Cuffing season, for anyone who doesn’t know, is a phenomenon where single people start looking for short-term relationships from autumn to late winter. They break up in spring, just in time to start preparing for summer love. During this time, some romance tropes are more appealing than others, whether it’s just the time of year or the phenomenon itself. Here are just a few below, along with book recommendations.
Enemies to Lovers
The tension, the suspense, the drama! This trope works so well because of the buildup and, if done well, it will be just as good when they finally get together. And if they don’t lose the spark that made readers like them together, whether it’s arguing or glaring or whatever. (Bonus points if the line “Who did this to you?” is included somewhere.)
A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore is about Lady Lucie and her fellow Oxford suffragists, who finally have enough to control one of London’s biggest publishing houses. They have one goal: use this to stage a coup against Parliament. But the person standing between them and their goal is Lucie’s enemy and London’s lord of sin, Lord Tristan Ballentine. He’s perfectly willing to stay out of the way for a price — a night in Lucie’s bed.
Friends to Lovers
Dating friends, especially if it’s only temporary, can be tricky. But if everyone agrees to it, and nobody gets real feelings from this, it can be fun! The characters already know each other, so there’s no awkward, getting-to-know-you stage, or worrying about their intentions.
Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne follows Parker Blanton who meets Ben Olsen in college, and they immediately become friends. They’re still friends years later, sharing an apartment as they get into adult life. However, when Parker’s boyfriend suddenly dumps her, she considers Ben’s no-strings-attached way of dating, but even with his help, she can’t do casual sex. Until she does it with him, and at first, everything is perfect. When Parker’s boyfriend wants her back, however, Ben gets unexpectedly jealous, and they realize that maybe they can’t go back after all.
Meet Cutes
Who doesn’t dream of having a sweet meeting with someone that then turns into a relationship? Well, lots of people probably, but it’s an adorable trope anyway! It’s a refreshingly different take on first meetings, since they often go poorly or awkwardly, and it’s nice to see the characters already liking each other.
In The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren, a boy and a girl accidentally connect thanks to an accidental email to the wrong person on Valentine’s Day. They start a yearly tradition of emailing on Valentine’s Day with a few rules: no pictures, no real names, and nothing personal. As years pass, they slowly break their own rules, and they share so much with each other. They’ve even started considering meeting…maybe?
Second-Chance Love
Sometimes love just doesn’t work out the first time, whether they were just too different or it was the right person and the wrong time. But maybe things will work out the second time! It’s nice to see characters grow and change and — maybe — become right for each other.
The Partner Plot by Kristina Forest is about Violet Greene, a celebrity stylist obsessed with fashion. Her work life is wonderful, but her personal life is a mess, especially after a public breakup with her fiancé six months ago. She wants to focus on her career, but life throws Xavier Wright, her high school boyfriend, in her way in Las Vegas. When the shock wears off, they party together, and one morning, they wake up side by side with rings. However, this could be good for their careers, so they keep up the charade. Until their passion comes back, and their feelings become real.
Fake Dating
This is best when the couple is already in love and just haven’t told each other, but it still works out if they don’t have feelings yet! Watching the transition from “everything is fake” to “oh shit, I have feelings” is fun to watch, especially when the characters stumble around their love and each other.
Falling by Janisha Boswell follows figure skater Wren Hackerly as her ex humiliates her and her career is collapsing. She needs a comeback to fix her college team’s morale and donations. Miles Davis is not only North University’s golden boy, but his hockey skills are famous, and he’s handsome, struggling to get back on the ice after a tragedy. After a meet-cute and a bet that turned into a date, they create the perfect relationship. His popularity could fix her team and reputation, and she could help him get back out there. But the fake feelings slowly turn real, and they aren’t sure if they should admit their feelings or not.
