The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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.

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?

Christina Lauren’s The Exception to the Rule is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.

Very short, but great story for what it was

I couldn’t quite bring myself to give this one a full five stars simply because of its length, but it really was a delight. I’m a sucker for stories built around written communication — text messages, emails, notes — and this novella leans all the way into that format in the best possible way.

The setup is charming: the MMC accidentally sends an email meant for someone else to the FMC on Valentine’s Day. Instead of brushing it off, the two of them fall into an unexpected tradition, exchanging emails every Valentine’s Day for years. They’re from the same California town, but beyond that one shared detail, they keep their personal lives mostly private. Even so, their annual messages slowly build a genuine connection, the kind that sneaks up on both of them.

For such a short audiobook, it delivers a surprising amount of warmth and intimacy. Marli Watson and Andrew Gibson elevate the experience with their narration — both bring a natural, expressive quality that makes the characters feel grounded and real. Their performances add just the right emotional shading to a story built entirely on words shared across distance.

A quick listen, but a very enjoyable one.

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