After finishing Big Fan which I absolutely LOVED, I was really excited to read about Cassidy’s story and her second chance after the huge political sex scandal in Big Fan. While I really was rooting for Cassidy, I really didn’t find her romance with Leon to be believable… if anything I understood the lust and thrill. I thought this book spent too much time talking about Willa and didn’t spend enough time growing the relationship between Leon and Cassidy. Overall not a bad story but not as believable and swoony as I would have like, and I didn’t feel that invested in this couple.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book was so good! I thought romance was dead until I picked up Square Waves by Alexandra Romanoff. Cassidy Weaver and Leon Park were rivals in high school, and 10 years later when Cassidy is back in her hometown of Berkeley to take a much needed break from her job they get a chance to reconnect. Sparks fly, old wounds are healed and somewhere a romance angel gets its wings.

Can you tell I loved this book? The characters felt fleshed out and fully realized. Romanoff does a great job of capturing the end of twenties malaise where you maybe realize you don't love your job and you wonder what else could be out there for you. I wished for a little more about some of the side characters but for a short book Square Waves really captures the exciting feeling of reconnecting with an old crush you never knew you had.

Can't wait to see this one in stores!

As a big fan of Big Fan (please laugh), I was so excited to return to this universe via Square Waves!

Giving Cassidy Weaver (the "other woman" from Big Fan) the spotlight in Romanoff's sophomore novel presents the reader with the opportunity to understand Cassidy's motivations and re-humanize her character. Romanoff excels at writing stories reminiscent of 90's rom-coms; two people (clearly) meant-to-be, driven apart by simple misunderstandings only to crash back into each other in a way that is... phew, satisfying.

While Romanoff's style shines in Square Waves, I could have done with less of the parallels between Cassidy and Cooper's fictional sex scandal and the, very real, Clinton-Lewinsky sex scandal. There's no doubt that themes of power dynamics and secrecy echo within Square Waves, but the stakes here are more personal than presidential.

All that being said, Leon Park is soooooo my type and I wanted to devour him the way I devoured this book. A perfect way to spend a sick weekend in bed. Romanoff does it again!

Thank you to Netgalley and 831 Stories for the ARC.

Big thanks to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the e-ARC of this book!
I’ve read every book that 831 Stories has published so I excited to get an advanced look at this story. Getting to see Cassidy’s side of the story years after the events of Big Fan, was enlightening as someone who read Maya’s perspective before. I weirdly see a lot of myself in Cassidy, in her search to figure who she is at 28, what brings her joy, maintaining her important friendships and finding love. I enjoyed the relationship between her and Leon, as it felt real and gave Cassidy the room to grow into someone who could see herself opening up to love.
I’m excited to see more from 831 stories! I’ve loved every single one I’ve read and can’t wait for more 

Holy hot. I loved big fan. Loved this one. Give me all the short stories from 831 and inject them into my veins.

4.5 stars rounded up!! I really loved this book and really love the expansion of the Big Fan universe that Alexandra Romanoff created.

I love a good rivals to lovers (especially when they were both secretly into each other as rivals) and Leon was just swoony AF. I really liked Cassandra’s character and related a lot to her journey and feelings of navigating life and relationships post trauma.

Only reason this wasn’t a full 5/5 for me was that the end felt a bit rushed, which makes sense as it’s just a novella, but I would have loved more. Definitely excited to read the epilogue and prologue once those are released!

Truly another hit from Romanoff and 831 stories. Chefs kiss x

Another solid novella from 831 stories! This one follows high school rivals, Cassidy and Leon. The fact that they knew each other from childhood kept this book from feeling too insta-love despite the 3 week timespan the book takes place in. Also, Alexandra Romanoff is one of the best spice writers in the game!

3.5 stars

I loved Alexandra Romanoff's debut 'Big Fan' and 'Square Waves' was a worthy follow-up, though I think it suffered a bit with pacing issues trying to balance Cassidy's dilemma about her career with the romance. I really liked how this book focuses on Cassidy still trying to live down her notoriety and the lingering shame and humiliation which has left her a bit brittle and burned out with all of her relationships. Leon was a sweetheart, but I think perhaps it needed a couple more chapters to flesh out their romance a bit more.

Thanks to 831 Stories and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to 831 Stories for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is the follow up to the first 831 Stories novella I read, Big Fan, but this one follows Cassidy, the intern unfortunate enough to sleep with Maya's husband and get caught up in a DC sex scandal for the 21st century. It's been a few years since that all went down, but she's still trying to figure out how to put her life together since everyone she meets either recognizes her or knows her name, and not in a good way. She's back in Berkeley, ostensibly to housesit for her parents, but mostly because her job recommended that she take some time off. The book mostly takes place in the Bay Area and DC, my new hometown and my old hometown, both of which were portrayed mostly authentically (nothing that took me out of the story at least), which is a HUGE WIN in my book.

The story started off slow, and I was having a hard time getting into it, especially given the animosity she still seems to harbor against a guy she knew in high school, but I had to remind myself that Cassidy is young, so high school wasn't that long ago for her. Plus, there's something about being back in your home town (especially staying at your childhood home) that just sends you right back to that time.

It picks up quickly from there, and I really enjoyed seeing Cassidy see her old friends, old haunts, old teachers, and old enemies through new eyes. Everyone has grown up, even her, and she's getting to the fun part of being an adult, where you can change your job, your location, your choice of men, and learn to trust yourself even when you've screwed up in the past.

