Vacation Self is the third book in 831 Stories’ Big Fan series, a romance novella following Maggie, an NYC florist on a solo Vermont vacation in search of work/life balance, and Ramsey, a former boyband star and sometime Vermont resident who happens to be sober. They meet. They fall in love. You know how this goes.
The predictability is part of the charm, honestly. That’s the 831 promise and it delivers. What sets this one apart is the pacing, which can be hit or miss with 831 books but is just right here. The chemistry works too, though Ramsey feels more fully fleshed out than Maggie, so his chapters land a little better than hers. I always wish these novellas left a little more room for character development.
Fans of Big Fan will also love catching up with Charlie and Maya, the main characters from that first book in the series, in the background. And for anyone who just needs a low-risk and satisfying romance to read in one sitting, this is exactly that.
PS: Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.
