Contemporary Romance Tropes

 Contemporary romance is a subgenre of romance novels that takes place in the present day. These novels are often characterized by their relatable characters, realistic settings, and modern themes. Here are some of the most popular contemporary romance tropes:

1. Friends to Lovers: This trope is all about two characters who start off as friends but eventually fall in love. In The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, Stella is a successful econometrician who hires Michael, an escort, to teach her about sex. As they spend more time together, they start to develop feelings for each other.

2. Second Chance at Love: This trope is all about two characters who were once in love but broke up and then get a second chance to be together. In The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes, Jennifer and Anthony fall in love in the 1960s but are separated by circumstances. Decades later, Jennifer is in a loveless marriage and Anthony is still single. When Jennifer finds some old love letters, she decides to track down Anthony and see if they can rekindle their romance.

3. Opposites Attract: This trope is all about two characters who are very different from each other but fall in love anyway. In The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, Lucy and Joshua are co-workers who can’t stand each other. But when they are both up for the same promotion, they start to see each other in a new light.

4. Fake Relationship: This trope is all about two characters who pretend to be in a relationship but end up falling in love for real. In The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, Olive and Ethan are sworn enemies who are forced to pretend to be newlyweds on a honeymoon. But when everyone else gets food poisoning, they end up having to spend time together and start to develop feelings for each other.

5. Small Town Romance: This trope is all about two characters who fall in love in a small town. In The Clover Chapel by Devney Perry, Nick and Emmy grew up together in a small town. When Emmy returns to town years later, she and Nick start to fall in love.

These are just a few of the many tropes found in contemporary romance novels. Other popular tropes include “marriage of convenience,” “forbidden love,” and “single parent romance.”