Never Lasting is the latest 831 Stories romance novella, set over one NYC summer in the lives of Lucy, a recent law school grad, and James, a chef. They meet the day of Lucy’s graduation, introduced by her best friend Rebecca, who happens to be James’s cousin. Both are leaving the city at the end of summer, so what starts as instant love slides into situationship territory. Alternating perspectives throughout.
Unfortunately, this one didn’t work for me. The writing felt amateur and the characters barely sketched out. The professional details didn’t ring true either. Lucy is studying for the bar, but only a few hours a day, which, if you know anything about the bar exam, is not how that works. And there’s a thread suggesting she might sit for the New York bar but practice law in another state, which isn’t really how that works either.
The romance itself also fell flat. So much of the book is poor communication and on-again-off-again tension that it never quite feels romantic, a problem for a romance novella.
This book is fine I guess but there are enough genuinely good 831 Stories books at this point that it’s hard to imagine recommending this one to anyone outside of completists.
PS: Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.
