"While romance is far and away fiction's most popular genre, many bookstores still don't show it much love. Yung Le and Julie Pham are looking to give romantic reads their proper due. They are co-owners of a new downtown Los Altos bookstore where the shelves are filled entirely with romance novels. Their website bills it as the Bay Area's first physical store of its kind."
"A Novel Affair debuted on Nov. 29, with dozens of romance readers lined up outside its doors at 295 State St. well before the shop opened for business. Addie Woolridge, a Bay Area-based romance novelist who was on hand at the store's grand opening to sign copies of her latest book, Reel Love, said the cozy shop fills a gap in the local market. I'm delighted that the Bay Area finally has a space like this, Woolridge said in an email interview."
Yung Le and Julie Pham opened A Novel Affair, a downtown Los Altos bookstore with shelves filled entirely with romance novels. The shop debuted Nov. 29 with dozens lined up before opening. The store bills itself as the Bay Area's first bookstore dedicated solely to romance. The shop addresses a local gap where romance novels are often hidden in back corners and treated as shameful or unserious literature, despite strong reader demand. Circana BookScan data shows adult-fiction print sales fell 1.3% in the first nine months of 2025 while romance rose 7%. Romance popularity surged during the COVID era and the growth of BookTok, which helped authors like Colleen Hoover, Ali Hazelwood and Emily Henry reach bestseller lists.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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