Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 256
Series: n/a
Review Source: Netgalley
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
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.
My Thoughts:
‘Meant To Be’ really suckered me in with that cover, I’ll admit it. I also couldn’t resist an opposites attract romance set during a class trip to London, England (aka one of my favourite cities). Then once bloggers started flailing about it and calling it the next ‘Anna and the French Kiss’ I knew I had to read this one ASAP. Unfortunately ‘Meant To Be’ failed to meet my (admittedly high) expectations.
Julia, the main character, was just too rigid to identify with, which I found frustrating. I am suspect numero uno for following the rules and being a bit of a stick in the mud, so when I say that Julia was too much for me in this regard you know it’s serious. Similarly, with so many positive reviews about the epicness and swooniness of this book the reality just fell flat to me. I felt like the book was okay, but nothing that sticks out in my mind either. A few weeks after reading it I actually had to look up the main character’s name to complete my review notes. It just didn’t stick with me for some reason.
So, sadly, this book was just not for me. It was cute enough to read through once, hence the 3 stars. It’s not like I incredibly disliked ‘Meant To Be’, despite what it may seem, I just found it lacked the special romantic something that would garner it five, or even four, stars. An okay book to pass the time, but nothing to flail about.
The Cover:
Pretty much perfection. So freaking pretty!
Rating:
[3/5]Find Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.
Aww, I'm sad you didn't like it! I fell in love with the cover, too. It's just so pretty! I'm not sure if I'll give it a go. I like a book where the romance is totally there, so if it's not, then I might not like it.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Ashley!
It's hard to say... I think it's worth a read for some cute parts, even though it didn't 'wow' me. Then again some people seriously adored it. *shrugs*
DeleteHoly cow, hate when that happens. Especially when you start out with high expectations (Anna? London? I'd have gone in with the same thoughts!). *sigh* Maybe next time.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think my expectations were the reason for this one being so 'meh'. :/
DeleteI'm sorry you didn't like it. I hate it when we have such high expectations for a book and then they fall flat :( boo..I need to read more contemporary!
ReplyDeleteI am a huge contemp fan... up until a few years ago I pretty much didn't read anything else.
DeleteI've been intrigued by this one ever since I heard that it was one of those books where the idea is conceived and then an author is commissioned to write it... disappointing that it fell flat. :| I think in a YA novel that's selling itself as a contemporary romance, the swoon factor has to be present, so it sucks that Meant to Be didn't deliver. When you don't like the protagonist, that's usually a bad sign. *sigh* At least I won't feel bad about giving this one a pass.
ReplyDeleteOh yah, I didn't know until recently this one was of those books... from Paper Lantern Lit, right?
DeleteAwww sorry this one didn't quite work for you Ashley! I loved it, I thought it was cute and fun, albeit predictable, and I was just in the mood for it:) I needed something light and sweet, and this just fit the bill.
ReplyDeleteI think mood can definitely play a huge part in whether we just enjoy a book or whether we really LOVE it.
DeleteOh that's too bad! Admittedly, after all the hype died down, I'm not quite as interested in this book as I was. Maybe I will read it at some point but no longer *must read now*. I don't know if I'd be bothered by her rigidness or not. Sometimes it works okay, other times it's just too frustrating.
ReplyDeleteYah I think it depends on our mood as a reader, and of course everyone has different reactions to characters.
DeleteAw, sorry to hear this one was a disappointment, Ashley! I thought it sounded like a cute premise (and of course, awesome cover) but I'll have to lower my expectations going into it, if and when I read it. Might pick it up from the library at some point, but it doesn't sound like it's a book I need to get my hands on ASAP, sadly. Thanks for your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely cute enough, and perfect if you're looking for something lighter and fluffier... but yah, the main character just annoyed me too much to be too positive about it.
DeleteWell shoot! I was ready to preorder this one after a review I read yesterday. Now I'm thinking maybe I should just get my library reservation in and borrow it. I just LOVE the cover! Anyway, at least now my expectations aren't as high so maybe I'll enjoy it more.
ReplyDeleteHaha it's so hard, because it seems like a lot of people LOVED it, but I dunno, it just wasn't there for me.
DeleteI completely agree that the cover = perfection! Thank you for your very honest review... I am really looking forward to reading this book but I always like to read neutral (or critical) reviews in addition to the gushing reviews beforehand so I don't feel disappointed if a book doesn't meet my overly high expectations.
ReplyDeleteOh I agree, and I think that's why I'm a bit more critical than most people... because I've been burned (even with this book) where all the reviews are so, so positive and then I read the book and go "... Oh"
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