The Most Underrated Romance Tropes in Fiction
- Jenna Moreci
- Mar 3
- 6 min read
HelloOoOo everybody!
I’m here to talk about my favorite genre, which is romance. And specifically the underrated romance tropes that I really, really wish were featured in more books.
A few disclaimers: These are just my own personal opinions. If you don't agree, that's fine. Second, I am a human being with ever-evolving opinions, which means that one day I might change my mind about these tropes. Who's to say? And a final disclaimer, three of these tropes are about heterosexual or heterosexual-presenting relationships. That's not because I only read hetero romance, far from it. It's because hetero romance is the majority within the genre and subsequently has the most problems.
Now onto the underrated romance tropes. These are my suggestions for fixing your romance stories so they don't suck.
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Number 1: Yearning
Spice is fine. Smut is fine. I read books that feature both, and they’re a delight. But I think a lot of authors have forgotten the plot. Literally. Unless you're writing erotica, which is a valid genre, sex is not supposed to be the entire purpose of a novel.
And if you're writing a romance, that's an even more important distinction. Love is supposed to be the purpose of a romance novel, and sex, if it's featured at all, is the cherry on top. Sometimes it's a big cherry. Maybe the ice cream is full of cherries. But still, it's the cherry.
Bring back the yearning! I want to see these characters admire, appreciate, and adore each other. And I want that admiration, appreciation, and adoration to be about more than sex. This honestly feels like scraping the bottom of the barrel. Shouldn't everyone seeking a romantic relationship expect to be yearned for?
And for what it's worth, books can totally open with tons of banging and still feature yearning. Their relationship starts off as sexual and transitions into something romantic. Just like a relationship can start off as platonic and then become romantic. Or it can start off as romantic and turn into deep-seated hatred. But that's another genre.
The point is, I want to see these characters pine for one another on a romantic, emotionally intimate level. The sexy stuff is great too, but that's not what the romance genre is supposed to be all about.
Number 2: The Black Cat and the Golden Retriever
I've seen the grumpy sunshine trope done super well with homosexual couples. But when it's heterosexual, I don't want to see it. I don't want to hear about it. I don't even want to go near it. Because it's done to death, and it's always a grumpy man and a sunshine woman. Which usually translates into an asshole and a manic pixie dream girl. And I'm not interested.
What I'd love to see more of is the black cat and the golden retriever, which is a standoffish woman and an adorable, friendly, sweetie pie man. This trope feels interesting and realistic. Women have a lot of reasons to feel standoffish, especially around men. They're often the worst. And a man who is friendly and sweet and a pleasure to be around is really refreshing. It's special. It's unique. It's rare. That's what makes this man a desirable love interest.
The goal of a lot of romance novels is to make one character, usually the female character, relatable. And in today's landscape, being standoffish and pissed off and wary of men is relatable, which is why I really love a black cat and golden retriever pairing. No more asshole men and cartoonish, sweetheart women who exist solely to fix their problems. I want to see a sweet guy prove his good nature and intentions to a skeptical woman.
Number 3: The Age Gap Romance
… Except she's older than him. This is another gendered trope that has been overdone in one direction and underutilized in the other. I've seen a million romance novels where a barely legal woman falls in love with her father's best friend. And holy shit, that's gross. That man was there for your birth, and we're not supposed to assume you've been groomed?
Now, I'm not advocating for the opposite. I don't want to read about female predators. But typically, when I do read age gap romances where the woman is older, the dynamic is a lot healthier. We've got a grown man falling in love with a grown woman who just so happens to be older than him. In these types of stories, the male character is at least 25 years old, which means he's a fully developed, consenting adult. And that right there already makes the trope a million times better than the alternative. The bar is in hell.
Ultimately, I'm fine with any age gap romance where the younger party is 25 years old or older. It's just an unfortunate norm that in romance novels, typically when the man is the older party, the female character is way too young, and the relationship dynamics are really gross and groom-y. Besides, we see older men with younger women all the time, so reversing the trend and presenting it in a healthy way is a refreshing change of pace.
Number 4: Vanilla Sex
I already said it, but I'll say it again. Spice is fine. Smut is fine. Fictional sex in its entirety is fine. But specific kinks have become so common in sex scenes that you would think they represent the most generic, standard forms of sex. Writers, I'm going to hold your hand with a napkin when I tell you: not every character needs a choking kink. Not every character needs a CNC kink. And not every character needs a praise kink.
And to be clear, I'm not here to kink shame. All of these kinks are fine. It's just that they keep popping up in books over and over again with no preparation, no discussion, no aftercare, and most alarmingly, no consent. Which brings me back to vanilla sex. I think a lot of these authors don't understand kinks or even know what they are, and they're just writing whatever they think is popular. And appealing to your audience is great, but kinks require research.
If you're not willing to do the research, or if you don't know what the fuck you're doing, write vanilla sex. You could also just write vanilla sex if you want to write vanilla sex, because there's nothing wrong with vanilla sex. People can get it on without choking, spitting, slapping, degrading, or saying “good girl” ad nauseam, and still have a wonderful time. Because if this was really about celebrating kinks, we would see some research or a greater diversity like humiliation, foot worship, or looners.
And while we're at it, there's nothing wrong with characters boning in a comfortable bed. Just saying. It doesn't always have to be up against a tree or on a stone floor, or in an empty bathtub, or in the sky…
Number 5: The Green Flag Male Love Interest
A green flag male love interest is a male character who exhibits healthy traits like good communication, mutual respect, and emotional safety. Because the bar is where? That's right, in hell. And still, this is an uncommon trope in the romance genre and more specifically in romantasy. I'm not going to elaborate on this trope because, honestly, I don't want to have an aneurysm.
I'm just so tired of reading about assholes, and I honestly don't understand why so many readers are excited about reading about such disgusting men. But they're appealing because they're hot? And have shadow magic? I didn't know shadows were such a big deal.
I'd just like to read about a man who treats his partner well. That's it. That shouldn't be too much to ask. And yet I'm asking for it here, right now. Every day, there's a new release where the male character treats his love interest like sentient trash. And I'm supposed to swoon because he has dark hair. It's not working for me.
So that's all I've got for you today!
These are, in my humble opinion, some of the most underrated romance tropes in fiction. If you’re a writer looking to freshen up romance tropes, maybe consider giving some of these a go! We could all use some more green flags flying through our subconscious these days.
And if you’re a reader, what is your favorite underrated romance trope that you’d like to see more of in fiction? Let me know in the comments below!
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