Happy Top Ten Tuesday! In honor of Valentine’s Day, today is all about romance! Specifically, favorite romance tropes. I have a few favorite tropes, so I’ll break it down by category. I also want to say that it was so hard to choose just ten books overall, so please please please, if you want more examples, let me know!
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Imagine not only living by someone your own age, but having that person be utterly adorable and having them feel the same about you. Never happened to me, but it seems like it would be great.
Examples:
- My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
- Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
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I love a book (and a guy) that can make me laugh. Sometimes I’m up for some serious heartache, and other times I just want something light. It’s very, very rare that a rom-com will disappoint me.
Examples:
- The Virgin Romance Novelist by Meghan Quinn
- Imperfect Chemistry by Mary Frame
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I don’t know if I’d go for my opposite in real life, but sometimes reading about people who are like night and day that actually end up falling in love is great. It’s particularly great when one is a grumpy jerk and the other is a ray of sunshine.
Examples:
- The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
- Heartless by Marissa Meyer
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Is there anybody alive who hasn’t fallen in love with their best friend at some point? Whether anything came of it or not, I think we all have a soft spot for these stories.
Examples:
- almost anything by Krista & Becca Ritchie (particularly the Addicted series, Infini, and the web series Whatever It Takes)
- Sincerely, Carter by Whitney G.
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I swore I would never get into “those stepbrother books.” Well, I did. Oops. It’s not so much the taboo for me, but they always have such good buildup before anything happens! These authors make you work for it! There’s none of this sex-by-page-two nonsense with this trope.
Examples:
- Prince Albert by Sabrina Paige
- Roommates by Hazel Kelly
Honorable mentions (or, if this were called Top Twenty Tuesday):
- rockstar romance
- best friend’s brother
- brother’s best friend
- unexpected coworkers
- roommates
What are your favorite tropes?