Release Blitz + Review: "Meant to Be" by Jennifer Probst

Congratulations to Jennifer Probst on the publication of her latest novel, "Meant to Be," book #1 of the Twist of Fate series.

 

After Chiara Kennedy co-founded online women's magazine Quench with her three childhood best friends, she was living her best life - that is, until one of the members of their tight-knit group, Rory, was killed in a car accident. Two years later, Chiara has reluctantly taken over Rory's role as Quench's CEO and editor-in-chief. She's out at a bar one night doing research for a story when she runs into Rory's widower, high school guidance counselor Sebastian Ryder. He steps in when a creepy guy hassles Chiara and gets roofied for his trouble, so Chiara decides to take him back to her place so that she can make sure he's OK. She stays up most of the night watching him but finally falls into an exhausted slumber; later, Ryder wakes up, stumbles into her bedroom, and they "accidentally" hook up, both believing that they're in a dream. When they wake up the next morning and realize the truth, Ryder pushes for them to spend time getting to know each other again in case their night together has unexpected consequences, however unlikely. As much as Chiara tries to resist, she can't help growing closer to Ryder the more she gets to know him, but her feelings of guilt and disloyalty towards her late best friend are equally strong. Can Chiara and Ryder put the past behind them and start a new chapter together, or is their relationship doomed before it even begins?

I had mixed feelings about this book, but unfortunately, they trended more negative than positive. I almost DNF'd it around 20% after Chiara and Ryder's accidental/dream hookup because I found the whole thing to be so unbelievable. Ryder was still under the influence of drugs, so I understood why he might have been confused, and I could also understand Chiara being confused at first because she had just woken up from a deep sleep, but I found it incredibly hard to believe that she wouldn't have realized it was happening for real at some point. Later that same day, Ryder miraculously remembers what happened the night before and insists that they spend time getting to know each other in case of a pregnancy that they both admit is highly unlikely. The reasoning for them spending time together at that point was so incredibly flimsy as to be laughable. It would be one thing if Chiara already knew she was pregnant, but to start planning for a co-parenting relationship on the slim possibility that she might become pregnant made no sense to me.

At any rate, I kept reading in the hopes that the book would get better from there, but I was mostly disappointed. I had a tough time liking or connecting with either of the main characters, particularly Chiara. She continually bemoaned the fact that she was "stealing her best friend's life," which drove me crazy because her best friend had died two years ago, and it's impossible to steal anything from a dead person. As for Ryder, I didn't like how pushy he was with Chiara. He repeatedly disrespected her boundaries and tried to dictate his involvement in her life. Their relationship was a constant roller-coaster, and I'm not sure I believed it was really over by the end.

 

While this book wasn't for me, I found it to be well-written, as Probst's stories always are. Fans of second chance romance and/or the accidental pregnancy trope may well enjoy it. I will likely pick up the next book in the series because I genuinely enjoyed the friendship/found family aspect of the story, and would like to get to know Chiara's friends Malia and Tessa better.

 

*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

 

About "Meant to Be"

Two broken hearts discover an unpredictable path to healing in an emotional romance about fate and second chances by New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst.

Meant to Be by Jennifer Probst is now live!

It's been two years since Chiara Kennedy lost her dearest friend, Rory. Chiara misses everything about her. Rory's widowed husband is another story. Sebastian Ryder is a man Chiara had secretly wanted, let slip away, and hoped to never see again. Then fate throws them together for an unexpected one-night stand and a morning after of new challenges.
 

Sebastian had a soulmate in Rory. Shut down after his tragic loss he kept a cool distance from everyone, including Chiara with whom he once shared a deep if fleeting affection. That was over and done with a long time ago. But when they meet again, old emotions resurface along with a heart-wounding past that haunts them both.

As Chiara and Sebastian grow closer, finally getting to know each other, Chiara struggles between feelings of guilt and those of a cherished second chance with Sebastian. Will fate allow them to overcome the past, or are they destined to always wonder if they are truly meant to be?