Romance tropes (and tropes in general) permeate various aspects of literature and entertainment, from the works of Shakespeare and Austen to everyday language and beloved TV shows. These tropes represent familiar situations within narratives that provide a framework for storytelling. Despite some negative connotations associated with the term trope, implying unoriginality, they remain fundamental elements of every story.
It’s also not uncommon for multiple tropes to coexist within a single narrative. Let’s take Nick Cassavetes’ The Notebook, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, which features multiple romance tropes, including Forbidden Love, Second Chance, Love At First Sight, Summer Romance, Love Conquers All, and an Emotional Reunion. Yet they all weave together to make The Notebook an emotional and dramatic film that’s beloved by many and a very memorable romance.
Romance tropes are recurring themes, plot devices, or character archetypes commonly found in romantic stories. Whether they’re in the form of books, films, TV shows or even video games, tropes often serve as narrative conventions that help create familiarity and engage the audience’s expectations and desires. While tropes can sometimes feel predictable or cliché, they can also be used creatively and subverted to add depth and complexity to a romantic story.
Many readers have favourite romance tropes that they actively seek out when looking for new reading fodder. My personal favourite has always been the enemies to lovers trope, since long before I knew the word ‘trope’ existed when I was a young teen. Which tropes you like will be down to personal preference, but understanding what romance tropes are and how they work is a great way to gain a deeper understanding of your favourite literature and characters, find new books you will love, and write compelling stories of your own.
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What Are The Most Popular Romance Tropes?
There are some romance tropes that are more popular than others. Just remember, tropes can be a little marmite, with some adored by certain readers while disdained by others. Additionally, the popularity of tropes tends to fluctuate over time. For instance, the trope involving a virgin falling for an assertive Arab Sheikh who forces himself on her was once wildly popular, but has currently lost its appeal.
Likewise, other tropes have really stood the test of time – many are shocked to discover enemies to lovers in classics like Pride and Prejudice, but we can go all the way back to the Bard himself and find it running amok in Much Ado About Nothing between Beatrice and Benedick (to name but one example in Shakespeare’s work).
So, what are the most popular romance tropes?
- Enemies To Lovers
- Forbidden Love
- Stuck Together
- Soulmates
- Fake Relationship
- Friends To Lovers
- Second Chance
- Amnesia
- Secret Identity (usually a billionaire or royalty)
- Best Friend’s Brother or Sister
- Holiday Romance
- Love Triangle
Why Romance Tropes Can Be Problematic
Romance tropes can go wrong when they are poorly executed or perpetuate harmful or unrealistic ideas about love and relationships. Some romance tropes portray idealised and unrealistic versions of love and relationships. They often depict love at first sight, soulmates, or the idea that true love conquers all. While these can be entertaining in fiction, they can create unrealistic expectations for real-life relationships, leading to disappointment or dissatisfaction.
Consent can also be an issue with tropes – there’s a reason we don’t like the image of the Arab Sheikh forcing himself on an unsuspecting virgin anymore. Tropes that involve one character persistently pursuing or pressuring another can normalise unhealthy relationship dynamics. It is essential to emphasise the importance of consent and mutual respect in all relationships. Romanticising behaviours like stalking, manipulation, or emotional coercion can be harmful and perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
The Cullen Factor
A great romance with a compelling book boyfriend or girlfriend can make some fairly destructive and even disturbing behaviour seem sexy and alluring. And while it’s fine on the page when you have a character who balances out all that bad behaviour with redeeming qualities and growth, reality is very different. There’s a real danger of romanticising abuse – look at Twilight and the bizarre behaviour of Edward Cullen as he stalks Belle, literally watching her sleep and being incredibly possessive over her.
How many teens grew up thinking that was the ideal to look for in a man? That it was romantic? Some romance tropes romanticise abusive or unhealthy relationships. For example, the Bad Boy trope often depicts a troubled, brooding character who is emotionally unavailable or even abusive. These portrayals can normalise and romanticise harmful behaviours, leading to misconceptions about what constitutes a healthy relationship.
Lack Of Agency And Diversity
Likewise, characters can lack agency when tropes are employed. In some tropes, particularly those centred around the damsel in distress or knight in shining armour, one character may lack agency or be overly dependent on another for their happiness. This can undermine the importance of individuality and personal growth within a relationship.
Romance tropes can also lack diversity, with a tendency to focus on heterosexual, cisgender relationships with characters who fit into conventional beauty standards. This lack of diversity can exclude and marginalise individuals who do not fit these narrow portrayals, reinforcing harmful stereotypes and limiting representation.
Miscommunication or lack of communication is another common trope in romance stories. While misunderstandings can add tension and drama, relying too heavily on this trope can perpetuate the idea that love requires secrets or a lack of honest communication, which can be damaging to real-life relationships.
When handled poorly, romance tropes sometimes feature characters that are one-dimensional and lack depth beyond their romantic roles. This can lead to shallow character development and limit the complexity and nuance of relationships portrayed in the story.
Using Romance Tropes Effectively
To create well-rounded and engaging romance stories, it’s important to challenge and subvert these tropes when necessary, and strive for authentic, diverse, and healthy portrayals of love and relationships.
When romance tropes are overly relied upon, they can become difficult to enjoy. For instance, if the “friends to lovers” trope is used without establishing a solid foundation for their friendship or exploring what makes their relationship work, simply labelling them as “friends” and then having them randomly make out while drunk won’t be satisfying. Their connection should extend beyond the superficiality of a trope.
Similarly, if a story continuously teases the possibility of a romantic relationship between characters without actually progressing it, readers are likely to become increasingly frustrated.
Some writers may employ tropes they don’t fully understand, which can lead to poor storytelling but can also lead to some genuinely concerning characters. Following the massive success of Fifty Shades Of Grey, the market was flooded with stories featuring the trope of a wealthy, dominant alpha male and a submissive virgin female. While I didn’t personally enjoy Fifty Shades as a book, I was more troubled by the fundamental misunderstanding of BDSM and the extent to which these books and others that followed perpetuated some very damaging stereotypes and representations of the world of BDSM.
Romance Tropes
Okay, folks, here’s the main event. I’ve listed all the Romance tropes I can think of; I’ll add more as and when I come across them. I’ll also be adding full posts exploring each, and listing a load of examples of books you’ll find them in, so click through for more info on those with links, and bookmark the page so you can come back later for more. I’ll be adding new ones each month until they’re all done!
Age Gap
All Grown Up
Altar Diplomacy
Amnesia
Arranged Marriage
Athlete
Beauty And The Beast
Best Friend’s Ex
Best Friend’s Lover
Best Friend’s Sibling
Bet
Billionaire
Blackmail
Blind Date
Blind To Love
Bodyguard
Break Up To Save Them
Bully Turns Nice Guy
But We Can’t Be Together
Caught In The Rain
Celebrity
Childhood Crush
Childhood Sweetheart
Class Divide
Commitment Issues
Cowboy
Damaged Goods
Damsel In Distress
Dark Past
Dark Secret
Disguise
Emotional Scars
Everyone Loves A Bad Boy
Everyone Sees It, But You
Fairytale Retelling
Fake Relationship
Falling For The Wrong Person
Fish Out Of Water
Fling / One-Night Stand
Forced Proximity
If I Can’t Have You, Nobody Can
It Will Never Work
Jilted Bride
Kidnapped
Last Minute Epiphany
Last To Know
Long Distance
Lost Heir
Love At First Sight / Insta Love
Love Potion
Love Triangle
Love.Hate
Loveable Rogue
Lovers In Denial
Marriage Before Romance
Marriage Pact
Matchmaker
Matchmaker Gone Wrong
Men In Uniform
Mistaken Identity
Not Good Enough
Not Good Enough
Oblivious To Love
Office Romance
Old Enemies
On The Rocks
One True Love
Opposites Attract
Opposites Attract
Orphan
Pen Pals
Peril
Physically Opposite
Playboy
Politician
Priest
Protector
Rags To Riches
Redemption
Return To Hometown
Reunion
Revenge
Rivals
Road Trip
Rock Star
Romantic Rain
Royal/Sheikh
Runaway Bride
Second Chance
Secret Admirer
Secret Baby
Secret Billionaire / Boss / Royal
Sibling’s Ex
Sleeps With Everyone But You
Snowed In
Sorry, I’m Taken
Soul Mates
Star-Crossed Lovers
Step Parent
Step Siblings
Stranded
Stuck Together
Sworn Off Relationships
The Nanny / Teacher / Carer
The One That Got Away
Three’s A Crowd
Time Travel
Too Dumb To Live
Touch Her And Die
Trapped In An Elevator
Trauma Bonding
Ugly Duckling
Unattainable
Undercover Love
Unexpected Baby
Unrequited Love
Vegas Wedding / Drunk Wedding
Virgin
Wallflower
We Want Different Things
Widow / Widower
Will They Or Won’t They
Working With The Ex
Here you have it, a comprehensive list of one hundred and twenty-seven romance tropes for you to explore. I’m curious to know which romance tropes are your personal favourites? Did I overlook any that you particularly enjoy? Feel free to share your thoughts and comments with me below, or find me on Instagram and TikTok!
