Thank you 831 Stories for the e-arc of this book! This is my first book published by them, by this author and also my first book I’ve read being apart of their ambassador program, team 831!

This is Novella was everything that I wanted. I just ate this UP. It was a celebrity romance, it was a second chance, and it just felt really real. I thought both characters were great, Jack is the actor and CJ is a bartender when they first meet. I won’t spoil what happens, but seeing these two find their way back to each other just made me smile. I was cheesing hard while reading this.

Novellas are sometimes hard to nail, they can sometimes feel underdeveloped or too quick, but the pacing of this story felt right. There was enough time for you to care about the characters, they had emotional depth and you were just really rooting for them in the end.

I can’t wait to read more stories from 831!

Thank you NetGalley, and 831 Stories for this ARC!

I thought this book had promise! The premise was interesting to me, and it was definitely better than the last book I read from 831 Stories.

I hate to say it though, but it was a little boring and only just okay. I wish I was able to connect with these characters a bit better, but in the end they just fell flat.

It took me a long time to get through, but if you love a short story about movie stars falling in love with us regular people than I’d say maybe consider this one?

3 stars.

I love what 831 stories is doing in the romance genre! These novellas always feel like a full story and it blows my mind every time.
This one fell flat for me because I didn’t love either main character. Overall, it was still a quick, fun read just not my favorite.

831 Stories knocks is out of the park again with a celebrity/normie LA based romance. Lana Schwartz manages to create depth of emotion and a fantastic, balanced spicy love story that will make you swoon.

The premise surrounds a celebrity actor playing Nick in a buzzy upcoming adaptation of The Great Gatsby and CJ the set designer.

This is a novella--only 200 pages. I read it in a single sitting. I wouldn't read the synopsis or reviews. Go in blind and enjoy the ride.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm a big fan of celebrity romances but they HAVE to be well written and draw me into a Hollywood that feels real and believable. I do think it was interesting choice to create celebrities for this world but then also use real names and places for things it took me out of the story sometimes. (ex. Horses doesnt exist anymore because they had their own scandal) I also wished we had an extra chapter that focused on CJ and Jack after their one night stand, I couldnt place why that one interaction from 5 years ago was still on his mind all those years later. I did really enjoy the found family trope that Jack found with CJ and crew. I'm still kinda low key upset that there wasnt a groveling scene. I'd read more from this universe tho.

Thank you NetGalley and 831 Stories for this arc!

This was a short but, really enjoyable read for me. I like the Hollywood setting and how it was out there but also private. I also enjoyed the romance between CJ and Jack. It wasn't over the top and felt almost like a normal relatiosnhip.

Spice was perfect and the pace was better then most "novellas". Cant wait to read more stories from 831!!!

Fit many tropes into a small book: Celebrity / normal person romance , second chance , coworker
Great chemistry between the characters for a novella where most action happens off page. Stuart was the best character and loved living in the world of Hollywood with a focus in seeing more than just acting. The conflict was frustrating at times as it seemed characters were making decisions out of character for previous Conversations.

Thankyou to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC.

I really wanted to like the story but unfortunately it felt like random events occurring between two good looking people. There is barely any emotion in the book, CJ has a daughter but I almost forgot about it because she's busy being attracted to Jack. They're attracted to each other's appearance. That's it. They had a hook up once, five years ago, and they fell in love immediately? What? DNF at 50% because the story is just not going anywhere and it isn't interesting. The characters personalities fall flat. The sexual tension has no chemistry whatsoever. It's a boring read.

This was a cute read! I liked the premise and the meeting years later is always fun. I personally was a little annoyed at the timing of the conflict and the reasoning and can fully see it being a huge deterrent for some readers but I am willing to overlook it given that I could understand where it came from. Thank you 831 Stories for the early copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for this ARC! I am always a fan of celebrity/normie romances and this didn’t disappoint. Jack is just joining the Hollywood crowd when he meets bartender Cara. After a one night fling, they don’t see each other for 5 years when they end up on the same movie project. Feelings haven’t changed and there are multiple swoony moments. It was a little heavy on the behind the scenes of the entertainment industry, but the main characters distracted me plenty.

