The cutest collection of short romance stories you’ll ever find! Featuring Christina Lauren, Abby Jimenez, Sally Thorne, Jasmine Gulliory, Ashley Poston, and Sariah Wilson.

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren was a 5 star read easily. It was cute, funny, and completely charming. Callum is the kind of MMC I’m looking for and they did such a good job with this story.

Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez was cute, heartfelt, and another easy 5 stars. Abby has a way with characters and making you FEEL. It was a lovely story that tugged at my heartstrings.

Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne had me kicking my feet and giggling like a teenager. I loved the concept and the humor she laced throughout the story. Leo and Rosie were precious, bringing in another 5 star read.

Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Gulliory was the perfect combination of grumpy x sunshine and tooth achingly sweet romance. Daisy was a breath of fresh air and the bakery addition made it an easy 5 stars.

With Any Luck by Ashley Poston was a cute twist on a romance with a little drama that really wasn’t drama. It was fun to read about Luck and Love, coming back together despite some superstitions. Another 5 star read, but are we shocked?

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson is the last 5 star read and so so so achingly sweet. A royal (or two) find the love they’ve been hoping for in a secret identity storyline full of sweet moments and sizzling chemistry.

Big thanks to the publisher for this arc!

A delightful collection of Valentine's themed short stories. I loved how they could all stand alone, and there were some little things that made small connections between some of them.
I wasn't surprised that Abby Jimenez and Christina Lauren were my two favorites, but I enjoyed them all. Each story was very different, in terms of the setup, location, etc. One had a twinge of sadness, a couple were funnier. I recommend this collection as a whole to put you in the mood for Valentine's Day.

I flew through these novellas, they were all super cute!

Ratings:
💜 The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren: 5⭐️
💜 Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez: 5⭐️
💜 Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne: 4⭐️
💜 Drop, Cover and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory: 3.5⭐️
💜 With Any Luck by Ashley Poston: 4.5⭐️
💜 Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson: 5⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Amazon Original Stories for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.😍

Mini Reviews:
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📖 The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice: 🌶️

Really loved the story for this one, I could have used a full length novel, but it did feel complete - I just wanted more!

An accidental email leads to yearly (on Valentine’s Day) correspondence with a stranger. T & C had me laughing out loud! How they actually “meet” in person is so good.
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📖 Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice: 🧼

This adorable meet-cute starts with John leaving a note accidentally on the wrong car (meant for his brother’s gf), leading to notes back and forth with Holly.

They have a lot of adorable little connections, which is true Abby-fashion. Loved it!
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📖 Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice: 🧼

While at the spa with her perfect sister, sweet Rosie gets locked in a sensory deprivation tank. Firefighter Leo is there to talk her though it while they are trying to solve how to get her out.

They definitely started a lovely friendship while she was in the tank! I didn’t feel the spark as much as I would have liked.
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📖 Drop, Cover and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Spice: 🧼

Daisy goes to pick up treats from her bakery, swearing it’s the last time since the grumpy owner is always scowling at her. While inside, they become trapped following an earthquake.

This was my least favorite of the bunch, I think partly because it wasn’t broken down at all (this may change in the published version), and it was 3rd person single POV. I couldn’t connect with the characters.
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📖 With Any Luck by Ashley Poston
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice: 🧼

Right after Audrey Love kisses someone, they immediately find their soulmate. But it’s never her.
Enter Theo Luck - the best man to her maid of honor, the last person she wants to see.

After hooking up in the past and never speaking again, they’re pushed together for the wedding day.

This was cute, but I wanted more from Ashley Boston! I have loved her previous romance novels.
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📖 Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice: 🧼

Princess Ilaria just wanted one weekend to feel normal, so she switches places with her assistant. After passing out on the Spanish steps, a man brings her to his apartment (his nurse friend is there, so it’s not creepy 😅).

They spend the day together, and connect in more ways than one!

This was my first book by this author, and won’t be my last! I loved it.
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These were such cute stories and certainly lived up to the improbability theme of the collection. My favorites were by Christina Lauren and Abby Jimenez. I devoured them! I enjoyed the others, although, I wish Sarah Poston's and Jasmine Guillory's had been just a tad bit more fleshed out. They seemed rushed even for short stories. But still cute and enjoyable nonetheless.

