Double Standard: An 831 Stories Romance

by Mallory Thomas

They both need each other—in more ways than one. A Hollywood fake-relationship romance heats up in Nashville.

Freshly minted leading lady Ana Barlow is living the dream, preparing to go on location to film a Greek-god epic at Nashville’s replica of the Parthenon. But when a sighting with her married co-star threatens to tank her career, she comes up with a plan: She’ll pretend to date his stunt double, Levi Stephens, and let everyone believe he’s who she was spotted with. Luckily, Levi, an industry newbie, needs to leverage this movie’s potential as much as she does.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Disability, Novella, Contemporary Romance, Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

Published July 28, 2026

About the author

Mallory Thomas (@mallorythomas_writes on all platforms) is a writer and reader of soft love stories that make you swoon, squeal, and blush. When she's not writing, she can be found picking up after her two kids, joking with her handsome husband, and planning trips to the beach. She's also a baby formula expert and content creator. She strives to write books that are better than your phone-- she hopes the time spent reading her books will leave you happier and more hopeful than time spent on social media. If she accomplished this, please leave a review!

Reviews

[maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

short n’ sweet!!!

this was honestly so cute and easy to read, I see myself rereading it if I ever fall into another reading slump! It was also surprisingly emotional in some parts for it to be a novella. It kinda have insta love but i didn’t mind it since its only a 180 pages story lmao.

if you love fake dating, I highly recommend it🤭

[Adi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded up to 3 stars! This was a cute romcom novella! Very fast-paced and overall a fun read, but I did find it to be a bit strong on the insta-love for me. That said I loved the setting & the additional side characters, I thought the chronic illness rep was great and I actually loved how the story ended!

I think if you can suspend belief a little bit and you enjoy dual POV romances and hollywood-esque settings, you'll enjoy this one! And it's a great palette cleanser read.

Thank you so much to 831 stories for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

[daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and fast-paced romantic comedy with characters you can’t help but fall in love with.

When Ana Barlow needs help to fix her image and keep her dream role as the Greek goddess Athena, the only person she can turn to is Levi Stephens, who currently works alongside her as a stunt double for the male lead of the movie. And because Levi himself has as much to gain from this PR relationship, these two strike up a deal. Faking it for the cameras; what could go wrong?

As someone who suffers from a chronic illness myself, I did see a lot of my own mental struggles mirrored in Ana, which only made me appreciate her that much more. She and Levi are two very different characters, but seeing them grow closer and connect really did warm my heart. I would read several hundred more pages of these two together!

The fake dating trope is normally one of my least favourites, though I really, REALLY loved it here, and I think that only speaks to how good of a job Mallory Thomas did. Both our FMC and MMC had something real at stake, so the fake dating aspect seemed both genuine and realistic.

The pacing was perfect, and I also found the amount of cute and spicy scenes to be well-balanced.
Side note: NEVER has making pizza been that sexy… wow!

The publisher very kindly provided this arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[NRC · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 - didn’t have the depth I expect of 831 Stories, but entertaining nonetheless. Would love a sequel about the director.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, @831stories, for the free digital copy!

Actress Ana Barlow is finally getting to film her dream role - a Greek epic shot right at Nashville's Parthenon. But then a tabloid accuses her of an affair with her married co-star, whose wife happens to be the film's director. Instead of denying it, Ana comes up with a plan: every time she was supposedly with her co-star, she was actually with his stunt double, Levi Stephens. If she can convince Levi to fake-date her, everyone comes out ahead - except fake starts feeling very real, very fast.

This is my third Mallory Thomas book, and she keeps impressing me with how she weaves social commentary and real-life complexity into a swoony love story. As a novella, it's a quick read, but she still packs in real character development alongside her signature humor and charm.

🎧 Audio Performance (4h 29m): Ivy Brooks and Theo Sinclair bring this fun novella to life with great dual narration.
Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
🎧 Audio performance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
🔥 Spice: 🌶️🌶️

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun read from 831 Stories! I’m always such a sucker for the fake dating trope and this is definitely a new favorite! I think movie star x stuntman is such a fun pairing! Ana and Levi were such a fun couple and I loved their banter!

I’m a chronic illness girlie myself so I definitely related to Ana and some of the mental struggles she dealt with in the book. I really enjoyed her as a character and I loved the representation! She was incredibly well done and I hope we can see more disability representation from 831 Stories in the future!

