Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein. Pub Date: June 7, 2022. Rating: 3 stars. I really enjoyed Head Over Heels by this same author, so I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to read an ARC of Meant to Be Mine. Unfortunately, this story felt a little flat and slow moving for my taste. I loved the aspect of Edie knowing the date she would meet her soulmate based on her Grandmother's prediction, but I felt the entire story was very drawn out and not enough substance. I loved the themes of soulmates, love and destiny but felt the love story/relationship aspects of the novel were subpar. Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #meanttobemine #netgalley #atria

💞 What if you couldn't fall in love with the person who was meant to be "the one"? That's kind of the question Edie asks herself throught this journey of self discovery. Does she stick with what fate had destined for her, or does she follow her heart? Omg this woman had me on my toes waiting to see when she dumped the hottie for her ex! My favorite part of all was the ending because it was a little unexpected but it was absolutely perfect, bringing Edies story full circle. Sometimes you just want what you want no matter what prophecy says. I enjoyed it so very much, and I recommend it to everyone looking for what to read next. Very lovely story can't go wrong with Ms. @hannahorens novels.

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There’s still plenty of summer left, and this would be perfect to read poolside while sipping a frozen fruity cocktail! 🍹

📅 REVIEW: MEANT TO BE MINE 📅

By Hannah Orenstein

📖 SUMMARY: Edie knows the exact date she is destined to meet the love of her life, thanks to her grandmother’s gift of predicting this information for herself and many of her family members. Her unwavering faith in this date meant that she’s avoided getting too serious with anyone in the past, even if it caused major heartbreak. Luckily, she DOES meet a handsome stranger on the day in question, and they hit it off and begin dating. But when fitting into each other’s lives doesn’t come as easily as she expected, she starts to wonder — would it actually be that terrible if she chose a different love?

💭 THOUGHTS: I read this in less than 24 hours because it was easy to get invested early on, which is great for curing a reading slump. I liked Orenstein’s take on the fate/destiny concept, and this book gives you pretty much everything you want in a romance: fun side characters, swoon-worthy love interest(s) 👀, and a cool profession for the main character! While I enjoyed reading about Edie’s relationship with her family, I was slightly annoyed by her they-can-do-no-wrong attitude about them. So it was pleasing to see her get a reality check towards the end, which I won’t elaborate on because no spoilers! But speaking of the family, Hannah recently mentioned potentially writing a book about Gloria, the grandmother, when she was young and I would absolutely love to read that. I look forward to reading more of her work soon!

Thank you to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the ARC. This book came out back in June, so get your hands on a copy!

✨ RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🥰 YOU’LL ENJOY IF: you love rom-coms and “is this fate” kind of stories

What if you knew the exact date you would meet your soulmate? Edie's grandma has correctly predicted this for each of her family members (as well as a few others). When Edie's date arrives, she meets a cute stranger on a plane - will he be the one? I expected a very specific twist ending and was a little disappointed that it didn't come to fruition but overall I really enjoyed this book!

This was such a delightful read and I truly enjoyed the characters.
Many thanks to Atria and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book! What would you do if you knew the day you would meet the love of your life, but no other details about how it would play out - who they are, where you’d meet, if it would be insta-love or a slow burn that stretches out into forever? Main character Edie has to grapple with all of this after her Grandma Gloria predicts the day she will meet her match, but things don’t unfold as seamlessly as she expects. I was hooked waiting to see what would happen and I loved Edie, Rae, Shireen, Max, Bennett, Gloria, and the whole family and cast of characters. Definitely would recommend! Thank you to Atria Books for the copy via NetGalley!

I really enjoyed this! I have wanted to read a Hannah Orenstein book for awhile and this didn't disappoint.
I loved the characters and the close family relationships, especially Edie's relationship with her grandmother.
The premise was interesting and kept me reading to see how it would all turn out.
While a little cheesy at times, it was also very swoon-worthy.

This has all the fun, sweet elements I wanted in a book, so cute! I’d definitely recommend it to my family and friends.

I knew going into it that this would be light on the romance despite it being about the person the MC wants to end up with. So with realistic expectations I ended up enjoying it. I was pretty sure how it would end up but I wanting to be sure kept me turning the pages.

