Romance Road Trip: The Last Chapter
By: Sara Shahein
Edited By: Rylee Chacon
Unbuckle your seatbelts, we’ve arrived at our first destination: The Last Chapter! TLC is Chicago’s first romance-only bookstore, Latina and BIPOC owned by Amanda Anderson. In this interview we talk about all things TLC, romance, and everything in between.
Meet Cute
Sara: Let’s start with a little bit about The Last Chapter’s history and timeline.
Amanda: Our business as a whole has been open since 2021, so we are about to hit five years. But the bookstore specifically has been open since 2023. So we are going through our third year of that, which is just so cool. We are all romance based, so we don't sell anything outside of romance, and all of our community and author events are centered around romance.
Sara: Have you guys always been in Roscoe Village?
Amanda: Yes. Since 2023 our storefront has been in Roscoe Village, that's kind of where we were first born.
Sara: Why a romance-only bookstore?
Amanda: Yeah, I think romance is a genre that saves people. I remember I was going through a very difficult time after my godmother had passed, and I was really struggling with trying to understand the emotions I was going through and a lot of grief. I had a friend tell me to read The Summer I Turned Pretty series by Jenny Han. I just remember reading that book and feeling so seen by Conrad and Belly's grief and how they worked through it. Everyone involved in that story had such different reactions to that grief. It also focuses on what it means to move on while also falling in love and learning how to love themselves. It truly was a series that I feel changed my life because I remember thinking, “Wow, this is exactly what I've been going through.” And before that, I've always read romance. I was a big Wattpad girlie. I was definitely reading romance at like 15 years old. I read books I would find at the thrift stores or libraries, but it's always been romance-centric. I love a love story. I love to read about love. I am a hopeless romantic to my core. And I love that all of these books are so much more than a romantic relationship. You have found family, you have friendships, you have characters learning how to love themselves, and finding love after loss. There's so much that is covered in romance that I don't think gets its flowers enough. Obviously, to classify as a romance, there is a happy ever after, but I do think that happy ever after can come in so many different forms.
Sara: I love that. I love romance because of that. There are so many different types of love that exist in these worlds. It's my favorite part of romance, to be honest. I also had my start of reading romance on Wattpad!
Amanda: It's so funny when people don't know what Wattpad is and I try to explain it to them. And they're like, “So people just write their own stories on there?” I'm like, “Yeah, I would go from a mafia romance to a werewolf romance to a YA second chance. The sky is the limit there.” And now so much is getting picked up from Wattpad and becoming traditionally published. I remember reading After by Anna Todd on Wattpad and then it got picked up and my friend took me to see the movie; I walked out of the theater pissed. I was like, “They stole this from a Wattpad book! How has no one caught this?” I was just enraged. And then I Googled that it was picked up and there I was like ready to write a letter to someone saying, “You stole this script!” It's so funny because I got to meet Anna Todd last year and I told her the story and she said that, at its core, it is Wattpad girl energy. And truly it is.
Sara: Ah! That is hilarious! I love to see Wattpad published stories!
My next question is, why The Last Chapter? Did you go between names or did you always know it was going to be called The Last Chapter?
Amanda: No, for weeks, probably months, I tried to figure out what name I wanted this to be, because I wanted it to be something that felt right. And then from a business and a marketing standpoint, I wanted something that translated well and made it very clear this was about books and the industry, but also something that was fun and true to heart. I had dozens and dozens of names written in spreadsheets and I was really struggling because none of it felt right. And then I remember a moment where I had to leave the house and I was half dressed in bed, just reading. I remember my mom was telling me, "You have to go, we have to go.” And I was like, “But it's just the last chapter. I have to finish,” and it fully wasn't, I was in the middle of the book but then it clicked to me that was always the lie I would tell people. I would always say, “I'm on the last chapter,” but I'd be in the prologue. I had this moment where it just clicked because I know what it's like when you literally cannot put a book down, but I also know how beautiful it is to read the last chapter of a book, series, or world that's ending. For that amount of time, those characters are your family, you are with those characters for that time and sometimes the last chapter is the next chapter for them, or it's a closing to your time with them. And I think that is just so beautiful.
Sara: That is so sweet, the last chapter of a book is a bittersweet moment, and I love TLC’s name because of that. How long did you have that name before opening up?
