Once Upon a time…
I was a novella reader. I mean I read them voraciously. But to be perfectly honest, with maybe the exception of one or two, I barely remember them. Why? Because usually the stories are not fully developed enough for me to connect with the characters. Novellas masquerade as novels without the depth and connection that novels have.
In my opinion, novellas only really work if:
1) They are continuing a much larger story; if it works as a kind of epilogue for a couple you’ve spent almost 300 pages with, than novellas will work
2) It is the other person’s pov. This is becoming quite popular, where if the novel is told from the female’s pov, that the male will get a novella regarding his feelings about what happened in the book. It’s usually repetitive, but works with a novella format.
3) It is a prequel. You know there is going to be an actual novel coming out soon that further emphasizes what happened in the novel.
And so I ask you…are there any other reasons why novellas should be read? Do you prefer novellas to novels? If so, why?
remaininhislove 
Sometimes I find myself in the mood for novella, but I find that after reading them I usually want more. I agree it works well if there is a novella before or after a series with a focus on another character because your still getting that fullness of the story.
I think I agree with what you say. I don’t think they work as well as stand-alone stories.