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brandypainter's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Originally posted at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill is a book I discovered via Bookshelvers Anonymous when she did a Cover Love post on it. (The cover is certainly deserving of love.) Then I read the synopsis and knew there was no way I was going to miss out on on reading it.
Julia is on a junior class trip over spring break to London. London! This is the city where her parents honeymooned. The country that gave birth to three of her favorite things: The Beatles, Jane Austen, and Shakespeare. Julia's is excited and ready to take in every piece of knowledge and experience that could be enriching. She is prepared. Julia is always prepared. She is a planner and even knows who her MTB (meant-to-be) is, Mark the boy she shared a backyard wedding with when she was in Kindergarten. She is the sort of girl who memorizes her itinerary, never goes anywhere without a book, always has sharpened pencils (and a pencil sharpener-just in case), and carries a pocket Shakespeare with her. She is ready for anything. Except being partnered with Jason Lippincott.
Jason Lippincott who has the maturity of a seven year old and the rambunctiousness of a puppy.
Jason Lippincott who can charm his way out of most of the trouble he gets himself in.
Jason Lippincott who calls her Book Licker.
After Jason convinces Julia to attend a party with him the first night, Julia begins receiving mysterious texts from a boy she can't remember meeting. Jason steps in and agrees to help Julia track down her mysterious texter. As the two begin to explore London looking for Julia's admirer she begins to realize there is more to Jason than she originally thought.
Meant to Be has the sort of characters I love to read about, characters that are real and layered. Julia is a character I could certainly relate to. I like how Morrill made her a well rounded person. Yes, she is a book lover and enjoys school, but there is more to her than that. She has many friends and is a star swimmer. She has a life, it is just very different from the other students on the trip with her. Julia is flawed too. She is self-centered and has a tendency to make snap judgements about people before getting to know them. She is an unreliable narrator, as any of us narrating our own life would be, only seeing what she wants to and stubbornly refusing to look further. This characterization feels genuine for a 17 year old who is an only child and has lived alone with her mom for the decade since her father's death. All of this makes her more of a real person and she jumps off the page. I love how she tells her story too. She is funny and becomes more self aware as her journey continues. Jason is also a well-rounded character. It is little wonder that I liked him so much, he has many of the characteristics that I love in my heroes. He is intelligent but indifferent about school work. He is one of those who will put forth the effort if it interests him, but is unwilling to jump through the hoops the establishment sets up just to show them he can. He is a charmer, the type of guy who can talk his way into or out of anything. He will pick up a guitar and sing a Beatles song under a London bridge, and kiss a girl in a rain-soaked field. He can also be obnoxious and ridiculous. I appreciated how he came across as genuine as well. He isn't one of those super-perfect-too-mature-ridiculously-good-looking romantic heroes. There are times he does things that just scream teenage boy, and that is refreshing to see.
I really loved the chemistry that Julia and Jason have, the conversations that many people would call bickering, but is really flirting. They reminded me a bit of Ron and Hermione. Or Han and Leia. People who are very different, but in their differences make the other better. This will always be my most favorite type of love story, readers, and do you know why? Because that is the dream I'm living. And it's awesome.
I enjoyed following Julia and Jason on their trip through London. The story is mostly one that is about Julia figuring stuff out. She knows who she is, she needs to figure out what that means in relation to other people. She needs to learn to see people as they are in reality, and not as the people she has created in her head. There is a bit of drama here and there. Conclusions are jumped to. Mark-the-long-time-crush shows up at one point further complicating things, but it all worked for me. I never felt like it was too much. I loved the conclusion of the mysterious texter storyline. The only thing that bothered me a little was a couple brand name mentions, but for the most part they made sense in the narrative.
I have a feeling Meant to Be will be a novel I come back to every time I am in need of a feel-good-fun read.
This is Lauren Morrill's debut novel and I'm excited to read more of her work in the future. Her next novel is due to come out in 2014.
Originally posted at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill is a book I discovered via Bookshelvers Anonymous when she did a Cover Love post on it. (The cover is certainly deserving of love.) Then I read the synopsis and knew there was no way I was going to miss out on on reading it.
