Meant to Be

The book goes about a girl called 'julia'. She's going on a school trip to london for 9 days. When being in london she gets this partner where she has to make assignments with. He's called jason and in the beginning doesn't at all like julia because she's following the rules and for being a book lover.

Soon he realizes who she really is and decides to go on an adventure in london with her being pretty incognito.

First of all, the cover of the book looks just beautiful! I love the rainbow effect and also the big ben and westminster on the cover.

Julia was a nice girl who believed together with her friend back in the states in her MTB which means her 'meant to be'. But she doesn't realize the obvious till quite late in the book. It was sad to see that the real love end only was 1 chapter. I loved the character Jason. He was a guy like a guy in real life would be. He was nice but also a bit of a fool. I didn't at all like the character mark who was a jerk all away and it was just nahh..

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars because I think the end was too short and the building to the end was too long. It was a cute read and loved it a lot :)

Every now and then I stumble upon a book which makes me melt into a sweet puddle what used to be a cotton candy. It's not gross so don't give me that face! In fact, it's just the best thing one could read after being emotional drained by some other book.

Meant to Be, or MTB as Julia calls it, is a way of life. She found her 'One' and their life is perfectly planned out. There's just one tiny problem. He just needs to notice her. Everything changes during her ten-day trip where she's forced to think if MTB is the right way of living and if Mark, her MTB is the perfect guy for her, or is there someone else better.

The growing relationship between Book Licker, pardon, Julia and Jason was entertaining. She pretty much hated the guy since he is nothing like her. Julia is a stuck up nerd who plans everything, carries a calculator in her suitcase on a (math non-related) school trip and does not have fun while Jason is laid back, class clown who enjoys teasing Julia all the time. He's a huge flirt and Julia doesn't trust him.

It wasn't perfect but I will say this- Lauren Morrill just got herself another loyal reader. I will read anything this lady writes. Her characters remind me (a little) of Stephanie Perkins' wonderful characters. There's even a small similarity between Jason and Etienne, which I won't reveal, because you have to read it to find you.

What you need to know about Meant to Be is that it's funny. It doesn't have any special snarky remarks but the whole thing is just effortlessly funny I was awwing and oohhing throughout all +300 pages. If you're looking for something light and at the same time interesting to read then you should pick up Meant to Be.

With a frustratingly adorable protagonist, and an equally frustratingly adorable sidekick, it’s not surprising that I finished Meant to Be with the biggest of smiles on my face. Surprisingly romantic, with a lot of foot-stamping and playful teasing, Meant to Be was charming and sweet in all the right ways!

Julia was a great protagonist. Hot-headed and the first to correct someone’s mistakes, I didn’t think I would find her personality attractive. But combined with her clumsiness and quick wit, I found her to be really funny!

"Great. Now I’m at a party, surrounded by strangers,in a skirt that’s too short, and I’m all by myself. I’m like a walking after-school special. I pull my glass closer to my chest to shield it from wandering roofies and date rapists."

"I want to roll my eyes, but I’m afraid pretty soon they’re going to get stuck in the back of my head, and penis puns are really not worth my permanent facial damage."

There were definitely moments in Meant to Be where I agreed with Jason, that she was way too uptight and too self-involved to actually get to know any of her classmates, but it made her self-discoveries that much more poignant. The constant reminders that she was different from her peers, that she was an intellectual, and that she was abhorred at the thought of breaking any rules, were a little excessive. Especially when the only classmates she interacted with were superficial model-types, who only travelled to London for the shopping. But, those characteristics also made it pretty easy for Jason to embarrass her, which was great at adding a little comedic relief.

I loved Jason. His romantic side – serenading Julia with a Beatles song (her favourite band) while playing the guitar? Could I have swooned any harder? – was surprising, considering his class-clown title and constant inability to take anything seriously. It also made those moments that much sweeter, as he showed Julia a side that I’m sure most people never get to see. And then it broke my heart that much harder, when only moments after turning into the would-be perfect guy, he gives Julia the cold shoulder in favor of the popular crowd. I couldn’t understand why he was so hot-and-cold with Julia, so I didn’t doubt her confusion over his feelings for one second!

Meant to Be’s plot was fast-paced and fun, but there were a couple inconsistencies that had me cringing internally. At one point, Julia leaves the hotel to go for a run, wearing bright pink shorts. After accidentally locking herself out of her room, she sleeps over in a certain boys room but comments on how uncomfortable it was going to be to sleep in her jeans. The next morning she borrows a cleanish t-shirt from this boy, and again, comments on having to wear yesterday’s jeans. Later, she’s frustrated when her pay-as-you-go phone runs out of minutes, and only a chapter later she’s seen texting on it without us having seen her top up her phone with more minutes. Not make-or-break moments, but enough to distract my attention from the story. Granted, these inconsistencies might be fixed in the final version.

Witty, charming and romantic, I loved Meant to Be. I caught myself sniffling a couple times, as Julia shared memories of her father, and I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation thanks to Julia and Jason’s sexual tension. And having experienced London though Meant to Be’s setting, it has definitely moved up on my list of cities to visit!

Why I Loved It: I love London. And books set in London. Ooo and love in London. All of the above are found in the book called Meant to Be.. see above * ;) *

Scarily, Julia reminded me of myself. Her nickname was Book Licker. I never had anything that bad for a nickname, but I had my share in school. Julia also has some ideas of love, normally found in books. It happens I suppose. I had the same problem. The fact that we are so similar is probably why she drove me nuts. Its one of those books where the reader knows a lot more about what's going than Julia does. It drives you nuts, but it makes the end much sweeter. And there was one particular twist near the end that I was not expecting at all.

I loved the Beatles influence in the book and put up with the Shakespeare * I am not a big fan of ol' Bill*. The cover is beautiful... BEAUTIFUL. I didn't want to change what I was reading because just the cover made my blog look better. I want a blown up poster size for my room.

All in all, I devoured the book in about a day. Any cliche was forgotten in the midst of the sweet and at times sour story filled with laughs and grunts of frustration with plenty of splashes of "awww" moments. The book leaves you feeling happy and wanting desperately to go to London * so beware of that. *

Who Should Read It: It's a great contemporary read. The main character is a bit judgmental at times, so if that has a tendency to drive you crazy you might want to stay away. I think people who love the idea of a contemporary set in London should pick it up.

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.