What makes love stick? Is it the irresistible spark when you lock eyes across a piazza in Rome? Is it feeling the earth move under your feet? (Wait—that was an actual earthquake.) In these six serendipitous short stories, bestselling authors turn improbable first encounters into hopelessly romantic happy ever afters.
The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren On February 14, an accidental email to a stranger opens the door to an unexpected relationship in a captivating short story by the New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners.
Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez They’re falling in love, yet they’ve never met. Maybe fate can intervene in a heartwarming “what-if” short story about new beginnings by the New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly.
Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne For a hopeful and hopeless romantic, it’s love at first sight—with a little twist—in a hilarious short story about finding Mr. Right by the USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game.
Drop, Cover, and Hold on by Jasmine Guillory It takes nothing less than a fateful natural disaster to throw two opposites together in a ground-shakingly charming short story by the New York Times bestselling author of Drunk on Love.
With Any Luck by Ashley Poston Every person she kisses finds their true love, and it’s never her—until now, in this funny and magically romantic short story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.
Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson Valentine’s Day becomes a Roman holiday for a princess in disguise in a dizzyingly romantic short story about making wishes come true by the USA Today bestselling author of The Chemistry of Love.
Abby Jimenez is a Food Network winner, #1 New York Times best selling author of Just for the Summer, and recipient of the 2022 Minnesota Book Award for her novel Life's Too Short. Her book Yours Truly was the first romance novel in the history of Book of the Month to win the coveted Dolly Award for Book of the Year. Abby founded Nadia Cakes out of her home kitchen back in 2007. The bakery has since gone on to win numerous Food Network competitions and, like her books, has amassed an international following.
Abby loves a good romance, coffee, doglets, and not leaving the house.
**Happy Pub Day** These six stories, ebook and audio, are now available on Amazon!
Super cute collection of meet-cute short stories, each revolving around a Valentine's Day theme.
-An accidental email that leads to 10+ years of penpal correspondence. -A declaration of love gone wrong. -Grump v. Sunshine trapped in a bakery post earthquake. -A relaxing day at the spa takes a crazy turn. -Princess in disguise. -Good Luck Chuck curse just waiting to be broken.
This collection of novellas is perfect to read in preparation for February 14th. Sugary sweet, laugh out loud funny, swoon worthy...these 6 stories may have all had the same writing prompt and theme but they each feel unique!
Featured authors: •Christina Lauren •Abby Jimenez •Sally Thorne •Jasmine Guillory •Sariah Wilson •Ashley Poston
The exception to the rule 💛💛💛💛💛 Damn that was cute, and I was internally screaming at one point!
Worst Wingman Ever💛💛💛💛💛 Cute and wise!
Rosie and the Dreamboat💛💛💛 Cute, weird and so cheesy that I'm craving crackers 🧀
Drop, Cover and Hold💛💛 This one didn't do it for me, they went from he hates me, oh there's an earthquake, let's have sex in the blink of an eye! Nice sounding baked goods though 🤷🤤
With Any Luck💛💛💛 This was cute, once I got used to the narrator's voice. Although how much would you have to drink to not remember the night before?! I'm glad it didn't go in the direction I thought it was going in. It was nice.
Royal Valentine💛 DNF an hour from the end. So close to finishing, but I can't bring myself to listen any more! Terrible accents by the narrator, particularly the Scottish one. The plot and the princess's inner thoughts were eye rolling!
A mixed bag, as you would expect from an anthology, but the stories started strong for me, but went downhill 💛💛💛 overall I guess!
A wonderful collection for romance meet cute novella for Valentine’s Day. I reviewed each separately. A few were fantastic. The othes a promise of a happy for now. I enjoyed reading each of these creative author’s stories.
The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory With Any Luck by Amy Poston Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson
I absolutely adored these six Valentine Day themed novellas. Each one may have been themed the same, but each one was very unique and very well done for being novellas.
Perfect novellas to read around Valentine’s Day! Swoon worthy. Laugh out loud funny. Sweet. All the things.
Featured Authors: 🩵Christina Lauren 🩵Abby Jimenez 🩵Sally Thorne 🩵Jasmine Guillory 🩵Sarah Wilson 🩵Ashley Poston
Thank you to the authors for this wonderful e arc. Be on the lookout for these novellas. Pub date 01/23/24
What a cute collection of romance stories! I am not usually a big fan of short stories, but when I saw the authors I knew I had to read this collection. The common theme of characters finding their romantic partners in unpredictable ways helped tie all of these stories together into a cohesive collection.
