Member Reviews
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley for an honest review.
This was an incredible read! The author’s writing style was super easy to follow, Britt’s voice was distinct and relatable, and I felt like I was right beside the characters exploring the UK.
I loved the premise. The scavenger hunt based on classic British literature that helped Britt undergo a personal journey was a brilliant idea. It seems like the kind of thing that would come off as very academic, but I liked how the author handled it. It was really fun to read, and Britt got into some interesting situations while participating.
Britt was a really great character. She wasn’t afraid to laugh at herself and she was able to recognize her flaws and tried to learn and grow. Her fears about her future were realistic and I was able to empathize with her. Her relationship with Luke was really cute, and I love how they hit it off right away. They had a clear connection, and the author took the time to develop their connection as friends and people before really introducing the romance. I also liked Britt’s relationships with Al and Amberlyn. They were interesting side characters who contributed to Britt’s journey.
I thought the pacing was excellent and the story flowed really well. I was able to see the settings in my head while reading, and I really did feel as if I was right beside Britt. I think this YA contemporary will be devoured by readers looking for a story of self discovery, romance, and some excellent mishaps while touring the UK.
Huge thanks to PRH International and Becky Dean for my E-ARC in exchange for the honest review.
Love & Other Great Expectations was a delightfully sweet, amusing, and exciting read. It tells the story of Britt, a brilliant soccer player who was hindered by an injury during her final year. She possessed the skills until a knee injury resulted in her discovering a disease that hindered her from reaching that dream. But when her English professor offers her the option to compete in a scavenger hunt throughout England for the opportunity to win $100,000, she realizes she has the potential to pursue new dreams. Along the way, she meets Luke, an English boy who helps her answer the mysteries and discover herself but may cause the journey to take some unforeseen turns.
It was a charming and enjoyable YA read. It's a fantastic adventure for everyone who loves England or is on a path of self-discovery. The author did a great job of combining traditional British literature with an almost Amazing Race-style adventure. I also enjoyed how vintage British was used playfully. It inspired me to plan a tour around the United Kingdom. I was also captivated by Britt's life and enjoyed learning about Great Britain and its literary culture. Love & Other Great Expectations performs an excellent job of depicting friendship, self-discovery, and growth and development. Overall, a great book!
I definitely picked this book because of the cover but I wasn't disappointed! The humor and wit was very entertaining. I loved the characters. Overall great read!
This was such a cute YA romance. I love the instalove from the start. I also enjoyed all of the literary references throughout. This was sweet and funny. The book is set in a UK setting and the scavenger hunt. I was hooked from the beginning! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good YA book.
(thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.)
I absolutely adored this book! It was the perfect beach read! Within pages I was drawn into the life of Britt and loved exploring Great Britain and its literary history! It was a bit predictable but the fun in predictability is never knowing how it’s going to actually play out!
Love & Other Great Expectations by Becky Dean was an adorable read! This book was so sweet! I'm not usually a big YA fan but this was such a good story! The author had an amazing way of making you feel like you were really in the UK. Overall a great read and highly recommended.
This YA features a senior that has spent her whole life dreaming of soccer. An injury rocks her world and suddenly she is lost with no direction for the future and no scholarship for college.
Her English teacher proposes a quest/scavenger hunt in England with a writing competition intertwined. There’s a huge cash reward if she wins. She takes on the challenge against 3 other classmates.
It’s an adventure as she travels abroad and sees many literary tourist spots. She has obstacles along the way and discovers herself more and more.
It’s a YA…so of course she meets a cute boy and he goes on the adventure with her. It’s kinda a slow burn and insta love at the same time. I would have liked a little more maturity and depth in the story. Throughout the book I just wanted to yell “kiss already!” Three stars for me.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley. It’s a cute summer read.
This book was so sweet. Im not usually a big YA Fan but this was such a good story! you felt like you were really in the UK.
