Rating: 3/5 Stars

Hannah Orenstein’s newest book, Meant to Be Mine is a saccharinely sweet about meeting the right person at the right time.

Edie knows the date that she is going to meet her husband. Her grandmother has accurately predicted the date when all of the people in her family would meet and fall madly in love with their spouses for the last 30 years.

When Edie meets Theo on “her” day - she thinks all of her unlucky in love struggles are over and she has met the one. But as fate will have it, when it comes to matters of the heart, nothing is ever set in stone.

Meant to Be Mine is a great beach read - but I was frustrated with the lack of depth and overall ending of the novel. While a really cool take on the “magical” aspect of love, I was frustrated with Edie’s hyper fixation on Theo and the ultimate ending felt almost a little dim compared to the rest of the novel.

This just wasn’t my cup of tea - I wanted more bang for my buck, but can see this easily being a reader favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and Hannah Orenstein for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was a cute, fun, rom com book. I read a lot of Rom Coms so I wasn't going to hold it against the book that I basically guessed the ending by the third chapter. Good thing I decided to keep reading because I could not have been more wrong. The ending was a fun surprise and the book was a very enjoyable read. All of the characters were very likable. The main character is also a twin, which is always bonus points in my book.

Today's the day! Edie's destined to meet the love of her life on this very day, at least that's what Grandma Gloria predicted for her all those years ago. And Grandma Gloria's always been right when it comes to predicting matches. So when Edie meets a handsome stud seated next to her on an airplane, it feels fated. But is fate really all it's cracked up to be?

This was a super cute (and quick) read with lots of ⁠quirky characters and fun tropes. I thoroughly enjoyed the build up to the big romance reveal at the end, but overall I just couldn't get behind the theme of grandma Gloria's fortune telling. It seemed done (hello, Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany) and a little too rigid. I found it hard to suspend disbelief enough to appreciate Edie's emotional struggle. When your gut knows something isn’t right in a relationship then chances are your instincts are right, regardless of what grandma says. Life is too short for shitty romantic relationships. I did, however, really enjoy the way the author portrayed Edie's tight-knit family and the importance of family traditions. The importance of family was highly relatable for me. I definitely enjoyed the book, just not my favorite.

This was such a cute quick read! The story follows Edie on her quest fall in love with Theo, the man she met on the date her grandmother predicted she’s meet the love of her life. I loved Edie’s family values and the relationship she had with them. I felt her character developed well, and had a lot of growth. It was a sweet pick me up!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books!

A bit predictable with a twist, is what I'd say about Meant to Be Mine! I loved this book - such a sweet read. Just when you know exactly what should or will happen, you'll be surprised!

Edie’s Grandma Gloria has successfully predicted the date the members of their family will find their true love match since she found her own love in her childhood. Excited that her day has finally arrived, Edie immediately leaps into a relationship with musician, Theo.

But as she realizes the relationship isn’t falling together as easily as she thought it would, she’s forced to reckon with the ideas of fate and the grandma’s prophesies. After she learns another family member has lied about their own relationship timeline to please their grandma, she is forced to question everything she holds dear.

Is Theo Edie’s one true love or is there someone else she should be with?

This book was absolutely delightful! The main character was likeable and thoughtful, and I always enjoy descriptions of outfits. I didn't particularly like or dislike the references to political activity, but I understand the choice of including social commentary. There was a kooky grandma and great relationship with the main character's family, which overall tied the book together as a heartwarming and introspective novel.

What a beautiful look into the way we view relationships and “the one.” The premise was so unique and I absolutely loved each and every character in this book. I do wish we could have seen more of the relationship between the MC and the love interest, I think this story could have benefited by a little more of the “meat” of their relationship.

I don’t know about you, but in this post-Covid world, I find myself getting easily bored. My attention span is not what it used to be, especially when it comes to reading. I’m craving truly original stories. Lucky for me (and all of you), MEANT TO BE MINE, by Hannah Orenstein is just that.

Edie Myer knows the exact date she is going to meet her soulmate. She doesn’t know who the man will be, but her grandmother, Gloria, has predicted the correct date for every member of her family.
AMAZING premise, right? And the story just gets better from there. This book has so many of my favorite things—a unique voice, complicated family dynamics, intense sister relationships, Jewish grandmothers, drinks at the Plaza, and a dash of matchmaking magic!

In addition to the question of fate vs. free will, I love that this book explores the roles all of us play in our families—roles that become almost impossible to break because they make everyone else feel comfortable and safe.

This book reminds me a bit of Chloe Benjamin’s The Immortalists and Bess Kalb’s Nobody Will Tell You This But Me. But regardless of whether you’ve read either of those, you are going to LOVE this book!

𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄 by Hannah Orenstein is a difficult book for me to review and we’ll get to why, but first a bit about the story. Our main character Edie is 29, and has finally reached THE day in her life that her grandmother predicts she’ll meet the love of her life. Her grandmother’s unusual ability has worked for everyone in her family, so Edie has no doubts it will work for her, too. When she meets a charming musician on a plane, sparks fly and Edie is convinced he’s “the one.” From there, we follow Edie on the journey toward happily ever after.⁣
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Now all that is fine. Maybe a little sappy for my taste, but I’ve been into romance lately, and 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘦 might have worked if it weren’t for the audio. Yes, I started this as an audiobook, and the narrator was like nails on a chalkboard for me. Edie was supposed to be 29 years old, but she sounded more like 15. The character already skewed a little immature and the young sounding voice didn’t help me see her as a grown woman. And then there was the narrator’s voicing of men…awful. I should have switched to print immediately, but for a variety of reasons waited until I was at almost 40%. Once I made the change, I enjoyed the book more, though I still found Edie a little sad in her single-minded quest for love. Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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Thanks to @atriabooks and @simon.audio for advanced copies of #MeantToBeMine.