The Exception to the Rule: 5 stars. This one was my favorite so I am happy that this started out the book. I enjoyed the back and forth emails on Valentine's Day throughout the years with the main characters. I found the characters to be likable and quirky and the romance to have good depth.
Worst Wingman Ever: 4 stars. I liked the way this storyline developed. There was the most emotional depth to me in this short story. Some humor, cute romance, and a good connection between the characters.
Rosie and the Dreamboat: 4.5 stars. At first the dreamboat fireman's personality irked me a bit. However, I loved the plot line and the witty banter between the two main characters. This was my second favorite storyline.
Drop, Cover, and Hold: 3 stars. This one was the most rushed to me. There wasn't a lot of chemistry between the characters before they were thrown together after an earthquake, so the connection between them seemed forced. I liked the setting of the bakeshop and the idea of the "meet cute" though.
With Any Lucky: 4 stars. Kind of a Hangover style storyline, the characters are missing a groom and must retrace their steps to find them before the wedding. I enjoyed the enemies to friends romance between the characters.
Royal Valentine: 3 stars. The storyline of the princess shaking off her responsibilities to have some freedom in Rome was a cute Hallmarky idea. I liked the romance between the characters, but the ending was a bit rushed.
Overall I enjoyed these short stories. They felt like a cohesive collection and many of the stories made me want to read more about these characters!
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for granting me a free copy in exchange for my honest review!
The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren: ★★★★ Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez: ★★★★ Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne: ★★★.5 Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory: ★ With Any Luck by Ashley Poston: ★★★.5 Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson: ★★
I absolutely loved this collection of short stories!! It was perfect to read right after the holiday season and really got me ready for Valentine’s Day!!
Several of my favorite authors were featured, and their stores were so fun and perfect! The characters were well developed and lovable in each story. I can’t wait to read more by these authors.
This collection of stories would be a great way to start off your reading list this year!
These were so cute!!! Short stories by some of my favorite rom com authors about adorable meet cutes on & around Valentine’s Day. You won’t wanna miss these!!
Thank you NetGalley for eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Quick Summary: "Six short rom-coms to warm your heart"
My Review: The Improbable Meet-Cute by Christina Lauren; Abby Jimenez; Sally Thorne; Jasmine Guillory; Ashley Poston; Sariah Wilson is a dream collection of shorts by some of my most beloved authors, as well as by a few authors who are new to me.
About the Book: Six writers share their take on life, love, and romance.
----------
💌 The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren
💬 An accidental email leads to a lasting friendship and more.
🍬 This one gave off You've Got Mail vibes. I loved the style this was written in. It flowed perfectly. I also appreciated that what started innocently blossomed into something truly amazing.
Rating: 5/5 ----------
💌 Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez
💬 Love, loss, and a few well placed notes bring clarity, direction, and an opportunity for happiness to two people seeking change.
🍬 The unexpected gift that came by way of the confession and through the parting wisdom were symbolic and freeing.
Rating: 4.25/5
----------
💌 Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne
💬 A day at the spa turns into a super surprising and very dreamy ordeal.
🍬 This was such an amusing story. It was like an extreme version of The Dating Game. Romeo stole my heart.
Rating: 4.75/5 ----------
💌 Drop, Cover, and Hold on by Jasmine Guillory
💬 How do pastries, food porn, chocolate brown skin, and earthquakes connect?
🍬 This short was deliciously naughty. The foodie in me was all in!
Rating: 4.45/5
----------
💌 With Any Luck by Ashley Poston
💬 With the wedding of her best friend in play, the best man/maid and a frenemy are on the chase, but what will they find at the end of their journey?
🍬 This was my first AP read. I found it to be humorous and saucy. It gave off My Best Friend's Wedding vibes.
Rating: 4/5
----------
💌 Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson
💬 Royalty in disguise is real. What are the chances that two strangers who meet in a highly unusual way would end up with their very own fairytale adventure?
🍬 I'm a sucker for HEAs with HRHs. This had Hallmark, Freevee, and Netflix written all over it. Insta or not, it was charming.
Rating: 4.75/5
----------
My Final Say: This improbable meet-cute experience was my happy place. Each writer brought a sweet treat, just in time for a Valentine's Day jaunt. I hope another collection is in the works.
Other: I genuinely loved this compilation. Not only did it give me a chance to hear from some of my favorite authors, but it also introduced me to some new ones. I look forward to familiarizing myself with other works from both the old and the new.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5 Recommend: Yes Audience: A Status/Level: 💗
Sincere appreciation is extended to each of the authors, to Amazon Original Stories, and to NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to review this special Valentine's Day collection. It was delightful.
