I'm a sucker for a retelling of a classic like "When Harry Met Sally". However, I felt "Exit Lane" didn't quite hit the mark. It's pace was very slow to start and I had a really hard time getting into it. I still enjoyed the characters and their continual reconnecting though. I also enjoyed that you really couldn't put a an exact time frame on it. Overall, it's a fun, quick read but not a favorite.

My favorite kind of novella is the one that feels like pure romance concentrate. The one where every word, every detail, every scene is there in service of the central love story. The one you can just sink into and get completely lost in emotions at their most heightened state. The one where you almost feel a little breathless as you read. This was that novella.

I was blown away by the depth Erika packed into such a short story—to the point where it almost felt like a full length book. Friends to lovers is by FAR my favorite romance trope, and Teddy and Marin delivered a masterclass in how to quietly pine for your best friend across time and distance and endless life obstacles.

My heart ACHED for Teddy—his sweet, sensitive midwestern soul. And I was completely obsessed with Marin’s entire vibe. I already know some readers will probably dislike one or both of these characters—judging them for the mistakes they make—but that’s actually what I loved most about this book. Teddy and Marin felt REAL. They are imperfect (fictional) humans, who have emotional baggage and trauma that causes them to fuck up. And yet, they were written in a way that made it so easy to understand their motivations and empathize with them.

The romance was TOP TIER. Honestly, I couldn’t get enough. Especially Teddy’s POV. I don’t even have words, I just know that this book made me feel those tingly butterfly feelings whenever Teddy and Marin bantered, argued, talked on the phone, sang silly songs together, or secretly yearned for each other across continents. Just completely swoony.

I saw somewhere that this is for fans of You, Again or One Day and I couldn’t agree more. I am officially Erika Veurink’s biggest fan and plan to devour everything she writes for the rest of time.

So yeah, this is my new favorite novella.

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

Exit Lane is the story of Marin and Teddy, told over years as they encounter each other in different situations while dealing with adulting, relationships and work-life balance. Exit Lane is an emotional and at times, heartbreaking novella perfect for fans of Normal People, One Day, and People We Meet on Vacation.

I say it for every 831 Stories, but they continue to publish solid novellas. Exit Lane is a rich story despite its length. It has a great sense of place and is filled with details that make the story lived in. Marin just seems so Cool, and Teddy is charming. I would've loved to see this story expanded so we could spend more time with the side characters and see their friendships as well.

Also, I think this perfectly sets up an epistolary story between Sloane and Carter that I would definitely read.

Solid 4.5 stars
If you are a fan of “One Day” or “Normal People”, I firmly believe you’ll enjoy this book.

Teddy and Marin gave me serious opposites attract vibes however but in a way that they are perfect for each other. Throughout the years, after a cross-country trip from Iowa to New York City to Copenhagen, we see the relationship between Marin and Teddy grow and become more complex and deeper.

Although the big plot change in the book slightly turned me off from Marin, it showed/reminded me that people do have emotions like that and close themselves off in unwarranted ways. 831 stories will always be an immediate buy for me, and this one is no exception.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! :)

A beautifully written, emotionally charged story about the turbulence of young love and the bittersweet ache of growing pains. There’s a subtle weight to Exit Lane that left me feeling quietly wrecked but in a good way.

Veurink captures the rawness of heartbreak and the tenderness of fleeting moments with impressive depth. It’s not a loud novel, but it lingers like a bruise you don’t want to stop pressing. A moving and delicate read.

Holy moly. This novella by Erika Veurink by 831 Stories is definitely my favorite of this series. The quick 200 page romance is remarkably deft and thick with plot development.

Teddy and Marin are acquaintances on the University of Iowa campus and run in VERY different circles. Teddy is headed to law school at NYU and Marin is headed to a splashy new finance job. Teddy is steady, popular and a good guy. Marin has her guardrails up--afraid of getting hurt. They orbit in and out of one another's lives for years. Exit Lane is heartfelt and devastating and I could have read another 150 pages.

This was an easy five stars for me. I'm so excited for this book baby to make it into the world so that everyone will read it!!

Thank you 831 Stories and Netgalley for a digital galley of Exit Lane. It will debut September 16, 2025.

I expect this will be one of the most (if not the most) divisive of the 831 Stories romances so far — for the very same reasons that this is one of my favorite romances of the year. Too often, romance readers accept only uncomplicated, wholly likeable (if somewhat immature) protagonists. This book does not provide those. With "Exit Lane," Erika Veurink embraces the complexity, mistakes, and heartache that accompany nearly every romantic relationship, not just as a hurdle to overcome, but as an active part of relationship building. I was charmed by these characters even when they made decisions I can't quite forgive. And this is not to say that this book doesn't also have the classic rom com elements readers will know and love — it draws inspiration from "When Harry Met Sally," after all, and features plenty of the steamy scenes 831 Stories loyalists will expect at this point. And SO. MUCH. YEARNING. This book is devastating and smart and interesting and I expect I'll be thinking about it for quite some time!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

Exit Lane is the latest and greatest novella from 831 Stories, this time following Marin and Teddy over their 8-year transition from strangers to friends to lovers. Their journey starts with a road trip from Iowa to New York after their college graduation, getting to know each other on the long drive. The story follows the next 8 years of their lives as they weave in and out of each other’s orbit.

Teddy and Marin are complete opposites but end up finding so much in common too. Marin puts up a tough exterior and is determined not to let anyone in for too long. Meanwhile, Teddy has always dreamed of the perfect suburban life and falls fast for her.

This novella will pull you in fast and before you know it you’ll be flipping the last page! I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn’t get enough. It also packs an emotional punch and has plenty of romantic tension.

I would definitely recommend checking this book out for a shorter romance that can be read in a single sitting!