I think this book was the perfect length. It’s a fun short read absolutely perfect for a little escape!

I definitely recommend checking this one out if you love a good fake dating trope!

Read if you like:
Movie star romance
Fake dating
Only one bed
Disability rep!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and 831 Stories for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[claire]

thank you 831 stories and netgalley for the digital arc!

831 stories i am trying so hard to rock with your shit…but good lord these characters are so flat and shallow, it’s like i’m drowning in a kiddie pool.

i think the premise here is great: the fake dating trope explored in a pr relationship. i’m so into that. and then these characters have absolutely nothing going for them other than being hot people in proximity with one another.

there is no communication, there is no character development, their backstories are never adequately explored. perhaps instead of anna dealing with chronic illness and an eating disorder and having also suffered exploitation from her mother as a child actor, we just focus on one of those things and do it justice? rather than cram everything in and fail to create any successful narrative arcs?

and don’t even get me started on that dumb ass third act conflict. i refuse to engage with nonsense like that any longer, we simply have to do better as a community. i don’t want to read that shit, and you as an author shouldn’t want to write it.

everything just felt so rushed and yet i was so painfully bored that i fell asleep multiple times while reading this. like i literally fell asleep during one of the sex scenes because it was the most cliched, recycled use of phrasing.

and also just structurally, i think a disservice was done by having this told through dual perspectives. because any revelations about thoughts or feelings were told from one character to another through dialogue, the most important moments ended up being all telling not showing, which is just not satisfying as a reader.

and finally, there was no reason why the villain acted the way he did. like his character was just cartoonishly mean for no discernible reason, and his dialogue was stupid.

despite what this overwhelming negative review may lead you to believe, i will never think of this book again. sorry!!!!

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up! Thank you netgalley and 831 stories for the e-arc!

This was such a fun little read! I am not huge into novellas as I always feel that there can be more depth added to the story, and this was not an exception to that rule. While I would have loved more, the romance in this was so lovable, as well as both of the main characters. Their chemistry was oozing off the page and not only did you root for their relationship, but you rooted for both of them.

I really loved Ana and understood why she puts walls up around her to protect herself from how everyone perceives her. Seeing her open up to Levi was one of my favorite parts of this story. I loved watching Levi grow into his confidence throughout the story, firmly believing that he can be enough for Ana.

I would’ve liked more about Levi’s family, though I understood that would make this story a lotttt longer. This is my first 831 story and I am definitely going to read more.

[sarah cucchiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a fun and very fast read. i liked the first half a lot, but i felt like the ending was a bit rushed. also their 3rd act conflict made me so mad. the characters here were fun and sweet, but i feel like if this book had like 25 more pages, everything would feel a little more complete. this is a great in-between read for some of my heavier books, and i loved the movie set vibes.

also maybe i'm just too odysseypilled rn but since they were filming a greek mythology movie about athena i could only picture the main girl as zendaya.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun, quick summer romance. By the time I was 30% in, I was laying on my couch, kicking my feet. It was just that cute (and steamy).

The story follows new actress Ana, who finds herself at the center of a photo gone wrong with her co-star. To save face, she ends up fake dating his stunt double, Levi. Watching their relationship bloom was such a fun read.

What I enjoyed most was how easy this book was to settle into. The chemistry between Ana and Levi felt natural, the banter kept me smiling, and it had that lighthearted romance vibe.

Would definitely recommend this for a beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC. I read an uncorrected proof and all opinions are my own.

[Kate Mayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Your reality isn’t a burden”

831 Stories has done it again 👏 This was a fun, fast, and bingeable novella and It never ceases to amaze me how quickly I fall in love with these characters in such a short read! Anna and Levi are quite a fun pairing, I loved the movie star x stuntman dynamic and their banter + chemistry made this such a joy to read🔥

This one is also packed with lots of drama and some surprisingly deep conversations that added real depth to the story. I will say the insta-love was a little strong for me personally, but the setting, the side characters, and that ending more than made up for it!

What to expect:
🎬 Hollywood fake dating
🤠 Nashville
❤️‍🩹 Chronic illness rep
🛏️ Forced proximity

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Spice: 🌶️

This was a cutie little romcom and definitely suggest checking this one out if you enjoy a good fake dating trope or need a fun palette cleanser!

