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The Improbable Meet-Cute #1
The Exception to the Rule
On February 14, an accidental email to a stranger opens the door to an unexpected relationship in a captivating short story by the New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners.
One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance. Wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day isn’t the end. In fact, it becomes a friendly annual tradition—with rules: no pics, no real names, nothing too personal. As years pass, the rules for their email “dates� are breaking, and they’re sharing more than they imagined—including the urge to ask�what if we actually met?
Christina Lauren’s The Exception to the Rule is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.
One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance. Wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day isn’t the end. In fact, it becomes a friendly annual tradition—with rules: no pics, no real names, nothing too personal. As years pass, the rules for their email “dates� are breaking, and they’re sharing more than they imagined—including the urge to ask�what if we actually met?
Christina Lauren’s The Exception to the Rule is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.
101 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 23, 2024
11.3k people are currently reading
86k people want to read
About the author
Christina Lauren
109books93.7kfollowersChristina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners/best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together has produced twenty New York Times bestselling novels. Their books have been translated into 30+ languages. (Some of these books have kissing. Some of these books have A LOT of kissing.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 19,922 reviews
February 14, 2024
“you’d come back just to see me?�
“without question.�
this story straight out kicked me to the floor and called me single in 100 different languages!! 🕳️👩🏻�
“without question.�
this story straight out kicked me to the floor and called me single in 100 different languages!! 🕳️👩🏻�
February 13, 2024
4/5
ME WHEN?
ME WHENN??
ME WHENNNNN????
� � � � � �
� � � � � �
ME WHEN?
ME WHENN??
ME WHENNNNN????
� � � � � �
� � � � � �
January 25, 2024
4/5 ⭐️ This was a really cute and fun novella. The first 50% is told entirely via emails and I thought that was a pretty cool concept.
T and C were so cute! I really enjoyed it! I honestly wish that they would write a whole book about them 🥹❤️. And this was less than 100 pages but we also got a cute epilogue of them in the future and it was perfect!! ❤️
T and C were so cute! I really enjoyed it! I honestly wish that they would write a whole book about them 🥹❤️. And this was less than 100 pages but we also got a cute epilogue of them in the future and it was perfect!! ❤️
January 24, 2024
5 ✨…without question.
I’m going to sleep with the biggest smile on my face. This novella was too adorable. 🥰
Despite being 100 pages, it was the right amount of slow burn. I particularly enjoyed their communication over the years via emails - delayed gratification!
I’m going to sleep with the biggest smile on my face. This novella was too adorable. 🥰
Despite being 100 pages, it was the right amount of slow burn. I particularly enjoyed their communication over the years via emails - delayed gratification!
February 11, 2024
psa: don’t read this! it’ll make you feel exceptionally single.
addendum 1:
the way i feel so empty. what the fuck am i supposed to do now.watch me change my rating to 5 stars 😭 for a 100 page novella 😭 you’re joking 😭
addendum 2:
visual representation of how i feel:
addendum 1:
the way i feel so empty. what the fuck am i supposed to do now.
addendum 2:
visual representation of how i feel:
April 14, 2025
The adorableness of this novella is beyond words. 🥹💛
February 9, 2024
“� 𝚍𝚘𝚗’� 𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚔𝚒𝚜𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎,� 𝙸 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚒𝚖. “𝙱𝚞� 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚛� 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚞𝚕𝚎.�
Aahhhh omg I loved this so much!! 💖💕
Aahhhh omg I loved this so much!! 💖💕
December 4, 2024
╰� 5 stars!
