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Life feels overwhelming for a lot of people right now, and many readers are looking for a warm and cozy escape. The quintessential cozy genre is cozy mystery, but in the past several months, I’ve come across genres like cozy fantasy and cozy romance more and more.
A cozy romance is comforting, low stakes, and lighthearted. It usually (but not always) doesn’t feature any explicit content or swearing and focuses on the emotional side of the main characters’ romance.
How do you make a romance cozy? One way is to rely on certain cozy tropes. You can find these across multiple cozy genres.
Small Town Settings
Idyllic small towns are classic cozy settings. Readers love to escape into a picturesque atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle of a big city. Life is slower and simpler in a small town, and everyone knows everyone. You can set your romance in a real small town or make one up, as many authors of cozy mystery do.
Close-Knit Communities
Even if your story doesn’t feature a small town, it can have a cozy close-knit community. Examples include book clubs, support groups, church communities, and neighborhoods. If you’ve ever been part of a community like this, you know all kinds of drama can occur!
Animal Companions
The main characters in cozy stories often have animal companions, such as a beloved cat, dog, or other type of pet. The pet becomes a key character with their own personality and mannerisms. If you include a feline, canine, or other furry character, make sure to include them throughout the story.
Food and Drink Descriptions
What’s cozier than comfort food? Baked goods, tea, coffee, and more create a warm and soothing vibe, as do settings like bakeries, tea shops, and cafés. Consider depicting your character enjoying yummy foods and drinks and describing them in a way that makes your reader crave a taste. If one (or both) of your main characters has an occupation like baker or chef or has some other culinary connection, you can even include recipes in your book or use them as reader magnets.
Books and Reading
People who love books tend to find reading and related activities comforting. They love bookstores, libraries, book festivals, and book clubs. These settings and activities can lend your story a cozy vibe and also bring in interesting events and characters.
Lovable, Colorful Characters
Characters your reader can get attached to are good to have in any story. But with the focus on community that cozy stories have, memorable characters that your reader can fall in love with are essential—bonus points if they recur over the course of a series and have your reader feeling delighted when they encounter them again and again. A character like this can be the hero or heroine in one book and then a secondary character later, or they can be a secondary character throughout a series.
What are your favorite cozy tropes? Share them in the comments!
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