After reading many romance novels, it becomes easy to guess the ending early on. The childhood best friends? Definitely going to end up together. The forbidden lovers? Probably going to find a way to make it work, even with the odds stacked against them. But maybe readers do not choose to read romance novels for the surprise, but rather because they know what to expect. This raises an interesting question: is the predictability of romance novels dragging them down, or is it that predictability that makes people fall in love with them?
Aliya Freyman, a sophomore at Berkeley High School, thinks that these tropes can go both ways. “I think a lot of the tropes are repeated a lot, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers — like all of that definitely is cliché and pretty overused,” she said. Although tropes of that type are very common, some may argue that this is the magic in romance books. People love tropes so much because of the familiarity that comes with the predictable plot. As Allyson Bogie, teacher librarian at BHS said, “When you’re thinking, I wanna read a book, but I just want to chill and relax and not have to think about it too much, (romance novels are great).”
As Cara Likas, BHS sophomore, said, “I think that stuff is what people want. Like, you’re not picking up a romance novel expecting some crazy twist, you want the repetitive stuff, and that’s sorta what makes it fun.” It is similar to clicking on a true crime show on Netflix, you know what to expect because you chose it. There’s no true crime documentary with an enemies to lovers couple that makes it work and lives happily ever after. It is the same with romance novels. Imagine picking up the newest release from a well-known romance author, something with a title like “The Unexpected Spark” or “The Summer I Fell for You”, and opening it only to find a written version of Squid Games season two, it would be jarring. These predictable romance tropes are what we have come to expect, and can be a motivating factor to read certain books.
Despite the fact that these cliches can often be good things, Freyman believes the outcome of the book depends heavily on the author, “Honestly, I think it depends on the author, and it can go either way depending on how the book is written.”, she said. For example, the books of a big romance novel writer currently, Emily Henry, walk the line between being just different enough to avoid being formulaic and repetitive, while still sticking to mainstream tropes. Simply put, tropes are popular because readers like them; therefore, it makes sense for romance writers to include them.
Overall, whether one holds the stance that predictable “copy and paste” romance novels are repetitive and unimaginative, or if you love the comforting nature they hold, in the world of books, there’s always something for everyone.