Meant To Be

Meant To Be and I were not meant to be. Prepare for an unpopular opinion.

I was in the mood for a light romance audiobook, so I grabbed Emily Giffin's Meant To Be audiobook from the library. I enjoyed some her early books (Something Borrowed & Something Blue) years ago, but I haven't read Giffin recently. 

Side Note: Admittedly, Giffin fell off my radar but then she made some snide comments about Meghan Markle and while I'm not a big royal fan by any means, as a woman I didn't like her demeaning and hateful comments against another woman. She apologized but it left a bad and lasting impression, so I wasn't eager to pick up her books.

Unfortunately, this story fell flat in its romance, writing and substance. The story was heavily based on the lives of JFK Jr and Caroline Bessette-Kennedy. It was boring fan fiction and for a seasoned author of many books, the writing was surprisingly immature, the storytelling unoriginal and tedious with repetition (we go over the same events from the POVs of both main characters) and the chemistry between them is all 'tell, not show'. 

Rambling, dull and not nearly the quality of story I had expected, I can't see me picking up another Giffin novel any time soon.

My Rating: 2 stars

Author: Emily Giffin

Genre: Romance

Type and Source: eAudio from public library

Narrator: Caroline Hewitt, Robert Petkoff

Run Time: 11.5 hours

Publisher: Random House Audio

First Published: May 31, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: A restless golden boy and a girl with a troubled past navigate a love story that may be doomed before it even begins in this irresistible new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something Borrowed and The Lies That Bind.

The Kingsley family is practically American royalty, beloved for their military heroics, political service, and unmatched elegance. When Joseph S. Kingsley III is born in 1960, he inherits the weight of that legacy. Growing up with all the Kingsley looks and charisma, Joe should have no problem taking up the mantle after his father’s untimely death. But he is also a little bit reckless, and can’t seem to figure out how to channel the expectations of an entire country.

No one ever expected anything of Cate, on the other hand. She, too, grew up in a single-parent household—just her and her mom scraping by in their small apartment. As a teenager, though, Cate is discovered for her looks. Modeling may be her only ticket out of the cycle of disappointment that her mother has always inhabited. Before too long, her face is everywhere, though she is always aware that she’d be a pariah in her social circles if anyone knew her true story.

When Joe and Cate’s paths cross, their connection is instant. What remains to be seen is whether their relationship will survive the glare of the spotlight that follows Joe everywhere. And just as they find themselves in the make-or-break moment, the tragedy that seems to run in Joe’s family right alongside all that privilege will repeat itself.

In a beautifully written novel that recaptures a gilded moment in American history, Emily Giffin tells a story of a love that may or may not have the power to transcend circumstances that seem arrayed against it . . . and the difficulty of finding your way to the place you belong.