Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Brokeandbookish. This week’s theme is Top Ten Bookish Things I want to Quit . Today, I chose to get a little bit creative and tell you about some bookish tropes I’m tired of reading about.
A trope is a common theme, a cliché, something that we see way too often in YA books. There are some I enjoy, but there are others that I’m really tired of seeing everywhere…so, let’s take a look!
1 • THE MALE PROTAGONIST IS HOT
Don’t get me wrong, I hold absolutely no grudge against hot people. They’re pretty, well, great for them, and it sure is a pleasure for our eyes. But aren’t you sometimes tired of the guy being so, so, so hot? I mean, I would like to have an average guy with an amazing mind, that gets more and more pretty as you get to know him, you know what I mean? Not always the gorgeous jock.
2 • LOVE TRIANGLES, WHEN IT’S NOT DONE RIGHT.
Well, if I’m talking about beautiful boys…I need to talk about love, and with it, comes the dreaded love triangles. In some stories, they are interesting to read about, because there’s no good, or bad guy. They are two different people, and the dynamics between the main characters and the two protagonists are well-done. Then, I’m okay, I guess. But a love triangle just for the sake of having a little fight, it’s just bothering .
3 • THE MAIN CHARACTER IS A WALLFLOWER
The girl in the background, the one everyone don’t really notice. She’s smart enough, she’s pretty enough, but she’s not the IT girl of the school. She plain and ordinary. Trust me, those characters are the ones we can relate to, the most, I get that. But I’d love to read about a popular girl from time to time. About a know-it-all smartass. About a reckless character. Or all of the above?
4 • INSTA-LOVE: DOES THAT REALLY HAPPEN?
Okay, I know a lot of you might recognize yourself in this trope. I mean, who isn’t bothered by insta-love? I don’t understand how that can happen in real-life, so obviously, I’m a little annoyed when reading that in a story. Well, after all, it’s fiction. It just shouldn’t happen too often, because, to me, it’s far from reality.
5 • IS LIFE REALLY THAT EASY?
There are some stories where things happen too easily, when problems find their solution in the blink of an eye. What about, no? Is life really that easy? Isn’t there struggle, battles, tears and a lot of bothering events before everything fixes itself? I really prefer reading a story where there are at least a little bit of struggle. Just like in life.
6 • A LITTLE COMMUNICATION PROBLEM?
Don’t you hate it, when you’re reading a book, and you find out that things could fix themselves if the two characters could just TALK? Well, that does it to me. Sometimes, all we need is for people to talk, for things to be alright, or, at least, to have all cards on the table and know everything. Secrecy, okay, complications, okay, but I’m just annoyed sometimes.
7 • SERIES: DID I MISS ANOTHER BOOK?
If you’re, like me, enjoying series once in a while, maybe you’ll see what I’m talking about. You read a book, go onto the other, and you think it’s over. Perfectly wrapped-up, finished. But no, it’s not time to say goodbye to those characters yet, because, SURPRISE. Another book is coming. Please, I would love some people to know where to stop.
8 • SECONDARY CHARACTERS…WAIT, WHO IS THAT AGAIN?
Did you ever find yourself reading a book, then a name pops up, and you have absolutely no idea who that is? What’s he doing here, or even what role does he play in the story? I hate when that happens. Sometimes, there are some secondary characters that just seem useless, and this annoys me. In every story, there’s an important group of people, and dynamics, to make things work. When there are just a bunch of unknown in the pack, doesn’t it annoy you? I want to know more than a name and a description.
9 • FAMILY: WHERE ARE YOU?
Family is, for me, and for everyone I think, one of the most important things in life. I’m really annoyed when parents, siblings, grandparents, or anything else close to family isn’t at all mentioned, or cared of, in the story, especially when it’s young adult. I think it’s an important part of who the teenager is, so it’s definitely worth more than simply mentioning.
10 • FRIENDSHIPS: BE REALISTIC, BE TRUE, MAKE ME LOVE YOU!
Another of the most important aspect in life, is friendship. It often is mentionned in books, and sometimes developped, well, or not. I like to know why they are friends, I like to see the dynamics between the characters really working, to believe in the friendship. Sometimes, it’s just two people, very different, and you don’t even see one thing in common…or pretended friends being awful to one another?. Isn’t that just, weird?! Yes to amazing friendships. Emmy & Oliver, I’m thinking of you 🙂
Are you annoyed by any of those bookish tropes? Why, or why not? Any other ideas I didn’t mention? Let me know everything in comments! 🙂
I think I agree on all of those! Sure, I like good-looking people, but sometimes it’s just ridiculously unrealistic. And when everything comes way too easy – no fun. I don’t know why I picked those two points in particular, I liked all of them hahaha
Ahah thank you so much!! I feel the same way: the world isn’t filled with only with ridiculously, crazy good looking people, so it gets so bothering sometimes!
Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂
I’m not gonna lie, I have no complaints with a hot male lead hahaha. I’m a terrible person though. I do get confused a lot when authors forget to write about the families. Like the main character goes to Europe for a week to fight evil or whatever and their parents think she’s at her best friends house? I don’t think that works in real life.
Ahah, I don’t either, well, I mean, I’m not going to complain too much about hotties, that’s great haha 😉 You’re so right about this. It’s so unrealistic, there should be a little place for the family at least, to make it a little more interesting, and believable sometimes 🙂
Twilight would be a good example for this. Charlie is a great character but they kind of just make up excuses for him and he sits back and takes it. I hate that! Haha
Ahah you’re so right, it’s the best example I think, it annoys me so much!
