The Improbable Meet-Cute collection features novellas from best-selling authors Christina Lauren, Abby Jimenez, Sally Thorne, Jasmine Guillory, Ashley Poston, and Sariah Wilson. These novellas are standalone and the stories are not connected, but all the books feature a similar theme - meet cute moments that feel fated.

These stories are wonderfully written and don't feel incomplete, given how short some of them are. They are all very sweet. But some stories are remarkably more somber than others, like Abby Jimenez's.

I'm delighted with how the relationships in each story developed. They didn't feel forced or lacking despite the short pages.

I'm particularly in love with Christina Lauren's and Abby Jimenez's as the setup for their books is fun. And the element of secret notes adds a touch of mystery that makes me giddy as a reader as the story unfolds.

i loved these short stories so much !! My favorite one was Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren and Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez... what a great collection !!

It's a little tricky to rate a whole collection of stories because they're all different and I liked some more than others. The first story, for example, I found boring but the writing was good. Others were terrible. I think being in this collection did a disservice to some of my favorite authors because overall, it’s really not great. I love all of these authors, though I wouldn't say this rivals their usual work. I have to wonder the purpose of it? To get more subscribers to Kindle unlimited? I think authors should be really careful when entering into these types of projects. I realize that there is a financial benefit to them, which is much deserved and often hard to come by as a writer, but when the quality suffers I don’t know that there’s a big upside to the author. If anything, it might alienate people from reading them in the future. Thanks so much for the chance to read it early… on the fence.

This collection of short stories from some of my favorite authors is the perfect read for Valentine's Day! I liked that even though they are short, the characters and plot lines were well developed and I felt like I was invested in each story. I especially loved the ones by Christina Lauren and Abby Jimenez, I wouldn't complain if they were turned into full length novels!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I just loved these short stories! I could not put it down and read all six in one sitting!! Christina Lauren, Abby Jimenez and Ashley Poston's were my top favorites but they were all so good! Honesty, I was so sad when each one ended. I wanted more! These authors did such a great job with character development in such a short amount of pages and I fell in love with each and every one of the characters!

This is made of six short stories all centered on or around Valentine's Day! They are currently free to download for Amazon Prime members on kindle and Audible! There are small little Easter eggs and character references that place the stories in the same world, but each can be read as a standalone. The stories range from 40-101 pages each and each story you can easily read in one sitting but you'll probably want to read at least a second! Here are my mini reviews of all six and I ranked them from least to most favorite:

6. Drop, Cover, and Hold on by Jasmine Guillory
On Valentine's Day, an earthquake traps Daisy inside a bakery with its rude owner. This is a grumpy-sunshine story - full of baked treats and lots of insta love. This is the steamiest of the series by far and it really didn't work for me! It felt like too much too fast and I wanted a bit more relationship building.

5. Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne
Rosie and her sister go to the spa for Galentine's pampering but Rosie gets locked inside a flotation tank. A firefighter hero is there to help save her and they talk for hours while she's stuck inside. The fire fighter was sweet to keep her calm for so long but the entire story takes place while she's locked inside a floatation tank - honestly this was too much water and being trapped for me. The reaction of the spa owner and her sister seemed really implausible.

4. Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson
Valentine’s Day becomes a Roman holiday for a princess in disguise. Princess Ilaria wants one quiet ordinary weekend away from paparazzi and the public eye. She trades places with her assistant and meets a photographer in Italy. They spend one day together and are both hiding something from the other. This is a royal romance story with similar vibes to The Princess Switch. This one also didn't work for me because a breakup in a novella just seems so unnecessary.

3. With Any Luck by Ashley Poston
Audrey Love is cursed to be the person before you find your soulmate. Her best friend disappears hours before his Valentine's Day wedding and she fears she kissed him at last night's bachelor party. With help from the best man, she retraces her steps to find the missing groom. This has similar vibes to The Hangover and a little bit of My Best Friend's Wedding but I wish it were at least 50 pages longer so we had a little more buildup with the love interest.

2. Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez
On Valentine's Day, a card pops up on Holly's windshield, but it wasn't meant for her. Soon there are exchanges of anonymous notes and small acts of kindness between two strangers. This is the most emotional story of the series and packs a punch with the death of a grandparent. I really liked seeing the notes the two left for each other but I wish this were longer so we could have seen what the two were like after they met!

1. The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren
On February 14, an accidental email to a stranger kicks off anonymous emailing every Valentine's Day for over a decade. About half of this story is told in epistolary format - all through email communications until we get to the present day. I think this is the cutest of the series! It was fun peeking into their lives every year and the narrators did a great job of sounding a bit more youthful in the beginning and more mature as the story progressed. This has similar vibes to You've Got Mail. Lighthearted, fun, sweet!

This was such a great anthology and I loved the Easter eggs connecting some of the stories together. It was great to see these authors do something different and they all crushed it!

Here are my thoughts on each story:
The Exception to the Rule
Christina Lauren
Friends to lovers, missed connections
This was so cute and I loved the way most of the story was done through letters. There were some hilarious moments where I LOL’d and I was happy to see these two come together for their HEA.

Worst Wingman Ever
Abby Jimenez
What the heck, Abby? Even in a short story you had to hit us with all these feels?!!! I LOVED this one. Holly (and all hospice nurses) is an angel among us. The cutest ending, now we just need an epilogue.

Rosie and the Dreamboat
Sally Thorne
Bree and Rosie are hilarious and remind me of my sister and I. Just so ridiculous all the time. Leo is adorable. So calming and caring - the subtle flirts are perfect! I melt for good banter and Sally has me swooning. Love the sister scheming!

Drop, Cover and Hold On
Jasmine Guillory
Super cute, quick read. He falls first. I loved that he was so thoughtful and wooed her through pastries. And when he said he body was perfect and she shouldn’t change anything. Swoon! This one has a bit of spice, which was also a nice surprise.

With Any Luck
Ashley Poston
If The Hangover and Good Luck Chuck had a love child it would be With Any Luck. This was a fresh idea for a romance and it fit perfectly into the scope of a short story. Spiciest of the stories, but not too descriptive. I’m a big believer that guys and girls can be just friends and support one another in their relationships so that was great to see played out here.

Royal Valentine
Sariah Wilson
I was just thinking about how I wanted to watch Roman Holiday, and then I picked up Royal Valentine. It’s serendipity! I liked the trust that existed between Illaria and Callum, even though they barely knew each other. I’m such a sucker for a Scottish MMC so he seemed very trustworthy to me!

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories, NetGalley and all of the authors involved. There are my honest thoughts.

I loved the first three in this series. They were so cute with such interesting meet-cutes. The last three in the series were not for me, though. The relationships were not believable for me and they lacked the charm the first three had. Numbers 4 and 5 were also too steamy for a short story. It felt so weird and out of place.

EXCEPTION TO THE RULE BY CHRISTINA LAUREN: FIVE STARS

Christina Lauren does it again! I devoured this in one sitting. The story is only 101 pages, and a chunk of that is emails. So, the novella flies by. This is so cute. I smiled the entire time reading this. I can't believe how much banter, wit, and chemistry the duo managed to get on paper in only a few pages. I wanted so much more of Callum and Terra's love story. If you love an improbable meet cute, this is a must-read.

WORST WINGMAN EVER BY ABBY JIMENEZ: FIVE STARS

My God, Abby Jimenez makes me swoon. It is her banter. It is damn near perfect. Then, when she isn't making me swoon and smile from ear to ear, she makes me cry. But I am not mad at her. I am so sad this story is not longer. I would have loved to get to know Holly and John. They were my favorite couple of the entire collection. They took my heart and didn't let go.

This story contains a lot of emotions, including the death of a relative, so please check possible trigger warnings.

ROYAL VALENTINE BY SALLY THORNE: 3.5 STARS

Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne was utterly ridiculous, in the best way. This is 100% a meet cute disaster. It helps to go into this short story, knowing it is over-the-top and 99% improbable. I had a lot of fun with the story, and Leo and Rosie were sweet together. I laughed a lot. You don't get much time with the couple, as the story is only a few hours of their life, but there is a sense of what is to come.

DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON BY JASMINE GUILLORY: 2.5 STARS

I was really excited to read Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory. I mean, grumpy x sunshine and a baking trope. That is basically my Roman Empire. However, for me, it was the least successful of the Improbable Meet Cute Collection.

In the end, I never really connected with the main characters. I am not sure how to explain it, but their characterization felt off to me. Also, the ending was unnecessary and did not fit the vibe of the story or the collection. I have never had much luck with this author. So, it might just be a me thing. I still recommend trying it out for yourself.

WITH ANY LUCK BY ASHLEY POSTEN: FIVE STARS

If you have been around here long enough, you know I adore Ashley Poston. Dead Romantics is pretty much an art installment on my bookshelf. If she writes it, I am reading it. So, I couldn't wait to get my hands on With Any Luck, and I loved it. Like properly loved. I have seen mixed reviews, but every bit of it worked for me. I thought it was hilarious, chaotic, sweet, and sexy. There is a kiss curse!!! Honestly, I want, no need, a Theo in my life. My only criticism is that it was a short story....I neeeeed more.

ROYAL VALENTINE BY SARIAH WILSON: THREE STARS

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson was cute, but I didn't connect with it as much as I hoped. I liked the main characters, and Wilson does a great job with the atmosphere. I felt like I was in Rome and amongst the people. However, I lost interest throughout the story several times, and then I was shocked to see a third-act breakup in a 71-page short story. The ending felt rushed after a slowly-paced lead-up. I do think several people will enjoy this one, especially if you love a royalty trope.

The Exception to the Rule: This had me kicking my feet. The best example of pen-pals turned something more. I had so much fun reading!

Worst Wingman Ever: This was super cute and heart warming! Certainly a book that I would love to have seen full length. A fun quick read. 4/5 stars.

With Any Luck: This was fine, I think it was too short to really feel like I got to know any of the characters.

Rosie and the Dreamboat: Now this was super cute. The banter was incredible and the setting was so out of the ordinary in the best way. Loved it!

Royal Valentine: Very Princess Switch vibes, which I can get behind! And I love a story set in Rome, especially with a Scottish man.

Drop, Cover, and Hold On: This is classic Jasmine Guillory magic. She is the queen of banter, spice, and everything nice.

Ok, who convinced all these fabulous ladies to join forces for this anthology? Because hats off to you, genius!! If you're looking for something to add to your Valentine's TBR, this is it!

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren
💛 epistolary novella
💛 starts with an email to the wrong person and turns into the cutest Valentine's Day tradition
💛 had me smiling so much!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez
🩷 heartwrenching but so sweet
🩷 two people crossing paths first with notes, then in person
🩷 a tale of love, loss, and taking responsibility for your own unhappiness
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne
💙 one mishap after another
💙 fireman to the rescue
💙 love before first sight
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory
❤️ grumpy and sunshine
❤️ forced proximity
❤️ baked goods as a love language
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With Any Luck by Ashley Poston
💜 enemies to lovers
💜 bachelor party & wedding hijinks
💜 luck + love = happily ever after
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson
🩵 modern day Roman Holiday
🩵 Scottish hero
🩵 whirlwind romance
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cute collection of meet-cute romance novellas from some of the top authors in the genre. Short and sweet and overall left me wanting for more! From all six, my two favorites were Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne and With Any Luck by Ashley Poston. I received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

This is a great selection of short stories revolving around Valentine's Day. Written by six of my favorite authors, there's a trope for everyone! The feels range from tender-hearted, to funny and romantic. I'll be reviewing each story individually!

While you can grab them to read for free on Kindle Unlimited, I highly recommend grabbing the free audiobooks as well. The narrations were superb and brought each story to life. I'll definitely be reading this collection every year in February and hope it'll one day be released in paperback (a girl can dream!)

These are a great set of novellas from some of my favorite authors and authors I've never read before. They're all set on Valentines Day. They're sweet and funny stories with a twist in each one.

