3.5/5⭐

Thank you to 831Stories and NetGalley for this ARC!

This novella was easy to digest, and with the material that was a big draw. Out of the two novella's that I've read from this publisher, this one didn't seem as well-rounded and balanced. The two characters were relatable but I felt like their core issues never really seemed unique enough to pique my interest beyond finishing the book.

I would enjoy seeing more from this author thought!

Again, thank you to 831Stories and NetGalley for this ARC!

Still love how bitesized 831s stories are, though this one could have been expanded into a full novel. There were a lot of compelling side characters and Naina's life was so full beyond the romance we were meant to be focused on. If anything, I'd like to see Naina's world expanded. I enjoyed reading this but would have liked a little more.

Comedic Timing is out TODAY!!

Naina is reeling from a break up. So what does she do? Flee Chicago and move to NYC of course. She always thought she only liked girls until she meets David and is instantly enamored. This story follows Naina and David as they navigate life, love, and friendship all in under 200 pages.

831 stories has made me fall in love with their romance novellas. I have no idea how these authors make me fall in love with their characters in a short amount of time, but I devour their stories and this one was no exception. @upasnabarath has created a story that captures navigating your mid 20’s post breakup so well and I loved Naina and David’s story. I really enjoyed Naina’s self discovery and character development. I feel so much of myself in her at that age even though we had different experiences. Also, maybe a Christian and Chloe story next or even a Sofia story???? 👀

Also I love @831storieshq so much I belong to their “The Ones” membership and how cute is the stamp in my book that I somehow just noticed now?

Thank you @831storieshq for the eARC for this book, and I’m glad I added a physically collection to my 831 Library.

#team831 #romance #novella #tbr #books #booksta #bookstagram

Comedic timing was a fun novella! I loved the friends to lovers romance between the complicated characters as they work on conquering their flaws. Can’t wait to read what 831 has in store next

I thought this an original and interesting take on contemporary romance. There could have been a little more exposition on the fmc's identity crisis but given the brevity of the story i thought it was handled pretty well overall. I would be interested in reading more from this author.

these 831 novellas are sooo easily digestible, but this might be my least favorite of the bunch. both naina and david are flawed in their own ways (relatable) and naina struggles with attachment to a new relationship (also relatable) after the ending of a previous relationship (again… relatable).

I don’t know why this novella didn’t quite hit the spot for me, though, beyond that the writing style felt a bit choppy and there were weird lapses in time (three days here, almost two weeks there).

thank you to netgalley and 831 stories for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Comedic Timing is a fun, tenderhearted novella about how it takes more than just putting yourself in a new situation to break bad patterns and how allowing your identity to be an ever-changing, fluid thing in the journey toward self-discovery can be hard.

This bite-sized romcom is often quite embarrassing, and that’s how you know it’s REAL. Following Naina, our leading lady, around NYC as she navigates a new city, a new job, new friends, and a new crush was a whimsical escape from reality that I deeply enjoyed.

This book was so good! It felt fresh and real. I felt immersed in the city and Naina's life. I also enjoyed the plot, which was unique from anything I had read before. It was an interesting look into the lives of stand-up comedians! I would love to read more by Upsana!

Thank you to 831Stories and Netgalley for the e-arc. #Team831

I really, really enjoyed this one! This is a relatively short story about Naina, a woman fresh off a breakup with her long term girlfriend and new to NYC. We follow her as she navigates all the big life changes, and falls for someone unexpected in the process.

I loved Barath’s writing style. The world felt very full and lived in for such a quick read, which isn’t an easy thing to do. The navigating of Naina’s queer identity was handled beautifully and didn’t shy away from exploring the complexities of what that looks for Naina. I also really appreciated that the main “conflict” for the couple in this book wasn’t miscommunication or anything like that, but really was just two people trying to sort out their own shortcomings so they can do things differently in the future. Gimme more of this!

BIG fan of 831 Stories and NetGalley for sharing an ARC with me. I found Comedic Timing wildly relatable and comforting. Seeing a Queer BIPOC FMC warms my heart and it exploded when that same character was allowed to be messy, confused, and three dimensional. My favorite was when our queen Naina said NO to dating apps and instead jokes one can “corrupt the dynamics of your friend group.” I felt PERSONALLY ATTACKED. Being a young woman figuring out identity isn't always linear and that's OKAY.

