**Have you ever read a book where something just stands out to you? Maybe a trope, or a setting, or a theme that lies somewhere between the front and back cover interwoven in the story? I lie on the floor and hold my book overhead so I can continue to read while waiting for my tea to brew. I hold in a smile and flip to the last page and close the book, letting my arms drop besides me. I walk my book to my shelves and slide it in to its new home. I take a glance at my shelves and think about all those things I love in books and how for some I wish I had more of it. I make a mental note to look for similar books.**

I couldn’t figure out what I wanted this post to be. I thought of doing my favorite tropes, themes, and genres because Valentine’s Day is coming up, and I thought I could talk about the things I love in books. But then I was thinking about those tropes that I wish I could read more of since I’ve only read one or two books with it. I finally decided to just combine these two so I can talk about both. I also added some recommendations for each trope. These recommendations include books I enjoyed but also some that are just a good match for the trope. Also, I know my posting schedule has been a bit off this year so far, so bear with me. January was a bit busy and I just haven’t gotten back into yet, but I have a few post ideas and hope to start getting everything up on time again. I have quite the list, so let’s jump right in.

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• Enemies to Lovers

Yes, we are going to start off with a basic trope. Enemies to lovers is just too good to not bring up though. I don’t like when the enemies are “enemies” in the way that they are briefly annoyed with each other, but I also don’t really like when they’re true enemies, like in The Cruel Prince. I love a lot of the things associated with enemies to lovers as well like banter and forced proximity in some forms. I think that there is almost more of a connection when they start as enemies, and there is more growth.

Book Recs: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer, The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller, Starflight by Melissa Landers

• Time Travel and Multiversal Travel

This is one of those ones that I really need to read more of. Only a Monster by Vanessa Len and Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone were both time travel books that I really enjoyed and I need more. The only multiversal travel book I’ve read was A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray which was just okay. I love a good time travel debate, and tie that in with my love for the first few seasons of the show The Flash a few years ago, I feel like I need more time travel and multiversal travel books. Only a Monster was also very unique in its time travel mechanics.

Book Recs: Only a Monster by Vanessa Len, Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone, A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

• Books with life discussions or when the main characters don’t know what to do in life

As an indecisive person, I absolutely love when books have characters that don’t have it all figured out. It’s very reassuring to see characters like that instead of the usual where characters know exactly what school they want to go to or what job they want and what they want out of life. I always love finding these types of stories.

Book Recs: Happy Place by Emily Henry, People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry, Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon, Don’t Read the Last Page by Catherine Downen

• When something happens to one of the characters and the other tries to keep them safe or find them

This is such a good trope. Something may happen to the one character or in the plot and the other says something about how they can hate them later as long as they are fine or hate them later for what they are doing to save them. This is also a good trope in terms of something happening and the character desperate to make it back to the other. There are probably a few ways to word this, but they’re all great. Tending to wounds is another great one that could somewhat correlate. Basically, I guess I just like the desperate need of one character to save the other, but it has to be done a certain way.

Book Recs: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Destroy the Day by Brigid Kemmerer

• Summer Camp Setting

I love a good summer camp setting, especially in a thriller. There is something about this setting that makes everything more suspenseful and scary. I haven’t read many books with this and I need to read more. I also love that episode of Psych, “Tuesday the 17th.“

Book Recs: The Lake by Natasha Preston

• Retellings

Back in 2016/2017, I went through a huge retelling phase but haven’t read as many since. I think it’s really fun to read a book based on another story and see what the author did to change it up. Even just a book inspired by another story is great. I really liked a lot of the retellings I’ve read which is why it’s on the list.

Book Recs: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer, The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand, Splintered by A.G. Howard, Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

• Carnival/Amusement Park Setting

Once again, episodes of Psych have made me interested in this. I think that it can be so fun to have a carnival or amusement park as a setting in a book, and I’ve barely found any. I would love to find a few more, but I did love Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus. This was a great ya thriller with an amusement park setting.

Book Recs: Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

• Flashbacks

I love a good flashback. It is so fun to see characters before the story and see how they were different and what they were doing. There are several shows that do flashbacks that I love, but I don’t really have many books that I’ve read with this. I do love when The Inheritance Games has flashbacks or bonus content that we don’t see in the main story.

Book Recs: The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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I don’t know about any of you, but I love those videos where people discuss their favorite micro-tropes. I love to see the small things that stick out to people and love to find ones that I like. I also like the trope recommendation ones too. There are probably so many more tropes and themes that I love in books, but I wanted to share a few ones that I either really like or want to read more of. I would love to hear some of your favorites or ones that you are interested in seeing more of.

xoxo,

Just another reader 💝