Thank you to Penguin teen Canada for a gifted eARC in exchange for a honest review. This book was so adorable!! Traveling to England and a scavenger hunt that is literary themed! So much fun!! Britt is such a unique character and I found her so hilarious and quirky. This book does a great job of showing friendship, learning about yourself, and growth and growing up.
A huge thank you to Delacorte Press, Random House Childrens, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!
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I love scavenger hunts, and the idea of doing one across the UK based on literature seems like a dream. I will freely admit that I have never been a large reader of classic British literature, so I likely would have failed Britt’s tasks without access to the internet. I actually found it interesting how quickly Britt was able to solve clues (even while using Google) when she claims to have not read any of the books for class. She claims to “not be like other girls,” but also comes across as very much like your classic teenager. She is trying to find her way, figure what to do in college, discovering young love with all of the awkwardness that comes with that. Britt built her identity around playing soccer, and now that it’s not an option she needs to get her feet back under her to move forward.
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Dean created a fun world, perhaps a bit implausible but what else is fiction for if not imagining what it would be like to go on an adventure, seeing the UK with a cute boy, and potentially winning $100,000 at the end of it. Al and Luke are good foils to Britt, and her other classmates kept you guessing how they are connected to her outside of the classroom. The nods to classic literature are well-built and made me want to go back and read some of them again without the pressure of high school. This is a great book to check out if you are looking for a quick Summer read.
When you think you lost everything, A scavenger hunt with a game of tales in the same vein as Canterbury tales. The winner receives $100K for telling the tale of all tales. As a former ELA teacher, I loved the nod to Canterbury Tales. And Britt’s end tale was an interesting take on the C Tales.
Britt was full of snark, keeping herself distanced from everyone due to her father abandoning her family and her. Luke was a nice love interest, not sappy or boring. He brought the best out in Britt. I would like to see what happens with Britt and Luke after the scavenger hunt.
A cute story following Brit and Luke. They were both going through their own obstacles when they met. They understood each other really well and helped one another grow and accept the changes happening in their lives and what effect it had on their future. Their romance grew with the story and was a cute story to see flourish even though sometimes it was a bit frustrating to see Brit’s thought process when it came to Luke.
The title of Love & Other Great Expectations piqued my interest, and I’m glad it did. I recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, quick YA read with classic literature references and European travel.
Note: Thank you to Netgalley & publishers for allowing me access to this arc in exchange for an honest review! Please note that all opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I honestly haven’t read too many young adult books this year but there was something about this book that drew me in. The idea of a literary-based scavenger hunt competition throughout the UK is a book lovers dream. I’ve always loved wanderlust in books and this one just made me want to explore all of the places Britt got to visit. There was something so fun and whimsical about her adventure but also something extremely meaningful in this story of Britt finding herself.
If you’re someone who loves classic literature, you will have a blast with all of the references in this book. Even though I’m someone who hasn’t read too many of the classics, the way scavenger hunt clues and tasks are connected to various authors and stories is so creative and a lot of fun. This book honestly made me want to travel and go on a scavenger hunt of my own.
We also get to focus on the dynamic of friendships, family dynamics, and most importantly (at least to me) romance. I really loved the touch of romance because they were friends above all else and didn’t take away from the story but I also couldn’t help but root for them to kiss. I really enjoyed the way this book ended and would definitely recommend it to someone looking for a young adult book about fun, adventure, and a touch of romance.
This book was loads of fun (in a YA feeling way)! I feel like the connection between the main characters was developed nicely. The cute cultural/travel elements really tied everything together.
I found this literary scavenger hunt to be an enjoyable treck through English literature (memories of high school senior English!). The competitors are required to solve clues and it was rewarding to think through the solution with them.
Britt immediately begins a journey of self discovery, learning how to make peace with her past and approach her future after a serious accident and diagnosis. Weaving the scavenger hunt and her personal journey together was done effectively. I found myself wondering “how will this end,” which is a compliment to the author.
