This was such a sweet story with a fun twist. What a fun start to summer read. Grab this book and you won’t want to put it down!

Edie is a stylist in New York City. While on her way to visit her sister, she meets a cute guy. But she knew she would because her grandmother predicted she would meet her soulmate on this day. In fact, her grandmother predicted when everyone in their family would meet their soulmates.

This was a sweet, light and very predictable rom-com but I enjoyed it immensely! I thought the idea of Edie knowing the date she would meet her soulmate was an interesting concept that made for a more entertaining read. I loved the relationship Edie had with her family and quite frankly, they seemed like the kind of family that would be fun to hang out with. The real star of the story is Gloria, who is still glamorous at age 90 and clearly worships her grandchildren. Edie learns a lot from her, including to trust her own intuition. I can understand how this book wouldn’t be for everyone but I really thought it was sweet.

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster and Hannah Orenstein for the ARC! “Meant to Be” releases June 7th.

This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly 🙂

I have to admit I went into this book a bit skeptical. But it was a heartwarming story that held my attention throughout. Edie is a lovable character who is following her grandmother's prophecy to meet her soulmate on a specific date. Meeting rockstar Theo on an airplane seems like the fate she was destined to achieve. But when things happen that cause her to question her relationship, it throws everything she's believed since she was a little girl into a tailspin. Thank you #Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

I received a free arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was cute, though not my favorite Hannah Orenstein. I loved the New York scenery, the connection that Edie had with her family, and the slight supernatural element. I did not love Edie’s flightiness that could read as immaturity at times. I would have honestly preferred a book from Rae’s point of view.

The love connections were really not anything to write home about, though I did like how Edie’s love story ended.

review ✨

Calling all magical realism romance lovers 📢📢 this one is for you!!

This was such a cute and creative read. I so related to Edie’s way of planning everything to a tee (big Virgo energy from Edie???). Grandma Gloria was such a GEM and I adored Edie’s relationship with her twin sister.

READ IF YOU LIKE:
• magical realism — lots of suspending reality which is so fun with the plot!!
• fun NYC setting 🏙
• sweet family dynamics 💗
• Jewish representation — really enjoyed reading about Edie’s family’s traditions!
• read if you loved any of Rebecca Searle’s books

This book is out June 7th!! Thank you so much to @atriabooks and @netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

📖 288 pages
🌟 my rating: 4.5⭐️

Thanks to @atriabooks books for a copy to read and review!

Grandma Gloria has predicted the exact date ever single member of Edie’s family has met their perfect match. Edie’s day is June 24,2022 and it has finally arrived. That morning she boards a plane to her twin sister’s surprise engagement and she sits next to a handsome musician. Edie knows that it is meant to be!

This fun read comes out June 7! I love the authors note at the beginning of the book where she dedicates this to her grandparents and talks about how this book helped her get through the pandemic! ❤️❤️❤️

The premise of this book intrigued me right away... what would you do if you knew the exact date you would meet your soulmate?

Would you buck against it and try to cram as many experiences in as possible before that date arrived like Edie's sister? Or would you meticulously plan your life around that date like Edie herself did?

I have absolutely zero problem with the fate/destiny/instalove trope, which is why I was really disappointed when this book fell flat for me. The concept was there, but... there was a "but". I'll get into my reasons for that, but first!

If you like extremely descriptive scenes, close-knit families, sassy grandmothers, fashion, or if you're a foodie - I think you'd probably like this one.

Now, for why I personally didn't love it...
SLIGHT SPOILER BELOW - so don't read any more if you want to be completely surprised by this book!!

I became extremely frustrated by Edie throughout this story. And I just didn't love the fact that 90% of the book was about her relationship with someone that was obviously wrong for her.

I enjoyed the last 10% of this book quite a bit, but overall, wished it would have been more obvious who we should root for to be with Edie.

There are also a lot of political issues talked about throughout this book, and that's just not my thing. I applaud the author for bringing relevance through her writing, but I personally didn't love that aspect of the story.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Meant to Be Mine is a delightful read! What does it mean to have a soul mate and would you risk it all for the promise of true love? Edie’s grandmother Gloria has accurately predicted several love matches in her family, down to the date the couple will meet. Edie has centered her entire adult life on meeting her future husband, but when things don’t go exactly as planned, she’s forced to wonder where to put her faith. Edie was so much fun to get to know. She’s an amazing friend, loyal sister, lovely daughter and granddaughter and has so much to give to the world. The entire slew of characters developed by author Hannah Orenstein made Meant to Be Mine one of my favorite spring reads of 2022. I love the concept of a soul mate and the idea that maybe there is more than one person out there for everyone. The twists and turns of Meant to Be Mine are humorous, insightful and downright fun!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book is very intriguing! I mean, fated soulmates in this day and age? It was interesting enough to keep me going. But I felt like it could have been more, could have been deeper. As far as a romance goes, it's very light.

