What makes us turn the page or toss the book? That's the question driving our latest Book Bites mini-episode, where we're pulling back the curtain on the literary devices that either captivate or frustrate us as readers.

Kylee and Susie serve up a deliciously honest conversation about romance novel tropes, revealing their reading preferences with unfiltered enthusiasm. For every "second chance romance" that has us swooning (though we'd never give those second chances in real life), there's a frustrating miscommunication plot that makes us want to scream at fictional characters to just talk to each other already! We dissect why we're suckers for the "he falls first" dynamic, where male protagonists are secretly obsessed while heroines remain oblivious to their affections.

From arranged marriages to workplace romances, royal love stories to found families, we explore what makes these familiar patterns so satisfying when executed well. But we don't hold back on our literary pet peeves either – bully-to-lovers relationships that cross ethical boundaries, love magically "curing" infertility, uncomfortable age gaps, and books that promise romance but deliver nothing spicier than a handshake all make our hit list. And don't get us started on cliffhanger endings without proper epilogues!

Whether you're nodding along in agreement or preparing your counterarguments, this episode celebrates how reading preferences reveal what we value in storytelling. Share your own trope loves and hates with us – we promise we have thick skin (mostly)! After all, the conversation around what makes literature resonate is as fascinating as the books themselves.

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Editing done by Connor Luther @clfilms.co
Music by @thundercatlouis
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