Rachel Kanter opens romance bookstore Lovestruck Books in Harvard Square.
Rachel Kanter, the owner of new romance bookstore Lovestruck Books.
Rachel Kanter’s plan was to write a romance novel, not sell them. But as the genre she loves began to move from the shadows of an avid reader’s dirty little secret into the spotlight of a legitimate literary genus, her intention morphed into becoming a romance bookstore owner. “The idea for Lovestruck Books (lovestruckbooks.com) came about after seeing a real boom in the genre and something that people are finding community in. I also wanted to do my part to help bring independent businesses back to Cambridge,” she says. Her specialty bookstore, which just opened last month, joins twenty-plus like it that have opened across the country in the past couple of years, further proof of the love bibliophiles have for love. Each store brings its own unique interpretation of romance—Grump & Sunshine in Belfast, Maine sells adult toys alongside its novels— and Lovestruck’s niche is uplifting voices that haven’t been given the opportunity to be loud. Kanter celebrates women’s stories within the titles on the shelves and through events with female writers and local authors. “I think one of the reasons that the genre has gotten so popular is that the books function in the same way science fiction functions—they imagine a more progressive society where the rules are different and they center marginalized voices. In more traditional societies, romance novels are a place where people can get information about female pleasure and the body. They’re fun and indulgent, and can be really important to people that don’t see themselves reflected in other traditional formats,” says Kanter. That notion alone is certainly something to desire.
Photography by: REAGAN BYRNE
