Author: Lauren Morrill
Release Date: November 13, 2012
by, Delacorte Books For Young Readers
Source: Netgalley
Format: ebook
Pages: 256
Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.~Review:
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. {Goodreads}
EE!! Let's just say that ever since seeing this book for the first time I knew I needed to read it. The synopsis sounded incredible and the cover was cute and fun. A story set in London? Ya, just added to all the loveliness! What girl can resist a story set in a foreign city, a mystery, a girl set on one thing and finding herself presently surprised? Mmmm none that I know of.
The book starts off great. Humor, back story, and insight to the character traits of the protagonist. Julia is one of those headstrong girls who has got her life all mapped out. She is a sucker for true love. Her parents were the perfect example after all. Destiny. Meant to be's. She knows it all. She is a straight-A girl who likes things to be in her control. She has a total opposite who annoys the crap out of her and that person is Jason. Fun, up-beat, I-don't-have-a-care-in-the-world Jason. He believes in fate. Things will map themselves out. There is no need for laying out your own life...it will all come to be. Why waste life on making sure it all goes like you want it when you can just enjoy yourself? He is loud, obnoxious, funny, and a total prankster. And...he just so happens to be Julia's partner on the trip. Great!
I loved Julia. She was a protagonist I loved reading from. She was smart, witty, and had herself in order. She was determined. I liked her "hard" side. It made her credible and admirable I admired her hopes, dreams, and ambitions. She was driven to complete all of them and I can totally appraise her for it. I LOVED Jason! He was...AH! I don't normally go for the ginger boys but...he and Puck seem to be my exceptions to the rule. He did remind me of Puck (The Iron Fey) and that made him just that more likeable. He was fun, energetic and totally sweet when he needed to be. He truly liked Julia but they had the worst ways of acknowledging it and showing it. They weren't the perfect couple but that's why I liked them so much. they fought, they screamed at each other, they hated each other at times and couldn't stand each other's presence....but at the end...they managed to forgive and get along. And eventually ***Spoiler*** love! It was real and true. No real love is all daisies and rainbows. Couples argue and fight. The true love is imperfect. And that's what theirs was. Perfectly imperfect. Real. It made me jealous!
Morrill is a wonderful writer. Her story had me hooked from page one then staying up till the early a.m. on a school night...leaving me with only 3 hours of sleep! (Shhh...don't tell my parents!) I was so enthralled with Meant To Be I couldn't stop until the book was done. I loved it! Meant To Be is an adorable read. It will have you hanging on every last word and leave you with a hunger for more! I loved this book SO much it hurt! I laughed. I teared up. I screamed and threw my iPod at my bed. I giggled. I got those silly little butterflies in my stomach. I got jealous! Julia and Jason were a couple to look forward to in your teenage years. Jason brought the best, fun side out of her and she brought out the best, deeper side of him. That ending! Not exactly what I thought was going to happen! It surprised me! And here I thought I had it all mapped out! (Guess I need to learn from Julia hah?) I recommend this book to everyone and anyone who enjoys a cute, light hearted, adorable, and realistic contemporary read. I enjoyed it thoroughly and will read it over and over several times in the future for sure! I need to own this one! Oh, and you know that lately, I don't give out 5 stars to just any book. So when I do...its definitely amazing! So......
~Rating:
5 out of 5 wonderful stars!!!! <3
Thanks for stopping by!
Have a great day!
~Jaiden
