Thanks to Net galley for the arc! Overall an enjoyable read. Something of a unique take of a relationship over the years starting in Iowa and to NYC.

Exit Lane, Erika Veurink - ★★★☆☆

Thank you to @831storieshq and Net Galley for this Arc! Out in September.

After they get set up by a mutual friend to share a post-graduation drive from Iowa City to NYC, Teddy and Marin share a chance encounter that will stay with them forever. Over the eight rocky years that follow their lives remain intertwined, punctuated by chance encounters and transatlantic visits, to eventually bring them right back to where it all started.

There were moments of absolute beauty in this book. I highlighted some lines as I went that were dripping in gorgeous sentiment and meaning. The author’s turn of phrase was brilliant and I really did enjoy reading it. It had Normal People levels of yearning and frustration, but at only 150 odd pages long, there just wasn’t quiiiite enough time for this to embody the slow burn I really wanted from it.

Overall though, Exit Lane delivers emotion really well, as we explore a journey filled with love, loss, and, ultimately, healing. Readers who, like me, enjoy angst-heavy romances with complex character struggles may find this one particularly moving, but I imagine will also, like me, be left just wanting that little bit more!

I recently discovered 831 Stories and instantly became obsessed with their brand so when I was approved this arc and two other upcoming releases I was super excited !

This book hit in so many ways for me, probably one of my fave reads of this year. At just under 200 pages, 'Exit Lane' follows Teddy and Marin as their lives become intertwined as they lose and find one another again. It's like right person, wrong time, every time and the yearning is crazyyyy. 'Before Sunrise' trilogy, 'People We Meet On Vacation' + 'Serendipity' vibes for sure.

Reading this book was literally like watching a comfort rom com movie and I cannot wait to get to the other arcs and the three previous 831 Stories releases which I will defo be purchasing soon !!!

A When Harry Met Sally modern retelling. This novella follows two college graduates as they road trip from Iowa to NYC to start their post college adult lives. It follows them through the subsequent decade of law school, new jobs, romances, etc and their continued run ins. I loved the romance of this novella however I did struggle with the FMC's screw up. I had a really hard time forgiving her with the ease of the MMC and so I had a harder time buying back into their rekindled romance. What she did felt so unforgivable and he forgave her without much show of growth from her other than she kept a journal showing she thought of him. Despite that I still loved the novella and wish we had years more of this couple!

Thank god it’s over. I have never read about two protagonists who are as insufferable, idiotic, and self-sabotaging as these two. Only redeeming parts of this book is the 100% true midwest rep.

831 Stories is setting itself up to be a powerhouse in emotionally heavy, novella length romances and I am here for it. No skips in their current roster, and Exit Lane is no exception. This is a romance that covers years of growth and hardship, akin to books like One Day and You, Again, with a connection between two people that resonate like Poppy and Alex from Peiple we Meet on Vacation (coincidentally my favorite Emily Henry - make of that what you will).
In a way, this defies tropes because we cover heavy topics, and the reader has to experience a moment that, in my opinion, is unforgivable (lol). The story is all the more real for it, for dealing with the consequences and subsequent healing of this event.
Teddy and Marin set off on a roadtrip at the end of uni and discover a connection that neither one has felt before with anyone else. This realization inspires fear, awe, and an undercurrent of love that neither can explain but both try to rationalize for years to come. This is not an easy read or a "brain off" type of romance, but it is perfect for the bookworms who love a good angst test and deeply flawed Mains.

Rating: 3.5/5

My favourite rom-com is "When Harry Met Sally," so naturally, I'll read anything inspired by Harry Burns and Sally Albright. "Exit Lane" is a novella inspired by "When Harry Met Sally," and if it had been a full-on novel, I believe Teddy and Marin would have broken me. Both characters are stubborn in their own way, but especially Marin. Nothing therapy can't fix, though. I really wanted to give this book five stars, but three and a half stars is all I could muster. It needs some refining. So I guess it's a good thing that this is just a novella and not a novel because without spoiling anything, something devastating happens to Teddy, especially with how Marin reacts. But that is not to say I did not enjoy reading it. The angst was there, and so was Teddy and Marin's chemistry.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

GAH! I loved everything about this novella. I follow the author on Instagram for her styling content and was surprised when she shared she had written a book. I ran to NetGalley and was delighted to be approved for an ARC. This story blew me away! It’s a loose When Harry Met Sally reimagining full of nostalgia, grief, yearning, and just messy, complicated life happenings. I cried at least twice. So so good!!

4.25 stars ⭐️ I loved the concept of this story!! It was a fantastic quick read!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

psa: this is not like when harry met sally at all. (that is OK, but just wanted to get it out of the way.) it is however a very pleasing, extremely vibey, top pining "we meet again throughout the years until we finally(?) get it together" novella. i think the most interesting thing is that teddy is very well rendered and marin is much more of a cipher. the main knock against it is that even though this is a novella, it really loses steam at the end, and becomes aimless. if this were outside the tyranny of HEA, i think a better ending would be a more ambiguous, graduate-esque one.

