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Hardly Strangers
For fans of How to Fake it in Hollywood and Before Sunrise, a romance about how a chance encounter can rewrite a story—and change everything.
This is the night Shera's been waiting She’s at a trendy Silver Lake bar to finally get a drink with the handsome, charming filmmaker she's been pining after for months.
But when Max King—the alluring and mischievous frontman of an Irish punk band—enters the picture, an electric attraction ignites between them.
Shera’s evening begins to unfold in ways she never imagined, and she surprises herself by getting swept up in his energy and daring to feel again after past heartbreak. But how does she know their passionate encounter won't expire in the morning? And is she ready to shed some of her hard-earned armor for this disarming stranger?
The second book from 831 Stories, a modern romantic fiction company that prioritizes pleasure reading and the genre’s enthusiastic fans.
**This ebook contains an exclusive bonus chapter of Comedic Timing by Upasna Barath | 831 Stories
This is the night Shera's been waiting She’s at a trendy Silver Lake bar to finally get a drink with the handsome, charming filmmaker she's been pining after for months.
But when Max King—the alluring and mischievous frontman of an Irish punk band—enters the picture, an electric attraction ignites between them.
Shera’s evening begins to unfold in ways she never imagined, and she surprises herself by getting swept up in his energy and daring to feel again after past heartbreak. But how does she know their passionate encounter won't expire in the morning? And is she ready to shed some of her hard-earned armor for this disarming stranger?
The second book from 831 Stories, a modern romantic fiction company that prioritizes pleasure reading and the genre’s enthusiastic fans.
**This ebook contains an exclusive bonus chapter of Comedic Timing by Upasna Barath | 831 Stories
157 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 12, 2024
221 people are currently reading
7372 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 648 reviews
December 8, 2024
god bless the irish
Want to read
February 26, 2025for fans of before sunrise? that's me
February 6, 2025
so happy to report that 831 stories are hitting exactly like i hoped they would and i cannot wait to devour every single release
May 26, 2025
2.5⭐️ It makes me so sad to rate a book this low. It started out fine, with a fun premise and a comparison to How to Fake It In Hollywood, a book I loved. While all the ingredients were there, a few things just didn’t work for me.
First and foremost, I really struggled to connect to these characters. Granted, this is a novella, and it’s harder to establish a connection in so few pages. However, it’s been done before (see: evidence of the affair, the exception to the rule, any of Fredrick Backman’s novellas). Once the MMC mentions having erectile dysfunction because of how many women he had been with, I just couldn’t move past it. Not to yuck anyone’s yum or judge them for being with a playboy like this rockstar clearly is, I personally felt a little skeeved out that the FMC was still ready to hook up with him in a one-night stand situation.
I also noticed an issue with the pacing of the story. Once we hit the third act, it seems to slow wayyyyy down as these characters back it way up in an attempt to get to know one another first. Some of my issues may be with the narrator, who tended to be more monotone in her narration. This book is in no way awful, but honestly, it should have been a DNF, something I struggle to do.
🎧 Listened via Everand.
First and foremost, I really struggled to connect to these characters. Granted, this is a novella, and it’s harder to establish a connection in so few pages. However, it’s been done before (see: evidence of the affair, the exception to the rule, any of Fredrick Backman’s novellas). Once the MMC mentions having erectile dysfunction because of how many women he had been with, I just couldn’t move past it. Not to yuck anyone’s yum or judge them for being with a playboy like this rockstar clearly is, I personally felt a little skeeved out that the FMC was still ready to hook up with him in a one-night stand situation.
I also noticed an issue with the pacing of the story. Once we hit the third act, it seems to slow wayyyyy down as these characters back it way up in an attempt to get to know one another first. Some of my issues may be with the narrator, who tended to be more monotone in her narration. This book is in no way awful, but honestly, it should have been a DNF, something I struggle to do.
🎧 Listened via Everand.
April 30, 2025
Enjoyable with some caveats
I kind of frown on people pulling in assumptions about the author or publisher into reviews of a book unless it's relevant, but I do think it's relevant here. 831 Stories is a new publishing imprint that prioritizes short, trope-driven romances; their website calls new releases "book universes," and a separate page exists for canonized fanfiction. I think this is the bottom line that drives Hardly Strangers: a short, sweet novella that feels a bit like a fanfic itself.
