Isn't it Romantic? Swoon Worthy Tropes Romance Readers Love
Guest writer Bri shares her love of "fun lit" and some of her favorite reading tropes
Hi readers,
The bookish community on Substack is growing by leaps and bounds, and every week, I seem to find a few more bookish creators I want to learn more about. Many are readers that read only for pleasure, others are in the bookish community professionally as reviewers, booksellers, etc., and some are in the educational arena passing on their knowledge and love of books to their students.
Today’s bookish creator is a lifelong reader whose first participation in a book club was in elementary school. She went on to become a teacher and get two more degrees, and after realizing she needed a reading community, she sent a text that led to The Lit Ladies Book Club.
shares her love of reading and more at and she’s here today to tell us about something I haven’t given much thought to in my reading life, but maybe I should. Welcome to SoNovelicious, Bri!Thanks for having me, Gayla. I’m excited to join this reading community you’re building and share a little about me and my reading life.
I’m Bri, and I started my newsletter, B’s Hive, to celebrate shared reading communities. I have always been an avid reader and recently graduated with my Master of Arts in English, and I currently teach high school English which is its own unique reading environment. But it was when I decided to start a book club with a few of my friends that I truly became passionate about exploring the transformative power of reading with others.
As an English teacher wrapping up another school year, I like to spend my Summers reading strictly fun literature. I define fun lit as any book I get to choose for no reason other than that I want to. It’s not a book for students, teaching, or anything else. My favorite fun lit during the Summer is Romance. However, there is a fine line between flirty-cheesy and predictable-cheesy stories, and it all depends on the tropes that lay the foundation for two characters to find true love.
When I see my favorite tropes developing in a story, consider me all in; the story could go completely bonkers, and I probably wouldn’t care because the protagonist is finding love, and isn’t that so magical? I’m a hopeless romantic just looking for the perfect read to remind me that true love finds a way.
So, today I’m breaking down my favorite tropes of Romance novels. And remember, this list is entirely subjective, and a big rule of mine is that we don’t yuck each other’s yums, okay? These are simply my Romance preferences. Let’s get right to it.
Enemies to Lovers
I can’t help but swoon when two people who seemingly couldn’t be more opposite find true love. The opposite of love isn’t hate; it’s indifference, a total lack of feeling for the other person. But when two characters hate each other, there’s so much underlying passion. I love when that tension builds into each character finally setting aside their own pride and insecurities to tell the other person how they feel. Take, for example, The Taming of the Shrew when Katharina must finally admit how deeply she does care for Petruchio. Not to mention how entertaining it is to watch the drama of these two characters fighting each other to the very end.
Another excellent example of this trope for me is Meet You in the Middle by Devon Daniels. It’s the story of two Senate staffers—Kate, a passionate liberal, and Ben, a diehard conservative, equally frustrated by how each political party seems to misunderstand the other. But, as they explore their differences together, they realize they might not be so different after all. It might seem impossible given today’s political climate, but I sure do love to imagine that love and harmony exist when we have the humility to set aside our differences.
Friends to Lovers
What’s even more pure than when opposites attract? When two friends realize that love has been right in front of them the whole time. Take The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, for instance. Patroclus and Achilles spend years growing up together, one carrying the sins of his past while the other prepares for a glorious destiny. They are best friends. But as their story unfolds, they realize that their love for one another runs far deeper than they ever anticipated. I don’t think I’ve ever cried more over a story’s ending.
Forbidden Love
This is a trope I’ve grown to love throughout my reading journey. When I first read Romeo and Juliet as a Freshman in high school, I found the storyline incredibly immature. Two young teenagers fall madly in love. Without parental support? Literally unable to live without the other person? RIDICULOUS. But, after being required to read, watch, and analyze this play approximately a bazillion more times (okay, I read it like eight more times in college and saw it about three times, but that’s still a lot!), I realized that this play exposes an underlying theme in many Forbidden Love tropes: It’s way more about their family dynamics and this “ancient grudge” than it is about Juliet being barely pubescent (although that element is uniquely disturbing about this particular story). The Capulets and Montagues don’t even know what their families are fighting about anymore, and we know from the beginning that their families—not their young love—will be Romeo and Juliet’s downfall.
