Top Ten Tuesdays #249: Tropes

Posted August 20, 2019 / Top 10 Tuesdays, Weekly Memes / 5 Comments

Favorite Tropes in Books

Top Ten Tuesdays were started by The Broke and the Bookish and are now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, where we make lists of our top ten books (or something else!) based on that week’s prompt. The topics are provided ahead of time and can be found here. Book links bring you to Goodreads or my review.

I often talk about my read-bait topics, which surround book plot points or tropes that immediately make me want to read a book. It also includes settings and other bookish elements that aren’t exactly tropes though, so here’s a more fine-tuned list of legit tropes (not just romance!) that I love to read in books.


Snowed In / Stuck Somewhere

This is probably one of my favorite tropes out of all of these. I will always add these to my TBR! I love when characters (obviously possible romantic partners, primarily) get stuck somewhere together or snowed in. I remember MAGNOLIA had a whole bunch of my favorite tropes, where the characters’ two families kept pushing them together but they hated each other, then got stuck together in a tornado. UGH what a book.


Fake Dating

This is another classic romance trope that most people tend to like! I think TATBILB is one of my favorite series/books that uses this trope. The couple creates a fake relationship for whatever reason (make an ex jealous, get parents’ off their backs, etc.) and ends up falling for each other for real.


BFFs to More

You’ll see a few “opposite” tropes on here, like this one and the next one. I love when people grow up together and are best friends for their entire lives (especially if they’re neighbors!) and then realize – FINALLY – that they’re in love! This trope can be even better if the two childhood friends kind of grow out of friendship and don’t talk as much during their YA years, then fall back into each other for some reason. EMMY & OLIVER had a unique spin on this topic (because Oliver was kidnapped for years and returned home to his parent’s house/next to Emmy’s house) but it’s the first one I think of as a classic example of childhood best friends to more.


Hate-to-Love

I’m a simple girl that also loves a classic hate-to-love or enemies-to-lovers story. I can’t help it! The banter between the main couple is just unparalleled in this kind of book. I love books that make me laugh out loud with the back-and-forth. THE UNHONEYMOONERS was a classic example of this. The lead couple was so hilarious for the first half of the book at least and I just loved watching them fall for each other.


Moving Back to the Small Hometown

It’s no secret that small town romances (especially companion series set in the same town) are my FAVORITE to read. The general trope of someone coming back to their hometown for some reason is one of my favorites to read about. I’ve read ones where someone loses a job and moves home to live with family, someone inherits an inn or B&B to take over in a new place… all of the reasons are the best. HERONS LANDING is a good example of this because the lead character decides to move home to her small town and finally achieve her dream of opening a bed and breakfast.


Celebrity + Normie Romance

I don’t honestly read as many of these compared to the other tropes on here, but I do find myself drawn to these books! They’ll make it onto my TBR even if I take forever to actually read them. GEEKERELLA is definitely my favorite version of this trope, where the guy is the lead actor in the girl’s favorite series. There’s the classic “I don’t know who I’m chatting with and falling for online” thing so she doesn’t even realize he’s a celebrity.


Memory Loss

This is another less common book for me to read but I’m kind of fascinated by this trope. It always sparks so many discussions in book clubs or even just thoughts in my head! What would you do if you woke up one day and either didn’t remember anything about your life, or remember your life completely differently? You don’t even recognize your significant. These are hard for me to really love, but THE LIFE LUCY KNEW was a pretty good one.


Sports!

I don’t know if this counts as a trope really but it’s common enough in books that I think I can mention it 😉 I love reading sports-based romances, or companion series that focus on various players from one team. THE DEAL (and all of the other books in the series) is a great example. I don’t even like hockey and this series is lovely. Football books/series are definitely my favorite because it’s my favorite sport.

5 responses to “Top Ten Tuesdays #249: Tropes

  1. I am also here for the friends to lovers, enemies to lovers tropes They are opposite but I love them both! And I don’t watch a ton of sports, but I’ll read about them!

    -Lauren

  2. AH! I love all of your picks!! I completely forgot how much I love celebrity/non-celebrity couples, but I adored it in Waiting for Tom Hanks. And the “each player gets their own book” sports romance series? That was ALL I read during the summer of 2009. 😛

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