10 Tropes to Flip in Your Next Romance Novel
I love a good trope, but what I love more is when the trope is flipped on its head…
Are you tired of the same old clichés and predictable story lines in romance novels?
It’s time to shake things up and ignite a spark of originality. In this article, I’m going to explore ten tropes that are begging to be flipped on their heads in your next romance novel.
Say goodbye to the damsel in distress and the brooding billionaire, and get ready to embrace fresh perspectives, unexpected twists, and characters that defy convention.
Whether you’re a seasoned romance writer or just dipping your toes into the genre, these trope-flipping ideas will breathe new life into your storytelling.
So, grab your pen, unleash your creativity, and let’s embark on a journey to revolutionize the world of romance, one flipped trope at a time.
Here we go.
Here are the typical romance tropes you might see a lot:
- Enemies to Lovers
- Friends to Lovers
- Fake Relationship
- Forbidden Love
- Second Chance Romance
- Billionaire or Wealthy Love Interest
- Love Triangle
- Small Town Romance
- Alpha Male or Strong Heroine
- Happily Ever After
Now let’s see the flipped versions.
1. Instead of Enemies to Lovers, Try Friends to Enemies
Start with a close bond between the characters, then introduce a conflict that turns them into bitter rivals.
As the story progresses, they have to navigate their newfound animosity and rediscover the friendship and love hidden beneath the surface.
Or maybe there’s some sort of miscommunication and one of them thinks the other screwed them over in some way.
And the other spends the story trying to explain what actually happened, and trying to get the other person to forgive them.
Make sure to complicate things along the way and present obstacles that make it hard for the truth to come out.
2. Instead of Friends to Lovers, Try Lovers to Strangers
Begin the story with the main characters already in a committed relationship that has lost its spark.
Explore how they navigate the challenges of rediscovering themselves as individuals and finding their way back to each other.
One of my favorite novels that does this is Kennedy Ryan’s Before I Let Go.
The novel opens up with the two main love interests separated after a devastating event tore them apart (I won’t spoil it in case you didn’t read it).
This might be seen as a second chance trope, but you could give it a twist and
3. Instead of a Fake Relationship, Try a Genuine Relationship
Instead of a fake relationship, focus on a genuine and authentic connection between the characters from the start.
Delve into the complexities of maintaining an honest relationship in a world of facades and illusions.
I think Seven Days in June does this “genuine relationship” trope excellently.
We see every reality that Eva and Shane have to face before finding their HOA.
It gives us a peek into the realities of people who are truly broken down by life and finding ways to cope, while trying not to destroy themselves or each other.
Go read it if you haven’t already.
4. Instead of Forbidden Love, Try Embracing the Forbidden
Take the concept of forbidden love and turn it into a story where societal norms and expectations are challenged and dismantled.
Let the characters courageously embrace their love, breaking free from the constraints of tradition.
They might not be fully accepted (or even partially accepted) by society, but they don’t care.
They flaunt their “otherness” in a way that inspires other outsiders to embrace their “otherness” as well.
You could tie this into a fantasy plot and make the romance the b-story, or you could focus entirely on the romance part of it, including fantasy elements as you wish.
For example, Twilight was about embracing the forbidden because Edward was a vampire and Bella, a human.
It was obvious this wasn’t a match made in heaven from anyone’s perspective, but the two fought to be together and be accepted by both their friends and families.
5. Instead of Second Chance Romance, Try Missed Opportunities
Instead of a second chance romance, explore the theme of missed opportunities.
The characters had a chance at love in the past but let it slip away.
Now, they have to confront the regrets and what-ifs of their choices.
Make it interesting by complicating how they know each other.
Maybe now he’s her boss, or maybe now she’s his boss.
Or maybe they didn’t get together in the past because she simply didn’t have time to date (maybe she was a single mom — I know, another trope!).
Or maybe she was a recent widower. And now she’s had time to heal.
Maybe they’ve both recently lost their spouses in the last year or two and bond over that.
6. Instead of Billionaire Love Interest, Try the Average Joe or Jane
Move away from the billionaire or wealthy love interest trope and focus on characters who are everyday people, highlighting the beauty of ordinary love and the depth of connection that transcends material wealth.
Maybe you could add a fantasy aspect to it and make the average Joe or Jane spectacular in some way.
Maybe they have a special power that they use to help them in their career, but it’s a secret.
Or maybe the average Joe or Jane that seems poor is actually rich.
Remember that janitor that was secretly a millionaire and no one around him knew?
Maybe a woman comes into his life and he doesn’t tell her about the money. She falls for him for who he is, then later reveals he’s a billionaire.
Or maybe the average Joe or Jane doesn’t even know they’re a billionaire until after he starts dating a woman.
Or maybe the average Joe or Jane steals little amounts of money from people every day using some kind of bank hacking system.
7. Instead of a Love Triangle, Try a Love Quadrangle
Flip the love triangle by adding a fourth character who shakes up the dynamics and challenges the traditional notions of romantic relationships.
Explore the complexities and possibilities of unconventional love configurations.
Girl 1 Loves Guy 1, but Guy 1 Loves Girl 2, and Girl 2 loves a totally different Guy (Guy 2).
You could make it so that one of the characters is LGBTQ+ to make it even more interesting.
For example: Girl 1 Loves Guy 1, but Guy 1 loves Girl 2, Girl 2 loves Girl 3 (or maybe Girl 2 loves Girl 1).
The possibilities are endless.
8. Instead of a Small Town Romance, Try an Urban Romance
Take the small town romance trope and set the story in a bustling metropolis, exploring the challenges and allure of love in a fast-paced urban environment.
We always see the city guy or girl move to a small town from a big city, but why not make it the other way around?
It can be a fish out of water story with a B-story romance.
Maybe your lead is sick of her small hometown and is trying to get out by any means necessary.
She runs into someone that’s her complete opposite, someone who shows her the ins and outs of living in a big city.
They fall in love over their shared hatred of small town traditions. (Maybe he’s from a small town he hates too).
9. Instead of the Alpha Male, Try the Vulnerable Heroes and Heroines
Challenge the alpha male or strong heroine archetype by delving into their vulnerabilities and insecurities.
Show that strength can coexist with emotional openness and allow the characters to grow and learn from their vulnerabilities.
For example, maybe someone that portrays the Alpha male figure in public is secretly very vulnerable behind closed doors.
Or maybe it’s just an act and he’s deeply insecure (but tries to hide that).
Or maybe he has a debilitating illness that makes him act that way in public.
There are plenty of ways to go here.
10. Instead of a HOA, Try an Open-Ended Endings
Instead of a definitive happily ever after (HOA), conclude the story with an open-ended ending that leaves room for interpretation.
Allow readers to imagine the characters’ future beyond the confines of a neat resolution.
Remember the Sopranos?
It might be infuriating for some of your readers not to know what happened, but it’ll open up a dialogue among your fans about what might’ve happened.
You’ll have people talking about the ending of your novel for years to come (granted, you did everything else right).
And plus, a lot of the endings to some of my favorite stories weren’t the greatest, so this gives readers the chance to imagine their own.
Flipping Tropes Successfully
By flipping these tropes, you can bring fresh perspectives and unexpected twists to your romance novel, captivating readers with unique and compelling story lines that defy expectations.
Just make sure not to stray too far from what readers might expect in a romance novel. Be different, but not so different that they don’t recognize it as a romance novel.
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