ROMANCE WEEK DAY ONE: Romance Trope Tag

We came across this tag on My Year of Reading Dangerously, and thought it would be perfect for Romance Week! Check out their post here.

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Basically the rules are:

• If you’d like to do the tag, feel free! Just make sure to link back to this post so I can see all of your wonderful answers.
• You can find graphics on the original post.
• Although this is based around romance tropes, your answers don’t have to be romance books. Whatever fits the prompt!

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LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT – a book you fell in love with almost immediately

Bree: The Heartstopper graphic novels by Alice Oseman won me over so completely the first time I read them that I immediately reread the first three within days of finishing them. Check out my review of them here!

Tree: I was just rereading my review of Take a Hint, Dani Brown and in that review I put that I knew I would love that book at 7% in. So that’s my answer. Also, I should do a reread of this one because I miss Dani and Zaf.

FORBIDDEN LOVE – a romantic pairing you probably shouldn’t love but you do

Bree: I guess Jude & Cardan from The Folk of the Air series are technically terrible people who do awful things, but like I just love them so much! IDK how but the stabbiness makes them more endearing to me??

Tree: I don’t really ship anything that is forbidden and I don’t have “shame” or whatever about it, but I do ship Reylo (Kylo Ren/Ben Solo & Rey) from Star Wars which I know is sort of controversial.

STUCK TOGETHER/FORCED PROXIMITY – a book you felt pressured to read

Bree: Hmm, maybe The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon? But only because Tree kept talking about how it good it was and my library loan had a really long waitlist if I returned it without finishing it. So, I felt the pressure to read it even though my mood reader brain wasn’t quite in the mood for that cup of tea. Check out Tree’s review here.

Tree: I don’t really “feel the pressure” to read specific books unless they are ARCs that I want/need to review before they release. So in that case I felt a tad pressure to read The Roughest Draft before publication date. But, I loved it in the end so it’s all good friends. You can see my review here if you want more thoughts.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY – a book that wasn’t what you were expecting

Bree: When someone terms something ‘vampire noir’ there are particular expectations brought to mind. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia just didn’t deliver on any of those points for me. I feel like I waiting for the vampires, the noir, and the story to happen the whole book.

Tree: I love being surprised by books and I went into Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson with no idea what the book was going to be about and I still was surprised that the children literally would combust into flames.

SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE – a book/series you enjoyed more the second time around

Bree: So, the first time I read The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata I ended up giving it 4 stars, but now it stands as one of my favorite romance books and I’ve read it 3 times?? So I’d love to know my past-self logic. Check out my review here.

Tree: When I read The Scorpio Races the first time I gave it four stars. Then I listened to the audiobook and fell in love. Now I reread it every November because I have no chill.

OPPOSITES ATTRACT – a book you love from a genre you don’t usually read

Bree: I just finished binging The Naturals by Jennifer Lynne Barnes and oh my gosh it was so good! I was sad to find out only book one was made into an audiobook, but I’m determined to follow this weird crime/mystery/youth detective series to the end nevertheless!

Tree: I’m not sure if LOVE is the right word, but I did really enjoy An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green which definitely has Science Fiction elements which is 100% not my typical genre.

ENEMIES TO LOVERS – a book whose second half is better than the its first or a series that gets better over time

Bree: I’m not going to lie, I hardly talk about or recommend the Food Wars! manga to anyone because the first few volumes are like very bizarre and a lot to process. But eventually the storytelling focuses in on the food/cooking/best chef plotline and it gets very entertaining!

Tree: I like book two in the Check, Please series more than I like the first one! But they are both fabulous. See my review here.

LOVE TRIANGLE – your house is on fire and you can only save one series! which two series do you die trying to choose between?

Bree: I would die trying to decide between taking The Folk of the Air series and my signed copy of The Wall of Winnipeg and Me. But I’m pretty sure I could carry at least *counts on fingers* 6 books out without losing any maneuverability.

Tree: I don’t really read series so I’m just going to share two books, my signed copy of Six of Crows and my signed copy of Daisy Jones & the Six.

FRIENDS TO LOVERS – a book you wanted more from

Bree: I enjoyed seeing all the characters in Solitaire by Alice Oseman, but the plot just kind of dragged for me and we didn’t get as much of funny/weird/off the cuff Tori as I’d have liked.

Tree: I liked The Ex Hex but I wanted a bit more romance and more magic. Which I am not sure how that would work, but I just wanted more!

MEET CUTE – a book that got you hooked on romance

Bree: HAHAHA The Hating Game by Sally Throne!! Many a moon ago and after much prodding from Tree to read it, I finally did & absolutely loved it. My life was changed and now I digest romance books on the regular. Changed my world. Thanks Tree! Check out my review of it here!

Tree: I am pretty sure The Hating Game is the first adult romance I read as an adult. I had read a variety of women’s fiction, some Sophie Kinsella novels and a few Christian fiction novels (don’t ask lol) that all bordered on romance, but The Hating Game is the one that got me to seek out more books in the genre and led me to becoming a ROMANCE READER.

SOULMATES – two characters who are made for each other

Bree: EMMA & JO. EMMA & JO. EMMA & JO. From Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner!! They are just the cutest and I love them so much!! *dies* Read my review here!

Tree: Adam and Olive from The Love Hypothesis. See my review here. 

BONUS – your favorite romance trope/a book that features it

Bree: How can I say I just have one favorite? There’s just too many tropes to pick from! But I guess the one that always punctures me the quickest is grumpy x sunshine. I just can’t take the dynamic. Absolutely wrecks me every time!! Especially when I retroactively realized that most of Mariana Zapata’s books are of cover-to-cover examples of grumpy x sunshine. Had to reevaluate my life!!

Tree: I am a sucker for the trope of a character who thinks they are not worthy/deserving of love who meets someone who is determined to love them. See The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare. (Also has marriage of convenience which is another great trope).

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo, Bree & Tree