This was extremely breezy; I read it in one sitting. The breeziness was effective in shepherding the romance along (I liked the romance), but also held me back from enjoying much else (character, plot, etc). The writing had a weird thing where it was simultaneously showing and telling, so I received every piece of information twice but, to repeat myself (meta) this was short so it didn't grate for too long. Recommended for bike riders!

Comedic Timing by Upasna Barath is such a good depiction of modern love — not the fairy tale kind, but the kind that’s messy, confusing, and imperfect. The characters struggle with communication, they hurt each other, and they make mistakes, but that’s exactly what makes them so real. You can’t help but root for them, even when they’re hurting each other or messing things up.

What I loved most about this novella is how it captures the highs and lows of being young and trying to figure out love and who you are. It also touches on deeper themes like grief. Even though it’s a quick read, it hits hard emotionally and feels so authentic. Barath does an incredible job of capturing that messy, vulnerable feeling of starting a relationship and not having everything figured out yet.

This is the second novella I’ve read from 831 Stories, and I’m definitely looking forward to more! If you like stories about the messiness of modern relationships and characters who feel like real people, you’ll want to check this one out.

The contemporary romance genre can start to feel repetitive and predictable, and I love that Comedic Timing and the other 831 novellas take a totally different path. The plot and characters are unlike other romances I’ve read, and I like how 831 upends some of the conventions of the genre — like having an obligatory “married with two kids” epilogue, for example.

Naina and David are complicated lead characters, and they’re not perfectly likeable throughout the whole story. I found Naina to be pretty immature (reasonable enough, giving her age and limited romantic experience), and I thought David’s character could have been explored more (but why couldn’t he text while on that trip?!). Still, I think having leads who aren’t completely perfect makes the story more interesting and engaging.

All in all, I thought this was a quick and interesting read, which packed a lot of punch into the novella format.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Writer Naina moved from Chicago to New York for a new start. Freshly broken up with her long-term girlfriend, Naina is ambitiously pursuing publication of her essays, partying with friends, falling for a filmmaker named David and finding herself along the way.

At less than 200 pages, Comedic Timing is an easily digestible novella for those who want a quick read to get out of a slump. It is painful, messy and authentic— not a romantic comedy. (The FMC desperately needs therapy for her rage management.)

Thank you to #NetGalley and 831 Stories for an advanced reader copy of #ComedicTiming. To be published Jan. 28, 2025.

This book is the equivalent of pouring one out for all of my girlies who lived in NYC in their 20s (specifically NYC - sorry, it's all I know!). I felt in moments that I was taking a trip down my own memory lane, recalling these scenes as if they happened in my past apartments, parties that took place in those quirky Brooklyn apartments that you were pretty sure were not meant to be homes. I saw a lot of myself in Naina, and a lot of my best loves in David, and I really appreciated Upsana Barath for bringing a deft touch to this grounded, realistic romance in Comedic Timing.

The style of writing is of the same flavor of 831 Stories' previous two releases, and is a welcome a departure from the celebrity-woes-normie fantasy (though more of that, too, please). This is a satisfying story, but it did fall flat for me in spots. I was really yearning for a stronger conclusion to Naina's mental and emotional journey through her queerness, but I felt it got a little lost in the plot of the romance in the last third of the book.

This one is worth a shot. It may not be the favorite read, but it should go down easy and sate most appetites.

Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC!

Thank you to 831 Stories for sharing this ARC.

I went in very excited to read this - my second read from 831 - but more so because of the South Asian representation! As a fellow South Asian, we love to see representation, particularily in the romance setting.

That said, I don’t think I was the best audience for this read. I couldn’t relate to Naina. Not that I need to but it does make it harder to sympathize with her. I found her to be quite annoying and I couldn’t support her actions. I wish this was longer to maybe have explored her relationship with David - definitely needed more flushing out. I see a mini sequel of sorts that could help.

Comedic Timing
This might be my favorite release by 831 Stories?! Every time they release a book, I feel like I say this. Now on to Comedic Timing by Upsana Barath. This was absolutely brilliant and so, so, well done. It had so much packed into a short amount of pages and it didn’t feel rushed. It was well thought out and processed different topics in a way that was approachable and made me want to engage. I found Naina’s growth around emotional regulation so real (and so relatable)! I was rooting for Naina to be able to process her sexual identity authentically and in an unproblematic way, and by the end of Comedic Timing, I thought she was able to :’)

I adored the chemistry between David and Naina!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC

I thought this book was pretty realistic, much more so than typical romance books which is perhaps why I didn't like it as much as I do other books in this category. I thought the topics it explored were interesting. It definitely felt like reading an author's debut novel. But I would be excited to read more of her work as it comes out in the future!

Comedic Timing is another quick, fun romance from 831 Stories, perfect for a cozy evening read. Like the rest of their output, it delivers a bite-sized love story that’s enjoyable and engaging. The romance has its charm, but I struggled to connect with the male main character, which made the story feel a bit uneven for me.

While I absolutely adore 831 Stories' mission to provide compact and accessible romance reads, I can’t help but wish this one had been a full-length novel! The premise and characters have so much potential, and I would’ve loved to see them fleshed out even more. Still, if you're in the mood for a light, quick romance, this one will do the trick!

I'm a big fan of 831 Stories' brand and mission, and have enjoyed their output so far (particularly Big Fan, which was a great choice for first publication). Comedic Timing, unfortunately, didn't quite work for me. Following Naina as she moves to NYC for a new job and after her first break-up, she meets David at a party and they don't get off on the right foot. She is surprised that she feels drawn to him, though, and their connection unfolds as they meet again. I found the writing stiff and clunky, which contributed to not feeling connected to the characters or story. I wasn't particularly drawn in by Naina and David either, which feels key for a 831 Stories novella. That said, I appreciated the themes that Barath is exploring here: grief, break-ups, queer identity, figuring things out in your mid-twenties, making a creative life. Naina is a relatably mid-20s woman trying to figure herself out and get past insecurities and other barriers as she begins a new life for herself.

