Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill Review

Meant to Be Lauren Morrill-YA Contemporary Romance

Kindle format given by publisher for review via Netgalley

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.

My Take:

You know those books that just kind of make you feel good? Well, this was one of those books for me. I fell like I had a perma-grin on my face the whole time. And let me state for the record, I would have loved to have spent any spring break in London. How much fun is that?!?!

I really liked Julia from the beginning. She's just a likable character. She's driven to succeed in school and sports. She also have a very clear idea of what (or who) her future should look like. Julia's parents had a MTB and she's searching for her own. This trip to London has many meanings for Julia. Her parents spent time in London together and shared a lot of good memories there. So not only is she there for the experience with her school, but she's looking for pieces of her parents past. 

As the trip starts, she is partnered with the class clown, Jason. He annoys her and she feels like he doesn't take anything seriously. Well, the more time they spend together, the more she learns that Jason may be more than he seems. I loved him. Their dialog was fantastic. The set up of the story was a bit predictable, but I really enjoyed seeing Julia and Jason interact and discover feelings for each other. 

Overall, this book is simply just one of those really sweet, easy, fun reads. I'd recommend it to anyone. It's not only suitable for middle grade readers, but adults would enjoy the story as well. 

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