Cover Image: Meet Me in St. Louis

Meet Me in St. Louis

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Member Reviews

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

This book was adorable! I was a little skeptical of Cam for most of the book but I’m glad he was genuine. I love the scavenger hunt premise and it made me want to visit St. Louis!

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I really enjoyed this book. I read it in one sitting! I would definitely recommend this book. The characters were great and the writing was on point!

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I appreciate the ARC. It was one of the first ones I received and I am late in writing this and I am sorry. This book had a hard time capturing me as an audience because it was too "Young Adult" for me. I suppose that is a personal preference though and many younger women would love this story I'm sure. It's just not my cup of tea.

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Meet Me in St. Louis, I’ll be right there. This was an adorably quick read that had me waiting for the next clue. We meet Stephanie as she is embarking on a scavenger hunt throughout the city in hopes of winning the money so that she can go off to the college of her choice. She has very high hopes and doesn’t tell anyone what she’s about to do. It was a fun adventure to watch her go through this scavenger hunt throughout the city. During her first clue she runs into someone she’s not expecting, Camden, the cutest guy from her high school. Their chance encounter was a very sweet meet cute for sure. I enjoyed their interactions at the beginning. Somehow, they continued their growing friendship and Cam helped her out throughout the scavenger hunt. You could tell their relationship was blossoming, but I feel like everything happened very quickly. I couldn’t really tell if they had the utmost chemistry, but I wanted them to. Things like this can keep a girl dreaming and hoping that it will happen to them one day as well. You just never know who’s out there, noticing you (in a non-creepy way of course). Throughout the book and throughout all the clues they help one another out and it’s fun to watch them and it’s great seeing Stephanie take the reins and start this journey to begin with. You go girl! But there is always a little competition out there so watch your back. I can’t really say much more without giving too much away but I really enjoyed this book. I wish it didn’t happen so quickly, but I guess in the time of a scavenger hunt and the desire to win things must go quickly. Overall great quick and entertaining young adult read. Makes me want to appreciate more about St. Louis, not to mention some of the attractions I knew nothing about. Go read this, it’s worth the read to lose your self just for a bit.

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Ugh I had such high hopes for this book.

This is a very quick read, like maybe an hour tops. The plot moves quickly, maybe too quickly, and you don't get to spend as much time on the St Louis landmarks as I would have hoped.

There's no conflict in the book. The MC and her crush get together and stay together. After spending a few days together he decides to move to Florida with her for college. In what world is that realistic???

I just think this book is a glorified short story that could have been fleshed out more.

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this was such a fun and romantic book! i really enjoyed getting to read about these characters and their witty banter together. thanks so much netgalley!!!!

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As Nelly says, “I’m from the Lou and I’m proud,” so I was pumped when I saw a book called Meet Me in St. Louis by Heather Schneider on NetGalley. Unfortunately, I did not like the book as much as I wanted to.

Basically, the book is about Stephanie who wants to go to college in Florida, but can’t afford it. She decides to participate in a city-wide scavenger hunt because the $100,000 grand prize could pay for her tuition. While trying to solve the clues in the scavenger hunt, she runs into Cam, the cute guy from school that she assumed was out of her league. The two of the instantly connect, and Stephanie has to juggle a new relationship while also trying to win the scavenger hunt.

Parts of this book were really cute. The scavenger hunt mostly kept my attention, and the characters were likeable, granted not necessarily unique. I absolutely adored all the aspects of St. Louis that the author included!

Sadly, there were many aspects of the novel that I didn’t enjoy. First off, one of the clues and its solution makes absolutely no sense. I don’t want to spoil the answer, but I will just say, simply because something has an equal width and height, it does not make that object a square in any way, shape, or form. A circle has the same width and height, along with many other shapes.

Additionally, the author made a comment along the lines of saying the arch casts different shaped shadows at different times of the day… All stationary objects do this. I don’t mean to sound rude, and maybe the author didn’t think this sentence all the way through, but it again makes no sense. The arch casting a shadow that moves throughout the day is not a unique feature of the arch.

Furthermore, I was elated when the protagonist mentioned the Disney Pixar movie, Ratatouille, because it is quite possibly my all-time favorite movie. However, the author interchangeably refers to Remy as a rat and a mouse. Remy is a rat. A mouse is an entirely different species.

Similarly, another aspect I didn’t like, which was wholly a matter of opinion, is that the protagonist claims that Finding Nemo (the movie that traumatized me as a child) “rivals” the cinematic genius that is Ratatouille. I know this is an opinion, but I never claimed to be objective. I’m biased… literally I write under the name “The Biased Bibliophile.” Defending Ratatouille is a hill I’m willing to die on.

