The Exception to the Rule - 5⭐️ 0.5🌶️ (really just a sweet clean internet romance)

I loved this novella! I loved all of the realistic modern day touches - like technology and COVID references. C&T we’re just a fun online meet cute and made me smile 🥰 even though it wasn’t steamy at all, I still loved this. Christina Lauren can write quality banter, even when it’s through emails 💛

Worst Wingman Ever - 4⭐️, 0.25🌶️

This was an adorable meet-cute romance where Holly is the hospice nurse for her grandmother, and John is visiting his brothers apartment complex to fix things, and ends up leaving a letter meant for his brothers gf on Hollys care instead. Through exchanged letters, the two have a micro-friendship that evolves once they meet in person.

The romance was very minimal, and honestly I would have loved more of this book if it gave us more of them together after their first real encounter. No spice, just a little bit of sexual jokes.

Rosie and the Dreamboat - 3.75⭐️, 0.5🌶️

Not my fave of the collection, but I loved the uniqueness of this meet cute! The foreman that rescues her from a salt tank submersion spa day gone wrong. Romeo was adorable, but I just didn’t vibe with Rosie’s character.

Drop, Cover and Hold On - 4.5⭐️, 1.5🌶️

Ugh I love how Jasmine writes her romances and this is par for the course! I can understand some of the complaints that the age old “grumpy sunshine - he’s mean cause he likes her” is a bit juvenile, but. I. Still. Loved. It!! The dash of spice was a lovely surprise and overall I thought the ‘meet-cute’ of being stuck together during an earthquake was unique!

Overall I’m really liking all of these novellas! All the authors made such different work, and the ability to listen to all the books with Amazon Audible copies included is a great perk!

With Any Luck - 4⭐️, 1.5🌶️

This was so fun! The best woman and the man of honor are tracking down the groom the morning of the wedding while also addressing their past one night stand. She believes she’s cursed to always have people fall in love after kissing her, and their ONS he refused to kiss her. It’s a dash of enemies to lovers and was such a cute story! This one really flew by and I WISH it was a full length story!

Royal Valentine - 3.75⭐️, 1🌶️

In theory I thought I would have looooved this secret identity romance, but it just wasn’t super interesting to me. UNTIL the surprise twist in the end which I really liked!

What a delightful and adorable collection of meet-cutes!

I loved all the stories and The Exception to the Rule and Worst Wingman Ever proved to be stand-outs. While Christina Lauren, Abby Jimenez and Sally Thorne have been repeat authors whose works I have enjoyed in the past, it’s a joy to have discovered Jasmine Guillory, Ashley Poston, Sariah Wilson whose works I’d definitely go back and read.

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories, NetGalley and the authors for my copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

The Exception to the Rule is a delightful meet cute short story. Definitely fits the bill as improbable meet cute that warms the soul.
The worst wingman is a delightful meet cute short story. Definitely fits the bill as improbable meet cute that warms the soul.
The Rosie and the dreamboat is a delightful meet cute short story. Definitely fits the bill as improbable meet cute that warms the soul. I think of all of the stories this was my favorite.
The Drop, cover and hold on is a delightful meet cute short story. Definitely fits the bill as improbable meet cute that warms the soul. I think this one was the most surprising and utterly delightful.
With any luck on is a delightful meet cute short story. Definitely fits the bill as improbable meet cute that warms the soul.
Royal Valentine is a delightful meet cute short story. Definitely fits the bill as improbable meet cute that warms the soul.

Love this collection of short novellas from some of my favorite authors. These were all quick reads before Valentine’s Day and loved that there was just a little connection between them!

Six authors, six "lucky" meet cutes! I found Christina Lauren's to be my favorite of the six, with Sariah Wilson's to be the most unremarkable. While I expected these to be all lovey dovey, I was pretty disappointed with the lack of fluff and more emotional hard hitting. For example, Abby Jimenez's (while I adore her) was a little too hard hitting. Overall, these were fast paced and quick snippets but I wouldn't want to pick up a full length version of any.

I gave this whole set a 3.5 out of all but Abby Jimenez story was my absolute favorite of them all an that got a 4 because it was cute, but I wish it was longer! I love her writing so I don’t ever want it to end!

A collection of 'beginning of romance' stories from well-known romance writers with serendipity at the heart of it. The reason I picked up this book was because I love serendipity. I love stories that are mired in serendipity and also because this collection allows you to glimpse the writing of several writers in one go and you can have a taste of their writing and discover some new writers who you might want to to read more of.


This book found me in my romance girlie era, which is good timing. I didn't connect with all of the writing in here, but I liked some of the stories more than the others. I think my favourite was The Worst Wingman Ever and Royal Valentine.

Read it if you want to take a little leap of faith and believe in the magic of life and serendipity.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my eARC.

