Lauren Morrill, Meant to Be

Julia Lichtenstein is an excellent student, a voracious reader, and a conscientious follower of rules. She’s incredibly excited about her class trip to London, eager to soak up all the history and culture that it has to offer. Her only problem is the presence of class clown Jason Lippincott on the trip. He’s loud, obnoxious, and completely immature — and because his name comes right after Julia’s in the alphabet, she’s stuck being his partner for their school assignments on the trip. However, as Julia spends more time with Jason, she slowly begins to discover that there’s more to him than meets the eye. At times it even seems like there’s a spark between them, but can Julia really fall for someone who’s the complete opposite of the “meant to be” guy she’s always imagined?

This is a very cute YA romance that hooked me almost immediately. Since Julia is the first-person narrator, we get inside her head right away, and I really enjoyed her determined, slightly neurotic voice. As for Jason, he’s just adorable; I definitely have a soft spot for goofy guys! Even though he and Julia are really different, I can definitely see how they work as a couple. Also, their clashing personalities provide a very believable conflict in the book; even after the happily-ever-after, you just know that they’ll continue to fight with and frustrate each other sometimes. Overall, while this book isn’t particularly deep or substantial, I found it a very fun and charming read.