Amanda: Right away. I got everything else ready and it was just the name portion that I had to figure out. I knew the colors. I told myself that I wouldn't pick a name that didn't feel like me. And I love the name. I love what it stands for. I love how people tell me they are also the same way with the last chapter of a book. So yeah, it's very special to me.
Sara: Awesome, thank you. My last question in our Meet Cute portion is how is TLC organized and how do you decide what to purchase for it?
Amanda: The store's organized by genre, so we have Contemporary, Sports, Dark, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and so forth. So it's separated like that right now. And then how do I choose? So I definitely listen to our customers. What are they reading? What are they requesting? I try to stay up to date with what's trending and books people are talking about. What are the hot hits, the hot new releases? One thing that's very important to me is providing a space for the indie author community and making sure they are on our shelves. A lot of those books are tried and true by me because I primarily read indie authors. A lot of the books we have at TLC are ones I could gush about all day, every day. If we're looking for something specific, I ask around and for a book that has X, Y, and Z, and most times there is because the indie authors are amazing. Sometimes when I'm feeling silly, I buy books off of vibes. I will go through Ingram, look at some covers and think, “This sounds like a great time.” We have a Minotaur Christmas book in the store now because I liked the cover. If I want to find some new authors, I'll do that or people sometimes say, “I've never seen an author in a bookstore and I love their stuff,” so I'll go and I'll read a little bit and see if it would be cool for us to have in the store.
Sara: Do you have any indie authors that you are really loving right now?
Amanda: Oh, my gosh. Elizabeth Dear. It's unhealthy how obsessed with this woman I am at the moment. I literally just DM her all the time. She released one of my favorite books this year, Clash of Claws. I'm eagerly waiting for book two. I also just have some tried and true favorites that I've been rereading. I love J. Brie, CM Stonage, Casey Keane. There's just so many; Abby Millstabs, Daphne Elliott, I'm just obsessed with them and I love them. I will screech from the rooftops about their work.
Sara: Love to hear it. I know that TLC has an author program? Could you tell me a little bit about that?
Amanda: We have a kind of a book box sector of our business where we do highlight independently published authors' books. So what we do with that is we collaborate with the author to create exclusive special editions for their books. It is so fun and it's such a rewarding experience. It's something really fun for the readers, because you can only get it at TLC. So we do that as well as host local author meetups and different events. We are very open with our preorder campaigns, if you can pitch it to us and we feel it's a good fit for the store we'd love to be a part of it. I would say the majority of our pre-order campaigns are all indie folk, which has been really cool, to see readers that come into the store and pick up these new authors. And there are some things in the works that we are planning and putting together for romance readers and romance authors.
The Climax
Sara: Love it. Thank you. Now continuing into the Climax portion of this interview. What's your favorite part about owning and running a bookstore?
Amanda: I think the community aspect. I have been able to meet so many amazing people and in small ways, be a part of so many people's lives. There are customers I've known since the beginning that are getting married or having babies. I love growing our Chicago romance community and providing a space for all of us to come together and welcome new people to the community. So that's definitely my favorite part. I like thinking outside of the box about the unique things we can bring to the table. Ideas our readers or authors would love and how to provide an overall better experience.
Sara: I know one of my favorite parts of the store is the storefront itself. It's iconic, but if it was my first time going to TLC, what is one element you recommend I check out while in the store?
Amanda: Yeah, obviously the store as a whole is the answer, but I love our heart notes room. It is my favorite thing. I go in there often and read the names of characters people are loving. It's so funny when people start tallies on the hearts. When The Summer I Turned Pretty was airing we had a few notes with Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah that had tallies. It's such a fun space. People would put the day they visited with their initials and I think it is a fun aspect we can provide through our storefront.
Sara: It's so fun, I love that space.
Okay, in a world that may undermine romance as a genre and romance readers, how do you combat this and show up for the romance community?
Amanda: Honestly, I think the proof is in the pudding. I always tell people who don't take romance seriously that we have lines out the door all the time. Romance is one of the highest grossing genres. And, if it was undermined, that wouldn't be happening. So I think it's just a lot of that. I think it's a lot of educating as well as showing the facts. I'm not just speculating. These are the facts behind romance. This is what we do for the community. I remember when I was younger and I used to be embarrassed to say I read romance and now I'm just like, no, I read romance. I love it. This is what it is for me. I just kind of own it now.
