Once dismissed as a guilty pleasure, romance novels are now a literary force, reshaping the publishing industry, fuelling billion-dollar sales and even inspiring a new festival in Toronto.
When Canadian author Laura Blake told her colleagues she was writing a romance novel, they giggled.
All they knew, she said, was the “sexual nature” of the genre.
But it’s more than just sex, Blake said. It’s about healing from trauma and bringing awareness to important issues. It’s about connectivity and providing a space for people to share their own experiences.
“I think that’s what it comes down to,” Blake said, “…is that romance books are mostly consumed by women and it’s very liberating as a genre in a way that any other genre is not.”
Despite what many people think, romance books are full of knowledge. They are historical collections of shared experiences told through a (mostly) uplifting narrative: stories of sexual exploration, regaining control and challenging what society has taught us to accept.
This wisdom has captivated minds all over the world, however, the impact is especially noticeable in North America.
BookNet Canada, a non-profit that serves the Canadian book industry, found that romance titles were up 404 per cent from 2020 to 2024.
As romance book sales surge, their influence is becoming increasingly visible at the local level. This influence has found its way to cities all over Ontario, and even to Durham College (DC). Nobody understands this more than Megan Stokes, a DC student who started a romance book club on campus, last September.
“I wanted to make a place for people to just to meet other people who love books,” said Stokes.
The book club has become a safe environment for students to enjoy what they love.
As an employee of an independent bookstore in Cobourg, Ont., called Readers Nook, Stokes has seen romance grow right before her eyes.
“It’s insane, we had like two rows of romance when I started and now romance has its own full shelf,” she said. “It is absolutely crazy.”
Words Rated, an online resource for all things words, found that since 2023 romance novels have generated over $1.44 billion a year in the United States. According to the same source, that feat has made romance the highest-grossing genre in 2023, a title it has held it ever since.
Words Rated has also reported that the age range of readers has changed.
Romance, once popular among readers in their late 30s to early 50s, is now attracting teenagers – a shift many authors attribute to social media.
“The only reason people even know my name is Instagram and TikTok,” said Blake.
Instagram and TikTok have spawned book-loving subcultures, Bookstagram and BookTok, where users review, recommend and discuss their favourite characters.
As the community grew, authors began to look for ways to assemble everyone together in one place. Together they conceived romance specific book festivals.
Menotah Bolland and Nadine Walters, best friends from the GTA, watched as these festivals sprouted roots all over the world. Everywhere but Toronto.
This lack of Toronto-based events motivated them to start Love and Romance in Toronto, a two-day event that hosts authors, readers and vendors from all over the world.
Since the announcement of the event two years ago, Bolland and Walters have received an “overwhelming” show of support.
“I remember sitting in our hotel room in Indianapolis and literally, notifications coming back from authors signing up, showing their interest in the event and literally fangirling in the middle of the hotel room,” said Bolland.
One of those writers is Scarborough-based author Jessica Marting. Marting writes science-fiction and paranormal romance.
When she started publishing in 2012, romance was seen by many as a “joke” genre. Marting contributes the change of perception to social media.
“Romance has always been the biggest genre in publishing, but people are more open about enjoying it now. It’s not seen as something to be embarrassed by, or a guilty pleasure,” said Marting.
Love and Romance in Toronto’s inaugural event is happening May 2-3, 2025, at the Delta Hotels near Pearson Airport.
Marting is optimistic that the event will demonstrate that the romance genre has a neglected and widely undervalued market.
“The Canadian publishing industry is almost exclusively literary fiction and non-fiction, and I’m really hoping that this means it’s going to be a shift and more of an acceptance towards genre fiction,” said Marting, “I hope this means that we’re changing to the better a little more. Just being a little more open minded.”