Fans at BookCon 2026 were flooding different booths to get the perfect book-ish merch to wear to share their love for their favorite books. However, there was one shirt that made several people stop in their tracks and ask the wearers, “Where did you get that?!”
It’s a simple white t-shirt that says, “Bring Back Men Who Yearn” in a bright red text. Multiple people like @readwithmeags, @dramakingbooks, @cass.epub, @iyanagoestothelibrary, @thebookishletters, and New York Times bestselling author B.K. Borison (First Time Caller) were seen sporting the tee throughout the weekend. Unfortunately for those who were hoping to get their hands on it in-person, it actually wasn’t being sold at the convention or even online.
Michelle Lecumberry, a senior marketing manager at HarperCollins and book influencer as @michelleinchapters, came up with the idea after reading Lauren Okie’s first novel, The Best Worst Thing, and her new upcoming release, Tropesick, which is set to come out on June 16, 2026.
“Literally, her brand is absolute yearning. Having such a unique writer, the goal is to break her out right and to make sure that as many people see it as possible,” she revealed to Cosmopolitan.
The shirts were sent to influencers as part of a marketing campaign for the book’s original ARC (Advance Reader’s Copy) mailing which also included an alternative cover version of the book.
As influencers posted pictures of themselves in their t-shirts, it became one of the hottest must-haves in the book world. Even I missed out on getting my size as I missed a message from Michelle herself asking me for my shirt size. Shirts were very limited, with only 30 available in the initial run.
“I was like, Who are my girls who literally are gonna champion this to the max,” Michelle continued.
There is no mention of the book on the t-shirts, however, authors like B.K. Borison have been very open about promoting the book when asked about the tees.
“I secured my shirt by begging the marketing department at Avon,” B.K. told Cosmopolitan. “I was joking with Lauren in the morning, because she wore her shirt to the LA Times Book Festival. We had bicoastal representation for yearning men. Lauren is one of my favorite new voices in romance and Tropesick is masterclass in delicious, delectable yearning. Bring back men who yearn!”
The shirt proved to be so successful that they created a second version, “Hot Girls Read Dark Romance” for Rook and Rebel by Kate Crew. They also did a second run of shirts for others on their lists who initially missed out on the shirts.
For Lauren, it has proven to be a fun moment with readers as they also shout about wanting to bring back men who yearn.
“Every time I see ‘the shirt,’ it feels like I’m in on a little secret. I think it’s really fun that they are so broadly applicable to the romance genre, which is both hugely successful and famously written off,” she shared. “The shirts are a shameless conversation starter: I read romance, and I’m loud about it.”
“That's what Avon is. We are fans with you. We're fangirling with you. We're crying with you,” Michelle said. “I'm really happy that my team understands it and that's the core of everything that we do.”
And yes, they absolutely hear you as well. As for whether or not they will be available to the public…
“We're working on it. We have heard the DMs. We have heard the people,” she revealed. “There are conversations happening that are bringing the shirt to all of y'all.”
