Hello readers!
This post was so much fun to write. Tropes are things that happen so much in book that become cliché. They normally get an eyeroll and a sigh, but some particular tropes are REALLY annoying, and others are actually… kind of fun?? So below are the bookish tropes I either can’t get enough of in my books and also the ones that make me want to throw the book through the window!
5 Tropes I Like
Tall, Dark and Handsome
I love the quiet, mysterious kind of love interest, who maybe doesn’t show much emotion but on the inside is burning with love for the main character. SO MUCH LOVE.
The Journey
Very common in fantasy books! The prophecy/attack of the enemy/treasure map will lead the main characters and at least one sassy companion through a journey full of dangers and places our small-village hero has never been to! I’m a sucker for those.
Star-Crossed Lovers
The angst! So much angst! (I don’t even like Romeo and Juliet but for some reason that was the only couple I could come up with??)
Evil Person Was Actually Good All Along
I love this kind of twist, putting into perspective all the evil actions and forcing us to see them through a different light. Very cool!
Dysfunctional Family
Literally 90% of the adult fiction and literary fiction I read are about dysfunctional families. I swear my family is nice, though. The complex relationships, traditions, generation clashes and history always make for such interesting drama to unfold!
5 Tropes I Dislike
Love Triangles
Ugh. It only works for one or two books, really (like To All The Boys I’ve Met Before). Most books with love triangles are just annoying.
Clueless Amateur Detectives
I just can’t. THE CLUE IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. Oh my god, you can’t associate the sketchy actions for your best friend/husband/ex-husband/boss and the murders going on??
Misunderstandings That Could Have Been Solved Easily
“I am having feelings for you and I would like to have a relationship with you or end what we have to avoid hurting each other.”
“Ok, cool. I actually have had feelings for you for 5 chapters already.”
“Oh great! So, a spring wedding?”
See? Ta-da! Problem solved.
Manic Pixie Dream Girl
Really, no one can be that carefree and quirky. (I love Breakfast at Tiffany’s, though! Hahaha)
The Douche With a Sad Story
Wow, now it’s totally ok that you’re a bully / abusive to your girlfriend / a murderer / joined the gang of the evil Lord of Darkness. Your hamster’s death 37 years ago DID leave a scar on you. Complete absolution.
Naty's Bookshelf 
I so agree with a lot of your tropes here! I am all for tall,dark and handsome and am completely against manic pixie dream girls and jerks with a sad story (not a fan of Snape!) and love triangles are genuinely my least favourite thing in the world! 😂😂
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I am 100% with you on EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE. Especially Snape. Yeah, the fact that you love someone completely absolves you from joining up with the KKK. Right. *rolls eyes*
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Yeah, I don’t think J. K. Rowling expected readers to respond to Snape the way they did. The fact that was working for the Order obviously doesn’t make up for every mean or cruel thing he ever did. People can actually be nuanced and capable of great sacrifice as well as petty cruelty.
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I don’t like love triangles either. I’m still disappointed about the one in hunger games. i preferred Gale… 🙈
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“Misunderstandings That Could Have Been Solved Easily” LOL yes!! Sometimes I just want to yell at characters to just communicate!!
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I love a good dysfunctional family story. It is something that I can relate to because my family is dysfunctional. Clueless detectives and misunderstanding are so frustrating.
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Dude I love so much of what you wrote here. And I completely agree about Snape (I thought I was the only one) and amateur detectives! And I do love a tall, dark and handsome male lead. 🙂
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Yes! Yes! Yes! I don’t like clueless detectives and misunderstandings. If characters could just learn to communicate everything would be so much easier!
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YES to tall, dark and handsome. Just add mysterious in the mix and it’s perfect, haha!
Also love the evil person being good all along. And yes, Rhys is the perfect example. ❤
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Hahahaha tall dark and handsome are the beeeeeeest *swoons *
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