Big Fan left big shoes to fill for the following 831 releases and after being a little disappointed by the last two, I really liked Set Piece! The characters are in their mid-30s which was a nice change for a romance and it played into the celebrity/normal person (normal adjacent, they work in Hollywood) trope which is my favorite. I enjoyed the MMC’s POV chapters more than the FMC’s. The book uses a lot of topical references so I’m not sure how well it will age but that made for a fun and quick read in the moment. I’m a member of #Team831 and received a free e-ARC of the book in exchange for the review.

This was a really cute celebrity romance. I loved how there was a time jump between when the characters originally had a one night stand that led them to reunite and being a relationship. I liked all the tropes, single mom, celebrity romance, second chance, one night stand this book had it all. Super cute. Wish it was longer!

"He is constantly going viral for the cardigan he's wearing, the flowers he's buying at a market in London, the book that's peeking out of his back pocket."

Set Piece by Lana Schwartz was such a fun read—I literally dropped everything the second I got my hands on this ARC! Jack is now a full-blown TV/movie heartthrob, while CJ’s a badass single mom working to make a name for herself behind the scenes. When they’re unexpectedly reunited on a film set five years after their one-night stand? Whoa… let’s just say sparks fly🔥I loved how honest, heartwarming, and grown-up their connection and struggles felt—plus the Hollywood backdrop made it all the more fun and entertaining. It gave me Nora Goes Off Script vibes with a dash of Notting Hill charm and I was so here for it!

Read if you like:
🎬 Celebrity romances
💫 Second chance
🥵 One-night stand
👩‍👧 Single mom FMC
🇬🇧 Charming British MMC
🎥 Hollywood vibes

Another gem from 831 Stories! Set Piece drops tomorrow, May 6—go ahead and add it to your TBR, besties!

My rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️.5

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

This was such a quick, fun read! I’m not going to give a synopsis (and I recommend going in blind) because the synopsis gives away a lot of the short story. One sentence summary to pique your interest: An actor has a steamy night with a bartender, and then their paths cross again 5 years later in an unexpected way.

I really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes peek at Hollywood and the movie industry. I’m a sucker for a serendipitous reconnection, and the two main characters had undeniable chemistry. Even though it is a novella, the plot felt complete and the pacing was great. I recommend this book if you’re looking for a short rom-com. It would be a great book for anyone in a reading slump!

Thank you to Lana Schwartz, 831 Stories, and NetGalley for this e-ARC; all opinions are my own.

Read if you like:
💕 Celebrity romance
💕 Second chance romance
💕 The Great Gatsby
💕 Short rom-coms

3 stars!

The premise of this novella was very interesting. The writing was decent but it feels a bit rushed in some parts. Overall it was pretty much an enjoyable quick read!

Thank you NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’m loving what 831 Stories is doing with their romance novellas, and this book was a great addition. I thought this was a fun and flirty second chance romance with a famous person/normie. I thought the character growth was great. Jack was a perfect book boyfriend and I loved that CJ had such good growth as a character and totally redeemed herself by the end of the book.The setting was so fun! It was interesting to learn more about the set dressing portion of the movie business, which is something that I haven’t taken much into account before. I only left feeling like I wanted a bit more from the story, but I know that it is hard to do in a novella setting. Maybe a little bit more tension or more dialogue between our main characters. Overall, I enjoyed this one and look forward to more from the author and 831 Stories in the future. 3.5/5 Stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and 831 Stories for an advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

This book is from a small imprint called 831 Stories, and they put out romance novellas under 250 pages (or something like that!). I've read one before, but as you probably know romance is NOT my genre, and wasn't wowed. I was midway through another book and enjoying it so much I felt like I needed to slow down, so I read this in between. And it was great! It uses the second chance romance and normal person/celebrity romance tropes quite expertly, so if either of those generally work for you give it a try. CJ is working as a bartender while she pursues her dream of being a Hollywood set designer, when she helps big time TV actor Jack out of an awkward fan interaction one night. They share a hot and steamy night together, then don't reconnect until five years later when they're working on the same movie together, a Great Gatsby adaptation. Their romance was believable, which is usually my gripe with romance, and the characters read like real people. This was a quick and entertaining read, if you need something like that I'd recommend

Hello, Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I enjoyed it as a romance with an FMC that has many layers. The insta-attraction made sense since it is a novella and the film sets were cool. There were certain small aspects I felt were unrealistic. For instance the first hookup scene happened at a bar and I’ve worked at quite a few bars and they all have cameras for security reasons. But overall I enjoyed it and thought it made sense since sometimes you meet someone, know they meant something that could have been more, and hope to see them again. I’ve reviewed it on goodreads and my TikTok, linked below.

