I’m deep in my Rebecca Yarros era, greedily devouring her bibliography, which is funny to me, considering I didn’t care for the first book of hers I listened to – The Things We Leave Unfinished. But since then she has become one of my favorite authors, with many a 5-star read rating from me, and one of her books being a new favorite of mine – In the Likely Event.

Okay, all that being said, when you read a lot of the same author you notice some patterns, and that’s what I’m here to laugh/gripe with you all about.

First, this woman’s obsession with keeping water bottles in the fridge, and noting when her characters are drinking them, how aggressively they take off the cap, how they are drinking them, how fast they are drinking them, if they offered one to their partner… I have so many questions. Do you keep water bottles in your fridge? I don’t like dinking super cold water, and I almost always drink of out a reusable bottle, so this is foreign to me. BUT IT’S MENTIONED SO MANY TIMES IN HER BOOKS.

I appreciate how hydrated her characters are. But the use of so much single-use plastic in the home bugs me a bit.

Secondly, the “secret” trope. Gah. So many of her stories have one character keeping a big secret from the other. Sometimes we know what it is, sometimes we know it partially, sometimes we know none of it (and it always turns out not to be a big deal). But they are always consciously keeping this secret, to avoid something. In the book I’m reading now, The Last Letter, the man does not tell the woman that he is the one she’d been corresponding with in the Special Forces. He lets her think that that person died, along with his brother, so that he can fulfill his brother’s wish to look after her. It makes no sense, right? So the whole time you’re reading it wondering when the ball is going to drop. And you’re just thinking “FREAKING TELL HER! Especially since she said in the first letter to you she hates liars and doesn’t give people second chances!”

I don’t have a related photo to share, but here is one Stephany took of me when she was here!

A third one, interruptions! The characters are finally about to kiss or have seggy time or whatever and they keep getting interrupted. I get that is to build suspension, but yeah, you just notice these patterns.

Oh! A fourth! If I read “lickable lines” one more time it will be TOO SOON.

And I keep coming back for more because I love her stories and writing, especially the chemistry between characters. I just had to get these out there. Ahh. I feel better now.

Any author writing/plot/whatever patterns you’ve noticed that you want to share?

Surely, if you have read ACOTAR you would be responding with “a vulgar gesture.” Ha. Ha ha ha.