Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
Publisher: Delacorte Books | 304 Pages | Buy It
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.
Let’s get right down to it: I didn’t love this book.
I’ve never been one to think I’d find true love in high school — in fact I remember hoping that my “MTB” was sitting next to me in homeroom. On the other hand, Julia thinks the boy she “married” in grade school is the only boy for her — and she hopes, with single-minded stubbornness, theirs will be the same perfect relationship as her parents. She’s lucky to partner with Jason on a school trip to London who helps her figure out that’s she’s slightly wack-o.
Jason reminded me of a lot of guys I knew (and avoided) in high school. The scenes with the two of them were cute and funny. Julia is clumsy, Jason is clowny and outgoing — but has some depth, that Julia mines. But, freshman year Jason was one of the guys who put tampons in Julia’s locker as a prank — along with several other humiliating stunts (Julia is a dork). I think I’d need more than two years to forgive and forget, right?
For a quick escape to London on the wings of a light romantic comedy, this is a total winner. And I did get a lot of enjoyment out of it. But if you’re looking for more, head someplace else.
Check out the link to our Selective Collective coverage of “Meant to Be” back in November 2012 .
Jason totally reminded me of the boys I avoided in high school! I liked him when he was being sweet to Julia, but otherwise he kind of annoyed me.
Yeah … it was hard to get past Jason’s mean streaks. The nickname “Book Licker” isn’t all that endearing. But then he goes and serenades her?! Odd.
I’ve had this on my TBR list for a little while but my library doesn’t have it. Maybe it isn’t much of a loss.
I enjoyed MTB, but I didn’t love it as much as I was hoping for. Both Jason and Julia got on my nerves a bit. But I did like it.