Julia is on a junior class trip over spring break to London. London! This is the city where her parents honeymooned. The country that gave birth to three of her favorite things: The Beatles, Jane Austen, and Shakespeare. Julia's is excited and ready to take in every piece of knowledge and experience that could be enriching. She is prepared. Julia is always prepared. She is a planner and even knows who her MTB (meant-to-be) is, Mark the boy she shared a backyard wedding with when she was in Kindergarten. She is the sort of girl who memorizes her itinerary, never goes anywhere without a book, always has sharpened pencils (and a pencil sharpener-just in case), and carries a pocket Shakespeare with her. She is ready for anything. Except being partnered with Jason Lippincott.
Jason Lippincott who has the maturity of a seven year old and the rambunctiousness of a puppy.
Jason Lippincott who can charm his way out of most of the trouble he gets himself in.
Jason Lippincott who calls her Book Licker.
After Jason convinces Julia to attend a party with him the first night, Julia begins receiving mysterious texts from a boy she can't remember meeting. Jason steps in and agrees to help Julia track down her mysterious texter. As the two begin to explore London looking for Julia's admirer she begins to realize there is more to Jason than she originally thought.
Meant to Be has the sort of characters I love to read about, characters that are real and layered. Julia is a character I could certainly relate to. I like how Morrill made her a well rounded person. Yes, she is a book lover and enjoys school, but there is more to her than that. She has many friends and is a star swimmer. She has a life, it is just very different from the other students on the trip with her. Julia is flawed too. She is self-centered and has a tendency to make snap judgements about people before getting to know them. She is an unreliable narrator, as any of us narrating our own life would be, only seeing what she wants to and stubbornly refusing to look further. This characterization feels genuine for a 17 year old who is an only child and has lived alone with her mom for the decade since her father's death. All of this makes her more of a real person and she jumps off the page. I love how she tells her story too. She is funny and becomes more self aware as her journey continues. Jason is also a well-rounded character. It is little wonder that I liked him so much, he has many of the characteristics that I love in my heroes. He is intelligent but indifferent about school work. He is one of those who will put forth the effort if it interests him, but is unwilling to jump through the hoops the establishment sets up just to show them he can. He is a charmer, the type of guy who can talk his way into or out of anything. He will pick up a guitar and sing a Beatles song under a London bridge, and kiss a girl in a rain-soaked field. He can also be obnoxious and ridiculous. I appreciated how he came across as genuine as well. He isn't one of those super-perfect-too-mature-ridiculously-good-looking romantic heroes. There are times he does things that just scream teenage boy, and that is refreshing to see.
I really loved the chemistry that Julia and Jason have, the conversations that many people would call bickering, but is really flirting. They reminded me a bit of Ron and Hermione. Or Han and Leia. People who are very different, but in their differences make the other better. This will always be my most favorite type of love story, readers, and do you know why? Because that is the dream I'm living. And it's awesome.
I enjoyed following Julia and Jason on their trip through London. The story is mostly one that is about Julia figuring stuff out. She knows who she is, she needs to figure out what that means in relation to other people. She needs to learn to see people as they are in reality, and not as the people she has created in her head. There is a bit of drama here and there. Conclusions are jumped to. Mark-the-long-time-crush shows up at one point further complicating things, but it all worked for me. I never felt like it was too much. I loved the conclusion of the mysterious texter storyline. The only thing that bothered me a little was a couple brand name mentions, but for the most part they made sense in the narrative.
I have a feeling Meant to Be will be a novel I come back to every time I am in need of a feel-good-fun read.
This is Lauren Morrill's debut novel and I'm excited to read more of her work in the future. Her next novel is due to come out in 2014.
yoitsstef's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book! One of my favorite books of all time.. Looking forward to more books by this author!
nagam's review against another edition
4.0
[Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading]
Book Licker. I fell in love with this book at the first mention of Book Licker – the ever-so-endearing nickname Jason gave our resident Type-A, obsessive compulsive protagonist, Julia. Much of this book is founded on the understanding that Julia and Jason are complete opposites who are unwillingly partnered during their spring break school trip to London.
