Top Ten Tuesday – February 10, 2015: Top Ten Romance Likes/Dislikes

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TOP TEN TUESDAY
February 10, 2015

It’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the wonderful blog at The Broke and the Bookish! This week’s topic was:
Top Ten Things I Like/Dislike When It Comes To Romances In Books

This is a fun topic! I have a few specific things that I know I LOVE in a romance and a few things that I generally dislike but I’ve never really put it down onto a list… The brainstorming was a lot of fun to really think about my specific reading tastes and what really means the most to me!

LIKES

1Best Friends to More is possibly one of my faaaaavorite tropes! I just love seeing best friends fall for each other and for some reason it just makes me all gooey inside. I did a Best-Friend-Turned-Boyfriend post a WHILE back but I think it’s time to make a new and updated one!
2I guess it may go with “best friends to more” (but doesn’t have to) but boy do I love slow burns. It may not be the instantly satisfying but I think the romance can be that much MORE satisfying because you’re waiting for it the whole book! It’s just so wonderful when those two characters finally come together!
3I don’t like ACTUAL teasing with cruel intent but I LOVE flirty-type teasing. You can definitely tell the difference. It also has to be done well, otherwise it just feels forced and awkward. I’m not sure why it gets me but I love some good banter back and forth!
4How awesome is a hate-to-love story? It just totally turns your feelings 100% upside down. Maybe it makes me root for a couple that much more/ Defying the odds? Seeing them really change because of love? Or just finding out that love was there all along? Adorable.
5This is another random one… but for some reason it warms my heart to see the tomboys or a confident, feisty girl fall in love. I think maybe it’s because they’re so independent and usually actively refusing help? (Well, not always.) But I just love to see them open up to someone else, be a bit more vulnerable, and fall in love!

DISLIKES

6I can’t stand cheating in books. Even if the point is that it’s not okay. It just instantly makes me dislike a character. This also extends to two characters falling in love while one or both are in a different relationship. To a certain extent, okay. You didn’t know you were falling in love with someone else… But there comes a time where a character HAS to break it off or else I’M calling it quits!
7Any sort of abuse in a book is obviously a no-no. It doesn’t mean I won’t read it and it doesn’t mean that I won’t take something away from it, but obviously that sort of thing is so painful to witness. I will still read books containing this sort of content and it’s not an automatic turn-off because those stories are important to tell to… But whoever the abusive character is — physically or mentally — I will never like or trust them again. If the author brings that character back to try to “turn them around”? Nope. I won’t have it. Great if they change their ways, but that couple better not stay together.

8I’m okay with some love triangles (SOME. Depends on what they are) but any more than three people is just way too much. It doesn’t matter if it’s multiple guys vying for one gal’s attention or many different complications/couples with crushes on each other… More than three people in one romantic conundrum gets messy and confusing. It can also tend to get silly.

9Lack of communication just drives me plain nuts. The characters don’t always have to be on the same page but when they never talk about anything, it just makes a reader want to jump through the book and shake them!
10Wariness is okay and getting to know someone, all right. But if you can’t trust your romantic partner, you can’t have a relationship. It drives me crazy when people are paranoid about their sig other — justified or not. Either do something about it or have some faith!


So those are my top likes and dislikes! (Although I’m sure I’ll read your posts and be like, “Why didn’t I think of that!?”) What do you think? Which of these peeves are the worst for you? Do you love the same tropes I do?

Hi, I'm Brittany!
Hi, I'm Brittany!

I'm an avid reader, candle-maker, and audiobook lover! Here you'll find book reviews, fun blog posts, and my other loves of photography & craft beer!

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13 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday – February 10, 2015: Top Ten Romance Likes/Dislikes

  1. Alexa S.

    B, you have no idea how many times I nodded in agreement while I was reading your post! I seriously agree with all of your likes and your dislikes. What stands out to me the most, however, is flirty teasing! I haven’t seen that one mentioned in TTT posts just yet for this week, and I wonder why. It’s so fun to have them bantering and teasing one another 😉

    Reply
  2. Olivia

    Great post! I feel like romance is where readers get really choosy and particular. I liked a lot of your likes, especially the slow burn because I just love watching a romance steadily and gradually build up. I find it to be very realistic as well. That aside, as for dislikes I am glad you put love rectangles and not triangles, because in my opinion triangles can sometimes be done well. I hate cheating and abuse as well >.>

    Reply
  3. Danielle @ Love at First Page

    Great list, girl! I pretty much agree 100% – except the bit about love triangles, which you already know of course. 🙂 But, yeah, if it gets into love SQUARE territory.. well, let’s just say I’ve thankfully been able to avoid books with those. Cheating is a big no-no for me too. :/ And amen to lack of trust and communication! Those usually drive me NUTS.

    Reply
  4. Cassi @ My Thoughts Literally

    YES to all of these! I seriously love some flirty banter! I think that’s why I always enjoy the “Hate to Love” relationship and the “Opposites Attract” relationship. And you are absolutely right about Abuse, Cheating, and Lack of Trust. I need my relationships to have mutual respect both in life and in literature! Great list

    Reply
  5. Morgan @ Gone with the Words

    I seriously love every bullet point under your Likes! They are my FAVORITE, especially flirty teasing and slow burn romances! I feel like they go hand in hand. And best friends-to-more is a trope I will always love, along with hate-to-love hehe.

    And of course I agree with all of your dislikes too. I think the only excuse I have ever made for the cheating one was Anna and the French Kiss- I just love that book too much. But generally speaking that is a HUGE turn off for me while reading.

    Reply
  6. Elizabeth

    Yes, I totally agree with not liking lack of communication as a plot device… and for me it ties in perfectly with the lack of trust. Can’t have love or communication without trust, so… what’s the point of a love story without trust? And I’m all about the slow burn romances and the banter– my favorite.

    Reply
  7. Maraia

    I completely agree about cheating/falling in love while still in another relationship. I think that’s why Anna and the French Kiss was my least favorite book in the series. I obviously shipped Anna and Etienne, but I REALLY wish he hadn’t spent the whole book in a relationship with someone else, and I had a hard time getting past that. Did that bother you at all, or was it an exception to the rule?

    Reply
  8. Rebecca @ The Library Canary

    I had friends to more on my list too! I always find those romances to be so sweet. And I had first kisses – when they’re really long and drawn out – so basically slowburn romance. I love that moment when they kiss that you’ve been waiting for forever! *sigh*

    Cheating made my list of dislikes. I especially hate when a relationship starts out that way. And then that issue is never resolved. (Recently read a book with this and it made me so mad. The cheating character never had to face any consequences for her actions.)

    Lack of communication! Good one. That drives me nuts when there are a million misunderstandings and if they would just communicate it would all go away!

    Reply
  9. Jessica @ a GREAT read

    YES! I agree with all these too! Really, I can pretty much get on board with a lot, though there are some topics I won’t ever like…but it all depends on the author’s execution! Things like abuse, cheating, etc are things I will never enjoy. Though I did forget to mention those! I forgot a lot of stuff in my post today!

    Here’s my Tuesday Post

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower 🙂

    Reply
  10. booklife4life

    I agree with all your things!

    I hate cheating in books, it makes me second guess real life stuff because it seems like it’s going the same way as the 15 books i read went, and it scares me.

    Reply

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