“Improbable Meet Cute” is a great concept for a short story/not quite a novella collection! The “Amazon Original Stories” branding makes me nervous because it just screams “Do it for the publicity instead of the money because we said so!”, so I made a point of paying for all five stories to support the authors. In reviewing them, I am tried to decide if they should be appreciated as a delightful, self-contained jewel or as something that leaves you wanting more like a novella or even full novel.
5 STARS: Rosie and the Dreamboat – Sally Thorne
From Amazon: Rosie Whittaker and her sister are up for some Galentine’s pampering at a day spa. Getting locked inside a flotation tank is so Rosie. Enter a firefighter hero determined to pry this luckless pearl out of her high-tech shell. (44 pages)
It should come as no surprise that the author whose debut novel, The Hating Game, was a god-damn delight and a classic of the genre has hit this out of the park. Thorne is a talented and hilarious writer who managed to pack joy, relatable sibling dynamics, and an emotional punch into a truly improbable meet cute. Glorious! I wanted more so badly. I’d love a novel, I’d settle for a chapter. An outline.
4.5 STARs: Worst Wingman Ever – Abby Jiminez
From Amazon: Holly is dealing with the impending death of her grandmother and still reeling from a bad breakup. One bright spot: a Valentine’s Day card on Holly’s windshield—even if it wasn’t meant for her. An amusing mistake soon turns into a lovely exchange of anonymous notes, little acts of kindness, and a growing affection between two strangers. What happens when one of them has to say goodbye? (61 pages)
This was my first Abby Jiminez and it will not be my last. Mission accomplished!
What a lovely, sweet story bringing in sincere and charming family elements, plus two reasonable adults finding each other in an improbable way. It’s a lesson in boundaries and kindness. I loved it and the story felt so replete that it was like I’d read a full-length book. It lives that way in my head now, too.
4.5 STARS: Drop, Cover, and Hold On – Jasmine Guillory
From Amazon: This Valentine’s Day, Daisy Murray has her heart set on binge-watching rom-coms. Instead, an earthquake traps her inside a bakery with its impossibly rude and insufferably handsome owner and head baker. They already have a history: she’s always smiled, he’s always scowled. Where better to finally get to know each other than amid the disaster? Then again, they have no choice. Besides, it could have its sweet, undeniable, and unpredictable perks. (40 pages)
And we bounce from sweet and tender to hot and fraught! I’m not sure an earthquake qualifies as meet cute, but it does bring wonderful clarity to the leads. This story felt like the climax of a larger book and the section you would revisit as the two characters finally find their way to each other. I mean that in the best way possible. Guillory manages quick and thorough character development and plotting so that when the (tectonic) crisis hits, the plot speeds forward in a heightened but romance-plausible way.
3 STARS: With Any Luck – Ashley Poston
From Amazon: Audrey Love is cursed to be the person before you find your soulmate, the girl you dump for your true love. So when her best friend disappears hours before his Valentine’s Day wedding, Audrey fears that she did the unthinkable and kissed him at last night’s bachelor party. With help from the best man, she retraces her steps to find the missing groom and, with any luck, a true love of her own. (43 pages)
Of the five stories, Poston’s entry is the one that I think I would have been well-served with a full novel to provide a broader story and more fleshed out characters. I didn’t really get attached to either of the leads but they and the setup had a lot of potential. With Any Luck was more like a stripped down novel than a story or novella.
Additionally, romances tend toward condensed timelines already so that’s to be expected but I never understand romance wedding days in which:
- The bride isn’t where she’s supposed to be and no one noticed until shortly before the ceremony. No one is less alone than a bride on her wedding day.
- A wedding party member oversleeps, especially the maid of honour or best man, because they are the person keeping bride and groom company.
- The wedding ceremony is the only event focused on. What about the spackling , primping, and zipping? What about the getting ready photos and the “you’re ready, now look at the bouquet like it’s a baby” pictures?
2 STARS: The Exception to the Rule – Christina Lauren
From Amazon: One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance. Wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day isn’t the end. In fact, it becomes a friendly annual tradition—with rules: no pics, no real names, nothing too personal. As years pass, the rules for their email “dates” are breaking, and they’re sharing more than they imagined—including the urge to ask…what if we actually met? (101 pages_
Remember when Christina Lauren wrote volcanically hot romances and then peaked with the Wild Seasons series before pivoting to ever more mainstream and maybe kind of secretly conservative romance as their brand exploded? Me too. Less novel and more romance, please.
For a slow- burn-while-we-both-grow-up romance novella done brilliantly go read The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare instead.
Skipped: Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson
Wilson is a new-to-me author and I wasn’t in the mood for a princess romance. You can tell me if I should go back and grab it.
