Yes, it’s Romance Awareness Month and we love that we get to celebrate one of our favorite genres for a whole 31 days! We’re thinking cozy romance novels, romance-themed dinners, and self-love evenings (obviously involving bubble baths, indulgent treats, and books, lots of books).

If you’re anything like us, celebrating with our book club is always a highlight. We love enthusiastic bookworms! This year we’re hosting a romance-themed book club night because it is the perfect way to celebrate with those who share our love of books!

So, grab a glass of wine, sit back and relax; it’s time to get planning! And while we’re planning, we highly recommend looking after numero uno first! Our Self-Love Box is just what you need!

Choose the Perfect Romance Novel

Every memorable book club evening begins with a memorable book, and let’s be honest: when it comes to romance, the options are endless.

If you’re looking for inspiration, check out our blog on Why Romance Novels Are the Genre Every Reader Should Explore This August, where we give a host of recommendations!

We have some wonderful book-only options just waiting for you and your book club, like Love of My Lives by Yamile Saied Méndez. This is an exclusive OUABC edition with a custom dust jacket designed by our team, beautiful edges, unique foiling, and stunning custom endpapers.

Choosing the perfect novel is central to your evening, and this is a fabulous choice because it is filled with the magic of Old San Juan in Puerto Rico, which lends itself perfectly to a vibrant dinner filled with delicious flavors.

If you’re in the mood for a small-town romance, then Falling Like Leaves by Misty Wilson will do the trick. This wonderfully autumnal story follows a city girl stuck in a quaint small town as it prepares for its annual fall festival.

And if you and your book club need a witty romance where Pretty Woman meets Bridgerton, then Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard is calling your name!

Just remember to send the title out well before the evening so everyone has enough time to finish it. You can also include the spice level and any important content warnings, helping every guest choose whether the book is right for them.

Choose a Romance Theme

Once you’ve chosen your romance, you can use its setting, trope, or a favorite scene as your evening’s theme.

For Love of My Lives, we’re picturing a vibrant dinner setting filled with color, candles, tropical flowers, and bright citrus details. It oozes the warmth and magic of Puerto Rico.

For Falling Like Leaves, we’re thinking about comfort food, cozy fall colors, and rustic table settings. Simply scatter autumn leaves around the table, and ask everyone to arrive in their favorite cozy sweater.

Always Be My Duchess definitely calls for roses, candles, and that white tablecloth you’ve been saving for just the right occasion. It’s time to bring out the silverware and ask everyone to dress up in their finest!

You can even create a romance-themed evening around everyone’s favorite trope. Ask your fellow book club members to dress for an enemies-to-lovers evening or invite them to a pajama party inspired by the only-one-bed trope! 

Our Book Pun Facial Sheet Mask Set is a perfect addition to your pajama party! The set contains two “Great Exfoliations” firming masks and three “To Peel a Mockingbird” brightening masks, which are worn for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Remember, It’s all about having fun, and a few simple touches will make all the difference.

 

Set the Mood with Romantic Decorations

You don’t need hundreds of decorations to create the right atmosphere. Begin with soft lighting, candles, and a few flowers placed around the room.

Roses are the obvious choice, but they certainly aren’t your only option. You can create a cozy romantic arrangement by choosing flowers that match the colors of your book cover or gather a selection of seasonal flowers from your local store. Even one small vase in the center of the table can make your setting feel special.

You can also use your romance books as part of the décor. Stack them around the room, add printed quotes from your novel, or make place holders using characters from the book, and don’t forget about the music. 

For the perfect finishing touch, wear The Romance Readers’ Book Club Literary Perfume. Inspired by favorite romance tropes, it combines notes of orange, coconut, and tonka bean. The bottle is designed to resemble a book and arrives inside a miniature pink book-shaped box, which means it can become part of your table display too.

Plan a Menu Inspired by the Book

No book club night is complete without food. You can create an entire meal inspired by your chosen story or keep things simple with snacks, appetizers, and desserts.

Look at the setting of your book, the food mentioned in the story, or a memorable date shared by the characters. You don’t need to recreate every dish perfectly! The aim is to add a few details that connect your menu to the book.

For Love of My Lives, create a colorful menu with plenty of bold flavors, spicy bites, rice dishes, and a bright citrus dessert. A small-town romance like Falling Like Leaves calls for warm comfort food, apple treats, and something freshly baked.

For Always Be My Duchess, serve finger sandwiches, tiny pastries, strawberries, and beautifully decorated cakes. You could turn the evening into a romantic afternoon tea, although we won’t object if the tea is accompanied by a glass of something sparkling!

Our Little Women Book Plate Set fits beautifully into a romantic or classic table setting. Each set includes a small plate and a large plate shaped like books and printed with the title, author, and opening pages of Louisa May Alcott’s novel. We love using them as serving trays for desserts! Arrange cookies, strawberries, chocolates, or slices of cake on the plates and place them in the middle of your table. 

 

Serve Something Hot and Steamy

Wine, mocktails, and sparkling drinks are all wonderful choices, but a romance-themed night also needs something hot and steamy. We are talking about tea, obviously!

Create a small drinks station where guests can help themselves throughout the evening. Include mugs, teaspoons, honey, milk, lemon slices, and a selection of teas.

Our Novelty Tea “Pleasure Pack” is practically made for a romance-themed book club. It contains six individually wrapped tea bags, with three jasmine and three chai options. Each wrapper is inspired by a favorite romance trope, including forbidden love, only one bed, why choose, and who did this to you?

Place the tea bags in a bowl and ask every guest to choose their favorite trope. This can also become a fun conversation starter. Which trope will make someone buy a book immediately? Which one have they read far too many times? And which trope makes them quietly return the book to the shelf?

You may discover things about your fellow book club members that you were not prepared to know!

Add a Little Friendly Competition

Once you have thoroughly discussed every romantic glance, missed opportunity, and questionable decision, bring out a game.

You could prepare romance trivia, play Guess the Trope, or ask everyone to anonymously write down their first fictional crush. Read the answers aloud and try to match each character to the correct guest.

The Love Letters Board Game is another fun way to bring the group together. Inspired by Hangry Hearts by Jennifer Chen, it includes a game board, 100 letter tiles, four tile racks, a tile pouch, a scorekeeping pad, and instructions.

Play individually or divide everyone into teams. You can also add a small prize for the winner, such as a bookmark, candle, box of chocolates, or the opportunity to choose your next book club read!

 

Celebrate Love, Books, and Friendship

We can’t think of a better way to celebrate love, books, and friendship than by hosting a romance-themed book club night. It doesn’t need to be complicated; remember it’s all about having fun!

• Step 1: Choose a memorable romance

• Step 2: Add a few decorations

• Step 3: Serve food inspired by the story

• Step 4: Plan activities that will keep everyone laughing and talking

Romance Awareness Month gives us a whole 31 days to celebrate love stories, unforgettable characters, and those fictional couples we have become far too emotionally invested in.

So, send the invitations, prepare the snacks, and get ready for an evening packed with romance, laughter, and plenty of bookish conversation.