Today’s book was truly refreshing. It’s one I’ll highly recommend, which is rare for me since I’m not a big reader of romance but I’m excited to explore more of this author’s book.
I won’t take up any more of your time. Let’s get into it.
Meant to be Mine
by Hannah Orenstein
get it here
BOOK SUMMARY
What if you knew exactly when you’d meet the love of your life? Edie Meyer knows. When her Grandma Gloria was a young woman, she had a vision of the exact day she would meet her soul mate—and then Grandpa Ray showed up.
Since then, Gloria has accurately predicted the day every single member of the family has met their match. Edie’s day arrives on June 24, 2022, when she’s twenty-nine years old. She has been waiting for it half her life. That morning, she boards an airplane to her twin sister’s surprise engagement, and when a handsome musician sits beside her, she knows it’s meant to be.
But fate comes with more complications than Edie expected and she can’t fight the nagging suspicion that her perfect guy doesn’t have perfect timing. After a tragedy and a shocking revelation rock Edie’s carefully constructed world, she’s forced to consider whether love chooses us, as simple as destiny, or if we choose it ourselves.
BOOK REVIEW
*An ARC of this book was provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
It was an article on The Cut that has led me to Hannah Orenstein and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to read her work. In her article, she was captivating, funny and down-to-earth. Such I would also describe her book, Meant to be Mine.
Who would’ve thought that the weeks of binge-watching The Bold Type would’ve helped me when I read this book with a protagonist living the NYC fashion stylist life. I could easily imagine Edie speedwalking down the streets with the garment bags in hand, going in and out of shops, loaning the newest line of jewellery to the up-and-coming stars. It definitely added to my experience.
While my experiences with contemporary romances are far from great, this, I easily breezed through. I like the characters and enjoyed their conversation, friendships, support and love for one another. Truly, even the side characters were important and each played a unique role in this story, nothing like an afterthought. I especially liked that they had personalities and hobbies of their own.
Despite this, I like the pacing, the transitions and the unexpected conflicts Hannah has brought into this book that made me take a step back from the unbelievable chemistry and charm. The typical conflicts aren’t all that foreseeable in this one, but it is all the more exciting. It handles the topic of grief, support, conflicts of interests, relationships and careers in a mature way, although delicate.
If anything, this book is far from typical. If you’re looking for a fresh, modern, analytical take on the contemporary romance genre, this is a good one to read.
SKAVANSIEUR 