
The Improbable Meet-Cute
Six Short Rom-Coms to Warm Your Heart
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $21.92
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
About this listen
What makes love stick? Is it the irresistible spark when you lock eyes across a piazza in Rome? Is it feeling the earth move under your feet? (Wait—that was an actual earthquake.) In these six serendipitous short stories, bestselling authors turn improbable first encounters into hopelessly romantic happy ever afters.
The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren
On February 14, an accidental email to a stranger opens the door to an unexpected relationship in a captivating short story by the New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners.
Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez
They’re falling in love, yet they’ve never met. Maybe fate can intervene in a heartwarming “what-if” short story about new beginnings by the New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly.
Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne
For a hopeful and hopeless romantic, it’s love at first sight—with a little twist—in a hilarious short story about finding Mr. Right by the USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game.
Drop, Cover, and Hold on by Jasmine Guillory
It takes nothing less than a fateful natural disaster to throw two opposites together in a ground-shakingly charming short story by the New York Times bestselling author of Drunk on Love.
With Any Luck by Ashley Poston
Every person she kisses finds their true love, and it’s never her—until now, in this funny and magically romantic short story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.
Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson
Valentine’s Day becomes a Roman holiday for a princess in disguise in a dizzyingly romantic short story about making wishes come true by the USA Today bestselling author of The Chemistry of Love.
©2024 The Exception to the Rule © 2024 by Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. Worst Wingman Ever © 2024 by Abby Jimenez. Rosie and the Dreamboat © 2024 by Sally Thorne. Drop, Cover, and Hold On © 2024 by Jasmine Guillory. With Any Luck © 2024 by Ashley Poston. Royal Valentine © 2024 by Sariah Wilson. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.You may also enjoy...
-
Bridesmaid for Hire
- Written by: Meghan Quinn
- Narrated by: Erin Mallon, Jason Clarke
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After years of working her tail off at her event-planning business, Maggie Mitchell is ready for a vacation. With nothing on her mind but R & R, she’s enjoying the warm weather of Bora Bora when in saunters Brody McFadden, her brother’s best friend and also her sworn enemy. Thanks to years of tension between the two—kicked off by a make-out session at her brother’s wedding that ended horribly—Maggie has sworn to stay away from the man. That is, until she finds out he’s in Bora Bora for his boss’s daughter’s wedding, hoping to use the trip to win a real future at the company.
-
-
🌴👰
- By @haylingbookstorm on 2025-04-20
Written by: Meghan Quinn
-
The Layover
- Written by: Lacie Waldon
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After 10 years as a flight attendant, Ava Greene is poised to hang up her wings and finally put down roots. She's got one trip left before she bids her old life farewell, and she plans to enjoy every second of it. But then, she discovers that former pilot Jack Stone - the absurdly gorgeous, ridiculously cocky man she's held a secret grudge against for year - is on her flight. And he has the nerve to flirt with her, as if he doesn't remember the role he played in the most humiliating night of her life. Good thing she never has to see him again after they land....
-
-
Amazing
- By KayA on 2022-09-14
Written by: Lacie Waldon
-
Worst Wingman Ever
- The Improbable Meet-Cute Collection
- Written by: Abby Jimenez
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Zachary Webber
- Length: 1 hr and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Holly is dealing with the impending death of her grandmother and still reeling from a bad breakup. One bright spot: a Valentine’s Day card on Holly’s windshield—even if it wasn’t meant for her. An amusing mistake soon turns into a lovely exchange of anonymous notes, little acts of kindness, and a growing affection between two strangers. What happens when one of them has to say goodbye?
-
-
Loved it
- By Asim on 2024-09-01
Written by: Abby Jimenez
-
The Fall Risk
- A Short Story
- Written by: Abby Jimenez
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Connor Crais
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much.
-
-
cute short
- By B on 2025-05-07
Written by: Abby Jimenez
-
Better than Fiction
- Written by: Alexa Martin
- Narrated by: Nicole Lewis
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a self-proclaimed book hater and a firm believer that the movie is always better, Drew Young didn’t anticipate inheriting her grandma’s bookstore, the Book Nook. She’s in way over her head even before the shop’s resident book club, comprising seven of the naughtiest old ladies ever, begin to do what they do best—meddle. When messy family ties jeopardize the future of the Book Nook, Drew is caught between a bookshelf and a hard place.
