What a cute read! I spent a good deal of the book either grinning stupidly or laughing out loud. Yes, it was a bit cliche, and there were parts that were a bit cheesy, but there's that fun, sweet innocence of "I'm five years old, and I like you, so I'm going to pick on you" type of romance. And I'm usually good about figuring out things early on, but ooooh, I can't believe Morrill snuck that one by me. This was definitely one of those books that just leave you smiling in the end.

Spoilers

This was awful. The story had the potential to be cute and quirky but because of the whiny-Mary Sue-judgy-bitchy heroine it was a bloody chore to read and if it hasn't already been made clear - I didn't enjoy it AT ALL.
I hated the main character, Julie - she was boring, pathetic and shrewish. Even though the silly cow was seventeen, she'd never had a boyfriend or even been kissed properly before, all because she was waiting for a boy she'd not seen since she was six years old!! Who the More...

2012: So it's funny to find what I wrote two years ago because now I KNOW Lauren and it IS November and I got to read MTB.

I really loved this book. I've had a hard time lately getting into any YA debuts particularly the scifi/fantasy (can't get into Throne of Glass, Cinder, Shadow and Bone, etc), and so while I had hopes for this one (perks of knowing Lauren and knowing how lovely she is in real life), I didn't expect I'd be able to finish it. To my surprise - and delight - I read this in a few More...

Meant to Be was entirely too cute! It was sweet, wacky, and fun, with a sweet romance a-brewing.

Julia is taking a class trip to London. A dream-trip, in Julia’s opinion, without parents, and as she says an “itinerary full of visits to places I’ve only read about or imagined.” Unfortunately for Julia, her trip “buddy” she’s assigned to is none other than the wisecracking, never-serious, and highly irritating Jason. They are basically stuck together like glue, and he is the complete opposite to h More...

Review originally posted on my blog http://hobbitsies.net/2012/10/meant-t...

I cannot talk enough about how much I loved Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill (and I don’t think I have stopped talking about it since I first read it)! Seriously, this book is me…but in book form. Very rarely have I ever felt like an author sat down and was like, “Hmm, let me think of the perfect book to write for Tara.” But I totally felt that way with Meant to Be.

First of all, the setting. I lived in London for half a yea More...

I can't get over how much I love this cover. Currently reading chapter 2; enjoying it so far.

6/24/12
I just finished this really great book and I can’t stop thinking about it. Julia is a junior in high school and she travels with 19 other students and her teacher to London for an educational experience. Her best friend wasn’t able to make the trip and she’s sort of stuck with some kids she doesn’t really get along with or have much in common. It’s a story that takes place in about 10 days…it will More...

OMG...November??? But I don't think I can wait that long! I NEED this book now, has so many of the great things I love: stunning cover, great title, incredibly romantic premise. YES :D

UPDATE 8/15/12: Loved it!!! Thank you Lauren Morrill! Can't wait to add MEANT TO BE to my shelf!

Promoted as a readalike for books like ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS (Stephanie Perkins), MEANT TO BE had a promising start. Even though I read an e-galley, the cover artwork is absolutely stunning. Anglophiles will revel in the lovely descriptions of London and English culture. Morrill's writing is well-paced and the fun banter between Julia and Jason keeps the pages turning. I would definitely recommend this book to readers who are fans of ANNA (as mentioned before), Maureen Johnson's 13 BLUE ENVEL More...

This book. THIS BOOK! It may just be my favorite YA contemporary EVER! If you know me at all, you know I was once – okay, am still – very skeptical of contemporary novels. I’m afraid of finding them vapid and shallow and then having to review the insipid things. So, even before I started Meant to Be, I prayed to the book gods that it would be as good as My Life Next Door for me because prior to reading this novel, that was the best YA contemporary I’d ever read. But Meant to Be was even better… More...

"Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind;
and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."

I want my love story to be just like this one. I want to go on a class field trip to London with a guy like Jason. I want to do the kind of crazy, fun stuff that Jason and Julia did in their spare time. I want to have the same kind of romance that Jason and Julia has. I want every single thing that happened in this book to happen to me. Because it was THAT AMAZING. Meant To Be is going to be one of thos More...

