Happy June greetings from Team OTB! We’re celebrating all types of romance today as we chat with Kristen Coates and Danielle Ballard, co-founders and hosts of our monthly (and beloved) Bad Romance Book Club. Welcome to the blog!

Please briefly introduce yourselves. What's your relation to OTB and to one another?

Danielle: Kristen and I are best friends, we work together, AND we co-host this club. You don’t see us apart very often. Kristen sent me an article about OTB when it was still in the pop-up stage and we were so thrilled to finally have an indie bookstore in the neighborhood. Then we found out that Ally is a romance reader and we’ve been haunting the bookstore ever since! 

Kristen: Everything Danielle said! We’ve been all up in Old Town Books’ business since Day 1, almost always arm-in-arm and maybe buying copies of the same book to read at the same time. If we’re not meeting at the store, we’re picking up each other’s orders in a drive-by because we’ll be back together within a few hours. You get the idea! The store has brought so many wonderful things into our lives and friendship, including (of course) romance book club!

How did the idea for the Bad Romance Book Club come to be?

D: My favorite part of the BRBC origin story is that at the time, Ally was a brand-new romance reader. She couldn’t stop talking about which romances she was reading and how much she loved them, and Kristen and I were thrilled to find another romance enthusiast to “squee” with. And this fueled the need to find even more people to obsess with us! I think it really speaks to the power of the genre - once people give the genre a shot, and figure out which type of romances they like, they are super fans. We’ve seen that reflected in the amazing group of people that attend club every month. 

K: I love that fresh romance reader discovery period. Once Ally got hooked, it wasn’t hard to convince her to stock romances in the store as we gave her recs on recs. The way that morphed into club…like all of our best things, it happened together and completely naturally. Over lunch one day (after Ally had hired some booksellers so she could duck out for an hour), we were mulling events and clubs for local readers and romance book club was one of the first on our collective lists! The name is a bit tongue-in-cheek; there’s less stigma now than there used to be, but the wider world is still pretty quick to judge romance as trashy/bad, so we decided to reclaim that “bad” moniker for ourselves.

What's the process for the two of you when it comes to making selections for the club? Which elements do you keep an eye out for?

D: Kristen and I test a LOT of books— we’re looking for those staples of a romance: an HEA (happily ever after) and the relationship driving the plot. I’d say that half of the books we test aren’t true romances—the publishing industry doesn’t help us out, as they often market a book as a romance when it actually isn’t. We also try to switch back and forth between historical and contemporary romance, and branch out into subgenres like romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and cowboy romances! 

K: Within the books themselves, of course an HEA and the relationship being the main element/driver of the plot. There’s a trend of “rom coms” recently that are fun books but more about one individual in the relationship and their growth—versus everyone involved in the relationship. It’s not a bad thing, just not a romance if only one person is the focus! Beyond that, we actively work on switching between subgenres and avoiding white, cisgender, straight lady authors and only-hetero-couples as much as we can! 

What are your top three romance tropes?

K: Fake relationship, “Oh no I’m in love with my best friend’s sibling,” forced proximity 

D: Office romance, enemies to lovers, only one bed

Any stand-out BRBC memories you'd like to share?

D: I love the collective bookstore browsing that happens after in-person club meetings—when we all stand around the romance shelves and just happily yell out recommendations to each other. “Yes, you need to buy that entire series, it’s SO GOOD!” “If you like enemies to lovers, you HAVE to read The Hating Game.“ And then we all leave with giant stacks of new books! I don’t know if you could find a more enthusiastic group of readers. 

K: Oh god, I’m so nostalgic for those nights! There’s just something magic that happens when we’re all in a room together. We’ve definitely maintained the core of those vibes remotely over the past year, but I can’t wait for our collective laughter, browsing, and joy in-person again; I miss that so much. 

Where is your favorite place to read in Old Town?

K: These days, anywhere with an outdoor table and some sunshine! Pre-pandemic, you could find me at Hank’s Old Town sitting at the bar with a plate of oysters, a gin martini, and my book every Friday at 4 PM! 

D: Founders Park, on a blanket under a tree, watching the people and the boats go by. 

What's your favorite BRBC pick of all time (so far)?

D: The Rakess, by Scarlett Peckham. This book did not shy away from the messiness and realness that comes with a new relationship. The characters had so much to overcome, both separately and together, and that work happened on the page. It was an amazing combo of well-developed characters and a full, nuanced romantic arc, plus the historical setting that we all love!  

K: I think I have to throw it back to the beginning, with Red, White & Royal Blue. It’s such an incredible book, and is so tied up in the club’s beginnings and folks’ intro to romance that it just gives me the best feeling when I think about it.

What do you love about indie bookstores?

K: I love how uniquely curated they are. Once you get past the bestsellers and buzzy books, you can really see the local community reflected in an indie’s selection, plus the change/trends the store and staff are trying to effect on the world around them. Curation gives each indie something uniquely theirs that you just can’t replicate in another kind of store, or even in the next indie you visit. I’ve picked up so many books I never would have read or discovered simply because an indie I liked stocked/featured the title, and it’s wonderful every time. 

D: I love the community that indie bookstores create. Through book clubs, author events, writing groups, and children’s story hour, you meet other readers that are just as passionate about books as you are. Reading is seen as a solitary activity, but indie bookstores give you a place to experience it in community. The indie bookstore is a destination - an event. My husband is used to me yelling, “I’m going to the bookstore!” as I head out on New Release Tuesday. 

Any advice for readers who might be interested in the genre of romance, but aren't sure where to begin?

D: Think about other genres that you enjoy, and find something that spans both. If you love historical fiction, check out a historical romance. If you love suspense or mystery, check out romantic suspense. There’s paranormal, there’s fantasy, and there’s sci-fi romances! If you want suggestions, DM us on the BRBC Instagram page and we’ll help you out! (@badromancebookclub). 

K: There’s so much in the genre to explore, don’t get discouraged or quit if the first few things you try don’t work for you! The beauty of romance is that there is definitely something out there that will work for you, you just have to find it. There’s no wrong way to start; anything you grab off the shelves at OTB can help you get a sense for what you like and don’t like, what works and doesn’t. 

Anything else you'd like to share with our readers?

K: As weird and hard as the past 15 months have been, romance club remains strong and a key, joyful part of my life and I’m so grateful for it and the space/support Old Town Books provides for us. If you’ve been hesitant to join us, just never been able to make it to a meeting, or never tried romance before, NBD but most members say it’s the best night of their month so you should totally join us. (ALSO I CAN’T WAIT TO HUG Y’ALL!) 

D: Plus one’ing everything Kristen said. Virtual romance book club has helped carry that sense of bookstore community through these rough months, and we’re so grateful to everyone for sticking through the pandemic with us. We can’t wait to see you all again, or for the first time!

Many thanks to Danielle and Kristen for taking the time to chat with us! We can’t wait to meet again in person, but until then, we’ll continue gushing over romance with our friends over Zoom.

There is still time to pick up a signed copy of June’s pick, One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, and share your email to access the meeting on June 18th. Be sure to mention the book club at cash register in person or in the special comment section online during checkout to receive 10% off!

Blog and photo contributions by Danielle Ballard and Kristen Coates.
Edited by Shannon McCarthy.