To most people, the idea of having a cozy space to purchase books and meet fellow readers in person is a pleasant concept — but to Yung Le and Julie Pham, it’s a business model.

A Novel Affair is located in downtown Los Altos at the corner of State Street and 2nd Street. The romance bookstore recently opened on Nov. 29, and is the proud product of the minds of co-founders Yung Le and Julie Pham.

Le is a former tech marketing executive and a mother to two boys. She grew up surrounded by her family’s own small business, an upbringing she said has helped her create A Novel Affair. Pham also comes from a family business, Cafe Cool, and is a mother and full-time teacher.

The two met in high school and became close friends, and Le said their unique educational backgrounds have proven invaluable in their process of managing A Novel Affair.

“Our skill sets are … compliments to each other,” Le said. “I come from a marketing and business background, and she comes from a more operations background. So … we’ve been splitting up our responsibilities. … It’s been working out well so far.”

Le and Pham found themselves falling in love with the romance genre earlier in 2025, having been avid readers throughout both of their lives. Le said it felt like a full-circle moment for the two high-school friends to return to their love of books in a new form.

Le and many others resonate with the romance genre for its variety of positive qualities, whether it be the simple joy of a meet-cute and the subsequent happily ever after or the broader themes of self-empowerment and discovery within many of such books. Still, the romance genre has its critics, often citing “cringiness” of romance texts — a sentiment which Le said she disagrees with.

“Romance in itself is a $1.5 billion industry, [but] it’s often overlooked,” Le said. “No one is looking at it because we get dismissed that it’s a ‘woman’s’ category or that books are not a viable business, which [is] not true at all.”

After finding themselves immersed in the romance genre, Le and Pham both noticed a gap between the size of the romance book community and the lack of accommodating spaces.

Nowadays, Le said the majority of spaces to discuss books are limited to online forums or chatrooms; this lack of in-person groups was the reason for A Novel Affair’s creation, as Le and Pham wanted to meet a specific need of the romance community in the Bay Area.

However, the process of creating A Novel Affair was not without challenges. First, Le said she and Pham faced the struggle of trying to find a space in the Bay Area and receive a loan for renting a building.

Ultimately, Le said the Los Altos and romance reader community came to her and Pham’s aid in vocal and financial support of their mission, surpassing the pair’s Kickstarter goal of $25,000 in just 60 days.

“I was on the verge of giving up,” Le said. “When we launched our Kickstarter campaign, … that really gave us more momentum. It [was] validating that this is what the community want[ed].”

Le dedicates the book store to the romance-book lovers in Los Altos, and supporting and bringing together that community in a physical space is their paramount goal.

“This is bigger than just [a] bookshop,” Le said. “[It’s about] connecting those stories together, whether in books or human stories. I thought [that] was really important to bring home.”

A Novel Affair currently hosts a monthly book club, staying true to their goal of fostering an engaging community of enthusiastic readers. Le hopes to someday expand the bookstore to include a cafe, potentially incorporating romance-themed food and beverages in order to encourage the social atmosphere of the space.

“A lot of people want these types of events so they have an opportunity to connect with others,” Le said. “We’re really looking forward to … being able to build that.”

You can learn more about A Novel Affair on their website http://www.anovelaffairbookcafe.com or follow their Instagram @anovelaffairbookcafe.