The characters are good. Rae and Max are adorable and so complementary. Gloria is so full of life and just everything a spitfire grandmother should be! I wish she was my grandmother. Edie is annoying at times, with her constant second-guessing and her willful blind spots. Theo feels like a caricature of an up-and-coming musician. Bennett feels like he got a bit shafted in the development stage. I would have liked to see more of him.

For all that this is a story about fated soulmates and explores Edie's relationship with her "person", it feels like the romance could have been punched up a bit more. And the ending felt rushed; it wasn't earned. Everything was a bit predictable, too, so it really didn't pay off.

This is a feel-good, palate-cleansing read. It just doesn't rate very highly for me.

3.5, really fun book that I read on a flight in one sitting. Main character of Edie is really likable and you root for her from the beginning. Bit predictable, but doesn't make the story less enjoyable. Would definitely recommend for romance fans who want a comfy summer read.

Thank you NetGallery for the early edition!

This was a Netgalley request I made forever ago and suddenly one day I was pleasantly surprised by an approval for this sweet book.

I've read all three of Hannah Orenstein's previous book and I was excited to see what she came up with next.

The plot to this book is very unique. It has a lot to do with fate and destiny and soulmates. In the story Edie's grandmother can predict the date all her family members will meet the love of their life.

Safe to say that's so much pressure for a date right? But it's just normal in their family. Edie even broke up with her ex boyfriend because she knew he wasn't the one since they didn't meet on "the date" even though she was completely in love with him. That's a bit intense for me.

This is a love story, but like with all of Orenstein's books, it's really about Edie and her growth and figuring out what she wants out of life and especially love. It can be classified as women's fiction.

I think this isn't your typical romance and I enjoyed how the plot was woven together differently than you'd expect. Especially the ending.

I also really loved the side characters especially Rae, Edie's twin and her fiancé, Max. Her family was not conventional, but it was fun and unique.

This comes out June 7, check it out then!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed Head Over Heels so I was looking forward to reading another Hannah Orenstein novel. However, this one just missed the mark a little bit. I didn’t dislike it but I didn’t particularly like it either… It was a fine read and was quick, kept me wanting to read to find out more about Gloria’s prophecy, and I thought the concept was really interesting. I felt like we really didn’t get much info on the main characters and it all felt very surface level. I couldn’t stand Theo and was frustrated he was part of the story for so long. I wish Bennett had been part of the story more - there was so much more we could have learned about him. Sometimes the detail seemed too redundant or overly-drawn out and I think the book could benefit from some additional editing.

I did like how personal this story seemed to Orenstein and how she added those personal touches and Jewish context. You could tell she had put some of herself into this book. All in all, it was an enjoyable read but just not one of my favorites!

Liked:
Jewish rep - this was so cool and felt so personal to Orenstein, so loved seeing this shine through but wished she went deeper and didn’t stay as surface level
Interesting concept
Connection with her grandmother
I really want to get into martinis now
I think this would make a really fun tv show

Didn’t like:
Sooooo many cliches
I think older millennials may end up loving this but my fellow cuspers/gen z-ers beware ☠️
Too much telling vs. showing
Did not like the love interest

I hated Theo - it was sooooooo obviously from the start that him and Edie were not meant to be. It was so cringe seeing Edie try to force their relationship to work. Major Pick Me energy here. I was rooting for her to break up with him sooo much earlier.

Tbh I wanted to meet Jonah way earlier and wish this book ended with them getting back together. Especially with Rae’s revelation. Flashbacks of their relationship and unplanned meet ups in present day would’ve been amazing. I did like Bennett, but I felt like we barely knew him. But tbh I felt this way with everyone including Edie. All of the characters felt so one dimensional.

I’m really bummed I didn’t like this one more. I really really loved Head Over Heels. But the writing in MTBM felt so underdeveloped. There were a lot of small details that were included that didn’t add to the story, give context, or round out characters. And y’all I live for small details 🤦🏼‍♀️

This one was a miss for me but hope others love!

I actually really enjoyed this romance! I was invested to read and find out who Edie ended up with. I kind of guessed who it would be, but I wasn’t disappointed! I loved how the 2 were connected from the beginning! I love that it ended so perfectly as well. I am definitely going to read more by this author!

I am a huge romantic comedy novel lover, and I’m really happy I got approved for this one! Fun, cute, fast paced and enjoyable with an engaging plot and likeable characters!

In a market that’s super saturated with romance novels, Meant to Be Mine had a premise that instantly caught my eye. How does one navigate life, dating, romance, and feelings when you know you won’t meet your predestined match until a certain date? This is a classic fate vs. choice premise, and it made for a thoroughly fascinating story.

As stated in the premise, Edie’s beloved grandmother has an (arguably) supernatural knack for matchmaking, and has successfully predicted dozens (if not more) matches via the date they will meet. Edie, who has always greatly admired her grandmother and seeks to emulate her, has taken her prophetic ability to heart and has anxiously awaited her “date” with full faith, even if it meant breaking up with her long time boyfriend who she was greatly in love with and waiting until almost her thirties even though she’s had a strong desire to start a family for a while. As a reader, I was equal parts charmed and baffled by Edie’s reverence for her “date” and her willingness to literally plan her entire life around it- as romantic as that is, it sound incredibly risky to me!

