As romance books heat up the publishing industry, one Vancouver woman is looking to help locals fall in love with the genre.
Amy Pelletier operates Perfect Match Bookshop. It's currently an online shop (with local deliveries by Pelletier herself), but the intention is to open a bricks-and-mortar store.
It would be Vancouver's first romance-focused bookstore. Currently, there are about half a dozen such specialty bookshops across Canada.
"I want to create a space where diverse and inclusive narratives really shine," Pelletier tells Vancouver Is Awesome. "Everyone should be able to find a representation of themselves in a story.
"No one will leave saying this isn't a place for me."
An old dream and a new relationship
Pelletier was a fan of books at a young age; she fell in love with the romance genre as a teenager.
The former naturopathic doctor says the idea of owning a bookstore was a "wild dream" when she was younger. She saw a chance to make the dream her reality in 2024, Pelletier explains.
A hobbyist and active member of Vancouver's online book community, she officially launched Perfect Match in the spring of 2025 with a pop-up event at Cross and Crows in March. The online store opened on April 5.
"It's been really fun to get out to deliver people books," she says, noting she sometimes chats with people about their choices at their door.
A new romance store
Delivering books is all well and good, but the intention is to find a storefront as soon as possible, though she admits landing the right space has been her biggest hurdle so far.
"I've mostly condensed my search to East Vancouver, Hastings-Sunrise, and Strathcona," she says, as those communities are home to several independent bookstores, including Iron Dog and many more along Commercial Drive.
"It's exciting to potentially be near other independent bookstores," adds Pelletier.
"If we could have the holiday season in a physical location that'd be the dream," she says.
Ideally, she's looking for a place to build community and allow readers space to read their romantic stories.
A broad genre
Romance fans may be stereotyped, but Pelletier says it's a varied genre with something for everyone.
"I don't want anyone to ever feel like this isn't for them, because everyone deserves to have access to books that bring them joy," she says.
To that end, genres Perfect Match stocks include books that deal with non-romantic love, romantasy novels, and joy-focused stories.
Coming soon
A permanent location won't exist right away, but there are other ways romance fans can interact with Perfect Match.
On Canadian Independent Bookstore Day on April 26, there will be a Perfect Match pop-up at Cross and Crows on Commercial Drive. Other pop-ups are possible this summer.
Pelletier is also planning a romance book club with a local bookstagrammer; that's planned for May, though details are still being sorted out.
