r/LesbianBookClub • u/yellowlycra • 2d ago
Do lesbian romance readers read by tropes?
i read somewhere that romance readers in general search for tropes, billionaire romance, age gap, etc and then consume those books.
lesbian romance being such a niche, my view is that most of us read any decent book that's published regardless of tropes.
but maybe i'm wrong?
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u/Tiny-Psychology-6005 2d ago
Binging anything by black sapphic writers. Idk if it’s a trope or not because it doesn’t matter genre for me. Next I’m going to binge black gay writers work.
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u/WonderingWhy767 2d ago
I don’t think I choose books based on tropes unless I’m in a romance book binge. In that case I would avoid reading two books with the same tropes back to back.
I may avoid some books all together based on the trope though. I’m not really interested in big age gaps, and I find the billionaire thing weird. I mean actual billionaires are gross, I don’t understand the appeal.
In general I’m most likely to pick a romance book based on previously enjoying the author or reviews/ recommendations.
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u/ShelfWorn 2d ago
I will read whatever sounds interesting to me but I will also read every ice queen book thrown my way. So I guess it's a mix.
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u/CarmyPardez 2d ago
I don't choose books based on tropes, but the last few books I've enjoyed the most have all been fake dating tropes, so APPARENTLY my subconscious is doing it for me? lmao
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u/Select_Ad_3541 2d ago
any recs? fake dating is my guilty pleasure too
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u/CarmyPardez 2d ago
I've just finished Fly With Me by Andie Burke and Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun. Both really nailed gay panic VERY well and I really enjoyed them.
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u/abyssal-tiefling 1d ago
I just finished Dearly Unbeloved by Sophie Snow and quite liked it! Combination fake married, enemies to lovers, and roommates
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u/LuxuriousPenguin 2d ago
Tropes I like get me in the door, but aren't always a guarantee of success... But yes, I guess I gravitate to certain tropes. I also tend to avoid certain ones too
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u/jaslyn__ 2d ago
for me personally, i'd recognise a trope and expect certain things from it,
like from Enemies-to-lovers I'd greedily lap up that sense of self-loathing, the hate-fuelled lust and a certain aggressive energy when they finally go for it
from Fake dating I'd expect the burgeoning closeness, the confused lust and that final push where they let the barriers fall in private and go for it
from slow burn friends-to-lovers I want the steady, gradual emotional climb towards physicality and all of the friendship stakes that come with it
it's probably not something i'd select a story for, but that's just me. And if I see something coming off a certain trope, I'd expect certain things
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u/EverythingAllAt1 2d ago
I prefer certain tropes which will end up higher on my queue of TBR than other stuff that isnt my preference but overall I will read almost anything so long as the author is a good storyteller & the grammar is good, my only exception being YA novels.
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u/behelidt 2d ago
I almost exclusively read butch/femme, masc/femme. Idk if that counts as a trope tho
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u/External-Dream-8099 2d ago
I have tropes I like but don't actively look for them because I read almost any subgenre of sapphic romance that sounds interesting (except fantasy) especially because there's just so few books compared to hetero romance But I still avoid tropes I don't like, like fake dating or enemies to lovers. They can be an exception if they're not the main focus of the book but rather a small part of it, like lee winter's breaking Character, the usage of the trope is kinda irrelevant compared to the rest of the story
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u/LuxrayEnjoyer 2d ago
Some people do, and while I do think that going of very specific tropes can spoil the story, I also realise that people (me included) have some specific triggers that they really would rather not read about. For me its age gap or accidental preganancy or stuff that has a unhappy ending or just involving a man for some reason.
Alot of people would like to read about that, but I do feel that for people like me I think we should provide those "tropes" not really as a go read my book it has this, but in a if you dont want to read about this stuff then dont buy the book.
Also I do think that AO3 is kinda to blame tbh. Its the most popular space for fanfiction which is what most lgbtq had since we didnt have actual original media including us. Those people writing fanfiction have started making their own books, but the habit of providing filters has stayed, just in form of tropes
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u/its_SekC 2d ago
I don't search for books based on tropes, really just whatever sounds good. However, I avoid most age gap ones and am a sucker for fake dating or enemies to lovers so I tend to prioritize those.
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u/NervousNancy1815 2d ago
I love literally every romance trope, if they're done well! Well rounded characters acting in a way that makes sense for the trope hits every time. Idc what it is.
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u/lis_anise 1d ago
I read by tropes but that doesn't mean I just see like "knight saves princess" and click the buy button. There's a way to describe and categorize everything under the sun.
There are marketing agencies that do all the numbers and write up predictions for upcoming trends they think will sell in the next year or two. Here's one of them.
I still think that when all else fails, write the kind of book you want to read. Trying to guess what other people are feeling or going to want is so hard, while you have feedback from a passionate reader right inside your head already. Then worry about marketing later.
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u/bullet-full-of-love 2d ago
I don't search based on tropes but I will avoid certain dynamics for sure. I won't read oppressor x oppressed but other types of enemies to lovers are fine. or if one character is a late bloomer/figured out they're sapphic later in life, but I like closeted characters yknow, or, I don't like famous person X non famous person but I don't mind it in fantasy lol. it's very specific dynamics I avoid
but I won't search up say "ice queen" or "one bed" or "grumpy x sunshine" or whatever. I probably should, maybe I'd like the books better that way but idk there so few wlw I would give most a chance even if it's a trope I dislike just to see if it falls under an exception
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u/HotAtNightim 2d ago
You say it’s niche, but there are thousands of sapphic/lesbian books out there and more every day. I know it’s very few compared to hetero, but there are definitely options out there.
Personally I read anything that looks good, but also I go for tropes.
Iheartsapphic has a search tool and a database that lets you search by trope. My TBR has never gotten short enough for me to use it but I heard that it’s awesome.