Finally, I found that parts of the novel dragged on. Especially after the scavenger hunt was over, it felt like the story should have wrapped up quickly. Again, this is just a matter of personal preference, but I would have liked it to feel a bit more fast paced.

Overall, I was pretty disappointed with Meet Me in St. Louis. I was truly looking forward to reading a book set in my hometown, but it simply did not live up to my expectations and had some factual errors that snagged my attention too much. That being said, the overall writing was pretty good, so I would certainly be interested in reading another book by this author.

While I think it is important to be honest in my review, it is always good to keep in mind that debut novels are not always 100% polished, and that’s okay. In the grand scheme of things, this book is a good place to start a writing career, and hopefully the author will only grow from here.

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This was an ADORABLE ya romance.

First off, I was reading this as someone who knows nothing about St.Louis. I didn't even know where it was until a quick Google search to be honest. So, being able to essentially explore a new city through (reading about) a scavenger hunt was pretty awesome. It sounds like the coolest city, the museum!?!?!!

I loved the whole scavenger hunt plot, it was a nice change and felt fresh and was really interesting. The blossoming relationship between Steph and Cam was so sweet and I think it was written in really well to go along with the plot.

Looking forward for more from the author :)

🦋Thankyou netgalley for the ARC (all opinions are my own! 🦋

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Stephanie has just graduated from high school and has a lot to decide. Little do her parents know, but she has been accepted to her dream college in Florida, where she would be able to study marine biology. Due to the cost, the school seems very far out of reach until a mysterious donor announces a $100,000 prize-winning scavenger hunt. As Stephanie has a free summer wide open in front of her, she decides to take the plunge. While on her first clue hunt, she runs into newest hot guy at her high school and they begin an adventure of their own. The search takes Stephanie all over her home town of St. Louis, where she's able to make the most of her own knowledge plus everything her parents have taught her so that she can maybe, possibly win that prize and get to her school. That is if, she can bear to leave her new romance that might be more than a summer fling.

As soon as I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. I've lived in St. Louis most of my life, so the idea of a STL-based scavenger hunt was too much to pass up. This was a cute, simple YA book with almost no angst (aside from Stephanie feeling badly about keeping a few things from friends and family). It was very fun to read about the places in the book--most of which I know like the back of my hand. That said, my only concern is that it may appeal to a limited group of people--those who either live here or have visited and love it already. Otherwise it's very cute and I will be giving it to my middle schooler to read next. Thank you to @Netgalley and BookBuzz.net for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I really enjoyed this book. It was well paced and the characters were fully formed. I would enjoy reading other work by this author in the future.

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I really enjoyed this book. It was well paced and the characters were fully formed. I would enjoy reading other work by this author in the future.

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This was a really cute YA that was a quick and enjoyable read. I love that it is set after graduation and before college. It's not often that I run across a story that does that. It allowed for the drama of high school to be in the rearview while the fear and excitement of college to be coming up from the front.

I really resonated with Stephanie in the financial struggles she has. Finances can really throw a socket wrench into the gears of every plan and dream. The whole scavenger hunt to win money was a really interesting element I hadn't read about in other YA contemporary romance. I really liked it.

Stephanie running into Camden, a popular boy from high school that she knows little about was a really nice element as well. Seeing them grow closer the more the story progressed was really nice to see come to life the way it did. I loved seeing things fall into place for then as I was transported into St. Louis and nearly felt like I was there.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc.

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This one was really fun! I liked the look into St. Louis and how Stephanie learns to appreciate her city more, while traveling around it. My family is from St. Louis so it was fun to recognize places throughout the story. A fun book, but also a book with feelings and a look into a teenagers decision for college.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

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Meet Me in St. Louis, I’ll be right there. This was an adorably quick read that had me waiting for the next clue. We meet Stephanie as she is embarking on a scavenger hunt throughout the city in hopes of winning the money so that she can go off to the college of her choice. She has very high hopes and doesn’t tell anyone what she’s about to do. It was a fun adventure to watch her go through this scavenger hunt throughout the city.

During her first clue she runs into someone she’s not expecting, Camden, the cutest guy from her high school. Their chance encounter was a very sweet meet cute for sure. I enjoyed their interactions at the beginning. Somehow, they continued their growing friendship and Cam helped her out throughout the scavenger hunt. You could tell their relationship was blossoming, but I feel like everything happened very quickly. I couldn’t really tell if they had the utmost chemistry, but I wanted them to. Things like this can keep a girl dreaming and hoping that it will happen to them one day as well. You just never know who’s out there, noticing you (in a non-creepy way of course).