✨ The day Edie is supposed to meet her soulmate has been destined forever.

💥I started off this book wondering if the guy Edie meets at the beginning was really true. Would this relationship last? Would he be on board with the circumstances surrounding their relationship? Ultimately I am very happy with how this book ended up. There were some more character backgrounds I would have loved to have seen, but the characters were so cute!

My face at the end: 😻

🍪 I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to @Netgalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read this ahead of publication.

💯 For more details on the books we read, be sure to follow me on TikTok (@zaineylaney). I will give you a list of reasons to read! Or listen to our podcast, Elated Geek, wherever you subscribe.

I give this book a solid three stars! I enjoyed it and it had its moments for me but there were parts of it that also fell short. Edie’s grandmother has a power to know when people close to her are going to meet their person/their soulmate. The concept I loved! I loved that we were left on our toes to wonder if Theo was the one for Edie! I liked that I was left on my toes to see what happened. But after a while you see the red flags and just want Edie to notice them too! I do feel like the book was very anti-climactic for me. The book kind of slowly went along.
I was pleased with the ending! In the end I do think it’s a great light hearted read to pick up with a very interesting concept! I’ve never read anything like this book! I think if you’re reading this book for the concept it will not disappoint! The book definitely has me questioning fate and whether it if I knew the person I was supposed to spend my life with, if that would affect all of my choices!

This is a story of serendipity and fate...what if you knew the exact date you would meet the love of your life? Is it the perfect guy with bad timing? Edie has watched her grandmother predict accurately as every member of her family has met their perfect match, but will she be another win or a loss? Very cute and heartfelt story and characters! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-ARC of Meant to be Mine.

I was intrigued by the premise and loved the elements of family in this story. I have a similar upbringing and enjoyed the familiarity of the traditions and matriarchs.

I felt the story stayed with the first relationship too long and I was surprised by the slow burn epiphany that led to the next, because it was so logical rather than emotional.

At times the story felt long and meandering but it kept my attention overall. I absolutely loved Rae and Shireen and Max was a sweetheart.

I recommend this for readers who love suspending disbelief for love.

I like Edie’s character and thought she was more emotionally mature and stable that other heroine’s Orenstein has written in past books.

Edie Meyer’s Grandmother Gloria has a gift—she has accurately predicted the date each member of her family would meet the love of their life. When Edie’s day arrives, she is thrilled to meet a handsome man on the plane ride to her sister’s surprise engagement. However, as their relationship progresses, Edie begins to question whether they are truly meant to be, or if she should choose love for herself.

I love books that explore the concept of fate and destiny, and they always feel reminiscent of one of my all-time favorite movies, Serendipity. This book was a bit more unique as it looked at whether you let love choose you, or choose love for yourself. I loved Edie, her glamorous job as a stylist, and the New York City setting. The book was also has excellent Jewish representation through Edie and her family, and I loved learning more about the culture and traditions. Overall, this was a sweet rom-com and very enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my gifted e-ARC!

Meant to be mine was not meant for me. I know others will definitely still enjoy this because it did seem like it was a cute plot. It just fell short for me. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for chance to read and review.

WOW - I LOVED this book. I've ready every book by Hannah Orenstein and this is my favorite and her best work in my opinion. I loved Edie and Rae's relationship with Gloria, as well as the push and pull between reality and what Edie wants to be true.

Gloria is main character Edie's grandmother, and Gloria has a special power. Without fail, she has predicted the day that every member in her family will meet the love of their life. Edie has been patiently waiting for her date, and when it arrives, she meets Theo. Everything seems good,...but something is off. It's not as "easy" as Edie always imagined it would be. Edie and Theo just aren't as compatible as she imagined her one true love would be. As Edie tries to grapple with what this means, she has to decide if she wants to trust fate, or build her own path.

TW: school shooting, gun violence

LOVE LOVE LOVED this book. Orenstein's best work in my opinion. I loved Edie and Rae's relationship with Gloria, as well as the push and pull between reality and what Edie wants to be true.

Gloria is main character Edie's grandmother, and Gloria has a special power. Without fail, she has predicted the day that every member in her family will meet the love of their life. Edie has been patiently waiting for almost 30 years for her date, and when it arrives, she meets Theo. Everything seems good,...but something is off. As Edie tries to grapple with what this means, she has to decide if she wants to put fate in what was predestined for her or to decide her own path.

Love love LOVED this story so much. I can't wait to see what else Orenstein comes out with.

I really enjoyed Meant to Be Mine and found myself unable to put it down until I found out the ending (which was perfect!). It was a sweet and unique romcom, which I would recommend if you like a New York setting, a close grandma relationship, and family dynamics. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Loved this book - thought it was a really great perspective on modern dating and the pressures we put on ourselves, especially familial expectations. Loved this one by Hannah - favorite yet!