The concept of this book intrigued me so much! I love a book with a soulmate concept and a little magic! I also really enjoyed the details regarding the Jewish culture and learned a few things about the food and culture itself. Also the characters journey to decide if we choose love or if love chooses us was great. I also enjoyed the writing and was recently in New York City and felt like I was right back there in this story!

Sometimes you have to create your own fate. When you’ve been told your whole life that on one specific day you will find the man you will spend the rest of your life with, you alter your whole life to make that happen. For Edie it changed her whole dating dynamic. She finally meets the one who she feels she’s going to fall madly in love with just to question if this was really what was meant for her. This is cute story of finding love in the least obvious place.

Let me just start off by saying, this book was EVERYTHING I hoped it would be 👏🏻🥰

There was so much to love! Family, friendships, love, fashion, great representation! You name it, & it was there! This book was so much more than a romance✨and the journey the characters take you on was constantly changing!

Edie was realistic & relatable is every way 👏🏻 I’m sure everyone who reads this will find a little something that stays with them. Gloria reminded me so much of my Gramma 💖 growing up, & even now, she always has her lipstick, she’s one of my biggest supporters, & like Edie & Rae, my sisters & I grew up playing Mah-jongg 🥰

If you’re looking for a story that’ll stick with you, & have you thinking about free will & fate, this is for you!

Thank you @hannahorens for writing something I’ll always connect with my grandparents 💖 that relationship is priceless ❤️

And thank you @atriabooks & @netgalley for the early copy ✨MTBM is on shelves now!!

Meant to be Mine was a sweet romance about fate, family, and falling in love. It was also a beautiful love letter to Brooklyn and all the things that make it so unique!

Edie’s grandmother, Gloria, has predicted the day each of her loved ones would meet their soulmate. Edie’s day happens to be June 24, 2022 when she meets Theo, an up and coming musician, at the airport. Edie thinks she’s falling for him when she discovers that Theo doesn’t want the same things in life as her. As a personal tragedy upends Edie’s entire world, she begins to wonder if love really chooses us or if we are the ones who choose it ourselves.

I really loved the relationship Edie has with her grandmother, and it made me miss my own grandparents very, very much. The bond she has with her twin sister as well was also very special to see. The trendy places that Orenstein alludes to in Brooklyn make me so excited for my trip to NYC next month, and I already have plans to visit some of the places she and Theo went to in the book!

My only complaints? I wanted more of Bennett! He was shaping up to be such a sweet book boyfriend and I wanted to know him better.
The ending was a bit abrupt, and I would have liked an epilogue that tells us more of what happens next for Edie and Bennett.

This was Orenstein’s best book yet in my opinion, and it was filled with so much heart and style. It was a quick read that I’d recommend to any romance lover!

This book was so cute. I really enjoyed it!
I loved the dynamic between Edie and Rae. And the friendships in the book.
A different kind of love story but so good!

Perfect light hearted read

Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein was an eccentric story with many elements. My favorite aspect of this story was the grandmother's ability to predict the date for which her loved ones with meet the love of their life. It is a thought provoking idea which forces one to ponder the idea of fate. I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to fans of Rebecca Serle. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel.

I was so lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I absolutely loved this book! It was such a fun, light, easy read that took my mind off my son's recent broken leg. It was absolutely what the Doctor ordered. This is a perfect sit outside and enjoy the sunshine type of read. Do yourself a favor and get your hands on it as soon as you can - you won't regret it!

Read if you like:
☕︎ Friends to Lovers
☕︎ Superstitions
☕︎ Jewish rep
☕︎ Closed door romance

Summary: Edie’s grandmother Gloria has successfully predicted the exact date each of her family members would meet the person they would spend their life with. Edie’s date is June 24, 2022. But when her “meant to be” doesn’t seem as meant to be as she had imagined, she starts to question whether her destiny is better chosen for her or by her.

Thoughts: I was not quite sure what to expect going in to this one. Was this a romance, a rom-com, women’s fiction? What I found is that it is a really nice mix of all three.

A romance to it’s core, this book is very much about building the life and relationships you want regardless of the idea of soulmates and destiny. It is also about the importance of family and cultural traditions and how they help to keep us rooted.

Right off the bat, Edie irked me quite a bit and I could not understand why she would uproot her life for a date on the calendar. Her indecisiveness throughout the book, and then sudden clarity at it’s conclusion, is what kept this from being a five star read. Ultimately though, the author did an excellent job developing her character in such a way that disagreements and all, I felt a very strong connection to her and an emotional investment in whether or not she was able to find her HEA.