Just look at this amazing collection of romcom writers! This collection did not disappoint.
The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren- 5 Stars- When two strangers "meet" through an mis-sent email on Valentine's Day, they spark up a pen palship for years. I loved this story. Both the characters were super cute and I was waiting for them to meet in real life...which took years but was worth the wait.
Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez- 5 Stars- John mistakingly mis-delivers his brother's Valentine's Day card to the wrong car. From there, he and the mystery car owner, Holly, start exchanging gifts and notes. Abby Jimenez has this ability to make little scenes have so much power and humor to them. I adored all of the characters in this and would read a whole book on them.
Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne- 5 stars- When Rosie takes her sister to a spa day, she didn't expect to get stuck in the sensory deprivation tank and have to be rescued by the fire department. This one started out a little slow but the second Rosie and Leo started talking I was HOOKED. I loved the dialogue in this one. It was hilarious.
Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory- 3 stars- Daisy is lucky or maybe unlucky when she gets caught at her favorite bakery during an earthquake. This one was cute and funny but lacked some development for me. I liked Daisy but didn't really understand why Harris was so hot and cold.
With Any Luck by Ashley Poston- 5 stars- Aubrey is the best man at her friend's wedding. The only problem is the Man of Honor, her one time hook up. This is my favorite in the series. I loved the whole idea of Aubrey's kissing curse and adored her with Theo.
Royally Valentine by Sariah Wilson- 3 Stars. When a royal princess switches places with one of her assistants she just wants a low key day in Rome. What she gets is meeting a handsome Scottish photographer. This one was cute but didn't really steal my heart like some of the others. It reminded me of a Disney Channel movie.
This collection was so worth the read! They are all short and quick reads to really get you in the Valentine's Day mood.
Thank you to the authors and publisher for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.
This collection of novellas was written by some of my favorite authors and I was so excited to pick up these books. They were all fun, quick reads and a good palate cleanser if you're looking for some quick, light reads!
The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren - 4.5 Stars
The Exception to the Rule was so cute, sweet and easy to read. I adored it. I loved the progression of the relationship between the main characters. It left me with a smile on my lips. I definitely recommend.
Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez - 4 Stars
Worst Wingman Ever was a bit heavier. There were still light hearted and funny moments but this one left me in a somber mood. I'm loving the way these meet cutes are being orchestrated. I recommend it.
Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne - 3.5 Stars
Rosie and the Dreamboat was enjoyable. I loved the hero, he was adorable. He was kind and gentle with the heroine through her predicament. I liked the heroine but wasn't fond of the way she saw herself. I wasn't fond of her sister either.
Drop, Cover, and Hold on by Jasmine Guillory - 3.5 Stars
I liked Drop, Cover and Hold on. It was cute, sweet and had me craving pastries.
With Any Luck by Ashley Poston - 3.5 Stars
With Any Luck was awesome. It was a sexy and cute read. I loved the hero and heroine and their journey.
Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson - 3.5 Stars
Royal Valentine was good. It had the same cute, sweet and light hearted vibes as the previous stories. It was longer and a bit slower than the others.
I absolutely loved this Valentines Day themed collection of Novellas!
The Exception to the Rule: 5⭐️ Worst Wingman Ever: 5⭐️ Rosie and the Dreamboat: 3⭐️ Drop Cover and Hold On: 3⭐️ With Any Luck: 5⭐️ Royal Valentine: 4⭐️
📚Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Improbable Meet-Cute Collection.
What a rockstar line up of authors in this collection! All of these stories were such fun, quick reads with all of the authors’ typical charm in their minimal pages. There were little nods that tied the universe together throughout and I enjoyed trying to catch those.
The Exception to the Rule - Christina Lauren ‘You’ve Got Mail’ vibes with anonymous emails swapped between C and T every Valentine’s Day for ten years before they unknowingly meet in a hilarious moment. The email relationship develops in a surprisingly deep way for only communicating one day each year, and their IRL moments were so sweet. All of CLo’s humor and heart was here. This felt like a complete story.
Worst Wingman Ever - Abby Jimenez Unsurprisingly, Abby made me both laugh and cry with this one. Holly is a hospice nurse and John unknowingly provides a light on some of her darkest days. There’s a cute puppy, touching family moments, and beautiful interactions between John and Holly. This one also felt complete.
Rosie and the Dreamboat - Sally Thorne This was probably the most humorous of the collection, but also incredibly sweet. Rosie has really terrible luck but a great spirit and persistence to brave difficult times. Leo has to come to her rescue in one bad luck moment and his charm absolutely jumps off the page. Also my 90s child heart loved that his name was Leo and his coworkers had nicknamed him Romeo. I would actually love if this one got expanded/continued with a full-length.
Drop, Cover, and Hold On - Jasmine Guillory A handsome, grumpy, misunderstood baker thrown into a forced proximity situation with the customer who thinks he hates her when he’s actually been pining for all along? Sign me up. Daisy visits the same bakery three times per week, but she vows she won’t return after one too many glares from the grumpy owner, Harris. An earthquake traps the two of them together and the truth comes out. Daisy was hilarious trying to make sense of Harris and his mood swings, and her alternate rundown of how he should have approached the situation was great.
With Any Luck - Ashley Poston Ashley delivered a little Hangover-vibes story if The Hangover was a rom-com and it was a delight. Aubrey Luck has luck in everything but love, where she’s always the girl before ‘The One’ for anyone she kisses. Theo Love is the “Best Maid” to her “Man of Honor” in their best friends’ wedding and the two of them have to track down the missing groom on the big day. Aubrey and Theo have a *history* from a previous event—their chemistry is undeniable. (Also loved the tiny Iwan from The Seven Year Slip mention dropped in here 🥹)
Royal Valentine - Sariah Wilson This one gave me Lizzie McGuire movie vibes with its mistaken identity/famous person hiding in plain sight in Italy setting. Princess Ilaria sends her assistant posing as her back to her home country so she can experience two days of anonymous freedom exploring Italy. An incident finds her in the care of the handsome Callum who spends the day playing tourist with her. There was an expected twist to the whole set up and it was a delight to be surprised.
This collection of stories was such a great way to kick off my 2024 reading year. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This absolutely fabulous collection of short stories immediately caught my eye when I saw the authors listed. Christina Lauren? Abby Jimenez? Ashley Poston! It was a must read.
The six authors each provide one short story varying in length from around 40 pages to around 100, all centered around a love story.
Christina Lauren’s short story is told partially in epistolary format, using emails for a big section of the story. I love the format and thought it was so fun to read one from them this way!
Abby Jimenez brings the feels in her short story, touching on grief and on choosing our own happiness. It has her usual heart and humor and I could have easily read a full length book of this one!
Sally Thorne’s contribution brings humor and such a funny meet cute, with a touch of mental health representation dealing with a past trauma.
Jasmine Guillery writes a quick one set during an earthquake, bringing real sparks and chemistry in right around 30 pages.
Ashley Poston’s short story touches on those feelings when your best friend is about to married and someone else is going to take your role as their person. It is sweet with some zingy chemistry and her trademark beautiful writing,
Sariah Wilson rounds out the pack with a cute story about a princess who just wants to spend a day in anonymity and what happens during that day.
If you are a fan of these authors, this collection is a must! Quick reads that bring all of their usual heart, humor, and chemistry, these short stories brought a smile to my face.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you NetGalley and Christina Lauren, Abby Jimenez, Sally Thorne, Jasmine Guillory, Ashley Poston, and Sariah Wilson, for access to this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I adored The Improbable Meet-Cute collection! With stories told by Christina Lauren, Abby Jimenez, Sally Thorne, Jasmine Guillory, Ashley Poston, and Sariah Wilson, this anthology is the perfect blend of romance and wit.
The inclusion of stories from two of my favorite rom-com authors, Christina Lauren and Abby Jimenez, was the cherry on top!! Their signature styles shone through, delivering heartwarming and humorous narratives that left me laughing out loud at times.
What made this collection even more special was the introduction to a new-to-me author, Sariah Wilson. Her story captivated me, prompting me to immediately request one of her earlier books from my local library. Since then, I've found myself enchanted by her storytelling.
The Improbable Meet-Cute collection is a must-read for anyone seeking a perfect blend of love, laughter, and happily-ever-afters, expertly crafted by a lineup of brilliant authors. Five stars without a doubt!
The Improbable Meet Cute is a collection of six short stories by some of the best current romance authors. Christina Lauren, Abby Jimenez, and Ashley Poston are three of my favorite authors, so I was thrilled to see them included in this collection.
Each story was unique and delightful to read. This collection was perfect for February, as the rom-com fit the Valentine’s vibe. It was a busy month, so it was great that each story was short enough to be read in a single sitting.
While I had some standout favorites (The Exception to the Rule and Worst Wingman Ever), I enjoyed all six stories. I've heard of all of the authors but hadn't yet read anything by three of them, so this was a great way to sample their work. The whole collection would be great for someone who wants to dip their toes into the romance genre or a new author without committing to a full-length novel.
