By Valerie Tejeda

Trust us, you haven’t truly lived until you’ve found your dream book boyfriend. Call it love at first word, or finding the one who "completes you," we all have that perfect character we fantasize about in our free time (and sometimes even at work).

And the same goes for YA authors -- so we asked 12 of the best around to share their own, ultimate dream book boyfriend.

Heathcliff from "Wuthering Heights"

Who: Danielle Paige, "Dorothy Must Die" series

Why: "Unlike some of the oh so perfect, dream boys of YA, Heath’s rough edges are never smoothed. He’s brooding and sexy and a little dangerous, but his love for Catherine is unwavering and lasts beyond the grave."

Cam from "Wait For You"

Who: Sarah J. Maas, "Throne of Glass" series

Why: "Do I really need to explain why?! Dude is gorgeous, loves to bake, and is all-around a pretty stellar, considerate human being (like, Cam is literally the greatest, most caring/fun/selfless boyfriend ever). Plus, he frequently drives shirtless in his pickup truck (and wearing a backwards baseball cap, which is pretty much my kryptonite). I’m a massive fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s romance novels, but Cam really steals the cake (or should I say cookies?) as my ultimate book boyfriend."

Dallas Winston from “The Outsiders”

Who: Kami Garcia, “Beautiful Creatures” series

Why: "Tough, loyal, and misunderstood -- Dallas Winston is the ultimate bad boy with a heart of tarnished gold. It doesn't hurt that hottie Matt Dillon played Dallas in the film adaptation, back in the actor's teen heartthrob days. I'm not saying I had his Tiger Beat magazine centerfold on my wall or anything....unless there's a polygraph test involved."

Nikolai from the "Grisha Trilogy"

Who: Marie Lu, "Legend" series

Why: "Witty + intelligent + funny + royalty + enjoys a good meteor shower = all this girl needs."

Legolas from “The Lord of the Rings”

Who: Victoria Aveyard, "Red Queen"

Why: "This is obviously very biased by his portrayal in the films (11 year-old me was smitten), but who wouldn't want an elf boyfriend? Sick archery skills, great with animals, perfect hair, well-read, and they throw awesome parties. Plus he's a prince, so check that one off too."

Simon Spier from "Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda"

Who: Adam Silvera, "More Happy Than Not"

Why: "Simon Spier, easily. Okay, maybe not easily because I was torn between Simon and Cedric Diggory (from the 'Harry Potter' series, duh), but since Simon is also obsessed with all things 'Harry Potter' I'll not only get a NEW BOYFRIEND/FUTURE HUSBAND, but I'll also get a co-author for my Cedric Diggory slash-fiction. Win-win."

Gilbert Blythe from “Anne of Green Gables”

Who: Sona Charaipotra, "Tiny Pretty Things"

Why: "Old-fashioned romance at its absolutely swoon worthy. Anne and Gilbert start out as nemeses, but all along, he’s clearly smitten and very supportive of both her antics and ambitions. How could you not root for a love that’s so sweet and star-crossed?"

Jack from "Blood Red Road"

Who: Susan Dennard, "Truthwitch"

Why: "What can I say? Jack is so...well, the word delicious comes to mind. He has exactly the right amount of swagger mixed with concerned kindness mixed with badass fighting manliness. Ugh! I'm madly in love."

Jamie Fraser from "Outlander"

Who: Alexandra Bracken, “The Darkest Minds” series

Why: "When I first read 'Outlander' a few years ago, I was shocked to find that Jamie was the complete package: incredibly smart, incredibly witty, strong but emotionally vulnerable, passionate to a fault--and, well, the Scottish accent doesn't hurt! I actually stopped reading at several points to swoon over something he said... he's really that good."

Denver Beck from “Demon Trapper's Daughter”

Who: Jennifer Armentrout, “Lux” series

Why: "Beck is rough around the edges and closed off, but underneath his hard shell, he's got a heart the size of Grand Canyon. He is one of the most well written male leads, because he is flawed and multi-dimensional. You can't help but fall for him, right along with Riley."

Taran of Caer Dallben from “The Chronicles of Prydain”

Who: Renee Ahdieh, "The Wrath and the Dawn"

Why: "The first book series I ever fell in love with was Lloyd Alexander's 'The Chronicles of Prydain,' and I'm pretty sure a large part of this was because of Taran. Throughout the course of the series, he grew from a stubborn, adventure-seeking assistant pig-keeper into the wise High King of Prydain. And he never stopped being sexy throughout!"

Cadvan from "The Naming"

Who: Sabaa Tahir, "An Ember in the Ashes"

Why: "First of all, Cadvan is a musician. (Ok, so he plays the harp instead of the guitar or drums, but whatever, he can sing.) Second, he’s a tortured soul, and if you've read my book, you know how I feel about tortured souls. Third, he has dark hair, which I love AND he has a dark side—he was a very bad boy in his youth. Lastly, he’s a brilliant fighter, which I assume means he’s ripped sooooo..."