Jason is difficult. He’s funny, but secretly smart. He’s a jokester. He picks on Julia to NO END.
Julia is uptight and follows rules to a fault. She’s a goody two shoes. It’s her worst nightmare to be paired with Jason.
I mentioned in my Smart Girls Get What They Want review that there are two types of books – those definitely written for teenagers and those who are for a more mature audience. Meant to Be is mature because of Julia and Jason – they’re two intelligent, worldly characters that are responsible and wise beyond their years. Julia’s character reminded me of who seventeen-year-old me was. The girl who was anxious to do everything right, to be the best at everything, and who sometimes forgot to live a little because she was so focused on aiming for perfection.
Jason pushes forces Julia to step outside her comfort zone and experience the non-guidebook version of London. Morill did a beautiful job making London come alive for me; I’ve never been, but I so hope that I have the chance to in the very near future. Jason showed Julia that it’s okay to go off the beaten path and that life doesn’t always have to be so literal. Julia, in turn, had a great effect on Jason, too.
She showed him it’s okay to be a little nerdy. She fascinated him with the random factoids she had stored away. Their interactions were beyond amusing. I found myself laughing out loud as these two incredibly different people tried to navigate their way around London to complete their homework assignments.
I can’t lead you astray and let you think that Jason is our main man in Meant to Be. Julia meets a random person, Chris, at a party who she spends much of her time texting. She also bears the burden of a long-term crush on resident good-boy, Matt, from back home. At times I felt Julia’s decisions were a little jarring and I desperately wanted her to be confident in her decisions. There was definitely a big dose of confusion over who she liked. In the end, everything worked out really well and I was happy with who Julia became.
Meant to Be is an incredible debut novel by Lauren Morrill. I definitely encourage you to check this one out. It’s every ounce as wonderful inside as the cover is on the outside.
Book Licker. I fell in love with this book at the first mention of Book Licker – the ever-so-endearing nickname Jason gave our resident Type-A, obsessive compulsive protagonist, Julia. Much of this book is founded on the understanding that Julia and Jason are complete opposites who are unwillingly partnered during their spring break school trip to London.
Jason is difficult. He’s funny, but secretly smart. He’s a jokester. He picks on Julia to NO END.
Julia is uptight and follows rules to a fault. She’s a goody two shoes. It’s her worst nightmare to be paired with Jason.
I mentioned in my Smart Girls Get What They Want review that there are two types of books – those definitely written for teenagers and those who are for a more mature audience. Meant to Be is mature because of Julia and Jason – they’re two intelligent, worldly characters that are responsible and wise beyond their years. Julia’s character reminded me of who seventeen-year-old me was. The girl who was anxious to do everything right, to be the best at everything, and who sometimes forgot to live a little because she was so focused on aiming for perfection.
Jason pushes forces Julia to step outside her comfort zone and experience the non-guidebook version of London. Morill did a beautiful job making London come alive for me; I’ve never been, but I so hope that I have the chance to in the very near future. Jason showed Julia that it’s okay to go off the beaten path and that life doesn’t always have to be so literal. Julia, in turn, had a great effect on Jason, too.
She showed him it’s okay to be a little nerdy. She fascinated him with the random factoids she had stored away. Their interactions were beyond amusing. I found myself laughing out loud as these two incredibly different people tried to navigate their way around London to complete their homework assignments.
I can’t lead you astray and let you think that Jason is our main man in Meant to Be. Julia meets a random person, Chris, at a party who she spends much of her time texting. She also bears the burden of a long-term crush on resident good-boy, Matt, from back home. At times I felt Julia’s decisions were a little jarring and I desperately wanted her to be confident in her decisions. There was definitely a big dose of confusion over who she liked. In the end, everything worked out really well and I was happy with who Julia became.