-
-
A love story between a book grinch and an author
- By Storm on 2023-12-08
Written by: Alexa Martin
-
Under the Mistletoe
- Spice Up the Holidays with Five Short Stories (Under the Mistletoe Collection)
- Written by: Ali Hazelwood, Tessa Bailey, Olivia Dade, and others
- Narrated by: Vivienne LaRue, Summer Morton, Connor Crais, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Curl up by the fire with some of today’s hottest authors as they serve up enough holiday sweetness and sizzling spice to melt the frostiest heart. As the temperature drops, friends and neighbors might need to turn up the heat, and even old enemies just might get a second chance. Get ready to tingle all the way ...
-
-
Terrible
- By Leah on 2024-12-24
Written by: Ali Hazelwood, and others
-
Bridesmaid for Hire
- Written by: Meghan Quinn
- Narrated by: Erin Mallon, Jason Clarke
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After years of working her tail off at her event-planning business, Maggie Mitchell is ready for a vacation. With nothing on her mind but R & R, she’s enjoying the warm weather of Bora Bora when in saunters Brody McFadden, her brother’s best friend and also her sworn enemy. Thanks to years of tension between the two—kicked off by a make-out session at her brother’s wedding that ended horribly—Maggie has sworn to stay away from the man. That is, until she finds out he’s in Bora Bora for his boss’s daughter’s wedding, hoping to use the trip to win a real future at the company.
-
-
🌴👰
- By @haylingbookstorm on 2025-04-20
Written by: Meghan Quinn
-
The Layover
- Written by: Lacie Waldon
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After 10 years as a flight attendant, Ava Greene is poised to hang up her wings and finally put down roots. She's got one trip left before she bids her old life farewell, and she plans to enjoy every second of it. But then, she discovers that former pilot Jack Stone - the absurdly gorgeous, ridiculously cocky man she's held a secret grudge against for year - is on her flight. And he has the nerve to flirt with her, as if he doesn't remember the role he played in the most humiliating night of her life. Good thing she never has to see him again after they land....
-
-
Amazing
- By KayA on 2022-09-14
Written by: Lacie Waldon
-
Worst Wingman Ever
- The Improbable Meet-Cute Collection
- Written by: Abby Jimenez
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Zachary Webber
- Length: 1 hr and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Holly is dealing with the impending death of her grandmother and still reeling from a bad breakup. One bright spot: a Valentine’s Day card on Holly’s windshield—even if it wasn’t meant for her. An amusing mistake soon turns into a lovely exchange of anonymous notes, little acts of kindness, and a growing affection between two strangers. What happens when one of them has to say goodbye?
-
-
Loved it
- By Asim on 2024-09-01
Written by: Abby Jimenez
-
The Fall Risk
- A Short Story
- Written by: Abby Jimenez
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Connor Crais
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much.
-
-
cute short
- By B on 2025-05-07
Written by: Abby Jimenez
-
Better than Fiction
- Written by: Alexa Martin
- Narrated by: Nicole Lewis
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a self-proclaimed book hater and a firm believer that the movie is always better, Drew Young didn’t anticipate inheriting her grandma’s bookstore, the Book Nook. She’s in way over her head even before the shop’s resident book club, comprising seven of the naughtiest old ladies ever, begin to do what they do best—meddle. When messy family ties jeopardize the future of the Book Nook, Drew is caught between a bookshelf and a hard place.
-
-
A love story between a book grinch and an author
- By Storm on 2023-12-08
Written by: Alexa Martin
-
Under the Mistletoe
- Spice Up the Holidays with Five Short Stories (Under the Mistletoe Collection)
- Written by: Ali Hazelwood, Tessa Bailey, Olivia Dade, and others
- Narrated by: Vivienne LaRue, Summer Morton, Connor Crais, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Curl up by the fire with some of today’s hottest authors as they serve up enough holiday sweetness and sizzling spice to melt the frostiest heart. As the temperature drops, friends and neighbors might need to turn up the heat, and even old enemies just might get a second chance. Get ready to tingle all the way ...
