8 popular romance tropes that readers love to read

Trope is a plot, character or theme that is often used in (romance) stories. Romance readers often look at the cover, title and blurb of a romance book to see which tropes the story includes.

Tropes come with specific expectations about how the story progresses. They provide familiarity, satisfaction and anticipation about how a specific plot or character unfolds in new and exciting ways to create a compelling story.

Some of the most popular tropes that readers love to read are the:
Billionaire trope
Enemies to lovers
Friends to lovers
Reformed playboy
Fake relationship/ marriage
Second chance romance
Sports romance
Workplace romance

Billionaire trope
In the billionaire trope, one of the main characters is rich and the other one comes from a more modest background.

This trope includes a confident and powerful main character who can still show their valuable side to their loved ones and it shows how love can bridge the gap between the differences of the main characters.

This trope can be combined with other romance tropes such as enemies to lovers, fake relationship, forced proximity, marriage of convenience, workplace romance or reformed playboy. 

Enemies to lovers
The enemies-to-lovers trope is one of the most popular romance tropes. Authors who want to write a successful enemies-to-lovers story need to establish which character hates who and the reason. Do both main characters hate each other or one hates the other and why? 

As the characters spend more time together, they overcome their differences and misunderstandings about each other, they become friends and ultimately fall in love. 

Friends to lovers  
Friends to lovers is one of the most beloved romance tropes and explores how two friends develop romantic feelings for each other.

The friends-to-lovers trope can be found in YA stories where the main characters are childhood friends, neighbors (or both) and they start developing feelings for each other in their teenage years. The main characters try to manage their romantic feelings while dealing with issues of identity, family, society, school, and friendship.

This trope can also be found in stories with adult characters in their twenties or thirties. In one of my favorite romance stories, the main character realises that he is in love with his best friend when he sees her trying wedding dresses for her marriage with someone else.

​Reformed playboy
The reformed playboy consists of one of the most commonly used tropes in romance stories. The bad boy can be a high school or college student with a troubled past, a bossy CEO or a mafia lord.

The bad boy may seem mean, bossy or rude on the exterior but he hides a polite personality and a huge heart. His backstory, internal struggles and external conflict play a crucial role for the readers to understand why he behaves in such a way.

There are different levels of “bad” boys depending on the genre you are writing: YA romance (light), romantic comedy (funny) and dark romance (sexy).

Fake relationship/ marriage
The main characters make a beneficial agreement to pretend to be in a relationship or a marriage to get the family inheritance, boost their career or make their ex jealous.

Both main characters have their own reasons for entering this agreement and they often make rules or sign an official contractual agreement that is valid for a specific period of time.

The main characters are forced to spend a great deal of time together to successfully convince everyone around them that they are a real couple. 

​The fake relationship/ marriage trope emphasises the variety and evolution of the main characters’ feelings: jealousy, doubt, intimacy and true love.

Second chance romance
The second-chance romance describes the story between two characters who broke up and meet again after quite some time. The main characters might have been separated by external circumstances or misunderstandings and now they are given the opportunity to heal their wounds.

The second-chance trope explores themes of separation, reconciliation, forgiveness, redemption and emotional growth. It depicts how the main characters can successfully overcome the obstacles that previously separated them and have their happily ever after through the power of love.

Sports romance
The sports romance trope is one of the most popular tropes of romance stories. One of the characters is a famous athlete or a former athlete. The other main character can also be an athlete, a sports journalist or working for the same team. Sports romance stories show how the publicity, the intense training, and the demanding schedule can affect the athlete’s dating life. 

This trope can be combined with other romance tropes such as enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, fake relationship, forced proximity or reformed playboy.

Workplace romance
The workplace trope is one of the most beloved romance tropes. The main characters can be a boss and an employee, coworkers or professional rivals. The main characters can work together towards a common goal or they can sabotage each other for their own personal benefit.

The main characters are forced to spend a lot of time together because of their job. As they work together, they get to know each other true selves and they eventually fall in love. Their relationship can be public or secret if there is a work policy that forbids dating at work.

Conclusion
While tropes are not genres themselves, tropes can be found in multiple romance genres such as contemporary romance, YA romance, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, romantasy or historical romance.

​Romance readers love reading romance stories with specific tropes because of the familiarity and the satisfaction they provide. Authors should successfully combine different tropes in new and refreshing ways to create compelling characters and interesting plots.

​Further reading
8 romance genres authors can explore this year
How to write the genre and the main characters of a romance novel
How to write a romance novel using the three-act structure

What are your favourite romance tropes that you enjoy reading the most? Comment below!
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About the author

​​Maria Georgiou is a professional developmental editor for romance authors. She specialises in editing contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy. She is a member of the EFA and ClubEdFreelancers. 
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