I recieved a copy of Exit Lane in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley!

Another satisfying read from 831 stories! This one was chunky enough to feel like a little more than a novella, but not as fluffy as a full book. I really enjoyed the premise of this book - two strangers drive cross country and then keep reconnecting over the years. This is kind of a grumpy/sunshine, with the FMC as the grumpy one.

I will say that I normally do not have qualms about characters making bad decisions, but I really struggled to forgive the FMC for what she did in the second act that causes them to break up. I suspect MANY people will have issues with it. In my mind it was truly unforgiveable, and the fact that they were able to get past it really stretched the boundaries of reality for me,

All that to say, I really did enjoy reading this one.

From the very first chapter, this book captured me in a way that no other. modern romance has.
I loved almost everything about this and the way that Erika wrote yearning was perfect and beautiful.
My only critique is that I would have loved a little more at the end to see how things played out at the wedding and afterwards

831 Stories - I love you. This was my fifth book from this imprint and another one that I enjoyed so much. Their stories are short and sweet, but with so much feeling - in Exit Lane we're following Teddy and Marin as they graduate college in Iowa and roadtrip to New York City together, kicking off a story of friendship and love spanning 8 years. This book is When Harry Met Sally for the 2020s, with a bit of People We Meet on Vacation mixed in too. Over the course of those 8 years, we meet up with them in New York, Copenhagen, and back to Iowa where it all began, as they navigate miscommunications and past traumas on their way to understanding that sometimes the scary and difficult thing is worth it. Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

3.5/5 ⭐️ I have a love/hate relationship with this story. The writing was immaculate. The yearning was there. The feelings of the characters were palpable. For the first 50-60% of this story, I thought I would give it 5 stars. However, the ending fell flat for me and the time jumps started to lose the impactfulness the more it happened. However, Erika Veurink is surely a talented writer and I look forward to seeing more from her.

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

This book will be mentioned on my TikTok account @alireadsanywhere as a part of my "Booked and Busy" summer reading series.

I really wanted to like this more as I’ve loved a lot of 831’s novellas but I was so turned off by the behavior of the female character and her issues that she desperately needed to resolve much sooner than she did. I also thought this book was lacking in some much-needed trigger warnings. I wouldn’t have read if there had been one in place..

Thanks Netgalley and 831 for the ARC..

One thing about me… I love a slow burn. Exit Lane delivers that in the best possible way. If you enjoyed People We Meet on Vacation, you're going to love this book.

The chemistry, the longing, the gradual build, it all hit the mark. The writing is emotionally rich, and the slow-burn tension kept me hooked from start to (almost) finish.

That being said, there were a couple of things that didn’t quite work for me. The main character smoking cigarettes caught me totally off guard. It’s 2025. Why are cigarettes making a comeback? Honestly, it was a turn-off. I think this might be the first romance I’ve read where a lead character smokes, and I wasn't a fan of that choice.

Also, the ending felt a bit rushed. After such a thoughtful, slow-developing relationship, I would’ve loved a more fleshed-out resolution.

Still, overall, Exit Lane is a beautifully written story with all the elements I crave in a romance. I just wish the final chapters had taken their time (and left the cigarettes behind).

Erika Veurink used these 176 pages to make me laugh, make me cry, and rooting for these two characters to desperately sort out their feelings. I had a great time.

Small but mighty! Another great short story book! Heart wrenching, and beautifully written! They seriously never miss!

Exit Lane, like many of the 831 stories novellas is small but mighty! Of all the stories I’ve read from 831, I think Teddy is my favorite MMC & paired with Marin, they gave off the perfect opposites attract energy! Given the short nature of novellas, I always worry that the plot will be rushed. Yet, Veurink delivered Teddy & Marin’s story with depth, tenderness, and a gentle reminder that growing pains will come with discomfort as much as they will come with insight. Over the course of the story, we watch their relationship as it ebbs and flows, following them throughout the years from city to city. There were at times, parts of their journey that I didn’t love, but overall I enjoyed the emotionally charged experience that came with entering Teddy & Marin’s orbit.

Thank you to 831 Stories & NetGalley for providing an e-galley in exchange for my honest review!

831 Stories continues to put out amazing novellas and this one is no different.

This is a story of two friends and their chance encounters/near misses spanning a period of 8 years. I'm impressed at the level of emotional depth and pining contained in such a short book. The characters were realistically flawed, but I always believed in their charged emotional connection and yearning despite not agreeing with their choices.

Heart wrenching, messy, and beautifully written.

Didn't know that this imprint's whole thing was romance novellas, so my issues with the brevity are my own problem! This is a story about a guy and a girl from Iowa who road trip to New York City after graduation to start their adult lives—but stop whatever romance developed between them on the drive—only to reconnect and separate as the years go by. I think the length made it a little more tricky to believe in the emotional beats, and skipping forward through time sometimes feels like cheating. Not for me, but will certainly be for a lot of people!

This book. I should have known when it was compared to One Day (which sidenote: watch that show on Netflix - it is perfection....anyway) this book wrecked me in the best way & put me back together. Starting out with a road trip from Iowa to New York where Marin basically says "see ya never" it is then told over the course of many years of Teddy & Marin running into each other & all the beautiful heart wrenching things that happen. There were a few plot points that were not my fav due to my personal preference but I can't give this book any less than 5 stars as it was just so dang good. 831 Stories are easily becoming some of my absolutely favorite books!! And this one is no different. Now excuse me while I go & read all the quotes I highlighted & swoon all over again.