Sure enough, the magical realism kicks in when Edie meets a handsome, single musician on a flight on her “date” and sparks immediately fly. He seems to be a perfect match for her own artistic, creative personality (side note: I loved learning more about Edie’s profession as a stylist in New York! So glamorous!) and as their relationship grows, an exciting life of travel, parties, tours and other creative pursuits lie before her. However, this directly conflicts with all of the childhood hopes and dreams she’s pined for- a big family, children, staying in her beloved New York, settling down. I don’t want to go into too much detail as to not spoil the story, but I really enjoyed the juxtaposition of Edie’s desire to follow her grandmother’s “prophecy” with her own desire to follow her heart, especially when her heart could be happy with potentially different outcomes. It also brought up interesting questions (to me, at least) about her grandmother’s other predictions- how many of those were authentic and how many came to fruition because someone was willing to give something up? Are all of the matches just really self-fulfilling prophecies?

Overall: “Charming” is the immediate word that comes to mind when I think of Meant to Be Mine. From Edie’s romanticism to her creative profession to her adoration of living in New York, it was easy to be swept up in her colorful and quirky life. I love a story with a dash of magical realism, which this novel definitely has, right up until the very end. If you’re looking for a modern romance with a little bit of a magical twist, this is it!

Edie is a romantic, and she's been waiting her whole life for the day her grandmother foretold to be the day she'd meet her soulmate.
Good premise. Except Edie spends a good portion of the book comparing the guy she meets and her relationship with him to what she had with the ex she left in anticipation of "the day" coming up. She also ignores quite a few red flags about the guy she meets and their compatibility because she feels he's fate.
I was disappointed in Edie. And there were a lot of things in here that I felt moved too fast, or weren't realistic reactions on the part of characters. I won't go into more detail to avoid spoilers. Some things also felt either overly complicated or too easily resolved.
The book had tons of things going on, too. Edie's complex Jewish family, fashion styling career, mah jong, a political campaign, one character's backstory related to a school shooting, mention of the pandemic, her sister's engagement/wedding planning. It felt like too many different ideas got page time.
I kept reading because I wanted to see how things worked out, and it did have a nice ending.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will try to read again at some point… but I really did not like how this book ignored the romance readers actually would enjoy for one that goes nowhere.

I was so intrigued by the premise of this story - fated love. A grandmother who can foretell the date someone will meet their love match with absolute certainty. Based on a history of successful couples, and failed marriages when the foretold date was not adhered to, the date is a well known and sacred secret in the Meyer family.

This story begins on main character Edie's foretold date. She is on her way to her twin sister's surprise engagement in Portland, Oregon. She is hyper-aware of every male - could he be the one? When she meets Theo on her flight, she convinces herself that he must be her destined match. Edie is a stylist living in New York and Theo is a singer for an up and coming rock band. The story follows their developing relationship.

Edie thinks often of her previous boyfriend, Jonah, who she broke up with because she did not meet him on her specified date, and therefore can't be her true love match. I could understand her reasoning and her belief in her Grandmother's premonitions. What I had a hard time with, was her constant comparisons of Theo to Jonah. How Jonah and she had and pretty immediate and consuming love which she didn't feel with Theo. How Jonah fit easily into her Jewish traditions (even though she admittedly followed the traditions with no acknowledgment of the religious significance of the them). For a character that the author never really gave any backstory on (Jonah), there was a lot of him in the story.

Parts of the story felt contradictory to me, and the ending felt very rushed. I didn't really feel the spark in Edie's relationships that I look forward to in a RomCom. However, I loved the relationships with her family and her close friends and loved how they were all very supportive of one another. I loved how she was career driven and had a strong self-image. In the end, I liked this book, but I didn't love it. It is a solid 3 star to me.

Hannah Orenstein's latest novel was a delight, which is exactly what I have come to expect from this author.

Edie Meyer is a romantic - like a can't eat, can't sleep - believes in fate, die-hard romantic. And what's better? She knows the exact date she'll meet her soul mate. While she doesn't know the actual time and place he's set to show up, she does know that her dream man is set to appear on June 24, 2022. How? Simple, her grandma Gloria is a matchmaker who's accurately predicted the date every other one of her family members met their perfect match. So when Edie meets a handsome musician on her flight to her sister's engagement, 6/24/22, she knows this guy is the one. But what happens when fate and real life don't seem to align as perfectly as you thought they would? Edie finds out in this tenderhearted romantic comedy about love, family and not so perfect timing.

Hannah Orenstein is an auto-buy author who consistently delivers thoughtful, well-constructed romantic comedies. I thoroughly enjoyed her latest, Meant to Be Mine, a sparkling romantic comedy that challenges the notion of fate and free will. Block out an afternoon, you'll finish it in one sitting.