Meant to Be - Lauren Morrill

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers 
Publication Date: November 13, 2013
Source/Format: Gifted by Ashley || Hardcover

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. (from Goodreads)

Meant to Be is just so… adorable. It reminds me in many ways of some of my favorite romantic comedies – Clueless, Never Been Kissed, She’s All That, Drive Me Crazy, and the like – because of the various shenanigans that occur which all lead up to the sweet, meant to be (you know I had to go there!) happy ending for the couple in question. I enjoyed reading it, though I didn’t quite connect with it as much as I would’ve liked.

Before anything else, and even before I read it, the book already earned MAJOR points with me. Why? Because it’s set in LONDON. In case you guys didn’t know, London is one of the places I’ve dreamed of visiting ever since I was in my freshman year of high school. I still haven’t been able to do it, but it is going to happen soon (*coughs* 2014 *coughs*).

Anyway.

Since Julia and Jason and the rest of the class are on an “educational trip”, they do get to experience some of the tourist spots (like the Tower of London and Stratford-upon-Avon and the Globe Theater). Each time a new landmark was named, I squealed internally and imagined I was right there with them. I obviously had loads of fun reading about the setting!

I’m still on the fence about Julia. There were times I liked her and found her relatable, because I used to be very much like her – an introvert, a good girl who follows the rules, a major bookworm and history buff (oh wait, that’s still me until now!), and constricted by all of those things. But there were certainly moments when she just got on my nerves with her attitude and her assumptions. Obviously, I got over it enough to root for her quest to find her “meant-to-be”.

Speaking of romance, I happened to like Jason a lot. He was funny, irreverent and such a smart*ss, but he definitely made things happen. That’s one kind of friend we all need in our lives – one who will push us to change for the better, to do things we’d never thought we could or would or to thinking about things from a fresh perspective. I thought he was the perfect foil for Julia and her attitude.

The entire story plays out like a Shakespearean comedy. There are tragically funny moments and random twists of fate and surprising turns of events. I really enjoyed going back and forth between serious and funny, because it kept me on my toes and very entertained indeed. Plus, the romance was super cute! I rooted for them to be together from the very beginning, despite the other parties who shall not be named.

If you’re looking for a contemporary novel that’s fun, sweet and all about the romance, then Meant to Be would be your meant to be (I totally meant to do that!). Julia does have an experience that transforms her, but this book is primarily focused on how she discovers that her meant-to-be might be the one she never expected it to be. It’s no less of a charmer for that, and I highly recommend it!