Cliches are cliches for a reason - they work.
They can be handled great by an author who understands to tweak them just right, so they seem like something new while still retaining that air of something familiar. As long as they support the overall story and are integrated well into the plot and storyline, I love cliches. But when they are just thrown in for added drama or with no apparent underlying reason, they just make me sick...
1. Love Triangles
9 out of 10 times (I may have made this statistic up but still...) love triangles are redundant for the simple reason that we all know who the one in the middle is going to choose in the end. I mean, was there ever really any doubt that Bella would choose Edward over Jacob? If a love triangle's only purpose is to create drama, they aren't needed in my opinion.
Prime example: Twilight (of course...)
2. Secrets, that Blow Up in Your Face
This is a cliche that has become painfully clear to me lately. You have probably come across it too - a character decided to keep something hidden from a significant other (usually for noble, well-meaning, innocent reasons) but when the secret is somehow revealed, it leads to great drama. Honestly, I see this one so often that it has become a mark of an unintelligent character, because I know it's going to go wrong so why don't they?!
Prime example: Pretty much any Historical Romance book...
3. Bad Boy - Innocent Girl
Why is this cliche so popular? I think the answer is simple - so many women fantasize about this. They fantasize about being noticed by that hunky, brooding, hot guy, dream about him seeing them for what they're worth. So may even dream about saving him from whatever it is that haunts him. But really, how often does this happen in real life?
Prime example: Hush, Hush series
4. The Chosen One with Superpowers
This one is especially prevalent in fantasy novels, where one chosen individual has to save an entire country/culture/people from certain doom. To do this they of course have some sort of advantage over the forces of evil - often a super strong superpower unmatched by any other. Sure, it is tried and true and authors like J.K. Rowling has made it work really well, but that seems to be more the exception than the rule.
Prime example: Throne of Glass series
5. 'School' Dramas with Ragtag Friends and Horrid Bully
This one might be just me, but it is starting to get on my nerves more and more. It usually takes place in a school or a special fraction of a society and involves a band of close friends - often outsiders and underdogs - and a bully. The thing about the bully is, that they are so clearly a horrible person (especially to the friends) that it is clear to all that they should be expelled or banished. However, for some reason, it never happens...
Prime example: The Selection series
6. Non-Existent Parents
How many teenagers storm off to save the world without their parents stopping them? It seems to be happening in pretty much every YA fantasy, dystopian or Sci-Fi book lately and I don't get it. Why do their parents not care? Is it just commonly accepted in these societies that teenagers are the saviors? I don't get it.
Prime example: The Hunger Games
7. Instant Undying Love
Again, this is mainly a YA cliche. I call it insta-love. When two (teenage) characters lay eyes on each other and almost instantly fall madly in love. They just know that they are meant to be and will defy anyone and everything that tries to keep them apart. Honestly. How often do you see that happening in real life? Yeah, that's right, never.
Prime example: Caster Chronicles series