"and isn't it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to me?�
OH MY GOOOOD, I NEED A WHOLE BOOK ABOUT THIS!!! tell me why is it always the short stories that make me lose my sanity, and i'll just end up sad because i get to finish it one sitting!?
i don't know about you but anyone would be out of their slump (only if you love romance) as soon as they read this book! i mean, if you think about it, it's all giggles and squeals + it's short! i'm honestly in awe because of how good it was! i wasn't expecting myself to be hooked so quickly but i was! i guess i'm really just a sucker for a good, short romance!
call me dramatic but this book genuinely made my toes curl, made my jaw hurt because i was smiling all throughout the story, and made my heart soooo full!! also, am i the only who was so confused on who was who at first?! i had to read the start multiple times so i know who's C and T! but i loved this so so so much. <3
"and isn't it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to me?�
OH MY GOOOOD, I NEED A WHOLE BOOK ABOUT THIS!!! tell me why is it always the short stories that make me lose my sanity, and i'll just end up sad because i get to finish it one sitting!?
i don't know about you but anyone would be out of their slump (only if you love romance) as soon as they read this book! i mean, if you think about it, it's all giggles and squeals + it's short! i'm honestly in awe because of how good it was! i wasn't expecting myself to be hooked so quickly but i was! i guess i'm really just a sucker for a good, short romance!
call me dramatic but this book genuinely made my toes curl, made my jaw hurt because i was smiling all throughout the story, and made my heart soooo full!! also, am i the only who was so confused on who was who at first?! i had to read the start multiple times so i know who's C and T! but i loved this so so so much. <3
February 10, 2024
Valentine’s Day 2014
“One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance�
When “T� is kind enough to let “C� know that he has sent his email to the wrong address, he thanks her and wishes her a happy Valentine’s Day.
But, “C� is the “exception to the rule� so this email exchange isn’t the end, instead becoming an annual tradition, albeit a few rules: no pics, no real names, and nothing too personal-to keep things fun!
But as TEN years go by, they realize that they have actually become friends.
Is 2024 the year that they might finally meet in person?
“Christina Lauren’s The Exception to the Rule is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting and are included with your Amazon Prime subscription.�
I have tried this extremely popular writing duo before, but their writing was too YA for me. But this Valentine’s Day novella, with its two narrators reading aloud the annual emails was an almost perfect “meet cute� despite some YA dialogue, and it was definitely one of my favorites in this delightful holiday series! 💘
“One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance�
When “T� is kind enough to let “C� know that he has sent his email to the wrong address, he thanks her and wishes her a happy Valentine’s Day.
But, “C� is the “exception to the rule� so this email exchange isn’t the end, instead becoming an annual tradition, albeit a few rules: no pics, no real names, and nothing too personal-to keep things fun!
But as TEN years go by, they realize that they have actually become friends.
Is 2024 the year that they might finally meet in person?
“Christina Lauren’s The Exception to the Rule is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting and are included with your Amazon Prime subscription.�
I have tried this extremely popular writing duo before, but their writing was too YA for me. But this Valentine’s Day novella, with its two narrators reading aloud the annual emails was an almost perfect “meet cute� despite some YA dialogue, and it was definitely one of my favorites in this delightful holiday series! 💘
February 7, 2024
Omg!!! This was the cutest! Way too short! I just gobbled it up in no time at all! Love this for Valentines Day! 😍💛
₊� ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · � · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚�
Obviously I need to jump on this train now. It sounds sooo cute! 🥰🤭💕
₊� ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · � · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚�
Obviously I need to jump on this train now. It sounds sooo cute! 🥰🤭💕
January 29, 2024
3.5 stars
It’s been so long since I’ve read a Christina Lauren book. This was just a cute fun novella. The trope of two people making a deal about emailing/talking/meeting each other once per year has always felt strange to me tho. Like life is too short guys to stick to that freakin rule!!! On the other hand I enjoyed their email exchange. Those two were so adorable and cute, I wish they get the chance of having a full novel. I wanted more time of them together in person.
It’s been so long since I’ve read a Christina Lauren book. This was just a cute fun novella. The trope of two people making a deal about emailing/talking/meeting each other once per year has always felt strange to me tho. Like life is too short guys to stick to that freakin rule!!! On the other hand I enjoyed their email exchange. Those two were so adorable and cute, I wish they get the chance of having a full novel. I wanted more time of them together in person.
July 15, 2024
⁀� ★★★★�
🩰
� Disgusting book 🤢🤮! I was gagging and I genuinely wanted to throw up because of how fucking cute and adorable this was.