Sara: Yeah, I think it’s super important to have voices in our community that are very proud to say they read romance like you. This is amazing, you are a badass business owner and that's so impressive that you've made a living out of the genre that you love.
Amanda: Thank you. And it's also too, as much love as I have for the genre in the space, I also am very business savvy and I think that is something that a lot of people overlook. They think, “Oh, well, you just got lucky because romance is so big.” That's actually not the case, I am a businesswoman. I was a businesswoman before this. What a lot of people don’t understand is there wouldn't be nonfictions and memoirs if romance at the back end of it wasn't funneling it. I tell people it's business first, romance second. I think that it's something to celebrate that a business in a niche environment can survive and can be thriving, whereas the people that are putting it down probably work a nine-to-five and don't ever have the ambition to get out there and stand up and speak up for what they believe in.
Sara: That's an excellent segue to my next question, which is if someone wants to open up a genre specific store, what advice do you have for them?
Amanda: Make sure it's something you want to get into, I think, is the biggest thing because it is not all sunshine and rainbows, and do a lot of research. I can't tell you the amount of times we see multiple niche bookstores opening up in the same area. All you're doing is hurting each other. I get it, it's a dream for a lot of people and I respect that. But there is such a thing as oversaturation and I can't speak for everyone, but I think that a lot of us business owners are starting to feel that. So, I think it also looks bad on the community if people keep opening and closing within a year. Do the research and understand that it's hard, but if you can make it work and you can be successful, it is the most beautifully rewarding thing that I've ever done.
The Epilogue
Sara: Oh, that's amazing to hear. I love that for you.
Okay, a little bit of a rapid fire. What are a few of your favorite tropes?
Amanda: Why Choose Academia, Enemies to Lovers, It's Always Been You, Who Did This?, all those vibes. But if I had to narrow it down, Why Choose Academia is my bread and butter. Oh, also all the Omegaverse, Shifter, Bully, all that stuff. But Why Choose Academia, I will always read it without question.
Sara: Oh I will have to look into some Why Choose Academia. And now a few of your favorite subgenres?
Amanda: I love a good second chance. I'm a big found family girl. It speaks to my soul. I love hidden powers or fated mates in shifters, I eat that up. I love a secret the female main character is keeping because she's actually more powerful than the male main characters, and then there is this central bond or her fated mate. Whenever I know that's happening, I'm like, “Oh, this book's already a five-star read.”
Sara: Yes! I am very much into werewolf shifters right now.
If you could choose one of them, a trope or subgenre, and just explain why you love that.
Amanda: Yeah. I love Why Choose, obviously, because it's multiple men and one woman, but I think that the core of it is a found family trope because you kind of create your own family. You create your own dynamic that works for you, and how amazing it is that you can love so many people and different people can be different things to you for you to be rounded out and whole. But yeah, I love Why Choose. Again, because I've never read a Why Choose that didn't have the found family aspect to it.
Sara: What are you reading right now?
Amanda: I am reading the Broken Bonds male POV by J. Bree. I am loving it. I just finished reading the Rich Boys of Burberry Prep by CM Stonage and Mission Accomplished by Luna Night. I am a habitual reader, I read multiple things on audio, I'm listening to a Freeda McFadden, but like, I'm always eyeball reading, multiple different books at one time.
Sara: I love that. Same. And a lot of my friends and coworkers will be like, how can you keep it all straight? And I'm like, dude, it's fine.
Finally, what is an upcoming event that you are excited about and want to share?
Amanda: Yeah! We have an upcoming Q&A and signing with author Meagan Brandy on February 28th.
(You can find more details here!)
Sara: Anything else that you want to tell me about TLC, about this journey, or about romance as a genre?
Amanda: I would just say that our community is so amazing. I think this genre is just so amazing. And I really implore people to be loud about their love for it, be loud about their love for authors and books. At the core of TLC, my values are always very community-based because I love what romance has done for me and I hope that romance can do these things for other people as well and not even just romance, but books in general. So I really just implore everyone to get out there, read, find what works for you, connect with it, and, you know, find your little community within it.
All Aboard
It was great spending time with Amanda and learning about the start of The Last Chapter during our first stop of the Romance Road Trip. Buckle up book besties, our next issue is taking us to Cambridge, MA.