Fans waited in an hours-long line that wrapped around the block during The Plot Twist’s grand opening.
DENTON, Texas — Take a store stocked with best-selling books, add a beautiful bar, and it could be a recipe for romance.
But if all the books are about romance?
That appears to be the recipe for success.
The Plot Twist is a new romance book bar located near the historic square in downtown Denton owned by Dawn Conner and her daughter Darci Middleton.
People waited for hours in a line wrapped around the block just to come inside during the two-day grand opening on a cold January weekend.
And they were already drawing repeat customers on their third day in business. They sell only romance novels — some from popular best-seller lists, some by relatively obscure local authors.
They have books for LGBTQ readers, Spanish readers, those who crave dark and paranormal themes, those who want “wholesome” reads, and everything in between, Darci said.
Her own plot twist
Burnout led Darci to leave a career teaching high school chemistry and coaching in search of something that fueled her instead of draining her.
“I put everything I can into something,” she said. “I was giving my whole self to my career and put myself on the back burner.”
Dawn recognized herself in her daughter – a young mom so wrapped up in raising a family she was in danger of “losing her identity” as Dawn said she did.
They had bonded over books when Darci was a teenager — especially Twilight, an early 2000s-era series of best-selling romantasy novels. Romantasy is a mix of fantasy and romance.
When Darci was still teaching, she longed for some sort of escape or self-care.
She forced herself to begin reading romantasy again and she immediately had a vision of a bookstore and bar focused solely on romance novels.
They appear to have impeccable timing.
Romance boom
According to Circana, sales of romantasy novels hit $454 million in the U.S. in 2023 — a record at the time.
A full accounting of 2024 is not yet complete, but Circana expected the 2023 record to easily be beaten with projections of $610 million in sales.
The Plot Twist also has a liquor license and serves cocktails and mocktails customers can sip while they browse or read in a cozy back room that’s perfect for lounging or hosting book clubs.
“I am very introverted myself and struggle with social anxiety,” Darci said. “And the book community is the one place where I feel comfortable enough to be able to express an opinion and not get so worked up about, oh man, they didn’t like the book that I liked!”
They provide a “safe space,” Dawn said.
“It just basically means that it’s okay for you and I to talk about this together. I’m not passing judgment on you that you like it. You may or may not like what I’m going to read, but we at least can explore that and talk about it,” Dawn said.
The Plot Twist is just the latest romance-only bookstore to debut in North Texas.
Blush opened in Dallas’s Bishop Arts neighborhood in October to long lines as well.
Clearly, the genre is having more than a moment.
According to Circana, printed romance novels saw a 52% increase in sales from 2022 to 2023.
“Romance books I think have always gotten a bad rap because it’s not ‘real literature’ as they say. But sometimes I feel like it is the most profound literature that I’ve read,” Darci said. “It’s not always about a romantic relationship with a partner, but the ones I’ve really connected with are more about that self-love and self-discovery.”
Dawn and Darci say they find inspiration in reading and often connect to strength and possibility through characters.
“With romance books, you’re able to be like, this is okay, this is normal, this is our life, and this is us as women,” Darci said. “We are nurturers. We are lovers. And we want to be able to express that and have a safe space to do that in.”
