How the 831 Stories Stack Up
as of July 2026 Releases
Have you heard of the books from 831 Stories? You might have heard about them when this New York Times article that was making the rounds a couple of months ago. I got my hands on my first 831 Stories book from one of my favorite local bookstores with a great romance section (thank you, Secret Garden Books!) back in September 2025. Since that first title of theirs that I read I was hooked. These are great little romance books that I can always count on to give myself a nice little reading boost (even if it is one that I placed lower in my stack-up.) 831 Stories is now currently on a cadence of publishing one new book a month and as of July 2026 they have twelve titles in total so I thought it would be a good time pause and reflect on all of these titles thus far and give you a peek on how this books stack up to me.
Below is my official stack ranking of the 831 Stories titles as of July 2026 publications. The title featured on the top of the graphic will by my most favorite 831 Stories title and they go down in descending order from there. Even books at the bottom of the stack I believe were still worth reading. Part of the fun of an 831 Stories title is that it is a short, bite-sized piece of romance that even if the characters aren’t my favorite or it features a trope that I don’t gravitate towards, or whatever else didn’t draw me into loving the book it is still worthwhile to read. To me, there is no DNF-ing (or even the thought of it) in the world of 831 Stories.
And now to the stack up…
No. 1 - Grape Juice by Eliza Dumais
This book is a clear number one for me. The perfect escapism. I want this story to be my life. While reading this book the only moments I put it down were to Google more about wine harvest season and to look up to see if there were any good flight deals that I could get me to France ASAP.
No. 2 - Rooting Interest by Cat Disabato
As established with my Tastes of T-Mobile Park & Bay Baseball Bites content I am a big sports fan. Though Rooting Interest is about a sports league that I don’t follow closely (the WNBA), the ins-and-outs of the sportwriter character in this story resonate so clearly with what I have heard from sportwriters of my sports of choice talk about how they handle the workflow of their respective beats. The dynamics and logistics of this couple’s love story are interesting along with the fact that they have great chemistry as characters. I do feel that having a strong baseline understanding of what sports journalism looks like in its operations makes the payoff of this book stronger than if you don’t have that baseline knowledge coming in (and likely why it may rank higher on my personal rankings than others.)
No. 3 - Square Waves by Alexandra Romanoff
Fun Fact - This was my first 831 Stories read. I picked this (plus Big Fan) up off the shelf that one day at Secret Garden Books. I opted to start with this one because the blurb on the back of this one mentions Berkeley, California and that drew me in immediately. This book and Big Fan are in the same world (and really Big Fan comes first and should be read first for continuity of timeline) but the Berkeley of it all got me looped into this one first as well as what pushes it so high in my stack-up ratings. I loved the connection of these characters but really I felt that this book showcases as a love letter to Berkeley and lots of little Bay Area things that you only know if you’ve lived in the Bay.
No. 4 - Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff
This book goes hand-in-hand with Square Waves so it slipped in right underneath it here in the stack-up.
No. 5 - Major Gift by Tiffany Ezuma
Another book set in the Bay Area so you know that ranks high for me! This time we get to see snippets of San Francisco and the Peninsula side of the Bay - plus a unique take on a Billionaire’s romance (which not my trope of choice but enjoyed how it was done here.) The scene setting for the locale is done artfully here too (especially once again for those that have resided in the Bay in the last ten-ish years.)
No. 6 - Found Time by Caroline Goldstein
As stated in the New York Times piece referenced earlier, the protagonists in 831 Stories should '“be 25 years or older.” From the slate of stories released thus far this book, this title reflects that the best with revisiting a love from thirty years in the past. I fell in love not only with the couple’s second-chance chemistry and love but the immediate support characters that you have along the way.
No. 7 - Double Standard by Mallory Thomas
We have all read a romance about an A-list celebrity and a normie, right? We get a twist on that here but with interesting power dynamics as well as commentary about celebrity culture and perception from all of the characters involved in this book. I thought this was a refreshing take on a celebrity trope that I hadn’t quite seen take this angle before.
No. 8 - Down To Earth by Julia Turshen
One of the most prevailing tropes of the romance genre - small-town romance - enters into the 831 universe here. Small-town romance is most likely what your non-romance reading friends think of when prompted of what makes a romance book (this, or a Hallmark movie, or both.) As stated earlier, as I get farther down the rankings in the stack none of these are books that I didn’t enjoy they just didn’t move me as much. I will say, I am grateful that this book came out close to peak tomato season so I enjoy a delicious tomato sandwich like the characters in this book did multiple times and made me crave one immediately.
No. 9 - Exit Lane by Erika Veurink
Time for a road trip! Mix of road trip, big city vibes, and nostalgia here. Liked the plot, didn’t fall in love with either of the main the characters here as much as I have in other 831 titles (and there weren’t really supporting characters to bring you in to love them either.)
No. 10 - Set Piece by Lana Schwartz
This one is for those that love LA and the film industry. I definitely have some Bay Area bias in my stack and maybe if I had connection to LA it would move this one up. Even though Double Standard is also celebrity and film based in its premise (but on location outside of LA) I found that story’s take more refreshing than what is presented here.
No. 11 - Comedic Timing by Upsana Barath
Honestly, looking back at my Goodreads and Storygraph accounts I read this book back in December 2025 and now do not have much of a recollection of this book’s plot or characters. I debated its placement here versus in slot twelve since I remember more from Hardly Strangers but am taking the no memories as a fine enough experience reading this in the moment that I slotted it here.
No. 12 - Hardly Strangers by A.C. Robinson
This one is really short. Clocking in at 151 pages, not too much can happen in that concentrated amount of pages or time within the plot. This title felt abrupt and though some of these other titles don’t clock in with a much higher page count I didn’t feel a pull to get invested in the characters and then the book was over. Still, it does feel nice and a sense of accomplishment when you finish a book (no matter what the page count is.)
And that’s how the 831 Stories (so far!) stack up for me! As always, looking forward to cracking open the next 831 title (which will be Vacation Self by Alexandra Romanoff releasing on August 25, 2026) and beyond!