Have you ever read a new romance book and feel like you have read one with a similar theme/plot before...? Well this is very likely because very often writers will incorporate a trope to signal readers into what kind of story they are embarking on. Tropes are plot devices, characters, images, or themes that are incorporated so frequently in a genre that they’re seen as conventional. Tropes provide a reader with something that feels familiar. Below are some very common tropes found in romance books. We are going to give a brief idea of each type and then discuss our favorites and least favorites.
FAKE DATING TO REAL DATING- For one reason or another, two people must pretend to be in a relationship. As the fake relationship progresses the acting eventually becomes more real than either of them had expected and they fall in love.
ENEMIES TO LOVERS- Two characters meet and instantly dislike each other, throughout the story this dislike will become more prominent until a particular event causes them to look at each other in a different light.
LOVE TRIANGLE- Three characters competing for each others love, but only two will ultimately pair off.
FORBIDDEN LOVE- Two characters who are desperately in love but are forced apart — either by their families, their culture, or geographical distance. Whatever the case there is something is preventing them from being together.
SECOND CHANCES- This one can play out in a multitude of ways, but the main idea that two people meet and learn to give love a second chance.
STUCK TOGETHER- Two people who barely know each other are forced together in a relatively enclosed space. They have to rely one on another to get through the experience, come to appreciate one another, and eventually fall in love.
FRIENDS TO LOVERS- Two childhood friends go through the trials and tribulations of adolescence together, counting on one another. Jump ahead to their adult lives: they haven’t spoken in decades, but they are brought back together for some reason, they reignite their friendship. They may see each other as just friends, for a while but ultimately realize that they were meant to be together.
Shannon's favorites and least favorites:
When considering these tropes it is hard for me to pick favorites and least favorites because one, I love romance books, and two, I find negatives and positives to all of them. However, if I were to pick my top two favorites they would be enemies to lovers and fake relationship to real relationship.
Enemies to lovers is one of my favorites because they always seem to contain a lot of witty, sarcastic banter back and forth between the main characters. I'm sure this is due to them being enemies and not feeling the need to be totally polite to one another. I enjoy this because it adds humor to the story and also because while I'm not good at witty, sarcastic comments I love reading it. I also really enjoy this trope because it is typically a little more drawn out, making for a longer book, and a longer story line leading up to the climax of the story.
Fake relationships to real relationships are also a favorite trope of mine because this one can play out is so many different ways. Since this trope can be portrayed in a number of different ways it makes each story unique with that base line of familiarity. I also love this trope because I enjoy picking out the little bits and pieces of the story line where you can see the relationship transforming from fake to real. This typically happens slowly to start but they usually hits one of the characters harder than the other at first, which creates some tension and keeps the reader on their toes.
My two least favorite romance tropes would have to be forbidden love and love triangles. Now some people who know me would be like wait....you have read ALOT of books with love triangles. And these people would be correct, I have in the past read a lot of books with love triangles, but as I've gotten older I have moved away from this trope and it now falls toward the bottom of my list of favorites.
The love triangle trope has moved toward the bottom of my list of favorites for two main reasons. The first reason is because it is so over done anymore. There are so many books and book series that use the love triangle as their main form of romance and so while it's familiar, it's almost too familiar. One tends to feel they are reading the same book over and over again. The second reason love triangle is one of my least favorite is because as I've gotten older I have realized how unrealistic is really is.
Forbidden love is another of my least favorite romance tropes because as a reader (or at least as me) you so badly want the main characters to have a happy ending. In forbidden love stories this "happy ending" idea very rarely happens and if it does happen it is typically at a large sacrifice of one or both main characters.
Sarah's favorites and least favorites:
When I was in middle school and high school I loved love triangles. Now they are most definitely my least favorite trope. I think this is due to a lot of the YA books that were coming out when I was in middle school and high school ALL had love triangles. If you eat your favorite food for every meal of every day, eventually you will get tired of it.
My next least favorite trope would probably be enemies to lovers. I don't always like that two people hate each other so much, then switch to being madly in love. Can you say whiplash? That being said I have read books that use this trope, and are really good! Certain authors do this trope really well (R.S Grey) and then it's easy to love this trope.
While forbidden love is one of Shannon's least favorites, it is one of my favorites. I am a sucker for forbidden love, and that started when I read Romeo and Juliette in ninth grade. I am fully aware that Romeo and Juliette is a satire about romance, but I love it anyway! I always root for a couple facing forbidden love, and yes I always root for the underdog.
Friends to lovers, and fake to real dating are probably tied for me. I love these books because they are heartwarming, and aren't as full of animosity. When I read a romance novel, a little bit of disruption is expected and even appreciated, but I want to like both characters by the end. I don't want to feel like one of the characters is sub par due to a conflict.
Comments