Meant to be Mine

Imagine you knew the exact day that you'd meet the love of your life.

For some people, it would be great to know when they'd meet their forever love. It requires a strong belief in fate and that is the basis of this contemporary fiction read. This is a story about romantic destiny that centres on Edie, a fashion stylist who ardently relies on her grandmother's prediction of the day that she will meet her true love.

My favourite part of this book were the relationships. I loved Edie's bond with her twin sister Rae and her grandmother, Gloria who was a sassy old broad with a unique talent for predicting when family and friends will find their life partners. I also enjoyed the inclusion of Jewish culture and the vivid descriptions of its NYC setting.

But I didn't love Edie's immaturity. It was a bit frustrating to watch Edie's unwavering belief in Gloria's prediction instead of stopping to think for herself and how the man in front of her could be a better fit. I also thought the author was too heavy-handed with her red herring, trying to lead readers to believe who would be Edie's true love. The ending was satisfying but felt rushed and not enough time was devoted to seeing Edie with the person she ends up with.

Less Romance/RomCom and more of a Contemporary Fiction story with a cool love destiny premise, this was a good read but different than what I was expecting. I think it will provide lots of fodder for book discussions, but it didn't quite tick all the boxes for me.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Atria Books for my advanced copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Hannah Orenstein

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Jewish

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Atria Books

First Published: June 7, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: From the author of the “funny, sexy, and absurdly entertaining” (Marie Claire) Playing with Matches, a sweeping love story in the vein of Rebecca Serle and Chloe Benjamin about a woman who knows the date she’ll meet her true love—only he isn’t quite as perfect as she always imagined.

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.