Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.
It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").
But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.
Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.
Publishes in US: Nov. 13th 2012
Source: Delacorte via Netgalley
Series? no
I really liked Julia, the main character of Meant to Be. She is the right blend of nerdy, smart and quirky. The backdrop of Meant to Be is London, and it was charming to read about, I could almost picture myself there with the descriptions on the pages of Julia's journey to learning about life, meant to be, and herself.
I loved that she had her own interests and even though she was clutzy and insecure she had ideas off what she wanted and didn't want to be taken advantage of.
I was so back and forth with Jason and that is a real talent to keep me so undecided and questioning a character. I really liked getting to know him and figuring out why he acts like he did and what his motivations are. He was so typical guy though. Transparent in so many ways, immature in others, absolutely sweet and melting in orders, and then there are the times where you scratch your head and think they must be from another planet.
There were plenty of steamy moments but at times I felt like I had whip lash with the back and forth between Jason mark and Chris. I liked how they all played into the story though and what she learned about herself through interactions with each of them.
The plot twist was interesting and added interesting to this fun yet sometimes emotional contemporary.
Bottom line: Cute and funny story with good characters.
Do you believe in Meant to Be?
This has been on my tbr for quite a while, but you've made me even more excited about reading it now! Julia sounds like a fab mc and steamy moments, eh? Awesome!
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
oh what a beautiful cover! it really sounds like a nice story. thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteThis is my next read, so happy to see positive reactions. I like guys in books who are realistic -- not all perfect and sensitive or all broody and mysterious.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
London, steamy ,moments, nerdy geek girl..sounds delightful, awesome review!
ReplyDeleteI've heard so many great things about Meant to Be, and I'm excited to read it. And I love books set in London. Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a delightful read :) I like that Julia is nerdy and quirky. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteMeant to Be or Not Meant to Be? I guess I may have to add this to my file of great excuses ;)
I love cute and funny :D And sometimes I really need books like that
ReplyDeleteThis book is also on my to-read list, but I don't have time to read it right now. I'm happy to hear that you like it. I must read it soon. I need something sweet cause all these classics are killing me. Great review.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! Love that the MC is not a helpless damsel in distress!
ReplyDeleteThis was a lot of fun Brandi! I do wish that more focus would've been spent on just one guy instead of three. Other than that, this was totally cute. :)
ReplyDeleteI'll be sure not to expect too much from this but I like that it's a quick and cute read. great review! I can't wait to give it a try myself. :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really cute! Sad to hear Jason was kind of up and down and back and forth but I'm all for a fun story!
ReplyDeleteVivian the Spirit says: Wow, I haven't seen this one before but it sounds so sweet! The world-building in London sounds quite well done and I like the sound of the guys too! Great review <3 POOF!
ReplyDelete*currently on semi-hiatus
I just finished reading this and I found Jason REALLY annoying although I did enjoy seeing Julia reassess her notions about love and planning.
ReplyDeleteI am reading this book this week, I have seen a lot of great reviews of this one. Thanks for your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteKristin @ Young Adult Book Haven