”You’d come back just to see me?� “Without question...�
🩰
� Disgusting book 🤢🤮! I was gagging and I genuinely wanted to throw up because of how fucking cute and adorable this was.
”You’d come back just to see me?� “Without question...�
March 7, 2025
In a Nutshell: A lovely story about a meet-cute that develops over a decade. Part epistolary. Good main characters. Mostly interesting storyline. Might have been a top-star experience for me had the second half performed better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
This is the first standalone story in the 'The Improbable Meet-Cute� series, described on Amazon as “irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it.�
This story is the highest-rated of the entire series, which is why I saved it for last. And had it not been for a couple of poor writing choices in the second half, it might actually have ended as my favourite story of this Amazon Originals collection. However, that honour stays with Abby Jimenez’s story, ‘Worst Wingman Ever�.
Woohoos:
😍 The two main characters (C and T) and their personalities, especially in the first half � really sweet.
😍 Yet again, the story begins on Valentine’s day, which is common to the entire collection. But it doesn’t stick to only one Valentine’s Day, and lasts for more than a decade. So we can actually see the development of the connection between our two young leads.
😍 As C & T are just in their teens when the story begins, there is a YA-ish feel at the start. But we see the growth in their age and behaviour over the years.
😍 I simply love the epistolary format, and this story uses it excellently through those emails, which sound like actual conversations.
😍 The second half introduces the first-person POVs for the two characters. From this point, the story switches between emails and regular textual prose. It handles the back-and-forth quite well.
😍 As the connection begins through emails and continues for more than ten years, there is no insta love, nor any gushing over the physical attractiveness of the other, at least in the first half.
😍 This is the longest story of the collection at 101 pages, but it is also the quickest to read as a lot of the page count is because of the email headers. The pacing is nice and smooth.
😍 The ending was sweet, and the epilogue, even cuter.
IDKs:
🤔 While I liked even the non-email content, I wish it had been written in third-person. The first person sounds somewhat similar across the two characters, and as the emails also are in first person (obviously), keeping track of who was speaking gets confusing at times.
🤔 A few too many coincidences in the second half. I would have seen a few coming, considering the genre. But it goes too farfetched for the rest.
🤔 The first revelation when one character gets to know who the other is, is written excellently. However, the other reveal, when the second character learns their email pal’s identity, is a bit disappointing as it doesn’t include the reaction to the news.
Mehs:
🙄 The innuendo in the second half wasn't warranted at all and spoiled what could have been a sweet and cosy love story. If the content had been warranted by the plot, I wouldn’t have said anything. But there are no steamy scenes in the story and the innuendo just comes from someone propositioning someone else. There’s a way of making such scenes sound sexy without using vulgar phrases like ‘You give such good dick.� 🤢 Adding to the nonsense is T’s realisation about how she has never had a great lover so far, with her epiphany being a result of overhearing the above line being said to C. Oh boy!
🙄 As the first half contains only emails, we have no clue what the characters look like. However, once the characters meet, the story overcompensates on this, and we get an overdose of the hotness of the characters. (For some reason, both seem obsessed with secretly admiring the lips of the other!) I might have admired the story more had it made at least one characters gawky or average-looking and this not affecting their bond.
All in all, I truly enjoyed the epistolary part of the story. But the non-email content needed a bit more tweaking and a little less innuendo. This was well on its way to earning 4.5 stars, but the second half messed up. Regardless, both my main issues stem from my personal reading preferences, so they won't bother most romance readers.
Recommended to those who enjoy epistolary romances and are more forgiving of “dirty talk� and repeated references to “plush lips�.
3.75 stars.
This standalone story is a part of the ‘The Improbable Meet-Cute� collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
Note: Other reviews reveal that the audiobook narrators read every single part from the email headers. Considering how many emails are there in this book, I definitely wouldn’t recommend the audio version as it might be annoying to hear the sender-receiver-date info again and again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
|| || || || || ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
On February 14th 2013, an email that is supposed to reach a teacher ends up in a student’s inbox, thanks to a typo. The recipient informs the sender, also a student but a stranger, of the mistake, and they both end their conversation by wishing each other a Happy Valentine’s Day.
