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Bookshops come in all shapes and sizes. Some are palatial and stacked with every genre under the sun, others are more compact and focus on one particular niche. But the greatest bookshops all have something in common – their clear passion for the written word and their commitment to fostering community.
Back in February the Bookseller revealed the 76 British and Irish indie bookstores that were in the running for Independent Bookshop of the Year 2026. Then in March, it whittled that list down to just nine, naming the best bookshop in each region. Now, one of those bookshops has finally been crowned the greatest of them all.
The Independent Bookshop of the Year 2026 is the bright pink Book Lovers Bookshop in Edinburgh.
When it launched in 2024 with help from crowdfunding, Book Lovers was the UK’s very first bricks-and-mortar store dedicated to romantic fiction. It was founded by 25-year-old American Caden Armstrong who originally moved to the Scottish capital to study. At her store, romance fans will find almost every subgenre they could ask for – enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, workplace flings, fake relationships, fairy smut, sports romcoms, you name it.
Book Lovers also hosts regular community events. In the spring, it hosts the First Date Festival – two weeks of writing workshops, panel discussions and author signings focuses on genre boundaries, subversive politics, queer joy and feminist pleasure.
The Bookseller commended Book Lovers for being ‘exceptionally inclusive, with a superbly curated range that celebrates romantic fiction in all its forms, particularly from underrepresented voices’. Judges added: ‘Book Lovers Bookshop is such an affecting story. It has a very clear focus, ambition and identity and has quickly made its mark. They’ve demonstrated great determination, hard work and creativity.’
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As part of its big win, Book Lovers will receive £5,000 from the British Book Awards sponsor Gardners. In a social media post responding to the accolade, Armstrong wrote: ‘When I opened this shop I did it because I wanted to create a space for romance books, readers and authors to be celebrated. I never imagined we would end up here.
‘This award isn’t just for our bookshop, this award is for romance publishing and all of the wonderful people that make our industry so beautiful and bright.’
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