Rating : 3 out of 5
Blurbs :
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.

Thoughts : Amazing and superb concept, Soulmate tropes always for me usually. I also like this one and highly recommended for any romance readers out there! Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the copy!

I found it hard to become invested in this one. I don't know if it's a timing issue or the book wouldn't be right for me at any time, but I mostly skimmed through it and never really connected on any level with the story.

I recently discovered author Hannah Orenstein and after getting an ARC of Meant to Be Mine (published June 7), I realized I had one of her previous books on my shelf, Head Over Heels, probably found in a Little Free Library near me. Thanks to Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Of the two books, I preferred Head Over Heels, but both were enjoyable and I will definitely read more by the author!
In Meant to Be Mine, we meet the main character Edie, a stylist. Her grandmother has “seen” in advance the date that each member of the family would meet their spouses, and the book opens on Edie’s date! When she is seated next to a handsome, single man on her flight to Portland, she just knows this is her soulmate. I really enjoyed reading about Edie’s work, picking out clothes for various clients and making them feel comfortable as well as confident and powerful. The right clothing really can put the wearer in a better headspace! For a 28 year old with her own company, Edie seemed a bit too immature and solely focused on love for me to really connect with her and care about her journey.

Thank you so much @AtriaBooks & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 07 June 2022)

SYNOPSIS | Edie's grandmother has successfully predicted the date when all of her family members will meet their love of their life. Edie's date is 24 June 2022 and her day is finally here. She meets a charming musician on the plane (Theo) and is convinced that he is "the one". The story follows their developing relationship.

WHAT I LIKED:
- I love stories that play on the concept of fate, destiny & soulmates
- that Edie was passionate about her career & her aspirations in life

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- the ending felt extremely rushed & kind of like an afterthought
- Edie's unwavering belief in the prophecy was tiresome & at times frustrating
- the pacing felt off at the beginning of the book as it goes into excessive detail about a bunch of mundane day to day activities
- there was too much page time dedicated to her ex-byofriend Jonah (especially as he isn't actually present in this story at all)

When your world is all planned out, from a family prophecy do you even bother with relationships?

It was a good story but also predictable. 3.5 ☆

I really enjoyed this novel. The characters were interesting and well written. I wasn't sure what would end up happening with Edie and the different men in her life, and the side characters were very entertaining!

Reading this book felt like I was witnessing something unfold in real life. I adore books like this. I don’t want to give too much away, but everyone should read this!!

Gloria has successfully predicted the dates of most of her family members will meet their intended, including Edie.
But Edie questions the match a lot and still thinks of her former love.
I thought Edie was trying too hard and forcing the issue in order to make the prediction come true. I really thought she would go back to the ex, but I also guessed correctly, early on, who she would end up with.
I love Orenstein’s books. Her writing is smooth and I devoured this book in one evening.

Edie knows the day that she will meet her soul mate. Her grandmother, Gloria, has predicted all her family's dates when they will meet their mates and these dates have all rung true. Several generations have met their soul mates and lived a happy life together. When Edie's date comes around she is eagerly looking for her match as she travels to her sister's surprise engagement. When she boards the plane and sits next to a gorgeous musician she knows she has found her mate. But will life prove that easy? Will they actually be meant for each other. As secrets are revealed, Edie has to figure out if he is her true match or is she just sticking with it to not disappoint her grandmother. This was a fun look at the ends people will go to for love and the make the ones you love happy. 4 stars. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.

This is a great book that has a magical element about fate and love being pre-planned. I really enjoyed it.

Meant to Be Mine was a fun read with likable characters. Edie's grandmother, Gloria, has predicted the exact date that people in her family will meet their soulmate and Edie holds on to that date with all her heart. (coincidently, that date is my birthday, haha) The store explores the ideas of fate, chance, or choice. I don't want to give away too much but I enjoyed Edie's journey even if sometimes I wanted to tell her "what are you doing?!" Edie's sister and friends were so supportive and Gloria was just hilarious. This book has a lot of love for New York City, especially Brooklyn. I felt like I could have used a little more explanation with the ending, but overall it was a nice summer read that takes the reader on a journey of discovering what we think love should feel like.
Thank you to Atria books for a digital ARC and to Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.