Struggling Writers discussion

Hey everyone! I'm currently trying to brainstorm a YA contemporary and I need some help.

The overall story is that the main character, April, is going to a wedding, but her boyfriend Coren recently broke up with her so her sister sets her up with a replacement plus-one as a blind date. But when her blind date picks her up for the wedding, it turns out April already knows him—he's a member of the soccer team at her school that is taking her theater department's funds.

Of course, because it's a cute little YA romance, they end up liking each other at the wedding and by the end of the story they find some way past their differences. But Coren will show up at the wedding with another girl and cause some complications with that.

My issue at the moment is this: Coren broke up with April because of something she did that she's ashamed of enough to keep from Russ as they start to fall for each other. The truth will come out eventually and put a hitch in her growing relationship with Russ. I don't know what it is she did though. It needs to be bad enough that it makes sense that Coren would break up with her for it and that she's in quite a pickle when Russ finds out she lied to him about it, but not bad enough to make her unlikable to readers. So, it can't necessarily be cheating or anything like that because readers wouldn't be able to like her.

Any ideas on what it could be? And can you let me know how likely you'd be to read a story like this, or any other ideas that come to mind for the story overall? I'm thinking this story will be along the lines of Lauren Morrill or Jennifer E. Smith. Thanks so much for your help!

What if what she did to Coren was indeed something really horrible. It would just make April more interesting. What if she has no excuse, and that's what makes her feel guilty and resentful of herself. What if what she did to him made her believe she doesn't deserve to fall in love. So with that you have a flawed hero who has more dimensions and the readers can hate her actions but at the same time sympathize with.

Why do YA books make such squeaky clean heroes. I mean, all it does is make the characters bland. If you want readers to like your characters they need to be able to know the good and bad yet sympathize enough to see past the bad.

If you want a YA answer, she revealed he's a werewolf to her best friend without knowing that she could potentially get him killed for such a harmless act. She is still the hero, no flaws at all. Congratulations, you've got a mortal instruments clone.

It's your choice honestly. But i personally would rather read more about Alex DeLarge from A clockwork orange than another Clary from Mortal Instruments.