I’m so happy that I received an Arc of the Improbable Meet Cute collection. I LOVE contemporary romance, and I adore the four authors I had previously read. I went into this excited for new work by them, but also looking forward to the writing of two new-to-me authors. The stories in this collection can be purchased individually or bundled. They are also read/listen for free with Prime or Kindle Unlimited.
 
I had such a good time reading this collection! Overall, I’m giving it a 5 star because of my personal enjoyment. Below I have mini reviews for each individual story.
 
The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren- 4/5
 I loved this meet-cute, and I think Chirstina Lauren’s first attempt at the short story format was successful. The story follows two characters that email each other without meeting for a decade. My only issue with this story is that I felt that the characters didn’t really change the way they talked as they grew up. It wasn’t a big deal to me though, because in the beginning the emails were so short. Still, the authors were able to build up anticipation for them to finally meet, and I was dying for it to happen the whole time.
 
Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez- 5/5
Only Abby Jimenez could write a story this short that could make me tear up. Her writing always works for me. The romance was super sweet, and the emotional aspects of the story gave it a bit of balance.  I don’t know how so few pages can tug at my heartstrings so much.
 
Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne- 4.5/5
If you have read Sally Thorne, you know whether you like her writing or not. I have read two of her novels, and loved the wacky scenarios, goofy characters, and hilarious banter. This short story gave me all the joy that her books bring. She is just so funny, and she gave us a unique setup. If you don’t typically like Sally Thorne, you probably won’t be into this one. But I adored her and adored this.
 
Drop, Cover and Hold on by Jasmine Guillory- 2.5/5
I liked the meet-cute, but I didn’t really understand the characters in this one. The story begins with Harris being rude to Daisy every time she comes into his bakery. Daisy dislikes Harris but finds him attractive. They are stuck in a forced-proximity situation and find out that they are into each other. This story would have been cute as a climactic scene in a full-length romance novel. I feel like we didn’t see enough of their previous interactions to understand how they like each other so much.

However, even if I didn’t already know, I’d be able to tell that Jasmine Guillory is an experienced romance author and has the ability to plot and plan a novel. This makes me more interested in trying her, although I was already curious before!
 
With Any Luck by Ashley Poston- 4.5/5
The story kind of has Poston’s signature hint of magic, but it’s much more subtle here than in her full-length novels. I enjoyed the bit of a mystery plot, although the ending was predictable. I really enjoyed how it wrapped up. There is something about Poston’s writing style that flows so well.
 
Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson- 3.75/5
This story is a retelling of Roman Holiday, which is a movie that I love. I enjoyed the setting, and the characters were cute. It’s a little cheesy and there was definitely instalove, but I’m a sucker for princess romance stories. I would try a full-length novel by Sariah Wilson.

This short story collection includes so many of my favorite romance authors! I was so excited when I saw this list of stories. They were all so cute and fun and I just had a great time reading this. Whoever's idea this was to grab 6 authors to write a story and showcase their writing and their brain, brava. This is now how I'd like to always find new authors. It was sweet and interconnected and all about Valentine's.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Some of my favorite authors of all time!! Ahhhh loved all these short stories. I’m not usually one that goes for a lot of short stories but these did not disappoint. They were cute, witty, funny and pull at your heart strings.

Six short stories. Six unlikely meet-cutes.

The Exception to the Rule ★★★★★
Worst Wingman Ever ★★★★.5
Rosie and the Dreamboat ★★★★
Drop, Cover, and Hold On ★★★
With Any Luck ★★★★
Royal Valentine ★★★.5

They were pretty good Valentine's Day-centered novellas. Previous to this I've only ever read Christina Lauren's work, so it was a nice way to get a taste of other authors. I'll definitely read a full novel from Abby Jimenez and Ashley Poston.

A good collection of stories from some really great authors. I like a novella collection it gives you a chance to get a read on an authors writing style. Some of these stories I enjoyed more than others but they were all enjoyable.

Overall a nice compilations of stories and always nice to be introduced to new authors. I added a few to my to be read list.