Thank you to 831 Stories for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review ✨

[Livvy Whitmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bingeable and warm&fuzzy — I think this might’ve gotten me out of my reading slump :’) So fun to read about a book set in Nashville and I really enjoyed the transparent, tender portrayal of chronic illness!

[Alessia · Rating 2 out of 5]

there was way too much winking in this book

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t have much to say about this one. It was alright. It started out interesting, but along the way plot lines were brought up and dropped and random info about our characters came up but was never discussed again. It just felt pretty disjointed.

[Tara]

831 never disappoints. This was a fun read that reminded me of Ava Wilder’s books.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

thank you to netgalley and 831 stories for this arc, I look forward to reading more from this publisher

I think this was a draft more than a finished and polished story. So many storylines were not finished and concluded or exploited to their full extent. The love story was rushed, and I know this is a short book but this feeling was particularly present in this story.

We know nothing of importance of the characters, no deep feelings and thoughts are written. Ana’s chronic illness is written in a way that feels cringy and like she’s an old person ; the way she talked about her joints and everything didn’t feel genuine at all and brought nothing to the story. Ok her nerve endings hurts so she hits a sexy position while doing yoga with the mmc. Completely useless to the story and to her character development.
Levi is equally badly written, he’s a puppy following everything that Ana says, we know nothing of him but that he’s estranged from his family and that his sister does a TikTok video saying Levi call us. Ok ?

Colt, the antagonist in this love story is written up to be trouble but in the end nothing happens of him, the fact he’s the one throwing all the rumors around about Ana. He’s a jerk and no one cares.

The third arc conflict was cringe and very useless really, and as I said the love story was very rushed. Fake dating but they fall in love instantly and start being in a “real” relationship from the start. There was no tension and no evolution on their relationship. There was no emotional depth.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fake dating trope wins in this quick and enjoyable romance between an actress and the stuntman for her co-star. All Ana Barlow and Levi Stephens want is the chance to be taken seriously in the cutthroat world of Hollywood. When Ana lands her first serious role she’s blindsided when the paps turn an innocent moment between her and her co-star Colt and frame it as a scandalous affair. Complicating matters, Colt is the husband of Francesca, the director of the film Ana’s currently filming, and Francesca refuses to let any bad press screw up her success on her first big-budget film. If Ana wants to keep her role, she’ll have to do damage control, fast. Enter Levi Stephens, Colt’s stuntman and a former farm boy from Ohio. Ana has a fake dating plan to save her career and give Levi the connections to ensure that he’s able to keep working in the job he left his small-town roots behind to pursue. It’s a win-win situation, as long as no one finds out the truth about their relationship and Levi doesn’t fall in love with her. But as Ana and Levi shoot the film in Nashville and put on a show for the paparazzi, Ana finds herself falling hard for the sweet and sexy stuntman and the feeling is mutual.

TW for some body shaming and misogyny, Ana’s had to fight for her roles in Hollywood and there’s a reason why this book is titled double standard. Loved the Nashville setting and the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome representation. I learned a lot more about EDS and liked Ana more because she didn’t let it stop her from pursuing her dreams. There’s one open-door spicy scene but it’s not explicit. I really liked how the book focuses on how much harder Hollywood is on women, not just the actresses. Francesca isn’t the villain in this one and I really liked how it was handled. This was a single-sitting read that’s perfect for fans of the fake dating trope and Hollywood romances!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, I look forward to reading more from 831 Stories!

[kailin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75 ★
“she’s something isn’t she?”
“i’m pretty sure she’s everything.”

i started this week by reading an 831 stories novella in one sitting so it’s only fitting that i end the week the same way.

what starts as a mutually-beneficial pr relationship between an actress and a stuntman quickly blossoms into something more. with his midwestern charm, levi shows ana it’s okay to let your guard down while ana teaches levi the importance of showing up for the people you love, even (and especially) when it’s difficult. i really loved how levi continued to challenge the ways growing up in hollywood had shaped ana’s perceptions of herself, her relationship to food, etc. while their connection was palpable from the start, it had a natural build and never felt like insta-love, which i really appreciated.

as usual, i loved the nods to other characters from the 831 stories universe. jack felgate forever <3

thank you to mallory thomas, 831 stories and netgalley for this e-arc 🖤

[kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions!!