Loved the plot of this book and the writing style but it was not my favorite 831 book if i'm totally honest. This book was not at all comparable to "People We Meet on Vacation" like suggested. It was very insta-love from both main characters and there was a lot of miscommunication between them. Not sure if I could have ever forgiven the FMC if I was in the MMC's shoes. Would also have a hard time forgiving the "best friend" for contributing to further miscommunication. Wish it had been a bit longer so we could've seen them actually get to be together. Looking forward to reading Erika's next book!
Thank you 831 Stories and Netgalley for the ARC!

Ultimately a satisfying and sweet story that was hard for me to lock in to for some reason. If you like When Harry Met Sally and/or Pride & Prejudice you’ll love this book!

This is perfect. It’s millennial When Harry Met Sally, and I couldn’t get enough. I can’t wait to see what Erika writes next.

The emotional depth and chemistry here was cranked all the way up. I loved these two characters and all of their flaws, although I feel like I am still personally working through forgiving Marin (Teddy is a down bad, in love saint). I am still blown away by the level of detail in such a short novel. 831 stories never misses.

I cried. My heart feels like it’s being squeezed. I love Marin and Teddy and their friends that are so wonderfully devoted to each other. Exit Lane takes place over 8 years and usually that would annoy me but it actually was perfect. The time jumps were done so well. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on their lives in between as we are caught up on what happened naturally throughout subsequent chapters. The characters and their love story felt so real, they messed up, they owned up to it, they didn’t magically heal from trauma or heartbreak overnight. It. Was. So. Good. 10/10 read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC. I am buying a physical copy ASAP.

Oh my goodness. 831 stories are quickly becoming my absolute favorites. Exit Lane is my first writing introduction to Erika Veurink and she will be an instant read for me moving forward.

The story follows Marin and Teddy who take a post college graduation road trip to start their new lives in NYC. One road trip is enough to last a lifetime of each other...or is it? From there we follow them as their lives cross paths over the next few years...and honestly that's all I want to say because I went in knowing very little and came out loving it. It's fun, emotional, honest, raw, and heartbreaking. Where are the real life Teddy's?!?!

Thank you Netgalley and 831 Stories for the ARC!

The only way to begin a review of a book from 831 Stories is to tell you how incredible this imprint is. This is my fourth read from them, and I've loved each of them - for different (and uniquely wonderful) reasons. After college graduation, Teddy and Marin make the drive from Iowa City to NYC. They know each other only for a mutual friend. Once the drive is done, they each go on their way. Over the next years, they run into each other at various junctures and at each they're at different life places Throughout, there's something there between them. I will say at around the 75% mark, there's a twist in the story that packs a whole bunch of feels. Things go from there, but be ready to feel those feels y'all. I loved the slow burn of this one, and I'm always down from something that has those When Harry Met Sally vibes. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the look at this September 2025 release.

I really enjoyed this book, I love the feel of One Day. We'll written, easy to follow and kept you wanting to know what happened till the end. Would recommend.

I’m giving this 4.5 stars because I could not put this novella down. Y’all it was a perfect single-sitting read and it had just the right amount of tension, spice, character development and angst. I was captivated by Marin and Teddy and their love story right from the second they got into the car together for their road-trip. It wasn’t exactly insta-love (which I‘m not really a fan of) but by the time they stopped the car, I was so invested in them and all their imperfections. Even though they’d only known each other for a short time, the way they clicked felt so realistic and electric. After their first intense encounter, the pair separate in New York thinking they’ll never see each other again, but Fate has other plans for them and over the next eight years we watch their lives intersect again and again.

Both characters have past trauma and grief that they struggle to work through over the course of the book. It’s heart-wrenching, but the author writes it well and it makes the ending all the more satisfying when they finally face their fears and each other. This novella is perfect for fans of One Day and When Harry Met Sally. I’m looking forward to reading more from 831 Stories and Erika Veurink!

Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC and thank you Erika Veurink for writing Teddy and Marin‘s love story!

I liked the concept of this story, but I couldn't connect with either character. As a result, I was not rooting for this couple. The FMC, Marin, was very unlikeable and not in a way that was funny or enjoyable, but simply unlikeable. The MMC, Teddy, was a really good guy but his yearning for Marin was kind of cringe. He kept trying to tell us how much of a cool girl vibe Marin has, but she just came off as cold and mean to me. I found their chemistry to be only physical and not emotional.

What I do like about this book is the writing style, like I do with all the 831 Stories book. These books are so easy to read and great to have when I am also reading heavy, emotionally draining material. I will be reading every book y 831 stories.