Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.
Alisha Rouch embraces her latest stack of heart-throbbing romance novels. It’s Bookstore Romance Day and Rouch is loading up at Books Inc. in Campbell. For the 24-year-old, there’s no better escape than immersing herself in “romantasies,” sci-fi romance that’s fueling sales of the red-hot romance fiction category.
“Romance gets laughed at, but I think it’s important to validate that it’s a very serious genre that is driving the book industry,” said Rouch.
Readers like Rouch are among the over 30 million who’ve turned the romance genre into the top-selling fiction category with sales doubling in just three years. According to Wordsrated.com, print sales soared from 17 million in 2020 to a staggering 39 million in 2023, making it the most profitable fiction genre.
Young adult romance — aimed at ages 12-18 — is rising to one of the most popular romance categories. According to the events coordinator at Books Inc. in San Leandro, Danielle Deveaux, the diverse stories told in young adult romance contribute to its surge in popularity.
It is no surprise that soaring sales coincided with the pandemic. When asked what she thinks is behind book lovers’ embrace of the category, author Abigail Hing Wen credits the isolation of COVID-19. “I think that the pandemic made us crave that connection that we could only feel through romance,” she said.
Once dismissed as fluff, romance has grown up. A new stable of writers tackles issues tailored to its increasingly diverse audience, even delving into serious topics. But whether it’s rom-com, romantasy or romance for black and LGBTQ+ communities, readers always find a love story.
Why are they putting on their rose-colored reading glasses? Take a look at comments on Good Reads, a social media platform for bookworms where readers post opinions. In 2023, Good Reads crowned “Happy Place” by Emily Henry as the Best Romance with 157,687 votes. When scrolling through comments, it’s clear that readers felt that it was much more than the classic lust-filled romance.
“I think this book also examined relationships, and the constant changes of adulthood in a way that, 1) I was not emotionally prepared for and 2) I definitely needed,” explained one reader.
At Books Inc. in Campbell, author Simi Monheit recently sat next to a stack of her new release, “The Goldie Standard,” a humorous, modern-day take on a creative Jewish grandmother trying to find a doctor husband for her Ph.D. granddaughter.
“When I first started writing (romance), what I thought was, everybody wants love, everybody wants happiness,” she said. “It’s the life we all want.”
Romance lovers often are looking for more than a happily-ever-after. For 18-year-old Daniela Villalobos, it’s a reprieve from the overwhelming world of starting college while juggling a job. Settling on a bench in Roy Avenue Park in San Jose recently, she put on headphones and clicked on a curated playlist for her book, teleporting somewhere soothing.
“It’s very therapeutic for me, feeling like I can belong,” Villalobos said.
Creating a customized playlist is as simple as typing in the book title on sites like Spotify. “It’s like making your own soundtrack for a movie in your head,” she said, explaining that it enhances the feeling of a cozy rom-com or heartbreak.
It’s just one of the ways romance readers add a new dimension to their experience. There’s Book Tok, a book review community on the social platform Tik Tok, newsletters and even romance book clubs like the one at Books Inc. in Mountain View that meets at a wine bar.
“It’s not just people wanting to read them, people want to talk about them too,” said DeVeaux, the event coordinator at Books Inc. in San Leandro.
Once readers pick up a romance book, they turn the page into escapism. “It’s like comfort food,” Monheit said. Whether they’re pulling their hair out during a third act breakup or tearing up over a dramatic love confession, romance readers don’t just find a good book, they find home.
Iris Sanchez is a freshman at San Jose State University.