Happily ever after: Lincoln High School’s Romance Book Club talks relationship ‘red flags,’ creates community

Published 7:00 am Thursday, March 20, 2025

Lori Lieberman started reading romance later in life. She reads all sorts of genres. She always has.

As Lincoln High School’s teacher-librarian, it was only natural for students to chat with her about what books they were reading, and checking a pulse for if she had read the same.

And perfectly enough, her own mother is a librarian.

“I read a lot,” Lieberman said. “At this point, I have about 20 books that I have to read every two weeks and then review. The kids are always astounded. I’ve always been a big reader.”

Lieberman is involved in a national award committee and presents nationally about romance books.

But in recent years, she started the high school’s romance book club, which earned features in The Washington Post and NPR. And since its inception, it has boomed.

Rose Sandell, co-president of the Lincoln High School Romance Book Club, said, “I feel like it’s just amazing to see people connect through romance books and see that it’s not just us reading these weird, crazy stories. It’s connecting us as a community.”

And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a happily ever after?

Even Lieberman said: “You have to have a happily ever after in a romance book, or else it’s terrible.”

This genre is often filled with the warmest of warms and fuzziest of fuzzies, or as Rose described: “Romance is seeing the world through rose-colored glasses.”

How it all started

It was 2019 when Lieberman and a student crafted the idea to start a romance book club.

Prior to their birthchild idea, Lieberman attended a conference in Louisville, Kentucky, centered on schools and libraries, with a plethora of presentations, which made her think: “If I want to come back in two years, what would I present on?”

The perfect future presentation idea was her not-yet-fully-formed romance book club.

All they needed was one blessing — Peyton Chapman, the school principal’s blessing.

And blessed they were.

“We sat in her office and said, ‘We want to do this,’ and she said, like she does with all my crazy ideas, ‘Do it. You got my blessing,’” Lieberman said.

It was made clear Lieberman and her crew wanted to read adult romance, not just young adult selections, so she was thankful for Chapman’s blessing.

The first book they read was “Red, White and Royal Blue,” by Casey McQuinston. They had one meeting. Then, the pandemic hit.

Meetings resumed online during 2020, but the club took off when McQuinston noticed them. Lieberman had ordered McQuinston’s newest book with three signed copies for her book club leaders, and posted a reel on Instagram.

McQuinston reached out to the club and attended a virtual meeting.

“They just had their second book out. They were not the big phenomenon that they are now, and they were super interested in the club, which was cool because we felt super special,” Rose said of McQuinston.

Then came Julia Quinn, author of the “Bridgerton” series.

“It’s just cool that there’s people out there who just think that we’re cool,” Lieberman said.

Not only do authors respond to the club via social media, and make appearances at their meetings, but since their feature in The Washington Post, several people have reached out to donate to the club.

One librarian from Virginia donated a “considerable sum of money,” and a small portion will fund their years-long dream of getting matching club sweatshirts.

Why does this club matter?

Of course, reading a feel-good story is great. And it’s even better to relish and reminisce on that feel-good content with people who read it, too, but the club has brought these students more than just a fun conversation.

Ruby said, “I think in a time with so much censorship it’s so important that we have a club like this. I think it’s brought to the forefront how important it is to have book clubs and to be able to read freely.”

Staff and students of all ages have been impact by the club. It’s shown them a variety of books and genres to explore.

Lieberman said she knows when the club first started there were a handful of teachers who surely rolled their eyes at the idea of a romance book club, but now most of them have come around.

“I know if they try and denigrate romance, there are students who will definitely stand up and put them on blast and correct them,” Lieberman said.

And for the “Moms for Liberty” folks, as Lieberman addressed them, the book club doesn’t mean any harm.

“We’re just talking about books like any other book club is,” Lieberman said.

The group talks most often about healthy relationships, story dynamics, what’s problematic or not. But at the end of the day, they’re reading for fun and to educate.

“Because we’re in high school, it’s important to understand what healthy and unhealthy relationships look like,” Ruby Berman, co-president of the book club, said.

Lieberman said they deliberately pick books that represent healthy relationships, and if one shows an unhealthy relationship, they explicitly discuss and talk about the “red flag behavior.”

How it’s going

The book club always ebbs and flows.

While this year’s membership is slightly down, it’s still big.

There are about 20 students in the club this year, but sometimes their meetings welcome upward of 50 to 70 students. Other days, it might only be a dozen.

Lieberman said there were about 30 attendees to their last meeting.

The group meets, on average, once per month in the library. They pick a book, and once they’re far enough into it, or maybe even done with it, they gather to talk.

“We don’t meet just to meet, we meet because we have something to talk about,” Lieberman said.

It’s as simple as a text group chat where the students can touch base on when they might want to get together for a meeting.

Lieberman said that romance sales went through the roof during the pandemic and continue to climb.

“I think times are tough,” Lieberman said of this year. “I think people really seek solace in a feel-good story, so I think romance is going to keep going gangbusters.”

What are they reading now?

Rose was shy to share, grabbing her phone and hiding her Goodreads profile from Ruby and Lieberman, before finding the title of her most recent book.

Rose is reading “Go Luck Yourself: A Royals and Romance Novel,” by Sarah Raasch, timed for the St. Patrick’s Day holiday.

Lieberman is rereading Penny Reid’s “Truth or Beard.”

Ruby is rereading “Aurora Rising,” by Amie Kaufman as a cast-read audio book, and is also reading “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” by Audrey Niffenegger, neither of which are truly romance books, she joked.

Follow the book club on Instagram @lhsrbc.