The Romance Tropes Tag | Tag Thursdays

Because I follow The Infinite Library blog, I came across this tag they’ve created and I love it, so of course I had to do the tag myself! Please check out their blog and their post of this tag here to see her answers!

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 are welcome to use my graphics or create your own.
• Although this is based around romance tropes, your answers don’t have to be romance books. Whatever fits the prompt!

Anyway, if you’re a fan of romance, than I hope you enjoy my selections for these prompts/get inspired to read ones you haven’t yet! Now to the post:

The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss by Amy Noelle Parks

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book and I am over the moon about how much I love this book. It is probably one of the cutest books I’ve ever read. I love both the two MCs, but I love the witty banter throughout the book even more. This is just one of those books that’s super smartly written and it gives you all the feels!

I also love that this book also deals with mental health and one of the MCs is neuro-diverse. I enjoyed all the nerdy science aspects of it as well. This is really one of those books that is super readable and you’ll want to read it again and again. I bought myself a copy as soon as it came out. Plus, this cover is one of my favorites of all time.

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Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Okay, I know, this is not the healthiest of relationships. For one thing, Juliet is fourteen. I also know that it’s problematic to love a relationship that is based on secrets. Still, this is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays and I swoon every time I watch Romeo + Juliet. I just think the writing is so amazing and it gives me the chills whenever I hear certain lines. The forbidden romance trope is also one of my favorites, though this one is not the greatest example.

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Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

So this is actually a happy ending! I have seen this book everywhere: on Instagram, on blogs, Twitter. Everybody is talking about it. Well, I felt enough pressure to give it a go and. Well, it’s one of my new favorite things. I love this series. I bought the books. I am politely obsessed. There are many books out there that I see people rave about and I’m always on the fence about reading them simply because I’m afraid the bar might be set too high if I do. Not this time. The hype is well deserved. Love it!

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Everything I Thought I Knew by Shannon Takaoka

I went into this book expecting realistic fiction and what I got was…not quite that. This book walks a very shaky line between fiction and supernatural (not in the way you would think, though, honestly you have to read it to really understand it). I just thought this book was going to be a minor heart-wrenching teen romance. I was totally unprepared for how it turned out. You can check out my review for a more detailed account of my reactions to this book, otherwise I’ll just say that it was a bit of a let down because it didn’t turn out to be what I was expecting.

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The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Okay, so this isn’t exactly a romance, but I honestly can’t think of a romance that I’ve read a second time and felt differently about. I either love it the first time I read it and eventually re-read it to the same effect or I don’t love it and I never touch it again.

So. This book is one that I’ve re-visited since I first read it, which was in high school. I liked it then, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think I fully embraced it’s majesty until the second time I read it, in preparation for watching the tv adaptation. I love it even more than I did then. It’s a brilliant book and I definitely recommend reading it again if you didn’t care for it the first time.

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Angelfall by Susan Ee

So, I don’t normally read supernatural fiction – specifically the supernatural fiction that involves angels. I’ve read a fair deal of vampire fiction, trust me. This book, though, sounded so intriguing that I had to give it a go. It’s apocalyptic, essentially, and the main character is one badass female taking on angels bent on destroying humanity. In the process she ends up falling for an angel, but so it goes. I haven’t read the rest of the series, but I enjoyed this one enough that I would like to read the rest. It definitely surprised me with how good it is!

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Check Please! by Ngozi Ukazu

Surprisingly, I like the second volume, Sticks & Scones better than the first! It’s rare for that to happen for me, because usually I love the first book the best and each successive book is not as good or it stays even. This is probably the only exception. I also don’t really know what it is about this book that makes me like it more than the first. Maybe it’s that I already know who all the characters are and it’s more relationship-driven? I love watching the comfort and ease that Bitty and Jack have. It’s just seems even better than the first, I guess.

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Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly OR Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

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I can’t really imagine a scenario in which I would be picking out books to save from a fire instead of herding my cats, but if I suspend all disbelief, I suppose it would be between these two series. I love Trouble and the whole series is awesome. I love ever bit of it and still want more. I’m still working my way through the Night Huntress series but I have loved each one I’ve come across. Honestly I might save those, actually, since I don’t think they’re in print anymore so it would be harder to replace them!

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The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

This is very light on the romance, but…I wanted more from this book. It disappointed me and the romance was one of the disappointing things about it. I love that Morgenstern chose to present a diverse cast of characters and included LGBTQ couples. However, it just wasn’t believable. For one thing, I’m not a fan of large age-gaps in pairings and Dorian just feels too old for Zachary. Also, they spend a total of…a day or two, tops, with each other. There’s hardly any interaction or time for a real romance to develop, let alone for them to fall in love. I just didn’t buy it. I wished for this book to sweep me away as much as The Night Circus did, but alas, it was trying to be too many things at once and I just couldn’t get into it.

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The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Really, all the books of Sarah Dessen got me hooked on romance. Between this and Twilight, I knew I was a romantic at heart and I constantly seek out new favorite romances in all the books I read. This book remains one of my favorite YA romances. I love the slow-burn romance, with its touch of “forbidden” (the main love interest is dating someone else). This book still makes me squee every time I read it. I also hold up This Lullaby alongside this one as my favorite Dessen book. What can I say, Sarah Dessen gets me every time.

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Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

You will never convince me that there is a better pairing in fiction than Ella and Prince Charmont. I love this paring and this book is one of my favorites of all time. This is my ideal romance, one born out of mutual respect and love, a truly equal relationship. Ella and Char complete each other. I have read and re-read this book so many times and each time is just as satisfying seeing them fall in love with each other. I don’t care that this book is a middle grade story. I will always come back to it. I talk it up to everyone I possibly can.

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Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

I’m picking the friends to lovers trope and this book is probably one of my favorites that exemplifies it. It’s akin to Ella Enchanted really, only it’s along the lines of, “Nah, we’re totally not compatible, we’re just good friends,” then they realize that they’ve grown so close to each other than their friendship is basically a love-ship. Yeah, I said it. I continue to seek out Christina Lauren books because they write such good steamy contemporary romance. Like this one!

Thoughts & Thanks

Though I like participating in tags, I’m bad at tagging people. My favorite thing is just to say, if you’ve read this post and like it, please consider yourself tagged! And feel free to share your Tag post in the comments so I can see what you picked.

As always, thank you for visiting and happy reading!