Top Ten Things That Will Make Me Instantly Want to Read a Book

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish in which you make a list of ten to do with a certain topic.  This week’s topic is “Top Ten Things That Will Make Me Instantly Want To Read A Book (topic originally done back in 2013 as top ten words/topics that will make me instantly want to read a book) — so yeah basically any topic or theme or ANYTHING (ie if X person recommends it) that will make you instantly want to pick up a book. My list will likely be called Jamie-bait because there are soooo certain things you can say in a summary or a review that will just instantly draw me to it!”  I’m a bit late, but I really wanted to do this topic!

Lenoreo’s Top Eleven:

OK, these won’t necessarily immediately make me want to read a book, but will definitely put the book on my radar every single time.  I’ll still likely read some reviews and make a final decision that way.  These probably all look like contemporary tropes, but some of them can be found in non-contemps too, I’m just such a sucker for the romance parts that those are the things that stand out.

1. Ugly Ducklings!!!  Oh yeah baby, I LOVE me an ugly duckling book.  By that I mean a heroine (or hero if it’s an M/M book) who feels ugly and overlooked.  Low self-esteem, yes please!  I know that sounds horrible, but what can I say, it’s easy to relate to.  BONUS points if the heroine doesn’t go through some stupid makeover or plastic surgery that makes her traditionally beautiful, but rather that the hero just *sees* the beauty she always had.  This one’s definitely top of the list.
2. Sort of related is the popular/hot boy noticing/being slayed by the plain/shy/dorky girl.  I even enjoy the opposite too, swapping the girl and boy.  I don’t always love these ones, but I’ll always look into a book further if it has this story line.  It’s a bit of opposites attract I guess.
3. BETA BOYS!!!  OMG I love me a beta boy.  Give me some shy, give me some sweet, give me quietly adorable, I’m all in.
4. Celebrity romances!!!  Obviously I’m more attracted to the hero being the celebrity, but I’ve enjoyed the other way too.  There’s just something about a “normal” person connecting with a celebrity that makes me happy sigh.  Semi-related is Royal romances.
5. And an offshoot of celebrity romances is secret identity romances!!  Where one of them is a celebrity or royal or something and they go undercover and falls in love while pretending to be normal.
6. Older Brother’s Best Friend romances.  Maybe b/c when I was a kid I had a crush on my bro’s best friend.  Especially if he’s secretly in love with her too, but has stayed away.
7. Best friends to lovers!!  Especially if one has secretly been in love with the other, but too afraid to make a move and assumes it’s unrequited.
8. Secret baby/pregnancy!!  ROFL, this one doesn’t make sense to me.  I’m not a kid person.  Seriously.  But I think it’s just the dynamics of why it’s remained a secret, and what happens when the guy finds out, etc.
9. Arrangements that turn to love — like forced marriages/relationships for some ulterior purpose where the couple is forced into close proximity and feelings develop.  I think this is a holdover from my Harlequin days.  Actually, a lot of these are.
10. Hockey romances.  What can I say, I’m a sucker for most sports romances, but I will always look closer to hockey romances.
11. (sneaky bonus) Gay for you!!  These don’t always work, but I often end up being attracted to M/M romances where they don’t know they’re gay/bi (sometimes just one, sometimes both), but then they find that one guy that they can’t deny.  *sigh*

So what about you??  What “things” are guaranteed to have you looking closer at a book?