Throughout the book and throughout all the clues they help one another out and it’s fun to watch them and it’s great seeing Stephanie take the reins and start this journey to begin with. You go girl! But there is always a little competition out there so watch your back. I can’t really say much more without giving too much away but I really enjoyed this book. I wish it didn’t happen so quickly, but I guess in the time of a scavenger hunt and the desire to win things must go quickly.

Overall great quick and entertaining young adult read. Makes me want to appreciate more about St. Louis, not to mention some of the attractions I knew nothing about. Go read this, it’s worth the read to lose your self just for a bit.

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I don't usually read a lot of young adult books but I absolutely love Meet Me in St. Louis by Heather Schneider. First, I'm originally from St. Louis and I love how the author takes us all over the city on a scavenger hunt with the couple who is falling in love along the way. I felt like I was on this hunt with them as the landmarks as descriptions were spot on. You don't need to be familiar with the city to enjoy this book. If anything, it might make a reader want to visit!

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This was a super cute YA romance.

I read a lot of young adult even though I am quite a bit older (a lot older). This is one of those that was truly young adult. It was adorable, it was interesting, it was a clean, sweet romance. However, it was also very young - too clean and sweet.

This was a couple falling in love while doing a scavenger hunt all over St Louis. I thought learning about some of the St Louis landmarks was super interesting and made me want to visit. However, at times it felt like a travel guide with a romance written around it.

If you are looking for a young, high school romance that's really sweet and cute and fun, this is the book for you. If you want something slightly more adult you might want to give this a miss.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

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Much like Stephanie, I spent the better part of 18 years running away from St. Louis, so when I first saw this cover, I knew I had to read it.

It is very YA written: heavy descriptions, characters who make questionable decisions (gahhhh!!! a pet peeve of mine in YA!!), stream of conscious writing, and to be honest, most of it is skimmable. The characters are forgettable, the writing is overdone, but the plot is wonderful. A scavenger hunt through the city. Love it. If I hadn't been so interested in revisiting my hometown, I would have DNF'd this one. For those not familiar with the city, you get a grand tour of St. Louis's hidden and not so hidden gems. It comes across very tour guide, but as I grew up there, I can't comment on that fully. I obviously knew of all the places the book took place.

I had some minor quibbles with this story, but nothing that detracted from my enjoyment of escaping back to St. Louis for a bit.
1. I could tell the author wasn't originally from St. Louis. I don't really have an issue with that, except that I 100% believe that played into me feeling like this book was part tour guide, telling you, rather than showing you the city. Turns out the author was raised in northern CA and only came to StL for a grad program. She proabbly wasn't around long enough to know that StL does not, in fact, feel like "it's like a million degrees out here" at a graduation in May to locals. Is it hot? Yes. Is it humid? God yes. Are locals used to it? Yes. But May is not when I'm complaining about it.
2. The other reason I knew the author wasn't from StL is that Stephanie was "secretly hoping my family would buy me a lei" for her graduation. I don't understand this as a "thing" that happens at high school graduations but I know it only happens on the west coast. Not in the middle of the country.
3. Why can't we call the Metrolink the Metrolink? Why does it have to be the Muni? Especially when the Muni is actually something in StL--and it's not a subway. This reeeeeally bugged me.
4. The random lines about "swearing off all single-use plastic." Unnecessary to the story. I think it was supposed to add depth to the characters. It just made them come across as uber annoying.
5. Stephanie's relationship with her family was weird. She never told them she applied to her dream school in Miami? She never talked about it? She didn't have to ask them for the app fee? And then she graduates high school and hasn't committed to a school yet? Wut.
6. I wasn't a fan of how the romance played out. At all. There was no chemistry, but there was also not a lot of sweetness. Did it read as realistic? Yes. But that's not what I come to fiction for. I need a little more. And I don't mean some random lady saying "that boy is clearly in love with you" which actually happened. Barf. How cliched. How boring. And what bad writing. SHOW ME don't tell me. Stephanie likes Cam because he's so hot, but then there isn't a ton of substances as he then just becomes her bestie-like character. He likes her because she's hot, too, I think? They've barely spoken and he's like, Oh this is a date. Idk. I expect much more from the romance plots I read, even in YA.
7. Ratatouille is not a Pixar classic. Period. It's a fine Pixar movie. But it isn't a classic.