Shera is a writer recovering from a disastrous relationship; she meets punk rockstar Max during another failed date. They have an instant chemistry, and Hardly Strangers follows their date over the course of one night.
A.C. Robinson's prose is deft, detailed, and self-assured. I think it's pretty easy for romance novels to make their heroine a blank slate, but Shera has a voice of her own, both through her dialogue and internal narration. And while I would HATE Max, the book makes a compelling argument for why they work together.
At first I was hesitant that the length of this book would mean that it doesn't have room to explore anything new - a feeling compounded by the formulaic beginning (again: fanfiction. A listless but beautiful main character, beautiful blonde friend, bad date perfect opportunity for bad boy to "rescue" her with wit and charm). But through the latter half, Robinson takes this into a more interesting direction! It's a controversial choice within a romance book, but it's a desperately needed one, lifting this book out of tired, treacly territory to somewhere textually complex.
Fanfiction also lends this book its main fault, which is its hostile attitude towards other women. Ugh...there is such an overhanging stench of "not like other girls" here that's particularly strong when discussing Shera and Max's previous relationships and their confrontation with a group of women in a liquor store. The characterization of these women as sexy slutty evil bimbos...the characterization of these exchanges as "competition"....are we not beyond this? What do these scenes add except for opportunities for Shera to be the victim and Max to either condemn/redeem himself? Robinson is trotting out blonde LA hotties and edgy bitchy musicians like it's a fanfiction.net in 2010. Even looking back at these scenes granted with new information - the reveal that this angle is intentional - never really dispels their outsized impact on the story, particularly as we're not able to sit with the reevaluations of these women.
Overall, this is a well-written short romance with some flaws in execution seemingly stemming from its inspiration. Would recommend to those who like their romances with a little razor wire.
I kind of frown on people pulling in assumptions about the author or publisher into reviews of a book unless it's relevant, but I do think it's relevant here. 831 Stories is a new publishing imprint that prioritizes short, trope-driven romances; their website calls new releases "book universes," and a separate page exists for canonized fanfiction. I think this is the bottom line that drives Hardly Strangers: a short, sweet novella that feels a bit like a fanfic itself.
Shera is a writer recovering from a disastrous relationship; she meets punk rockstar Max during another failed date. They have an instant chemistry, and Hardly Strangers follows their date over the course of one night.
A.C. Robinson's prose is deft, detailed, and self-assured. I think it's pretty easy for romance novels to make their heroine a blank slate, but Shera has a voice of her own, both through her dialogue and internal narration. And while I would HATE Max, the book makes a compelling argument for why they work together.
At first I was hesitant that the length of this book would mean that it doesn't have room to explore anything new - a feeling compounded by the formulaic beginning (again: fanfiction. A listless but beautiful main character, beautiful blonde friend, bad date perfect opportunity for bad boy to "rescue" her with wit and charm). But through the latter half, Robinson takes this into a more interesting direction! It's a controversial choice within a romance book, but it's a desperately needed one, lifting this book out of tired, treacly territory to somewhere textually complex.
Fanfiction also lends this book its main fault, which is its hostile attitude towards other women. Ugh...there is such an overhanging stench of "not like other girls" here that's particularly strong when discussing Shera and Max's previous relationships and their confrontation with a group of women in a liquor store. The characterization of these women as sexy slutty evil bimbos...the characterization of these exchanges as "competition"....are we not beyond this? What do these scenes add except for opportunities for Shera to be the victim and Max to either condemn/redeem himself? Robinson is trotting out blonde LA hotties and edgy bitchy musicians like it's a fanfiction.net in 2010. Even looking back at these scenes granted with new information - the reveal that this angle is intentional - never really dispels their outsized impact on the story, particularly as we're not able to sit with the reevaluations of these women.
Overall, this is a well-written short romance with some flaws in execution seemingly stemming from its inspiration. Would recommend to those who like their romances with a little razor wire.
