Looking for diverse happily ever after stories? Turn to 'Radical Romance'

Andrea Pangilinan says she’s always gravitated towards love stories.

“I remember when I was younger, you kind of think that they’re dumb, or you don’t want to be cliché. And then sometime in my early 20s, I started being a little unapologetic about it.”

Pangilinan became so immersed in the world of romance, that she now works at the Seward Park branch of Third Place Books, and specializes in the romance section.

Along with carrying a love for the genre itself, Pangilinan carries a deep respect for the romance community, including her fellow readers.

In recent years, those readers have publicly pushed the American romance publishing industry to make the genre look more like reality.