Three things I really love about this book:
1. Julia, the protagonist, is basically me in book form. Anti-social? Check. Would rather read than go to a party? Check. Is OCD about planning ahead and organizing? Check. Carries pencils around in her purse? Check. (Although, I have to say, I carry pens too. You never know which you'll need.)
2. Jason, the love interest, is a normal teenage guy. It seems like most - if not all - the young adult books I've read recently get teenage guys completely wrong More...

This was a very cute and sweet read..I didn´t want to put it down until I finished it and I had a bit of a goofy grin on my face most of the time to be honest..

Julia did seem to have a stick up her a** most of the time but I still liked her, the clumsy and deep down vulnerable girl who "hides" behind her brain

The way she couldn't resist Jason even though he irritates her to death most of the time was both funny and sweet


You don't have to be genius to figure out how the overall storys going to en More...

Adorable and a half!!! Def one of my favorite romance stories this year!
Full review to come!

Posted on: http://wordsareinnermusic.blogspot.com

You guys know I haven’t been reading a lot of contemporaries. I love them to pieces, I do, but recently I’ve been drawn to more paranormal/science fiction/steampunk adventures. Well, Meant to Be kind of restarted my whole love for contemporary. I read it months ago and I’m excited to finally share my thoughts with you!
For Julia, this trip is perfection More...

I was first attracted to this book because of it's gorgeous cover. But what's between the exterior shell is even more beautiful. Inside these pages contains a delightful story about a girl finding her MTB (meant to be) in London with a not-so-perfect immature boy. Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill fortunately reminds me of Anna and the French Kiss, which, if you know me, you know that it's my favorite contemporary romance ever. Meant to Be isn't far behind and I will definitely recommend this to any More...

OMG, you guys, pardon me while I flail freaking everywhere over how incredibly hilarious and wonderful and perfect for me this book is! Ahhhhh! There are certain authors who are just like made of magic for me, you know? Their every written word speaks to me. They're funny and clever, and say express the things that I think and feel all of the time, and, were I the kind of person to mark up my books, their books would be a mess of notes. Well, Lauren Morrill has just joined that esteemed crew wit More...

[Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading]

Book Licker. I fell in love with this book at the first mention of Book Licker – the ever-so-endearing nickname Jason gave our resident Type-A, obsessive compulsive protagonist, Julia. Much of this book is founded on the understanding that Julia and Jason are complete opposites who are unwillingly partnered during their spring break school trip to London.

Jason is difficult. He’s funny, but secretly smart. He’s a jokester. He picks on Julia to NO END More...

Beautiful cover, right? I'd put that thing on my wall.

I found myself in possession of Meant to Be much earlier than I expected to, and was unable to stop myself from reading it nearly immediately. School trip to London? Girl finding out about love? Have I told you all that I love contemporary?

Meant to Be starts off on a plane (which, unrelated, but I have read a LOT of books lately with a plane somehow involved, it's a very odd trend). Our protagonist, Julia, is on her way to London as part of a More...

Similar Books: Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson, Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

I put off reading this book for quite a while because (1) I thought I was over contemps and (2) I had high expectations for this book's greatness and was afraid I'd be disappointed. I now have no idea why I was so worried - this book was everything I was hoping it'd be and SO. MUCH. MORE.

If I had to sum up my feelings for More...

Help! I'm caught in a web of cliches and cheese and they won't let me escape!

Well, hell.

I went into this book thinking I'd be reading something with the same kind of wit/charm as Anna and The French Kiss or The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight, but no. Oh no. That dream was crushed within the first 20 or so pages. I even let the first couple "holy wows" and " "thankyouverymuches" slide to give this book a chance. Because, maybe, just maybe, the characters might have been interest More...

Originally published on http://bibliophilesisters.wordpress.com/

Julia Lichenstein has always followed the rules, kept to her books and gotten straight A’s. When the opportunity comes up to spend her spring break in Jolly Olde England where her parents went on their honeymoon there’s no way she can pass it up. She’s done the research, read the books, and is ready to take in all the sights. With her trusty #2 pencils, and pocket Shakespeare she’s ready for anything. Well at least she thought so un More...

