Thank you for this ARC! This is a heartwarming YA novel. It is charming, set in London with lots of fun details. The characters are enjoyable and you root for their happiness. The plot is predictable, but that is not necessarily a bad thing! I think teenagers that like puzzles and English lit will enjoy this one!

All opinions represented are reflective of just my views. Great British adventure meets scavenger hunt meets coming of age. This book is true gem in the world of books. It’s funny witty and gets people to think about classic English lit in a new way. Absolutely loved Britt and Luke and Al (down to the get the receipts comments, I promise it makes sense). I laughed and felt like this Is definitely someone I would want to be friends with and could relate to. I am hoping this is a series or the start of one.

A sweet romance centered on a high school girl going through a tough time. Britt is chosen as one of four students to participate in a scavenger hunt in London based on British literature. Not the best English student, Britt tackles the scavenger hunt in her own unique way. Can she help it if she meets a cute British boy along the way?

Readers who enjoy British literature, solving clues, and romance will love this book. A great read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. This review can also be found on my Goodreads page.

Love & Other Great Expectations is a sweet, YA/ NA crossover romance, rich with references to classic works of British literature that parallel the action and character growth in the story. Set in contemporary California and England, the story tells the struggles of Britt Hanson, star soccer player who learns that she has a blood disorder that will permanently sideline her soccer career just before she graduates and begins college at UCLA on a soccer scholarship. When her English teacher offers her the chance to compete for a $100,000 prize in a scavenger hunt across England, she believes the prize could compensate for the lost scholarship money, so she agrees to play. Once in England, she learns that she will be questing for clues based on works of classic English literature, not her ideal subject matter, nor an area where her strengths could shine. Quickly, she makes a new friend, Luke, who seems to see through her defenses and accept her anyway. He offers to join her on her quest, and novel by novel, town by village, bus by train, she begins to fall for Luke as she racks up the clues she needs to win the competition. With Luke's gentle insight, she begins to see herself as he sees her, as someone with talents apart from soccer. As the literary clues and Luke's insight help her learn about herself, her self discovery just might help her win, if she can find a way to communicate it to the her English teacher. When Luke's father is rushed into surgery and she chooses to protect herself rather than support him, she risks everything she has gained and learned to make things right, but it may not be enough to salvage the competition, her relationship with Luke, or her self respect.

Becky Dean has written a delightful romp of a novel that all readers will enjoy, but those who know and love English literature will devour. While an understanding of Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens, Lewis, and Doyle isn't required to love the story, readers who have read the classics will find so many Easter eggs to enjoy. The Pump Room in Bath, the Baskerville hound, Middle Earth, and Canterbury are just a few of the treasures buried in Dean's story. Her plot is well-paced, moving us through the story with just enough detail, but never bottoming out or lagging. Her characters are enjoyable, even when we don't like them. Britt gives us plenty of things to dislike, like her coarse shell that protects her, her aloofness from the people who can and want to help her, and her flippant stubbornness that sometimes hurts those around her. While readers will find plenty to dislike in Britt, her negative qualities make her real and genuine, and when she begins to step out of her shell and expose her hurts and her fears, readers know just how risky her decisions are, and just how scared she is to reveal her true self. Luke is the stuff of the classics -- solid, dependable, attractive in a nerdy, confident way, and exactly the hero lovers of Austen will adore. Even Ms. Carmichael and the other contestants are believable and rich with detail and personality. Above all, however, I am impressed with Dean's choices to create a romance that is sweet, clean, and moral. Rather than tawdry scenes with descriptive physicality, Dean supports the romance with deep conversations, gentle kisses, and all the feelings of excitement and passion and desire that romances demand. She shows her readers real romance, not just sex, desire, or a fling. She gives readers a picture of a deep, loving, honorable relationship in Britt and Luke. In a world that pushes physical relationships on young adults, depicting sex as a routine requirement of a relationship, Dean shows us the depth and commitment of a relationship based on knowing the other person and taking them as they are.

An American goes to England to compete in a scavenger hunt for a large cash prize. She just might find herself and romance on her adventure! For Britt Hanson, soccer has always been her life, and her way to pay for college. When she finds out that she can no longer play soccer, an opportunity across the pond might be just what she needs. Filled with adventure and literary references, she goes on a journey both physically and emotionally. With the help of a cute English boy, she could win the prize and a chance at love.

