4 stars! Quick story that I quite enjoyed. The writing was immediately engaging and I simultaneously related to and was frustrated by the main character which I always kinda love... This story definitely shows that this author has some great potential because the characters themselves were really interesting to me despite the fact you only get to see so much of them within the span of the novella. This captured what I really enjoy about contemporary romance as a sub genre within romance as it felt like such a snapshot of what it is like to be vulnerable and date and generally just being a feeling human in this day and age.

Thank you, as always, to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the opportunity to read and review another quick yet thought-provoking romance. Upasna Barath’s Comedic Timing is a refreshing addition to the evolving world of short romances, blending heartfelt storytelling with a candid exploration of modern dating dynamics. I love what 831 Stories is doing with their releases, as they consistently provide stories that feel more grounded and relatable than traditional romances. In this novella, Barath balances humor and depth, creating a narrative that feels both lighthearted and introspective.

Naina and David are fascinating characters, each carrying their own complexities that make their relationship feel like a relationship between two real people, rather than two characters in a story. Their individual journeys and the dynamics of their connection keep the reader invested from start to finish. I did feel that the dialogue occasionally leaned toward a more formal tone that made it feel more like I was reading an essay or listening to a speech when the characters were speaking rather than the typical flow of conversation which threw me off a bit.

Overall, Comedic Timing is another strong entry from 831 Stories, and I look forward to seeing what they bring to the romance genre next.

** A copy of Comedic Timing was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

Comedic Timing is a solid third offering from 831 Stories! Comedic Timing is the story of Naina, fresh out of a long-term relationship and new to New York City. She meets David and as her feelings grow, she confronts real (and messy) thoughts/feelings about love, queerness, identity and trust.

831 Stories is quickly becoming a beacon of modern love stories! Can't wait for the next offering!

A recently broken up woman moved to NYC to start over when she meets the first man she's ever been interested in. This story was so interesting I loved how flawed the characters were and how real they felt. I wanted to read even more and see where the relationship went!

Thank you to 831 Stories and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

The story thoughtfully explores how grief can shape us and influence the way we build relationships, particularly through the lens of a young woman navigating the journey to rediscover herself. While I appreciated this theme, I found the female protagonist's immaturity and excessive insecurity to be detracting factors that made it harder for me to fully connect with Naina or the story overall.

This was a work of perfect imperfections. I adored both main characters. Naina and David. A lot of the more nuanced points that helped shape the premise of this novel stuck out to me; perhaps they’ll stick with me for a longer period of time.

The idea that couples should become good at fighting is something I’ve acknowledged the longer I’ve been in my current relationship. Three years later, and we’ve become increasingly good at resolving conflict. Big blowups are rare. And it’s so refreshing both to experience that growth and to see it reflected in a story, especially since healthy conflict and resolution is rarely written into ‘romance’ books.

I felt a bittersweet fondness, watching Naina support David in a situation that was difficult for both of them—a layered effect due to their past traumas and the shared intensity of the present moment.

It was interesting absorbing Naina’s jealousy throughout such an undefined situation, and also empathizing with David despite his damning past. We must face and accept our imperfections. As well as those of our partners.

Innumerable gray areas could have ended their relationship before it even began. For them to persist despite it all—to me, this was the most real and perhaps the most powerful statement on modern love that I deduced from this story. Wanting often requires forgiveness, and understanding is the key to moving forward. This doesn’t dilute the validity of your feelings or the strength of your love.

I appreciated getting a glimpse at Naina’s almost compulsive pondering, re: compulsory heterosexuality. I’m aware of the phrase but I’ve never truly understood it. For me, my queerness has always meant that I’m attracted to whoever feels right in the situations that cultivated each respective coupling. I’ve also only had romantic relationships with men. Still, that’s never caused me to question my sexuality. It was fascinating to see someone whose first relationship and sexual experience was with a woman, be so conflicted by her feelings for a man. I enjoyed the realization that the right connection ultimately comes down to fundamentally human aspects that aren’t necessarily defined by or limited to your partners gender.

I also enjoyed the meandering mind-feel of this story. You get swept into the characters’ thoughts and come to understand them better as a result. The outcome is endearingly human and extremely relatable. This book doesn’t have any concrete answers or expectations and I so adore that. Especially given that this is essentially a love story, it’s refreshing to experience the falling—rough edges and all.

Thank you #NetGalley for this digital ARC.

This was my favorite offering from 831 Stories so far. The chemistry between Naina and David is a live wire from their first introduction, and I always savor a slow burn (though to be fair, I'm not sure how slow burn-y you can really claim to be in 165 pages). Not only that, but the first-world anxieties the characters messily wade through actually feel like they are adding something worthwhile to the cultural discourse. I mean, how often do you get to hear the term "compulsory heterosexuality" in a novel?

Upasna Barath feels like a break-out star waiting to happen in the literary world. 3-1/2 stars.

Naina moves to New York after breaking up with her long-term girlfriend, only to find herself attracted to a man for the first time. I thought this was a really thoughtful meditation on what it means to be queer and experiencing attraction to the opposite gender for the first time. I really liked seeing Naina's thoughts on her own queerness and her discussions with David. I do think that sometimes the characters over-intellectualized some of their conversations in a way that doesn't work quite as well in a novela as it would in a full-length novel.

