Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
Published: November 13, 2012 by Delacorte
Received: ARC for review from a friend

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. [goodreads]

I'm a sucker for quick-paced, quirky young adult books that balance on the edge of something deeper, while keeping it light.  Lauren Morrill has given us characters that are easy to identify by placing them in an adventure (literally!) about what it means when you think you've got it all figured out, but really you don't.

Meant to Be takes place in one of my most favorite cities ever, London.  Having spent a lot of time there, it was so easy for me to imagine all the different scenes that Julia and the rest of her class encounter through out this novel.  I think the location was probably one of my most favorite aspects.  It added a different side to the story, that I don't think would have been as interesting if Julia were to make these discoveries back home.

Right off the bat I knew Jason's character was someone who would shake things up a bit.  He's your typical prick, but deep down you know there's a different side to him that makes him that much more adorable.  As Julia's quest continues to unfold, many different questions keep popping up.  As the reader you know her whole "meant to be" theory is silly, but it's also endearing.  It matches Julia's innocence and completes the character she portrays.

If you're looking for a fun, adventurous book to devour in a day's time; then I highly recommend Meant to Be.  You'll be flipping the pages so fast, dying to find out what's truly meant to be for Julia.