Quick Summary: "Six short rom-coms to warm your heart"

My Review: The Improbable Meet-Cute by Christina Lauren; Abby Jimenez; Sally Thorne; Jasmine Guillory; Ashley Poston; Sariah Wilson is a dream collection of shorts by some of my most beloved authors, as well as by a few authors who are new to me.

About the Book: Six writers share their take on life, love, and romance.

----------

💌 The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren

💬 An accidental email leads to a lasting friendship and more.

🍬 This one gave off You've Got Mail vibes. I loved the style this was written in. It flowed perfectly. I also appreciated that what started innocently blossomed into something truly amazing.

Rating: 5/5
----------

💌 Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez

💬 Love, loss, and a few well placed notes bring clarity, direction, and an opportunity for happiness to two people seeking change.

🍬 The unexpected gift that came by way of the confession and through the parting wisdom were symbolic and freeing.

Rating: 4.25/5

----------

💌 Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne

💬 A day at the spa turns into a super surprising and very dreamy ordeal.

🍬 This was such an amusing story. It was like an extreme version of The Dating Game. Romeo stole my heart.

Rating: 4.75/5
----------

💌 Drop, Cover, and Hold on by Jasmine Guillory

💬 How do pastries, food porn, chocolate brown skin, and earthquakes connect?

🍬 This short was deliciously naughty. The foodie in me was all in!

Rating: 4.45/5

----------

💌 With Any Luck by Ashley Poston

💬 With the wedding of her best friend in play, the best man/maid and a frenemy are on the chase, but what will they find at the end of their journey?

🍬 This was my first AP read. I found it to be humorous and saucy. It gave off My Best Friend's Wedding vibes.

Rating: 4/5

----------

💌 Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson

💬 Royalty in disguise is real. What are the chances that two strangers who meet in a highly unusual way would end up with their very own fairytale adventure?

🍬 I'm a sucker for HEAs with HRHs. This had Hallmark, Freevee, and Netflix written all over it. Insta or not, it was charming.

Rating: 4. 75/5

----------


My Final Say: This improbable meet-cute experience was my happy place. Each writer brought a sweet treat, just in time for a Valentine's Day jaunt. I hope another collection is in the works.

Other: I genuinely loved this compilation. Not only did it give me a chance to hear from some of my favorite authors, but it also introduced me to some new ones. I look forward to familiarizing myself with other works from both the old and the new.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: 💗

Sincere appreciation is extended to each of the authors, to Amazon Original Stories, and to NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to review this special Valentine's Day collection. It was delightful.

I absolutely loved the first three books in this anthology collection! Christina Lauren at their finest with a love story over the years. I adore a text/email heavy book and this one made me so happy. I especially loved the epilogue, so cute. Abby Jimenez can do no wrong. I only wish her short story was longer and more romance, but it was a great story and it made me cry. Sally Thorne had me cracking up with her story, and I love me a fireman romance. The rest of the book just kind of fell flat for me :( not sure if it's because the first three were so great I was expecting amazing things or what. They were still good but not great. Five stars for the first half!

What a great idea for a short story collection. Gather up a group of talented modern romance writers, give them a common thread to weave, and a word limit. The result: "Improbable Meet Cute"!

I was already a fan of some of these authors, but now I have new authors to seek out and new titles to read. I also really love that the series is available for free for Kindle Unlimited users and Amazon Prime users.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this collection of short stories!

These were the cutest novellas! I loved some more than others, but they were seriously all so cute. I only wish they could’ve been longer than novellas, haha, I wanted more!! They can all be read on their own and don’t need to be read in any order. If you’re looking for some quick, fun, romance reads, I recommend checking any of these out!

The Improbable Meet-Cute is a collection of short stories from loved Romance Authors. Overall, I thought this collection was perfect for Valentines Day but some were certainly more successful than others. Overall, if you're in the mood for some feel-good romantic comedies that will leave you grinning from ear to ear, "The Improbable Meet-Cute" is just the ticket!

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren - In my opinion this was the most successful out of the bunch. Although it was a short story I felt like I knew the characters and had a good grasp on their relationship. Because this story took place over 10 years we were able to see some growth and character development between the two characters. I feel as if this one could be made into a full-length novel (and I would definitely read it!). Of note, this story is also much longer than the others.

Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez - This was my second favorite story of the collection. I thought the story was cute, well-told even in such a short format, and I did feel like I knew the characters somewhat. I also did see some character development despite it being such a short story. There was just something missing in it for me. I think Abby tried to touch on some very emotional topics (death, hospice care ect.) and those topics need more time to explored than was available here. Regardless, Abby Jimenez will forever remain my GOAT of romance writers.

Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne- This one was super cute - and the most improbable IMO! I don't relate to insta-love type romances but I still really enjoyed this one and am going to explore other titles by this author as she is a new one for me.

Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory - This short story was the least successful for me. I did not understand the connection between the two and then all of a sudden they were naked.

