The literary world has gone past mere genre. Instead, #BookTok has let loose; search terms exploding in extremely searing descriptions of what readers might be looking for in their books, hunting for tropes that come closest to meeting these wants. Whilst some may spew laments about the excessively raucous notions of the romance and fantasy genres currently reigning on #BookTok, there are in fact, some deeply resonant takeaways tucked away in the crevices of the social media platform’s literary community. In short, not only has the TikTok-induced phenomenon kick started my previously-stunted desire to read again, I’ve also had some epiphanies of my own about just why #BookTok draws the crowd it does.
Of the many narrative tropes we’re inclined to seek out, there’s no denying that romance tropes are the most celebrated, for sheer reason that it is also the most commonly replicated across various pieces of fiction within the genre—no matter its subplot, setting or timeline. Be it in fantastical faerie realms, thousands of miles away in outer space or one’s seemingly extenuating corporate life, tropes such as enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, second chance romances or childhood sweethearts have all earned their rightful place on the popularity charts. No matter how the trope is executed, it still works like a charm. It’s precisely why they’ve been done to death, because who doesn’t adore their own bit of fictional escapism?
If anyone’s asking, there’s a go-to trope I actually find myself to be an avid fan of. But that’s a secret I’ll never tell. Instead, I’ll let you in on a second favourite of mine: the friends-to-lovers. A trope I find myself seeking out at particularly tender hours, as if the forgotten ripples of a past life were threatening to break through the surface once again. Like when night allows my mind to drift to all the secret seconds I had locked away; the subtle glances I ignored; the confessions I went into resigned to certain fate and the what-ifs that deigned to ever cross the threshold.
So whilst some may bemoan about the lack of excitement in a friends-to-lovers plot, what I’ve discovered in its place is instead a frothy mass of possibility. The sort that stems from courageous (and sometimes stupid) moments of spunk. Pop culture continues to remind us so. Like the long-awaited burst of emotions that sprung forth from Penelope and Colin in the latest season of Bridgerton. Or the unassuming slow burn that stewed between Monica and Chandler in Friends before one night in London changed everything.
For at its core, the friends-to-lovers trope stands as the happy ending—to a tale that has only ever felt like a fever dream for some. The fictional escape that feels just that much closer to reality.
Of course, we wouldn’t leave you without a couple of Vogue Singapore’s favourite friends-to-lovers reads. From queer historical set-ups to light, warming narratives that’ll soothe the soul, here are just some that lightly brush the surface of a trope well worth exploring.
1 / 7
'Just Friends' by Madison Right
One’s on a mission to get his best friend to fall in love with him, the other is having a go at blind dating after a disheartening break-up. Alex Bates has always been in love with his best friend Hazel Lane, and now he might finally get a chance to show her he’s been there all along.
2 / 7
'Swear On This Life' by Renee Carlino
An epic love story that spans decades. As a writing instructor at a university, Emiline, finds herself drawn to the novel by mysterious author J.Colby—if only because it hits too close to home. Uncovering that J.Colby is indeed her childhood best friend, Jase, she has to grapple with the has-been of their forgotten love, the one that Jase seems to detail intensely in his book.
3 / 7
'A Long Time Coming' by Meghan Quinn
Meet the modern, spunkier version of Julia Roberts’s iconic film My Best Friend’s Wedding. A witty, charming take on the romcom classic, Breaker tries to grapple with the realisation that his best friend, Ophelia is about to be married.
4 / 7
'We Could Be So Good' by Cat Sebastian
Onto some midcentury queer romance. Nick Russo, a reporter at one of the city’s biggest newspapers, meets Andy Fleming, whose tycoon father wants him to take over the newspaper business—but first he he has to work in the newsroom first. An unlikely office friendship, before it blooms into something more.
5 / 7
'Love, Rosie' by Cecelia Ahern
With its own screen adaptation that left many devastated in its wake, the original book sees chummy best friend pair Rosie and Alex take on the world, like no one else lives in it. Yet reality strikes in spades, and the two are torn apart, brought together, and torn apart over and over again.
6 / 7
'Lovelight Farms' by B.K. Borison
A fireside read on a frosty, winter night. To save the Christmas tree farm she holds so dear, Stella Bloom enters a contest that might just give her a chance at doing so. One conversation and some hot chocolate later, she’s convinced best friend Luka Peters to pretend he’s dating her—and that might be all the Christmas magic she really needs in her life.
7 / 7
'Embracing the Moon' by Jeannie Levig
Not only is this a heartening queer romance, it details the tentative pulls of a relationship that blooms at a much later point in one’s life. Taylor Matthews has carved out a career for herself, solid friendships and a ton of no-strings-attached escapades—until her best friend, Gwen Jamison finally hints at something more and the two encounter certain tragedy that sends them whirling into the past.
