A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

Meant to be by Jennifer Probst is what every reader craves in a story. A sweet happy ending, beautiful Chemistry between the characters and gripping story line.

I would like to rate it Five STARS and Recommend it to all Readers.

Jennifer Probst has a new series and man did it start off awesome. I always say that our lives are centered around fate and we all have someone for us, in this case it is Chiara and Sebastian. Right from the beginning you can tell love has struck them and has never left them. I loved seeing that life did get in the way and wow what a whammee it did on them both but this is a story of giving them a second chance. This is not just Chiara and Sebastian but we see the friends that Rory touched including her father and what will happen with all the of them now. The one thing I would have loved to see was more of Rory but then again Jennifer Probst does things for a reason and seeing her talent work on Sebastian wooing Chiara was a big case. Here is one woman who is all about independence and freedom but it takes a good man like Sebastian to show her that all the what if's she had back then can be possible. Loved it and cannot wait to see more of the Twist of Fate series.

"I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own."

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I requested this one because I had read another book by this author and absolutely loved it and I am happy to say I also loved this one. This one hooked me from the very beginning...I jumped right into the story line and I got to know the characters with ease...they kept me interested throughout the entire book and I rooted for them. It is a romance novel so it isn't like I was expecting to be disappointed...they almost always get together in the end :) The characters were all very likeable and they each had their story within a story...I would recommend this to anyone that likes contemporary romance...that also likes to laugh...because these people laugh a lot and they also cry a lot...it happens.

I really didn't like it. I still don't know why I kept reading, but I did.
The first red flag was their night together after he was accidentally roofied instead of her. How is it okay for her to take advantage of him while he is unconscious? I don't care if she thought she was "dreaming", if the roles were reversed, it wouldn't have been brushed aside this quickly.
After the eventful night, the book kind of flat lined. They fell in love, they felt guilty, in love, guilty.... And so on. For the entire thing!!
I'd not even call it slow paced, there was no pace at all.
And don't let me start about the couple. They were so one dimensional and unlikeable. I couldn't root for them.
The ending was the same as the rest, so nothing was salvaged.
The biggest miss this year.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Jennifer Probst is an excellent author who grabs your attention with plot twists and swoony book boyfriends. Meant to Be is a poignant romance that had me experiencing a wide range of emotions. I loved these two MCs and enjoyed their angsty ride towards happiness.

4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 3 Flames 🔥🔥🔥

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Hello

Apologies for the late notice, but I have decided not to review this title.

While I am certain it's obvious by now, I wanted to also clear this off NetGalley, so it's not showing as open for either of us.

I look forward to continuing to work with you in 2023 and beyond.

Laura

ARC for honest review with no compensation Received from Valentine PR, 4.5 stars Meant To Be is book 1 in the new series Twist of Fate by Jennifer Probst and what a twist of fate! We meet Chiara, Malia, Tessa and Rory co owners of Quench, an online women’s magazine and how it all began. Chiara was to meet her friends at a local bar one evening but work sidelined them. She meet a man named Sebastian, they talk, connected and spend the night at a lookout point talking til dawn finding that they are on different paths and part company. Then the unthinkable happens and she see Sebastian again but with her best friend Rory and acts like she doesn’t know him. Lots of things happen in the intervening years, Rory marries Sebastian, then passes away in a terrible accident, few more years pass and they met again at a bar where Chiara is being hit upon and Sebastian steps in…but what happens next is how fate steps in!! Grief, feeling of betrayal, loneliness, second chances, fate stepping in, romance, tensions, and finding love is meant to be!

Meant to Be is a new release of a new series by Jennifer Probst. I struggled a bit with some of the story line being quite a bit all over the place, but still decided to give it a solid chance. 3.5 stars.

Sebastian and Chiara come together after the tragic passing of Chiara's close friend and Sebastian's wife, Rory. They have had feelings for one another from years before, but Sebastian met his then wife Rory, and the opportunity was gone.

Now after the accident, the two of them are pushed together in a very unexpected and crazy way. As time passes, these two begin to develop deeper feelings for one another, and their journey to an HEA was one filled with grief, acceptance, and love. I will still be giving the next book another chance as I do love Jennifer Probst, and am hoping for a stronger storyline next.

I absolutely LOVE Jennifer Probst’s stories and this was right up there with some of my faves! Thanks netgalley for the early copy! I can’t wait to read more from her!!

After meeting previously and connecting they decided to go their separate ways as they weren’t in the same place as where they were in life. Back in each others lives again after her friend passes away, they meet in a bar again. There are TW in this book. These two did have chemistry with each other. This was a different book from this author than I am used to. It worked, but expected more.

