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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.
"If you're into swoony romances with a little bit of history thrown in, you'll love Meant to Be."—HelloGiggles.com
"Fun, fresh and irresistibly romantic. STB (SURE to be) loved!"—Sarah Mlynowski
"Readers of Jennifer E. Smith and Stephanie Perkins will revel in this debate about love ruled by the stars or as a matter of the heart."—Shelf Awareness
Publishers Weekly, October 22, 2012:
"Morrill’s debut is entertaining and quick-witted."
Booklist, November 1, 2012:
"The traveling details are part of the fun: her friends are into shopping, not Shakespeare, and there are raucous puns about Big Ben. The contemporary scene with consumer name-dropping will grab readers...The core drama is the romance, with all its turnarounds and timeless realism."
School Library Journal, January 2013:
"This delightful debut explores the excitement and insecurities of an unexpected first love...A great choice for teens who enjoyed Jennifer E. Smith’s The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, Gabrielle Zevin’s Elsewhere, or Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares.
Anonymous
Posted January 28, 2013
This was the best book I have ever read. I recommend this book to all the teens who don't read alot that want to find a REALLY GOOD BOOK! I love this book soooooo much i haven't completed a book that wasn't school assigned in years. I finished this book in 2 days and I was soooo sad. This is a must read!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 13, 2013
Kkdhhfh
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.A school trip to London. How can things not be interesting?
Meant To Be consists of one of my favorite things which is shipping and OTPs. I have this serious issue where I ship anything
and everything. In this book it's referred to as MTB as in meant to be. Julia happens to believe that Mark Bixford is her MTB, but her
trip to London makes her doubt if Mark is her true MTB when she gets paired with Jason, her personal nemesis.
Julia and Jason. They just have so much fun messing with each other that it was bound for them to get a bit "friendlier". There were
many cute and awkward moments while they were paired to go on this trop together. I had a slight problem with them though. I liked
them as characters separately, but I felt as though the two didn't connect well together.
Even though I had trouble with Julia and Jason, I still enjoyed reading Meant To Be. It was a fun and light hearted read that was
absolutely adorable.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Meant to Be is a hilarious rollercoaster ride! Lauren Morrill had me crying tears of laugher with Julia and Jason's banter and romance. I loved Julia and Jason. Julia is a know-it-all, but she’s not a smart ass. She’s just a really smart girl that can’t hold her tongue when it comes to knowledge. Jason is the obnoxious ass who loves embarrassing her. Julia takes life very seriously, and Jason believes you should have some serious fun. Julia and Jason’s romance is a head-on collision of meant to be romance waiting to happen. Proof that opposites really can attract, if Julia can keep from killing Jason first.
Julia’s junior class is on their way to London for their class trip, but she never would have guessed she would be assigned the class-clown jerk Jason as her buddy for the trip. Jason is the kind of guy Julia loves to hate, and she definitely stays away from. Jason is the guy who never misses an opportunity to be the class prankster. Just like the time Julia sits down in red paint, Jason fills her locker with tampons. Yeah, Jason is definitely not on Julia's list of guys she wants for her MTB (Meant to Be) fairy tale romance. So what irritating the heck out of Julia is when Jason becomes the guy she hates herself for falling in love with.
Julia and Jason have the best bantering romance of all time. They are off the wall hilariously funny, and I laughed till my sides hurt with these two insane fun teenagers. I recommend Meant to Be as a fantastic cry your eyes out with laughter, heart- touching romance read!
One of my favorite quotes from Meant to Be:
“I don’t know, I’ve never been in love,” he says, pulling apart chunks of his remaining scone, “but I imagine it’ll be about her thinking it’s funny when I make a fool of myself and laughing at my dumb jokes and liking the same music.”
“So you’re looking for someone just like you?”
“Sure.” He shrugs. Then he grins widely. “But with boobs.”
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.emsters546
Posted November 27, 2012
this book was everything I thought it would be; HILARIOUS! Julia and Jason are the perfect characters for this book. Drama around every corner, that is quickly resolved with some fun in London:) Now quit readin' and BUY THE BOOK!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. I really liked Julia, the main character of Meant to Be. She is the right blend of nerdy, smart and quirky. The backdrop of Meant to Be is London, and it was charming to read about, I could almost picture myself there with the descriptions on the pages of Julia's journey to learning about life, meant to be, and herself.
I loved that she had her own interests and even though she was clutzy and insecure she had ideas off what she wanted and didn't want to be taken advantage of.
I was so back and forth with Jason and that is a real talent to keep me so undecided and questioning a character. I really liked getting to know him and figuring out why he acts like he did and what his motivations are. He was so typical guy though. Transparent in so many ways, immature in others, absolutely sweet and melting in orders, and then there are the times where you scratch your head and think they must be from another planet.
There were plenty of steamy moments but at times I felt like I had whip lash with the back and forth between Jason mark and Chris. I liked how they all played into the story though and what she learned about herself through interactions with each of them.
The plot twist was interesting and added interesting to this fun yet sometimes emotional contemporary.
Bottom line: Cute and funny story with good characters.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 16, 2013
Boring story.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 5, 2013
i loved this book and i could not put it down but what i really want is for there to be another what happens julia and jason please write another
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 11, 2013
In loce with this book!!!! There are twist and shocking details that brings this book to life!!!!!!!!!!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.CaitlinBursma
Posted April 10, 2013
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 5, 2013
I think this book would be a pleasant escape for a girl of any age. A good young romance.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 1, 2013
This book is sooo good, a must read. It is light and fun which is exactly what someone needs after a long week. I read it in one sitting.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Julia is a by-the-book kind of gal. She always does exactly what’s expected of her, and nothing less (or more). She’s excited about this once in a lifetime trip to London; she can finally see the places she’s only read about. She’s bummed her bestie can’t make the trip with her, but hey, at least she’ll be in London. Once there, Julia is assigned as a ‘buddy’ to class clown Jason. At first, she’s upset she will have to babysit Jason, but it turns out he can be kind of fun. He convinces her to go with him to a party, where she drinks too much and ends up giving her number to any number of guys. When one of them starts to text-flirt her, she and Jason go on a mission to find the mystery guy.
