Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Whether you embrace the romance and public displays of affection or you prefer to spend the day thinking about literally anything else, most of us can admit there are some pretty fun literary tropes that turn up around this particular holiday. So if you grab a book with hearts, lipstick marks, or an inordinate amount of pink on the front cover, be forewarned: you’ll probably run into at least a few of these clichés.
1. Forbidden romance
The protagonist can have anyone they want. Literally anyone . . . except this one person. Cue the desperate pining for (and undeniable chemistry with) the one person they are told they absolutely 100 percent Can. Not. Be. With. Is there anything hotter than wanting what you can’t have? Not according to the Valentine’s Day code of romance! And that will surely be the holiday during which the long-suffering wannabe couple finally gets together.
2. Sweet old couples
Valentine’s Day is all about the romance, and there’s not really anything more romantic (to me, at least) than a couple who has endured the highs and lows of a relationship for longer than I’ve been alive. Hence the frequent cliché of an old wise couple who bestows their love advice on the young, floundering protagonist. Learn the romantic secrets of a couple who has known they were soulmates since the Kennedy administration! You can bet this advice will turn out to be vital to the central couple.
3. All the chocolate
The ultimate classic couple: love and chocolate. Can it truly be considered a Valentine’s Day book if it doesn’t feature chocolate in some way, shape, or form? Bonus points if the protagonist owns a chocolate shop in which they can have an adorably awkward meet-cute and an over-the-top romantic final reunion. There’s nothing sweeter (sorry, I couldn’t resist).
4. Friends to lovers
When the couple has been friends for a long time (especially if they’ve been friends since childhood), it’s a good indicator that things are going to start heating up right around Valentine’s Day. Whether one of them has secretly been in love with the other one since they met, or they both have only just started to feel stirrings of something more, the tension and chemistry will mount until they both simultaneously confess their undying love on the world’s most romantic holiday.
5. Fake dating
The protagonist is totally not dating who everyone thinks they’re dating. But for some convoluted, highly implausible reason, the two have to pretend they’re dating in order to . . . Make someone jealous? Save someone’s reputation? Eliminate world hunger? Whatever the reason, the “couple” will roll their eyes at having to act like they care yet will fall helplessly in love by the time they decide to end the charade. Fake it till you make it, indeed.
6. Candlelight confessions
Dim lighting makes everything—and everyone—more appealing, apparently. Hence the appearance of candles in every Valentine’s Day novel in existence: in a fancy restaurant, in the bedroom, in a bathroom while the protagonist is soaking in a tub either longing for or internally railing against their love interest. Often this kind of mood lighting helps facilitate some major confessions of the heart.
7. Major misunderstanding
As is the case with so many romantic escapades, Valentine’s Day books often involve some huge misunderstanding that leads the lovers to part—but don’t worry, it’s only temporary. Sometimes it’s a case of mistaken identity (no, that was nothis secret lover that you saw getting into the elevator with him—it was his sister!), sometimes it’s a miscommunication (I thought you said to meet at Lake George, not Lake Forge!), but whatever the reason, the lovers will spend the rest of the book processing the misunderstanding, followed by a humorous and heartwarming reunion.
8. A romantic stroll
There’s something about walking and talking that seriously ups the romance factor. Since it’s February 14, potential couples will have to bundle up in oversize fluffy hats and scarves that look devastatingly attractive on them in order to leisurely stroll around some snow-covered hills or glistening frozen lakes. During this time, they connect on a super-deep level and fan the flames of a growing attraction. Good thing it never rains on Valentine’s Day.
9. Universal holiday acknowledgment
It’s Valentine’s Day! And every single person that the protagonist runs into knows (and cares) that it’s Valentine’s Day! Does Valentine’s Day fall on a random Tuesday that marks a major work deadline and an appointment for your annual checkup at the doctor? Not a chance! The entire day is filled with thinking about Valentine’s Day, talking about Valentine’s Day, and preparing for the Valentine’s Day festivities that will inevitably occur that evening.
10. Will they or won’t they?
For readers of romance novels, there’s not much better than the romantic and sexual tension that builds between the protagonist and their potential love interest. Sometimes it looks like the maybe-couple will definitely wind up together. Other times, it seems as though life will inevitably get in the way. Will the circumstances that create obstacles over the course of the novel keep them apart forever? Or will they somehow manage to overcome their differences and finally ride off into the sunset together? (Spoiler alert: they will.)
While some might consider the entire Valentine’s Day holiday to be one giant cliché, there is something to be said for finding comfort in the familiar. So why not suspend some disbelief for a bit and curl up with the type of novel that always concludes with a happy ending?
Andrea Moran lives outside of Nashville. She’s a professional copywriter and editor who loves all things books. Find her on LinkedIn.
