Who doesn’t love a good romance book? Sometimes, you just want to curl up with a romance novel that has a “happily ever after.” As a writer, your job is to get your audience to fall in love with your characters and their love story. If you’re writing a romance book but unsure which trope you want to use, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered! Below, we discuss the top ten romance novel tropes for writers.

1. Forbidden Love

This trope is quite popular because it can be worked from so many different angles. Two characters fall in love despite the reason that should keep them apart. This could be due to race, family connections, age gap, money, religion, etc. Whichever the reason may be, they can get past everything that tries to tear them apart in the end. 

2. Small Town Romance

A small-town romance can be written in a few different ways. It can be about a character who grew up in a small town, and that’s all they know, and another character comes into town and turns their world upside down. It could also be about someone who lives in a big city and moves to a small town. They’re learning to navigate life in a close-knit town and begin to fall in love with not only the town but also with a born and raised small-town character. 

3. Second Chance At Love

Typically, a second chance at love trope will show a glimpse of the characters together and in love in the beginning. Unfortunately, something will tear them apart, but their strong bond in the end will bring them back together for a second chance at love.

4. Holiday Romance

Nothing brings people together quite like the holidays. With snow on the ground, a roaring fire, the smell of cinnamon in the air, and Christmas lights strung everywhere, it’s the perfect aesthetic to spark romance. This is the perfect kind of book that your audience will want to read during the holidays. 

5. Love Triangle

This trope explores a main character who is in love with two different characters and is torn on which one they should choose. This kind of trope allows the reader to choose which one they like the best and root for their favorite. It gets them more invested in your story. 

6. Opposites Attract

This type of trope is where both characters are completely different people who have very different interests and hobbies. However, despite it all, they fall in love. Typically, this trope is written about a nerdy character who meets someone popular. Even though they may not get along for a while, they will eventually find a common interest, and learn that they are good for each other. 

7. Fake Relationship

In this trope, two characters who aren’t romantically involved make a pact to be in a fake relationship to keep up an appearance. They do this to typically appease family or friends or to fulfill a bet. While they started in a fake relationship, the more time they spent together, the more they realized how much they liked each other. Typically, their fake relationship turns into a real one by the end of the story.

8. Friends To Lovers

In this trope, it explores two characters who are both friends. They both either only see each other as friends, or maybe one of the characters has secretly always been in love with the other. However, something brings them together, and they begin to see each other as more than just friends. In the beginning, they have a strong friendship bond that the readers will fall in love with, but when their relationship blossoms, it’s hard not to root for them.

9. Stuck Together (Close Proximity)

This trope can be written in different ways. For instance, maybe two characters are trapped in an elevator. Even though they only saw each other as friends, acquaintances, or co-workers in the beginning, by being trapped in the elevator, they can see each other in a different light. Being trapped will give them the chance to get to know each other, learn shared interests, and create a spark between the two of them. 

10. Enemies To Lovers

This trope starts out where two enemies who can’t stand each other develop a relationship. They overcome their differences, and their hate towards one another becomes a head-over-heels type of love. In the end, they learn that they are better and stronger together in a relationship as opposed to being enemies. Readers love this type of relationship because even though they might have disliked one of the characters in the beginning, they learn to love them, just like the character. 

You Have A Story – What’s Next?

You now have an incredible romance trope and have written a beautiful love story. What’s next? The next step in finishing up your book is one of the most important aspects of a book, a book cover. A book cover should capture your audience’s attention to want to pick up your book. It should intrigue them and pull them in. Book Brush is a tool you can use to create a stunning book cover in minutes. Everything you’ll need to create your book cover is at your fingertips, and you’ll be able to make it in just a few steps. With Book Brush, you’ll add that finishing touch to your book that you need to tie it all together and make it one your fans won’t be able to put down.