Common Tropes

Looking for inspiration? Check out this list of popular tropes.

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Accidental Pregnancy - The heroine becomes pregnant.

Amnesia - A character has lost (or is perceived to have lost) his or her identity.

Best Friend’s Sibling - A character is dating his or her best friend’s sibling.

Bet/Blackmail/Wager - The couple initially gets together because of a bet, blackmail, or a wager.

Cyrano/Matchmaker - The person helping ends up falling in love with his or her friend’s match.

Enemies to Lovers - The couple dislikes one another in the beginning but ends up overcoming their differences.

Fake Dating - The couple pretends to be in a relationship for some reason (e.g. to make someone jealous, satisfy their parents, etc.).

Fated/Soul Mates - The couple is meant to be together as “true loves.”

Fling - A one-night stand or summer fling turns into more.

Forbidden Love - The couple isn’t allowed to be together for some reason (e.g. religion, family feud, societal rules, etc.).

Forced Proximity - The characters are forced together in a relatively close space (e.g. stuck in a cabin, trapped in an elevator, etc.).

Friends to Lovers - The couple are friends and then become more.

Friends with Benefits - A couple agrees to use each other for sex.

Kidnapped - A character falls in love with his or her kidnapper.

Love Triangle - A character must choose between two potential love interests.

Marriage of Convenience/Pretend Marriage - A couple gets married or pretends to be married for reasons that benefit them.

Marriage in Trouble - The couple is already married but having problems.

May/December - There is a substantial age gap between the characters.

Mistaken Identity - A character assumes the identity of someone else.

Opposites Attract - The characters are complete opposites but still fall in love.

Revenge - One character is seeking revenge for a real or perceived wrong.

Second Chance - Childhood sweethearts, ex-lovers, or a character getting another chance at love with someone new.

Secret Baby - The heroine had a baby and didn’t tell the father.

Single Parent - One of the characters is a single parent.

Unrequited Love - Similar to friends to lovers but with a character who has been in love with the other for a long time, often years.

Virgin - One character is a virgin.