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The best and worst of this list are entirely my own opinion, that being said I will usually try a trope at least once before saying that I won't read it again and I don't like it. if you would have asked me a few years ago what my favorite trope was I wouldn't have known what you were talking about. However, since the rise of Booktok, tropes have become a big part of reading for me, not the main thing but definitely something that I look at when deciding to read a book. I have not included all the tropes that I love in this post as there are many tropes and I have not yet read all of them. I have included what I consider my top 10 best and my top 3 worst.
What is a Book Trope?
*Under the Covers Book Blog*
The first distinction that needs to happen when talking about book tropes is that they are different from a genre. For example, romance is a genre. In most genres, you will also find sub-genres, like paranormal romance or contemporary romance. And then you have tropes. It can all get so confusing! This is why I turned to a trusty dictionary and decided to look up exactly what a trope is (don’t get confused with a troupe, which is something to do with dancing). So the Oxford Dictionary defines tropes as:
A significant or recurrent theme; a motif.
Bottom line, a trope is when an author uses a particular theme in their book. This theme can span genres, although you may find that some do tend to stay within one or two genres. Lets use some examples, one of the most well know themes is the “Billionaire” theme, this usually involves a girl falling for a very rich guy, it’s not often the other way round. Now this “Billionaire” theme is usually found in the Contemporary Romance genre, but can also be found in New Adult, Young Adult and Paranormal Romance. Another example, one which will span most genres “Plain Jane” where the heroine is plain or even ugly but the handsome man falls for her, this can be found in Historical, Contemporary, New Adult, Paranormal, Young Adult, you name it, there will be a “Plain Jane” themed book in there somewhere. Some genres are more heavily reliant on book tropes. Turns out romance books are quite filled with them. From romantic pairings, character types or even certain scenarios (like neighbors to lovers, enemies to lovers or fake dating). Of course, not all books contain a trope but there are clusters of romance books, in all sub-genres, that basically have the same theme. It does have its upside, sometimes you are just in the mood for a book with lots of Bikers or Friends-to-Lovers storylines, there is comfort in the familiar, so when you start to read you know exactly what you are getting and you can sit back and enjoy the ride.
*Under the Covers Book Blog*- See a large list of tropes here
My Top 10 Best Tropes
Roommates-to-Lovers/Friends-to-Lovers/Enemies-to-Lovers
Dark Romance (think mafia, etc.)
Hockey
Reverse Harem
Shifters/Fated Mates
Second Chance/First-Love
Grumpy/Sunshine
Plus-Sized Heroine
Age Gap
Class Differences (think billionaire falls for the poor girl etc.)
There are many more tropes that I also love but these are what I consider my top 10, that being said it may change down the road. These are not in any particular order at all.
My Top 3 Worst Tropes
Post Apocalyptic
Superpowers
Time Travel
These are just the three as on writing this that I have tried to read but have a really hard time getting into the books. Remember this is just my personal opinion if you like these all the more power to you.
I was going to give an explanation on each of these tropes but really I think that they are somewhat self-explanatory. If you want to know more about a specific trope I would suggest either; messaging me and I can help, googling the trope to find more or you can even check out the link above for Under the Covers Book Blog.
What are some of your favorite book tropes? Have you ever thought about what book tropes you tend to lean towards?
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