Book Review: Meant To Be by Lauren Morril

Title: Meant To Be

Author: Lauren Morrill

Release date: November 13th 2012
Pages: 304
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Delacorte Books For Young Readers
Source: Bought

                          Synopsis:

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.

(taken from goodreads)

Review:

This book is in all honesty one of the loveliest I've ever read as far as romantic contemporary a come. I will admit that it was a bit predictable. And maybe the prospect of it all might seem quite silly at first, but if cheesy and cute is what you're in the mood for then this should definitely be at the top of your list.

What I loved the most about this book was the setting and how vividly things were described. I could imagine everything so clearly and put myself in Julia's position so easily that it didn't take too long before I was completely swooning over this story. I've never even been to England (I really want to though) and I felt like was immediately transported to all the pretty places and landmarks. Everything about it was like a modern day fairy-tale. 

At first when we are introduced to Jason he seems like a total jerk. Frankly, he was. But then his true side shows and you just can't help but fall in love with him along with Julia. I mean, he did so many cut things! Like a scene in a record store; it was my favorite thing ever. Not to mention all the Beatles references. There were just so many adorable scenes. However, there were a few times where I was really frustrated. Julia wasn't my favorite MC ever. I could connect with her on some levels, like her loving to read and always carrying a book around and having trouble coming out of your shell, but sometimes she could come off as a naive. It wasn't that much of a nuisance but I would've loved to connect a little more with her.

I highly enjoyed the romance, like I said it was really cute. More importantly, it wasn't that much of an insta-love situation. In fact, the MCs start off hating each other! Julia has her mind set on an entirely different boy and that's when the text messages roll in. To that turned out to be a really interesting addition to the romantic element dive it keeps you guessing and speculating as to who is actually sending them.

I liked how easy to read this one was and the writing. It s a cute love story with a really lovely setting. So if you're in the mood for a funny and sweet contemporary then go and read this one!

Rating:

YouTube Instagram Facebook