Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill

Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill
Release Date – November 13, 2012
Publisher Website –  Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages - 304 pages
My Rating- 3.5/5
**review copy provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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.

A perfect setting, a romantic sounding plot, and a premise that promised much sigh inducing happiness. Meant To Be is pretty much the definition of ‘what you see is what you get’.  It reads like an homage to the classic 80’s  teen romantic comedies and is filled with fun and flirty romance.

The setting could not be more perfect. A wild chase through London is the perfect backdrop for romance.  I fell in love with the city of London again. This book made me nostalgic and wanting to go back. Combine this with some humour and excellent pacing and the novel reads rather quickly.

Julia’s rule following, control freak tendencies were hilarious. She was over the top sometimes but rather endearing. Breaking a few rules is exactly what she needs to change her tightly wound reputation. This is character who really does go through changes in the novel as she experiences new things.

Jason is your typical high school class clown. A touch immature,  however, he really does have a sweet side under it all. The romance in the novel worked for me because I felt it made the two main characters better people. I was not invested in either of them outside of the romance. They seemed to better each other, and challenge each other, which made them more interesting together. The banter between these two was often funny, and felt authentic to their ages.

The plot of the novel was predictable. The characters end up exactly where you expect them to be by the end of the novel. The ending is satisfying, even if a little cliché, but those who long for the happily ever after will be delighted.

The mystery surrounding the romantic texts and who sent them is revealed with a little bit of a pleasant surprise. I was leaning in a totally different direction, so the reveal did pack a little thrill.

A cute light hearted read that leaves you with the message that love isn’t perfect, and neither are people. It reminds us to take that chance on love and people…flaws and all.