[ARC Review] A Heart Worth Finding by Amanda Chaperon
Sometimes, love finds you.
Three and a half years ago, Jack DeLuca and Jessica Daniels met in Cancun, Mexico on spring break. They connected instantly, and they spent four magical days—and nights—together.
But when that week was over, so was the strong—but admittedly ill-advised—relationship they’d built. In order to protect themselves, and see their futures pan out the way they had always planned, Jack and Jessica had to let each other go.
Now, and entirely unbeknownst to them, Jack and Jessica are both seniors at Michigan State, and the universe is about to bring them back together.
Only…not in the way they expect.
Jessica is in a long-term relationship, and Jack has recently started seeing someone he really cares about.
However, when they re-enter each other’s lives, it’s impossible to deny that old spark is still there, and fate is begging them to fan the coals of their once-burning connection. Will they give in, or will they let the fire go out once and for all?My thoughts: I feel like every new release that Amanda Chaperon puts out is my new favorite of hers, and A Heart Worth Finding is no exception. Jess and Jack were a dream to read about.
For me, this book was all about the seconds: the second NA/college-age romance from Chaperon, the second Daniels sibling to get her own story, second chances at love for Jack and Jess, and - one of my favorite parts - a second timeline. All of these seconds fell into place to create a premier hockey romance.
There was just something special about Jack and Jess. Maybe it was the way they fell hard and fast for each other, and then fell slow and steady. They were able to build a steady foundation for their relationship that the previous couples in this series couldn't do, and that really stood out to me. I do love a good second-chance romance, and Chaperon did an excellent job at playing it out over both timelines.
This book has some of Chaperon's best character growth. We've seen her characters grow and change throughout the course of the previous three books, but Amanda really got to flex her character development in this one as Jess and Jack had three and half very pivotal years of growing up to do. Jessica and Jack perfectly encapsulated life at two important junctures in life, and I loved seeing how they handle life throughout the dual timelines.
Overall, this was another fantastic romance from Chaperon. Even as we seemingly focus less and less on hockey as the series progresses, Chaperon expertly uses dual POV and dual timelines to bring readers closer to her characters than ever before. I loved the journey that Jack and Jess went on in this book, and I can't wait to see what Chaperon has in store for us next.
[I read both beta and ARC versions of this story, and my overall thoughts are based on a combination of feelings from reading both of these versions.]
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Release date: 9/8/23
Format: beta and eARC
Beta pages and eARC provided via: the author
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