Romance novels aren't just guilty pleasures anymore. Fans are connecting through social media, book clubs and at a growing number of romance-only bookstores. Stores like Lovestruck Books in Cambridge and The Ripped Bodice in LA and Brooklyn host events where readers mingle, share recommendations and celebrate the genre together.
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Are these devices the answer?A good shower is a simple shower, no matter what influencers recommendWorries about flying seem to be taking off. Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyOne Tech Tip: Don't use rice for your device. Here's how to dry out your smartphonePresidente de Bolivia recomienda vacunar a los niños contra el sarampión tras un broteJuez dice que administración de Trump no puede usar veto migratorio para excluir a 80 refugiadosDan a 4 años de prisión a vándalos que talaron el popular árbol de Sycamore Gap en Inglaterra Are these devices the answer?A good shower is a simple shower, no matter what influencers recommendWorries about flying seem to be taking off. Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyOne Tech Tip: Don't use rice for your device. Here's how to dry out your smartphonePresidente de Bolivia recomienda vacunar a los niños contra el sarampión tras un broteJuez dice que administración de Trump no puede usar veto migratorio para excluir a 80 refugiadosDan a 4 años de prisión a vándalos que talaron el popular árbol de Sycamore Gap en InglaterraRomance novels are no longer just guilty pleasures—bookstores like The Ripped Bodice now host events where fans gather to connect, exchange recommendations, and celebrate the genre. Roses are displayed atop a bookshelf of romance titles at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025, A customer holds romance titles at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. Lovestruck Books owner Rachel Kanter poses in her bookstore in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Dec. 15, 2024. Keiana Samoy browses romance titles at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. Ashley Dang, an employee at The Ripped Bodice, stocks romance titles at the bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025,. Iliana Garcia browses romance titles at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. An oversized bookmark is featured in a display at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. Romance novels are no longer just guilty pleasures—bookstores like The Ripped Bodice now host events where fans gather to connect, exchange recommendations, and celebrate the genre. Roses are displayed atop a bookshelf of romance titles at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025, Roses are displayed atop a bookshelf of romance titles at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025, A customer holds romance titles at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. A customer holds romance titles at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. Lovestruck Books owner Rachel Kanter poses in her bookstore in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Dec. 15, 2024. Lovestruck Books owner Rachel Kanter poses in her bookstore in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Dec. 15, 2024. Keiana Samoy browses romance titles at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. Keiana Samoy browses romance titles at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. Ashley Dang, an employee at The Ripped Bodice, stocks romance titles at the bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025,. Ashley Dang, an employee at The Ripped Bodice, stocks romance titles at the bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025,. Iliana Garcia browses romance titles at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. Iliana Garcia browses romance titles at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. An oversized bookmark is featured in a display at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. An oversized bookmark is featured in a display at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Culver City, Calif., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Romance novels have always spiced up quiet nights. Now, a genre that has sometimes been dismissed as a guilty pleasure is bringing readers and writers together through social media, book clubs and At a recent launch party for Nora Dahlia’s enemies-to-friends romance “Pick-Up” at Lovestruck Books, a romance-dedicated store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a crowd of women sipped cocktails from the bar-café as they browsed the shelves. After Dahlia’s reading, patrons stuck around to mingle, swap contact info and trade author recommendations. At The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Brooklyn, New York, manager Katherine Zofri said romance fans who have connected online frequently come into the store to meet in person. Along with author events, the store hosts three different book clubs and a romance comedy night.She said customers range “from teenagers who are starting to really get into the romance genres to older folks who have been romance readers for their entire lives and remember way back when they were reading the Harlequins and romance wasn’t as widely accepted.Bookstores like Lovestruck and The Ripped Bodice have begun popping up all over the U.S., from Wichita, Kansas, to Wilmington, North Carolina, to Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Of the 157 romance-dedicated bookstores in the American Booksellers Association, more than half opened within the last two years, aid Allison Hill, CEO of the group. “Romance books have been one of the fastest growing book sales categories in recent years, driven by a number of factors including the need for escape reading and BookTok,” Hill said. And the genre has evolved. “The romance genre is more diverse in every way including character identity and plot,” she said. Lovestruck’s owner, Rachel Kanter, called the boom “incredible — and honestly, overdue. Romance has always been one of the most commercially successful genres, but for a long time it didn’t get the respect or space it deserved in the literary world.” Romance-specific bookstores, she says, “are places where readers can feel joy, comfort, and connection — and where love is taken seriously as a literary theme.”As with many hobbies, romance fandom solidified and expanded after the COVID-19 pandemic. “The pandemic had pushed so many people toward reading for escape and comfort, and romance became a lifeline for a lot of folks,” said Kanter. “At the same time, there was a wider cultural shift happening — people were rethinking what mattered, craving joy and softness, and looking to support indie businesses that reflected their values. Romance, with all its hope and heart, met that moment beautifully,” she said.Romance has countless subgenres — hockey romance, Western romance, LGBTQ romance, even romance set on prison planets. But a common theme is their “inherently hopeful storylines,” says Elizabeth Michaelson Monaghan, a 52-year-old freelance writer and editor in New York who said she’s read “hundreds” of romance novels. “Romance must have a happily-ever-after — or at least a happily-for-now. Romance writers and readers are very clear on this,” she said.Traits of the romance genre also include strong character descriptions, attraction, conflict, and a satisfying resolution and emotional growth. Expect plenty of steam — some authors deploy it explicitly, others are more tame.“It is pleasurable to reimagine courtship or the romantic bond,” said Jayashree Kamble, professor of English at LaGuardia Community College and president of the International Association for the Study of Popular Romance. “There is limited risk involved.” Kamble has been a voracious romance reader since her teenage years in India, where she devoured Harlequin romances.Podcasts, too, have become a source for discovering what’s trending. Andrea Martucci, creator and host of the romance-focused “Shelf Love” podcast, said romance bookstores have become places of connection akin, in some ways, to churches — for the romantically devoted. “I can go to a bookstore and not just find people who love books,” she said, “but find people who love the very same books I love.” As Annabel Monaghan, author of several love stories including “Nora Goes Off Script,” puts it, “People who read romance want to feel good. And when you gather a bunch of people who want to feel good, it’s magic.”Federal judge reverses rule that would have removed medical debt from credit reports
Books And Literature Los Angeles MA State Wire New York City New York City Wire California Massachusetts CA State Wire Business Rachel Kanter Retail And Wholesale Arts And Entertainment Katherine Zofri Nora Dahlia Comedy Jayashree Kamble Lifestyle Jude Deveraux Brooklyn Annabel Monaghan New York Elizabeth Michaelson Monaghan Entertainment
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