Ana is an actress trying not to mess up her big break into serious film when an innocent interaction with a married costar gets photographed and goes viral for the worst reason. Ana is resourceful tho, she’s been in the industry long enough to know how to get ahead of an issue. She proposes to fake date her costars stunt double, making everyone assume it was him in the photo instead of the married coworker.

Levi is genuinely a sweet and caring stunt man who comes from a tiny farm town in the Midwest and jumps at the chance to help Ana. This is definitely a fun concept for a novella, taking place entirely during the filming of the movie and it’s enough time to really get a feel for Ana and Levi’s growing feelings.

Overall this is a fun and quick read that has romance, chronic disease rep, and yucky married men who really deserve the villain rep.

[char !! · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 rounded up

'Double Standard' has all the glitz and glam of 831 stories usual release, but none of the nuance. The story is fun and fast paced and the characters likeable but I did feel slightly rushed into their love story.

Normally with 831, the female main character can hold her own quite well - having friends and interests outside of the guy she's seeing. I really didn't feel this with Ana, she didn't have much development outside of her relationship with Levi. This kind of goes for Levi as well, although we have some backstory into his family he really doesn't have any connections with other characters at all.

Also the whole backdrop of being on a film set was wasted here and like the romance was kind of skipped through. Like did these characters even have to work until literally the last couple chapters ??

I did enjoy reading this though, was very fun but just not as much substance as I was expecting.

Thank you to NetGalley and 831 stories for this arc !!

*All opinions are my own !!*

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would like to thank 831 stories for providing me with this eARC!

As someone who has read every single one of 831 stories publications, this story did not meet my expectations. Firstly, I could not relate to our female main character at all. Even though she seemed genuine, throughout the story I felt little to no growth from her character. Also, some if not most of her plots and arcs were not explored. I know these stories are meant to be short and sweet, but why bring plot points that will not be relevant to the development of the story? Our male main character, I did feel like was explored a bit further and was my favorite character overall. Maybe I am extra critical because I usually don't like actress-actor stories, but I do feel like this story could have gone through more editing and polishing overall.

2 stars!

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Mallory Thomas and 831 Stories for possibly the best romance ARC I've received this year!

I couldn't get enough of this short story, I wish it was longer! I loved the FMC and MMC so much!!

Ana is a movie star with a reputation of being difficult to work with and after being spotted with her married co-star so she devises a plan to Fake date his stunt double Levi for the publicity and a chance to change the opinions of the public. But is it really fake dating?

Their chemistry was off the charts! I couldn't put it down I wanted to keep reading all day! Solid 4.5 Stars!!

[Maria Bru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks a million to Netgalley and 831 Stories, big fan of your work 💅
This was a fun romcom where the fmc lands a leading role in a movie that might be jeopredized by a rumor of her sleeping with the male lead. To prevent a scandal over something that is not even true, she decides to approach the male lead’s stunt double and ask him to pretend they are together, to fool the press and get them off her back.
You know where this is goingggg 💐
Had fun but felt too short and fast-paced for me, I needed a bit more yearning and tension

[Zehava (Joyce) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. It is a very quick read and the chemistry between the two leads crackles off of the page. The premise of this story is slightly outlandish (Hollywood actress and stunt double engage in a not so fake relationship for the press) but Ana and Levi are both so charming that it worked. This book seemed very short and pretty rushed and the ending was sort of abrupt. I’d love to see a full length version of this story.
Thank you to Netgalley and 831 Stories for an advanced copy of this book.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

I wasn't completely invested in the romance which made the conflict feel exaggerated and out of nowhere. I did enjoy the heavier themes, and would have liked for it to be a bit longer to flesh out the story.

[Ally G · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! I just love these 831 Stories and I devoured this one on 2 train rides! Also perfect timing for this Odyssey loving Classical Studies nerd…throw some Ancient Greece in there and I’m sold. But I was hooked from page one. The premise is so fun and the writing was spectacular. I couldn’t put it down!

[PENNY JO · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book to read. It was an easy read, yet I really felt close to all the characters. Loved that it was set in Nashville.... one of my favorite cities. I especially liked the double standard imposed on both of the main characters. Recommend for a quick easy read.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5🌟 i actually ended up liking this more than i thought i would—not the greatest 831 book but creative and fun!

[Jenna Verstraeten · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute. Just a little too insta-love for my taste.

[Katie McNeely]

Ok.