Another cute novella from 831 Stories! While I was not fan of the lead character Naina, (I found her to be a bit childish and insecure), the plot was relatable reminding me of the angst of moving to a new city, starting a new job and re-entering the dating world following a hard break up.

*Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC*

I think there are certain books meant for certain people. This one didn't resonate with me as much, but I know that someone will connect with these characters.

Naina broke up with her girlfriend and moved out to New York. This is the year for her to be on her own. Unfortunately (or fortunately) one of the first people she meets in the city is David. She immediately feels something for David, although it takes her awhile to figure out what that feeling is.

Sexuality is a really sensitive topic to cover. I thought Barath did a fantastic job laying out Naina's confusion and apprehension. I don't think David could have been more perfect? He handled every situation with such grace. I rarely leave a story thinking I want to be like a character, but I really want to try to be more like David. He is now at the top of my book boyfriend list!

831 Stories is killing the game with these novellas! I will read anything they publish. Thanks to 831 Stories and NetGalley for the eARC!

I am so excited about what this company is doing for the landscape of romance and will read and support everything they do, but this is my least favorite of their releases. I do love how realistic and modern their stories seem to be, the language that is used and the world setting too.

After a recent breakup, Naina moves to New York, where she meets David—and their chemistry is undeniable. This fast-paced novella quickly draws readers in, making it easy to become invested in the characters and the evolution of their relationship.

What stands out about this book is its realistic portrayal of modern life. The language feels authentic, and the characters' lifestyles—like living in house shares—make the story highly relatable for contemporary readers. The natural, immediate flow of banter between the characters adds to the charm, making their interactions feel both genuine and engaging.

Fans of the publisher’s previous novel, Big Fan, will also appreciate the subtle Easter eggs sprinkled throughout.

I would have loved more detail about certain aspects of Naina’s life, such as her job, her writing or some of her friendships, which could have added a richer, more vivid layer to the story. This level of nuance was successfully achieved, for example, in the description of the dinner David prepared for Naina—bringing that same richness to other aspects of the story would have made it even more immersive.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone seeking a fun, engaging read that can be devoured in one sitting.

Comedic Timing is a pretty solid read if you’re in the mood for something funny but also a little introspective. It’s a light-hearted mix of humor and self-discovery.

The writing is witty and sharp, and the comedic moments really land. I found myself chuckling at some of the antics and the way the MC uses humor to cope with life’s messier moments. The pacing felt just right, and the humor never felt forced—it’s clear the author knows how to write a good punchline. The protagonist is likable, and you can’t help but root for him as he figures things out.

That said, while the story is enjoyable, it’s also a bit predictable. Some of the plot points and character arcs felt familiar, and I was hoping for a little more depth from some of the side characters.

In the end, Comedic Timing is a fun, easy read that also makes you think about how humor shapes our lives. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s definitely worth the read if you’re looking for something light but with a little more heart than your typical comedy.

Phenomenal story with two characters working through their own issues. David was so supportive of Naina, and I'm absolutely obsessed. Their romance is sweet with just a hint of spice. My only complaint is that it isn't long enough!

Thank you to the publisher for the e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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.