The Night We Met falls into the genre of contemporary romance. Although the novel deals with serious subjects, such as complicated family dynamics, grief, and financial insecurity, it’s underpinned by lighthearted and comedic moments. Contemporary romances are categorized by their happy endings and familiar plotlines but often focus on the main characters’ personal growth and the obstacles they must overcome to achieve their happy ending. As in The Night We Met, most contemporary romance heroines and heroes are flawed; these narratives often show protagonists helping each other overcome barriers to not only becoming romantically involved but also being better, happier people.

Just as contemporary romance novels rely on familiar narrative structures, they also often feature tropes, archetypes, and common situations, such as enemies-to-lovers relationships, marriage-of-convenience plotlines, and quaint settings. The Night We Met uses many conventions typical of contemporary romance novels, including the friends-to-lovers trope, in which two friends must navigate the complexity of their feelings while considering their history and their futures. The “boyfriend’s best friend” trope is another common romance convention used in The Night We Met, as Larissa and Chris are forced to confront the dynamics of their friend group that keep them apart.

Secret dating is also not uncommon in contemporary romance novels and can be found in works such as Rachel Lynn Solomon’s The Ex Talk, Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry, and Sara Adams’s Practice Makes Perfect. These tropes are all used to highlight the struggles that the characters face in their relationships and how their love is often enough to overcome them.