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Hello, love lovers! Today you can read about how Bloom Books dominated the romance book world last year, giggle at some of the most awkward covers of 2024, feast your eyes on the popping cover of an upcoming romance during a zombie outbreak, and more. And be sure to check out the 17 best romances of 2024. Let’s go!
The Bloom Books Book of 2024
The New York Times has the scoop on Bloom Books, the recent-ish romance imprint started with the help of Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James and distributed by Sourcebooks. The imprint, which has grown by leaps and bounds since it launched, had an astounding 23 books and two series on the NYT bestseller list in 2024, and accounted for almost 25% of romance sales. “In an era when TikTok can catapult authors to success overnight, Bloom has developed a lucrative formula: courting self-published authors who have a built-in fan base, taking over their print distribution, building up their brand and market share and turning them into mainstream best sellers.
That model has propelled the careers of novelists who now rank among the genre’s most popular authors, including Lucy Score, L.J. Shen, Elsie Silver, and Ana Huang, a mega-best-selling author whose Bloom print editions have sold more than 7 million copies, according to Circana BookScan.”
Julia Stiles Gets Behind the Camera for a Second-Chance Romance
Actor Julia Stiles, possibly most famous for 10 Things I Hate About You, is making her directorial debut with an adaptation of the second-chance romance Wish You Were Here by Renée Carlino. “Months later, a new relationship with Seth, a charming baseball player, is turning into something more meaningful, but Charlotte’s still having trouble moving past her one enthralling night with Adam. Why? When she searches for answers, she finds the situation with Adam is far more complicated than she ever imagined. Faced with the decision to write a new story with Seth or finish the one started with Adam, Charlotte embarks on a life-altering journey, one that takes her across the world and back again, bringing a lifetime’s worth of pain, joy, and wisdom.” Check out the first trailer now!
New Romance Bookstore Opens in Massachusetts
In what is the fastest-growing trend in bookstores, another new romance bookstore opened, just in time to celebrate the end of 2024. Owner Rachel Kanter opened Lovestruck Books, the first brick-and-mortar romance-focused in the Boston area, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (And yes, you can pahk your cah in Hahvahd Yahd when you go there.) “For customer Birukti Tsige, there’s no better feeling than cuddling up with a good romance novel.
‘There’s just something comforting about it. I love the hallmarks of the genre,’ she said. The twists and turns of a good love story are what keep her flipping through the pages. ‘I probably read, like, two or three a week sometimes.’
According to Kanter, the store is stocked with 10,000 books. ‘We have Romantasies; we’ve got sports, dark romance, historical books … I mean literally everything,’ she said.”
Love Means Never Having To Say You’re Sorry…for Trying To Eat Their Brains
Romance, and vampires, and zombies, oh my! Somehow I missed the cover reveal for this book when it happened, but I am delighted to have learned of its existence. That cover is *undead chef’s kiss*. Zomromcom, Olivia Dade’s first paranormal romance, is headed our way on August 5, 2025. It’s about Edie and Max, neighbors who team up during the first zombie breach in decades. They may be fighting against zombies, but things get even more interesting when Edie discovers her handsome neighbor is a vampire. “As they unravel a sinister conspiracy to set zombies loose on the world (again), the duo meet a host of lovable allies and discover they’re not the only ones willing to fight for the future of humanity. Despite the awful timing, Edie finds herself falling for the vampire who’s helping her save the world . . . but all their dangerous plans could end their future before it even begins. As she and Max battle side by side, Edie must decide whether having a love worth living for also means having a love you’d die for—and, in a world that grows deadlier by the minute, whether that’s a risk she’s willing to take.”
2024 Romance Trends and Cover No-Nos
To end this roundup, here’s a list from Brit + Co. about the six “steamy” romance trends in books last year (although I am not sure why “steamy” is in quotations) along with corresponding recommendations. I don’t really know what will stand out in the genre in 2025. Personally, I think romantasy and special editions will continue to steamroll anything else happening in the romance book world for quite a bit longer.
I also enjoyed Smart Bitches Trashy Books round-up of their most popular Cover Snark posts of 2024. I feel a little bad because it isn’t nice to make fun of other people’s art but also teeheeheehee. “There’s a cover with a cartoon tentacle and a cat who does not look like he consented to being on such a cover. In fact, he looks downright afraid to be here! Don’t worry, we have notified Sarah McLachlan.”
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