Today’s Topic: Favorite Tropes
Hosted by: That Artsy Reader Girl
I honestly think tropes get a bad rap. I’ve found that I enjoy many of them if done well. But as with stories in general, a good author can make any trope interesting and compelling. So, here are a few of my favorites and some examples of each.
Related: Fictional Marriages of Convenience
Love Triangles – Of all the tropes, this one seems to be the most disliked. And I can understand why. It takes careful writing to make this one palatable. But when done right, I love feeling just as conflicted as the female protagonist over which man is the right choice for her.
Friends to Lovers Romance– I’m always interested in what turns a solid friendship into something more. I like reading those a ha! moments when the characters finally realize their feelings have changed.
Rescuer Romances – I think this one goes back to the knight in shining armor ideal. Plus, I’ve always had a thing for men who feel protective and nurturing towards women.
Enemies to Lovers Romance – I find this one even more interesting than the friends to lovers trope, mostly for the same reasons. It’s fascinating to see the passion of hatred bloom into the complete opposite.
Reunion Romances – I’ve always loved seeing people who belong together but have been torn apart by time, misunderstanding, distance etc. find their way back to each other. It gives me the feeling that love is constant and eternal.
Wounded Warriors – Though this trope heavily favors male characters, I always find it inspiring to read about men and women who have fought and sacrificed and overcome.
Spunky/Sassy Best Friend/Sister – I mean, doesn’t every one need one of these in their life? Someone to stand up for you and to you and to keep life interesting? It’s even better when the spunky friend gets her own story.
“Road Trip” Stories – Since I love real life road trips, I always enjoy reading about the adventures of book characters experiencing the same thing.
Inspired by the Classics or Biblical Stories – It’s always fascinating to see what an author with imagination can do to refresh tales which have stood the test of time.
Pen Pal Romance – Well-written letters are an underrated gift in today’s world. I love how pen pal romances often give the characters the opportunity to really know each other unencumbered by physical attraction.
Foodie Characters – So look, I may not be a true foodie myself. But reading about them always gives me a new appreciation not only for food itself but the process of creating in the kitchen.
Time Travel – I may have mentioned this once or twice (or a thousand) times before, but historical fiction is my favorite genre. I’ve always wished I could travel back in time myself and have often wondered how I might adjust to a different time period. It’s fun to see authors take their modern characters to a setting completely outside of their comfort zone.
What are some of your favorite tropes? What are some you don’t like?
Road Trip stories are so interesting.
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Aren’t they though? Thanks once again for visiting and commenting!
There aren’t very many romance tropes that I don’t like. Love triangles is one that is on both my hate and love lists. It all depends on how it’s done.
I totally agree with you on that. Done right though it’s sooo good!
Ahhh! So many favorites. Love the pen pal romance (or old-fashioned as I lump that in with), friends to lovers and enemies to romance tropes. Also, I love that you have wounded warriors. “Just a Kiss” was one of my very favorites at the time I read it! 🙂
Yeah, I have a soft spot for the wounded warriors. It blends emotional angst with physical trauma in a character of strength determined to survive. It’s like a pumped up version of the brooding hero (which is a trope I like but don’t appreciate in real life men).
Absolutely adore your picks for favourite tropes! There are so many good ones. Rescuer Romances is one of those things I feel like is super common yet when I think about it, I can’t really list many options? I’m going to snag your recommendations for that one to remedy this!
Thank you. Yeah, there were a couple tropes that didn’t immediately spring to mind for this list. But once I started thinking about them, I realized how many of each trope I had read…like rescuer romances. If you read any of my recommendations, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Thank you so much for including The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck (and, by extension…Piper!).
You are so welcome, Bethany. Thank you for writing such a great story. I read it when it first released and have found it to be extremely memorable thanks to they story line and characters. I read over 100 books each year, and obviously don’t remember them all, but yours has stuck with me.