This was my first novella that I have read by 831 stories, but I can already tell that it isn't going to be my last. I thought this was an entertaining read that had more depth than I anticipated for a novella. It was a super quick read, which I appreciated, almost like a palate cleanser after some heavier reads that I have participated in this month. I appreciated out main character Naina's growth over the story. It is obvious that she had some demons and trauma from her past, and I felt like by the end of the novella the reader could appreciate that she was putting effort into maturing and working through her problems. I wish we got a bit more of the romance element and sometimes the writing was lacking a bit of heart, but overall I did have fun reading it. I definitely enjoyed this one, and look forward to more novellas in these series in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

3.5/5

This was an interesting story! I enjoyed the way the author grappled with the fluidity of sexuality and the complicated feelings that can come along with that. I found both main characters to be frustrating at times and underdeveloped but overall I enjoyed the plot!

*3.5* Thank you NetGalley & 831 Stories for this ARC!

Barath portrays the very real struggle of your mid 20’s in this novella- whether you’re grieving a life that once was, navigating your identity, or just getting too drunk & feeling jealous! While I related to Naina in many ways, her relationship with David felt sooo toxic! It was like the characters were on the edge of a breakthrough about unhealthy cycles & relationships the entire time, then just hurdled to this conclusion following Christian’s accident. This made it hard for me to root for them, but I guess it also gave these characters a very realistic & complex relationship. I think I just would have liked some more self realizations from the two of them before the end. The writing is great in this one, though, and I felt Naina’s struggles like my own! I think fans of Sally Rooney would really enjoy this!!

While I loved how this book explores how tense, exciting, and emotional the start of a relationship can be the main characters just didn’t pull me in. I was never particularly rooting for them. And Naina’s immaturity really turned me off of her.

I do think the author did such a good job making the reader feel the feelings of a situationship and how intense those beginning feelings of like are. They also did a great job exploring sexuality and I loved that Naina was exploring too.

Consider me an 831Stories super fan and stay tuned for more reviews of their upcoming releases.
These diverse, contemporary romance novellas offer a new take on our favorite tropes. This friends to lovers story is built on emotional vulnerability and acceptance of flaws. The NYC creatives scene wasn’t my preferred setting, but I appreciated the realistic dialogue and inner monologue of the female main character.

Note: I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher in order to review.

Another winner from 831 Stories. The story was less funny than I expected from the title, with some serious angst on the part of the FMC who was struggling to find herself as a single adult in NYC and discovering she wanted to go different directions than expected. Sweet, tender, realistic.

This was a short story that felt relatable and realistic. It was a great balance of lightheartedness and depth. I enjoyed the main characters journey and her struggle to find identity in more ways than one.

I’ve been a fan of 831 Stories since I was first introduced to the imprint — a “modern romantic fiction company”? YES, PLEASE. And after reading their upcoming release Comedic Timing by Upasna Barath, I can confirm that they are peddling magic, one love story at a time.

Comedic Timing follows Naina, who broke up with her girlfriend, moved to NYC and is very much just trying to figure it all out. When she meets David and discovers an unexpected attraction, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about herself. Cue the identity crisis.

Upasna’s writing is engaging from the start and these characters will burrow their way into your heart one charming, funny, honest moment at a time. She doesn’t shy away from the big messy feelings that leave us all unsteady at times, deftly navigating the nuances of grief, fear, hope and love. This book felt like a big exhale for the breath you didn’t know you were holding. In a word, it is lovely. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Comedic Timing by Upasna Barath comes out on 1/28.

A huge thank you to @831storieshq and @netgalley for the ARC! And if you haven’t checked out 831 Stories, do yourself a favor and remedy that, stat.

This short story follows Naina as she moves to New York and deals with her relationship struggles. She has just been broken up with and is navigating dating.

This is super short, only about 170 pages but is oddly slow-paced (likely due to the content of the book).

This book feels incredibly mundane and ordinary. This is just watching the ordinary life of an ordinary person. Yes, that makes this a relatable story for many readers, I'm sure, but it is kind of boring because of that. I'm a reader that reads for escapism, this doesn't really fill that need for me. But I do know that a lot of people love that kind of read, they want that relatability, so I can see a lot of people enjoying this. And because it is so short, you can speed through it in one sitting if you wanted to!

Bi representation.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I enjoyed this book and found myself wanting to keep reading, but there were some complexities that I felt like would have been better if they could have been addressed in a full-length novel.

This can be summed up as “Naina makes many decisions, for better and worse….”

This book is the epitome of messy bisexual and i had a hell of a good time with it! The emotional growth is so integral to the story and it makes the book that much stronger. The prose is funny and light, but talks about heavier topics in really profound ways. While I disagreed with some of Naina’s choices, I loved seeing her journey!