Thank you to Netgalley and 831 Stories for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

exit lane was very easy to read, and even with the time jumps, i felt like it was easy for me to follow the story lines, what was changing and what was staying the same over time.

i think the comparisons to people we meet on vacation and one day are fitting - i feel that exit lane fits perfectly between the two if i were to place them on a spectrum.

i would have liked a more in-depth connection with the two main characters, teddy and marin. with a book of this kind, that 5 star review is really going to come if i feel an attachment to the main characters, which wasn't always the case.

the plot of exit lane is not necessarily a new one, but there's something fun and comforting in that. overall, i would read from erika veurink again, and i'm intrigued to also check out more from 831 stories!

This one sadly wasn’t the book for me! I really enjoyed the start, especially the road trip! Unfortunately I just didn’t like the direction the conflict went in and I couldn’t get past how one of the main character’s handled it. I love this imprint and would read another book by this particular author in a heartbeat! They can’t all be written just for me!

(4.5 rounded up) I am obsessed with 831 Stories’ entire business model, which is to publish relatively short romance novels in gorgeous color-blocked covers. I’m also biased when it comes to this specific novel of theirs, written byErika Veurink, because the story starts in Iowa City, with two recent graduates of the University of Iowa, Marin & Teddy. I went to U of Iowa for undergrad and was so nostalgic reading the beginning of this! Other people might not be quite as intrigued if they’re not familiar with the setting, but after reading that beginning section, I was hooked. The story follows Teddy & Marin as they road trip from IC to NYC, and then in the years that follow, as they continuously bump into one another, sometimes by chance, sometimes on purpose. This was such a treat to read, even if it didn’t feel realistic. That’s not the job of a romance novel, imo! Will be adding this one to my 831 collection.

The first page of this book came in way too hot for my taste and it just turned me off to the whole book. There was no getting over that. I was uncomfortable. Just definitely no a book for me.

Another great book from 831!! I recommend this for anyone who loves When Harry Met Sally- our characters Teddy and Marin meet very similarly (on a road trip from Iowa to New York).. While their relationship is more friends to lovers than enemies to lovers, their chemistry is fun and I loved the ways they intersect throughout the years. Although the book is quite short (as are all 831 stories), I felt the angst and the tension between the two characters and it was devastating. I love the romance books from this imprint, they're the perfect length for a short but emotional read.

I had to DNF this halfway through unfortunately. I wanted to like this book, I like the content creator who wrote it and I thought a retelling of the classic RomCom "When Harry Met Sally" could be interesting if contemporized. However this novel took everything that made Nora Ephron's story charming and turned it into the worst kind of aesthetic personal branding as personality (wearing vintage Levi's does not a character make). I was going to write a lot more but it started to feel too mean, so I'll just say that this book was not for me.

831 Stories always releases books that can cure any reading slump, and they never miss when it comes to juicy, fun romances throughout the year. Exit Lane was so much fun.

This story follows Marin and Teddy across the span of their adult lives. The writing style is very reminiscent of Normal People, Talking at Night, and One Day...They first meet right after college, when they take a road trip to New York to explore their options. They share an almost fated connection and are incredibly attracted to each other, but Marin is determined to start fresh in the city - she doesn’t want to bring any baggage from her old life with her. So, she does her best to avoid and forget about Teddy. But fate has other plans.

Throughout the years, they keep stumbling back into each other’s lives. The yearning and longing between them is palpable and really fun to follow. You can really feel it.

My only complaint is that their initial meeting, the road trip to New York, felt too short and lacked foundation for the following years. Their intimacy was cut off so quickly that it’s a little hard to buy that they’ve both been holding onto that one kiss for ten years. I get the instant chemistry, but I wish there had been more time spent building that foundation in the beginning. A few extra pages in that first chapter would’ve made the years of longing even more believable for the reader.

Overall, I had a great time with this book. It was fast-paced, easy to follow, and the characters were believable and likable.

Thank you to NetGalley, 831 Stories, & Erika Veurink for this ARC🌟🗽🚙

I absolutely am enamoured with how 831 Stories continues to find authors and stories worth telling in such a wonderful and delicate way!

I found that this book entertaining, heart wrenching and easy to follow along even when the plot seemed to be slowing down. I am not one for time jumps in romances, but Veurink did it incredibly well that reminded me of One Day by David Nicholls!

Even though the MCs were continents and a sea apart, the tension and connection written between them was still excellent!

Thank you again 831, you have my heart!!💋💘🏹

Honestly not sure about this one. I’m don’t believe that characters have to be good to be good characters but the MFC in this one really pissed me off in the last quarter of the book. And it’s not even just that, it’s more the fact that her actions were forgiven and swept under the rug in a matter of pages, and the ending felt really poorly tied together with a bow.

I understand what the book was trying to do and the idea behind it, but the continuous time-jumps made me not entirely convinced of the two main character’s connection because even when they would spend more then a day together (like in Copenhagen) we didn’t see much of it, it was just told to us what had happened between them.

Overall it felt very rushed, it could have used at least 100 more pages for the type of story it wanted to tell. It’s a 2.5/5 for me, bumped it to a 3 for originality because I can honestly say that I’ve never read a romance that dealt with this type of relationship.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Exit Lane by Erika Veurink is one of those reads that hits you quietly but deeply. It's heart-aching in the best way: full of longing, subtle (and not so subtle) missteps, and that feeling of being so close to something real but never quite able to hold onto it. Veurink's writing captures the small, quiet moments that feel massive when you're in love.

I was so excited to read my first 831 project. I love their business model and was curious to dip into a novella. This one is absolutely delightful, tracking Teddy and Marin, who are thrown together on a long-distance road trip from college to NYC. They seem to want different things at face value, but after an electric connection and absolutely perfect banter, they can't seem to quit one another as the years go on. A total delight!