My Bookish Review: Meant To Be

Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill

Published: 13th November 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages, Format: 304, eBook

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.

Sometimes you just want to read something completely paranormal-free. Something that has nothing to do with dystopian societies or forbidden love. Something you just want to read and feel good about; something you can just enjoy. 

If you're looking for a book like that, then I suggest you pick this up.

Julia Lichtenstein is a straight-laced, book-smart, neat-freak sophomore girl in high school. Her aim in life is so find a perfect, successful career whilst married to The One... a.k.a her MTB - 'Meant To Be'. Her whole life she's believed that her crush, Mark Bixford is her MTB. She leaves with her school for an educational trip to London - the city she's dreamed of visiting her whole life. So everything should go according to plan, and this trip should be one of the most memorable experiences of her life. Thing is, it would be if she weren't paired with the most annoying, self-centered practical joker of the class, Jason. 

In case you didn't know, I live in London. I've never been to America, so it was really nice to read about a familiar place - it was really fun seeing it from an outsider's perspective. Allow me to quote Julia herself, "Screw Paris; London is the city for me." So you know, once I saw the Big Ben in the background of the cover, I promised myself I'd read it. It's not often you get American characters in London.

Julia is someone I can kind of relate to myself. I'm not as extreme about everything as she is, but I could understand her actions and reasons really well. Including her annoyance towards Jason. In the beginning, she really annoyed me. I wanted to slap him around the face with a wet fish. Yet, the more I read and the more I got to know the Julia and Jason, the more I believed they were perfect for each other. What did annoy me was the amount of time it took for Julia to figure this out.

I think Meant To Be was a good read. It was easily enjoyable and I have to admit it had a plot twist I didn't see coming. Like I said earlier, if you're looking for a light-hearted book, read this.

3/5 stars - It was enjoyable, but not particularly memorable. Still liked it though. :)

Quote:

"I'm plenty loose. There's a difference between preferring books to parties and preferring sixteen cats to seeing the light of day."

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