My all-time favorite (and least favorite) book tropes

 Within the elaborate plotlines and many universes that books create, those classic tropes ALWAYS show up. Whether they are in every other paragraph, or barely sprinkled in, we have all seen our fair share of book tropes. Some make your reading experience so fulfilling and others make you question why you picked up that book in the first place. I decided to compile a list of some of the best and worst book tropes (judged expertly in my humble opinion). 

Let’s start on a positive note, here are three tropes that I love seeing in books:

1) Protagonist to antagonist 

There is truly nothing more fascinating and enthralling than when the hero becomes the villain. When done correctly, this trope allows for some incredible plot and character development. It's the perfect twist to a story; there are endless ways to incorporate and work with this trope in writing. It keeps you hooked and interested, especially when developed in a series.

2) Found family 

This is genuinely one of my personal favorites: it is so heartwarming and enjoyable to read. You see characters with completely different personalities and backgrounds come together and somehow work perfectly as a group. Especially when included in more tragic scenes and stories, it packs a punch and keeps your heart invested in the story too. And bonus points if the cold and distant character makes an appearance and secretly shows how much they care about the people in their life. 

3)  Realistic female leads 

There is something so gratifying about being able to read about a female lead who is incredibly accomplished while also being realistic and just herself. Someone who can be nerdy and kind and sometimes naive. Someone who has the quiet kind of strength. Someone you can't help but root for rather than the perfect, cold, and distant woman who never has a moment of weakness. Embracing femininity, inner intelligence, and emotions is a sure way to create a likable and well-developed female protagonist. 

Now that I have made clear that I do appreciate the good things, here are three tropes that in my opinion, are the worst.

1) Love triangle 

I’m not sure when this became popular, but I feel as though they are incredibly overused and not even fun to read about. This trope lacks development, and you can almost always tell who the author favors anyway. It forces drama and hostility and will result in an angry Goodreads review by the end of the day. It also takes away from the main character’s role and prominence in the story. In most instances, I don’t think this trope is done very well. 

2) Miscommunication 

There is nothing worse than when an author incorporates miscommunication and makes it the biggest plot point. It obstructs so much potential for the story and makes the characters unlikable. Especially when it’s just a simple misunderstanding or misconception that could be resolved in maybe 2 minutes tops. It creates a stagnant storyline and can be frustrating to read. 

3) Instalove

Maybe it’s just me, but when authors use this trope, it automatically makes my eye twitch. Readers are constantly reminded about how much the characters adore each other, how much they appreciate each other, when in reality they’ve known each other for maybe the span of that morning. Often the connection between the characters isn’t fostered well, and it's hard to see their compatibility and enjoy the evolution of their story. The characters make these giant leaps and all these reckless decisions all while barely knowing each other. It makes for a rushed and unrealistic plotline.