Overall would HIGHLY recommend reading this, it felt like a gentle reminder that you don't have to know exactly who you are or who you're going to love so having patience with yourself and remaining open is vital 💌❤️‍🔥

This was my first novella that I have read by 831 stories, but I can already tell that it isn't going to be my last. I thought this was an entertaining read that had more depth than I anticipated for a novella. It was a super quick read, which I appreciated, almost like a palate cleanser after some heavier reads that I have participated in this month. I appreciated out main character Naina's growth over the story. It is obvious that she had some demons and trauma from her past, and I felt like by the end of the novella the reader could appreciate that she was putting effort into maturing and working through her problems. I wish we got a bit more of the romance element and sometimes the writing was lacking a bit of heart, but overall I did have fun reading it. I definitely enjoyed this one, and look forward to more novellas in these series in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

3.5/5

This was an interesting story! I enjoyed the way the author grappled with the fluidity of sexuality and the complicated feelings that can come along with that. I found both main characters to be frustrating at times and underdeveloped but overall I enjoyed the plot!

*3.5* Thank you NetGalley & 831 Stories for this ARC!

Barath portrays the very real struggle of your mid 20’s in this novella- whether you’re grieving a life that once was, navigating your identity, or just getting too drunk & feeling jealous! While I related to Naina in many ways, her relationship with David felt sooo toxic! It was like the characters were on the edge of a breakthrough about unhealthy cycles & relationships the entire time, then just hurdled to this conclusion following Christian’s accident. This made it hard for me to root for them, but I guess it also gave these characters a very realistic & complex relationship. I think I just would have liked some more self realizations from the two of them before the end. The writing is great in this one, though, and I felt Naina’s struggles like my own! I think fans of Sally Rooney would really enjoy this!!

While I loved how this book explores how tense, exciting, and emotional the start of a relationship can be the main characters just didn’t pull me in. I was never particularly rooting for them. And Naina’s immaturity really turned me off of her.

I do think the author did such a good job making the reader feel the feelings of a situationship and how intense those beginning feelings of like are. They also did a great job exploring sexuality and I loved that Naina was exploring too.

Consider me an 831Stories super fan and stay tuned for more reviews of their upcoming releases.
These diverse, contemporary romance novellas offer a new take on our favorite tropes. This friends to lovers story is built on emotional vulnerability and acceptance of flaws. The NYC creatives scene wasn’t my preferred setting, but I appreciated the realistic dialogue and inner monologue of the female main character.

Note: I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher in order to review.

Another winner from 831 Stories. The story was less funny than I expected from the title, with some serious angst on the part of the FMC who was struggling to find herself as a single adult in NYC and discovering she wanted to go different directions than expected. Sweet, tender, realistic.

This was a short story that felt relatable and realistic. It was a great balance of lightheartedness and depth. I enjoyed the main characters journey and her struggle to find identity in more ways than one.

I’ve been a fan of 831 Stories since I was first introduced to the imprint — a “modern romantic fiction company”? YES, PLEASE. And after reading their upcoming release Comedic Timing by Upasna Barath, I can confirm that they are peddling magic, one love story at a time.

Comedic Timing follows Naina, who broke up with her girlfriend, moved to NYC and is very much just trying to figure it all out. When she meets David and discovers an unexpected attraction, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about herself. Cue the identity crisis.

Upasna’s writing is engaging from the start and these characters will burrow their way into your heart one charming, funny, honest moment at a time. She doesn’t shy away from the big messy feelings that leave us all unsteady at times, deftly navigating the nuances of grief, fear, hope and love. This book felt like a big exhale for the breath you didn’t know you were holding. In a word, it is lovely. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Comedic Timing by Upasna Barath comes out on 1/28.

A huge thank you to @831storieshq and @netgalley for the ARC! And if you haven’t checked out 831 Stories, do yourself a favor and remedy that, stat.

This short story follows Naina as she moves to New York and deals with her relationship struggles. She has just been broken up with and is navigating dating.

This is super short, only about 170 pages but is oddly slow-paced (likely due to the content of the book).

This book feels incredibly mundane and ordinary. This is just watching the ordinary life of an ordinary person. Yes, that makes this a relatable story for many readers, I'm sure, but it is kind of boring because of that. I'm a reader that reads for escapism, this doesn't really fill that need for me. But I do know that a lot of people love that kind of read, they want that relatability, so I can see a lot of people enjoying this. And because it is so short, you can speed through it in one sitting if you wanted to!

Bi representation.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I enjoyed this book and found myself wanting to keep reading, but there were some complexities that I felt like would have been better if they could have been addressed in a full-length novel.