She returns to her hometown helps out her best friend and reunites with her high school enemy. But now they are adults now and want to see if they have bed chem, they do. Although are reluctant to accept any feelings for the other. Great storytelling.

Was this a bully romance where the bully works for an anti-bullying nonprofit?

I really enjoyed Big Fan so I was looking forward to listening to the audiobook of Square Waves. Before the end, this would have probably been 3 stars. I really enjoyed the characters and their individual journeys, but the romance just wasn’t developed enough. For it being a romance, they spend surprising little on page time together.

However the ending really ruined it for me. The characters had a lot to work out before their happily ever after, but I was still optimistic. Then Cassidy was just straight up mean to Leon for no reason and she never apologized and it was never resolved outside of “yeah we are really different so we will probably fight.” What???

Thank you NetGalley and AE Titles/S&S Audio for the advanced listener copy.

When I requested this book, I was not aware it was a sequel to Big Fan by the same author, and the protagonist of Square Waves is one of the characters in Big Fan.

That being said, I was not confused or lost in regards to the protagonist and the things she experienced in the previous book without having read it. I do think that is a testament of how great the author’s writing is.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the characters! As someone who is not a fan of romance books that start with a one-night stand, the author handled really well! I do wish there was more depth in the relationship because I felt that there was not enough scenes between the couple, therefore the relationship development was rushed.

The narrator did a fantastic job, emphasizing so much emotion into their performance. Definitely has become a new narrator to look out for in future audiobooks.

Thank You Netgalley, 831 Stories, S&S Audio. and Alexandra Romanoff for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. I liked this fast enemies to lovers read. I remember Political scandals from when I was younger so this story line was familiar. This was a lot different but interesting to see a women side to being shamed for falling in love with the wrong person. It is a read on hook up type culture so if you need time before that happens this isn't for you. I did love the background story and friendship values displayed. The Narrator Mollie Stark was entertaining.

I loved this so much. I can always relate to trying (or not trying) to fall in love while you’re tired in your twenties. Life can feel so overwhelming and I appreciate how honest this story felt. It was definitely more realistic than your average romance, but that gets me everytime.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me and advanced listeners copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love this book and the audio was perfect! For anyone who was obsessed with Monica Lewinsky or a 90s baby this is the book for you!

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an alc!

i didn’t realize this was technically the second in a series despite being easily read and enjoyable as a standalone, but that didn’t take away from my reading experience!

square waves follows our fmc cassidy who was a side character in big fan; cassidy was part of a political sex scandal as a young woman, and now at 28, returns home for a break from her non-profit job to recoup after facing intense burnout. she bumps into her high school frenemy leon at a bar, and the two spend the next three weeks getting to know the adult versions of themselves.

i really enjoy the bite sized romances from 831 stories — they’re hot and sexy, but also full of well written characters and plots.

as for the audio, i really enjoyed this narrator! her voice was vibrant and full of emotion.

Thank you so much to AE Titles / S&S Audio for the complimentary ALC!

As you know I have been a fan of these novellas from 831 stories and the first one Big Fan has been a favorite of mine of the collection. Romanoff is back in the same universe as Big Fan but this time we have Cassidy as our leading lady. Cassidy was not pictured in the best of light in Big Fan as she was the woman who had an affair with the husband of the FMC Maya. So I love that Romanoff is kind of giving a spotlight on the fallout from being the "other woman".

Cassidy is now trying to pick up the pieces and figured out what's next for her. She did not think DC was the best place anymore so she decides to go back to her hometown for the summer. She reconnects with a former classmate Theo and one thing led to another and they have what she thought would be a one night stand. Except they keep finding that they would be in each other's orbit.

I thought the relationship between Cassidy and Theo was cute! I love the idea of seeing individuals whom you may have had a certain opinion of when you were a teenager change as one evolves into adulthood. Granted, I know that is not always the case but in this instance Theo was a different person to Cassidy.

This was my first 831 book that I read via audiobook which I was very excited to see that they are starting to produce them. Mollie Stark is a new narrator to me but she has done a slew of other books. Her narration made the listening experience very delightful and it went really quick.

Just like with all the other books from this publisher, I love that these books are not super long and you do get a pretty complete story (and yes sometimes rushed).

While I don't think you necessarily need to read Big Fan prior to reading this, it may be helpful to see her in that light.

Review of Square Waves: An 831 Stories Romance by Alexandra Romanoff

Square Waves is a compact yet compelling enemies-to-lovers romance, and a worthy successor to Big Fan. Set in Berkeley, this novella takes us on an emotionally resonant journey of redemption, self-discovery, and unexpected love.

Cassidy’s journey from shame to self-worth—framed through therapy, friendship, and reconciling with her past—is deeply affecting and relatable.

Square Waves is a potent, emotionally rich romance that over-delivers for its modest length. With vibrant characters, sizzling chemistry, and a deeply human arc, it's a standout in the 831 Stories universe. Ideal for fans of enemies-to-lovers sparks, heartfelt healing, and nostalgic ’00s vibes.

Five star audiobook narration! Single narrator. Mollie Stark did an amazing job and was able to capture Cassidy’s vulnerability so well. She did a good job with character distinction and the pacing was consistent. I will happily listen to more narrations from her! I think book can be enjoyed equally in audio or ebook/physical book.

Another short sweet story from alexdra romanoff. I am really impressed with the amount of tension and depth she can bring to these novellas!

I didn’t love this one as much as big fan only because I think they could have had better communication and it’s seemed like there were some loose ends. Some of the conflicts seemed random to me and unnecessary. But I appreciate the childhood rivals to lovers. Brought me back to grade school where the ones that are mean to you are the ones that like you lol.

