Meant for Me by Tay Marley is an emotionally charged novel that explores the complexities of grief, healing, and second chances. After the sudden death of her older sister, Addie May flees Los Angeles, looking for escape and a fresh start in Georgetown, Texas. There, she finds solace in the kindness of a local ranching family and an unexpected connection with Zac Ryan, a farm hand who helps her navigate her pain and discover a new sense of purpose.

The story beautifully weaves themes of loss and recovery, while the blossoming romance between Addie and Zac adds an uplifting layer of hope. Addie’s journey is one of self-discovery as she is forced to confront her past and reclaim the parts of herself she thought were lost. Marley’s writing is heartfelt and poignant, drawing readers into Addie’s emotional world with raw sincerity. Fans of Colleen Hoover and Anna Todd will appreciate the powerful mix of romance, personal growth, and small-town charm. Meant for Me is a touching reminder that healing happens when we allow love and new beginnings into our lives.

This was my first experience reading something by this author and I really enjoyed it. This book is not just a romance, but so much more. The story was raw and emotional and definitely pulled on more than one heartstring! I became invested in Addie's story from the very start right up until the end. The author did a great job of bringing the scenes and the emotions to life. Addie is grieving the loss of her sister and desperately needs to leave her home in California. She ends up in Texas and is taken in by some very kind ranchers, where she meets Zac. No doubt there is an attraction between them, but it's the friendship that first blossoms and grows that is beautiful to see. There are some twists and turns that kept me guessing as to how things would turn out, which made things a bit exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat. But ultimately, this is a story of resilience and allowing yourself to heal and learning to move on even after trauma and tragedy. An emotional and heartwarming journey of self-discovery.
The characters were well-crafted and relatable with realistic qualities and I was immediately endeared to them. An absolutely beautiful story!
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

This book was very well written. I loved the character dynamics and how they grew throughout the course of this book. Definitely more serious vibes but absolutely worth the read.

Unfortunately i made the decision to DNF this book after multiple failed attempts to consume. I hope to pick it up again at a later time.

Book: Meant For Me
Author: Tay Marley
Publisher: Wattpad Books
Publication Date: February 13, 2024

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Thoughts:
Meant For Me was such a cozy feel-good small-town romance. Addie and Zac were so perfect for each other. I loved their exchanges of swoony banter and heartfelt words.

The majority of this story focuses on Addie's healing journey. I love that Zac became her safe place to process her grief and heal.

I also really enjoyed all the plot twists and turns I wasn't expecting, as the story filled between the past and present. I was always wondering what was going to happen next.

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Favourite Quote:

"My heart won, because sometimes hurt was inevitable, and it wasn’t worth missing out on the sunshine because I’d held off on making plans just in case the rain fell. Rain would fall sometimes. Hell, storms would rage. But that didn’t mean we’d drown. And the beautiful days in between were worth heading indoors once in a while."

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Read If You Enjoy:
Small Town Romance
Healing Journey
Slow Burn Romance

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Thank you so much to Tay, NetGalley, and Wattpad for the ARC copy of Meant For Me. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Meant for Me by Tay Marley had well-developed characters and a plot that was engaging. This book was a delight to read. Highly recommend!

**Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the e-ARC. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own.**

I love this author's writing style. Enjoyed every book of hers so far and cannot wait to get my hands on whatever she publishes next.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This book was really good. It follows Addie and her sister who work together as event planners. One day Addies sister passes away and Addie wants out of LA, so she moved to a small town in Texas to get away and sort of start over. There she meets a cop named Rain and his brother Zack immediately takes a liking to Addie and the two get close and form a bond. This story is about loss and grief and finding love after all of it. It was beautifully written and I really enjoyed the story and its characters. It was heart felt and very down to earth and relatable.

I am a brand new reader to Tay Marley. I love finding new authors I haven’t heard of!

This is a story of a woman, with the help of fate, finds herself on a journey of self healing from trauma as well as grieving the loss of her sister. The story is full of wonderful portions of live, Grace, learning to live for today & not tomorrow while also battling some of the ugly, some of the loss off a loved one & finding yourself when you feel the most alone in the world.

There is also the story of strength! Through Addie’s journey she really proves to be incredibly strong. While struggling emotionally, she finds ways to find the good in it all, while truly finding her way through life. From accepting help from strangers to friends she realizes some things can’t be done alone.

There were portions of the storytelling that I didn’t love. The “fate” of Allie meeting her daughter, felt wonky. Like a layer that should have been shared earlier in the character development. I honestly wish more development was done in earlier pages because the “fate” part of all of it seemed almost too unbelievable. Again this is just personal choice of story telling.

My hope is the author placed a trigger warning in the first pages as there are discussions of assault, adoption, fertility issues & grief.

All in all I give this a 3.75. The characters are well developed, story overall theme doesn’t get lost in the mix & the general premise was delightful.

Huge thank you to Frayed Pages & NetGalley for this copy in return for my honest review!

Meant for Me takes you on an emotional roller coaster. This book certainly explores some heavy topics, so please research trigger warnings beforehand. Despite the trigger warning this is a beautiful story. Tay's writing was so captivating, it kept me hooked, kept me wanting more and kept me flipping those pages. The characters were well written and I adored them! This story will take you on an incredible journey. I would definitely recommend this book. I can't wait to see what Tay Marley writes next.