One thing that really stood out to me: There wasn't really a big twist around 75-80% like I've grown used to. Cam and Steph don't break up. Steph doesn't not win. Her family doesn't disown her. It just...went right. It was interesting to me! And very much unexpected.

Overall, should you read it? Yes! Whether you grew up in St. Louis or have never been, this is a great tour de city. It's very clean, it's very straightforward, and it's a super fun plot.

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This was pretty cute, albeit super straightforward. It felt like there was a bit too much exposition at times and a bit too much telling rather than showing for my tastes, but it was short and easy to read- I read it in one sitting. Overall, it was fun and has me wanting to visit St. Louis.

One of my favorite things about stories with scavenger hunts is trying to figure out the answers to the clues. Unfortunately, though no fault of the book, I'm not very familiar with St. Louis, so I had no chance of guessing any of the clues. I think this took a little bit of the enjoyment out of the scavenger hunt concept for me and caused me to not enjoy this as much as I could have.

The relationship between Cam and Steph teetered on instalove, though it still was cute and had me smiling at times. I kept hoping that there'd be a little bit more depth to Cam (who seemed almost too perfect) or some small twist to the story, but again, the plot was very straightforward.

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Synopsis:

A massive scavenger hunt.

A large prize.

Thousands of contestants.

Who’s going to win it?

Stephanie Clark sees no better option but to participate in this new scavenger hunt that’s happening in her hometown. Since graduating high school, Stephanie has fantasized of attending her dream college in Florida, but she simply doesn’t have the funds. With the scavenger hunt, and the large sum of money given to those who win, Stephanie dedicates her time to solving the clues and hopefully taking a step closer to her dream life.

What she doesn’t expect is her new found feelings for Camden Mills, the new, and hot, boy in town. She’s never gone out of her way to get to know him, especially with all those girls rivaling for his attention. Although, when they encounter each other in a rather odd situation, Stephanie realizes she’s not the only one with feelings…

With thousands of people competing in the scavenger hunt, and a competitor closing in on the prize, will Stephanie be able to decipher the last clue? Or will she be too late?

My Review:

Thank you to the NetGalley team for allowing me to read and review this book! I appreciate it so much! 🦋

The story of Meet me in St Louis is quite unique and I found myself intrigued with the concept of the scavenger hunt. I sadly thought, while reading, that the idea wasn’t developed completely. If the story was a little bit longer, to give the idea a bit of space to grow, it would’ve made the story more interesting!

The romance seemed to be the insta-love trope. I love myself some romance, but I was left slightly disappointed as the relationship between the two characters didn’t have much time to grow and become stronger over time. It kind of just started immediately, but that might just be the insta-love trope ☺

One thing that I really liked though, was the clues and how Stephanie tried to solve them. I found myself hooked and trying to figure out the clues myself, and I actually started jumping up and down when I solved one! I did enjoy that aspect of the story, and the suspense of not knowing who else has been solving the scavenger hunt. I loved the humour of the two characters. I always say humour just adds spice to a read and makes it way more enjoyable 😍

In the end, I love the concept of the story, my only thought was that if it was given more time it would’ve been more immersive and developed! 🌻

Rating: 2.5/5 ✨

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-Meet Me In St. Louis- by: Heather Schneider

I wanted to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of Meet Me In St. Louis. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Young Adult, Romance

Synopsis: “Stephanie Clark has just graduated from high school and secretly dreams of going to college in Miami to study marine biology and help save the oceans. Her finances, however, are making the dream seem impossible. When an anonymous benefactor in her hometown of St. Louis offers a large cash reward to the winner of a scavenger hunt, she dares to hope her dream may come true. While deciphering clues and trying to beat out the competition, Stephanie never expects to cross paths with Camden Mills, a popular boy from high school that she knows little about. Will Stephanie have what it takes to win the scavenger hunt, or will she be sidetracked by Cam’s charms?”

Review: I have to say that I might start this review a little biased. I have lived right by St. Louis my entire life, meaning I have experienced many areas there on multiple occasions. And let me tell you, this novel did not disappoint. This book gave me such an amazing experience, to the point of me reading it in the span of 6 hours! I literally could not put the book down. I loved the writing style and the growth of the relationship between Stephanie and Cam. The scavenger hunt made me sit on the edge of my chair and made me feel like I was competing right along with them. The way Heather explained the different tourist attractions was as if I was experiencing them for the first time again, which I did not even think was possible! I will definitely have to add this to my physical collection!

Rating: 5 Stars

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