The secondary characters stood out, which is what makes the story richer and more humorous. The end of story reveal about her teacher was a fun surprise!
I would have liked a bit more backstory about Britt’s family (her father) before the scavenger hunt began.
Thank you to NetGalley, Becky Dean and Delacorte Press for the opportunity to review.
3.5 stars rounded to 4
I throughly enjoyed this book. England, classic literature, what’s not to love. The premise is different and pretty amazing. A i totally recommend this book to anyone.
I absolutely adored this book!
I had so many high hopes or expectations one could say, going into this novel. I'm happy to report back that this book was everything that I wanted it to be and more! This book contains so many amazing themes which include; cross county travel, cute British boys, British literature research, and a cutesy YA love story. This book just warmed my heart and I would highly recommend if you enjoy YA contemporary and coming of age stories!
With summer officially here, I've definitely been craving some travel themed books. That element was one of the things I enjoyed the most about Love & Other Great Expectations. I loved learning about all the interesting places Brit and Luke visited and how they were connected to classic literature. The descriptions were well done and the atmosphere of the writing made it easy to picture each historic site. The characters all had their own backstories but I wish that we could have delved more into them. Especially when it came to Luke and Brit. I think I would have been able to connect with them a bit more if I had more time to get to know their personalities better. That said we did see some development from Brit. I enjoyed the aspect of her trying to refigure out her life after her injury. It shed light on the idea that sometimes losing a dream can be devastating, which I haven't read about much in YA.
Overall a cute read with fun bookish references but I would have enjoyed getting to know the characters more.
Love & Other Great Expectations by Becky Dean is an entertaining journey through England in a scavenger hunt that is based on British Literature. I loved the idea of classics guiding the characters’ travels, and the main character’s unique problem-solving skills are entertaining to read about. As each challenge in the scavenger hunt makes classic literature more enjoyable and encouragers the characters to think about the stories as more than words on a page, this is a great read for both book lovers and more reluctant readers.
For Britt, reading has always taken a backseat to playing soccer. However, when she injures her knee and loses the opportunity to play soccer in college, she jumps at the chance to travel to England with her English teacher and a few of her classmates. When the group arrives in England, they learn that they must complete a scavenger hunt inspired by classic British literature for the chance at a cash prize–a cash prize that could help Britt pay for college. As she works to outsmart each of her competitors (and meets a bookish boy along the way), Britt’s knowledge of British literature as well as her knowledge of herself are put to the ultimate test.
❀ ENJOYABLE MAIN CHARACTER
Britt is an enjoyable main character, and her journey is satisfying to read about. I really felt for her, as she has built her identity around soccer, and without it, she has lost her sense of self and a clear path for her future. What I especially enjoyed about Britt is her ability to problem solve in ways that are unexpected. While Britt isn’t the strongest student in English and isn’t a big reader, she is smart and finds unique ways to document her experiences. On the trip she learns more about herself, and I enjoyed reading as she slowly finds a new purpose and direction for her future.
❀ A LITERARY ADVENTURE WITH A PURPOSE
One of my favourite parts about this book is the way the author integrates classic literature and makes it entertaining. As the scavenger hunt is inspired by British literature, the characters must use their knowledge of the texts to solve the clues. However, Becky Dean takes it a step farther and presents clues and challenges that are designed to make the characters understand themselves in different ways. I loved the way Britt’s teacher encourages the group to really think about the texts’ relevance to their own lives, and I enjoyed the way these challenges bring the stories off of the pages. Making the classics entertaining and approachable is always interesting to me, so I was impressed to see this literary adventure with a greater purpose.
❀ AN ENTERTAINING JOURNEY THROUGH ENGLAND
Love & Other Great Expectations by Becky Dean is an entertaining journey through England, guided by classic works of British literature. I loved the idea of a literary scavenger hunt, and the main character has excellent problem-solving skills. As the challenges within the story are designed to get the characters to apply each text to their own lives, this one is a great reflection on the power of literature for self-discovery.