I loved this story! Each of the characters was so well developed and I loved the personal growth they had to do in order to come together and make their relationship work. I'd love to see this Gatsby adaptation come to life!

This was the second book in the 831 Stories series I read and I loved it so much! I would have happily read a longer book with these characters but also felt like a lot was accomplished in this short format and it worked well. I felt a real connection with the characters and there was quite a bit of plot and tension.

I love books that give you a glimpse in to Hollywood and really enjoyed the production design aspect -- that felt very unique to me and not a perspective we often get to read.

I loved both CJ and Jack, and Jack was so swoony. I loved the side characters, especially CJ's father and daughter.

I'm excited to read more by Lana Schwartz and the others in the 831 Stories series -- I love the idea of it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

A funny, loving and real love story that had me giggling and crying at the same time. Loved how the relationship between the characters grew and evolved and the amazing glimpses the author gave us of movie making and hollywood. Also very much enjoeyd the real life aspects that were included like real name actors, movies and moments.

My biggest complaint about some romance books is that they are too long and there is not alot of romantic development. "Set Piece" packs itself to the brim with romantic interactions and tension with less than 200 pages. I had a lot of fun with this. Both Jack and CJ have chemistry that doesn't feel forced and were both very mature. They both needed to grow and re-realize their priorities when they come into each others lives again and it was so satisfying to watch. I'm personally not a big fan of celebrity romances but here Jack is a real person who knows he's flawed. I look forward to re-reading this either on a Friday night in or when I need a rom-com I can read.

I so loved the idea of this book! Set designer CJ meets hot new heartthrob Jack and they have an unforgettable one night stand, only to find out that they’re working on the same Great Gatsby remake four years later. He’s now our fav leading man, and she’s a badass single mom. I loved the plot of this book, loved the writing, the spice was soooo good, and the characters were fantastic. 831 Stories has continued to put out consistently solid novellas (this one is my second fav), and the writers are so talented at fitting so much into so few pages.

The only place where this book lost me was the niche movie industry and film history aspects. It’s clear that Lana Schwartz is knowledgeable, passionate, and so smart about the industry. I am none of those things, and I found myself getting bogged down in it a little bit. I took quite a few Wikipedia breaks, so on the plus side, I learned a lot! But it made the story feel clunkier and slower for me.

I would absolutely recommend reading this book, and I am so excited for the fanfic about Jack and CJ!!

Thanks to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the eARC!!

I'm going to eat up an 831 Stories book every single time. Mix in some second chance romance and celebrity/normal person? Made for me.

While I felt at times that the story was moving or jumping really fast, I had to tell myself that that was simply the nature of this book. All in all, I had a lot of fun reading this and am excited to dig into the epilogue!

831 Stories just know exactly how to do it

This is my second read from them and one I knew I was instantly going to love from the synopsis ! After reading the arc for 'Exit Lanes' a couple months ago, I was straight to buying the first three books they had dropped - their social media presence is just 10/10 and it's so much more than just the books ! I want to be immersed in the 831 world

The characters of CJ and Jack are so realistic and mature. I love books that are dialogue heavy and this one had so much rich dialogue between the two main characters that their relationship just feels so real. Even being set within the film industry, the storylines don't feel out of reach or unrealistic, and the problems the characters face are very human.

Very heavy 'Romantic Comedy' by Curtis Sittenfeld vibes which was one of my favourite reads from last year !

Thank you to 831 Stories and NetGalley for this arc !!

*All opinions are my own !!*

Absolutely loved this! The characters and story sucked me in right away and this was the perfect book to get me out of a reading slump. I could not recommend this more for a great summer read.

4.5 ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher 831 Stories Romance for the e-book version of this book in exchange of an honesty review!
This was such a good book!! I was a little scary of the pacing the book would have as it is a fairly short, around 160 pages, but I have to say that in my opinion it was done so well.
In this book we are following CJ and Jack's love story. Jack is a British actor who lunched to fame unexpectedly and just got an important role in yet another Gatsby adaptation. While CJ is a production designer in the same film and a single mom. They met once before years ago, yet neither forgot each other and the night they shared.
I loved the story and the characters, and if you are a cinephile especially of older movies, then you will definitely enjoy all those little discussions between the character sprinkle throughout the book :)

thank you to netgalley for the e-arc. I WANT A SERIES!! this book was a quick yet satisfying and hot story. if this was the author's debut, i can't wait for the next one. i appreciated CJ and Jack coming back together despite the years between and the literal distance between them. CJ having a child didn't take away from the story, it enhanced the vibe of them needing to be a family together. jack was multi-dimensional and not just a dumb man of an actor.