I have been really enjoying all these shorter love stories from 831 Stories! They’re fun and easy to read and get through in one sitting, and “Set Piece” did not disappoint. This is a second chance celebrity romance between the lead actor, Jack, and a set designer, CJ when they meet again on a movie set. Despite it being a shorter novel, I found the characters well-developed and likeable, and their chemistry was incredibly sexy and believable. I was giddy the entire time reading about their romance, and I highly recommend. I cannot wait to read more from 831 Stories!

Thank you to 831 Stories and NetGalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so thoughtful and fun to read! I always enjoy the titles put out by 831 because they're not too long, not too short but just right! Set Piece makes a wonderful addition to their line up and if you've enjoyed other stories from this publisher I feel strongly that you'll enjoy this one too.

The concept of for this book had me hooked right from the get go!

I absolutely loved both Jack and CJ characters I thought they were both well thought out and that they had good chemistry. I love Jack's willingness to fit himself into CJ's life and him encouraging her to follow her dreams. I thought CJ's character did such a good job at advocating for herself! She put her daughter first but also acknowledged that she has wants and desires and she makes it work!

I thought it was big of CJ (even though she was mad) to tell Jack to do the movie, even though he wanted to give it up after their misunderstanding.

Thank you so much to 831 Stories and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Received as an ARC through NetGalley. I liked the premise of the story but felt a bit rushed and one of the main characters was a bit annoying. However, there was character growth in the end. Overall decent read and would recommend.

This is movie nerd romance, and that’s okay but there were too many references to cinema things in a 130-ish pages of story which can be alienating if you don’t get them. There were parts of this which were really warm and lovely and parts of this book where I couldn’t really get myself to care about the characters. The writing was decent. I wouldn’t say this was for me, but I can see people enjoying this for what it is!

Thanks to 831 Stories and NetGalley for this gifted arc in exchange for my honest opinion! #team831

What a delightful novella! I sometimes struggle with novellas, because every scene, interaction, and word is intentional to the story and jumps happen without always having context. But this time, Lana was masterful in building a story where every thing makes sense. The story flows through every jump in location and time, and we are able to see how the connection between CJ and Jack flows throughout each and every interaction.

CJ is quite possibly a delight on page. She is tenacious, bold, and she knows exactly what she wants to do with her life as a production designer. However, as she is starting work on her big break on the set of The Great Gatsby, the role of Nick has been now offered to a man she met 5 years ago in a bar, Jack Felgate. And their chemistry from that night hasn't gone away. You can feel it in every interaction and every moment that they are willing to see what can happen.

Jack so wonderfully written and such a delight to see on page. Their issues as they arise make sense, and they always work through them either within themselves and with each other.

Overall, this was such a delightful novella from Lana Schwartz and I can't wait to read more of her work!

Did not finish this book. I didn’t love the characters and couldn’t get into the plot.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

3.5 stars. I liked this a lot more than the last new release from 831 (Comedic Timing) but something in it still didn't quite approach the highs of Hardly Strangers or Big Fan for me. It felt more like a romcom than a Romance, and some of the actual set pieces didn't quite work for me (no spoilers but the ending scene... lmao). I will go to bat for 831 any day of the week though - I love a design-forward imprint, it gets the people going.

Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC.

I devour these 831 romances like gummy clusters. They’re bite-sized, impeccably plotted, well-written, and often set in LA—all things I can’t resist. SET PIECE follows a set designer and an up-and-coming movie star who, after a brief fling five years before, are now working on the same project. Complications abound (not all of the Hollywood variety) as they attempt to see if their relationship can work in the real world.

This book is short but saturated. The images are bright and evocative. The side characters are well-drawn. The relationship deals with real obstacles and situations that take some finagling to work out—but it isn’t tortured (and that is why it’s romance instead of lit-fic). Like I said, the nerds gummy clusters of books. Once I start, I can’t stop taking handfuls until the whole bag is gone. Case in point? I started this at 1 a.m. and finished it the next morning after a scant six hours of sleep.

Bear in mind this romance is certainly open-door.

This was sooooo good! I loved how quick of a read it was and how the story progresses quickly without feeling rushed or forced. The chemistry between the characters was so good and fun!

Set Piece is sweet and snappy romance following Jack, a British actor, and CJ, a set designer/bartender. The pace is quick and the timeline jumps ahead multiple times. For such a short book, it’s built up a lot through details that didn’t quite feel relevant. I appreciated Jack’s passion for acting, CJ’s passion for set design, and both of their passion for movies, but found the constant referencing to real life actors/celebrities/movies to be pointless. The chemistry between Jack and CJ was good, and their interest in each other was believable, but the conflict at the end felt forced and obvious. It’s a very simple book that is easy to read and mostly enjoyable.

Fantastic novella between a celebrity and a production manager. Loved the characters and the tension. If you need a quick read, pick this one up.

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite of the 831 Stories imprint novellas so far! The chemistry between the protagonists was electric and I loved this take on famous person/normal person romance set in Hollywood. Inject this straight into my veins!