I also loved Orenstein’s development of all the supporting characters, none of which felt surface or one dimensional. Often times while reading, I felt as though I was in the book interacting with each of them. I could easily read a book focusing on any of the friends or family members who made an appearance in “Meant to Be Mine.”

I would definitely recommend this one to any romance lover, especially those who want something a little more substantial than your classic rom-com. I am looking forward to checking out the author’s previous work in the coming months.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. “Meant to Be Mine” is available now.

Meant to Be Mine was overall a meh story. I found it to be a bit too descriptive and was just underwhelmed in general. The main character showed a good amount of growth and I loved the familial relationships portrayed. Sometimes magical realism and stories of fate work for me, but this one just didn’t quite deliver. There was a bit of a political side plot that was fine, but not overdone, so I was okay with it. This novel has great Jewish representation and had a charming ending, though I’m not sure if I agree with who our MC ended up with. I liked the author’s prior book (Head Over Heels) a lot more and would recommend it over this one.

It feels very easy to slip into this likable heroine's world, and the themes of fate and destiny are really interesting. However, the ending felt a little anticlimactic.

Knowing when you will find your soul mate could be a gift and the entire family has been predicted by her grandmother. On the way to her sisters engagement she meets her man on a plane and she knows he is meant for her, but there is so much tragedy going on that she thinks it may not be the right time.

I adored this book. It was a story about Edie, meeting the love of her life after her grandmother predicted the day it would happen. It was so fun traveling through Edie's adventures and I loved every part of it.

4 stars...

A light, airy, contemporary romance read. This is the perfect summer book - pack in your bag to the beach, on a trip, or while lounging. Short, sweet, & cute!

PS - really enjoyed reading about the Jewish heritage (as I am unfamiliar)

Thank you @atria & @netgalley - out now!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pretty good book, although I did see some of the "twists" coming. Still, I enjoyed it.

3 stars may be a bit generous.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my advanced copy of Meant to Be Mine.

What I Enjoyed-

✨The Audio- Meant to Be Mine is narrated by Erin Ruth Walker. She did an OK job. It's not that I didn't enjoy her voice. Her inflection stayed the same for all the characters.

✨The Premise- I absolutely loved the idea of this book. I love the idea of true love and destiny and fate. It adds a little magic.

✨ The Family- I loved how close the women were in Edie's family.

Why This Book Lost Stars-

I was bored. As I got further and further into this book it just got stale. I finished it and I appreciate what the author was trying to do. I just wasn't invested.

Overall- I don't really recommend. I DNF'd Hannah Orenstein's previous book and I don't think I'll be reading her future releases.

I read this book on vacation and it was the perfect beach read! Cute, thoughtful and heartwarming. It was my first by Orenstein but it definitely won't be my last!

If you could know the exact date that you would meet your significant other … would you want to know?

In Meant to Be Mine, Edie Myers was blessed to know that date. Told to her by her beloved grandmother, she has been counting down. Once the day arrives, she starts to wonder if she put off other good people hoping for someone better on that one day.

Throughout the whole book, I wavered in my decision on if I would want to know or leave it to chance. I feel like either way there was pressure.

I always love the extra layer Hannah Oristein adds to her novels. I loved the nod to her grandparents and special dates within her family that were referenced throughout the novel. The authors note brought it all together and it really felt full circle. I have read Hannah’s other novels, I think she will always be an auto read for me! I cannot wait to see what she writes next.

My favorite by Orenstein so far. I was so invested in the story and just love her fast paced writing.

Is fated romance a trope? I'm not sure, but that's what I'm calling this one.

Edie Meyer's fun-loving Grandma Gloria has a 'gift' of prophesying the exact date that her family members will meet their one true love. Edie has known her date since she was sixteen. So when "the day" arrives, Edie is on a flight to her sisters. She's pretty excited when a handsome man sits in the seat next to her.

It all seems too perfect, right? Well, not so fast. Although Edie and Theo, the guy on the plane, start dating, it appears that this fated love is not without turbulence. (Sorry, I had to). Or could Grandma Gloria have gotten this one wrong?

I thought this was a sweet read, but it has some serious surprises. And given the recent events, I feel it fair to warn you that it mentions the loss of a sibling in a school shooting. But I loved the stylish New York setting, the cast of great characters with Jewish representation, and the little touch of magic, so add this to your summer reading list.

Thank you @Atriabooks and @netgalley for this gifted ebook.

We wasted way too much time with this mediocre rockstar and did not see enough Bennett. personally, I was in love the Bennett the moment he sat down in the restaurant. I finally got excited and then the book ended. The pacing didn’t do it for me. Meh