The perfect romance for every reader with a Letterboxd account and AMC A-list. A Jonathan Bailey-esque heartthrob falls for a bad-ass Hollywood set designer and ends up being the epitome of 'if he wanted to, he would'.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"Set Piece" by Lana Schwartz is the latest romance novella from 831 Stories. The plot is breezy, trope-y, and concise. Our main characters, CJ, a set designer, and Jack, an actor, have a steamy one-night stand, go their separate ways, and then reunite years later on a movie set. I appreciated that they acted like adults and had concrete relationship conflicts and constraints. The side characters were charming and contributed to my overall enjoyment of the book.

Another quick, steamy read from 831 stories. What I love about this publishing house is how fresh and bold their writers’ voices are and this is no different. This novella reeled me in right away and kept me entertained throughout. I enjoyed that we got vignettes of different stages of their relationship. However, this book had way too many pop culture references for my taste. I understand that they both worked in Hollywood but it felt like celebrity names were thrown in every 2 pages, which will make this book feel very dated, very fast.

This was a fun quick read. It was light and enjoyable off the bat. I thought the connection between CJ and Jack was a little quick, but I get that’s part of a shorter book. I liked them together and the realistic choices they made. I do think some of the discussion of show biz work could get a little dense. I liked the most of it for the building of the characters but I think it took away from the romance aspect of it sometimes. Would still recommend to tons of friends.


3.5/5

Set Piece by Lana Schwartz is another fantastic release from 831 Stories! I was thrilled to receive an ARC from NetGalley and 831 Stories, and this book did not disappoint.

This novella was a quick, fun, and sexy read that delivered everything I love about 831’s books—a well-paced, fully developed story in a shorter format that never feels rushed or underdeveloped. The chemistry and banter between CJ and Jack were sharp and engaging, and I loved the way the book balanced romance with deeper themes like grief, gender discrimination, and single parenthood.

I appreciated the twist on the “celebrity/normal person” trope—CJ is no mere bystander to Jack’s fame but an industry professional in her own right. Her journey as a production designer felt real and fully fleshed out, and I especially loved the old Hollywood callbacks and behind-the-scenes elements of her work on The Great Gatsby remake.

The romance itself felt mature and grounded. CJ and Jack’s connection wasn’t just about attraction; it was about understanding, respect, and timing. The book also gave us a fantastic supporting cast—CJ’s family, Agnes and Stuart, were such a warm presence, and the way Jack integrated into her world made the romance even more compelling.

Overall, Set Piece was a truly enjoyable, well-rounded novella. It had all the steam and swoon-worthy moments I wanted, but it also had depth and emotional stakes. 831 Stories continues to impress me with its ability to tell high-quality, nuanced romance stories in a condensed format, and I can’t wait to see what they publish next.

Thank you to 831 Stories and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Un encuentro casual deja a una estrella de televisión y a una mesera con ganas de más, pero la vida se interpone en el camino.

Este libro se sintió como una de esas películas románticas de los 2000 de la mejor manera posible, a pesar de que es corto se logra conectar con los personajes y termina siendo una muy linda historia. En resumen la pasé muy bien leyéndolo y me gustaría leer más de la autora.

This was SUCH a ride and I loved it.

Hot, emotional, uplifting-- we love a man who has all the eyes on him, except for the ones he really wants.

CJ & Jack have such a believable story, with a pinch of Hollywood magic, to make you kick your feet and grin at the page.

I devoured this novella and had so much fun reading it. If you loved Nora goes off Script you’ll love this one. It was a solid 4 star for me until the last chapter. The ending felt abrupt I need a few more of their “issues” resolved. I literally turned the page expecting it to have 1 more chapter. However, I would still recommend for anyone wanting a fun movie star romance.

I was super excited for this book. I have and will continue to read everything 831stories publishes. But, sadly, this one just didn't do it for me.

I never really felt connected to either of the main characters. They felt flat and one-dimensional, and consequently, so did their relationship. I didn't feel any depth of emotion or longing—things that made the previous 831 titles so engaging. What did they actually see in the other?? Their romance was so underdeveloped that I couldn't really buy into it, especially with the time jump that left so much undsaid.

The overall plot felt a little too meandering for a novella. In 200 pages it's gotta be tight and snappy. And the ending was so abrupt that I re-read the last few pages several times because I felt like I must have missed some indication that things were about to wrap up.