Opposites Attract
This trope doesn’t work well in real life, since we generally want people more similar to us, which makes it interesting in fiction. There are already so many popular pairings: grumpy and sunshine, good girl and bad boy, party and uptight, etc. Watching them can either be hilarious or irritating, but it’s guaranteed to be interesting!
Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne follows Georgianna Watkins, a pampered heiress with a party-girl image, but her life starts to feel empty. The best part of her life is when she runs into her uptight neighbor, divorce attorney Andrew Mulroney, who doesn’t have time for women, especially Georgianna, a spoiled girl who inherited her penthouse rather than earned it. One day, Andrew kisses her during their encounters, and it’s caught on camera, causing everyone to wonder if they’re together. And the answer may be yes.
Sibling’s Best Friend
Dating your sibling’s best friend or best friend’s sibling is taboo to a lot of people, which makes it more exciting and tempting. It’s not exactly a forbidden love, but since a lot of people think it’s weird, it’s usually depicted as a relationship where the couple has to sneak around and tiptoe everywhere, lest they get caught.
In The Chase by Elle Kennedy, Summer Heyward-Di Laurentis is living with Colin Fitzgerald, her brother’s best friend, who thinks she’s shallow and flighty. Not to mention that he’s a jerk, and his best friend is in love with Summer, despite the sparks between her and Colin, who makes it clear he’s uninterested. But Summer has enough to deal with on her own, and she decides to wait and let him come to her.
Forbidden Love
When something is forbidden, that makes us want it much more. When a couple is prevented from being together, it only makes it more tempting — even when they know it’s not in their best interest. It usually ends tragically rather than happily, but even then, it’s great to see.
Jenny from XOXO by Axie Oh is an award-winning cellist who picks practice over fun until the fateful night she meets Jaewoo. He’s handsome, mysterious, and slightly tormented, the kind of guy Jenny would stay away from. However, she is pulled into wandering L.A. with him one night before he goes back to South Korea, removing him from her life forever. That is, until she and her mother move to South Korea to care for her grandmother, and she meets him again at an elite arts academy. She then finds out he’s a member of one of the world’s biggest K-pop groups — and he can’t date. Being together would jeopardize everything, but love may be worth it.
Holiday Romance
The holidays have a more romantic atmosphere, and people are more likely to get into relationships — if only to not feel lonely or look pathetic to family. Sometimes it doesn’t last because their situation changed, but other times, the holiday magic sticks around for a while longer.
In Christmas in Spite of You by K.C. Mills, Noel Anderson poured her savings into a business that didn’t work out, so she rents her apartment as an Airbnb for the holidays to stay afloat. She had planned to visit her family, but she got sick and had to cancel. Kanton Joseph is close to securing a big deal, so he decides to gain an advantage by staying at an Airbnb where his possible client is. However, he’s surprised when the owner not only tells him she wants to cancel, but that she’s still there. They reluctantly stay together for a week, but every interaction is tense, especially regarding Christmas. Noel wants a great Christmas, initially irritating Kanton, but he slowly starts to see things her way as they soften toward each other. Will this connection die out, or will they find something real with each other?
Forced Proximity
This trope isn’t as much fun in real life, but it’s so exciting to see two characters shoved together and forced to deal with each other — whether they like it or not. It builds the tension, the anticipation for who will break first, and it’s interesting to see the situations they get themselves stuck in.
Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle follows Maybell Parish, a woman who lives in her own head as opposed to disappointing reality. When she inherits a house in the Smokies from Great-Aunt Violet, she takes the opportunity for a new start. However, not only is the house falling apart, but she has to share with another inheritor, the grouchy and gorgeous groundskeeper, Wesley Koehler. They have different visions for the property’s future, and Maybell finds convincing him the hardest task ever. But when she discovers Wesley’s sweet side, and they gradually grow more comfortable with each other, they learn that venturing out of their comfort zones may be worth it.
These tropes are enjoyable anytime, but they are more special during cuffing season. Happy reading!
Click here for an article on characters the Bookstr team would love to be cuffed to.
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