Review: Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Title: Meant to Be
Author: Lauren Morrill
Published: November 13, 2012
Source: 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.

I wish I had gone on this trip when I was in high school!  What a blast!!  And the whole time I was reading, I felt like I was right there on that trip with all of them.  It definitely pulls you right in from page one.

Poor immature, inexperienced Julia.  Besides having no idea how to get and keep a boyfriend, she's also socially awkward and uncomfortable in groups.  She's totally different than your average teenager.  Her head is often stuffed in a book and she loves studying and getting good grades.  But when it comes to going out with the other kids and having a good time, she doesn't have a clue.  Leave it to her "buddy" on the trip, Jason, to help her learn how to have fun.

And have fun she does!  While shuffling 3 different love interests, she's also needs to learn the hard way how to let loose and have fun.  This entire book takes place from beginning to end on this trip.  Julie must choose between her "MTB" Mark, who she's known she would marry since her childhood, the new boy-toy Chris she meets while out at a party (but has no recollection of ever meeting because of the amount of alcohol that was involved at said party...) and her nemesis, Jason, who she absolutely loathes  but gets assigned as a buddy for the trip, so she's forced to spend time with him, wanted or not.

This is an adorable contemporary story that I've already recommended several times since reading it.  I really enjoyed it.  It was a quick, fun read full of drama, fun, excitement and romance.  The characters are awesome and totally relatable, no matter what your age.  It's got it all, so don't miss this one!

Lauren Elizabeth Morrill is many things, including, but not limited to, a writer, an educator, a badass roller derby skater, a former band nerd, an aggressive driver, and a die-hard Mac person. She also watches a lot of TV, eats a lot of junk food, and drinks a lot of Coke. It's a wonder her brain and teeth haven't rotted out of her head.
Her first novel, Meant to Be, sold in a two-book deal to Wendy Loggia at Delacorte for Paper Lantern Lit.

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