I'm a sucker for a retelling of a classic like "When Harry Met Sally". However, I felt "Exit Lane" didn't quite hit the mark. It's pace was very slow to start and I had a really hard time getting into it. I still enjoyed the characters and their continual reconnecting though. I also enjoyed that you really couldn't put a an exact time frame on it. Overall, it's a fun, quick read but not a favorite.

My favorite kind of novella is the one that feels like pure romance concentrate. The one where every word, every detail, every scene is there in service of the central love story. The one you can just sink into and get completely lost in emotions at their most heightened state. The one where you almost feel a little breathless as you read. This was that novella.

I was blown away by the depth Erika packed into such a short story—to the point where it almost felt like a full length book. Friends to lovers is by FAR my favorite romance trope, and Teddy and Marin delivered a masterclass in how to quietly pine for your best friend across time and distance and endless life obstacles.

My heart ACHED for Teddy—his sweet, sensitive midwestern soul. And I was completely obsessed with Marin’s entire vibe. I already know some readers will probably dislike one or both of these characters—judging them for the mistakes they make—but that’s actually what I loved most about this book. Teddy and Marin felt REAL. They are imperfect (fictional) humans, who have emotional baggage and trauma that causes them to fuck up. And yet, they were written in a way that made it so easy to understand their motivations and empathize with them.

The romance was TOP TIER. Honestly, I couldn’t get enough. Especially Teddy’s POV. I don’t even have words, I just know that this book made me feel those tingly butterfly feelings whenever Teddy and Marin bantered, argued, talked on the phone, sang silly songs together, or secretly yearned for each other across continents. Just completely swoony.

I saw somewhere that this is for fans of You, Again or One Day and I couldn’t agree more. I am officially Erika Veurink’s biggest fan and plan to devour everything she writes for the rest of time.

So yeah, this is my new favorite novella.

** A copy of Exit Lane was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

Exit Lane is the story of Marin and Teddy, told over years as they encounter each other in different situations while dealing with adulting, relationships and work-life balance. Exit Lane is an emotional and at times, heartbreaking novella perfect for fans of Normal People, One Day, and People We Meet on Vacation.

I say it for every 831 Stories, but they continue to publish solid novellas. Exit Lane is a rich story despite its length. It has a great sense of place and is filled with details that make the story lived in. Marin just seems so Cool, and Teddy is charming. I would've loved to see this story expanded so we could spend more time with the side characters and see their friendships as well.

Also, I think this perfectly sets up an epistolary story between Sloane and Carter that I would definitely read.

Solid 4.5 stars
If you are a fan of “One Day” or “Normal People”, I firmly believe you’ll enjoy this book.

Teddy and Marin gave me serious opposites attract vibes however but in a way that they are perfect for each other. Throughout the years, after a cross-country trip from Iowa to New York City to Copenhagen, we see the relationship between Marin and Teddy grow and become more complex and deeper.

Although the big plot change in the book slightly turned me off from Marin, it showed/reminded me that people do have emotions like that and close themselves off in unwarranted ways. 831 stories will always be an immediate buy for me, and this one is no exception.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! :)

A beautifully written, emotionally charged story about the turbulence of young love and the bittersweet ache of growing pains. There’s a subtle weight to Exit Lane that left me feeling quietly wrecked but in a good way.

Veurink captures the rawness of heartbreak and the tenderness of fleeting moments with impressive depth. It’s not a loud novel, but it lingers like a bruise you don’t want to stop pressing. A moving and delicate read.

Holy moly. This novella by Erika Veurink by 831 Stories is definitely my favorite of this series. The quick 200 page romance is remarkably deft and thick with plot development.

Teddy and Marin are acquaintances on the University of Iowa campus and run in VERY different circles. Teddy is headed to law school at NYU and Marin is headed to a splashy new finance job. Teddy is steady, popular and a good guy. Marin has her guardrails up--afraid of getting hurt. They orbit in and out of one another's lives for years. Exit Lane is heartfelt and devastating and I could have read another 150 pages.

This was an easy five stars for me. I'm so excited for this book baby to make it into the world so that everyone will read it!!

Thank you 831 Stories and Netgalley for a digital galley of Exit Lane. It will debut September 16, 2025.

I expect this will be one of the most (if not the most) divisive of the 831 Stories romances so far — for the very same reasons that this is one of my favorite romances of the year. Too often, romance readers accept only uncomplicated, wholly likeable (if somewhat immature) protagonists. This book does not provide those. With "Exit Lane," Erika Veurink embraces the complexity, mistakes, and heartache that accompany nearly every romantic relationship, not just as a hurdle to overcome, but as an active part of relationship building. I was charmed by these characters even when they made decisions I can't quite forgive. And this is not to say that this book doesn't also have the classic rom com elements readers will know and love — it draws inspiration from "When Harry Met Sally," after all, and features plenty of the steamy scenes 831 Stories loyalists will expect at this point. And SO. MUCH. YEARNING. This book is devastating and smart and interesting and I expect I'll be thinking about it for quite some time!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!