Hello lovelies! How are you? Did you have a nice Valentine’s Day? I re-read Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor, which is the sweetest little love story and listened to my 00’s playlists on repeat because writing about my nostalgic ships made me super nostalgic – so mine was pretty amazing. I hope you’re not completely sick and tired of romance yet, cause today’s post is all about romance tropes. I know tropes don’t have the best reputation, but we all love them when they’re being used for good – right?
ENEMIES TO LOVERS
Enemies to lovers is the superior romance dynamic. I don’t make the rules. I’ve read a lot of great enemies to lover content, but I’ve never been completely satisfied. I always want more. I want more danger and more angst. I want knife to your throat kisses and knife in the back betrayals, I want a dark and twisted love story that destroys me.
LOVE LETTER
Is love letters a trope? It should be. Cause I love it when characters write each other love letters or love notes or even love texts. As a reader, who’s in love with words, I find it wildly romantic when characters express their feelings in writing.
MEET CUTE
For the non rom-com crowd a meet-cute is when the protagonist meets their love interest foe the first time in a way that’s cute, funny, awkward or ideally all three. Getting to see the start of someone’s forever is one of my favorite things about reading romance, so these moments always make me swoon.
SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE
A couple who’s clearly meant to be getting a second chance at love has always been one of my favorite romance plots. It’s that mean-to-be, it was always you kind of love that gives me a feeling of destiny and it’s always fascinating watching a couple navigate their shared history and the gaps between why they were and who they’ve become.
ROMANTIC GESTURE
A guy I was dating said I was great at romantic gestures, but sucked at everyday things once and I still feel called out, tbh. I can’t help it though, I’m trash for grand romantic gestures. Give me those running through the airport scenes and dramatic speeches in the pouring rain, give me surprise candlelit picnics on the beach and ridiculous public displays of affection. I’m here. For. It.
Aurora Librialis 
My favorite romance trope… it has nothing to do with villains, not at all.
If we’re talking about functional romances that do not involve stabbing, betrayals, or monsters, I also like reading about people who help each other – which could mean helping with homework or plotting together against the enemy. Both are fine.
But everything in the villain romance – monster romance – enemies to lovers spectrum is the superior trope, always.
I also recently discovered that I really like the second chance trope too, because of Once Ghosted Twice Shy. And I think the love letter trope could be interesting? The only book I’ve ever read that had a similar situation was Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, but I want to read more of them, so I think I will end up trying Emergency Contact.
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Villain romance would’ve been on top of my list, if I’d come up with two examples! But stabbing and betrayal is so fun though!
Duke by Default has protagonist who help each other (arguably she helps him more than he helps her, but that’s just realism) so maybe you’ll enjoy that one then! I’m so excited to read Once Ghosted Twice Shy! I hope you love Emergency Contact, it’s my favorite book with a lot of texting.
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Enemies to lovers is the best!!! I need this in more books.
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Yes!!! All that wonderful tension. I’ll let you know when I find some.
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Honestly I am a lover of all the tropes especially when they are done right.
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So am I, tropes can be so fun when they’re done right 😊
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Yeah everyone always hate the love triangles and insta love etc. and I’m over here like yay I want to read that now lol.
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Those tropes get so much hate! And they’re not my favorites, but I definitley enjoy them if they’re done well! 😊
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I don’t have any particular favorites. There are some that are done very good sometimes but I still can’t help but to love them.
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Enemies to Lover is sucks a great trope! I always really love the snow change between “ugh, this person 🙄” to “ugh!!! This person😍”
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YES! That’s exactly why it’s my favorite 😍 That slow burn full of tension is the best!!!
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Enemies to lovers is my absolute favorite! 🙂 I’ve had Before We Were Strangers on my tbr foreverrrr so I’m excited to pick that up eventually!
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Yes! Enemies to lover is the best! I hope you enjoy Before We Were Strangers 😊 (Blind Kiss is also very good if you’re into slow burn romance)
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Ooh Blind Kiss sounds good too! Thanks for the rec 🙂
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I love persuasion, and would also put it in with second chance romance too 😍! My fav trope is enemy to lovers…I just heart that trope so much 💕
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I had a whole debate with myself over which category to put it in, cause it’s such a perfect example of both 😂 YES! It’s the best trope! ❤️
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It really is the perfect example of both 😍 such an underrated Austen book imo!
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Agreed! And such an underrated Austen hero 😍
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Enemies to lovers is 100% my favourite romance trope! When I’m in the mood for reading romance I love books with romantic gestures, preferably if they are all over the top and almost unbelievable haha 🙂
(www.evelynreads.com)
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It’s my favorite too, it’s just so full of wonderful tension! Haha, I agree! The more over the top and unbelievable the better 😊
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YAS for all the enemies to lovers and meet cute tropes! They always steal my heart and make me crave more interaction with the couples…
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They’re my faves! I always get so invested in them!
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I absolutely LOVE hate-to-love (like in the All for the Game trilogy by Nora Sakavic), and another favorite of mine is fake dating. I haven’t found too many good books with that one of late, though–do you have any recommendations?
Eleanor | On the Other Side of Reality
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YES! Hate to love is the best! I really liked The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, but that’s a fake marriage. The Wedding Date has fake dating and I haven’t read it, but I’ve heard great things about The Kiss Quotient 😊
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I love the enemies-to-lovers trope! I will read anything I can get my hands on with it. But I also love a good sweet romance where the LI is kind and thoughtful (I’m thinking of Jem and Tessa from TID)
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Enemies to lovers is the best! I haven’t read TID, but I love kind love interest too!
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TID is so fun to read, you should check it out!
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Thanks for the recommendation! 😊
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I love romance tropes! Enemies to lovers is definitely one of my favourites.
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Romance tropes are so fun! And enemies to lovers is the best!
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My favourite romance trope has to be enemies to lovers. There’s just something about this trope that makes things exciting no matter how much times they happen in different stories! My thought process would pretty much be “yeah, just get together” whenever enemies share great chemistry.
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Yes! It’s one trope I never get tired of! Enemies with great chemistry is everything, my thought process is basically just “cool, cool, now kiss”.
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That’s a very relatable thought process, and I agree wholeheartedly with it!
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My weakness is enemies to lovers. I don’t know why it appeals so much (and I have definitely never had it happen to me in real life) but I just adore it. Honestly I’d eat it all up with a spoon. Writing it is a tricky balance to get right because you want them to actually care on some level before the whole ‘lovers’ thing kicks in otherwise it can comes across as romanticised hatred at times!
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Enemies to lovers is my absolute favourite trope! Great post 🙂
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Enemies to lovers is everything! Thank you! 😊
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Brilliant list! I especially love enemies to lovers and second chance romances.
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Thank you so much! Enemies to lovers is the best!
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