March 2, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up (the more I sit with this the more I like it so I'm upping the rating)
Taking place mostly during a single night, Hardly Strangers is an emotional romance novella where getting stood up leads to an unexpected connection...
The thing that really ups the rating of this for me is that the tension between the characters is PALPABLE long before anything physical really happens. I don't know the last time I've read something that was able to imbue such intensity in descriptions of eye contact or the brush of a hand. The first half of this had me by the throat. I thought it would be a 5 star read for almost 2/3 of the book. Then it kind of took a turn...
When she goes back to his place, we begin to alternate between physical interaction and pulling back to open up about all of their trauma and baggage from the past. This includes him cheating in a horribly toxic relationship, and her having been cheated on pretty badly. It tries to resolve that trauma and let them both move past it with little more than him comforting her through a panic attack and a conversation. That's the part that kind of lost me. It's not that I think people can't possibly change or come back from a mistake of that magnitude, but it is far from simple.
By the end I'm mostly convinced that they are both very broken people who need a hell of a lot of therapy before they can be good partners. I do like that it deals with male sexual problems as a result of a heavy partying lifestyle in a way that is non-judgmental, though it's ultimately resolved kind of easily even though they've both been drinking all night.
Mixed feelings on this book. I do find the writing to be incredibly evocative, but I don't know if this quite worked for me as a romance.
Taking place mostly during a single night, Hardly Strangers is an emotional romance novella where getting stood up leads to an unexpected connection...
The thing that really ups the rating of this for me is that the tension between the characters is PALPABLE long before anything physical really happens. I don't know the last time I've read something that was able to imbue such intensity in descriptions of eye contact or the brush of a hand. The first half of this had me by the throat. I thought it would be a 5 star read for almost 2/3 of the book. Then it kind of took a turn...
When she goes back to his place, we begin to alternate between physical interaction and pulling back to open up about all of their trauma and baggage from the past. This includes him cheating in a horribly toxic relationship, and her having been cheated on pretty badly. It tries to resolve that trauma and let them both move past it with little more than him comforting her through a panic attack and a conversation. That's the part that kind of lost me. It's not that I think people can't possibly change or come back from a mistake of that magnitude, but it is far from simple.
By the end I'm mostly convinced that they are both very broken people who need a hell of a lot of therapy before they can be good partners. I do like that it deals with male sexual problems as a result of a heavy partying lifestyle in a way that is non-judgmental, though it's ultimately resolved kind of easily even though they've both been drinking all night.
Mixed feelings on this book. I do find the writing to be incredibly evocative, but I don't know if this quite worked for me as a romance.
November 13, 2024
literally bad fan fiction. i had high expectations after big fan but this just FLOPPED for me. so overwrought.
October 14, 2025
This was a fun plot idea but it got so intense so fast. Because of that I had a hard time believing the story and in Shera and max’s connection
December 19, 2024
1,5 stars
I really liked Big Fan so I was looking forward to the second 831 Stories. This did not live up to the hype.
I'd be ready to bet a pretty penny that the author of this book cheated and that, rather than going to therapy, they thought they would write this. It felt like some sort of weird apology to themselves, trying to justify their actions. The characters, even the ones who had been cheated on in the past, were unlikeable. It was a tough read, and the only reason I read it until the end is because I wanted to write this review with a full view.
I really liked Big Fan so I was looking forward to the second 831 Stories. This did not live up to the hype.
I'd be ready to bet a pretty penny that the author of this book cheated and that, rather than going to therapy, they thought they would write this. It felt like some sort of weird apology to themselves, trying to justify their actions. The characters, even the ones who had been cheated on in the past, were unlikeable. It was a tough read, and the only reason I read it until the end is because I wanted to write this review with a full view.
November 17, 2024
Not for me, found both MCs insufferable. Maybe a good fit for someone dealing with a break up, but everyone was too tortured for me.
December 9, 2024
I struggled with this one. Romance novellas are always challenging since so much needs to be communicated in such little space, and I got a better idea of these characters' Vibes™ more than anything particularly concrete. Plus, romances centered on breakups are a tough sell.
