Top Ten Favorite Tropes

Posted August 19, 2019 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 20 Comments

Hi guys! I’m back! Remember how I was sick the last two weeks and didn’t post my lists? Well, I finally went to the doctor last Thursday and my flu had turned into bronchitis, a throat infection, a sinus infection, and an ear infection. So I’m glad I went to the doctor and found out what was wrong so that I could get better. And I’m feeling way better! I’m so relieved. I legit thought I’d be sick forever.

Ok, so this week’s topic is on my favorite tropes in books! What’s a trope? Well, it’s basically a commonly used story element that is easily recognized because it’s so common. If you’re still not sure, here are some examples of tropes. I’m excited to see some of the tropes you enjoy reading!

1. The Fauxmance

Probably my favorite trope is the fauxmance. I love it when characters have fake relationships to get themselves ahead, and then those relationships become real! Maybe a girl hires a boyfriend to go home with her for Christmas. Maybe it’s a publicity stunt. Maybe a man can only claim his inheritance if he’s married, so he talks a woman into fake marrying him. I’m here for ALL of it.

2. Friends to Lovers

I love best friends turned lovers. These could be childhood best friends that grow up and fall in love, college roommates that start out as friends and turn into more, etc. They’re so sweet, and usually have some more depth to them because the characters have a history and a solid foundation. I also enjoy watching them stress over whether or not a relationship will ruin their friendship if/when they break up.

3. Survival Situations

I love it when characters are stranded in the wilderness. Maybe they get lost while hiking, there’s a plane crash, a boat sinks, etc. If you throw in a murder… like maybe a group of people gets stranded in the mountains during a huge storm and someone kills someone and OH NO. OH YES!!

4. Snowed In

I love it when two characters (hopefully romantic interests) get snowed in at a hotel or a cabin or even on the side of the road in their car and then have to trek to safety. I also love the common storyline that goes a little something like this: a group of people are staying in an isolated hotel when a blizzard comes. There’s no power, there’s no way out, and there’s a murderer in their midst. Isolation due to weather is SO much fun!

5. Small Town Romance

I love the cute, quaint little towns where everyone knows each other but they actually like each other and aren’t gossiping and causing each other problems. These kinds of towns have 4th of July BBQs and Christmas tree lightings with hot chocolate and fall festivals. And there’s commonly a friends to lovers romance, so two tropes for the price of one!

6. International Travel

I love cruises, plane trips, train trips, international destinations… All of it. I love traveling through my books.

7. Spy/Espionage Thrillers

So exciting!

8. Heists

Gem thieves, art thieves… all of it. It’s so much fun.

9. Bookish Themes

I love it when the heroine is an author or a voracious reader or a bookshop owner. I love books set in bookshops and libraries. I love bookish references and identifying with characters who love books as much as I do.

10. Plain Jane Gets the Successful Hottie

I love reading about realistic heroines, like me, who get the super sexy and successful guy like it’s no big deal. Modern society has made us feel like the pretty (but not gorgeous/sexy), average-sized (but not thin and jiggle-free) women can’t get a super sexy man. Like, so many romance novels feature women who are thin, tight, blonde heroines with perfect skin, flowing hair, perfect clothes, perfect jobs, etc. I love seeing normal, real-sounding women (who are allowed to eat food and wear sweatpants) get the dreamboats we know we’re so capable of getting. It’s empowering!

Do we have any picks in common?
Do you have any books to recommend that have one/some of my favorite tropes?
What are your favorites?

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20 responses to “Top Ten Favorite Tropes

  1. RS

    I like a lot of of these too; 3 and 4 are especially great. (Harry Mazer’s “Snowbound” is an oldie-but-goodie in this department.) And yeah, these tropes in the murder mystery genre? Whole new level. When I read the Rizzoli & Isles series a few years ago, I got to #8 (Ice Cold) and WOW was that a whole lot of ideal elements.

  2. I love bookish themes and being able to relate to the characters. I also really like survival situations, especially major natural disasters, weirdly!

  3. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 10 all make my list. I have not read a lot of survival stories, but the ones I have read, I have enjoyed. I love International Travel a lot as not only is the story enjoyable, but I am an armchair traveller as well.

  4. Amanda

    Have you watched Yellowjackets on showtime?
    Please do and join the Reddit group. The show has your tropes.