‘We need to reclaim these words': Inside England's first romance-only bookshop catering to record levels of popularity
England's first romance-only bookshop opened last week in Notting Hill, west London, instantly becoming a go-to destination for readers and turning into a meeting spot for like-minded folk to share their love stories.
And although detractors have dismissed the genre as 'smut' or 'fairy porn', fans say there is nothing to blush about – these are just brilliantly written stories.
What is not in doubt is their popularity: there were record sales for the 'romance and sagas' genre last year, according to data gathered from more than 7,000 UK booksellers, up to £69m in 2024. The surge in sales pushed UK fiction revenue above £1bn for the first time.
'The popularity of the store speaks for itself,' says Sarah Maxwell, the founder of Saucy Books. 'We even had to ticket our first week and give time slots to customers.'
But she believes sexism is keeping the genre from the mainstream. 'There's so much snobbery and bias,' Maxwell says. 'People think it's less than or low quality, which is not true at all. These are all very high quality authors and high quality stories.
'I think there's an inherent misogyny around it. A lot of the time, the sorts of things that women like across arts and culture tends to get discounted. These books are about the female perspective and female gaze when most media is through the male gaze.
'That's why I have a smut hut, because I feel like we need to reclaim some of these words.'
The smut hut, a space dedicated to erotic titles, sits in the corner, adorned with ornaments such as whipped suncream, chapstick and a placard reading 'Traders Dicks'. It's seems less like a bookstore and more a community centre.
During the Guardian's visit on Thursday afternoon, dozens of women filter through the shop, browsing titles and starting conversations about their favourite authors. Most of them have learned about the store through TikTok.
One customer is browsing the shelves with her mother. She says she can get through a novel in under three hours, and last year she read 300 books.
Deck chairs and a tiki parasol adorn the store's perimeter, while inside brightly painted shelves hold up titles such as Swept Away, The Unhoneymooners and The Friendship Fling.
'I was really surprised that a shop like this didn't already exist,' says Maxwell, a creative strategist and former tech executive from LA. 'When I went to find books of OG romance writers, I couldn't find any of them in-store. It made me quite angry. You have these amazing authors, who carry the publishing industry – 20% of fiction sales is romance books – and they're getting no shelf space whatsoever. I felt like I needed to do something.'
Many contemporary romance books are marketed under tropes such as 'enemies to lovers', 'forbidden love' and 'second chance romance'. The 'romantasy' genre (a blend of romance and fantasy) is a constant fixture on bestseller lists, largely due to the dedicated following it has gained on TikTok.
Series such as Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing and Sarah J Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses (known by fans as Acotar) feature female protagonists entering high-stakes relationships in magical worlds.
Jessica Roberts, a shop assistant at Saucy Books, has noticed that the current craze is for a trip to the wild west. 'Cowboy romances are very popular right now. Two girls came in their cowboy boots to purchase them yesterday,' she says.
Among those visiting the store on Thursday are Rebecca Pollard and Haley Page from New York. 'I got [Haley] all the Acotar books, I think they're the best way to start. They're like a gateway drug into becoming a psycho,' Pollard laughs.
'I feel like a cult leader. I have a library at my house, and when my friends call me I'm like, 'what do you need? I've got it'. People are like, 'I'm so happy it's books for you and not drugs, because you're such a pusher'.'
Page says: 'I'm a very hard sell, but she tells me something and I will listen. I'm so excited to read these, I'm taking them to Mykonos tonight. I'm going to be at the beach with my new book boyfriend, and I'll be calling Rebecca every second like 'oh my god'.'
Pollard says she's been waiting desperately for the sixth book in the Acotar series. 'I would do anything to become invisible and just go and check Sarah J Maas's laptop.'
And she thumbs her nose at the mainstream responses to the genre.
'I get really defensive when people use derogatory terms. Don't call it fairy porn until you've read it, because you have to wait 380 pages for a kiss in the second book of Acotar. Why is it smut, because it's centred around female pleasure? No one's saying that about Game of Thrones.'
Atmosphere – Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Love of My Afterlife – Kirsty Greenwood
What If I Never Got Over You – Paige Toon
A Court of Thorns and Roses series – Sarah J Maas
Great Big Beautiful Life – Emily Henry
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