Review: Chance Encounters, by Jessica Prince

Jessica Prince is a new-to-me author, so I had no vested interest in Chance Hoffman (an unlucky-in-love good guy from two of Prince’s other books) finally getting the girl. And that’s perfectly okay. Because Chance warmed my heart all on his own in Chance Encounters!

I’ve read plenty of stories in this trope — help the plain girl get the guy while being friends with benefits — before, and it so often falls like a lead balloon. But in Chance Encounters, the friendship turned friendship-with-benefits between Melany and Chase is so organic, and their relationship blossoms so naturally. The witty banter between the MCs is great, too!

Melany is so dang awkward, it’s painful. But that’s part of what makes the banter and dialog between her and Chance so painfully funny. Even though this is an ugly duckling story, I loved how Prince sets up the connection (even though it was just a friendship) between Melany and Chase right out of the gate with the prologue. Chase sees something in Melany’s social awkwardness that he finds endearing, and that made me give him some major brownie points long before she gets a makeover and becomes a beautiful swan.

What irked me, though, is how Chance feels that he was the wronged party when “the conflict” between them arises. The entire point of their pact was to help Melany get her co-worker’s attention, and when things changed on his end, he should have told her rather than manipulating her to see him as the guy for her. Of course she wouldn’t bring up her changing feelings to Chance! In Melany’s eyes, he was a great catch that she wasn’t worthy of. I get that the conflict had to lead to the Grand Gesture before Melany and Chance got to their HEA, but I thought he should have been the one to grovel. In my mind, Melany wasn’t the one who did anything wrong.

Nonetheless, I absolutely adored Chance Encounters. It’s a heartwarming tale of inner beauty, strength, self-confidence and self-love.

“Real life is better than a fairy tale.”

Can Hallmark pretty, pretty please make this into a movie? I will definitely keep Chance Encounters on my re-read list.