To be seen flipping through the pages of a romance novel used to feel like an unspoken confessional, as if opening the heart to the world of love stories in public was an act of sin.
“When I was younger, it felt like reading romance felt almost like a betrayal to literature, which is so ridiculous, but people would kind of laugh in the face of romance,” said Natasha Babcock, a long-time reader of romance-fantasy (romantasy) novels and a bookish content creator offering reviews and recommendations for romance and romantasy novels.
To avoid the raised eyebrows and nasty smirks, romance books were kept hidden underneath pillows and bed covers to mask the guilt of reading such literature. However, public perceptions of romance novels have slowly shifted over the years from guilty-pleasure reads to celebrated staples, as the genre has updated its portrayals of dating and relationships to make the stories more diverse, complex, and relatable to today’s book lovers.
“You get to see yourself represented in so many different ways, and then know that you can be appreciated even if it’s in flawed ways,” said Babcock. “I feel like it helps me celebrate myself as a woman, especially as someone studying in STEM, getting to celebrate my femininity and talk about books that celebrate femininity and love and romance, of course, is just super.”
The shifting views also partly stem from the book communities built on social media, specifically TikTok, according to a 2023 Publishers Weekly article. Not only have these virtual communities given romance readers a space to openly embrace the genre, but they have also helped romance novels soar in popularity among Gen-Z and millennial audiences.
From People We Meet on Vacation to Heated Rivalry to Wuthering Heights, romance novels are finally getting their flowers, with many already translating into screenplays this year. According to BookNet Canada, romance book sales rose to 82% in 2024 and increased 9% at the beginning of 2025.
As romance novels continue to dominate bestseller lists, BookTok feeds, and the cinema screens, romance-dedicated bookstores have been popping up across Canada and the United States.
For Toronto, the Hopeless Romantic Bookshop (HRB) has become the go-to spot for romance readers to browse and immerse themselves in their love of meet-cutes, slow-burn romances, and happily-ever-afters. No longer do they feel the need to keep the genre a secret when they walk through the doors of the HRB, as the all-pink bookstore has shelves stacked with sweet and spicy page-turners by a range of LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and local Canadian authors.
Founded by sisters and romance novel fanatics Serena Goodchild and Kearston Bergeron, the romance-dedicated bookstore attracts people to the book genre by embodying the joy, comfort, and vibrancy romance novels are known for. “It has to reflect who we are and how we feel,” said Goodchild.
Upon entering the bookshop, people are met with a girly-pop playlist featuring the musical stylings of Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, and other female powerhouse musicians. As they make their way towards the bookshelves, it’s hard not to overlook the massive “spice wall,” where readers can select romance novels based on the level of steamy content on a scale from one to five chilli peppers (One pepper being a slow-burning fairytale romance and a five pepper novel falling under the SMUT category).
Through HRB’s artsy decor, Goodchild and Bergeron aim to create a judgment-free space for readers to feel comfortable exploring various genres and subgenres of romance. “The only qualification to be on the shelves of HRB is that you have to have a happily ever after in your story,” explained Goodchild.
Babcock has always loved romance, but she was never a pure romance reader until this past year, when she stumbled upon HRB last April. She decided to join the HRB book club, where every month romance book lovers get together to chat about the novel they selected.
After receiving a romance novel for her birthday by Ali Hazelwood titled Deep End, which also happened to be HRB’s book of the month, Babcock decided to read it and instantly fell in love with the genre. Since then, Babcock has returned to HRB not only in search of new romance reads but for a sense of belonging in the store’s tight-knit book community.
“It feels like we’re all best friends, and I love it even if we don’t have the same taste in books—it’s so fascinating hearing everyone talk about books,” said Babcock.
Beyond selling books, HRB cultivates a diverse community of romance readers through events where they can express their shared interest in the book genre through other artistic mediums. Stefanie Furgiuele, the owner of local paint company, Original Genes, has become a regular collaborator with HRB, hosting themed paint nights inspired by popular romance novels such as Heated Rivalry and Onyx Storm.
Through these collaborations, Furgiuele discovered a new love for romance novels after seeing the joyful environment they foster for young women. “I just enjoyed seeing this community of girls getting together and discussing books and talking about fan fiction. Because I wasn’t much of a reader, it’s not something that I necessarily had myself, but I was able to see the benefits of sort of investing in reading these books and finding community,” said Furgiuele.
A new programming and media collective known as grlish, run by four women: Dara Poizner, Michelle Reyes Boon, Julia Palatino, and Caterina Capizzano, works to create communal events that spotlight feminist and Queer narratives present in pop culture and media.
They also decided to team up with HRB to launch their first event, celebrating Galentine’s Day with handmade floral arrangements and a film screening of BookSmart, a coming-of-age story about female friendship and navigating high school social life.
“[HRB] felt like a very natural partner for something like that because they’re always celebrating love—and that sort of love that doesn’t get enough attention,” said Poizner.
The bookstore’s partnerships with women-led businesses like Original Genes and grlish can invite a new range of audiences into the romance book community. The conversation travels across Toronto’s arts and entertainment sectors, helping the genre garner more love and recognition.
Dedicated spaces like HRB leave the door open for public discussion of love stories, helping romance readers find comfort in their shared interests and showing them that these novels are worth celebrating beyond bedroom walls.
“I think that reading can feel so internal sometimes […] It’s so nice to be able to get out of your head and discuss everything with other people and know that you’re not alone in that,” said Babcock.