The next year, one of them decides to wish the other one again. Thus begins an annual exchange of emails on February 14th � no names (it helps that the official school email ids have only initials), no personal identifiers, no photos. As the years go by, the friendship stays strong, but there is an underlying urge to know the other person more. Could they actually meet the person on the other side of the screen without affecting the friendship?
The story comes to us mostly through emails, with about one-third of the story coming through the two characters� first-person POVs.
This is the first standalone story in the 'The Improbable Meet-Cute� series, described on Amazon as “irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it.�
This story is the highest-rated of the entire series, which is why I saved it for last. And had it not been for a couple of poor writing choices in the second half, it might actually have ended as my favourite story of this Amazon Originals collection. However, that honour stays with Abby Jimenez’s story, ‘Worst Wingman Ever�.
Woohoos:
😍 The two main characters (C and T) and their personalities, especially in the first half � really sweet.
😍 Yet again, the story begins on Valentine’s day, which is common to the entire collection. But it doesn’t stick to only one Valentine’s Day, and lasts for more than a decade. So we can actually see the development of the connection between our two young leads.
😍 As C & T are just in their teens when the story begins, there is a YA-ish feel at the start. But we see the growth in their age and behaviour over the years.
😍 I simply love the epistolary format, and this story uses it excellently through those emails, which sound like actual conversations.
😍 The second half introduces the first-person POVs for the two characters. From this point, the story switches between emails and regular textual prose. It handles the back-and-forth quite well.
😍 As the connection begins through emails and continues for more than ten years, there is no insta love, nor any gushing over the physical attractiveness of the other, at least in the first half.
😍 This is the longest story of the collection at 101 pages, but it is also the quickest to read as a lot of the page count is because of the email headers. The pacing is nice and smooth.
😍 The ending was sweet, and the epilogue, even cuter.
IDKs:
🤔 While I liked even the non-email content, I wish it had been written in third-person. The first person sounds somewhat similar across the two characters, and as the emails also are in first person (obviously), keeping track of who was speaking gets confusing at times.
🤔 A few too many coincidences in the second half. I would have seen a few coming, considering the genre. But it goes too farfetched for the rest.
🤔 The first revelation when one character gets to know who the other is, is written excellently. However, the other reveal, when the second character learns their email pal’s identity, is a bit disappointing as it doesn’t include the reaction to the news.
Mehs:
🙄 The innuendo in the second half wasn't warranted at all and spoiled what could have been a sweet and cosy love story. If the content had been warranted by the plot, I wouldn’t have said anything. But there are no steamy scenes in the story and the innuendo just comes from someone propositioning someone else. There’s a way of making such scenes sound sexy without using vulgar phrases like ‘You give such good dick.� 🤢 Adding to the nonsense is T’s realisation about how she has never had a great lover so far, with her epiphany being a result of overhearing the above line being said to C. Oh boy!
🙄 As the first half contains only emails, we have no clue what the characters look like. However, once the characters meet, the story overcompensates on this, and we get an overdose of the hotness of the characters. (For some reason, both seem obsessed with secretly admiring the lips of the other!) I might have admired the story more had it made at least one characters gawky or average-looking and this not affecting their bond.
All in all, I truly enjoyed the epistolary part of the story. But the non-email content needed a bit more tweaking and a little less innuendo. This was well on its way to earning 4.5 stars, but the second half messed up. Regardless, both my main issues stem from my personal reading preferences, so they won't bother most romance readers.
Recommended to those who enjoy epistolary romances and are more forgiving of “dirty talk� and repeated references to “plush lips�.
3.75 stars.