I’m going to be honest, Julia was a hard character to like. She was always correcting someone when they used the wrong word, or pronounced something the wrong way. She was kind of uppity and judgmental. But she could also be nice and was willing to try new things (when Jason could convince her). Jason was also not a clear winner, as far as personalities go. He was a bit of a douchecanoe to Julia (he called her Book Licker for most of the book), and he was kind of pushy and mean. But, he was also protective and funny and even had a sweet side. I did like the fact that they both kind of mellowed out as the book went on. They learned things about themselves and each other and really grew.
There was no doubt where this book was heading (you can figure it out just be reading the book’s blurb, for pete’s sake), but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Once they got thrown together and started annoying each other and pushing each other’s buttons, it was quite amusing. There were several chuckle-out-loud moments; the two of them had lots of fun with verbal sparring. There were even a few swoon-worthy moments. The writing was fun and real, with a fast pace and no lagging. In fact, I’m surprised that this was Lauren’s first novel. There was also a bit of a twist near the end, so the journey for Julia and Jason wasn’t quite what you might expect.
Beautiful cover. What more can I say?
The sum up: Sweet, funny and romantic. Classic YA for the romance fan.
Anonymous
Posted January 10, 2013
:)
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Little known fact about me. I love teen movies! LOVE THEM! Even though I’m no longer in in that age bracket, there’s something about teen movies that calls to me. It’s because of my love for teen movies that I absolutely fell in love with Lauren Morrill’s, Meant To Be. It was a teen movie come to life in my mind. It made me laugh, pulled at my heartstrings, and left a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart that most teen movies do.
Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill reminded of movies that starred my once a upon a time crush, Freddie Prinze Jr. like She’s All That, or like Amanda Bines movie She’s The Man, and even the unforgettable Heath Ledge/Julia Stiles movie 10 Things I Hate About You. Even though the book itself was pretty predictable right from the beginning, I wanted to continue reading the story to see how it unfolds, and to see the sweetest moment that I knew would arrive in the end.
Non-rule breaking, Shakespeare loving, endless romantic Julia is on a trip she has been dreaming of since she was a little girl. On her way to London, England for a school trip, Julia can’t wait to fall in love with the same country where her parents fell in love. Since she was small, Julia has also been dreaming of her Meant To Be (MTB), and is positive that he goes by the name Mark…the same Mark she married when she was six, who uttered a phrase that she will forever remember. But Julia’s in London, and Mark is, well…not. And the only link she has to Mark is her best friend, who she can only converse with via texting or her computer.
But this trip is not exactly how Julia’s been wishing it would be. Jason is also on this trip, and it seems that Jason’s lot in life is to make Julia’s life difficult. With his outgoing personality, his need to be the centre of attention, and be anything but serious it’s only inevitable that they end up being assigned as “buddies”. Basically this means that for the duration of this trip, they are pretty much tied to the hip and must do everything together. And by everything, it also means that Julia must be around Jason when he breaks the rules…which starts off by going to a party.
It’s at this party that Julia decides to become a new Julia and be anyone that she wants to be. Unfortunately, after one to many drinks and much mingling and phone number exchanging, Julia has lost track of who she has spoken to. And this all comes to light after she receives a text from someone named Chris. Who is he? Could he be her MTB? And it’s from this text where Julia and Jason decide to make pact. Jason will help Julia find this Chris person and have him fall for her, and Julia must write their essays/reflection papers for their trip. Done and done! Or is it…? It’s because of this little agreement that Julia’s adventure of a lifetime starts, and she learns more about herself, doubts what she has believed in her entire life, and opens her eyes wide open to different possibilities.
I loved Meant To Be. LOVED IT! It was a quick read that had me hooked due to the characters. Their interactions with each other is what solidified my love for this book. Julia and Jason were hilarious together. There were various parts in the book that had me, literally, cracking up! I would go back and re-read them and I would crack up all over again! I would read that part over again, out loud, to whoever would listen, and I would be laughing as I’m trying to say the words. Specifically, the scene at the ticket booth and the pencil incident. OMG… I was laughing with tears. I could perfectly picture the facial expressions, the rise and fall of their voices as they said their lines… The scenes played out in my mind like a movie I want to own for my movie collection.
Author, Lauren Morrill is one of those authors that completely took me by surprise. Her comedic writing flowed perfectly, and she didn’t miss a beat. She knew exactly when comedic relief was needed and boy, did she deliver. The characters she created are ones that you will absolutely fall in love with. Meant To Be had me smiling from the very first chapter up to the very end.
Fans of romantic comedy teen flicks and books like Anna and the French Kiss will fall in love with Lauren Morrill’s Meant To Be. Get ready to be entertained!
Anonymous
Posted December 12, 2012
looooooved it!!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Suzie_Beth17
Posted December 11, 2012
I knew this book was going to be cute but it was better than I expected it ti be. It was also pretty funny. Cute little story about judging people by looks and first impressions.
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Posted February 10, 2013
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Posted February 23, 2013
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Posted December 4, 2012
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Overview
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 ...