This book was such a treat and will be releasing just in time for a fun Valentine's Day read! Follow along with six powerhouse romance authors as they share six short novellas (that will leave you wanting more) showcasing the unconventional ways that couples meet and find love. These stories all take place at the same time and in the same universe with a few little crossovers sprinkled throughout!

The Exception To The Rule by Christina Lauren- 5 Stars
This story was so sweet and gave me all the feels. Can you imagine setting up your future at 16 years old with the click of one "send button'? That is what happened to Callum. Follow along through a series of emails as he meets his forever Valentine. This story will have you hanging on for each email. It is a mix of coming of age, humor, and attraction.

Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez- 5 Stars
Abby Jimenez never fails with the keen ability to evoke so many emotions if such a short story. She warmed my heart, made me cry, and in the same page that I was crying made me gasp and laugh. This story was everything and I am in dire need of a bonus chapter (or an entire book).

Rosie and The Dreamboat by Sally Thorne- 3 Stars
What does a single gal and her sister do on Valentine's Day to feel better about herself? Why go to the spa, of course! Read to find out the hilarity that ensues when this luxurious and pampering spa day takes a turn and involves a hunky firefighter.

Drop, Cover, and Hold by Jasmine Guillory 2 stars
This was my first read from this author and it was cute quick read with a little side of spice. When the big one hits in California and Daisy is at her favorite bakery will her and the grumpy baker stay on shaky ground or find the sweetness in the situation?

With Any Luck by Ashley Poston- 3 Stars
I love Ashley Poston and this was another great romance! Audrey Love has believed she has had a "kiss curse" ever since she was little. Everyone she kisses finds their soulmate the next day. When Audrey is tasked with planning her best guy friends bachelor party and a night of drunken shenanigans ensues but Audrey cannot remember what happened the next day and the groom is missing. She fears the worst- did she kiss her best friend? With the help of the male "made of honor" Audrey will try her luck and finding the groom and her own true love.

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson- 2 Stars
This was my first read by Sariah Wilson and it was my least favorite of the collection, but perfect for fans of her Royals of Monterra series. A princess in disguise and a Scottish photographer find instant attraction, explore Rome together, and fall for each other; however neither are being very truthful with each other. Will their love last?

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for this Advance Reader Copy.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review !
Pub date : 23 January 2024

The improbable meet cute collection has a mix of : previously read authors (Lauren ,Thorne and Jimenez) , new author’s I want to read this year (Guillory & Poston) as well as completely new to me author’s (Wilson) so I went into this anthology with medium expectations .

As a short story collection , I would overall rate it 3 stars ,some stories were definitely stronger and more engaging than others . I liked the little references/ nods to the other stories (such as characters knowing each other , locations and even events) However , I found that more than half of the stories in the collection were trying to condense and pack too much story and development in such little pages which resulted in me completely losing interest which is such a shame because the beginning of this collection was so promising.

Personal ranking of the short stories

#1 Worst wingman ever - Abby Jimenez
#2 Exception to the rule - Christina Lauren
#3 With any Luck - Ashley Poston

(Four and five are interchangeable to be honest)

#4 Drop , cover and hold on - Jasmine Guillory
#5 Royal Valentine - Sariah Wilson
#6 Rosie and the Dreamboat- Sally Thorne


Short story mini reviews - in order of appearance

Exception to the rule
4 stars

I thought that it was the perfect opener to the collection. The different formatting made this such a fun, engaging read (I was so giddy) . The meet cute -though improbable- was so adorable .Seeing these character’s friendship develop over the years had my heart ACHING . I was so invested and whilst I wanted more ,I was satisfied with the end of it . Nothing felt rushed or poorly condensed . Lauren gave me more than enough comfort to believe that this couple would make it past the epilogue

Worst Wingman Ever
4.25 stars

I adore Jimenez’s writing and storytelling . It is heartfelt ,funny and emotional. All three emotions I experienced whilst reading this . I genuinely would want a full length novel about Holly and John . In such a short time Jimenez managed to flesh out these characters , their secondary counterparts as well as giving us a very improbably cute , meet cute . The romance didn’t feel rushed because their relationship was founded in friendship . They impacted each other greater than they even realised which made the glimpses of romance even more sweet.

