Today’s post for the A-to-Z Challenge is brought to you by the letter C!
FOOORRRRRRR *drumroll* Cliches!
I feel like every book I read now has some sort of stereotypical book trope or cliche that I’ve read over and over again. I mean, how many times can I read about the girl who is stuck in a love triangle with two guys? Or that ridiculously heavy cliffhanger ending that leaves no feeling of contentment after completion? There are so many different cliches in books these days… here are a few of my least favorite. [Disclaimer: I still read them… bad habits are hard to break. 😉 ]
- The Love Triangle – Girl loves boy. Girl loves another boy. Girl is torn between the two. Girl must choose. Ugh, there has to be an original way to do this. I’ve read this so many times, and it’s usually done fairly well, but really now. There must be some original ways of doing this one!
- Love At First Sight – He looks at her and feels that instant moment of “Ah ha!” and all of those questions are answers, the heavens begin to sing, and everything clicks. Love at first sight–I’ve always been a believe in lust at first sight, or strong attraction. But love? I suppose you could get that funny little feeling, but this is SO overdone.
- The Bad Boy – Leather jacket. Tattoos. Dark, brooding eyes. A pout for days. Dark, whispy hair hanging into his eyes and he stares off into the sunset. Eep. I love me a pair of broody eyes as much as the next human, but really? What about the pale, bright-eyed, redhead, with a cheeky grin and tons of freckles, wearing a button down shirt and penny loafers? No? Ok.
- Romanticizing Closeted Abuse – The girl and guy are in a fight and she decides to walk away in a huff. But no, he grabs her arm as she’s walking away, and he turns her around to face him. Or how about the forceful kiss when she obviously doesn’t want it? It’s horrible that I can think of so many of these examples so easily… Emotional and physical abuse aren’t sexy. They aren’t beautiful. Adrenaline rushes in the heat of the moment, perhaps, but that shouldn’t be the image young folks have when they think about love.
- BONUS: Step-siblings falling in love. “Marsha?” “Yes, Brad?” (A Very Brady Sequel, anyone?) Or worse… siblings. No Lannister lovin’ for me, thanks.
WHIMSICAL FANCY 
I think this is why I avoid romance, I mean relationships will pop up in other novels but so long as it’s a main theme it’s going to get old.
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Hi, here from the A-Z and also a book lover and dislike love triangles and completely abhor the ‘punishing’ kiss and such like nonsense. Unfortunately that is not a recent thing. Not sure how far it goes back but I was reading romances which glorified abuse in my teens, which is some time ago now.
Really enjoyed all your posts for A,B, and C
Best of luck for the rest of the challenge.
Nilanjana
Madly-in-Verse
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My most hated cliche is when a supposedly intelligent woman does something incredibly stupid so the guy has to come and rescue her. I HATE THAT! Very good question though.
Meet My Imaginary Friends
#AtoZchallenge http://www.kathleenvalentineblog.com/
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I still read them, too. Even if I end up just rolling my eyes all the way through.
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I read romance primarily (and write it) and am always careful about avoiding tropes and cliches likes this. As a reader I LOATHE love triangles. I can’t do it. I used to be able to, especially when i read YA, but not anymore. I must be getting to old for reading about love triangles–it’s exhausting all that back and forth! ;D
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