Review: Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Title: Meant to Be
Author: Lauren Morrill
Publisher: Delacorte BYR
Age Group: Young Adult
Category: Contemporary Romance
Release date: November 13th, 2012
Pages: 304 (ebook)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: Netgalley
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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 follows a young girl all the way across the ocean, on a school trip to London, England.  She's the only student in the group who actually wants to learn, but when she gets paired up with Jason, a popular and seemingly carefree guy, Julia gets the experience of the lifetime.  He teaches her to loosen up, and maybe, just maybe, she'll come to find her perfect match.

I loved Julia from the start.  Her classmates call her Book Licker, because...well, she's a bookworm.  She knows many facts and she's probably the only one that is less concerned about the London fashion and more concerned about how much time she gets to spend in Shakespeare's birthplace.  Unfortunately, the teacher assigns partners and she's paired with her complete opposite.  Jason ends up taking her places she never would have gone to otherwise, and because of that, this spring break turns into one she'll never forget.

When I pick up a contemporary romance, I expect it to make me swoon, and boy did this deliver.  Chapter after chapter filled with witty dialogue, heart-pounding tension and scenes that would make any romantic release a dreamy sigh.  The author knows how to make you laugh, how to make surprise you and how to make your skin tingle with anticipation.  While you read, you'll feel like you're on an adventure with Julia and Jason, and that's one of the things I loved most about this book.

Though Jason seems like a total jerk, don't rule him out.  This trip doesn't only help Julia bloom, but Jason definitely shows a different side of himself as well.  The author did an amazing job with the story.  By the time I finished, I felt like I was floating.  The characters were more realistic than I anticipated, and I could relate to Julia in a way, which made me fall in love with the story even more.  Meant to Be shows you that things don't always go as planned, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.