I am not ok. Every time I think I have my favorite title from this imprint pegged, another story comes and my top spot changes instantly. What an intricate, complicated, and realistic little love story this was. Taking course over EIGHT years, a random road trip develops into a love story where the two main characters fall prey to the universe and it's ill timing. Ugh- the longing, lust, and battles with lifelong grief interwoven into the "will they won't they?"? Chef's kiss.

Exit Lane is one of my favorite 831 Stories publications so far. For me, it was greater than the sum of its parts (road trip + will-they-or-won’t-they over many years + various instances of hurt and bad behavior + healing and reconciliation). The When Harry Met Sally of it all! The chemistry and yearning were absolutely off-the-charts.

Neither of the main characters is perfect, both doing things that would usually turn me off in a romance novel: Teddy’s infidelity, and Marin’s reaction to Teddy’s health news. But I found that I was rooting for them regardless of their imperfections, because they were so well-developed as characters; their mistakes made sense within the context of their experiences and personalities. This deep character development is especially impressive given the short length of the book, which I devoured in a single sitting.

CW for cancer and infidelity.

Lovely! Marin and Teddy meet when Teddy offers to give Marin a ride to NYC. Along the way, they’re surprised that they are getting along so well. When their drive ends, their connection is severed as well. However, even with millions of people living in NYC, you might just run into the one who got away.

The story spans eight years and there is so much character development and plot packed in - Marin and Teddy feel like real people and their chemistry is evident. Overall, lots of fun and I loved the different settings (Copenhagen, Iowa, NYC). 4.5 stars.

Thank you to 831 Stories and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

I’m so amazed by how much plot and character development was crammed into this short book. I loved the love story, and I’m not usually a fan of time-jump stories

Thanks to NetGalley and 831 Stories for this advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. Exit Lane is a contemporary romance that starts when Teddy and Marin leave Iowa City together for New York, following their college graduation; Teddy is just giving Marian a ride as a favor to a friend but, little do they know that it’s just the start to what becomes a nearly 8 year back and forth, as neither can forget the instant connection they had on that drive together.

This book is short but, I couldn’t put it down. Despite the brevity of the story, Teddy and Marin felt very real and were easy to empathize with throughout the book. I think part of this was due to the successful back and forth narrative shift between the two main characters, with both having a clearly defined voice. I also liked the way that the author managed the time jumps in this book; although clearly a lot happens in between these gaps in time, that is not the focus and instead, we get to luxuriate in the shared time between these main characters. It’s luscious writing and the plot is well driven. There are some parts of the story that do feel a little too neatly wrapped up but, I was able to overlook this and just get lost in the narrative.

I think the author also did a good job at exploring the impact of grief and illness in this story; those sections felt particularly touching and resonated with me. The inclusion of these themes and their impact on our main characters gave the book additional depth and gave further insights into their own character and their relationship, outside of just the romantic elements.

I would absolutely recommend this book to others and would be interested to pick up any future works by this author. 831 Stories is a new imprint but, looks like it will certainly be one to watch!!