Whether it’s fake dating, stolen glances or enemies to lovers, everyone has their favorite romance book tropes, even if they deny it. So what are the best tropes, you ask? Let me tell you.
#1, friends to lovers.
A criminally underrated trope, full of yearning from years of held back feelings, with relationships based on more than just initial physical attraction. Friends to lovers is unmatched. And unlike some other tropes that we’ll get to later (cough, cough, enemies to lovers), this trope can happen in real life. In most books I’ve read, these relationships are the strongest and happiest. You never know, maybe that friend you’ve liked for years feels the same way, and one of you just needs to finally make a move.
#2, forced proximity.
Arranged marriage, workplace romance, only one bed and even the ever-popular fake dating are all a part of the beautiful forced proximity trope. There’s nothing quite like the tension between two people who cannot get away from each other. Whether they’re pretending to date as a publicity stunt, working as a couple undercover or stuck in a marriage decided by their family, the two parties always find themselves blurring the lines between what’s fake and what’s real. Unfortunately, I’ve never heard of this happening in real life, but maybe it could. If it happens to you, let me know, because I would love to hear that story.
#3, rivals to lovers.
I might get some arguments on this one, but rivals to lovers is the better version of the overrated trope of enemies to lovers. It has all of the banter and unspoken tension, with a far more believable outcome. Instead of two diametrically opposed people (enemies) who would never end up agreeing on things, much less become romantically involved (lovers), you get two people who are more alike than they think, with undiscovered electricity between them and the chance to act on their obvious chemistry. What could possibly be better?
#4, slowburn.
Now, slowburn isn’t technically a standalone trope. Instead, it’s usually paired with another trope, like friends to lovers or fake dating. A slowburn romance means that the time before two people admit their feelings is drawn out, creating lots of space for tension and flirting, as well as extra yearning and stolen glances. It’s basically whatever trope you’re reading, but times ten. (I think. I’m not great with math, so don’t quote me). Everything is better when it’s slowburn, that’s the simple truth.
There are definitely more tropes that I could talk about, including some that I completely despise, but that’s a topic for another time. I hope you all get to experience your own romance tropes in real life, and happy almost Valentine’s Day!