The third act break up worked, even if the conflict was a little contrived. She needed to do that and work through everything else in order to figure out her next step. Of course, it helps that she's got supportive parents who want to help more, so she doesn't have to stay in one place and can take time to figure it out instead of just trying to survive. She doesn't really acknowledge that privilege, but given how everyone around her is also like that, it feels real that she doesn't because that's just life as a kid in Berkeley.

I've been up and down with 831 Stories novellas, but this author is really a standout for me. I'm definitely looking forward to whatever she writes next!

As a big fan of Romanoff I was excited to return to the Big Fan universe to learn more of Cassidy’s side of the story. While this was ultimately a bit undercooked and felt a little too Monica Lewinsky fanfic for me, some of the charm and wit that drew me in to her first novella is certainly present, albeit in smaller doses. Some of the dialogue felt a bit clunky and the relationship between Cassidy and Leon felt rushed. The novella format worked well with Big Fan, but the pacing here felt off within the shorter format. I would have loved to see this more fleshed out at novel length to give the characters and their relationship more room to grow. Worth a read, but probably not a story I’ll be returning to (unlike its predecessor).

Many thanks to 831 Stories and Netgalley for the e-arc.

Really loved this one and could send the chemistry between Leon and Cassidy. It was believable the tension between them that was keeping them from truly giving into their feelings. Would definitely recommend

I just love the way Alexandra writes. I was obsessed with “Big Fan,” so I was excited to snag the follow up. I felt instantly transported to the Bay Area, and the chemistry between Cassidy and Leon was electric! I wish we got a bit more of the background of what led to her part of “Big Fan,” but I suppose this is a short story. I need to visit Willa’s studio immediately!

as soon as i found out this was about cassidy, i had to read it immediately! i think i liked this a bit more than big fan and i really liked big fan. this book was able to accomplish so much in so little pages.

i really saw parts of myself in cassidy. she felt so relatable, raw and real. she was so lost with what she wanted to do with her life. i loved seeing her find her way, i was rooting for her the entire time.

this story will resonated with anyone in their late 20s who feels like they don’t know what they’re doing. there is something comforting in knowing you’re not the only one struggling with being an adult. i love how romanoff was also able to show how adult relationships have their challenges, keeping in contact is tough.

even though this was a short book, i became attached to cassidy and leon. whenever they hurt each other they hurt me. i could read about cassidy and leon forever. the chemistry, the banter, i was here for it.

quotes:
“People like boys who fail better than girls who succeed.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never had a dream job. I think the problem is that I don’t like anything right now.”
“The only thing I really know about adulthood is that everyone has to figure out how to do it for themselves. And almost no one gets it right on the first try.”


*** thank you 831 stories and netgalley for the arc

I am a big fan of Alexandra Romanoff’s writing, having read and adored her other 831 Stories romance (aptly named Big Fan).

Here, she returns with a second chance romance that brings two high school rivals back together. Cassidy, lost at sea after a Lewinsky-style scandal tainted her world. And Leon — who is basically walking competence porn — hasn’t quite figured out what to do with all of his talent.

As Cassidy and Leon get to know each other as adults, they slowly learn that their past selves didn’t really know each other as well as they thought. Actually, they got it all wrong. Now the question is — can the adult versions of these people they thought they knew shed those misconceptions and finally get it right?

Alexandra’s characters are never one thing — they’re messy and scared and just trying to figure it all out. Cass and Leon want to grow and change but it’s a really hard thing to do when the world already thinks they know who you are. What stood out for me was their ability to acknowledge their imperfect attempts at moving forward — owning their not-quite-there-ness and inviting each other along for the ride.

I love what 831 Stories is doing for romance, and bringing Alexandra Romanoff back was the right move. I hope they do it again.

Square Waves is out 6/24.

Thanks to 831 Stories and NetGalley for the ARC!

A story of a high school nemesis/opposites attract romance- Cassidy and Leon have clearly misjudged one another and held on to ancient history which both fuels a physical attraction and a doubt about the viability of a relationship. Forced proximity redefines their understanding of one another, softening the resistance to why they actually work. Loved the slow reveal of Leon’s personality and sensitivities and how Cassidy lets her guard down as she spends more time with him. The hometown reconciliation (you might be able to go home again) is a comforting ideal and enhances the romance.

First, thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After finishing Big Fan, I was so excited to start this one. This story gives us a glimpse into Cassidy’s story, and how she navigates life post scandal.

Cassidy returns to her hometown feeling lost and dejected in her career and personal life. On her first night home she runs into her high school nemesis, Leon. What Cassidy thinks will be a one night encounter, unexpectedly turns into something much more.

Despite this being a short story, the characters had depth and their evolution was well paced. Cassidy and Leon’s enemies to lovers trope felt organic and real. I enjoyed reading about their past selves and how it impacted their present relationship.

I highly recommend this one!

Cassidy and Leon are definitely in the running for favorite couple of 2025. I loved their complicated/romantic/sexy/love story so much. Cassidy's trauma was so beautifully handled and again my only problem is that I wanted this to be a novel and not a novella, which is obviously my problem.

Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC!

I’m quickly becoming a fan. This was a short story that packed a lot of punch, with interesting side characters that have a lot of depth. Like others have said, the only con is how much more I wanted from it; not just more of the background and history, but a little more time in between. With such a short story, having the audience be present during their full three weeks together would’ve felt a lot stronger, just as their time apart would.

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this and look forward to whatever Romanoff has next.

I was surprised how much I loved this book based on the description. It was funny, thoughtful, and touched on some deep topics while still having big romantic and sexy moments. I really really loved this book and would recommend it to others.

I think it can be really hard to write about people who have sexual and romantic trauma and not make it sad. Or make that the center of their story, but this book doesn't do that