-
-
Terrible
- By Leah on 2024-12-24
Written by: Ali Hazelwood, and others
-
The Love Wager
- Written by: Lynn Painter
- Narrated by: Kristen DiMercurio, Zachary Webber
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hallie Piper is turning over a new leaf. After belly-crawling out of a hotel room (hello, rock bottom), she decides it’s time to become a full-on adult. She gets a new apartment, a new haircut, and a new wardrobe, but when she logs onto the dating app that she has determined will find her new love, she sees none other than Jack, the guy whose room she snuck out of.
-
-
Excellent read
- By Asim on 2024-08-11
Written by: Lynn Painter
-
With Love, from Cold World
- Written by: Alicia Thompson
- Narrated by: Lindsey Dorcus
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lauren Fox is the bookkeeper for Cold World, a tourist destination that's always a winter wonderland despite being located in humid Orlando, Florida. Sure, it’s ranked way below any of the trademarked amusement parks and maybe foot traffic could be better. But it’s a fun place to work, even if “fun” isn’t exactly Lauren’s middle name.
Written by: Alicia Thompson
-
Kit McBride Gets a Wife
- Written by: Amy Barry
- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kit McBride knows that Buck's Creek, Montana, is no place to find a wife. Between him and his three brothers—plus little Junebug—they manage all right on their own, thank you very much. But unbeknownst to Kit, his sister is sick to death of cleaning, cooking, and mending for her big brothers, so she places an ad in The Matrimonial News to get them hitched.
Written by: Amy Barry
-
Seven Exes
- A Novel
- Written by: Lucy Vine
- Narrated by: Lucy Paterson
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Esther is nearing thirty, with a great job and a flat she shares with her two best friends, Bibi and Louise. But her life is missing that special someone. Tired of being single and sick of bad date after bad date, she thinks she’s found the answer to her romance problem in an old women's magazine. According to the magazine’s dating column, there are seven archetypes a woman will date before finding Mr. Right.
Written by: Lucy Vine
-
To Sir, with Love
- Written by: Lauren Layne
- Narrated by: Rachanee Lumayno, Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perpetually cheerful and eager to please, Gracie Cooper strives to make the best out of every situation. So when her father dies just months after a lung cancer diagnosis, she sets aside her dreams of pursuing her passion for art to take over his Midtown Manhattan champagne shop. She soon finds out that the store’s profit margins are being squeezed perilously tight, and complicating matters further, a giant corporation headed by the impossibly handsome, but irritatingly arrogant Sebastian Andrews is proposing a buyout.
Written by: Lauren Layne
-
Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie
- A Novel
- Written by: Jackie Lau
- Narrated by: Catherine Ho, Feodor Chin
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mark Chan this. Mark Chan that. Writer and barista Emily Hung is tired of hearing about the great Mark Chan, the son of her parents’ friends. You’d think he single-handedly stopped climate change and ended child poverty from the way her mother raves about him. But in reality, he’s just a boring, sweater-vest-wearing engineer, and when they’re forced together at Emily’s sister’s wedding, it’s obvious he thinks he’s too good for her. But now that Emily is her family’s last single daughter, her mother is fixated on getting her married and she has her sights on Mark.
Written by: Jackie Lau
-
Moorewood Family Rules
- A Novel
- Written by: HelenKay Dimon
- Narrated by: Mia Barron
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One day a con man met an heiress, wooed her, married her, had two kids…and kept on conning. Jillian Moorewood is the oldest child from that meet-cute-gone-wrong marriage. The stable one. The sensible and dependable one. The one who protects and fixes. The one who went to prison to save their sorry butts. Now, thirty-nine months later, she’s out and she’s more than a little pissed. Finally home she finds the scheming clan in full family fleecing mode. They all claim they didn’t really agree to Jillian’s previous go-legit-or-else ultimatum before she went away.
-
-
Fun
- By Gail Nameth on 2023-12-07
Written by: HelenKay Dimon
-
Much Ado About You
- Written by: Samantha Young
- Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 33 years old, Evangeline Starling's life in Chicago is missing that special something. And when she's passed over for promotion at work, Evie realizes she needs to make a change. Some time away to regain perspective might be just the thing. In a burst of impulsivity, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village. The holiday package comes with a temporary position at Much Ado About Books, the bookstore located beneath her rental apartment. There's no better dream vacation for the bookish Evie, a life-long Shakespeare lover.
