Tropes I’d Rather Not Read
Before diving into this, I want to say that this is in no way a jab at you if you love reading these types of books. Reading is subjective! My opinion really means nothing beyond my own preferences. If you love these tropes, keep on loving them. It’s also not set in stone. Maybe one day I will read a book with one of these tropes and fall in love with it. Heck, I might even write a book with one of these elements in it. My point is that reading preferences can change, and at the end of the day that’s all they are - a preference. It’s the same as me hating baby corn. That however, will never change.
Love Triangle
is by far at the tippy top of this list. I hate them in real life, and have no desire to see it play out in a book. Again, reading is subjective. If you love them, that’s wonderful. They’re just not my cup of tea. I am a hopeless romantic and I lean heavily toward epic love stories on the soulmate level. When I read romance I want to fall in love with the end game couple…I’m not in it for the back and forth between who they love more.
Reverse Harem/Why Choose
probably shouldn’t be on this list, but I’m including it because it’s a trope I actively stay away from. I should read some of these books just to see how I actually feel about them. I did start one why choose about a year ago, but only got through about half of it. The writing was great and I loved all of the other books in this series, but I couldn't get invested in this specific book. I think it comes back to me wanting the couple wrapped up in one another and no one else. I’m not sure… If you have any recommendations for these tropes please message me so that I can give them a chance.
Surprise Pregnancy
this only applies when it’s actually surprising. If the main character starts out pregnant, or the blurb says she will get pregnant, or a pregnancy happens in the epilogue, that’s all good with me. I just don’t like when I’m reading a book and then suddenly she’s pregnant and I’m sitting there like what??? I do read single parent romances and like those, but probably because those kids were already there, haha. When I’ve read the surprise pregnancy trope it is always closely aligned with that third act breakup and I’m just not a fan of a couple getting back together because there’s a baby. Even when it’s explicitly said that they’re together because they want to be, I can’t pretend that the baby didn’t play any role at all. I’m not sure why this one rubs me the wrong way. It could be because I’m a mom and I know my kids factor into every facet of my life.
Cheating
is a hard no for me. If the two main characters cheat on one another, I’m gone so fast you’ll see dust behind me. As I’ve said, I’m a soulmates girlie. You don’t cheat on the love of your life. I don’t even care what the reason is in the book, it’s not a good enough one for me. Now, I have read books where one or both of the main characters were cheated on in the past but not by each other. That’s okay. I’ve also read books where the main characters cheat on, or almost cheat on, their partner with the love interest/other main character in the book. Though I don’t condone cheating in real life, I can read those books. However, if the cheating happens between the two main characters - I don’t even want to know the title, I won’t read it.
There you have it, all my baby corns of reading. What tropes do you steer clear of? Let me know at shalanabattles@gmail.com
