Enemies to lovers, love triangles, grumpy-sunshine, fake dating and more. Anyone who has ever read a romance book knows these as some of the most popular tropes, or recurring themes, that appear throughout a wide variety of books. 

Through the surge of “BookTok” usage and the rating and reviews of books on TikTok, tropes have become more common than ever in romance novels. Although the idea is good in theory, tropes quickly went from fun and whimsical to dull and overused. Romance books are now predictable from the end of the first chapter, and tropes are to blame.

No one wants to hear spoilers for a book they’re reading before they’re done, so why would books include tropes where the ending is already so clear? In Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter, childhood enemies Liz Buxbaum and Wes Bennett are working together to get Liz her prom date, while sparks are flying between them. (Not so) spoiler alert: they end up together. Although this book is one of my favorites through all the cute moments, everything is so predictable and nothing out of the ordinary happens, and it is clear from the start that this is an enemies-to-lovers book. No added elements of surprise, just enemies, friends, brief period where they’re not speaking, then lovers.

The same goes for When In Rome by Sarah Adams. Pop-star Amelia Rose tries to escape her life of fame by staying in the home of small-town farmer Noah Walker. They end up together, and there is never any question that they will. From start to end they follow the path of strangers, friends, brief period where they’re not speaking, then lovers. There’s no plot twists, no real excitement, just a fun little romance that is sure to make readers kick their feet a little. And while there’s nothing really wrong with that, it would be nice to see authors do a little more in the upcoming romances. 

Tropes can be a good starting point, but they need to be developed more than they currently are. Instead of following the same template throughout every book, throw in a plot twist or two. Not a third-act breakup because of poor communication, but something that will leave the readers shocked to their very core, the throw-the-book-down kind of twist.

My favorite example of this in a romance is If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin. Although readers may be able to guess how this book would end in the first few chapters, they would be completely wrong. This book has two of the craziest plot twists I have ever read in a romance, and that’s what makes it so good. It’s still a romance, it still has all of the cute scenes everyone would expect to see, but Nowlin just adds an extra element to it and takes any trope further than most authors, making this book stand out so much.

For the type of person who’s looking for a quick romance that is sure to make them smile, tropes are perfect. They provide a clear storyline and even clearer expectations about how the book is going to end. But a romance with a storyline that goes deeper than a trope and has a good twist that would never be expected, now that’s the best kind of literature.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Camryn Lazard at [email protected].