Meant to Be is the first book in a new series from Jennifer Probst and my first title by this author. The book follows the story of Chiara and Sebastian, who meet each other and after they decide to part ways, cross paths again but in unexpected circumstances.
I enjoyed this slow burn romance with strong characters and a gripping storyline. I loved the bond Chiara shares with the people in her life and I found Sebastian to be a sweet and warm hero with an openness to him which was refreshing to read. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
The one thing that didn't quite sit right with me was the fact that Chiara chose not to take Sebastian to the hospital after he'd been drugged. It just wasn't believable and her reason for not doing it was flimsy.

This is the first book in Probst's new series, Twist of Fate. This story follows Chiara and Sebastian as they navigate their feelings after seeing each other for the first time in years after they both lost someone close to them.

Chiara lost her best friend Rory two years ago and she had had a hard time dealing with the loss. To make her grief even more confusing, Chiara had feelings for her best friend's husband, but let him go. Sebastian also had feelings for Chiara in the past, but he knew he found his true love in Rory so he too, let his affection for Chiara die down.

After they both lost Rory, they didn't think they would have to deal with each other, a fact they were both fine with. Fate steps in and these two are back in each other’s lives and the chemistry they had is still there.
I liked this book and the love story, it really was the right place, wrong time scenario.

I liked these to characters together, buy the secondary characters are what really made this book stand out in my mind. The friendship between Chiara, Malia and Tessa was phenomenal and it really showed that even though you can have a true love in a partner, sometimes soul mates are best friends.

I would definitely read the following books in this series and I would recommend this book to romance lovers!

This book ended up being a DNF. Rating is based solely on the content I did read. I ultimately found the pacing and development of the story and/or characters not engaging enough to continue on and finish the complete book.

Meant to Be is the first book in a new contemporary romance series by Jennifer Probst and is actually the first book I have read by the author.

As the name of the book and series suggests this is all about second chance and fated romance. I have heard a lot about Jennifer Probst books and there are a lot of fans of her writing but for a newbie like me this book was just alright. If we talk about the characters the only one I liked was Sebastian. As a school guidance counsellor, I liked his interactions with his students and the teenagers he helps out and he seemed overall likeable. I couldn't say the same about Chiara and her friends, who run a successful women based online lifestyle magazine called Quench. I particularly didn't warm up to Chiara at all. I have read quite a lot of contemporary romances and some of them have been very good; this book isn't one of them.

Also, the book cover design can be improved. The guy in the picture just doesn't look like how Sebastian has been described in the book.

Overall, an average read but since the author is quite popular I will try reading her other books and series. I also have the ARC to the second book so hopefully that will turn out to be better.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Montlake and the author for the e-Arc of the book.

Highly entertaining and engaging adventure. Emotional, yet sweetly thrilling and action packed journey filled with engaging charters, witty dialog, heart racing twists, memorable moments and exciting turns.

4 star

The story has grief, laughs, pain, secrets, and heartbreak.

This is Chiara and Sebastian’s story. Sebastian was married to Chiara’s best friend Rory who passed away two years ago. Before he was with Rory they had a little something but they never really explored it. Fast forward and it has been 2 years since they lost Rory. They have one night together and try to explore something together but will they be able to with the guilt of moving on and past the relationship with Rory?

I recommend this story.

Meant To Be is such a wonderful start to this series. I absolutely love second chance romance books. A nice sweet, sexy and steamy story about love, grief and second chances. Chiara is a strong woman. She knows what she wants and what she doesn't want.

Years ago, Sebastian and Chiara met at a club and they had an instant connection. Their chemistry together was undeniable and they spent one amazing night talking and getting to know each other. Despite their chemistry, they went their separate ways because it was clear that Sebastian wanted to settle down and start a family and Chiara wanted the opposite.

When Sebastian ends up dating and marrying her best friend Rory, she decides to keep the knowledge to herself that she has met Sebastian before. Unfortunately, Rory dies in a tragic accident and two years later, Chiara, her best friends, Malia and Tessa and Sebastian are all still grieving from Rory’s sudden death. Fate brings Sebastian and Chiara back into each others’ lives and this time, there was no way they could deny or ignore their feelings for each other. I felt the passion and love they had for one another. I really enjoyed this book, I was rooting for Sebastian and Chiara as they faced a huge challenge.

Jennifer Probst always does any amazing job with creating strong, admirable and successful female characters. It makes the storylines so much more enjoyable. The emotional roller coaster of feelings this book created also made it a great read. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.

So this book mainly follows Sebastian and Chiara, who are dealing with the death of their wife and best friend respectively, in their own ways. Both had feelings for each other at one point but that was over and done with a long time ago. When they meet again, old emotions resurface along with a heart-wounding past that haunts them both.

We explore feelings of attraction, guilt and love, all at once, but I don't think the author delivered it well.

The preview sounded good and I was intrigued but 20% in and there's a roofied main character having s*x with the female main character and doesn't even remember in the morning then there's a baby in the mix. Just NO. Chiara's morals went down the drain and I couldn't read it after that. Like how can someone do that with a person who is drugged?

The series title says it all... Twisted fate... A good good about two people and fate playing in their lives but a good story..