Meant to Be is an incredible debut novel by Lauren Morrill. I definitely encourage you to check this one out. It’s every ounce as wonderful inside as the cover is on the outside.
postitsandpens's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a really fun, cute read. I was slightly annoyed with the main character's obtuseness, but understood why it needed to be that way - she had some realizations to achieve and truths to discover, so I'll forgive her for being, well, a bit of a b*tch to poor Jason. There were some parts that made me tear up, some parts that made me laugh, and some parts that made me angry, but I'm glad I gave this one a read; it definitely put a smile on my face!
berkekilic's review against another edition
2.0
Rating: 2,5
Allah'ım, sen bizi ergen kızlardan koru. Dinimiz amin.
Allah'ım, sen bizi ergen kızlardan koru. Dinimiz amin.
andreana_k's review against another edition
3.0
Very cute book, totally adorable YA romantic lit. A perfect lazy weekend read.
bookishvice's review against another edition
5.0
Julia is on a class trip to London, the place where her parents met, fell in love, and got married. They were simply “meant to be,” something that Julia desperately believes in. In fact, she already knows who is her MTB. But one week of being partnered with Jason, the class-clown, and Julia’s whole world and carefully laid out plans are thrown out the window. She’s about to learn that perfect doesn’t exist and the most unexpected things can be ‘meant to be.’
Lauren Morrill’s debut novel Meant to Be is the type of story that keeps you laughing and swooning all throughout. I couldn’t get enough of it!
Julia is the shy, nerdy, unpopular girl of her class. She’s never broken the rules, nor does she ever want to, but when Jason Lippincott dares her to have some fun on the class school trip to London Julia can’t back down. She has to prove that cocky bastard that she can have fun too. And have fun she does!
But what Julia didn’t count on was how tangled the lies would get (oh, dear God, the lies she invents!), how ridiculous her notions really were, and how wrong she could be about people.
Jason a hottie, but he’s the class’s clown and a major jerk. His nickname for Julia is ‘Book Licker’ which not only is gross, but infuriates her to no end. After seeing Julia desperate when she receives the text message from the hot British guy, he offers his expertise in the matter in exchange for her writing all their reflection papers during the trip. You might think his attitude reeks (and it does), but it’s all for the higher purpose. I promise. As his story unfolded I couldn’t help but swoon.
Part of the reason why I loved this book so much is because I identified myself a lot with Julia: her obsession with rules, her feeling apart from every one of her class, her OCD streak of having everything in order, her love of books, and her desire for an MTB. Plus I went on a trip to London, so I totally saw myself in Julia’s shoes! And all the descriptions of the city and the places, God, I would just close my eyes and see it all perfectly. But for those of you who haven’t been to London, don’t despair, because after reading Meant To Be, you will!
*Arc copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley*
Lauren Morrill’s debut novel Meant to Be is the type of story that keeps you laughing and swooning all throughout. I couldn’t get enough of it!
Julia is the shy, nerdy, unpopular girl of her class. She’s never broken the rules, nor does she ever want to, but when Jason Lippincott dares her to have some fun on the class school trip to London Julia can’t back down. She has to prove that cocky bastard that she can have fun too. And have fun she does!
I could be someone cooler, more confident, just for tonight, just for this party. I can be the uber-Julia. The Julia who says witty things and drinks and has boys, sober or otherwise, hanging on her every word.
But what Julia didn’t count on was how tangled the lies would get (oh, dear God, the lies she invents!), how ridiculous her notions really were, and how wrong she could be about people.
Jason a hottie, but he’s the class’s clown and a major jerk. His nickname for Julia is ‘Book Licker’ which not only is gross, but infuriates her to no end. After seeing Julia desperate when she receives the text message from the hot British guy, he offers his expertise in the matter in exchange for her writing all their reflection papers during the trip. You might think his attitude reeks (and it does), but it’s all for the higher purpose. I promise. As his story unfolded I couldn’t help but swoon.
Part of the reason why I loved this book so much is because I identified myself a lot with Julia: her obsession with rules, her feeling apart from every one of her class, her OCD streak of having everything in order, her love of books, and her desire for an MTB. Plus I went on a trip to London, so I totally saw myself in Julia’s shoes! And all the descriptions of the city and the places, God, I would just close my eyes and see it all perfectly. But for those of you who haven’t been to London, don’t despair, because after reading Meant To Be, you will!
*Arc copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley*