I'm an English major, so I read a lot of books. And I love books, so I read a lot of books. And because I read a lot of books, I've realized a few things, and one of them has become more apparent then the rest: fictional characters have given me an overly high standard for real guys.

I'm 19. I'm single. And I've been spoiled by the fictional creations of some of my favorite authors. All of the books that I read feature male love interests or protagonists that are perfect in almost every way. They are gorgeous, smart, athletic, and just down-right amazing. They are the definition of everything that a girl in the 21st century is looking for. And I'm a sucker for all of them.

I spend a lot of time thinking about my favorite fictional characters, and I also spend a lot of time thinking about guys. I've spent a lot of time hanging out with guys and going on dates with guys. But one thing I've realized is that they don't really measure up to the portraits of perfection that I read about in the pages of my favorite books.

Boys in real life are real. They aren't 500-year-old fae warriors who can break your mind with a spare thought. They aren't the captain of the lacrosse team who just so happens to find your love note that you wrote in the 5th grade. They aren't Shadowhunters who spend their nights fighting demons with swords and drawing magic runes on each other. Boys in real life don't do these things (at least, I haven't met someone like this IRL yet). Boys in real life aren't perfect. Boys in real life have real lives and real issues and real dreams.

But I've also learned another thing by reading about perfect guys for years: I'm not willing to settle for just any guy.

I've read some great books. I've met some great characters. And because of this, I have high standards for myself. I refuse to just date anyone, because I think I deserve better than to just have a random someone. And they deserve better than to have a random someone too. I deserve the best I can get, and so do they. So I refuse to settle.

So thank you, dear books. You have taught me that I'm worthy of the perfect guy. I just need to go and find him.