Rosie and the Dreamboat
2 stars

Sigh…….we started off great and then Rosie and the Dreamboat happened . I’ve read The hating game by this author -which I also didn’t enjoy . I think that Thorne’s writing style just isn’t for me. The way she writes her characters at times ( especially the titular one, Rosie) felt unnatural and caricature-esque likewise with the “dreamboat” . The circumstances that these character’s met was Improbable but instead of me thinking it was adorable , it all felt silly . I have no problem going along with a zany plot line but the writing style , characterisation and plot were all executed unsuccessfully (in my opinion)
Especially that ending ????
Eye rollllllllllllll

Drop , cover and hold on
2.5 stars

Despite the low rating , I would be open to read more of Guillory’s work . I liked her writing stye ,although in this one it was a bit ramble-y, almost like she was trying to reach the word count with how repetitive the first opening paragraphs were. Unfortunately with this short story ,I just thought that it was hollow and lacked substance . Where other stories in this collection managed to give us a little bit of insight on these characters , their families and inner struggles , Drop , cover and hold on had nothing to say . The chemistry was lacklustre and when the character’s confessed their feelings I audibly said “WHAT???” .There was an attempted grumpy x sunshine , enemies-to-lovers , he falls first book trope moment but again , it felt hollow. I feel like this premise would’ve worked better if the character’s were long time friends.


With any Luck
3 stars

I mainly read this collection because of Poston. I plan on reading her books this year because I’ve heard nothing but good things so I thought that beginning with a short story by them would be a great starting point (and it was) . Poston is known for her use of magical realism elements and It was evident in the main character. The sprinkles of magic made Audrey and story quite charming . I liked the setting and loved the author’s writing style. The romance between Audrey and Theo immediately hooked me especially with how the main character frequently alluded to their brief history. Friendship is a major theme in this and I loved how it played out . The ending of the short was anti-climactic and I wished that Audrey and Theo’s relationship had some time to breath and develop if the story was longer but overall I liked it.

Royal Valentine
2.5 stars

Royal valentine is the most guilty of trying to condense a fully fledged romance novel into 40+ pages . The premise , though cliché is one I don’t think I’ll get tired of , that in conjunction with a summer fling in Europe???? SIGN ME UP . However the author bit off more than she could chew . There was a love adjacent confession , a plot twist , third act breakup/conflict AND resolution. The character’s claiming that they have a bone deep profound type of love yet we as a reader are present for all of their conversations , which were relatively surface level????. Either some plot points should have been cut or this should’ve been it’s own novel because the potential was there and I really liked the set-up of the story.

I’m a big fan of Ashley Poston and Abby Jimenez and have read books by Sally Thorne, Christina Lauren and Sariah Wilson too. This short story compilation was full of warm fuzzies and I desperately wish that some of them were full length novels.

Modern day dating tends to be primarily online or app-based so meet-cute stories hit a little harder in the awww department for me. Some authors understood the assignment and others didn’t really.

My ranking of the stories:
1. Worst Wingman Ever
Abby Jimenez can do no wrong
2. With Any Luck
Same with Ashley Poston
3. Drop, Cover, and Hold On
This was so cute. He falls first is *chefs kiss*
4. Rosie and the Dreamboat
Felt a bit instalove but it was cute
5. The Exception to the Rule
Pacing was off. I love the falling in love through words trope but it was a slog reading through so many emails
6. Royal Valentine (DNF)
Started this and felt like it was a bad rip-off of the Princess Switch

✨Improbable Meet Cute Collection✨
Pub Date: January 23rd
Oh my word this collection of stories was ADORABLE and are such cute and tomatoes reads. Yes some of them are cheesy, but that’s part of why I ATE THEM UP. I truly enjoyed them all and hope that some of these might even turn into full length novels one day!

📧: The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren- 4.5 ⭐️
There was great character development even in a short amount of time. I enjoyed the fun twist of the email format as a way for the characters to get to know one another.

