CW: Sexual Assault. One of the tropes I mention references sexual assault in books, but I don’t discuss it in great detail.

As a voracious reader, I am coming to terms with the types of books I like reading. I tend to read more thrillers and romance books than any other genre. I have been paying more attention to the types of tropes I have been seeing in the books I have been reading. Tropes aren’t always bad, as there are certain tropes I tend to gravitate to. Instead of sharing the best tropes, I wanted to share a few tropes that aren’t for me.

Thriller & Mystery – Unreliable female protagonist with a drinking problem (Examples include: Girl on a Train, The Woman in the Window)

This is so commonly used, and I’m over it. It’s usually a woman drinking red wine, and she mixes her wine with Xanax. She somehow can get up and do productive things after a night of binge drinking. I’m not a fan of this trope as it’s always the same. There has to be a better way to convey to the reader that something isn’t what it seems without the use of alcohol.

Romance – Love interest stems from cheating (Examples include: Anna & The French Kiss, One to Watch)

I despise cheating in romances. To me, it cheapens the romance. There’s a lot of emotional damage that comes with cheating, and I can’t fathom why you can’t break up with that person if you are interested in someone else. It still hurts, but at least it’s honest. Part of the thrill of romance books is that I want to root for the couple to last. When a romance is built on cheating, I have a hard time believing the romance will last, and it ruins it for me.

Thriller & Mystery – Using sexual assault as a twist (Example: The Good Daughter)

I wrote about this topic a few years ago, but I think the use of sexual assault is overdone. Sometimes it’s thrown into a backstory of a character for no good reason. In The Good Daughter, there’s a “plot twist” where it’s revealed that one of the characters was sexually assaulted. It felt gross to me. I would rather it had been revealed right away, rather than in the middle of the book. I think sexual assault can be used in a story in a powerful way, but when it’s so overused, it starts to become a bit too much.

Non-Fiction – Not having reference pages (maps, character lists to reference, etc. (Example: Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition)

This isn’t a trope per se, but a preference. I’m reading Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent. While I’m enjoying it, this book is detailed. There are so many key players in passing the prohibition amendment, and there aren’t any reference pages. It can be difficult to remember everyone who’s been introduced. It’s a stark contrast to League of Denial: The NFL Concussions and the Battle for Truth. In League of Denial, there was a full character sheet with important people who were discussed. It was nice to be able to reference throughout the book.

While I’m not a big fan of these tropes, I try not to let them ruin the book I’m reading. If anything, it has helped me narrow down or eliminate books I’m not interested in reading because they contain these tropes. This helps me find books that I know I will love.