Thank you NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group | Frayed Pages x Wattpad Books fro letting me read this ARC for my honest opinion.

***ARC Review***

"Meant for Me" by Tay is a captivating journey through the complexities of grief, love, and self-discovery. Transitioning from YA to adult fiction, Tay delivers a raw and heart-wrenching narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

The story follows Addie, who is grappling with the devastating loss of her sister. As she embarks on a journey from California to Texas, the author skillfully unfolds the layers of Addie's grief, gradually revealing the circumstances surrounding her sister's death. Addie's attempt to escape her pain leads her to Georgetown, Texas, where she finds unexpected connections and confronts the ghosts of her past.

Tay expertly crafts the dynamics of friendship and romance in the novel, allowing the relationship between Addie and Zac to evolve naturally over time. Their connection is portrayed with authenticity, as they navigate the complexities of grief and healing together. The slow-burning romance adds depth to the narrative, capturing the essence of love's transformative power.

The author's portrayal of small-town Texas adds a rich backdrop to the story, although some details may deviate from reality. However, this does not detract from the overall immersion in the setting. Overall, "Meant for Me" is a poignant and unforgettable read that resonates long after the final page. Tay's debut adult book is a triumph, blending raw emotion with bittersweet moments of beauty

This book was so beautifully written, filled with tragedy, love, laughter and found family.

I loved how the story starts with Addie running from the tragedy in life, only to discover a connection to her past that she tried to move past, but couldn’t. And the connection she has with Zac is beautiful and real.

I just really enjoyed this book and the realness it brought. Suggest this if you’re looking for a tearjerker with a HEA!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

I have LOVED every single thing that Tay Marley writes! I first got introduced to her on Wattpad and have since been a longtime follower and supporter of her work. I loved how in Meant For Me she can bring the adult themes to life while also helping build the relationship between the main characters. She always knows how to make readers understand the characters and their backstories and cheering for them! She takes us through the journey as a whole.

Adi May is walking the streets of Georgetown, Tx like a homeless person. In a sense she is homeless because her whole life was taken away. She is bereft and devastated at the loss of her sister. As Addie is grieving, she is taken in by the local policewoman who found her and took her to the hospital when she passed out from dehydration, the Ryan family take her in and feed her and find a place for her to stay. Zac is not too sure of Addie. She wears fancy clothes and is one of this California types. He doesn’t approve when his sister brings her around. That is until he realizes that there is more to this girl than meets the eye. As they all get to know Addie, secrets are revealed and Addie must come to terms with decisions made, the overwhelming grief that consumes her, selling her business, and realizing what her future holds including love and support from the family in Texas.

“With well-crafted emotions, a captivating small-town setting, and a satisfying happily ever after, this book is a must-read that beautifully captures the complexities of rebuilding one’s life after profound loss.” - thindbooks

This is a story about a woman whose sister passed away and she escapes to a small town in Texas where she hopes to find herself again. I really enjoyed this book. I have to say that at first I was about to DNF it because I wasn’t getting into the story but once we meet Raine, the story becomes so much better. This book mainly deals with grief and finding themselves again after the MC goes through so much loss. I loved the storyline which was so well-written and emotional. The author did a great job bringing different emotions to the story and capturing the perfect moments in the book. I loved the small-town setting and briefly going to Cali. This book is told from Addie’s pov and there are flashbacks of a couple of years throughout the book.

Addie is the MC of this book who deals with a lot of grief and doesn’t know how to begin with her life again. I enjoyed her character and the way she was written. She developed so much throughout this book and I loved seeing her grow. There are many side characters in this book. Raine is such a sweetheart and Willa is the cutest, kind little human. Then there is Zac who is the main love interest and let me say that I loved his character. He was caring and protective of Addie but there were moments he made mistakes. There is slow burn romance with enemies to friends to lovers romance that has 1-2 steamy scenes but other than that its closed door.

The ending was well done with a cute HEA of the characters. I loved how the story ended and I have to say that I was a bit worried about how it was going to be finished. This book was first published on Wattpad which I heard is different compared to this one with more content and povs. I really enjoyed this story and wouldn’t change a single thing about it. I recommend checking because it’s a fantastic book you don’t want to miss out.

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

this book broke my heart at least 2 times while reading. Addie had gone through so much at such a young age and was still trying to recover from it years later. More than once something happened that I didn’t see coming! There were several heartwarming scenes with Willa, the step daughter of Zac’s sister. Willa was probably the best character in the whole book! Protect Willa at all costs!
I loved how this book talked about life after loss, the benefits of therapy, and healing yourself without expecting another person to heal you.

This book was so beautifully written, filled with tragedy, love, laughter and found family. It reminded me of Hannah Bird’s writing.

I loved how the story starts with Addie running from the tragedy in life, only to discover a connection to her past that she tried to move past, but couldn’t. And the connection she has with Zac is beautiful and real.

I just really enjoyed this book and the realness it brought. Suggest this if you’re looking for a tearjerker with a HEA!

Thank you NetGalley, Wattpad and author Tay Marley for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 23%

I’m sorry, but I couldn’t continue this. I really tried. The writing style isn’t it for me. I’m sorry. The cover is so beautiful tho🥹

This was such a sweet book! I loved the characters, and their love story. The dialogue was realistic and enjoyable.