Meant to Be

October 22, 2012
High school junior Julia Lichtenstein is headed to London for her literature class’s spring break trip. But without her best friend or swim teammates there, she has to fend for herself when she’s partnered up with Jason Lippincott, who is as abrasive and free-spirited as Julia is uptight and studious. While Julia wants to visit museums, Jason is only interested in letting loose; he drags Julia to a house party, where she meets a cute boy, Chris. Jason offers to help Julia woo him, if Julia writes his papers during the trip, and romantic shenanigans ensue. Morrill’s debut, a Paper Lantern Lit property, is entertaining and quick-witted, but as a romance it’s forced. Although Julia has a crush at home in addition to Chris in London, both boys are all but invisible—no reader will expect Julia to end up with anyone but Jason. Those who share Julia’s passion for Shakespeare will appreciate the Benedick and Beatrice–style sparring between the two teens, but it doesn’t make up for the transparency of this opposites-attract romantic comedy. Ages 12–up. Agent: Steven Barbara, Foundry Literary + Media.

October 15, 2012
A paint-by-numbers romantic comedy of errors. Ultraorganized, rule-following scholar/swimmer Julia's dreams of a perfect English-lit class trip to London are dashed when she is assigned to uber-immature slacker Jason as buddy for the entire time. Jason couldn't possibly be any further from Mark, Julia's Meant To Be back home, in looks, brains or character. Surprise, surprise: Numerous pratfalls, fights, mix-ups and unexpectedly revelatory conversations, and one awesome kiss later, it turns out that if not her, then at least the plot's, MTB is, gasp, Jason. Julie's heart follows a well-trodden path that only readers who have never encountered the genre before will find at all astonishing. What those who do know the formula will find striking is the doggedness with which sweet-at-heart Jason pursues bitchy Julia. Morrill drops plenty of clues for discerning readers that indicate Jason's basic decency and attraction to Julia. Julia, meanwhile, ignores all of them and maintains such an unbending attitude of intellectual superiority that she becomes profoundly unlikable, despite many narrative attempts to mitigate this with episodes of clumsiness and cluelessness. The author has a good ear for comic dialogue--"I'm just saying there are other fish in the sea, Julia," her best friend counsels via Skype. "Big fish. Tasty fish. Tuna fish!"--that bodes well for future, less formulaic outings. Physical comedy, particularly as presented in Julia's present-tense voice, is far less successful. For neophytes only. (Comic romance. 13-17)

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-This delightful debut explores the excitement and insecurities of an unexpected first love. During the junior-year lit class trip to London, Julia, a rule-following, socially awkward swimmer/scholar, finds herself partnered with Jason, the obnoxious class clown. Her mission is to enjoy the historical sights while retracing her parents' honeymoon travels. He has plans to make the "Book Licker" break some rules and have fun. He drags her to a party, and after Julia has a few drinks, she exchanges numbers with a handsome British boy. Here is where the adventure begins. With a huge nod to Shakespeare, Jason agrees to help Julia compose love note texts and she agrees to write his cultural papers. The two form an alliance, and, although readers can see their feelings for each other grow, Julia believes her true "meant to be" love is her crush Mark, who happens to show up unexpectedly. Jealousy, some mixed messages, and a kiss that sends Julia spinning ensue. Even with the slightly contrived plotline, readers can't help but cheer for Jason as he opens up and wins Julia's heart. The good times they experience in London are a perfect balance to the painful secrets they reveal to each other, and girls will identify with Julia's angst when she believes she has been duped ("If I can go back to ignoring him, just like before this trip began, then I can forget"). A great choice for teens who enjoyed Jennifer E. Smith's The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (Little, Brown, 2012), Gabrielle Zevin's Elsewhere (Farrar, 2005), or Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Knopf, 2010).-Pamela Schembri, Newburgh Enlarged City Schools, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2012
Grades 7-12 Romance combines with a tense mystery in Boston high-school junior Julia's wry, present-tense narrative of her 10-day student trip to London. She is assigned clumsy Jason as her partner, but he is just not her type, and they have fuming arguments. She texts her best friend in Boston about her longtime crush on Mark (who now wants to spend time with her) and the alluring texts she is getting from Chris who is he? She daydreams about Chris and about perfect Mark; if only Jason would go away. But who is stealing her phone and reading and sending text messages on it? She does have a great kiss, but it's with Jason: was it a huge mistake? The traveling details are part of the fun: her friends are into shopping, not Shakespeare, and there are raucous puns about Big Ben. The contemporary scene with consumer name-dropping will grab readers, though, of course, the details will date. Still, the core drama is the romance, with all its turnarounds and timeless realism.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2013
On a class trip to London, uptight Julia is paired with obnoxious Jason. When she begins receiving mysterious romantic texts, Jason encourages Julia to loosen up and go for it. The plot thickens when Mark, Julia's meant-to-be crush, arrives, and Julia revises her thoughts on fate. Many will see the resolution coming, but fans of undemanding romance stories won't mind.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)