REVIEW: Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill

Title: Meant To Be

Author: Lauren Morrill

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Release Date: November 13, 2012

Pages: 304, Hardcover
Source: Library, Audiobook

Summary 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.

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• Meant to Be is such a feel good book.The topic is light and innocent. The setting is fun. But perhaps the most notable thing about this book for me was the writing. It is the sort that is so witty and amusing that I was entertained for the entire reading experience. It is by far my favorite writing style that I've only seen a handful of authors pull off quite as well. I would be inclined to read all of Morrill's books just to experience it again and again.


• Jules was just so endearing. In some ways she reminded me of myself in High School - that smart girl that follows the rules and is slightly awkward, easily flustered. She was so enjoyable to have as an MC. I never knew what situation she would get herself in next and how she would get herself out of it but I knew it would be a spectacle.

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• In general, I am not a big fan of boy crazy main characters, or girls that over analyze every interaction with boys so naturally I do wish the premise of this story was a little more than just that. It really is about nothing more than Jules finding herself in a love square for the first time in her life and trying to figure out how she feels. But with so many other great qualities, I enjoyed it nonetheless.

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This book was just so darn amusing that I still enjoyed it immensely even though I don't prefer books with a strong focus on teen relationship drama. The writing style was my favorite and the MC, Julia, was so incredibly likable. Meant to Be is in every way a feel good book and I highly recommend it if you are looking for something light, and entertaining.