REVIEW Drop, Cover, and Hold On (The Improbable Meet Cute #4) by Jasmine Guillory

Drop, Cover and Hold On (The Improbable Meet Cute #4) by Jasmine Guillory
Rating: 3 Stars
Release Date: January 23, 2024
Format: Audiobook (Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories

Jasmine Guillory’s addition to The Improbable Meet Cute series, Drop, Cover and Hold On, was a nice read (but didn’t have the same wow factor as some of the other books). I really did like the premise and the storyline (two complete opposites get stuck together in a bakery, courtesy of an earthquake). It’s a cute and flirty interaction that was very relatable, and they have some fun banter as Harris has to make his advances and feelings toward Daisy blatantly obvious as previous gestures went completely over her head (I too, would have probably tried to return and pay for extra pastries that I didn’t buy that mysteriously made their way into my bag). I think my issue with the story was the length. I wanted more of Daisy and Harris - especially getting to see the actual ‘meet cute’ moment (instead of just hearing about it hindsight). Without more meat to the story, the whole miscommunication aspect of their relationship got painfully awkward at times and resolved a bit too quickly for my tastes. 

Overall, Drop, Cover and Hold On was an entertaining book for the length. Audiobook narrator Aure Nash did a great job bringing Daisy and Harris’ story to life with their performance. While this book wasn’t my favorite, I’ve been convinced in Ms. Guillory’s writing abilities such that I’ll be checking out her full length novels (she produced a very fun, fast paced story with compelling characters and lots of tropes). If you want a quick read that has things like forced proximity, grumpy x sunshine, and ‘he falls first’ insta love, you should definitely check out this book. 

REVIEW Rosie and the Dreamboat (The Improbable Meet Cute #3) by Sally Thorne

Rosie and the Dreamboat (The Improbable Meet Cute #3) by Sally Thorne
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Release Date: January 23, 2024
Format: eBook and Audiobook (Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 

Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne was another cute and short romance novella addition to The Improbable Meet Cute series through Amazon. A little bit more out of the box than the first two books, the story was incredibly well done for something that starts in the middle of the action (a.k.a. focusing only on the meet cute, not necessarily getting to see the full romance play out). 

Rosie meets her love interest, dreamboat firefighter Leo, after she gets stuck in a sensory deprivation pod at a spa that won’t open. Since the spa owners refuse to let the firefighters damage their very expensive equipment before trying all other options, Leo is the designated person to keep Rosie calm as she awaits her rescue. Leo is an adorable cinnamon roll of a human being with a great sense of humor, and it was cool to see them get to know each other over the course of the hours she spends locked in that tank without the aid of a physical first impression. The conversation was really meaningful and deep for being such a lighthearted book, and I was invested (like Rosie was) in getting to see what Leo actually looked like. The final scene where they get to see each other face to face was super cute, and well worth the wait. 

Overall, this was another great short story, and perfect for those who want something they can finish in an afternoon. I really hope Rosie and Leo get to live happily ever after together! 

REVIEW Worst Wingman Ever (The Improbable Meet-Cute #2) by Abby Jimenez

Worst Wingman Ever (The Improbable Meet-Cute #2) by Abby Jimenez
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Release Date: January 23, 2024
Format: eBook + Audiobook (Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 

Abby Jimenez’ contribution to the Amazon Original Stories The Improbable Meet-Cute series, Worst Wingman Ever, was an emotional novella. With both a heartwarming romance and heartbreaking loss, the author makes readers feel the emotions in the very short read (only about 60 ebook pages). 

For such a short story, I was amazed to see how well the storyline was developed and how well the characters are developed. Holly and John are both going through a lot in their life - Holly is a hospice nurse who has to watch her grandmother die and John is recovering from a recent break up. They interact with each other through a series of notes left on Holly’s car; it was cute to see how the notes ranged from thoughtful wisdom (courtesy of Holly’s grandmother) to banter and laugh out loud humor. It was also amazing to see how the author dealt with some heavy topics while retaining the lightness one would expect from a romantic comedy read. 

Overall, Worst Wingman Ever was a great short story. Perfect for those who want a romance they can finish in an afternoon. Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber did an excellent job bringing the characters’ perspectives to life with their performance in the audiobook. As with Christina Lauren’s novella in this series, I really appreciate that the story was wrapped up well and I wasn’t left feeling like it needed more. While this is the first book I’ve read by Abby Jimenez, I look forward to checking out more of her books in the future. 

REVIEW The Exception to the Rule (The Improbable Meet Cute #1) by Christina Lauren

The Exception to the Rule (The Improbable Meet Cute #1) by Christina Lauren

Rating: 5 Stars

Release Date: January 23, 2024

Format: eBook + Audiobook (Kindle Unlimited)

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories

Christina Lauren’s newest novella length read, The Exception to the Rule, is a super cute and adorable story. Perfect for completing in an afternoon (with the length being at about 2 hours for listening or 100 e-reader pages), I found myself invested in the story very quickly. While the first half of the story is told in emails with short interactions over the course of years before the main characters even know each other’s names (let alone meet in person), I never found it jarring or off putting. In fact, I think the audiobook narrators Marli Watson and Andrew Gibson did a great job bringing Terra and Callum’s messages to life in a very authentic way. With the inevitable meeting taking years to come to fruition, there was a lot of delayed gratification (for both myself and T/C) but it was well worth the wait. I also want to note how much I appreciate the way the authors wrapped up the story (which doesn’t always happen with novellas); it felt complete and they even threw in an epilogue with a glimpse of life in the future for the two love birds which was a nice touch.  

If you’re already a fan of Christina Lauren’s work or just a fan of swoon-worthy, meet-cute stories filled with tropes in general, I highly recommend this book. I’m looking forward to checking out the other stories in The Improbable Meet Cute series as soon as possible. 

About the Authors

Yes, there are two of us! Christina (on the left) and Lauren (on the right).

Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners and best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The #1 international bestselling coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together has produced eighteen New York Times bestselling novels. They are published in over 30 languages, have received multiple starred reviews, won both the Seal of Excellence and Book of the Year from RT Magazine, been inducted into the Library Reads Hall of Fame, named Amazon and Audible Romance of the Year, a Lambda Literary Award finalist and been nominated for several Goodreads Choice Awards. They have been featured in publications such as Forbes, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Time, Entertainment Weekly, People, O Magazine and more. Their third YA novel, Autoboyography was released in 2017 to critical acclaim, followed by Roomies, Love and Other Words, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, The Unhoneymooners, In a Holidaze, and The Soulmate Equation and Something Wilder.

Lauren Billings (but everyone calls her Lo) has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and before she made writing her full-time job, would spend her days doing nerdy research-type things wearing a lab coat and goggles. She is silly Mommy to two littles, wife to one mountain biking homebrewing scientist, and an unabashed lover of YA and romance.

Christina Hobbs (but you’ll always hear Lo call her PQ) used to spend her days in a junior high counseling office surrounded by teenagers. These days you can find her at her desk, writing, or watching BTS videos. She lives in Utah with her husband and daughter, thinks she’s the luckiest person in the world to write books with her best friend, and is an unapologetic lover of boy bands and glitter.

Credit Brystan Studios/Lori Brystan.