This standalone story is a part of the ‘The Improbable Meet-Cute� collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
Note: Other reviews reveal that the audiobook narrators read every single part from the email headers. Considering how many emails are there in this book, I definitely wouldn’t recommend the audio version as it might be annoying to hear the sender-receiver-date info again and again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
|| || || || || ||
January 28, 2024
So cute 🥹
I need Callum in my life 😭
I need Callum in my life 😭
February 6, 2024
�4 stars
Holy soup dumplings this was so cute!!!! This 100-page novella had me so engrossed I never wanted it to end! 🥰 I desperately needed something light and short to get me out of a slump, and Christina Lauren delivered! T & C were adorable leads–their 10 year exchanges ranged from cute anecdotes, to hilarious drunken word vomits, to surprisingly deep conversations. I honestly loved the email format, as the short snippets kept my eyes from straying.
Also didn’t know high schoolers had school-given email addresses nowadays? But now here I am wishing I could’ve had a similar HEA email mistake like Terra lol. Pen pals will never not be cute to me 📝💕
-----------
Pre-Review:
PLEASE HELP WITH MY SLUMP 🙏😫🙏
Holy soup dumplings this was so cute!!!! This 100-page novella had me so engrossed I never wanted it to end! 🥰 I desperately needed something light and short to get me out of a slump, and Christina Lauren delivered! T & C were adorable leads–their 10 year exchanges ranged from cute anecdotes, to hilarious drunken word vomits, to surprisingly deep conversations. I honestly loved the email format, as the short snippets kept my eyes from straying.
Also didn’t know high schoolers had school-given email addresses nowadays? But now here I am wishing I could’ve had a similar HEA email mistake like Terra lol. Pen pals will never not be cute to me 📝💕
-----------
Pre-Review:
PLEASE HELP WITH MY SLUMP 🙏😫🙏
January 24, 2024
the first 42% of this book is solely written in email format 😣
August 29, 2024
This book was such a fun and cute read—exactly what I needed to pull me out of a reading slump! I found myself wishing, “WHEN WILL IT BE MY TURN??? This story also made me feel single in so many ways.😭😭😭😭
April 14, 2025
3.75�
Really enjoyed this one, it was so cute 🥹😭😭
My fav from this series so far.🦦
Really enjoyed this one, it was so cute 🥹😭😭
My fav from this series so far.🦦
February 21, 2024
Omigosh! Cute � hot!
A Pennsylvania college backdrop and a wrong email address lead to a delightful short story.
I'm happy I came back to this one and did not return it after my irritation with the email exchange format in the beginning which didn't work well for me on audio. Sometimes the sender, receiver, and subject line were longer than their actual email.
So far this collection is a winner. Both book 1 and 2 are adorable!!!🥰❤️�
101 pages/1H 56M
Free with Prime.
A Pennsylvania college backdrop and a wrong email address lead to a delightful short story.
I'm happy I came back to this one and did not return it after my irritation with the email exchange format in the beginning which didn't work well for me on audio. Sometimes the sender, receiver, and subject line were longer than their actual email.
So far this collection is a winner. Both book 1 and 2 are adorable!!!🥰❤️�
101 pages/1H 56M
Free with Prime.
December 30, 2024
I found no reason to deduct even a fraction of a star BEST NOVELLA AWARD GOES TO 🗣�
It was socute kayoottt i f*ckinggg cried.. Does it makes sense? No. But to me it does.. Never in my loife i felt this single 🤧
"You’d come back just to see me?"
"Without question."
“Do you ever have a feeling about someone? Like they’re your safe space and, I don’t know, like someday it could be more?�
I swallow, nodding. “Yeah. Of course.�
I’m looking right at her.
🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
Me during reading dark romance 🥲
Me during reading cute fluffy romance 😭
Waiting for a prince 🙂↔� nah
Waiting for an email 🙂↕� yas
Putting a 🔫 on ur head to read this rn
All thanks to afy <3
It was so
"You’d come back just to see me?"
"Without question."
“Do you ever have a feeling about someone? Like they’re your safe space and, I don’t know, like someday it could be more?�
I swallow, nodding. “Yeah. Of course.�
I’m looking right at her.
🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
Me during reading dark romance 🥲
Me during reading cute fluffy romance 😭
Waiting for a prince 🙂↔� nah
Waiting for an email 🙂↕� yas
Putting a 🔫 on ur head to read this rn
All thanks to afy <3
February 4, 2024
the butterflies in my stomach are going crazy. oh my god, i loved this 😭💌
January 24, 2024
OHHHHH MY GODDDDDDD DUDE WHAT
WHY ARE THE SHORTEST BOOKS THE ONES THAT WOULD BE THE BEST FULL LENGTHS EVER 😭😭😭😭😭
DO URSELF A FAVOR AND DROP WHAT UR DOING TO LISTEN OR READ THIS BC THE CUTENESS IS INSANEEEEEEE 😭😭😭😭
CL WHY WOULD YOU NOT MAKE THIS FULL LENGTH THIS IS UR BEST PREMISE IVE READ YET
BYE GONNA LISTEN TO INVISIBLE STRING ON REPEAT AND THINK OF THESE TWO IN A PUDDLE OF MY OWN TEARS
WHY ARE THE SHORTEST BOOKS THE ONES THAT WOULD BE THE BEST FULL LENGTHS EVER 😭😭😭😭😭
DO URSELF A FAVOR AND DROP WHAT UR DOING TO LISTEN OR READ THIS BC THE CUTENESS IS INSANEEEEEEE 😭😭😭😭
CL WHY WOULD YOU NOT MAKE THIS FULL LENGTH THIS IS UR BEST PREMISE IVE READ YET
BYE GONNA LISTEN TO INVISIBLE STRING ON REPEAT AND THINK OF THESE TWO IN A PUDDLE OF MY OWN TEARS
February 3, 2024
I ❤️LOVED❤️ this short Valentines story!! 😍🤗 Penpal meet cuteness 🥰
February 1, 2024
4.5🌟
It’s been quite a while since I picked up anything resembling a romance book. Just needed a break I suppose. But after continually seeing this audio pop up in my GR feed I felt this was the perfect time to jump back into the genre. And at under 2 hours…I had nothing to lose!
It did start with a bit of a YA vibe which did give me (a very brief) pause. But after recently finishing a YA audio I knew it wasn’t going to deter me.
Absolutely sweet and heartwarming! I may have even misted up at the end…just a little!😉
The two narrators did an amazing job!
Can’t wait to dig into the next in the series.
It’s been quite a while since I picked up anything resembling a romance book. Just needed a break I suppose. But after continually seeing this audio pop up in my GR feed I felt this was the perfect time to jump back into the genre. And at under 2 hours…I had nothing to lose!
It did start with a bit of a YA vibe which did give me (a very brief) pause. But after recently finishing a YA audio I knew it wasn’t going to deter me.
Absolutely sweet and heartwarming! I may have even misted up at the end…just a little!😉
The two narrators did an amazing job!
Can’t wait to dig into the next in the series.
January 26, 2024
4 stars
I enjoyed this one so much! It started off with an email to the wrong address and stemmed into an online friendship for many years. I loved when these two finally got to meet in person. Super cute.
I enjoyed this one so much! It started off with an email to the wrong address and stemmed into an online friendship for many years. I loved when these two finally got to meet in person. Super cute.
Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrators: Marli Watson & Andrew Gibson
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Length: 1h 56m
May 22, 2024
Its like reading punk 57 but without the smut. How many times has this plot/ trope been used??? oh and the only description of the guy was that hes 6'3 and has an "underwear shredding smile"
March 7, 2025
By far my favorite of the bunch, I found myself clapping while listening. I wasn’t even sure what was happening but I clearly developed a rooting interest in that sneaky way Christina Lauren does best.
I will admit, when I first started this one, I was skeptical due to the format, and worried that it might end up being too cutesy or cliché for me. And then somehow, around the 20% mark, I was all the way in. And I mean *all* the way in! Like I said, hand clapping was involved. I don’t know how they managed to develop these characters into such amazing, flawed, humorous, life-like characters and not have the dreaded insta love that so often occurs in romcom novellas, but they did it and so much more.