NUMBER 6!!!! This makes me CRAZY. My biggest problem with YA is that the characters cannot communicate so often and I’m like OMG USE YOUR WORDS. Also, awesome gif for that one 😉
It makes me so crazy, too!! I often find myself screaming at the book, haha!! Thank you so much for stopping by! <3
I agree with all of these! One dimensional friendships are the worst. I hate when a best friend only exists to talk about boys with and seems to mysteriously have no life of her own to talk about. It makes me resent the main character for being so self-involved.
You’re so right! It’s really bothering when that happens, because we feel like everything is about the main character. When we get a glimpse of their closed one’s lives, it’s more realistic, and the story is more three-dimensional, too 🙂
Thank you so much for your comment! <3
Great post! And I love the gifs you added with them! 🙂
I am not a fan of insta-love. It’s definitely one of the things that annoy me the most.
Thank you so much Ashley! <3 You're so right, insta-love is annoying, it doesn't really happen in real-life (well, if you ask me! 🙂 )
What a great list! I agree with you on all of these.
Thank you so much!! <3
Yes! All of these! Seems like if you dodge one terrible trope another one creeps into the book somehow. I want to find a book without all of these!
That’s exactly it! Well hopefully, we will find this book soon! 🙂
Thank you so much for stopping by! 😀
Great list! I totally agree with you on Love Triangles — I think they’re great if they’re done right, but most of the time it feels like its just an easy plot device to create a conflict. Great list and GIF choices. 🙂
Thank you Maria! 🙂 It really does, that’s why it’s so bothering! Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂
I don’t mind a hot male lead, but they are SO common now. I totally get what you mean.
Thank you! I’m so glad you approve! 🙂
This is such a great list! I agree with so many of these! I love seeing really great friendships in books and sometimes I get annoyed when I don’t really know why they’re friends. There are so many books where the main character is friends with somebody who I really don’t think is a great friend but yet the MC continues to defend them and be loyal to them. I just want to know why! And there’s nothing I love more than great family dynamics so it irks me when the parents are absent.
I have to say though, I don’t mind when a character is hot 😀 As long as it’s not advertised all the time. Characters like Will Herondale are kind of implied to be hot, which I’m completely fine with. It’s just when the female MC goes on and on about how good looking the male love interest is, that I get a bit annoyed. I’m also not a huge fan of the communication problems. Especially when one character is trying to tell the other some crucial information and the other goes “I don’t want to hear it” or “tell me later”. NO! TELL ME NOW. I do really love I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson though. That whole book is based on communication problems between siblings and I found it to be a beautiful book.
Okay this comment is really long.. but I really love your list! <3
Also I find it so funny that you used that Ryan Gosling gif for insta-love. Because I pretty much fall in love with him everytime I see his face 😀
Ahah, well I do too! How can we not, with this face, haha! <3
Thank you so much! And no need to apologize, reading long comments like that really makes my day! 😀 I’m so glad to see you’re agreeing with my list! I understand what you mean, about hot characters. What bothers me the most with that, is when they’re constantly described as good looking, it’s like, it’s the only thing worth mentioning about this character, that annoys me so much!
Funny you should mention this book, it’s been on my TBR forever! Now I’m even more impatient to read it, it sounds wonderful. 🙂
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a long thoughtful comment, Jenna! 🙂
Ah yes. I totally know what you mean! It’s like there’s nothing to them except their extraordinary good looks (and their expensive cars).
You definitely have to read I’ll Give You The Sun! It’s my favourite YA novel I’ve read this year. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed 🙂
I’ll put it on top of my future TBR then, and I’ll get it as soon as I can! 😀
Yes to #1! I really am tired of all the stereotypically perfect male love interests with the blue eyes and the tans and the chiseled six packs and 6-foot-something height. Not only is it ok for characters to not be attractive, but characters can also be attractive without those specific traits.
That’s exactly it! It would be so great to hear about male love interests that aren’t that perfect, physically and mentally, too, but still manages to make us love them! 🙂
Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂
those things bother me too! My TTT
I’m glad you agree! 🙂
Absolutely love this post, Marie! It’s so relatable and I love the gifs you decide to use. Very appropriate. Strangely, bad love triangles don’t bother me that much anymore. Maybe reading them have become my guilty pleasure? Who knows! 😉 And oh my gosh, yes! Some series just need to end. However, the only exception for me are Cassandra Clare books. I know some people just want the shadowhunters books to stop but I’m too much of a fan of them. 😛
Thank you so much, Summer! I get what you mean, sometimes I enjoy some of those tropes, they’re a guilty pleasure as you said, but sometimes they just get annoying! I guess it depends mostly of what mood I’m in for! 🙂
Thank you so much for stopping by! <3
I had some of these on my list as well!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2015/10/06/top-ten-tuesday-25/
Aw that’s great, seems like we got a lot in common then 🙂 Thank you for your comment! 🙂
No problem!
Unless you read an LGBT title, you could totally escape the hot man-meat trope by just avoiding female MCs for a while; change it up once and a while so you aren’t inundated by it.
Cheers,
Joey via. thoughts and afterthoughts.
You’re absolutely right, I tend to read too many female MCs, I really should change that a little bit! 🙂 Thank you Joey 🙂
Nailed it with the hot protagonist! Can I also add the endless descriptions of the hot female lead if it is a dual POV?
I can’t STAND books that spend the first two chapters describing the lushous body of the two love interests…I got it the first time that you want to bang them thanks 0.o
You’re SO right!! I can’t stand it either, it’s just so bothering and pointless! 😮
Thank you so much for stopping by, Lauren! <3