-
-
Story was good. Narrator terrible
- By Amy on 2021-05-27
Written by: Samantha Young
-
The Wake-Up Call
- Written by: Beth O'Leary
- Narrated by: Jessie Cave, Lino Facioli
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel’s front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through. The hotel won't stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest’s lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in the lost & found, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel—and their jobs.
-
-
Beth O’Leary chooses the best narrators!
- By CD, Ottawa, CA on 2024-01-15
Written by: Beth O'Leary
-
The Exception to the Rule
- The Improbable Meet-Cute Collection
- Written by: Christina Lauren
- Narrated by: Marli Watson, Andrew Gibson
- Length: 1 hr and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance. Wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day isn’t the end. In fact, it becomes a friendly annual tradition—with rules: no pics, no real names, nothing too personal. As years pass, the rules for their email “dates” are breaking, and they’re sharing more than they imagined—including the urge to ask…what if we actually met?
-
-
Couldn't handle the email exchange. So annoying listening to the constant reading of the email addresses. Couldn't even finish
- By Angela on 2025-05-16
Written by: Christina Lauren
-
Famous for a Living
- A Novel
- Written by: Melissa Ferguson
- Narrated by: Talon David
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When her business partner is accused of serious financial crimes, superstar influencer Cat Cranwell—an engineered marvel of beauty, energy, and fun—falls from her penthouse perch. Desperate to get away from the online trolls and paparazzi documenting her disgrace, Cat accepts her uncle’s offer to work with him in Kannery National Park, Montana. About as far as possible from life as she’s known it.
-
-
It's a miss for me
- By Asim on 2024-06-10
Written by: Melissa Ferguson
-
My So-Called Love Life
- Written by: Lauren Blakely
- Narrated by: Vanessa Edwin, Sebastian York
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I’ve got a list of people I absolutely don’t ever want to be stuck with on a boat, or a plane, or a train, and it starts and ends with the broody, grumpy, too-sexy-for-my-own good Axel Huxley. Also known as this romance novelist’s number one nemesis. The man is legendary for his mighty pen and his even mightier scowl. I tried to work together with the cocky thriller writer once upon a time, but the two of us are like vodka and good decisions. We don’t play well together.
-
-
Very sweet
- By Michelle on 2024-09-04
Written by: Lauren Blakely
What the critics say
“These six funny, tender, and romantic stories, full of promising beginnings and well-developed characters, are performed by eight talented narrators. Christina Lauren's meet-cute is a strong start to the collection.… Marli Watson and Andrew Gibson perform the emails in a nuanced way, realistically portraying excitement, drunkenness, and worry. Fans of Abby Jimenez will enjoy Zachary Webber's return narrating her work. Bailey Carr's performance of Sally Thorne's story is a standout and includes muffled voices heard from inside a sensory-deprivation tank and the calming voice of a wellness center employee.”—AudioFile Magazine
What listeners say about The Improbable Meet-Cute
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Asim
- 2024-10-13
Mixed bag
Ok to grab on sale, but otherwise, I'd just look to pick up the first two stories stand-alone
The Exception to the Rule
- very good story, very good performers, I enjoyed it
Worst Wingman Ever
- excellent story, excellent performers, deserves a stand-alone book
Rosie and the Dreamboat
-good, the performer was fine, though it may be a bit corny
Drop, Cover, and Hold
- not a meet-cute, the character already know each other
-no good, I cut it off; performer was not very good and it has a negative tone/energy
With Any Luck
-not a meet-cute, the chatacters have already been together...
-not very good, I cut it off; I can't stand stupid characters that put themselves in ridiculous situations that the book is then completely based on solving
Royal Valentine
-wasnt for me, I cut it off; the accent of the main character was not very good, and I wasn't a fan of tbr premise
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lee
- 2024-03-14
Warm feels
Christina Lauren and Abby Jimenez wrote my favourites in this collection. I recommend reading the stories from last to first that way the stories will just keep getting better. They all were cute and gave the warm feels.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JennSweetReads
- 2024-01-25
This collection is an absolute delight!
I absolutely adored each one of these wonderful Valentine's Day novellas. Treat yourself this Valentine's Day and get this amazing collection, it will definitely make you smile. All the narrators were outstanding!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Charlene Fazzari
- 2024-02-06
Great collection of novellas
My favourite of the six stories was, Worst Wing Man Ever.
Lots packed into a short story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!