If you’ve ever read a book and thought, Wait… I’ve seen this before!, you’re not alone. That’s because most stories rely on tropes—familiar themes, plot devices, and character types that shape narratives across genres.
But here’s the thing—tropes aren’t a bad thing! In fact, they’re part of what makes storytelling so enjoyable. Some tropes feel comforting, like a found family coming together against all odds, while others keep us on the edge of our seats (hello, enemies-to-lovers). A well-executed trope can feel just as exciting as the first time you encountered it.
So, let’s dive into some of the most popular book tropes, from swoon-worthy romances and epic fantasy quests to edge-of-your-seat thrillers.
Popular Book Tropes by Genre
Romance Tropes
💘 Enemies to Lovers – They can’t stand each other… until they can’t stay away. (Pride and Prejudice, The Cruel Prince)
💞 Friends to Lovers – When a close friendship turns into something more. (Love & Other Words, People We Meet on Vacation)
🔥 Forbidden Love – Their love is off-limits—whether because of family, duty, or society. (Romeo & Juliet, Serpent & Dove)
🥵 Slow Burn – The romance builds painfully slowly, keeping readers on edge before the characters finally get together. (A Court of Thorns and Roses, The Love Hypothesis)
🔺 Love Triangle – One person is torn between two love interests—Team A vs. Team B! (Twilight, The Hunger Games)
💍 Marriage of Convenience – They have to get married for a reason (money, power, survival), but real feelings start to develop. (The Kiss Quotient, The Bridge Kingdom)
👀 Fake Dating – Pretending to be a couple… until they realise it’s not so fake anymore. (The Unhoneymooners, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before)
💋 Forced Proximity – Stuck in a cabin during a snowstorm? Trapped on a road trip? Forced to share a bed? Love is inevitable! (The Spanish Love Deception, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me)
🎭 Secret Relationship – They’re together, but no one can know! (Red, White & Royal Blue, The Raven Boys)
🥂 Second Chance Romance – Lovers who have history get another shot at love. (The Dead Romantics, Every Summer After)
🏡 Small Town Romance – Big city meets cozy small-town vibes, often with childhood sweethearts or new beginnings. (It Happened One Summer, Book Lovers)
Fantasy & Sci-Fi Tropes
⚔️ The Chosen One – A seemingly ordinary character is actually destined to save the world. (Harry Potter, The Name of the Wind)
🖤 Morally Grey Hero – They’re not quite good or evil, but they make us question everything. (The Darkling in Shadow & Bone, Kaz Brekker in Six of Crows)
🕵️♀️ Secret Identity / Hidden Royalty – They seem normal, but they’re actually a lost prince(ss) or someone with a secret past. (Throne of Glass, The Inheritance Games)
👑 Enemies to Allies to Lovers – When rivals have to work together before falling for each other. (From Blood and Ash, The Serpent & the Wings of Night)
🔮 Prophecy / Fate – A prophecy foretells their destiny… but is it really set in stone? (Percy Jackson, The Poppy War)
🏰 Found Family – A group of misfits comes together to form an unbreakable bond. (Six of Crows, Crescent City)
🔥 Forbidden Magic – Using magic could cost them everything, but they just can’t resist. (Serpent & Dove, The Bone Season)
🦸 Reluctant Hero – They don’t want to be the hero, but fate has other plans. (The Hobbit, Mistborn)
🔮 Dark Academia – An elite school, mysterious lessons, and maybe some dangerous secrets. (Ninth House, The Atlas Six)
👻 Ghostly Companion – The main character is haunted, literally or figuratively. (Cemetery Boys, The Diviners)
💎 Magical Object of Power – Everyone’s after the one powerful artifact. (The One Ring in Lord of the Rings, The Deathly Hallows)
🖤 Villain Redemption Arc – The bad guy gets a second chance (or does he?). (The Cruel Prince, The Shadows Between Us)
Mystery & Thriller Tropes
👥 Multiple POVs – The story unfolds from different perspectives, keeping you guessing. (Big Little Lies, The Silent Patient)
🔪 The Final Girl – A lone survivor fights back against the killer. (Scream, Final Girls)
🚪 Locked-Room Mystery – A crime happens in an impossible location, and everyone’s a suspect. (And Then There Were None, The Guest List)
🤯 The Twist Ending – Just when you think you know what’s going on… BAM! Mind blown. (We Were Liars, Verity)
Historical & Classic Lit Tropes
💼 Rags to Riches – A poor or struggling character rises to wealth or power. (Jane Eyre, The Count of Monte Cristo)
🎩 Opposites Attract – A prim and proper character falls for a wild, reckless one. (Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, Jo and Laurie in Little Women)
💌 Lost in Translation – A misunderstanding (often through letters) leads to dramatic consequences. (Cyrano de Bergerac, Atonement)
🖊️ Metafiction – A book that knows it’s a book, playing with storytelling itself. (If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler, House of Leaves)
Bonus: Fun Book Tropes That Don’t Fit One Genre
📚 Bookish MC (Main Character) – A book lover, librarian, or writer as the protagonist. (The Book Thief, The Shadow of the Wind)
👑 The Evil Queen – A powerful woman who will do whatever it takes to keep her throne. (Snow White’s Queen, Levana in The Lunar Chronicles)
👶 Surprise Heir – A character unexpectedly learns they’re royalty. (The Princess Diaries, Red Queen)
🕰️ Time Travel Romance – Love that defies time itself. (Outlander, The Time Traveler’s Wife)
What’s Your Favourite Trope?
There are so many more tropes out there, but these are some of the most common ones you’ll find across different genres. Whether you love them, hate them, or have a few guilty pleasure favourites (I’m looking at you, enemies to lovers!), tropes are what make books so much fun to read.
What’s your favourite trope? Drop it in the comments! ✨
Kimberley Xx
Enchanted Bookshelf 