Book Review: Meant to Be

Title: Meant to Be 
Author: Lauren Morrill 
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary 
Publication Date: November 13, 2012

Synopsis: 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"). Read more ... 

Review: Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill was very cute. Funny and sweet, Morrill delivered on the promised teen romance. The characters were well formed and the plot was exciting. Julia was hilarious, while Jason was sweet yet imperfect (a realistic male hero. What?) Plus, look at the cover. LOOK AT IT. IT IS BEAUTIFUL. Can I please have a poster of that or something??? 

Meant to Be is set in London, and Morrill does a great job balancing the touristy information with the plot. I loved reading about London - a city I have never been to - and its spectacular sounding sites. Written from Julia's perspective, the historical/touristy facts flowed smoothly, as they fit with Julia's know-it-all personality. Yet, they never became too annoying.  

What I probably liked best about this novel was the mystery aspect. Who is Julia's mysterious suitor??? Maybe I was just not reading very carefully, but I genuinely found the ending plot-twist surprising. Although, it was somewhat predictable, the way it played out in the end was unexpected and enjoyable. 

Additionally, I loved that Julia and Jason fell for each other slowly and realistically. Unlike some young adult novels they were also were not head-over-heels in love, but were more age-appropriately in like.  

Although slightly juvenile, Meant to Be was a lovely, fun, young adult read. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had read it in high school, it was nevertheless a sweet read. 

You might also like: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (review here) or The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. 

My Rating: 4.0/5.0