'Women are done being shamed for what they read'

It feels like romance books are more popular than ever, as the reception to north-east England's first romance-only bookshop suggests. But is the genre really starting a new chapter or are readers just less afraid to let their love for it show?

Ezibela Welsh was not expecting to have to close her new bookshop so soon after opening.

But the demand at The Sinful Spine in Newcastle was so great, she sold out of 95% of her stock on opening day and had to shut for almost a week to restock.

People travelled from as far as London and Belfast to visit the North East's only dedicated romance fiction shop earlier this month, Welsh says.

"I think it's pretty surreal to be the only romance-only bookstore, but seeing the response we've had, it's definitely been needed."

Opening day was "completely overwhelming but in such an amazing way" and solidified why the romance community is "one of the best reading communities going", she says.

Critics of romance fiction often view it as being "trashy", badly written or just downright smutty.

But Welsh thinks the reason for the genre's recent popularity is because "women are done being shamed for what we read".

She also thinks the need for escapism is a big part of romance fiction's allure.

"I feel like a lot of women live 9-5 and deal with mediocre men, and they get to escape into a completely different reality when they're reading romance novels," she says.

Romance writers have dealt with the stereotypes and stigmas that come with the genre for years.

Carrie McGovern, an author from Sunderland, says she has experienced people scoffing and asking "why romance?" when they find out what she does.

"The stigma is ridiculous really, isn't it?" she says.

"I mean, why have we got a stigma? The reason why we have a stigma is because it's [written by] women for women."

McGovern thinks the popularity of reading in general has come on "leaps and bounds" but romance has "always been there, it's just there's been a stigma around it".

However, Ellie White, another Sunderland-based romance author, thinks that stigma is "beginning to drift away".

"People are becoming more accepting of reading romance, and publicly reading romance," she says.

"People used to pretend they didn't read romance, and that they were reading literary classics instead, but now people are becoming a lot more open about what they are reading."

Part of that is down to the growing conversation around romance books on TikTok, particularly on the sub-community known as BookTok.

Here, readers share and discuss all things book-related, in the form of reviews, debates, video edits and book clubs.

Grace, from Sunderland, runs the account @gracesbooknook7 and says the bookish community of the North East is "such a special place to be".

Romance - especially books written by women - "touches something in our soul", she says.

"I guess everybody wants their own love story."

As for stereotypes around the genre, she thinks they are unfair.

"I think we wouldn't categorise a movie by one scene, and I think we should apply the same when it comes to a book.

"I think we just need to shout about our love for books and be unashamed of the things we enjoy."

Sara Mack, from Middlesbrough, is also on BookTok and says she enjoys being part of the community because "it's nice to connect with local people" who love to read.

"People are getting a lot more open about reading romance books because for a lot of years it's been a bit of a taboo," she says.

She thinks BookTok is the main reason for the genre's increasing popularity because people can post reviews and indie authors can promote their books.

Author McGovern adds the rise of self-publishing is also a factor, as it "has made it so publishers aren't telling people what they should read, readers are actually choosing for themselves".

As opening day at The Sinful Spine showed, the demand for romance is also being seen physically across bookstores in the region.

Chapter 13 is an independent bookshop which opened in Sunderland in July.

Its owner Hayley Beckinsale says romance books are her top seller, especially dark romance and romantasy - a blend of romance and fantasy.

Beckinsale swapped her long career as a nurse for bookshop owner, after joking about owning a shop for years.

She says "we should just celebrate that people are reading".

"I think there shouldn't be a stigma around anything that anybody likes to read."

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