Can you still love a book with tropes you hate?

 

We all have them, our least favourite tropes.  The ones that make you roll your eyes, think “Oh no, not this again!” or just disappoint you every time they crop up.  But, what if a book is fantastic in all other aspects, does that trope cropping up spoil it for you?

I’ve read some books recently that have made me want to bang my head against the wall because one of my most hated tropes have invaded the story, BUT I’ve still rated the book five stars, because I adored the book as a whole.

So, what are those tropes I despise?

 

The “This character was dead, but surprise, they really weren’t!” trope

Ugh.  This has got to be my all time, make me want to throw the book at the wall trope.  If an author is going to rip out my heart when they kill a character, at least have the guts to let them stay dead.  Bombshells like a main, or well liked side character dying in a book are what make a book stay with me long after I’ve finished the last page.  Morbid? Maybe. But above all, I want a book that makes me FEEL, even if that means it left me like a shocked popsicle with staring eyes for days.

There was a particular book that did this where I still absolutely loved the book and forgave the author, even though a part of me still wished it hadn’t happened.  I can’t tell you what book that is though, because spoilers.  Ha!

 

The Love Triangle

Ok, there are rare times when a love triangle is actually done well.  But not when they crop up in Every. Single. Book. and definitely not when it’s an “I am so infatuated with this bad boy that I can’t even see that my best friend in all the world, who’s so sweet and kind, is totally in love with me” situation.  Just no.  If there’s going to be a love triangle, it’s got to be something different.  There needs to be a point to it.  And, please, for the love of everything, can we not have the “I’m just a simple girl, you’ll know this because I’ll spend a lot of time telling you just how ordinary I am, even though everyone else will think I’m stunningly beautiful, and no-one has ever paid attention to me before, but suddenly there are two guys desperately in love with me and I need to choose between them.  Oh, and one will be a prince.  Obviously”.

 

The “X amount of years later” epilogue

Ok, this one might not even be known as a trope? I don’t know.  But I really dislike it. Even in movies.  If there’s more to the story, can we have another book?  Not just a rushed “P.S. all this stuff happened and this is how everyone ended up” thing.  YES, even in Harry Potter.  I want to carefully remove those last pages forever.

 

Insta-love

How much do I loathe this trope? Let me count the ways!  Sometimes I can forgive instal-love, if, for instance, the characters are pushed into a super emotional or dangerous situation, because, ok that does happen (but let’s face it, those relationships rarely last).  But if a character starts to carry on about how hopelessly in love they are with another character, when they’ve known them for all of two days, we’re going to have a problem.  Although I can stomach it if the rest of the book is really really good, usually my rating stars are falling as fast as the characters hearts.

 

So, how do you feel about it?  What are your “get me out of here!” tropes and do they spoil the whole book for you?