If you read nothing else this Valentine’s Day, make sure to give this one a read (with your eyes or your ears)! Also, the audio is fantastic!!
Pro Tip: As they say...Read this story last if you plan on reading all of the novellas in the series.
Read if you like:
•epistolary format
•friends to lovers
•pen pal romance
•the cutest meet cute
•endearing characters
Available on KU with free audio from Audible.
I will admit, when I first started this one, I was skeptical due to the format, and worried that it might end up being too cutesy or cliché for me. And then somehow, around the 20% mark, I was all the way in. And I mean *all* the way in! Like I said, hand clapping was involved. I don’t know how they managed to develop these characters into such amazing, flawed, humorous, life-like characters and not have the dreaded insta love that so often occurs in romcom novellas, but they did it and so much more.
If you read nothing else this Valentine’s Day, make sure to give this one a read (with your eyes or your ears)! Also, the audio is fantastic!!
Pro Tip: As they say...Read this story last if you plan on reading all of the novellas in the series.
Read if you like:
•epistolary format
•friends to lovers
•pen pal romance
•the cutest meet cute
•endearing characters
Available on KU with free audio from Audible.
February 10, 2024
•| ⊱✿� |� 3,7 Stars •| ⊱✿� |�
I love this short story, pity is so small.
Terra and Callum exchange emails since she is 16 years old, and he sends one, by mistake, to her instead of a teacher.
After that, they always exchange emails only on Valentine's Day.
Through the years, on that day, they tell each other what happen during the year, without revealing any personal details.
They start to talking about meeting each other, but in one year he's got a girlfriend, the next is Terra with a boyfriend and the years are passing�
Until 2024, they finally are in sync�
January 27, 2024
the setup�
It started ten years ago when C. accidentally sent T. an email meant for his calculus teacher on Valentine’s Day. They got a little chatty about it with T. admitting that the email was the only one she’d received from a guy. One year later on February 14, C. sent T. a Happy Valentine’s Day email greeting and that began an annual tradition. Their “rules� didn’t allow the reveal of names, locations or much personal identifying information.
the heart of the story�
I wasn’t going to bother with this short story but it’s hard for me to pass up anything by this writing team. Despite the “You’ve Got Mail� similarity, I knew their angle would have some interesting distinctions and it does! Imagine going ten years, beginning in high school, keeping up this kind of communication. Loved it.
the narration�
Loved that two narrators were used, especially given the form of dialogue and communication. Both sounded youthful in the beginning but more mature as the story progressed. I enjoyed their performance.
the bottom line�
My instincts were right and I had a good time with this fun “meet-cute.� I loved what brought them face to face and everything in between.
Posted on
It started ten years ago when C. accidentally sent T. an email meant for his calculus teacher on Valentine’s Day. They got a little chatty about it with T. admitting that the email was the only one she’d received from a guy. One year later on February 14, C. sent T. a Happy Valentine’s Day email greeting and that began an annual tradition. Their “rules� didn’t allow the reveal of names, locations or much personal identifying information.
the heart of the story�
I wasn’t going to bother with this short story but it’s hard for me to pass up anything by this writing team. Despite the “You’ve Got Mail� similarity, I knew their angle would have some interesting distinctions and it does! Imagine going ten years, beginning in high school, keeping up this kind of communication. Loved it.
the narration�
Loved that two narrators were used, especially given the form of dialogue and communication. Both sounded youthful in the beginning but more mature as the story progressed. I enjoyed their performance.
the bottom line�
My instincts were right and I had a good time with this fun “meet-cute.� I loved what brought them face to face and everything in between.
Posted on
March 21, 2025
4.5 stars
Are we still going to be emailing each other from the same couch on Valentine’s Day in fifty years?
Without question.
I love this novella. I love the characters. I love their emails. I love them. I love LOVE like this so much!
Are we still going to be emailing each other from the same couch on Valentine’s Day in fifty years?
Without question.
I love this novella. I love the characters. I love their emails. I love them. I love LOVE like this so much!
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