Trope Tuesday is a meme/series created by Lacy Literacy. On Tuesdays, the goal is to discuss one trope that you dislike, love, are indifferent to, hate, currently annoyed by, think is problematic, etc. You can learn more about Trope Tuesday here.
I probably don’t even have to explain anything about this trope, the name says it all. Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl happens when the brooding, angsty, loner boy ends up with a sweet, gentle, caring girl who will patiently coax him out of his moody ass shelf. Now, I know this is a cliche, but aren’t cliches cliche for a reason?
While the appeal of the brooding boy probably has something to do with the fact the “girls love bad boys”, the brooding boy isn’t necessarily bad, he’s just… moody. Like, maybe he has a dark and troubled past, maybe he made terrible mistakes, or maybe he simply takes his responsibilities more seriously than he’s supposed to. Whatever the case, he’s just waiting for someone to draw him out of his shell, to understand him and yada yada yada, that person being the gentle girl.
The heroine “gentle girl” doesn’t try to actively shake the brooding boy out of his moodiness. Her approach is more subtle; she patiently and persistently offers kind words, shy or gentle smiles, hugs, companionship, and hope. In the end, “the power of love” will eventually heal the brooding boy, and she might learn some things about herself as well, since she usually has some demons about herself that she needs to face.
As this is a popular trope to say the least, I have read quite a few books from it. So I’ll just talk about my favorites. Pretty Face is definitely very high on my list, I love the author, I love the plot, I love the characters, and also AGE GAP! But seriously, this is such a masterpiece, 100% recommend anything from Lucy Parker. Another one that is very high on my list is Flat-Out Love, okay okay, I know this is getting repetitive but I love this book way too much and I just can’t help myself, I need to put it in every list that it can be a part of.
I should also recommend Managed, I’ve Got Your Number and Miracle on 5th Avenue (this one is a holiday book though, yay), these three books are so precious to me, if you haven’t read them yet, you should totally add it to your list because it’s definitely worth it. They have a special place in my heart and I’ll always love them.
What do you guys think? Already done with this trope? Or still up for more books with it?
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