Sweet Serendipity

by Jenna Pizzi

Sometimes you need to let go of the past in order to open your heart for the possibilities of tomorrow.

Not every marriage is perfect. Rebecca knew she’d have to make some sacrifices. What she didn’t realize is that it would cost her, her heart. After nearly twenty years of marriage and one heart break after another, will she find the strength to let go and move on? Will she allow herself to love again?
Rebecca lived everyday with the same routine of caring for the kids, the house, and her husband Jack. Until one night she finds Jack with another woman, and Rebecca’s world falls apart. With the encouragement of her two closest friends, Rebecca realizes that she can find the happiness she deserves.
Ethan is a struggling artist. When he meets Rebecca, he once again finds the inspiration to paint again. He’s aware of the walls she has built around her, but he’s willing to break them down one by one to show her that she is worthy of being loved.
This is a heartwarming story of friendship, love, and overcoming tragedy to find that there is always a new beginning.

Genres: Romance

374 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2013

About the author

I see pictures and images that come alive in my mind. That's where my stories come from. I have the innate ability to be able to hit the pause button and then continue on when I want to see what happens.
I have been a storyteller my entire life. In the times when I was in need of an escape, I was able to create a world of my own to hide for a while.
I have dealt with many traumatic life events in recent years, and I believe that my way of coping with it all has been to sit down and write. I pour every emotion that I am feeling at that moment into the words on the screen. The stories just take on a life of their own. So, now I want to share with the rest of the world, the world in which I create, and hope that it helps the reader to escape into a fantasy of their own.

Reviews

[L.P. Dover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! Sweet Serendipity is a heartwrenching tale that I'm sure a lot of women can relate to. I know there are tons of people that have been cheated on and lied to. It hurts when the man you've been with for so many years betrays that trust. So, in this case Rebecca goes through that tragedy. Her heart has been broken, but when all seems to be lost, she's given a second chance. Except, this second chance is something she doesn't know if she's ready for yet.

After being spurned, Rebecca has built walls around her heart. If she doesn't let them down then she won't get hurt again. Except, what happens when she meets the handsome Ethan. Will she find the strength to love again, or will she run away from it? Ethan is determined to win her heart and he'll do anything to make Rebecca love again.

One thing I like about this author is that her stories flow well. I've read other books by her and they all flow just as well. She really brings out the emotions in this book so you'll find yourself laughing, and crying along with the characters as they embark on new journeys ... new beginnings. I would definitely recommend this book to family and friends.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY, where do I begin?!? This is a fascinating story about Rebecca and the roller-coaster ride that she experiences to find peace and happiness. She must experience great heartaches to be able to overcome the hard-times in her life. I love how Jenna includes real life situations (illnesses/loss) in her books! It brings the story to a whole other level!!! I recommend this book to anyone & everyone!!!

One of my life quotes-
"God doesn't put you through a situation to punish you but to open your eyes to other possibilities! Everything happens for a reason whether it be it be good or bad, it is God's way of telling us that there is another way!"

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this story and felt I could relate on so many levels especially being a mom and struggling with all the stress our daily lives gives us. However, Sweet Serendipity wasn't about just some woman and the stress of motherhood. Jenna showed us what it would be like to have to start over again with a broken heart and your best friends and family by your side. There was so much emotion and drama that unfolded from this story but it all came together beautifully. I just wish my teen behaved half as good as the teens in the book did LOL. With a cheating husband and so much going on her life, Becca didn't think it was meant for her to love again. That is til Ethan stepped in to her life and showed her how it was to truly feel loved. If dealing with divorce wasn't enough, Becca was also going through a loss of a loved one, finding out another was dying and with so much more on her plate, it just didn't leave much hope for her. I found this story to be very intense, I didn't care for Jack in the beginning but he showed us another side towards the end that made me soften up towards him. I really enjoyed reading this one and think that others would as well.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Serendipity was a great book. I love all the characters and love how it was based on daily things and basic problems in people's lives. I felt all the emotions with all the characters. Rebecca catching her husband cheating and feeling betray after being with him for so many years. Rebecca decided to build walls around heart so she don't get hurt again but that was till she met Ethan. She really likes Ethan but at the same time she is scared to follow her heart. Everyone needs a second chance at love but will Rebecca let Ethan in or push him away. I love her friendship with Tasha and Emily. They are both always there for her to lift her spirits up and telling her its okay to have a second chance at love. Kind of friends you want in your life. You will laugh and you will cry while reading this book and I would recommend this book to everyone.

[Alex Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Serendipity was a wonderful book. I love how the title has to do with my favorite part! I've always had a thing for artists, and I love that Ethan created a gallery just for Becca. The book starts out on a sad note; Becca finds out her husband is cheating on her. I honestly find this part really sad. The further you went into the story, the more you learned about their relationship and their family. I enjoyed how we slowly learned more and more about each and every one of the characters. The book made you feel genuine emotions for the difficulties and gains that they went through. IF you are looking for a realistic romance, this is definitely the book to read. Jenna Pizzi did a wonderful job! I give this book 5 out of 5 book-a-saur paws!