4.5⭐️ Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book. This book follows Jack and CJ as a second-chance romance with a twist. I enjoyed this book! I have never read an 831 story before, but I definitely will be reading more. This was fast paced and such a good palate cleanser. One of my niche things that I like in books is when characters are passionate about something, and in this book it was movies, and I love movies. So hearing all the movie talk was fun! I wish this were longer so we could have seen the relationship grow and expand. I really could just read 200 more pages of the two of them. Their journey was really fun and just made me really happy to read! Overall, I highly recommend this book not only for people who love second chance romance but also for people who love a good celebrity/normal person read. Thank you again to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!!

This was so much fun and such a good read!! I am so glad that 831 is taking on these shorter, wonderful romance reads.

I loved the writing in this and how we actually see two characters have separate lives and careers and how they just want to make it work with each other. I loved the realness of our FMC and the simp our MMC turns into (but honesty, he always was).

For fans of anything short n sweet, instant infatuation, second chance (if you can call it that?), and just all things great that are found in romances.

Another banger from 831 stories that paints the story between a young bartender/aspiring production designer and the star on the very precipice of his stardom. They have one night together and find themselves both working on the same set five years later and that spark is still there. I ate this book up - the chemistry between Jack and CJ is incredible. I found that we got a bit more depth from CJ in terms of her relationships outside of Jack but I still liked how he fit into her world.

Set Piece is a quick, fun romance novella set against the backdrop of Hollywood filmmaking. This second-chance, celeb/non-celeb romance will have you kicking your feet whenever TV and movie star Jack Felgate makes a romantic gesture towards production designer CJ. They have chemistry, but are their lives too different to make it work? You'll love finding out.

This was a cute, quick little romance. I love these novellas from 831 stories. This story of a set designer falling in love with a British actor (I kept picturing Jonathan Bailey) was exactly what happened in my 12 year old mind when I imagined what it was going to be like working in movies. Really loved this and will recommend!

Short and sweet romance novels are definitely the vibes these days, and this story did not disappoint!

Jack and CJ's story was a second-chance twist, where although they didn't have a past relationship, they did have a one-time connection in the past that didn't go anywhere, and now the universe is giving them a second chance at love.

I loved the dynamics between these two, and I liked how adult this love story felt. The characters were complex, with depth to their personal lives, and both were interesting characters to me outside of the context of one another.

My only gripe with this was the third act breakup but thankfully these two finally got it together!

Looking forward to more 831 stories!

Thank you 831 Stories and net galley for an eARC copy of this story in exchange for an honest review!

Short stories can be really hard to pull off, especially in the romance genre but this was super cute. I felt the connection & chemistry and linearly, it made sense! Would've loved to read a longer version. 3-5-4ish stars

Happy Pub Day, Set Piece! I like to read these @831storieshq totally blind. I have no idea what the plot is before opening them, so I expected this one to be tennis smut…but it’s my other fave genre…Celeb Romance!!! PS- Hey 831, I’d love some tennis smut, so consider “serving” us some of that in the future! K, thanks.

CJ is a set designer and who is also working as a bartender when up and coming British actor and hottie, Jack strolls into her bar. One thing leads to another and they defile said bar, which I believe is the dream of every bartender ever born. 5 years pass and CJ and Jack meet up again on set, where they are both working. Jack is immediately obsessed (which I am here for) and CJ tries to play it cool, but obvi wants to get in this fine man’s pants again.

Like all of 831 stories, this is such a nice little read. What I love about these stories is that they are so dependable- I know I am going to get a smartly written, solid romance with flawed, horny adults. Set Piece delivers the complications of a normy dating a celeb with low-medium spice, but great pacing and storytelling. Overall- I really like this one and as with all of the 831 stories…I def recommend for a low spice, high romance beach read!

Smut- 2.11 stars
Romance- 4.56 stars
Story- 4.72 stars
Jack taking “tip your bartender” very literally- 15.92 stars

h-o-t-t hot hot hot!!! i could probably read 1000 more pages of cj and jack’s love story! the time jumps messed with the pacing of their relationship in my head a bit but i think that’s the nature of a novella that i’m getting used to. cj and jack have oscars in my heart

A great little snack of a book filled with great characters (with big personalities and even bigger character growth) and twists and turns that keep you intrigued but ultimately rooting for Jack and CJ to bring their lives together and hold on to their love!!

Thank you NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC!