Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at GingerReadsLainey.
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So this week's topic is the Top 5 Tropes You Hate.
Ah, so many to chose from but there are definitely
a few that stand out from all the rest.
So this week's topic is the Top 5 Tropes You Hate.
Ah, so many to chose from but there are definitely
a few that stand out from all the rest.
#1 - Miscommunication/Lack of Communication
My list isn't in any particular order but it's still fitting that this is at #1. Because this one is a HUGE pet peeve. When the conflict in a book is based solely on miscommunication... I'm instantly annoyed. There's big drama because information is not shared or because assumptions are made (without talking to anyone for verification). And all it would take is a 5 minute conversation to clear everything up. But no. Instead authors still use this tired, uber-annoying trope to create unnecessary conflict when in reality all could be solved if the characters just... TALKED. Talk, people. Just talk.
#2 - Unreliable Narrators
I hate this one so much that it's actually a deal-breaker for me. If I know in advance that a book features an unreliable narrator - I'm peacing out. Gone Girl, We Were Liars, The Girl on the Train... not happening. Of course, I don't always know in advance which led me to being all ragey when reading The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, Inexcusable by Chris Lynch, and Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn, among others. Show me a book with an unreliable narrator and I'll show you a book I won't read.
#3 - Beautiful Girl... Who Doesn't Know She's Beautiful
Can we just stop this one? Please? It's so prevalent in YA and NA that I'm almost surprised when it *isn't* there. I am sooo tired of the drop dead gorgeous female protagonist who is completely oblivious to her beauty. But when described from any other POV it's obvious that her beauty surpasses that of any Victoria's Secret Angel and Maxim's Hot 100 combined. I have no issue with physically beautiful characters, but please let's be done with Miss Thang who is somehow 100% unaware that she's a total babe.
#4 - One Girl Saves the World aka The Chose One
So this mostly applies to fantasy and dystopian which, granted, I don't read a lot of, but when I do there's always that ordinary teenage girl who (surprise, surprise) is The Only One who can save the day. This special snowflake is plucked from obscurity, thrust into a do-or-die situation where the odds are seemingly insurmountable, and she finds her inner badass and saves us all. Yeah, that was interesting the first few dozen times. Now? Not so much.
#5 - Insta-Love (You Knew It Was Coming, Right?)
I have a feeling this one will be appearing on EVERYONE'S list. Because it's used so often and yet is so unrealistic. Insta-lust? Sure, it happens. Totally believable. And it's possible that OVER TIME it could grow into love. But when it's that instant SO IN LOVE, I would die for him/her, our connection is so strong, no one has ever felt this way kind of love... puh-leeze. There's rarely any reasoning given as to WHY they are in love. We are just told. Repeatedly. It won't make me quit the book but it's definitely an Insta Turn-Off.
~Honorable Mention~
Not sure if this really counts as a trope, but open endings? Not A Fan. When a book has an unsatisfying (to me) ending and it is left to me, the reader, to interpret what may have happened... just NO. I feel totally cheated. When reading, I feel as though the author and I have an unspoken agreement. I, as a reader, agree to read their work with an open mind. S/he, as an author, agrees to provide me with a well-written story and Do Not Leave Me Hanging At The End! Authors who do not uphold their end of the deal make me very grouchy, indeed.
So there are my top 5 cringe-worthy tropes. The ones I would be happy not to encounter again. But seriously, what are the odds? What tropes are your least favorite? Any that you are just so over? Tell me about it below... I love your comments! :)
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