Review: Chance Encounters by J. Sterling

Caroline Weber was a normal girl who thought she had her life figured out. After graduating from college in New York, she moved to San Francisco with her boyfriend, Clay. Everything in her life felt perfect. There wasn't anything she would change...

...until she met Jackson Parks.

Is it possible that a chance meeting with a stranger can make you question EVERYTHING you thought you wanted? Caroline tries to carry on with her life as if nothing has changed...but the truth is, nothing can ever be the same. 

Chance Encounters is an emotional love story about trusting and following your heart, even when it's leading you down a difficult path.

Sometimes other hearts have to break in order to keep yours intact.

READ THIS REVIEW!!!

The reason for the bold-face shouty capitals is because when most readers see a 3 star rating they run screaming for the hills like a half naked big breasted woman in a horror movie! Please don't run. Have a seat and let me explain!


What I find most fascinating about Chance Encounters is that it's a new adult book that reads like a YA! Raise your hand if you're an adult stuck in young adult book land. You like the way they read, but you wish the characters were at least old enough to legally purchase alcohol. Well, Chance Encounters gives you the best of both worlds. So why does fascination not get a higher rating? One of two reasons...reason number one, I'm not a big fan of "love at first sight" romance. It's incredibly hard to pull off and I'm a huge sucker for relationship anticipation, "Will they? Won't they?" Nothing compares to the sexual tension of new relationships; it builds and builds then...DAMN!!! Regardless of my personal preference, countless readers absolutely adore the concept of instant attraction and will gobble this book up in one sitting! 


Reason number two for not tossing in a few more stars would be Caroline and Jackson's meeting. It was awkward and in a "love at first sight" romance the meeting sets the tone for the entire relationship. That was really my only complaint; their relationship development needed more.


Another thing I really liked about the book was the uniqueness of the "love triangle". The author shows us that a relationship doesn't always end just because the guy's an asshole or treats the girl bad; sometimes it's just not meant to be. You can't help who you love. Chance Encounters provided a nice vacation from the angst filled, tear me to pieces, and eff with my mind romance novels. It had just the right amount of drama to set a quick pace, but you don't feel emotionally drained after reading it. Sometimes we just need a good story! It's a great vacation/beach read!


Sometimes all you want from a book is to be entertained and that's exactly what I got with Chance Encounters. Perhaps the concept was not my cup of tea (or tequila), but the writing gave me a good look at a new author and one I will for sure be keeping my eye on!

BOOK-tunes

Track #1

Fall From Grace by Amanda Marshall

This one's hard to explain. The chorus makes me think of Caroline's instant attraction to Jax. Just one touch caused her to fall from a loving relationship. Also loved the line, "Love was glass that broke apart.

Track #2 
Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis
This is one of those songs that just seems to fit!
"Something happened for the very first time with you."