🩺: Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez
Holly- 4.5 ⭐️
I would love to see more of this couple following their delightful meet cute. This included a heartbreakingly accurate portrayal of losing a wonderful grandparent and the ripple effects of this. For me this would have been 5 if we saw just a smidge more of this couple once they meet.

👨‍🚒: Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne- 5 ⭐️
THIS ONE!!! It made me giddy and was downright adorable. Our MCs have such wonderful banter and I was immediately rooting for them long term. I appreciated how compact this story was as it allowed us to appreciate the moment even more.

🥐: Drop, Cover and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory- 4 ⭐️
This was such a cute idea and again covers a short amount of time. However with this one I felt like the ending was somewhat abrupt as I genuinely thought that I skipped a page or two at the end. This dynamic was so fun to see play out though!

💋: With Any Luck by Ashley Poston- 4.5 ⭐️
I really enjoyed how unique this story was and had me giggling at points! Audrey is such a fun character with a unique *gift* and some entertaining luck.

👑: Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson- 4⭐️
This one gave me The Princess Switch vibes and I’m about it. I enjoyed the twist at the ending and receiving so delightful resolution!

Thank you NetGalley and all of these lovely authors for the advanced reader copy. Make sure to preorder these on Amazon and check them out on pub day!

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC.

This was a lovely little meet cute collection perfect for Valentine's Day. It was nice to have something to warm my heart and make me laugh while not having to read an entire long book.

Binged this in a day!!

So many of favorite authors in one Valentine collection? Yes, please!

These stories of meet cutes were perfect for my snow day in. I loved the little tie ins bringing each story together. Hands down Sally Thorne and Abby Jimenez were my favorite two stories. Hot mess and a fireman?! ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 Handy man and mystery notes on the car?! 💘💘💘

I also loved the e-mail style story from Christina Lauren. So unique and fun!! And add in some Royals in disguise! A best-woman with a curse?! And a stuck in bakery emergency?! All these stories round out to an adorable, fun valentine collection!!

I loved this sweet collection! I was super excited to read it, as some of my favorite authors were included and I was excited that it lived up to my expectations. While some stories were more engaging and swoony than others, I enjoyed the entire collection and would recommend it.

My favorite story of the bunch was Abby Jimenez's contribution, Worst Wingman Ever. I have read everything she's written and this one was just as good, and really impressive to fit so much in to a short story. I loved both John and Holly and the notes they wrote back and forth were so sweet and fun. As with all of Abby Jimenez's book, she also dealt with some heavier issues which were handled so beautifully. All around so good.

I also really loved Christina Lauren's contribution, The Exception to the Rule. I am a huge fan of books told through letters and emails, and I loved the way the relationship unfolded and the sweet and flirty emails. This one made me swoon, laugh, and cringe. So good!

I am a huge fan of Ashley Poston and really enjoyed her story, With Any Luck. I loved Audrey and the tension in the story made it so I couldn't put it down. Really impressed with how much depth was written in a short story! It made me smile and swoon as well.

Overall a very strong collection and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and different Valentine's Day read! I am always impressed when writers can make me so attached to characters in short stories - not an easy thing to do, but I loved so many of these characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

This was fantastic! I’m usually not a fan of short stories as I tend to get too invested and want more, but this group of authors nailed it. I especially loved The Worst Wingman by Abby Jimenez. 10/10

Absolutely adored all of these short novellas!!! So many amazing authors, it was hard to pick a favorite! I would have also devoured all of these even if they were full length novels! Definitely recommend!

This was, overall, the cutest little collection of romance books for Valentine’s Day!! The books were so sweet and it was nice being able to read little stories from such great authors! Of course, I was left wanting the full stories, but I thought this was a really special collection and thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a dash of spice and a whole lot of warm and fuzzy feelings throughout all the books.

I have also included my rankings and review of each individual story below:

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren:
5 stars!
Bye Christina Lauren’s short story had me kicking my feet screaming like a little school girl. So. Damn. Cute. I love that Terra had a nickname for her crush with all her girls because my friends and I do that ALL the time. I really loved the academia vibes and how Terra and her email buddy came to be.

The Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez:
5 stars!
“Time is such precious thing. How you spend it, how you waste it. And it becomes even more valuable as the hourglass runs out, because you will never get more of it.”
Working in a nursing home and having patients on hospice made this story hit hard from the START. I get how Holly felt, and to have that support from John is an amazing feeling. Also, he’s a handyman who saves dogs. Hello husband material. Abby really cannot write a bad story in my humble opinion. Queen sh*t if you ask me.

Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne:
4 stars
I love Leo and I want a dreamy firefighter to fall for me. That’s all. I adored Rosie. She was really such a strong character, even in such a brief story! I felt such a pull towards her and wanted to keep reading. I couldn’t stop laughing at the banter between Leo and Rosie. I also really wanted go see more of Leo! He had such good guy potential and could’ve had a killer back story too. The scenario in which they met was a little odd to me which is why I gave it 4 stars, and I kind of didn’t like Rosie’s sister at all…

Drop, Cover and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory:
4 stars
The meet cute delivered, and was the epitome of grumpy x sunshine! It felt like there was a little too much grump which made the whole relationship/kissing part seem a little weird to happen so quickly. This was definitely one of the novellas that I wish was longer because I really feel like the characters could have had such a good development in a more in depth/longer plot.

With Any Luck by Ashley Poston:
3 stars
This one was too hangover kind of feeling for me. I liked the attempt at enemies to lovers too, but I feel like with such a short timeline, that’s a hard trope to convey. Theo was lowkey my favorite though and sounded soo perfect. I also get Audrey’s whole “when someone dates me, they find their true love right after” mentality because wooooof. I get it girl.

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson
2 stars
This one completely missed the mark for me. I could not be bothered by Callum’s character and really had a hard time caring for the princess theme. It did have emotions and it definitely had potential, I just feel like as a novella, it wasn’t enough.

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 was such a cute anthology with fantastic authors. My top favorite reads were The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren, Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez, Drop, Cover, and Hold by Jasmine Guillory and Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson. Jasmine Guillory and Sariah Wilson are new to me authors so I am looking forward to trying out their backlist. Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne and With any Luck by Ashley Position were okay reads for me.

Six short stories. Six unlikely first encounters.

If you find yourself with nothing to do this Valentines Day, this is the perfect book to get cozy with!

5 ⭐️ The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren - What a cute, adorable story! It had me giggling and smirking as the story unfolded. BRB, going to get soup dumplings.

5 ⭐️ Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez - This story was heartbreaking, funny, and cute all in one. Loved it! See next slides for two memorable quotes.

5⭐️ Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne - This was such as cute story, I absolutely loved it. The sarcasm was top-notch. I lol’d at the Vichy shower and the earring. Note: If you are claustrophobic, I would skip this one.

4⭐️ Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmines Guillory - Loved the pastry talk in this one. You can never go wrong with food content and a grumpy love interest.

4⭐️ With Any Luck by Ashley Poston - This story was so cute and I honestly wasn’t sure who the love interest was until closer to the end.

4⭐️ Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson - I’d love to have a day in Rome like the main characters had. I enjoyed the addition of a crossover from a previous story!

Thank you to #NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for this Advance Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

This series is perfect for those that love novella & love compilations that have this beautiful little invisible string weaving itself in and out of each book to tie them together.

Out of the 6 books, Christina Lauren's was probably my favorite and that's only because I love how the relationship grew over the course of time, but I enjoyed all 6 of these books. These are perfect for someone who may be new to the authors because it gives them a beautiful peek into their writing and story telling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a cute collection of short stories from some of my favorite authors. Each story was different and had different tropes which I appreciated.

My two favorite stories were Worst Wingman Ever and Royal Valentine. Abby Jimenez does such a great job weaving serious topics into romance, and this story was no exception. I loved the pen pal via notes on her car- such a fun meet cute. I also am a sucker for a royals story and a European setting so Royal Valentine was such a fun read.

I'd recommend theses short stories to my friends- and it's such a fitting Valentines themed read.

Absolutely a fun read! All of the stories were enjoyable and so nice to see so many of my favorite authors in one spot. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.