A few months ago I shared a post called 8 Things I’m Tired of Seeing in Books. So today I thought I’d share with you some of the themes and tropes I LOVE seeing in books.

As before, these are just my own personal opinions and I know other people may dislike these same tropes etc.  But I just love ’em!

01) Slow Burn Love/Attraction

I am all about the slow-burn. I love when books build up the romantic and/or sexual tension.

If it’s a series of books, I expect the tension to build throughout at least 2 books, if not more. The exception is if the MCs from the first book are not the MCs in the second book etc.

I love seeing an author throw in simple gestures, small glances and other gentle hints that there’s something brewing 😀

I’m not a fan of characters jumping into bed early in a book, because it’s almost always never built up enough.

02) Great Friendships

Like the slow burn, I LOVE reading great friendships and let’s be clear I DO mean friendships. I like romance in books, but I also like friendships so if you have two friends, sometimes it’s nice for that JUST to stay a friendship.

Often those friendships bloom into romance (which is great) but it seems to be almost always the case. Maybe throw in another character that actually is and stays a friend and doesn’t end up in some love triangle.

Also we see a lot of strong female friendships in books which is awesome, but I don’t see as many male friendships.

Seriously, strong male friendships, brotherhood loyalty kind of friendships.  I want to see more. Think, Lord of the Rings! We want more of that.

Also, let’s make sure the friend isn’t just a token character propping up or being an ear for the main character. Let them have their own agency and maybe a bit of storyline.

03) Love-Hate Relationships/Friendships

You know I already love friendships and slow-burn romances, I also seriously love those awkward love-hate relationships/friendships.

That’s right, I am here for a good, solid Enemies to Lovers/Friends.

Let’s be clear, I’m not into some creepy stalker/persistent character and the one they are trying to wear down. 

Also, it doesn’t even have to be a full on Enemies to Lovers/Friends. Sometimes the more simple, often comedic “why are you even on the quest, you don’t even have a sword!” kind of moments work well.

You know the type, were two or more characters just rub each other the wrong way but usually there is some grudging respect, or a surprising show of compassion or understanding partway through.

Some of my fave books/movies/TV series have characters like that.  I never get tired of it.  Ever.

04) Tragic Back Story

Yup, I love me some tragic backstory. Probably because I love inflicting my own characters through that.

Whether it’s something small or something large, I like to see some emotional scarring to a character.

That may make me sound a little sociopathic, but it can make for good characters. It’s why so many comic book heroes have tragic backstories and for tugging at the ol’ heartstrings.

And it can be anyones! The lead, the villain, the stray dog found along the way! Sprinkle that tragedy in.

05) Tear-Your-Heart-Out Reveals

These moments are usually in the sense of sudden unsuspecting death (sometimes even of a main character).

PS: To anyone who comments I have NOT yet seen all of the Game of Thrones so please don’t mention them as examples.

In fact, avoid any spoilers all together!

I’ve read books that had me jumping up screaming “OMG NO!” (sometimes in front of a bus full of people) because a reveal was so shocking.

It doesn’t have to be deaths, it could be any type of shocking reveal such as betrayals, they’re good too – I love betrayals (maybe I AM a sociopath ). I love getting angry and hurt on the character’s behalf.

Books that stir deep emotions stay with me. I like ones that I have to put it down and recover for a few minutes before I pick it up.

06) A Character With Too Many Weapons

Yes, it’s a silly, done-to-death cliche but I don’t care. I love it. Those characters who always insist on bringing excessive amounts of weapons and then have to remove them all.

This then becomes a long moment while everyone watches as more and more, smaller and smaller weapons are removed until you can’t figure out how they even moved for all the weapons.

07) Large Casts of Characters

I’ve always been drawn to books where there is a large cast of characters, especially when there are multiple main characters.

If written well, it can really draw you in and make you feel like you’re part of the group.

I especially like books that have these large casts and then split them up, sending them on separate journeys or forcefully pulling them apart to where they have to find a way back to regroup.

08) Compassion In Villains

Well developed villains are awesome. They can sometimes be more fun to read than the protagonist and I’ve even rooted for the odd villain.

I love it when I read a book and the villain shows they have a softer, even caring side. I like the clashing personality that can come from mostly-heartless character and then there will be a glimmer of some humanity peeking through.

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Over to you, what are some of the things you love seeing in books? Share them in the comments below and feel free to add some book recs too. 🙂

Happy writing

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