With Any Luck by Ashley Position - I love me some Ashley Poston and am usually really intrigued by how she develops her romances and she seems to use a smidge of magical realism in many books which I love. There is always interesting situations and touches of pop (millennial?) which this millennial eats up. With that being said, I really enjoyed the premise of this story but did not think it worked in short form,

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson - Did not finish at about 15 pages in. I just could not get into it.

Thank you Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for ARC of the book.

The Improbable Meet-Cute consists of six short stories from bestselling romance authors. These stories would be perfect to set a mood for an upcoming Valentine’s Day. This collection also introduces readers to different writing styles of these authors so more books could be add to our reading lists in the future.

I enjoyed these stories - they were short and cute. I was familiar with some authors before and some were a discovery for me.

These were all so cute!! Were they cheesy and predictable? Absolutely. Did I devour every single one? Also yes. These were all such a fun little read and great to get in to the Valentine's spirit! I definitely would love to see more of the characters in future books, and be able to learn even more about their happily ever afters.

This collection is everything that I needed. Every single story was amazing. I don’t think I could pick a fav. These valentines stories were all I needed this year.

I mean - how can you not want to read these novellas when they are from some of the very best romance writers!
loved that they are valentines day themed! perfect for next month! Each can stand on there own but the collection is more fun together Laugh out loud funny. Sweet. All the things.

Featured Authors:
🩵Christina Lauren
🩵Abby Jimenez
🩵Sally Thorne
🩵Jasmine Guillory
🩵Sarah Wilson
🩵Ashley Poston

Love these so much!

Thank you Netgalley & Amazon for the review copies. These short stories sample some of my favorite romance authors, and are perfect little romance treats going into Valentine’s Day. They are all available on Kindle Unlimited (ebook & audio). Here are my thoughts about each story:

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren
Secret email buddies on 2/14 every year for 10 years… until fate (and graduate school) brings them together. I am obsessed with stories with email banter, and this one delivers.

Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez
Chance meeting while Holly, a hospice nurse, is caring for her dying grandmother. ALL THE FEELS. Seriously, grab a tissue or three.

Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne
Stuck in a floatation tank at a spa day, Rosie is calmed down by a lighthearted dreamy firefighter. Leo & Rosie 5 ever - this story had me feeling lighter than if I were stuck in the float tank.

Drop, Cover, and Hold on by Jasmine Guillory
When the grumpy baker doesn’t actually hate you, and you walk into his shop just in time to help each other through a massive earthquake… Ooey gooey goodness, better than a blackberry hand pie (IYKYK).

With Any Luck by Ashley Poston
This is one of my favorite concepts - when you’re the last person someone’s with before they find their forever person. After a wild night at the bachelor party, Audrey remembers kissing someone but the details are fuzzy. Now the groom’s missing and the bride’s maid of honor Theo are hunting for the couple just hours before they are supposed to say I Do.

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson
A princess goes undercover in Rome, hoping to avoid paparazzi and explore the sites, before she accidentally takes a sleeping pill and wakes up in a strangers apartment. A cute stranger, the photographer she spotted at one of the sites. They spend a magical day together but both have secrets they’re hiding… This made me want to read more from her Royal series, for sure.

Overall, I’d say the first three were my favorite, but I found things I loved about all of the stories. If you’re looking for cute, swoony, bite-size love stories, I think these are all great options.

Christina Lauren - The Exception To The Rule was such an ADORABLE story!!! The idea for this story was genius and so unique! It’s a short story, so it’s a quick read. I don’t want to give too much away, but you will fall in love with Callum and root for Terra as they email each other for ten years without even knowing each others names, but fate eventually takes over. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Abby Jimenez- Worst Wingman Ever was cute! I wanted a little more from the ending, but still liked it! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Sally Thorne - Rosie and the Dream Boat was such a cute story! Moral of the story? Never go in a floatation tank with a top! This story gave me agita, but it was so sweet and heartwarming.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Jasmine Guillory- Drop Cover and Hold On ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ this one was a little slow for me in the beginning, but I started liking it more at the end. It’s a story of a girl who goes into a bakery that she loves, but she thinks the owner doesn’t like her. While there, there’s an earthquake and they are the only two in the building, so they start to get to know each other a little better while they’re trapped.

Ashley Poston - With Any Luck has The Hangover movie vibes, but a cuter version where the groom goes missing and the “best man” slowly starts to remember the night before and thinks it may be her fault! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Sarah Wilson - Royal Valentine is a story about a princess who just wants to be normal for a few days. She switches places with her assistant and goes looking for a photographer she was intrigued by. She accidentally takes sleeping pills instead of ibuprofen and ends up passing out in public and is rescued by a handsome man who has a secret. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I would like to thank netgalley and Amazon for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the first five stores, but didn't care for Sariah Wilson's story. I don't think her work lives up to the other authors. Also would have preferred them not to have done the collection through Amazon.

what a literal cute collection of my favorite authors. more authors should collab for collections like this around the year. my favorite was ashley poston's.