I am going to be honest - I've not always been a romance reader. And even now, it takes me a lot to fully buy-in to a romance read. This book, my friends, had me totally buying in. Rather than being cheesy or full of fluffy dialogue, it was intimate, tender, and vulnerable.

This is the story of Naina, who has just moved to New York following the break-up of a serious relationship. She is a bit raw, a bit self-conscious, and still feel like a bit of an outsider when she meets David, who throws a bit of a wrench into how things go from there - all a bit unexpected from what she likely thought was in the cards for her.

I have to say it - I'm also loving the representation in this book, which is woven into the story so organically, exactly as it should be.

This was a short, tender, impactful read that I very much recommend!

Thank you NetGalley, 831 Stories and Upasna Barath for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.75⭐️
Naina recently broke up with her girlfriend in Chicago and moved to New York. Soon after, she meets David and they have a connection. As their friendship develops, Naina begins to question her feelings for him and what that means regarding her sexuality.

Naina is a very flawed character who I struggled with but maybe because I saw some immature and unhealthy behavior I probably have done in the past.

David seemed much more mature and confident in himself. He was able to address, talk through and move beyond some of Naina’s behavior.

Overall, this was interesting as it dove into pushing yourself, asking for what you want and taking ownership in your action and life but it and the characters didn’t really draw me in.

Cute. Just a bit boring how they kept repeating the same storyline of Naina and David needing space, not wanting to talk at the moment over and over again until the very last line when they get together

I LOVED this book! It's always great when a romance book goes beyond the tropes (while still embracing them) to dive into something deeper. I love the way she explored her sexuality and unpacked her own bisexuality in this book. So so good!

You will like this book if you like: reading about people cooler than you, attending house parties, regularly staying up ‘til 2am talking to a boy, and bisexual panic 🏳️‍🌈🚬

2.75 Stars. I have really been enjoying 831 novellas but Comedic Timing is not my favorite of the 3. I was not a big fan of the FMC and the author packed a lot into a quick read. Thank you 831 and Netgalley for the ARC

Captured what is best 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. Wonderful!

Last book of 2024 done. Still loving 831. I was starting to feel like we needed some diversity in people, types of love, and the storyline from these novellas and then COMEDIC TIMING came along and did just that. Loved these unlovable flawed but growing characters and at the end, I was truly just wishing them the best

Desperately in search of another banger from romance publisher 831 Stories, I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Upasna Barath's Comedic Timing, which takes us all over Brooklyn and Manhattan as one aspiring writer finds love when she least expects it. It’s around the same length as the publisher’s two other titles, Big Fan and Hardly Strangers, if you’ve read either of those (and I highly recommend that you do).

This deliciously short friends-to-lovers romance follows Chicago-transplant Naina, who recently dumped her much-older girlfriend of five years and is desperately seeking a fresh start in life. That new beginning happens much sooner than she was anticipating, though, when a chance meeting with someone special at a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend’s house party in Bed-Stuy occurs within the first 24 hours of her getting into the city. Oh, and speaking of that someone special? They just so happen to be a man. David, a handsome, kind, filmmaking man.

Suddenly, Naina’s problems have gone from trying to find a decent bodega in her neighborhood and navigating the pitfalls of her nightmare boss, to a full-blown identity crisis about her love life. Not exactly the New York City fairytale she was expecting. Despite those personal reservations, Naina can’t deny that her connection with David is electric from the very first moment their eyes lock across the room at his party. The air practically crackles between them.

Unable to turn down his advances outright, but still too confused about her own personal baggage to agree to starting a romance, Naina compromises by drawing some boundaries: she agrees to be David’s friend and his writing partner (of sorts), to keep them both creatively engaged while toiling away in unfulfilling careers. If some flirting happens along the way? So be it. Naina’s idea is noble at first glance, but she, and we — and David, for that matter — all know those boundaries won’t last long. Obviously.

This novella might not have been the best book I read in 2024 (or even the best book I read that month), but it’s solid. It’s well-written. There are great characters (both main and side) and chemistry, and genuinely good banter between the two MCs. It moves fast and is fun, painful, sexy, and messy in the same way that living in the city so often is in your 20s. I think where Comedic Timing falls short for me is just how exhausting everyone in it is. They’re all constantly dancing around what they actually want to say. Constantly. To the point where it sometimes felt like the plot was engaging in a particularly annoying bout of edging for the reader. I just wanted to reach through the pages and shake them.

Then again, the further I got in the book, the more I saw of myself in Naina. Maybe that’s why I found her behavior particularly tiresome — it’s not always easy seeing some of your less appealing traits reflected back at you in black and white. Bad decision-making aside, she’s a complex, interesting, and vulnerable character to watch stumble through some later-in-life-than-usual coming-of-age realizations. And at the very least, Naina and David do come off as equally annoying in their own way. So, a match made in heaven, I guess?

(3.5 but rounding up)

Comedic Timing hits shelves on Jan. 28, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Upasna Barath’s short novel is a reminder that we do not need to be our ideal selves before taking a leap in love and life. We don’t need to wait to have the perfect career, correct bank balance, best body before finally allowing ourselves to connect with someone. I think our generation (Millennial & older Gen Z) forgets that we don’t have to have everything figured out and that the journey is the point.

This story is poignant and relatable as it details the life of imperfect Naina who has just relocated to NYC to pursue a creative career, to leave behind her long term relationship, to explore her sexuality and to find who she is and what she wants.

Thank you to @831storieshq @netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This title is available on January 28th!