I had conflicting feelings about this book. On one hand, I read it in one sitting because I did not want to put it down. On the other hand, both main characters, but especially Naina, did some things that reallllllly pissed me off. While this story is probably realistic to life in the 21st century, I didn’t find it to be that romantic.

Thank you to 831 Stories and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Comedic Timing was a really enjoyable depiction of what it feels like to be in your 20s and in a new city. The novella explores friendship, sexuality, work, and romance in a very realistic way. I haven’t read many novellas in the past, but I think this might be a sign for me to delve into more of 831 Stories’ works and other novellas as well.

The story is set in NYC and follows Naina as she leaves Chicago to start a new life. At times, I found myself shouting at Naina (the female lead) for her self-sabotaging tendencies, but at the same time, I couldn’t be too mad at her actions. Many of her thought processes felt incredibly realistic—things that people in relationships are often guilty of in the moment. However, with the book being so short, I did spend a good portion of it wanting to shake some sense into her!

Her main love interest David, on the other hand, was a chef’s kiss. He was so relatable, laid-back, and completely believable as someone Naina would fall in love with. Overall, this was a great short read!

I loved every bit of Big Fan, my first foray into 831 Stories brand. This one, however, just didn’t connect with me. I would not necessary classify this as much of a romance. There was sex but this was more so just a story about the stress and anxiety of starting a relationship with the backdrop of grief and loss and confusion with a fmc who was immature and lashed out and reacted so poorly in almost every interaction I just wasn’t behind the romance aspect. Was this a realistic portrayal of a flawed couple starting dating? Maybe so but not necessarily one I enjoyed reading about. 3⭐️

Thank you to 831 Stories for the Advanced Reader Copy! Every time I read an 831 Stories title, I too feel a little read and Comedic Timing is no exception.

The friendship between main characters Naina and David is the sweetest - they become writing partners, have sleepovers, cook for each other, and reflect on their lives and relationships together. While both characters are rather self aware, they struggle to translate their reflections into their behavior (ouch, a little too relatable there...).

I especially delighted in this story given friends to lovers is my favorite trope <3 and given Naina! Our FMC is one of few fictional Indian women I've encountered who openly feels and expresses anger - her reactive nature reminded me a bit of Devi from Never Have I Ever. Naina is bisexual and navigating being into a man for the first time - she's questioning how this impacts her queer identity and her/others understanding of it.

I also adored the tenderness and care portrayed in this story between roommates, new co-workers, and long distance friends <3 After reading Comedic Timing, I can't help but examine how I respond when I feel vulnerable and wish for a "friends-to-lovers thing" of my own!

Like 831 Stories’ other novellas, Comedic Timing is a tightly-written romance about two complicated people who manage to find love by admitting to and overcoming their flaws. At times, the characters feel flawed enough to make me a little uncomfortable as a reader—are they good people? Do they deserve to find love? But I think Barath is successful in persuading the reader that yes, they are, despite the mistakes they make along the way. I really enjoyed Comedic Timing with its setting, lovable side characters (can we get another story about Christian and Chloe, please?), and thoughtful friends-to-lovers growth between the two main characters, as well as the delightful friendships with other characters.

Naina has just moved to NYC and is off a 5 yr relationship. This novella is full of exploration of sexuality and identity, along with, still figuring out past trauma. She is trying to figure out her feelings for David and what that all means. We get great side coworkers and friends as well. Also, we get a side of NYC life in your 20s/30s.

These novellas from 831 pack a punch, don’t hold back and are fresh and new romance stories. Can’t wait for more of them.

Thank you for the opportunity to review! I'm excited to read anything from 831 but now I can also say that I'm excited to read anything Upasna Barath! This was lovely and I very much enjoyed how New York was present.

i really do wish this was a full length novel with the amount of topics being covered in this! there was so much to unpack and go deeper into but the short length really brought it down a bit with the rushed pacing. overall it was still an enjoyable read and i'll definitely keep picking up future 831 stories releases!

I respect the exploration of sexuality in the story because that is under-represented for the genre and romance is for everyone (there, I said it!). Content-wise, this has enough going on that it could have been a full length novel. Without the space to fully unpack a lot of what was happening, this read as disorganized, chaotic, and whiplashy. Naina is going through a quarter-life crisis characterized by impulsivity - the breakup, the move, the job, the drugs. None of that really gets fleshed out before she dives into this situationship with David, which feels like it has a stark maturity mismatch as a result of *gestures vaguely*. They have chemistry and I love a good friends-to-lovers story, OK? But the relationship between those two feels implausible toward the end - Sweet David seems like a pretty emotionally well adjusted adult and letting Naina in (after she hurt him!!) is like RE-inviting a bull into a china shop. David, love yourself.

I really like what 831 Stories is doing, brand-wise. I'm looking forward to seeing what other books they release next - this one just wasn't for me. Thank you to 831 Stories and Net Galley for the ARC!