Hi, loves! 💕 I’m back with another bookish discussion. Let’s talk ✨romance✨.
As a hopeless romantic, I would say that at least 85% of the books I read have romance as at least a subgenre. So yeah, I’ve read my fair share of romance books. There are so many specific things love interests (whether they’re men or women) do that are intended to be romantic… and sometimes they work for me. Sometimes they don’t.
I’m here to talk about some of the most common romantic gestures love interests do in romance novels, and to tell you just how romantic I think they really are!
Offers the MC their jacket
It’s really thre little things like this that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. May it be because it rained (or something else!) and the MC’s all wet (I Hope This Doesn’t Find You), or because the MC’s getting chilly (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before)… I will always find it cute when the love interest offers their jacket.
I just love how this action shows that someone pays attention. Even when friends just offer (not even directly give, but just offer) me their jackets… The thought is already brining a smile to my face.
My rating? CUTE
Comes up with dramatic ways to ask for forgiveness
I feel like the love interest would have had to do something really bad for them to have to resort to doing all sorts of crazy shit for forgiveness. Twisted Love is the perfect example of this. (No spoilers, but let’s just say that the MMC was a dick and he had to sing to the FMC for forgiveness.) The cringe was as strong as it could be.
And has anyone seen that scene from that one season of Love is Blind where this dude sings to the girl he’s only known via voice for a few days before asking her to marry him? Absolutely hilarious, I couldn’t stop laughing at it. (He wasn’t asking for forgiveness, but I just wanted to mention it bc it’s so funny to me.)
My rating? JAIL
Dances with the MC
Regardless of the genre, we can find a scene where the MCs dance… sometimes it’s to get the MC away from someone else (Half a Soul), or for a wedding (Forget Me Not)… and sometimes the love interest just wants the MC to get the dance they want, even when the love interest is not in the best shape physically to do so (A Lady for a Duke).
Honestly… I don’t find much romance in the dances themselves, but in the conversations the MCs usually have while they’re dancing!
My rating? MAYBE-CUTE
Watches the MC sleep
I know, we all blame Twilight for this. I’m not always thrown off by this trope, though. It really depends on the scene. Say the MC was on the verge of death (yes, I’m thinking about romantasies!) and needed someone to watch over them… makes sense. But watching them sleep because their eyelashes are so long and attractive? Just a tad creepy. Why can’t you just look at them when they’re awake?
My rating? CUTE for a situation in the vein of my first scenario, and JAIL for the latter!
Combs or plays with the MC’s hair
I weirdly can’t think of a specific book (so please help me out in the comments if you can think of one!), but I know I’ve read this scene a million times by now! Anyway, I find these scenes to be so intimate and sexy in books. Bonus points if the love interest also puts the MC’s hair in a ponytail or braid for them. However… Imagine how embarrassing this would be if your hair’s super tangled and won’t cooperate. 😭
My rating? CUTE in books, and PLEASE-ASK-FOR-CONSENT-FIRST in real life!
Gives the MC a *unique* nickname
This is actually the trope that inspired this post because I hate it when the love interest (typically a domineering alpha male) gives the MC (typically a soft-spoken girl) a “unique” nickname… and if it has the word “Little” in it, I’m going to rage. Honestly, it’s less of the nickname that bothers me, and more of how often the nicknames are used in books. Why do you have to call someone Little Fox (Once Upon a Broken Heart) in every. single. sentence. you say to them?! Don’t even get me started on the super long nicknames like Freya Born-in-Fire (A Fate Inked in Blood). ☠️
My rating? JAIL if they have the word “Little” in them, MEH if they’re unique but don’t. I love the more common nicknames like love, sunshine, and sweetheart… CUTE for those if used sparsely. 😂
Takes the blame for the MC
In An Ember in the Ashes, the hero covered for the heroine a lot. I may not have enjoyed this book overall, but I appreciated that he did this especially because of how he knows that the heroine is in a much more difficult position than he is. I don’t think it’s particularly romantic, though.
Personally, I am literally the most nonconfrontational, nonviolent person on earth and would hate to see someone taking the blame for me. But if people are obviously in need of some saving… sure, lend a hand.
My rating? SWEET-BUT-NOT-ROMANTIC
Feeds the MC
I’m sorry that the first book that came to mind was The Hunger Games, which is a bit of an exaggerated example. 😂 Obviously, we love Peeta for risking a beating from his mother just to feed Katniss and her family. 🥲 For a more pratical example, I’m thinking something along the lines of The Friend Zone, where the MC brings the FMC food while she’s on her period. Super cute. Super thoughtful.
My rating? SWOON
Lets the MC have the only bed
We love respectful people who understand what boundaries are! Though I do feel bad when the love interest has to sleep somewhere that’s obviously uncomfortable… (Yes, I’m looking at you, People We Meet on Vacation. 🥲) But the hurt/comfort that usually comes with this is so good. This is also super cute in fantasies, like in A Crane Among Wolves!
My rating? SWOON
Goes through the depths of hell for the MC
I really just wanted to mention my boy Percy Jackson in this post, so I’d have to spotlight his sacrifice for Annabeth in The House of Hades (though she also still ended up in Tartarus with him). Sweet beans Roman (Ruthless Vows) and Kyrian (To a Darker Shore) also end up in their own versions of hell, and were willing to claw their way out (or stay…) for the MCs. 🥺😭
My rating? YOU-HAVE-MY-SOUL
Let’s chat!
How would you feel when you come across these scenes in books? Are some of these more romantic in books vs IRL, or vice versa? 🤔 What are some other popular romantic actions I missed?
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