A great YA novel with an interesting premise. Senior Britt Hanson has it all figured out- scholarship to play soccer at UCLA in the fall, and then maybe the US National team?- until an injury forces her to shelve those dreams for good. When an opportunity arises for her to win $100,000 in a literary scavenger hunt all over the UK, sponsored by her mysteriously wealthy English teacher, she figures she's got nothing to lose. Through literary clues and quirky challenges, Britt works her way across the UK under the watchful eye of her minder Al and geeky-cute Luke. What starts out as a purely monetary competition turns into a journey of self-discovery for Britt, who deals with issues old and new on her way to realizing sometimes the journey is more important than the destination.

Cute, but falls a bit flat on the characterization. The premise is predictable, but it is still well-written, fun, and will give you the warm and fuzzies.

My 15 year old daughter read and enjoyed this book. She appreciated the neuro diverse main character and the setting was timely because her English class is currently reading Twelth Night. My daughter would recommend this book to her peers. Thanks Net Galley!

Adorable book about 4 students who go to England for a scavenger hunt with a $100,000 prize. Predictable but really cute, and I liked the ties to famous works/authors like Dickens and Tolkien.

When I requested this title I didn't realize that it was YA and while I typically don't read YA I really loved the premise so I decided to read it anyway. Because I liked the concept so much I really wanted to like this book but I had a hard time connecting with the characters and I felt like it was too much. I still love the setting and it was cute but a younger read than I'm used to.

This is such a cute book. 4 American students are chosen by their teacher to participate in a scavenger hunt across Great Britain, leading them to grow as people and learn about themselves. This was such a quick read because I could not put it down.

Thank you to Netgalley for blessing me with a ARC of Love & Other Great Expectations. As a teacher, I have some reservations with the liberties that Ms. Dean takes with this $100,000 scavenger hunt that Ms. Carmichael creates for these 4 students. I just do not see this kind of trip happening without backlash from other students and parents even though it is her money to spend. I would have liked to see a little bit more character development between the three other contestants along with Luke and Britt but instead Ms. Dean focuses on developing Britt and Luke. They are an adorable couple and there is room at the of the novel for them to have a UCLA scavenger hunt designed by Ms. Carmichael. Or maybe a Christmas novella that continues their storyline on. I would love for Al to show up at UCLA with some type of accounting emergency. Again as an English teacher, I wanted to know exactly why Luke's dad took money for grades at Oxford but that detail was left unsaid. One of the best parts of the novel is how Ms. Dean incorporates the history side of her chosen authors without overwhelming the reader who may not be the English lover that I am. I also love that for Shakespeare task she did not send them to the Globe or Stratford-Upon-Avon but instead a rather cool Shakespearian location that showed some real intelligence in her choice. Bottomline, I bought a paperback copy for my classroom library and will happily recommend it to kid who loves rom coms.

This book was such a breath of fresh air, I couldn’t pick a better book than this one to spend my entire afternoon and evening time to read. The characters were so fascinating and real, and the plot was quite grasping; had me hooked from the beginning per se. Henceforth, it’s a perfect 5 stars read for me!!

I really wanted to like this book more than I did, the premise sounded interesting and the fact that it took place in the UK was an instant selling point for me. I found the story lacking in depth, it felt like the characters were circling around singular problems that had nothing to do with the main plot. The characters were also hard to root for. Wouldn’t mind recommending this book to beginning readers.

This is definitely a young adult hit that I think will find it’s way to booktok soon. While some young adult books capture the attention of older ages I do t think this one will be that. Smaller range of demographics but will be one to recommend to teens and the college/young 20’s crowd for sure

Britt Hanson is at her all-time low when she finds out she can't play soccer anymore and she will be losing her scholarship to her dream school UCLA. But, when her English teacher sends her and 3 of her classmates on a scavenger hunt around England she might still be able to go to college if she wins the prize money. The one thing she didn't expect to find while looking for clues is love but it might just be what she needs. This was a good book with likable lead characters and a story that kept me wanting more.

So, while the premise is wildly implausible and the plot openly predictable, this was just so damn heartwarming and sweet and occasionally mildly funny I can't bring myself to mind one bit.