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kaileesee's review
3.0
I'm giving this book 3.5/5 stars. I really liked the main character, Julia. I felt that I could really relate to her about a lot of things. I also really loved Jason and his annoying, yet adorable personality. I just wish that there was more to the story. It ended quite abruptly and I really wanted to see what happened next. I did not see some of the surprises coming, though so at lease Lauren Morrill kept me on my toes!
shirleymak's review
5.0
sigh. i just. I CANT DEAL WITH THIS OMG JASON IS THE CUTEST THING IN THE WORLD AND OMG THIS BOOK WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE! LIKE HOLY SHOOOOOTTTT THIS BOOK WAS LIKE THE CUTEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE! please. someone invent a machine where we can meet fictional characters and fall in love. please. wow okay this is a really sad post. but overall THIS BOOK IS FREEEEAAAAAAAAKIIIING CUTE AND AAMAZING AND I THINK IMA READ IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN, SO LAC I MIGHT ASK TO BORROW IT LIKE A WHOLE BUNCH OF TIIIMES HEHEHEHEHE
Spoiler
but like seriously I did have some times where i was just like AWWWWWW OMG I CANT BELIEVE SHE DOESNT KNOW THAT HE LIKES HER! Like holy crap that time when they kissed in the rain omg i was like screaming CUTEST THING IN THE FREAKING WORLD! I WANT A KISS IN THE WORLD. actually this book made me very sad because I haven't met my MTB yet. which really sucks. maybe i'll go study abroad in college and then i'll fall in love there and then i g-g-g-get a sigh. DAMN IT. i'm sad now. WHY DO I GO TO SUCH A SMALL SCHOOL OMGGGGGGGG. BUT FORREALS LIKE JASON IS SO CUTE AND I HAVE A FEELING THAT HE'S ACTUALLY SUPER SMART. AAND HE'S A SINGER LIKE WTF OKAY I CANT DEAL WITH THIS HE HAS THE ABILITY TO SING AND THEN HE PULLED HER UP AND THEY DANCED AND JUST T______T THE FEELS. SIGH.squirrelsohno's review
4.0
When a book gives you hardcore vibes of a past relationship – especially a past relationship that you’d prefer to forget – it is generally not a good thing. But in the case of MEANT TO BE, I found myself reminiscing about the redheaded jerk in my past life, except we definitely were not meant to be and I’d rather forget him.
MEANT TO BE was laid out to be a cute, charming travel romance with opposites attract. And it really was. I didn’t expect to be as amused and swoony as I ended up being when I got to the last page of this one and found myself grinning ear to ear. I am always on the lookout for a whimsical book with a dash of excitement and a bunch of humor, and in the pages of this debut from author Lauren Morrill, I found exactly what I was looking for. I love to be pleasantly surprised, and with this one, I found a gem.
MEANT TO BE is the story of a girl on a spring break class trip with a bunch of kids she’d rather not be with. After being buddied up with the class clown, a boy she would most DEFINITELY not rather be with, she begins to find herself with the help of the least likely person in the universe. All the while, she’s convinced her childhood crush is her meant to be – her one true love, her one true pairing, the boy she ships herself with even when everything else looks glum.
I should explain why this reminded me of an old relationship. I am a book geek who focused heavily on academics and athletics in high school and college, forgetting boys, forgetting friends for the most part. In college, I met the redheaded class clown who spent the entire semester cracking jokes. But when I got to know this class clown the next semester, I realized we had a little something in common – a love of the NHL. That was about it, and we ended up going our separate ways after he 1.) forgot my name and then 2.) proceeded to tell me about his ex-girlfriends and how I reminded him of them.
In reading MEANT TO BE, I found myself identifying so much with our heroine Julia and her problems. She meanders through the story from one situation to the next with wit and intellect. Julia is one of my favorite narrators of the year. She knows what she wants and proceeds to forget all of that in the process of 300 pages because – let’s face it – when you’re 17 you really don’t know what you want in life.
The backdrop of London was amazing. Having spent some time in London, I could tell Morrill put effort into making the story as accurate as possible. Everything was so alive, so heartfelt, so picture perfect and awesome. Julia’s snark fit in perfectly with her world, including the text messages, the relationships between her classmates, the tales of her family and friends back in Boston.
But where this story fell short to me was the fact that I never really felt much of a connection between Julia and Jason. And having had a relationship pretty darn similar to the one these two have, I know that it’s hard. I never really saw what Julia saw in Jason, other than a pseudo-forced feel to it. They’re meant to be, okay, but the process getting there? I didn’t see it, I didn’t feel it, but I must admit, I didn’t mind the end result.
Morrill definitely has a great future ahead of her as a contemporary YA romance author. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.
VERDICT: Almost perfect in its wit and intellect, MEANT TO BE resonated with me for a number of reasons. With one little nitpick, this cute story of love and being “meant to be” is sure to warm hearts and create barrels of laughs.
MEANT TO BE was laid out to be a cute, charming travel romance with opposites attract. And it really was. I didn’t expect to be as amused and swoony as I ended up being when I got to the last page of this one and found myself grinning ear to ear. I am always on the lookout for a whimsical book with a dash of excitement and a bunch of humor, and in the pages of this debut from author Lauren Morrill, I found exactly what I was looking for. I love to be pleasantly surprised, and with this one, I found a gem.
MEANT TO BE is the story of a girl on a spring break class trip with a bunch of kids she’d rather not be with. After being buddied up with the class clown, a boy she would most DEFINITELY not rather be with, she begins to find herself with the help of the least likely person in the universe. All the while, she’s convinced her childhood crush is her meant to be – her one true love, her one true pairing, the boy she ships herself with even when everything else looks glum.
