Which Love Trope Comes Out On Top?

Kayra Hidirlar

If you have ever watched a rom-com or read a romance novel, you probably have witnessed many different love tropes, such as star-crossed lovers, soul mates, love triangles, and so many more. With the endless amount of love tropes that are present, there have been heated debates arguing whether certain tropes deliver or whether they do not make the cut. Therefore, I am here to give you my personal opinion by putting out a ranking of some well-known love tropes.

Eighth place: Love Triangle
Do not get me started on love triangles. They unnecessarily take away from the story, and it often involves a character who goes back and forth between two love interests; but the worst part is that the outcome is so predictable. No matter what happens, someone involved in this messy relationship is bound to get hurt.

Seventh place: Love at First Sight
This may be a controversial opinion, and you can disagree with me all you want, but I am telling you that love at first sight is not real. End of discussion. Yes, you may feel attracted to someone but true love takes much longer to develop, and it requires a much deeper connection. 

Sixth place: Forbidden Love
I don’t necessarily hate the forbidden-love trope, but in my opinion, I find them to be overused. The idea of two people madly in love, despite their inability to be together, is a bit too basic for me, and I think it already had its time to shine in “Romeo and Juliet.”

Fifth place: Second Chance
The thing about second-chance tropes is that they can either go extremely well or terribly wrong. There may be this support of the reconnection of two characters, but only if these characters shouldn't have been separated in the first place. If this is not the case, this trope can become a waste of time for everyone involved.

Fourth place: Enemies to Lovers
Oftentimes, when we are introduced to two characters who relentlessly bicker all the time, there is this sense of predictability that these characters will eventually fall in love, despite not accepting it at first. This predictability is what makes this trope so enjoyable, although there are times it can play out in an unfavorable way. If it is clear that the enemies are better off not together, that is when I find that the enemies to lovers trope becomes problematic.

Third place: Opposites Attract
The reason why the opposites attract trope can go very well is because each person in the relationship accounts for the other’s lacking aspects in one another’s personalities. However, at times, some characters just simply clash due to their inherently opposing personalities, and that can lead to a dull future for their relationship. 

Second place: Fake Relationship
When two people start a mock relationship to solve an issue in their lives, this makes for an exciting trope because those who are viewing the story typically would like to see it bloom into a genuine, real relationship. And once the two characters are finally aware of their feelings and those emotions are conveyed to each other, we are left with a love story with a satisfying outcome.

First place: Friends to Lovers
What I love about the friends to lovers trope is that you get to see the journey of two people growing closer together. However, this uncertainty of whether the two are “just friends” or have feelings for each other is what can make this trope heartwarming and hilarious. Once the characters finally get together, it makes my heart melt as they are able to fully express their feelings for each other in a romantic way.