and rather aggressive pursuit of her, some of which would constitute sexual harassment. The fact she's a teenager while he's an adult with nearly a decade on her also rubs some readers the wrong way, making his pursuit of Vivian come off as predatory rather than romantic in their eyes; other readers feel his maturity makes him a better match for Vivian than Aiden and argue that werewolves may have different values around age gap romances than humans do.^note
Broken Base: The outcome of Vivian and Aiden's romance. Some find it to be tragic yet realistic under the circumstances and that it carries a valuable lesson about the dangers of loving the idea of someone more than their true self. Others find it excessively cynical, especially considering that Vivian and Aiden's relationship was the one consistent bright spot amid all the turmoil in Vivian's life (though she at least gets a happy ending by the story's conclusion). Some readers even view it as unintentionally suggesting that interracial relationships can never work out (considering that the other human/werewolf romance in the book was also a disaster), an interpretation that goes beyond cynicism into more problematic territory.
Cult Classic: The novel sold well and won a few awards back when it was first published; it was popular enough to gain a film adaptation (although it took a decade to be released and bore next to no resemblance to the book). Despite its initial success, Blood and Chocolate has slipped into obscurity over the years and its flaws are more visible now, but it still has its fans; it's appreciated as one of the early examples of the YA supernatural romance genre before it exploded into mainstream popularity a decade later, and it's also enjoyed for it's unique and detailed depiction of werewolves and for being one of the few examples of werewolf fiction to star a female werewolf.
Esoteric Happy Ending: The novel already has a Bittersweet Ending, but some readers view it as leaning more towards the "bitter" side of things than intended. Vivian agreeing to become Gabriel's mate and accepting her place in the pack is presented as a positive outcome. However, considering how frustrating and restrictive Vivian finds the loup-garoux lifestyle and that she spent most of the novel resisting Gabriel's advances, some have interpreted the ending as her just giving up hope of changing her fate. It doesn't help that to some readers Gabriel only comes off as a better romantic option than Aiden by virtue of the fact he didn't try to kill her; he still spent a lot of novel sexually harassing her and practically stalking her, ignoring her rejections and discomfort. Not to mention the age-gap between them is a bit iffy even if they are werewolves (he's twenty-four, she's only sixteen).
Fair for Its Day: While in the decades since its publication some have criticized the novel's depiction of romantic relationships (especially the ending), for a young adult book published in 1997, Vivian was quite a progressive female character. She's depicted as very comfortable with her sexuality and doesn't feel any shame in seeking out physical intimacy; it's also made clear that she and Aiden plan on practising safe sex and don't have any hang-ups about it (Aiden is actually the one who brings condoms rather than Vivian having to be solely responsible). While her ending up with Gabriel does have its issues due to previous treatment of her, it's at least emphasized that Gabriel accepts Vivian fully and doesn’t think she should hide any part of herself, which is what she seeks in a romantic partner.
It Was His Sled: The story ending with Vivian choosing her werewolf mate and coming to terms with being a werewolf herself and what kind of lifestyle it brings after her human boyfriend tries to kill her is more known than the actual plot of the book or many other details.
Squick: Some of Vivian's actions during her romance with Aiden come off as rather gross to some readers, such as licking the sweat off his face and drinking his used bath water.
Strangled by the Red String:
- Vivian finds Aiden's werewolf poem fascinating and tracks him down at school. They flirt and agree to attend a concert together, and quickly begin making out just a few chapters in; it's only afterwards they do the whole 'getting to know each other' thing. Raging teenage hormones aside, they're practically strangers when they decide they want to pair up. Then again, considering how their relationship turns out, this was likely the whole point: they really don't know each other that well, their romance is based more on lust and infatuation than genuine love, and when Vivian does reveal her true self to Aiden he freaks out.
- Gabriel and Vivian are an arguably worse case, given their love for each other is meant to be genuine and deep. Gabriel's eventual admission he fell in love with Vivian after seeing how much she cared for the pack comes across as sincere, but is undermined by the fact he previously shows his affection by constantly following her or showing up uninvited, making unsolicited sexually-charged comments and even forcing a kiss on her. Although there are hints Vivian finds him attractive, it tends to be buried under resentment and repulsion at his unwanted overtures. Gabriel does treat Vivian with more respect and compassion by the end, even saving her life, and his revelation about his own tragic romance helps Vivian to see him more sympathetically, but it's still a bit jarring how quickly she develops feelings for him (probably not helped by the fact it's stuffed into the final pages of the novel).
Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: Some readers have experienced this problem, especially if you go into it expecting it to be a more typical young adult Paranormal Romance story (which tend to be more idealistic and escapist). Many of the characters are deeply flawed, if not outright unlikable, including Vivian herself in some instances. Deliberate Values Dissonance often comes into play with the loup-garou, particularly regarding violence and sexual behavior, and they're presented as a Dying Race with little hope of improving their situation. Vivian goes through the emotional wringer, not really fitting in with either the loup-garou or her high school, and she's frequently subjected to sexual harassment. The most wholesome part of the novel is her romance with Aiden...which goes straight down the drain when she reveals she's a werewolf and he turns into a complete asshole. By the third act Vivian even starts to seriously contemplate suicide, especially out of her belief she has killed innocent people. While the ending is presented as a happy one for Vivian some readers interpret it less favorably (as noted under Esoteric Happy Ending) so the whole novel can come across as surprisingly bleak.
The Woobie: Ulf goes through the wringer more than any character in the story with having not only the bitchy Astrid as his mother but also not being in great shape (he's noted to have an asthmatic wheeze in wolf form) as well as being rather submissive to his mother and friends. It gets worse when Rafe starts dating Astrid and they start offing humans to set Vivian up. When it all ends, Ulf not only loses someone he considers a true friend of his when Aidan shoots him but his mother when Gabriel executes her for her crimes. But there's hope in there with Gabriel taking him in like an older brother mentor and still having his other friends for comfort.

YMMV / Blood and Chocolate (1997)

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