I should explain why this reminded me of an old relationship. I am a book geek who focused heavily on academics and athletics in high school and college, forgetting boys, forgetting friends for the most part. In college, I met the redheaded class clown who spent the entire semester cracking jokes. But when I got to know this class clown the next semester, I realized we had a little something in common – a love of the NHL. That was about it, and we ended up going our separate ways after he 1.) forgot my name and then 2.) proceeded to tell me about his ex-girlfriends and how I reminded him of them.
In reading MEANT TO BE, I found myself identifying so much with our heroine Julia and her problems. She meanders through the story from one situation to the next with wit and intellect. Julia is one of my favorite narrators of the year. She knows what she wants and proceeds to forget all of that in the process of 300 pages because – let’s face it – when you’re 17 you really don’t know what you want in life.
The backdrop of London was amazing. Having spent some time in London, I could tell Morrill put effort into making the story as accurate as possible. Everything was so alive, so heartfelt, so picture perfect and awesome. Julia’s snark fit in perfectly with her world, including the text messages, the relationships between her classmates, the tales of her family and friends back in Boston.
But where this story fell short to me was the fact that I never really felt much of a connection between Julia and Jason. And having had a relationship pretty darn similar to the one these two have, I know that it’s hard. I never really saw what Julia saw in Jason, other than a pseudo-forced feel to it. They’re meant to be, okay, but the process getting there? I didn’t see it, I didn’t feel it, but I must admit, I didn’t mind the end result.
Morrill definitely has a great future ahead of her as a contemporary YA romance author. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.
VERDICT: Almost perfect in its wit and intellect, MEANT TO BE resonated with me for a number of reasons. With one little nitpick, this cute story of love and being “meant to be” is sure to warm hearts and create barrels of laughs.
saj04's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
brisbookreviews's review
5.0
LOVED. THIS. BOOK.!!!!!!!! Review Pending until closer to the release date! :D
nklosty's review
4.0
It seems like I've been reading a lot of these fall in love books recently. Not that I'm a fan, but Book Licker dragged me in, and I really enjoyed the opposites attract feel of her relationship with Jason. 91
reddyrat's review
4.0
Sometimes you just can't help loving a book. Meant To Be is one of those books that you should pick up when you're having a bad day. You'll laugh and roll your eyes at the characters' antics. Best of all, you will squeal with joy when the happy ending finally appears - this isn't a spoiler - we all know there's going to be a happy ending.
Most of us bloggers can relate to Julia. Good girl, bookish, organized. She's an extreme version of the ideal student. I found her obstinacy quite annoying. I also thought it was strange that she was so obsessed with the concept of a "Meant to Be" soulmate. Such a fervent belief in one true love seemed at odds with Julia's practical nature. As much as Julia irritated me, I could see that she was a good person beneath all her type A baggage. I couldn't help rooting for her.
Jason is the opposite of Julia. A jokester who lives for today. He was also annoying but less so. He could be a jerk at times and frustratingly irresponsible. But it quickly became clear that there was a nice person underneath. I look at Jason as a great guy who hasn't quite grown up yet, like many teenage boys. Soon, his recklessness and jokes seemed charming rather than annoying.
I loved the book's London setting. London is probably my favorite city in the world. I haven't been there in seven years and I really miss it. I'm always happy to get a tourist glimpse of the city.
The romance is just as satisfying as you would want it to be. The opposite of insta-love. The book takes place over a limited time period, but there's plenty of time for Jason and Julia to really get to know each other. Each character has to break down inner barriers that hides their compatibility. At times I wanted to smack their heads together, but I was ultimately pleased with how Ms. Morrill made sure Jason and Julia were each in the right place to make their relationship seem realistic.
Meant To Be is a funny, joyful romance. Just as in the great romances, two flawed people learn to be more from the other person. It's an easy quick read that will bring out the warm fuzzies.
Rating: 4 / 5
Most of us bloggers can relate to Julia. Good girl, bookish, organized. She's an extreme version of the ideal student. I found her obstinacy quite annoying. I also thought it was strange that she was so obsessed with the concept of a "Meant to Be" soulmate. Such a fervent belief in one true love seemed at odds with Julia's practical nature. As much as Julia irritated me, I could see that she was a good person beneath all her type A baggage. I couldn't help rooting for her.
Jason is the opposite of Julia. A jokester who lives for today. He was also annoying but less so. He could be a jerk at times and frustratingly irresponsible. But it quickly became clear that there was a nice person underneath. I look at Jason as a great guy who hasn't quite grown up yet, like many teenage boys. Soon, his recklessness and jokes seemed charming rather than annoying.
I loved the book's London setting. London is probably my favorite city in the world. I haven't been there in seven years and I really miss it. I'm always happy to get a tourist glimpse of the city.
The romance is just as satisfying as you would want it to be. The opposite of insta-love. The book takes place over a limited time period, but there's plenty of time for Jason and Julia to really get to know each other. Each character has to break down inner barriers that hides their compatibility. At times I wanted to smack their heads together, but I was ultimately pleased with how Ms. Morrill made sure Jason and Julia were each in the right place to make their relationship seem realistic.
Meant To Be is a funny, joyful romance. Just as in the great romances, two flawed people learn to be more from the other person. It's an easy quick read that will bring out the warm fuzzies.
Rating: 4 / 5
flowersofquiethappiness's review
3.0
As someone who would love to visit London someday, I liked getting the chance to vicariously travel the city. :) Julia and Jason were adorable, and watching the two circle around each other, clashing at every turn yet unable to deny their chemistry made for an entertaining few hours.