These short stories take place around Valentine's Day, and are all, you guessed it, focused on the meet-cutes of the main characters. A quick read, I enjoyed some more than others, but they were all entertaining.

The Exception to The Rule - Christina Lauren
This was fun! That being said, I hope the final copy displays the email exchanges between C and T in distinct ways so it's instinctive for the reader to figure out who is who and who is writing what.
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Worst Wingman Ever - Abby Jimenez
I'm a huge Abby Jimenez fan, but this one unfortunately missed the mark for me.
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Rosie and the Dreamboat - Sally Thorne
This was quick and sweet!
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Drop, Cover, and Hold On - Jasmine Guillory
I think this was my first Jasmine Guillory, and I quite liked it!
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With Any Luck - Ashley Poston
This was was definitely my favorite! I absolutely loved it and wouldn't say no to a full-length novel.
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Royal Valentine - Sariah Wilson
I really liked this one as well. My first Sariah Wison too, so I'll probably check out her books now.

Synopsis: This is a series of Valentine’s Day themed short stories by popular authors we love.
Pros/cons: Stand out stories by Christina Lauren and Ashley Poston, but because they were short stories, all lacked detail. We didn’t really dive in to the characters or the plots, but they were cute enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the early read! This will be released for free to all prime members, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

six wonderful authors have come together to weave this delightful anthology of stories revolving around valentine's day!

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren:

— 5 ⚝

This was super fun and heartwarming. This story follows Callum and Terra, who start emailing back and forth for 10 years every valentine's day when Callum accidentally sends Terra an email meant for a professor. I loved the emails that were exchanged between the two mc's. the way they met was so unique and the ending was so perfect. i loved the setting and the dialogues. christina lauren never disappoint. a perfect, quick, joyful read for valentine's day that you definitely need to pick up.

The Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez:

— 5 ⚝

This story follows Holly and John. John is supposed to place a note from his brother to his brother's girlfriend on her car on valentine's day. He accidentally places it on the wrong car. Holly and John then communicate via notes placed on her car after that. This book gave me so much. It gave me joy, it made me laugh, it made my heart ache and also kick my feet in the air. the fmc's grandmom is dying and she's taking care of her during her last days. I lost my grandfather recently and it was the heaviest loss of my life. the way this part was written really resonated with me on a spiritual level. it rlly moved me and I didn't expect to love this short story so much. 100% a must read.

Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne:

— 2.5 ⚝

sally thorne is a favourite author for many. but i am not one of them. i, unfortunately have a rlly hard time connecting with her characters and her writing. this is a story about Rosie, who has an immense sister complex which was rlly annoying, who gets trapped in a rejuvenating box like thing in a Spa during valentine's day and Leo, the Dreamboat firefighter, who ultimately rescues her. they have conversations while she's stuck in the box. the premise was unique and fun enough but it often felt OTT and too cheesy for me. i also wasn't a huge fan of Rosie.

Drop, Cover & Hold on by Jasmine Guillory:

— 3 ⚝

This was my first from this author and I did enjoy it. it had just the right amount of sweetness and made me feel warm inside. This story followed Daisy and Harris, who get stuck in Harris' bakery on Valentine's day because of an Earthquake. His bakery is daisy's favorite but she is under the impression that she is definitely not his favourite. Although not a favourite in the anthology, it is still worth picking up and will not take much time getting through either.

With any luck by Ashley Poston:

— 3.75 ⚝

this was just okay. very middle of the road for me. i immensely enjoy Ashley Poston's writing and characterization. We get to see that in snippets here. It was good enough for a short story but again not my favourite.

This story follows Audrey and Theo, who are Best man & Maid of Honour (respectively, lol) in their best friends' wedding. Theo and Audrey have had a one night stand situation in the past so that was a nice added touch here. Audrey feels that she is the kind of person that you kiss before you find the love of your life and that's a major part of the story. Enjoyed it enough to say you should pick this up!

Lastly,

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson:

— 3 ⚝

this was fun! another first by an author in this anthology. it was cute and entertaining and also worth picking up.

This follows the royal princess Ilaria of Monterra, who is in Rome and chooses to stay back disguised as her PR assistant, Anne who leaves pretending to be her so that Ilaria can just enjoy the city. What sparks the desire to do so is her seeing a charming photographer, Callum who is a delight. I liked the final reveal in this and the confessions of love at the end. it warmed my heart. another one that's worth picking up!

thank you to netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for an e-arc of this anthology. all thoughts are my own and not influenced in any way.

This was SO much fun!! I loved all the stories, my favorite being Christina Laurens A perfect slump buster for all romance fans.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a funny collection of meet-cute short stories. I wanted to read this for the Abby Jimenez story (which was adorable and funny as usual), and it did not disappoint. Every story was great. I loved the humor, the cuteness, and the romance. It was great getting a sample of different authors, all of whom I plan on checking out their other books.

I definitely recommend this collection if you want a quick, short, pick me up.

Love, love, love this collection!! It’s everything you want from some of the best romance writers out there. I can’t wait to re-read around Valentine’s Day.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher.