Novellas from 831 never fail to disappoint and this one nails the famous/non famous dynamic perfectly. This includes a hot British actor, a single mom going after her dreams, a sassy four year old, and an eccentric grandfather.

I was once again pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book from 831 Stories. I never know what to expect with a novella because they are so short, but each time I find a well told story and the shorter format is a nice change sometimes. I read a lot of romance books, but I genuinely appreciate how well the experiences of women and the way we interact with the world are represented through these books. A quick and fun read!

Thank you to Net Galley and 831 Stories for the ARC.

This is my second 831 story, and so far, I can say they're solid reads. What really sticks out to me is how grounded the characters are. Their problems are realistic, which is refreshing. Where I think they falter is in their plot. Yes, the stories are short, but the time skips don't help; it often felt like we were skating the surface to cover more time since we didn't have the allotted page count that a full-length novel would have. Becuas eof that, I neer grew attached to either the fmc or mmc nor did I really have an investment in seeing how their relationship would turn out. The whole effect kind of left me feeling like I'd just skimmed a story. I think I'll continue to pick up 831 stories. I do really love novellas as a concept and I like when they're done well; despite my qualms with this one, I still stand by my initial statement that it was solid, and I look forward to seeing what else this publisher comes up with.

Set Piece was a quick, fun, sexy read. I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters. The book was short enough that it could be read in one sitting but was still flushed all the way out. The ending left it open that there was potential for a second book if the author desired. While the “celebrity/normal person” trope is overdone, this had a good twist in that when the characters “re-meet” the “normal person” is also in the industry. I thought the issues the characters faced were relatable to readers i.e. grief, loss of a parent, single-parenthood, gender discrimination and harassment in the workplace, cronyism, etc. Overall a good, enjoyable, steamy read.

Thank you to NetGalley, 831 Stories, and Lana Schwartz for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun, light hearted read! I flew through this one and loved the celebrity/normal person plotline. I wish there had been more so my only critique was that it was too short!

I wanted so badly to love this book but something just fell flat for me. While the character development was solid for a shorter novel, the relationship building between the love interests feels rushed and incomplete. I loved the character’s initial connection and then the further I read, the less attached they came across.

Sometimes, you need a book to be romantic and spicy and fun to read, while not having to compromise your standards when it comes to great writing, humor that's actually funny, dialogue that isn't so cringe you have to close the book constantly to contemplate your life choices, with a plot that actually makes some modicum of sense...and this book is IT baby! Listen, I'm kind of obsessed with everything 831 Stories is doing, and their latest is so exception. Set Piece is right up my rom-com alley in so many ways—hot british male love interest! celeb/normie relationship! so many old hollywood film references!—and I had an absolute blast reading this. If you're looking for novella-length romances with some sugar and lots of spice that are written with an obvious affection for, and knowledge of, the genre as a whole, these are for you!

Set Piece was written for the folks who love Letterboxd !!! Easily my favorite 831 stories novella. Unfortunately or fortunately this is a situation where you'll wish this was a full novel and that the author had more space to further develop the plot/characters. I like that the celebrity/normal person trope didn't go the most obvious route and allowed more exploration into their connection. I'm also now invested in Cecily Close; she's an icon.

A refreshing look into the movie/television industry, mixed with a little slice of life, strong FMC, a really sweet MMC. Best to go in knowing little but getting a lot out of these 180 pages. I laugh, my heart did the squish thing, I loved Agnes & Stuart and their unique relationship (can I get a curated movie watching list made by the two of them?)

Thank you to 831 Stories for this eARC, I'm ready to dive into more of your stories!

This was a really quick read that I really enjoyed. It has a slow burn and a great twist at the beginning. Although I thought the plot and pacing were excellent, I could also see this title being developed into a full-length novel!