Is the story cliched?

Use this forum to discuss the August 2021 Book of the month, "Chameleons" by Onyx Gold
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Maddie Atkinson
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Re: Is the story cliched?

Post by Maddie Atkinson »

A lot of romantic stories are cliched but I think as this is also a thriller it is balanced out quite nicely. Also, cliches are cliches for a reason! Sometimes it's just nice to see them!
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Post by Kaushiki Parihar »

Some romance scenes will always be cliched, yet they still make the reader's heart flutter, and they enjoy it. They positively anticipate and root for the characters as it is their story. And if I talk about this book, I agree some scenes were cliched. However, I still enjoyed them and liked the book overall.
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Post by cluetop »

Personally, I found the story pretty cliche. It was also rather convenient at times. For example, Zia has crippling anxiety when she’s spooked getting a snack, but later when she’s faced with much more stressful situations, she’s fine. And the male love interests as a whole fit into pretty overdone stereotypes. I think the book had some great aspects, but overusing cliches was a problem in my opinion.
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Post by 6eyed »

The story concerning Baxter is not cliched in my opinion. I appreciated how the "bad guy" had a new and highly unsettling motivations and obsessions. However, I do agree that much of Bryce's arc felt clichéd and rushed. The elevator scene, the way he's obsessed with Zia upon meeting her, and the way Zia and Bryce's relationship gets no development after meeting felt clichéd and uninteresting. The way the author has them begin dating offscreen and has Zia overcome her anxiety in like two chapters made Bryce feel like a cardboard cutout prince that perfects Zia's life. Thankfully, his development became more interesting in the later parts of the story, but the first half still felt like a struggle to get through. I felt the author should have taken the time to develop Bryce as both a person and love interest.
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Post by Chimuka Muungo »

Indeed! Cliches are cliches for a reason, a storyline with romance, a love triangle and a scorned lover will never get old. I loved it through and through even though everyone being a millionaire or billionaire seemed a little unrealistic but even that too is cliche in a lot of romance novels.
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Post by Twylla »

The story was so full of surprises it overshadowed what would typically be called cliches - meeting 'the perfect man' in the elevator, the love triangle between Zia, Bryce and Baxter. Romance novels are nothing but cliches. But this book rose above that with a strong story line.
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Post by AngieOdeh »

Although some scenarios are cliches, it is totally normal from the genre. The most important thing is how the General story plays out. The book still a good read with good characters and relatable story.
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Post by Arite Seki »

I wouldn't say that it's a cliche in particular. A lot of writers use scenes or aspects in their writing which may be considered cliche. These are also seen across different genres, so I think a certain amount is still within reason especially in a romance
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Post by Kaitlyn Canedy »

The part about Zia's anxiety definitely was cliche. I felt that there was a gap in the storyline because of it. She goes from avoiding Bryce, meeting up with him to talk, and then suddenly has him in her apartment. We also find out that she no longer takes her medication. I did not think that she would suddenly be "cured" of her anxiety within a few pages, which is why I believe that it was cliche.

I didn't think that the elevator scene was cliche, as I have heard stories like this from couples that I am friends with. I met my then friend now boyfriend while volunteering at a pet store animal shelter. I broke my foot only a few weeks later, and he managed to get my number because he wanted to offer help in any way he could. We have been together for nearly nine years. I suppose that aspects of a story being cliche all depend on the subjectivity of the reader. :)
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Post by ciecheesemeister »

I felt like the author reached into a bag of tropes and pulled out a handful. I found the story entertaining, but it was hardly a literary masterpiece.
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Post by Eunice Geres »

I think most of the tropes are cliched, like the trying-to-avoid kinda thing. But I think what sets this book apart is its main plot, with all its racial and mental health sub topics.
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Post by Chiwelite O »

Although this elevator scene looks like it has been used a lot in books and movies and therefore sounds a bit cliched, I won't say the entire story is cliche. The author tried as much as possible to tell Zia's story of anxiety coupled with falling in love.
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Post by Hhannahh »

The romantic bit of this book is quite cliché, as is Bryce, the stunning dashing male. But that's where the cliché ends; other aspects of this book, like Zia's work life, are not cliché.
I guess I can excuse a few clichés.
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Post by CoolReads »

“All stories told have been told before. We tell them to ourselves, as did all men who ever were. And all men who ever will be. The only things new are the names.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance

Based on the above quote, we, the readers are bound to come upon similar plots or scenes in multiple books. The elevator scene is based on Zia's pov. Part of Zia's anxiety forces her to exaggerate encounters with attractive men. This is explained in the cafeteria scene between Zia and Jazz while the former is busy avoiding being seen by Bryce.
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Post by Katherine Smith »

I think that romance books can be cliched if the story line is not realistic enough for this events to happen in real life. I do think that the meeting of your one true love in an elevator is a little cliched, but that is not to say that it would never happen in real life. The author does address important topics like race, although some might say that this was not discussed in full. I think that having a character of mixed race who deals with mental health issues makes this book better overall and not cliché.
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