[Jenny Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an eARC copy of this book in return for an honest review. I was able to relate to the feeling that Rebecca had on so many levels and the war she had going on with herself. I feel like I was part of the story and not just reading it. There were time that I was silently rooting for Rebecca and other times I felt sorry for her and actually cried. This is a MUST read emotional life that most females can relate to in so many ways. Thank you, Jenna Pizzi, for this remarkable story.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its definitely a Must read. Jenna did an awesome job in describing the story. Its filled with so much emotion you can feel yourself and easy enough for others to relate to. Gives you hope knowing that in this story "Cinderella got her Prince Charming."

Be prepared to read it with a box to tissues ;)

[Joy Whiteside · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good read which took me away from my everyday reality and let me escape for a few hours.

The writing was very good and I loved the characters and the storyline. This book did not let me down.

This is a book that I would definitely suggest to my friends and family without worrying about what they would think.

I look forward to reading more by Jenna Pizzi.

[Sarah Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me laugh and cry. I felt like i was Rebecca!

[Alexia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a million and one problems with this book despite the fact that the cover was sexy.

Rebecca is a dissatisfied housewife and mother of two who has grown apart from her husband Jack. Until she discovers that Jack is having an affair with a younger,blond woman.From the moment that she discovers the affair,she changes completely and although her longtime friends Emily & Natasha "Tasha" disagree, the changes in Rebecca are not good ones.

She meets a younger artist by the name of Ethan and almost instantly she cannot keep her hands off him.I personally have a big issue with people running into relationships just weeks after the end of a marriage. Especially when there are kids involved.She turned into a selfish,horny teenager and I'm sorry but I just cannot deal with that. Yes she's a woman but she's a mother first.She got so involved with Ethan that she didn't even notice that her youngest child was slipping into a depression.

The book was overall really really slow and only picked up in certain spots. Not to mention that the spelling was atrocious. Again I found myself wondering where was the editor and why hadn't he caught these mistakes. The characters themselves were boring and not interesting at all. The only one I cared about was Adam,Rebecca and Jack's son.

I have to give this book 1 star. I finished it but with all the editing issues and the underdevelopment of the characters,I cannot in good sense give it more than one star.

[Wendy Strain · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things I really liked about this book was that it didn't expect everything in a romance to happen in a week or so. The real love among the family members and friends was palpable and made a beautiful statement about the importance of being able to accept people as they are - baggage, warts, scars and all. Pizzi does a great job of creating unique, multi-faceted characters that continue to struggle with real life issues even as they experience their own fairy tale moments. The pages continued to turn on their own, it seemed, until the book was finished - always a good sign.

[Nicole Walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. I could relate to Rebecca's in many ways. I loved all the of her friends/family. after 20 years of with her husband her world is rocked and she has to start over. Rebecca's has built walls around her heart but then meets the steamy Ethan. younger, exciting and so sweet. This book really pulls you in from the start. It has real life struggles that everyone can relate to I couldn't put it down. I have read other books by Jenna Pizzi and she never disappoints. :)

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart warming story

This book made me laugh cry and go through so many other emotions. The strength of friendship that Tasha, Becca and Emily had was amazing. I loved how they were always there for each other when they each had a crisis in their lives. This is a must buy ladies!!! I had to finish the book because I couldn't put it down. Great Job Jenna!!! I look forward to reading more of your novels.

[Jamie Turner-norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Serendipity had me laughing, crying and getting mad.
I loved all the characters and their personalities, Jenna has a way of bringing you into the book and making the characters feel like real people as if your not reading about their lives but living it with them.
**Disclaimer--I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

[N. Kuhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about what happens after a divorce. The story takes us from divorce, to rediscovering yourself. New relationships, teenage kids and low self esteem all play a part, but the book is great. It's a story that I feel many women are going to be able to relate it and it's refreshing.

[Chuya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story about finding a second love. A new beginning. A second chance at happiness has inspired me. I have been thinking about doing something different with my life. I sometimes think "What's the point? I'm to old. My kids are grown and we're comfortable."
I think there's still a chance for me now. To do something I enjoy and not hate to go to work in the morning everyday.
The story in inspirational. The characters are so real. Easy to relate to. The story flowed smoothly, telling me their tale and I honestly felt like I was living it. I laughed so much with the character Tasha. I was grinning the whole last two chapters of the book for Rebecca and Ethan. My cheeks hurt! Lol. I cried at the end for about 20 minutes. I really enjoyed this book and would like to thank Jenna Pizzi for sharing her wonderful gift of writing with the world.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Serendipity by Jenna Pizzi is tremendously good. Well written, strong plot, stronger characters, the trifecta for sure. If it can go wrong for Rebecca, it most certainly did. This book touched on every possible difficult scenario and still shone through with hope and happiness. Introducing Ethan into the story at the beginning, then giving him the back seat, full of love and tenderness, throughout the first half of this book, was a brilliant move by Pizzi. Then when he comes in and sets everything to rights, a HEA is what everyone deserves. This is such a terrific love story. You should all read it.

[Jeanette Hornby · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and a half Stars.
A busy but interesting story. Enjoyable read.

[Outi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was nice, but the book felt rushed. The scenes were not carrying with them and I felt like an outsider staring inside, which is sad, because otherwise this would have been a five star book.

[Lady E · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rating emotional good friendship well done.