Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Tropes

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Tropes: you can't live with them. You can't live without them. But here are some of the ones I don't mind so much.

1. Hate-to-love

(Or more typically, dislike-to-love.) When those two bantery characters suddenly realize, "Oh shoot I'm in love with them," or "Oh no I'm so obsessed with them because I actually like them." It's so dang good that I've written it into one of my WIPs.

2. Fake dating

This, like, never happens in real life, but it's so satisfying in books.

3. The soft cinnamon roll love interest

Looking at you, Gideon Prewitt.

4. Lack of communication, not miscommunication

Like, you've got both characters pining for each other because they didn't communicate their feelings properly and then THEY DO IT PROPERLY AND THE PAY OFF IS SO GOOD.

5. Friendship stories

Idk if that's really a trope, but I'm always here for books that center friendship, alongside good family relationships and romances.

6. The mom friend

I am one, so I love to find them in my books.

7. The love interest has a secret identity

So like, any superhero story OR. Y'all should read the Rebel Mechanics trilogy. Just saying.

8. One character revealing their love for another when they think said other character is asleep (but not, like, telling the unconscious character cause that's a dumb cliche; I mean them telling a third character)

(I have a variation of this in the previously referenced WIP...)

9. The "hands go down" trope

i.e., when someone asks "any questions?" and everyone raises their hands, and then the aforementioned person is like "....that are NOT about such-and-such" and all the hands go down

10. Spin the bottle or Truth or Dare forcing two characters to kiss

*stares at The Start of Me and You* 

What are y'all's favorite tropes?