Loved the therapy representation in this book. I am sure many people can relate to deciphering out what we want to do vs what we know we should do after a lot of therapy.

I will be happily reading any other novellas she decides to grace us with.

(I haven't finished this one yet, but I saw this was listed as "archived, not downloaded" and wanted to specify I didn't download it because I ended up borrowing it from the library! I didn't bail I promise)

Dare I say I loved this even more than Big Fan?! Chef’s kiss high school rivals to friends to lovers — it made me seriously think about who I hated at age 17 (safe to say I don’t think this relationship arc could work for the boys I lowkey bullied in high school but that’s ok!!). The audiobook for this was so good, def recommend.

This is the first book of these 831 series of books and it was a fun, light novella read for the summer. The banter was light, even with the enemies to lovers trope being the main part of the storyline from years and years prior. Things that were unbelievable in the story were these young-ish (late twenties) people living in the Bay Area as an artist and semi-unemployed person. The cost of living in that area is astronomical and was something I couldn’t get past mentally when the story first began. The story itself, being a novella, was quite short and rushed. It could’ve been longer in my opinion in order to further explain how they afford to live in the Bay Area and why they decide to stay, etc. I will read more, but it was more meh than I had hoped.

Square Waves by Alexandra Romanoff kept my "I love 831 Stories" streak alive. A sort-of sequel to Big Fan, we get Cassidy's story--the infamous "other woman" from Maya's book. Cassidy has returned home on an involuntary leave of absence from work. Even years later, she's haunted by her history as the politician's mistress, and while her work as an anti-bullying advocate is rewarding, she is burned out and in need of rest. It turns out she's terrible at resting. She bumps into an old rival from her high school days, and they have a hot, unforgettable one-night stand. She leaves, intending to never speak of it again. Only--awkward!!--she bumps into him at her best friend's gallery-in-progress, and they end up having to work together to get the gallery ready for its grand opening. Their proximity forces them to face their history and confront their preconceived ideas about each other--and in the process, they may just find a future they never expected.

The narration was GREAT. Mollie Stark did a wonderful job bringing all these characters to life--which can be tricky when there's only a single narrator. I didn't feel like I was missing a "male" narrator at all. If you love steamy romantic novellas, this is a series you should definitely pick up! All three of the 831 stories I've read so far have been awesome.

Another great book from 831 Stories! I love these novellas, they are perfect bite sized romance stories that give you the full novel feel. Square Waves was such a complex and fast paced plot with likeable characters, for the most part. Cassidy did sometimes grate on my nerves because we are the same age and sometimes her thinking was very juvenile but overall, I did like her character.

I loved the high school academic rivals/reluctant friends to lovers. The relationship just made sense. Just an emotionally available, creative, outdoorsy man x burnt-out, relationship cautious, trying to find her passion in life woman. Also they are both hot and single in San Francisco, of course.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, 831 Stories & AE Titles/S&S Audio for this ARC.

Love love love this author. The way she manages to pack a story into such a short form doesn't fail to amaze me, and the cover art for 831 gets me every time. Real, human love stories like these always capture my attention like a slice of life.

Thank you to 831Stories and NetGalley for the ALC of this title! What a wonderful little novella!

At 22, Cassidy was the victim of online bullying/harassment after having an affair with a politician who was married, but now at 28, she's turned that into advocacy work with a non-profit. (Think Monica Lewinsky.) But she's burned out and sent from DC back home to Berkley by her boss to take a break and regroup. While there, she's reacquainted with Leon Park, her rival from high school, as they help her best friend Willa, an artist, open her gallery/shop. They have a ONS and then figure out their feelings later. I wish we had had Leon's POV, but I guess that's what fan fiction is for!

For the short length, this goes into depth regarding character development. I need to read the other 831 Stories and more from this author now!

Romanoff’s BIG FAN was my introduction to the 831 stories world, and I was very curious to learn more about side character Cassidy Weaver in this new offering, SQUARE WAVES.

831 Stories has a sort of formula—modern woman, unexpected partner with a flaw the protagonist needs to get past for her own growth, usually a bit of fame smattered in. SQUARE WAVES followed that pattern—which I delight in—to a T, so I’m not sure why, but it fell slightly short for me. I think part of it may have been the flaw of the potential partner, Leon—the way Cassidy made assumptions about him frustrated me, even though when I really think about it, in her shoes I would feel the same, probably. She read as somewhat judgmental, though, and I struggled to sympathize with her concerns about Leon sometimes for that reason.

Another piece of the 831 puzzle is very concise, novella-length books. This also usually works for me, but I found myself wanting more here. What does Cassidy decide to do for work? Maybe the open-endedness suggests that it matters less than she always thought it would, but I was still left with questions.

I did enjoy the audio—the voice of the narrator sounded like a California girl to me and it was fun to hear a dramatic interpretation of the characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed the chemistry between Cassidy and Leon. Their interactions as their relationship grew drew me in. I do think this wasn’t quite long enough, I think I needed a few more chapters to fully love it.
Cassidy’s journey in dealing with returning home and dealing with the aftermath of the affair added conflict to the story and made me root for her more.
The writing throughout this novella was excellent and I truly enjoyed the style. I look forward to reading more by this author, starting with book 1!

Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and the publisher for the ALC.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for the ALC! This book was a fun and quick listen. I liked how much we see Cassidy grow and find what she wants in life throughout the story. I never read Big Fan, and maybe I would have liked this more if I had more of Cassidy's backstory from that book, or maybe not who knows. I did not believe the romance was more than physical for most of the book, mostly because there is a history of animosity and miscommunication between Leon and Cassidy. Overall, it was the perfect length for the story the author wanted to tell and felt real.