Lovestruck Books has shot Cambridge with Cupid’s bow this Valentine’s Day — the new bookstore and cafe has stolen hearts on Brattle Street with romance novels galore.

The shop is located at 44 Brattle St. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A short walk from the Harvard T stop on the redline, the store is almost impossible to miss. It is showered with florals and swimming in pink and red. 

The founder and owner, Rachel Kanter, opened Lovestruck Books at the beginning of December 2023. Since its debut, the store has been buzzing. 

Employee October Ramos has been with Lovestruck Books since the opening, getting to watch the space transform into Cambridge’s new obsession. 

“We’ve been open since right before Christmas. It was really cool — I got to experience everything from when the floor was gutted and just had shelves. So, to see it transform from nothing to having this cool setup is amazing,” said Ramos. 

The space is every book lover’s dream: coffee, a comfy corner with a couch and a room filled with romance novels, candles and knick-knacks. A new cozy spot to find your next imaginary world, the shop has been overflowing with love — literally. 

“Weekends here have been super wild! There have been times where we were at capacity and had a line out the door,” said Ramos. 

Who could resist, though? George Howell Coffee partnered with Lovestruck Books three weeks ago, allowing patrons to skim through their new romance novel while sipping a skim milk latte. Soon, customers will be able to enjoy a glass of red instead. 

“The wine bar is supposed to open later in February. We’re very excited about that,” said Ramos. 

The staff is involved and invested in the personability of the establishment as well. The shelves are lined with recommendations from the staff and some of them have even gone as far as to decorate the sections they love. 

“We definitely have creative input. One of my coworkers who is big into Westerns specifically set up a little Western section. If we see a book that we really like or want to feature, we have these things called ‘shelf talkers’ which are just little signs where we can write what we thought about the book and talk about it,” said Ramos. 

The Western section is lined with cowboy hats and rodeo jests. Wherever you look, there’s a section for customers to find their literary niche, Ramos included.

“The cool thing about here is that there is something for everyone. In the romance section, there’s paranormal, dark. So if someone wanted a little extra scare there, there’s something for them,” said Ramos. 

The shop is mainly romance novels, with a general fiction section and a small nonfiction section. In the back, there’s even a kid’s section for parents raising little bookworms. 

Even though the bookstore has only been open for a few months, it has been filled with fun events for book lovers and aspiring writers looking for some inspiration. American novelist and author of “Practical Magic,” Alice Hoffman, even came for a writer’s workshop.

“We have a lot of events. We have book clubs, workshops — we just had a writers workshop with Alice Hoffman! All of the participants sat around and would jump out ideas and brainstorm their own romance fantasy books,” said Ramos. 

If you’re a reader, coffee drinker, writer, wine enthusiast or just looking for some time away from reality and into the world of literature, then Lovestruck Books will be hosting events all month with information located on their website. 

Love is in the air, and you should be hopping on the redline and seeking out some love, whether it be real or fantasy, this Valentine’s Day weekend.