Julia and Jason are complete opposites. Julia is a pencil-bringing, Shakespeare-loving, geese-hating, rule-abiding control freak. Jason, on the other hand, is a fairytale non-believer and an absolute joker who enjoys cartwheeling down the streets. When these two get paired up as "buddies" during a London field trip, you'd think they would be resentful in each other's company. But can a bit of time together change their opinion about each other? Bring them closer to being a little more than "budd More...

So...the book is about good girl Julia who goes on a study abroad trip to London over spring break. None of her friends are with her for various convenient reasons (swim meet, family trip), but I honestly doubt their existence because I don't know of anyone who would actually want to be friends with her. While there, she's stuck with childish Jason, and they get caught up in a mystery...some random dude named Chris from a random party she unwillingly attended thought she was interesting enough t More...

Hmmm, so I have been waiting for Meant To Be for a LOOOOOOONG time, thus I'd developed high expectations. I mean a book that has a torturous wait list must be really good, right? Don't be fooled people because that's not necessarily true. Now honestly the book wasn't bad but it definitely didn't take me on an emotional high which was a disappointment. It rather got exasperating and boring as the story went on.

The book actually started out good and I was actually enjoying it till the moment Julia More...

I think this book had lots and lots of potential, but it also kind of fell short for me. I never completely loved Jason- I'd think he was nice and sweet, and the next moment he'd be making jokes about Big Ben which could be funny once or twice, but wasn't as it was a recurring topic. (view spoiler)[Also, I know that Mark was a jerk, but it didn't help me like Jason more solely because the reason Mark paid attention to Julia was because he had heard the mile-high rumor which, y'know, came from Jason. Call me ol (hide spoiler)] More...

Okay, so this book was recommended as a book that fans of Anna and the French Kiss would enjoy. I can see why that would be the case, but this book isn't nearly as good as Anna.

I definitely loved the setting of the book. I would love to visit London and I appreciated all the little details of the city. The whole class trip abroad was one of my favorite daydreams as a teen so this book definitely worked for me in that respect.

For the most part I found the story entertaining. Julia and Jason get More...

MTB had its glory moments until maybe the fateful party, but it went all downhill from there.

I'm a sucker for those books centering on romantic connections and fate and all that cheesiness, and dose of humor is always an added bonus - there's Flipped, Stargirl, Pride & Popularity, Graffiti Moon, and My Life Next door, just to name a few. And now I hate myself for expecting anything at all from this one cosmic joke, which is Meant to Be.

Don't get me wrong; the book could definitely deliver so More...

I loved this book.

The plot - girl goes on field trip to England with her class. She's a straight-laced good girl focused on success. She has a big-time crush but it's not reciprocated. One of her classmates on the trip is a boy who is obnoxious and never follows the rules. Of course, as in most romance novels, they are forced to spend time with each other. However, I must say that this author handled that better than most because she made it their choice, which is always more believable and rom More...

Cute! A bit cliche', but still cute!

I work as a student assistant at my local library, and I found this book while shelving in the Teen section. I was having a bad week, so a cute, simple, happy-ending story was exactly what I needed!

The story stole my heart in some ways, and annoyed me in others. Julia is easily to relate to......to an extent. I knew she and I were similar, but I found her to be a bit too organized and too yearning to be perfect. However, I think this is what was intended.

The More...

I gave this book 4 stars because it gave me exactly what I wanted. Yes, it was a little predictable, like a romantic comedy movie. But sometimes that's exactly what you need.

What I loved most about this book was the whole notion of MTB. This was ME in high school. I still wonder why things didn't happen with the one I thought was "the guy." Fortunately, I learned that finding love falls somewhere between serendipity and practicality (wow, that sounds boring). But for me, it's true.

Jason is grea More...

This has reduced me to a fit of giggles.

I don't giggle.
I cackle.
I laugh.
I gag.
I snort.
I am rambunctious.
I cry until my tummy aches.
I do not giggle.

(sorry people for my detrimental use of words and ideas. get ready for it!)

But I did. Help me, I did.
It's a cute story. It's high school. My goodness, I envy it. I'm not in high school any more and I HAD NEVER BROKEN RULES. that much. It seems that this book is a guide to living life. I liked it. I'm beginning to rethink the possibilities of h More...