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A review by savvyrosereads
Meant to be Mine by Hannah Orenstein
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Out June 7, 2022 [Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Edie has spent her entire life waiting for June 24, 2022—the date her beloved grandmother prophesied Edie would meet her soulmate. When Edie boards an airplane that day and finds herself seated next to a handsome stranger, she assumes her fate is sealed, but it turns out things might be more complicated than she could ever anticipate.
I love magical realism and books that play with the concept of destiny vs. free will, so I had high hopes for the concept of this novel. And, in a lot of ways, Meant To Be Mine was what I expected—it was generally fun, generally uplifting, generally romantic, and played with all the themes of fate and determinism that I was anticipating.
What I didn’t love, unfortunately, were the characters—Edie made questionable decisions all the way through and Theo was a less-than-engaging love interest in my opinion. I also predicted where the ending was headed pretty early on, but wasn’t at all satisfied with exactly where it ended up. That said, I still “aww’ed” at a few moments, and I appreciated the close family dynamics and the Jewish representation.
In short—while this wasn’t my favorite, I definitely didn’t hate it, and if the concept sounds fun to you I’d encourage checking it out!
Recommended if you like: fate vs. free-will; magical realist romances; close-knit families.
CW: Death of a loved one; discussion of mass/school shooting and related trauma; grief.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Edie has spent her entire life waiting for June 24, 2022—the date her beloved grandmother prophesied Edie would meet her soulmate. When Edie boards an airplane that day and finds herself seated next to a handsome stranger, she assumes her fate is sealed, but it turns out things might be more complicated than she could ever anticipate.
I love magical realism and books that play with the concept of destiny vs. free will, so I had high hopes for the concept of this novel. And, in a lot of ways, Meant To Be Mine was what I expected—it was generally fun, generally uplifting, generally romantic, and played with all the themes of fate and determinism that I was anticipating.
What I didn’t love, unfortunately, were the characters—Edie made questionable decisions all the way through and Theo was a less-than-engaging love interest in my opinion. I also predicted where the ending was headed pretty early on, but wasn’t at all satisfied with exactly where it ended up. That said, I still “aww’ed” at a few moments, and I appreciated the close family dynamics and the Jewish representation.
In short—while this wasn’t my favorite, I definitely didn’t hate it, and if the concept sounds fun to you I’d encourage checking it out!
Recommended if you like: fate vs. free-will; magical realist romances; close-knit families.
CW: Death of a loved one; discussion of mass/school shooting and related trauma; grief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Mass/school shootings and Death
Minor: Sexual content