That said, I actually think this story could work really well as a film; in fact, it reminds me quite a bit of Which Brings Me to You, though I have a feeling Hardly Strangers would be a much more successful crossover. (Sorry to Lucy Hale and Nat Woff, but that movie was simply painful to sit through!)
Content warning: Mentions of previous infidelity
That said, I actually think this story could work really well as a film; in fact, it reminds me quite a bit of Which Brings Me to You, though I have a feeling Hardly Strangers would be a much more successful crossover. (Sorry to Lucy Hale and Nat Woff, but that movie was simply painful to sit through!)
Content warning: Mentions of previous infidelity
June 3, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
Imperfect humans who are perfect for eachother
love love loved!
Imperfect humans who are perfect for eachother
love love loved!
December 9, 2024
I love love love this book! I thought it was such a fun short read with a compelling story I couldn't get enough of! I actually got sad when I finished it because I wanted more!
This book had a couple cheeky twists in it! At the beginning I thought it was gonna be about Shera and Michael and then it became very clear that was not the case! Learning more about Max and Shera's past relationships was also such a wild ride. Maybe this book just caught me at a good time, but there was a few moments that made me actually gasp.
I loved Shera and Max as characters. I loved that they were both flawed people and how sharing what made them flawed with each other brought them closer together.
I feel like I'm gonna have to reread this book and then read fanfiction about it because I loved it so much! 😂 It has easily made it into my top 5 of the year and I'm excited to see what this author does next and to pick up some more books from the publishers! Please pick this up if you're interested! I need more people to talk about this with!!
Thank you so much Netgalley and 831 Stories for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
This book had a couple cheeky twists in it! At the beginning I thought it was gonna be about Shera and Michael and then it became very clear that was not the case! Learning more about Max and Shera's past relationships was also such a wild ride. Maybe this book just caught me at a good time, but there was a few moments that made me actually gasp.
I loved Shera and Max as characters. I loved that they were both flawed people and how sharing what made them flawed with each other brought them closer together.
I feel like I'm gonna have to reread this book and then read fanfiction about it because I loved it so much! 😂 It has easily made it into my top 5 of the year and I'm excited to see what this author does next and to pick up some more books from the publishers! Please pick this up if you're interested! I need more people to talk about this with!!
Thank you so much Netgalley and 831 Stories for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
July 3, 2025
this was fun!! an anxious aquarius woman with a virgo man?!? idk but i bought into the fantasy of it all!
April 2, 2025
The idea of meeting the lead singer of an Irish rock band at a bar in Silverlake is hilarious.
A bit overwritten despite being 145 pages. I didn't enjoy Hardly Strangers as much as Big Fan, but it was entertaining and quick—a nice palette cleanser after Liveship Traders.
A bit overwritten despite being 145 pages. I didn't enjoy Hardly Strangers as much as Big Fan, but it was entertaining and quick—a nice palette cleanser after Liveship Traders.
December 31, 2024
“A stranger? That hurts Shera. […] Well that may be at the moment,” he continues, taking a step forward to close the gap between us as he leans in just inches from my face. “But I’ve got this funny feeling we won’t be strangers for long.”
This one’s for the girlies who watched P.S. I Love You and knew that the Irish rockstar act would have also worked on you immediately. Oh Max 🤭
This one was short and sweet! Hardly Strangers follows Shera and Max. They’re both at the bar to meet up with other people, but are strangely drawn to one another instead. Some parts of this are sooo, so good and others felt a little meh and took me out of the story. I loved the chemistry and tension in the bar. Max is HOT. After that, they lost some of the chemistry for me. Shorter stories are tough for me (as a slow burn girlie) so the connection just felt a little too fast and deep to be realistic.
Either way a cute read and I will check out the others by this publisher!
“Well for starters, you were ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me from the moment I said hello. If you’d been into him, you wouldn’t have been so easily distracted.”
Content warnings (moderate): infidelity, toxic relationship, alcohol, panic attack, sexual content
This one’s for the girlies who watched P.S. I Love You and knew that the Irish rockstar act would have also worked on you immediately. Oh Max 🤭
This one was short and sweet! Hardly Strangers follows Shera and Max. They’re both at the bar to meet up with other people, but are strangely drawn to one another instead. Some parts of this are sooo, so good and others felt a little meh and took me out of the story. I loved the chemistry and tension in the bar. Max is HOT. After that, they lost some of the chemistry for me. Shorter stories are tough for me (as a slow burn girlie) so the connection just felt a little too fast and deep to be realistic.