If you want to smile and just be overwhelmed with cuteness and all the good feelings…this is definitely the one for you! I absolutely devoured these shorts. It was such a pleasure to be able to read new stories from some of my favorite authors and discover the writing of authors that I hadn't read before.
I cannot recommend this collection enough to all my fellow hopeless romantics. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I loved every single one of these short stories.
My only complaint is that some of them just left me craving more 😭
Featured authors in the collection: •Christina Lauren •Abby Jimenez •Sally Thorne •Jasmine Guillory •Ashley Poston •Sariah Wilson
**Thank you to Netgalley for providing ARC in exchange for an honest review **
Thanks to Amazon Original Stories for the eARC. This was such a fun collection, and it is perfect for Valentine's Day. Each author created such an interesting, engaging, and satisfying short story all focused on romance with so many different tropes. The Exception to the Rule - How much fun! I love epistolary story telling and to accomplish a well rounded story in a short story, is so well done. I love CLo's stories and this might be a favorite. Worst Wingman Ever - Told in Jimenez's style of romance with depth, this pulled on my heartstrings in many different ways. I was invested in the personal and the secret notes being passed back and forth. Rosie and the Dreamboat - I had so much fun reading this one. There was lots of humor and banter, and I loved how Thorne tied this one up. Drop, Cover, and Hold - This was my introduction to Guillory's writing and I am now wanting more. The food descriptions, communication, and chemistry was excellent. With Any Luck - Reminded me a bit of the Hangover, so it was a lot of fun. It has a smidge of Poston's expected magical realism, which I really liked. Super fun and satisfying ending. Royal Valentine - I love a good royals story and need more in my life after reading this one. The setting was amazing, the depth was excellent, and I loved how complete this story felt.
This collection of novellas is a lighthearted, feel good gift for readers who love a sweet happy ever after. The stories all have a Valentine’s Day theme and are stand alone reads with the very thinnest of threads connecting them. While responding to the same prompt, the voice of each author clearly comes through.
The collection can be found exclusively through Amazon on January 23, 2024. It will be free for Prime members and on Kindle Unlimited or can be purchased as individual stories or as a collection. It will only be available in digital and audio formats. Each story is charming on its own, but the real charm comes from reading - and appreciating - the different ways love can find us when we least expect it.
Thanks to NetGalley, Amazon, and the authors for the digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
I spread these stories out over a long week of snow days and they were the perfect little bites of goodness that I needed each day. The combination of authors and stories is just an all star line up and I was here for every single page. This is exactly what we want to get through the big breaks between books from our favorite authors. I loved the Valentine theme threaded through the story and would read each and every book again.
This is a fantastic collection of short stories with sweet, fun, and sometimes funny meet cutes. I did like some more than others, but each was enjoyable. They all did a nice job writing a full story with an HEA even with the short story length.
My three favorites were the stories from Christina Lauren, Abby Jimenez, and Sally Thorne. I loved the set ups for each of their characters' meet cutes and I didn't want to put them down once I had started reading.
Ich liebe Kennlerngeschichten. Ich liebe es, wie sich Spannung zwischen den MCs aufbaut und ich liebe es, wenn es knistert und funkt. Das habe ich mir von diesem Buch 6x versprochen. tja. Bis auf die Geschichte von Abby Jimenez hat mich ehrlich gesagt keine Geschichte angesprochen. Selbst Abbys Geschichte hat mich nicht mitgerissen.
Das Konzept ist süß und irgendwie deshalb auch so sneakable, aber leider nicht sonderlich empfehlenswert.
4,5 Sterne! 🌟 Hab die Kurzgeschichten-Sammlung geliebt. Perfekt um kurzzeitig aus dem Alltag zu entkommen und so, dass man eine Geschichte auch nicht unterbrechen muss sondern es bis zum Happy End schafft! Perfekt für zwischendurch und um neue Autorinnen kennenzulernen. Manche Geschichten waren zwar mehr nach meinem Geschmack als andere aber ich denke, in der Sammlung ist für jeden Liebesroman-Fan etwas dabei.
Ach das waren mal 6 sehr schöne, kurzweilige Liebesgeschichten rund um den Valentinstag. Die Kurzgeschichten waren sehr unterschiedlich und manche hatte kleine Bezugspunkte zu anderen Geschichten im Buch. Von den Autorinnen kannte ich nur 2, aber auch die anderen haben mir sehr gefallen.
Mir hat das Konzept des Buches gut gefallen und nach dem Buch freu ich mich, wenn ich von den Autorinnen, die bis jetzt noch nicht auf deutsch publiziert hat, auch etwas hier veröffentlichen wird.