It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single person in possession of the ability to read, must be in want of a good love story.
Romance novels have seen a huge uptick in popularity recently, with sales doubling over the past five years. In 2022, popular romance author Colleen Hoover’s novels outsold the Bible. Romance-only bookstores are popping up across the country, drawing customers who travel specifically to visit them. Boston’s first brick-and-mortar romance bookstore, Lovestruck, opens later this winter in Harvard Square. But romance fiends need not wait to find their fix, as pop-up romance bookstore Read My Lips Boston is already hosting all the bookish events one could desire. The Independent caught up with founders Lily and Hannah Barrett to hear more about the project.
The Barrett sisters’ love for romance began during childhood, when they would trade recommendations with each other despite their different tastes in novels. “One of us loves villains and dark romance, while the other prefers cinnamon roll heroes,” Lily explained. Even though they’ve been reading romance novels for years, it took the sisters, who both grew up using cochlear implants, until recently to find characters that they felt represented them. It was that experience that ultimately inspired them to start Read My Lips. “We wanted to curate and highlight love stories that give everyone the happily ever afters they deserve,” said Hannah.
Diversity and representation are at the heart of Read My Lips’ mission. “Stories that celebrate marginalized voices both comfort us and open our worlds. Seeing yourself centered in a love story—where it’s clear you are someone who matters and is desirable, sexy, valuable, and worthy of pleasure and joy—is affirming and important,” Lily explained. “The books on our shelves explore themes of racism, chronic illness, homophobia, and more.”
In addition to encouraging others to read diversely, Read My Lips donates ten percent of the proceeds from their pop-up book shops to organizations that promote literacy and support marginalized groups. In November, they are donating their proceeds to the Native American Disability Law Center.
Lily and Hannah are not just focused on selling romance books; they are also building a true community of romance fans. “We’ve received a ton of support from our bookish community, which we love to see. At our pop-ups, we’ve had incredible conversations with people, ranging from fun dating stories to the books they loved (and the books they definitely didn’t!). Those one-on-one interactions are what makes our work the most meaningful.”
The sisters are also finely attuned to the relationship between reading and current events. “The question of ‘who gets a happy ending?’ is political and always has been,” Lily stated. According to PEN America, 5,894 books were banned during the 2021 to 2023 school years. This number includes many romance books banned on the basis of their “obscene” content and inclusion of diverse experiences, regardless of how explicit their depictions of sex and romance actually are.
“Romance novels are more than just feel-good stories,” said the sisters. “They put all kinds of relationships front and center, challenging rigid ideas about who gets to find love and what that love should look like. They give readers the tools to understand themselves and others better.” The Barretts don’t intend to let book bans scare them away, however. “We don’t know what the next few years will bring for the books we love, but we plan to fight for the stories on our shelves.”
Belief in the power of romance novels is a key part of what inspires Lily and Hannah to keep doing good, even in the face of bigotry and censorship, and they believe these books can do the same for others. “Hope isn’t about being oblivious or sticking your head in the sand. It’s about the will to get back up and keep fighting, and we believe that romance novels can help provide fuel for that hope.”
Readers can find a full list of future Read My Lips Boston events on their website and shop Lily and Hannah’s favorites online at their Bookshop.org page.
Ellen Mollerus ’26 (ellenmollerus@college.harvard.edu) just finished reading a delectable vampire-werewolf romance.