One thing I have noticed over the seven years I have been in the online book community is the rise in popularity of tropes. Not in the sense of their use in writing, which has happened forever. But discussing book tropes when recommending books and reviewing books is a huge trend on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and other social media sites.
And I completely get it! Discussing and reviewing books used to be in full-length articles or within hours-long book clubs. But as the years go on, different platforms emerge that shorten the length of discussion to mere seconds like TikTok. People need to be a lot faster when talking about the books they love.
So, using tropes is a great way to get your point across immediately. When I am looking at a Bookstagram caption and it reads, “I loved this book because it had the enemies to lovers trope,” I immediately know I need to add that book to my TBR.
I find the emergence of popularity in discussing book tropes exciting! It is a fast and accurate way to categorize books and find stories you are sure to love. There are tropes that are more popular than others, and I am going to be talking about a few of them in this post.
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What is a Book Trope?
The actual definition of the word trope in literature has changed from its original meaning, but the modern use of the word is often referring to a commonly used idea, structure, or cliché in a story. This can be a type of character, a flow of plotline, and so much more.
It is basically those storylines or character archetypes you see over and over again in books. The actual use of the word has become looser on social media, but this is the way I’ll be talking about it in this post.
Popular Book Tropes and Recommendations
1. Enemies to Lovers
Probably one of the most popular book trope is enemies to lovers. This trope involves two characters who hate each other. However, throughout the story they are forced to spend time together until they realize that the other might not be so bad. So much so that they fall in love.
This is a really popular trope for romance books as well as romantasy (romance/fantasy) stories.
My Recommendation: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
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One of my recent favorites from this trope is Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. In this book, the son of the President of the United States and the Prince of England have hated each other for years. However this doesn’t look very good for either of their countries. So, in a PR effort, they are forced to pretend to be best friends. That is until they start to realize they may like each other more than they thought.
2. Unreliable Narrator
This one is probably one of my favorites. With this trope, the story is being told from someone’s perspective that you can’t entirely trust. This adds suspense to a story because the reader doesn’t actually know whether the story they are reading is an accurate recount of the events or not.
This book trope is often used in mystery and thriller novels, my favorite kind!
My Recommendation: You by Caroline Kepnes
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If you haven’t watched the Netflix series, you have probably heard of it. But did you know it’s also a book? And it is told from Joe’s perspective. You definitely can’t trust his recount of the happenings in this book considering he is a stalker…
3. Chosen One
In this trope, one characters has been destined to fill a role or prophecy. Since they were born they were meant to take on a responsibility.
This trope is most common in the fantasy and science-fiction genre.
My Recommendation: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
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This is pretty recent release in the “chosen one” trope. In Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, the main character Bree discovers that she is Lengendborn, and part of an elite group of magical people that are interwined with the legend of King Arthur.
4. Coming of Age
This is probably one of the first book tropes most people learn about. I learned about it in middle school and have continued to see it commonly in the books I read to this day. In coming of age books, the main character goes through a transition throughout the story, learning more about themselves and understanding where they fit into the world.
This is a common trope in contemporary and literary fiction stories. It is especially common in young adult novels.
My Recommendation: Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
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Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia was one of my favorite reads a couple of years ago. In this story, the main character, Eliza, goes through a massive transformation as she navigates high school with anxiety. She learns a lot about herself as well as her relationship to friends, family, and her love interest, Wallace.
5. The Hero’s Journey
This is another trope that you may have learned about in highschool english class. I learned about it when reading the Odyssy by Homer. In this trope, the hero, or the main character, goes through obstacles and challenges to reach a final goal or fulfill a prophecy. Throughout this journey, the hero often goes through a personal transformation as well.
This is a common trope amongst all genres!
My Recommendation: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
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I try so hard not to recommend this book because I know everyone has heard of it, and most people have read it. But I can’t ignore the precise hero’s journey that Katniss over the course of all three books! It was too perfect of an example not to include here!
If there is one thing about me, I will immediately pick up a book if I know it has my favorite literary trope in it. As someone who reads for escape, it can be so cozy to fall into a book where I already have a general idea of the layout. It feels like home!