Thank you 831 Stories for the e-arc of this book! This is my first book published by them, by this author and also my first book I’ve read being apart of their ambassador program, team 831!

This is Novella was everything that I wanted. I just ate this UP. It was a celebrity romance, it was a second chance, and it just felt really real. I thought both characters were great, Jack is the actor and CJ is a bartender when they first meet. I won’t spoil what happens, but seeing these two find their way back to each other just made me smile. I was cheesing hard while reading this.

Novellas are sometimes hard to nail, they can sometimes feel underdeveloped or too quick, but the pacing of this story felt right. There was enough time for you to care about the characters, they had emotional depth and you were just really rooting for them in the end.

I can’t wait to read more stories from 831!

Thank you NetGalley, and 831 Stories for this ARC!

I thought this book had promise! The premise was interesting to me, and it was definitely better than the last book I read from 831 Stories.

I hate to say it though, but it was a little boring and only just okay. I wish I was able to connect with these characters a bit better, but in the end they just fell flat.

It took me a long time to get through, but if you love a short story about movie stars falling in love with us regular people than I’d say maybe consider this one?

3 stars.

I love what 831 stories is doing in the romance genre! These novellas always feel like a full story and it blows my mind every time.
This one fell flat for me because I didn’t love either main character. Overall, it was still a quick, fun read just not my favorite.

831 Stories knocks is out of the park again with a celebrity/normie LA based romance. Lana Schwartz manages to create depth of emotion and a fantastic, balanced spicy love story that will make you swoon.

The premise surrounds a celebrity actor playing Nick in a buzzy upcoming adaptation of The Great Gatsby and CJ the set designer.

This is a novella--only 200 pages. I read it in a single sitting. I wouldn't read the synopsis or reviews. Go in blind and enjoy the ride.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm a big fan of celebrity romances but they HAVE to be well written and draw me into a Hollywood that feels real and believable. I do think it was interesting choice to create celebrities for this world but then also use real names and places for things it took me out of the story sometimes. (ex. Horses doesnt exist anymore because they had their own scandal) I also wished we had an extra chapter that focused on CJ and Jack after their one night stand, I couldnt place why that one interaction from 5 years ago was still on his mind all those years later. I did really enjoy the found family trope that Jack found with CJ and crew. I'm still kinda low key upset that there wasnt a groveling scene. I'd read more from this universe tho.

Thank you NetGalley and 831 Stories for this arc!

This was a short but, really enjoyable read for me. I like the Hollywood setting and how it was out there but also private. I also enjoyed the romance between CJ and Jack. It wasn't over the top and felt almost like a normal relatiosnhip.

Spice was perfect and the pace was better then most "novellas". Cant wait to read more stories from 831!!!

Fit many tropes into a small book: Celebrity / normal person romance , second chance , coworker
Great chemistry between the characters for a novella where most action happens off page. Stuart was the best character and loved living in the world of Hollywood with a focus in seeing more than just acting. The conflict was frustrating at times as it seemed characters were making decisions out of character for previous Conversations.

Thankyou to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC.

I really wanted to like the story but unfortunately it felt like random events occurring between two good looking people. There is barely any emotion in the book, CJ has a daughter but I almost forgot about it because she's busy being attracted to Jack. They're attracted to each other's appearance. That's it. They had a hook up once, five years ago, and they fell in love immediately? What? DNF at 50% because the story is just not going anywhere and it isn't interesting. The characters personalities fall flat. The sexual tension has no chemistry whatsoever. It's a boring read.

This was a cute read! I liked the premise and the meeting years later is always fun. I personally was a little annoyed at the timing of the conflict and the reasoning and can fully see it being a huge deterrent for some readers but I am willing to overlook it given that I could understand where it came from. Thank you 831 Stories for the early copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for this ARC! I am always a fan of celebrity/normie romances and this didn’t disappoint. Jack is just joining the Hollywood crowd when he meets bartender Cara. After a one night fling, they don’t see each other for 5 years when they end up on the same movie project. Feelings haven’t changed and there are multiple swoony moments. It was a little heavy on the behind the scenes of the entertainment industry, but the main characters distracted me plenty.

Novellas from 831 never fail to disappoint and this one nails the famous/non famous dynamic perfectly. This includes a hot British actor, a single mom going after her dreams, a sassy four year old, and an eccentric grandfather.