These are absolutely adorable. I adored The Exception To The Rule, and was skeptical the others could be as good…. And then they were! Delightful short stories filled with romance, meet-cutes, and so much witty banter. I loved all these couples and I was sad every time a story ended. All well-written, quick reads. Five stars!

Fun short stories by some amazing authors! Nice variety of unusual meet cutes and each story has at least one reference to one of the other stories.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for The Improbably Meet-Cute collection to come out January 23, 2024.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

If you love any of these authors, it's definitely worth reading this. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of short stories but I needed more from some of my favorite romance authors! They're short and sweet to read, so it's super easy to fly through them. Now of course I'd love a full version of these stories, but hey, maybe it'll happen one day. I have hope.

The Improbable Meet-Cute collection is six stories that can be read as stand-alone or altogether. These are perfect short(er) quick read stories about everyone’s favorite moment, the meet cute. Each of these stories focuses on or around Valentine’s Day and how love can find you when you’re least expecting it.

The Exception to the Rule: Terra and Callum meet through a mistaken email on Valentine’s Day while both still in high school and continue their email-ship for 10 years before finally meeting in person.

Worst Wingman Ever: Holly and John meet through a completely misplaced Scooby Doo card (complete with sex coupon) and unknowingly help each other through rough parts of their life by being responsible for their own unhappiness.

Rosie and the Dreamboat: Rosie and Leo meet while he’s rescuing her from toilet/clamshell/sardine can spa day nightmare, trusting that she may have just found her Husband.

Drop, Cover, and Hold On: Daisy and Harris have met, but she thinks he hates her until they share a moment after Harris experiences his first earthquake.

With Any Luck: Audrey is cursed that men find their love the day after she kisses. It’s the morning of her boy best friend’s wedding, he’s nowhere to be found, and she remembers a kiss from the night before.

Royal Valentine: Her Royal Highness, Princess Ilaria of Monterra switches identities with her PR assistant for a few days and meets Callum, who is also undercover.

For transparency, I did receive this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love them all but that would be improbable. Some were really excellent and others almost felt too long. But overall it is a fun collection of really good authors.

Oh these are so so good!

Perfect little short stories for a burst of happiness!

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved, loved, loved. Each story was so good and had me swooning. I want more! All my favorite authors in one place what could be better.

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren
I love epistolary elements in stories and the email exchange throughout this story was adorable! I loved how their friendship slowly built up over several years until their real life meet cute!

Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez
I loved the exchanges between Holly and John starting with the case of mistaken car identity with the “wingman” note meant for someone else. Holly working as a hospice nurse and John as an on-site maintenance man both show their caring natures and it’s a joy to see them finally connect.

Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Throne
I really enjoyed the setup for this story! Rosie is visiting a spa with her sister when there is a mishap and she ends up trapped. Romeo/Leo arrives to help save the day and their banter is adorable!


Drop Cover and Hold on by Jasmine Guillory
Delicious bakery items and a sweet romance. I love a grumpy/sunshine story with forced proximity and this one was lovely. Harris is a grumpy baker who tries to win Daisy’s heart with extra treats but she just thinks he doesn’t like her until they are forced together due to an earthquake and forced to talk with each other. Very sweet story.

With Any Luck by Ashley Poston
I loved the background story on the lucky in everything but love for Audrey with her best friend and the way over the top wedding. Theodore As the brides maid of honor was perfect.

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson
Mistaken/secret identity story with a princess wanting a day to herself. I enjoyed the story and the side characters!

Need a collection of Valentine Day romances to get you inspired for the holiday? This short story collection will make you smile and cry, warm your heart and take away the VDay grumps.

Already being quite familiar with Jimenez and Lauren’s stories, I dove into this specifically for them.

Abby Jimenez ‘s contribution is by far the emotional standout. She deals with real situations as she always does—with heart and care that puts you right there with the characters.

Christina Lauren ‘s story gives a love story through time with an HEA that will have you smiling right along with the characters.

The other standouts from this collection are Thorne, Wilson and Poston. Their entries will encourage you to search out their stories.

This collection of novellas from some of my favorite authors was the perfect Christmas gift from the publishers and NetGalley! While I wanted to savor each one and take my time with them, I found myself not being able to put the stories down!

What a fun collaboration with a handful of my favorite romance authors! I loved all of the stories, especially the Worst Wingman Ever!

This collection of short stories is one of the best compilations I’ve ever read. Each story is well-crafted and puts a unique spin on the theme of “improbable meet cute.” I enjoyed getting short stories from some of my favorite authors, and reading a “new-to-me” author as well. Framing the stories around Valentine’s Day was also a delightful touch.

As a whole, this was almost a perfect read for me, but here’s my star ratings for each story:

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren: 5 stars
Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez: 5 stars
Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne: 4.75 stars
Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Kennedy Ryan: 5 stars
With Any Luck by Ashley Poston: 4.25 stars
Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson: 4 stars

A sincere thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy. This series was so light, cute and sweet! Such a great collection of authors I’ll be adding to my must read list. Easy to devour in a single sitting. Great end of year read.

Obviously I'm an author on this book so I'm not reviewing my own story. This is for the five other fantastic authors I got to participate with. I literally cannot wait for the audio book to come out so I can read everyone's shorts again. Bravo to this magnificent collection!