Overall the 831 Stories project is pretty similar to Amazon's holiday short stories, but so far they've been a higher quality than the Amazon ones (no shade to all the authors doing the Amazon ones, they're their own type of fun and I loved the Christina Lauren Valentine short story). Comedic Timing was a great way to be introduced to Upasna Barath's writing and I look forward to trying whatever she publishes next.

as a bisexual woman dating a man, i absolutely loved the bisexual representation in this novella i felt so seen!! 831 novels are the perfect treat -- short enough to read in one sitting and so so so sexy

I was not a fan of COMEDIC TIMING - I think the writing style just wasn't for me. I loved 831 Stories' first book, BIG FAN, so I was excited to grab the ARC of COMEDIC TIMING. However, I found the writing stilted, the characters underwritten, and the story boring. 831 Stories' mission statement about producing romance for people who don't read romance is probably accurate for this book. It feels a bit more like literary fiction than romance, in that it's slightly esoteric, not very propulsive, and and doesn't seem to care about the reader.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of Comedic Timing! I’m enjoying sitting with the 831 stories as they unfold, and the characters within them. I loved the pacing of the friends to lovers arc, with Naina and David building a solid friendship as Naina explores her identity and New York. As with other novellas, I wish I had more time to get to know these characters, or wish the author had spent more time with these two characters rather than build out some of the minor characters in such a short story. Still, I loved Naina and David’s meandering existential talks about relationships and art. It was an easy, one-sitting read for a Sunday - 3 stars!

This story was so fun! It is very New York-y and funny and deeply charming - Naina is relatable in her insecurity but not irritatingly so, and I loved the relationships with her friends and the slow burn with David. So excited to see what 831 Stories will do next!

3.5 stars! I fell in love with 831 stories with BiG Fan and I was super excited to read another novella by 831! This was a very normal people romance with the sparkle of NYC & being in a new town. It felt so realistic and our main character had anxiety/identity struggles which were very relatable. I also really appreciated how her queer identity was explored! Even though it's a novella and short I feel like I knew our characters ! Was perfect for my short flight! Thank you Net Galley for the arc, will forever be a 831 fan!

Naina and David have nothing in common and everything in common when they meet at his roommates birthday, and I really needed this quick friends-to-lovers romance right now. Naina has just moved to NYC so we get all of the woman in a new city energy and excitement and finding her place in a new home. I need 831 Stories to keep it up with their romances, I cannot get enough and this really helped me this week.

Comedic Timing is the next installment in 831 Stories' series of romance novellas. We follow Naina Rao who has just moved to NYC after breaking up with her long term girlfriend, Sofia, back in Chicago. However, her perception of herself gets turned on its head when she meets David, an aspiring filmmaker, and they strike up a friendship trying to encourage either to do more writing.

I did not enjoy this novella as much as I have others from 831 Stories, I had trouble with Naina and her insecurities that seemed to dominate a lot of the novella where we're in her head. I also felt like the pacing was a bit off in the book with how Naina and David's relationship unfolded, specifically toward the end when Naina starts really being mean to David. There felt like a lot of comparison of the "wrongs" that Naina and David had perpetrated when they really weren't equivalent. That being said, the smut in this book was fantastic and it's a really quick read.

Thank you very much to 831 Stories and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

It’s the day after the election and I’ve been struggling to focus on anything for longer than a few seconds until I started reading this book! I absolutely loved it.
Naina’s character grew so much throughout the story in a way that was realistic, messy, and beautiful.

The love story was also slow but steady in a way that was so tender. I particularly loved the exploration of grief, trauma, life transitions, and identity.
My only wish for this book is that it was longer.

I really enjoyed this novella by 831 Stories. It is very thoughtful and quite romantic. I liked that you get a very well rounded picture of what Naina and her life are like, even in such a short book. You really feel the chemistry between Naina and David and understand what brings them together, which is essential to a good romance. I liked the way the book depicted breakups, roommate relationships, finding your footing in a new city and making new friends. The added layer of a bisexual woman being attracted to a man for the first time and dealing with that part of her identity changing seemed very authentic and true to life, like it was actually happening to a real person. This is an excellent first novel and I look forward to what Upasna Barath and 831 Stories have to offer in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and 831 Stories for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Naina has moved to New York after breaking up with ex-girlfriend of six years and, at her first New York party, finds herself allured by the birthday boy David.

'Comedic Timing' is an engrossing character study of a young queer woman wrestling with her attraction to a man who is known for his hook-ups. The chemistry between Naina and David is palpable as they form a beautiful friendship. I loved how flawed, messy and real they felt, thanks to the sharp and naturalistic dialogue.

With its well-paced plot development and crisp writing, I devoured this novella, wondering how these two crazy kids would work it all out, given their internal battles. If I had any quibble, it would've been perhaps wanting more of David's backstory fleshed out more with regards to his romantic and family relationships.

I really hope one day someone pays to adapt this to a film because I would watch it, hell just reading this book felt like a movie. Upasna Barath, you're on my auto-buy list.

Thanks to 831 Stories and NetGalley for the ARC.

Naina isn't looking for love as she moves to NYC - she just wants to move on from her heartbreak. So when she unexpectedly develops feelings for a friend of a friend (or friend of a friend's friend?!), her life becomes more chaotic than she'd like.

Naina and David are cute together and I thought this was an engaging and ultimately sweet read!

Thank you very much to 831 Stories and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Comedic Timing by Upasna Barath was my least favorite book so far from 831 Stories. I found the characters to be unlikeable without any redeeming characteristics. The romance between the two main characters was not at all to my liking which was sad because as a bisexual, I always look forward to seeing a bi character. Overall, I just didn't like this. I found the story to be both unoriginal and boring.