A more contemporary example of this trope is The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Although the novel's primary focus is the protagonist, Starr’s journey dealing with the trauma of losing her childhood best friend to police violence, a secondary element is her blossoming relationship with a white boy, Chris, who attends her same private school. Starr doesn’t tell her father about her love affair because she knows he doesn’t trust most white people and is dealing with his own past trauma. The problem in this story is not that Chris and Starr shouldn’t be together; Chris is supportive and caring, proving that he has Starr’s best interests at heart. The real problem is Starr’s mistrust of her dad, as well as her dad’s need to work through his own mistrust.
I love Forbidden Love tropes because they are rarely about two characters who should not be together. I love watching the drama unfold as they must deal with the other relationships keeping them apart, like family and friends who project their own problems onto the protagonists.
Fake Relationships
Okay, I know this trope is ridiculously unrealistic, but I can’t help how much of a sucker I am for the drama that ensues when an unlikely pair of characters agree to a fake relationship. My favorite example of this trope is To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han. Laura Jean’s private love letters have suddenly been mailed to her crushes against her will, and one of them, Peter Kavinsky, has a proposition. He wants to make his ex-girlfriend jealous, and Laura Jean desperately wants to put off facing another crush, Josh. So, Peter and Laura Jean agree to a fake relationship that, of course, becomes so much more. I’m all in on the chaos, the drama, the will they/won’t they of two characters slowly realizing that their fake relationship has made space for real love. *cue my overly dramatic swoon*
Second Chances
There is something so beautiful and so human about two characters giving their relationship another chance. It’s heart-wrenching, yet redemptive when a character must admit that they’ve royally lost their way and puts in the effort to make things right with the person they love. Above all, I love this trope because it’s at the heart of the very first Romance novel I ever read: The Wedding by the one-and-only Nicholas Sparks. This is a kind of sequel—or perhaps spin-off—of The Notebook in which Allie and Noah Calhoun’s daughter, Jane, and son-in-law, Wilson, have been married for over thirty years. But, the romance is waning, and Wilson realizes it’s largely due to his trouble expressing his deepest emotions. He must find a way to work through his insecurities and redeem his marriage by showing Jane how much he loves her.
I adore a grand romantic gesture, and Second Chance novels are full of them. But above all, these stories remind me that the real beauty of love shines through in the choices we make and the mistakes we learn from.
Now, it’s your turn! What are your favorite Romance tropes that didn’t make my list? I’d love to know what Romance novels you recommend as I dive into my Summer of strictly fun reading.
Thanks again for the opportunity to share a little bit about my reading life here!
B🐝
Bri is a reader, an educator, fluent in sarcasm and movie quotes, whose love language is coffee, has a cat named Goku, and is marrying her best friend in just a few weeks. Congratulations Bri!
She can be found at the following places: Newsletter | Instagram | Twitter. Her Instagram is private, so be sure to request to follow, and she’d love to have you join her community over there.
Thank you so much for being here, Bri. I don’t read a lot of romance, but you’ve given me so much to think about. After reading about the tropes, I now understand why I really enjoy some romances and detest others. All “happily ever afters” are not the same, and understanding the tropes helps readers find romance novels that are right for them.
I’ve enjoyed reading your newsletters since discovering them a few months ago. The newsletters are funny and witty, they give the reader “peeks” into your real life as a teacher, and you share a little about the most exciting time in your life—your upcoming wedding. I can’t wait for other readers to enjoy your newsletters too. Readers, head to the comments to share your thoughts; feel free to ask any questions, and be sure to tell her about your favorite romance novels.
The bookish community here on Substack is just the greatest. Talking books with other readers is the best thing in the world. Each time I meet someone new in this community, I come away with something helpful for my reading life. I hope you have a great reading week. Happy reading!
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Many of my favorite people are 'connectors'. After reading this and realizing you are building a bookish community it is now clear why I enjoy your Newsletter Gayla!!!
So lucky to have found you in the Substack's bookish universe, Gayla!