A Sweet Possibility by Natalie Charles

Synopsis (copied from Goodreads)

Life tastes better with chocolate…

All baker Jessica Mallory wants is a modest thigh gap. And her own chocolate shop. And to marry Quinn Rogerson, the man of her dreams. Too bad Quinn just dumped her, leaving her on her front steps in a hideous chartreuse dress. Now, Jessie clings to one hope: she can win Quinn back, if only she can become the woman he’s looking for.

Enter Nate Lancaster, Quinn’s hot best friend and a personal trainer. If anyone can whip Jessie’s soft form into jaw-dropping shape, it’s him. Good thing Jessie and Nate are in that safe “just friends” category. Otherwise, things could get complicated – fast.

For Nate, it was love at first sight. But Jessie’s got her gaze fixed squarely on Quinn. Still, Nate can’t pass up the chance to help Jessie with her self-improvement plan, even if she’s got another man in mind. After all, minds can be changed, and Nate’s never shied from a challenge…

My Review

Not a romance per se, A Sweet Possibility has romantic elements to it.

Jessie is a woman who gets dumped by the man she believes she is in love with because Quinn (yes, that is his name) believes that she is inferior to the people he socialises with. Assuming that he will love her if she changes herself, she starts listing down things she believes could be considered her faults. Now this is completely stupid and this is the point from where I wanted to stop reading but my curiosity got the better of me. I had to know if she was going to remain a stupid woman pining after a man who was so not worth it.

Then there is Nate who is, lo and behold, Quinn’s best friend and the reason Jessie and Quinn ever met in the first place. Now this type of person one can admire because even though he has always been true to himself about his love for Jessie he had never tried to usurp her (and his best friend’s) happiness so that he can get his own.

Jessie is all set to turn her life around and Nate, like the amazing friend he is, is there to help her sort her issue. Nate is honestly very lovable and his character itself teaches some very important lessons to our dear Jessie. She has ambitions but has always repressed them somehow; always believing deep down that she is just not good enough. Her parents are totally to be blamed. But she relearns herself in all this and accepts her for the amazing woman she is who cares if her old dresses do not fit her anymore? Jessie is much more than her body.

In the journey that Nate and Jessie take together for Jessie’s betterment they find true love. But I will not talk about that as, previously mentioned, this book was much more than just romance.

Now that the romance stuff is taken care of, let me highlight the other aspects that the book has touched.

Family is more than blood ties

Jessie’s parents had abandoned her to her uncle when they thought it was time they needed to be in Europe utilising their sales tricks and making a fortune. Growing up there always remained a chasm between her and her parents but she was always at ease around her uncle’s family. In essence that family was her own who loved her for the woman she was. They loved her the way she was and never tried to change her for their own benefit.

Loyalty

Nate, even when the love of his life starts dating his best friend, does not stop being Quinn’s friend just because he was dating the One for Nate. He stood there and remained with both of them irrespective of the heartache that was bestowed on him unknowingly by the two people who meant a lot to him.

Giving back to the community 

With the 5K race that Nate arranges for the food shelter, he shows that how important such places are in a community and how equally important it is invest in such projects.

Self Importance

A very important lesson that this book has for everyone is that one must be selfless but ignoring your own self is a selfishness in yourself. Not just ignoring but degrading yourself for what you think are your faults. Agreed, everyone has faults but they are what make us who we are. Acceptance is the key. Being chubby is not a fault. Helping others and being humble is not a fault. If someone makes you feel you are at fault for doing that, you need to discard them from your life. The way Jessie learned that Quinn was detrimental to her self image.

Ambition and Goals

This story also imparts the importance of aiming high and then making all of that a success. If there are no set goals, there is nothing to achieve. Set goals and then put yourself out there to make sure you come back home a success.

 

All in all, it was an amazing read and thus I rate it 5 stars.