Happy Valentine’s! As you might know, I’m not the biggest romance reader. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a good romantic (sub)plot. And I have some favorite tropes that hook me every single time. If you mention any of them in a synopsis, I am sure to add the book to my list right away haha. So let’s take a look at those tropes!

Enemies to lovers

This is my absolute favorite romance trope. I eat it up every single time! It just so much fun seeing them slowly and reluctantly fall for each other. Yes, it’s a very popular trope, but that just shows that a lot of readers enjoy it haha. Red, White & Royal Blue, The Cruel Prince and Fourth Wing are some examples of books with enemies to lovers I really enjoyed.

Fake dating

This is a very close second! It’s another one I love so much. The lines between faking it and true feelings start to blur and while they try to hide it, after a short fight they always end up together. My favorite is of course To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before but I also really like The Kiss Quotient and Adorkable.

Forced marriage/marriage of convenience

I feel like this is a bit of a subtrope and could fall under fake dating. But in the end I decided to mention it as well as I like it for different reasons. I feel like it often combines enemies to lovers and fake dating, or at least it does in the books I liked with this trope! They have to deal with each other and work together and you can see them fall for each other. Serpent & Dove, The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King and Outlander are some great examples of this trope.

Best friend’s sibling

Out of the four of these, this is my least favorite one but it’s still one I really enjoy. I have read a lot less books with this romance trope, so I could use some recommendations. Maybe I like it because I used to have a crush on one of my best friend’s brother haha. In a Holidaze is a good example of this trope.

These are 4 of my favorite romance tropes. Since today is Valentine’s Day, I might pick up a book that has one of these tropes. Do you have any recommendations for me? And what is your favorite romance trope? I would love to hear from you!