Either way a cute read and I will check out the others by this publisher!
“Well for starters, you were ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me from the moment I said hello. If you’d been into him, you wouldn’t have been so easily distracted.”
Content warnings (moderate): infidelity, toxic relationship, alcohol, panic attack, sexual content
March 11, 2025
This was a pretty short read and a good read give away I won Thank you so much.
I was connected to this story and their journey over a deep and thoughtful night of discovering themselves and each other. Highly recommend.
I was connected to this story and their journey over a deep and thoughtful night of discovering themselves and each other. Highly recommend.
February 12, 2025
Didn’t do it for me at all
April 7, 2025
3.5
another quick read :) set over a single night with both characters overcoming previous demons together. felt a little too much like one, long therapy session — slightly unrealistic. alas, the 831 concept still holds whimsical merit. i must read them all.
another quick read :) set over a single night with both characters overcoming previous demons together. felt a little too much like one, long therapy session — slightly unrealistic. alas, the 831 concept still holds whimsical merit. i must read them all.
September 24, 2024
Timing is everything in life and what happens when you have a date with your dream guy, when another unexpectedly walks in the door? This is a captivating novella that is told over the course of one night.
Shera has a date with a guy she has been flirting with for four months and believes him to be "the one." Only Max walks into the same bar, and his only goal is try to get Shera alone. The chemistry between Max and Shera is intense and their banter incredibly witty.
*Thank you to Netgalley and 831 Stories for providing me with this ARC*
Shera has a date with a guy she has been flirting with for four months and believes him to be "the one." Only Max walks into the same bar, and his only goal is try to get Shera alone. The chemistry between Max and Shera is intense and their banter incredibly witty.
*Thank you to Netgalley and 831 Stories for providing me with this ARC*
October 24, 2024
Just a man in Silver Lake that has my same sun, moon, rising signs and a girl who keeps saying she’ll leave but never does <3
@831stories you’ll always be that girl! Love your imprint.
@831stories you’ll always be that girl! Love your imprint.
November 14, 2024
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
December 7, 2024
As I was finished, I completely forgot all this happened in one night lol
January 5, 2026
Well shit. 831 Stories caught my eye because their books are physically beautiful and centered around romance. I went in blind and started with this guy. Seeing Hardly Strangers was a novella, I was a bit cautious on how I could get into the story and characters in such few pages. However that was far from the case. The author chose to make 75% of the book a drawn out evening in one of the main character’s houses which allowed such an intimate level between the reader and characters. Each moment and conversation was captured in the pages with no time jumps, it was like you were in the room with them. There was the perfect level of spice and open ended-ness that didn’t frustrate me. Excited to read more from 831!!
September 1, 2025
idk it’s fine, i just can’t get behind this all happening in 24 hours, but i see how it would work for others. there’s just too much talking and ultimately i don’t feel connected to either of these characters. definitely feels longer than its 160 pages, but i’ll say it is well-written. there’s also a lot of emotional whiplash in my opinion, i think they both needed therapy more than anything. sidebar but LA seems like a miserable place to be, i’m sorry.
November 26, 2024
Not as good as the first and characters were slightly unlikable but still a great story!!
December 1, 2025
Pure vulnerability between 2 strangers. Such a quick raw story that was hard to put down.
August 15, 2025
I think if this book didn’t take itself so seriously I would’ve liked it more but I fear I rolled my eyes through the whole thing
January 21, 2026
3.5/5 rounded up
I’m sorry I’m a sucker for an Irishman it’s a problem
I’m sorry I’m a sucker for an Irishman it’s a problem
June 3, 2025
4.5⭐️
A beautifully heartbreaking story of two strangers who somehow find comfort in each other’s messy past
A beautifully heartbreaking story of two strangers who somehow find comfort in each other’s messy past
Displaying 1 - 30 of 648 reviews