Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

* * * 1/2

 

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.

 

Meant to Be came at a perfect time.  I had just finished a dark (albeit wonderful) story and my past few romance reads have been a bit angsty.  And although I do love me some angst, sometimes I just want a love story that will keep me happy and smiling.  Not sad and crying.  Meant to Be delivered exactly what I needed.  

Julia is the kind of girl that has a plan.  And any deviation from it throws her completely off balance.  She is more than a little OCD in pretty much all aspects of her life.  Then there is Jason.  He is the complete opposite.  He is the king of spontaneity and fun.  And he never plans anything other than making sure he has a spare piece of grape gum in his pocket.   

When Julia and Jason are paired up during a 9 day field trip to London, Julia’s world is turned upside down.  Day 1 finds Julia breaking the rules as her “buddy”, Jason, drags her to a party full of strangers.  Day 2 she is receiving texts from a boy she met at the party but doesn’t remember.  And since she has always had her sights set on her one and only Meant to Be (MTB), Mark, she has no idea what to do about the new boy.  Jason takes pity on her and decides to help her flirt and possibly hook up with her secret admirer.   

Almost from the get go, you know that there is some sort of mix up or intrigue going on.  I personally didn’t figure it out right away which was fun as I kept trying to guess why these two kids were misinterpreting each other’s feelings.  In the end, the mix up and resolution are worthy of some of my favorite romantic comedies – The Shop Around the Corner, French Kiss and 10 Things I Hate About You to name a few. 

What I loved most about this story (other than the romance, of course) is that Lauren Morrill has the teen voice down pat.  Much like Susane Colasanti, Morrill manages to express the everyday thought process and actions of a high school student in a way in which we can all identify, whether we are 16 now or were twenty years ago.  Seriously, reading this was like being in the head of my 15/16 year old self all over again - all those insecurities all the while thinking you owned the world. 

Meant to Be is a fun read and I highly recommend it if you are looking for something light and happy to brighten your day.    

Nat