What is better than traveling the globe during the summer? While I can’t jet off to faraway lands this summer, I can grab books and travel my bucket list through words. What better way to “view” England than a scavenger hunt! Travel all over the UK in Becky Dean’s Love & Other Great Expectations as Britt and Luke team up to gather the clues to take them to the finish line.

thank you NetGalley for this eARC!

I liked this book but had to kind of ignore some things that I felt weren't real life, like the teacher just offering the students a trip. I also felt like we didn't really get to know the characters in depth. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book. I liked the title, but I feel like there are quite a few books called love and... and kept getting it confused with other books. Even as an adult and it being a YA I liked the topics it discussed. The cover really drew me in and I like the colors as well as the cute pictures. I would absolutely pick this up for my bookshelf even though I've read it. I also liked especially at the beginning when Brittany was kind of like what am I going to do now that sports aren't an option. i feel like with a lot of athletes that is a topic of what to do next when their career could be/is over. I do like a good book set somewhere not in the United States/involves travel. It was a great summer read.

This was such a delightful read! It was fun, full of adventure and had great banter. Overall an enjoyable read with likable characters.

5/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

This is one of the best YA contemporary debut novels I've ever read! I went into this without knowing much about it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish!

Britt Hanson thought she had her future planned out, but when she finds out she can't play soccer anymore, she's forced to re-evaluate. A sudden invitation to participate in a scavenger hunt across the UK for a cash prize is extended to her, and she can't say no. Along with three other classmates, Britt heads to England to begin her literary-inspired quest. Unfortunately for her, she's never been into books. Her travels lead her to Luke, a bookish Brit who happens to be cute. He decides to accompany her, though he's not allowed to help her with the clues. What starts out as a way to earn cash turns into a trip unlike any other as Britt learns more about herself and that her future is not limited to soccer.

The scavenger hunt in this book is something that I would absolutely love to do! Going to the UK has always been on my bucket list, and this book only increased my desire to go. Becky Dean did an excellent job of transporting the reader there with her vivid settings, and I felt like I was visiting these places alongside Britt! (I also learned I pronounce a lot of British words incorrectly!)

Britt is a fun character to read about. She's loud, athletic, and talkative. Her traveling companions, Luke and Al, are more reserved, so they make for an entertaining trio during this scavenger hunt. Britt's antics made me laugh on several occasions, and I found myself really rooting for her to win.

Outside of the main characters, I also loved all the literature references throughout the book. It made my bookish heart very happy! The plot itself was nice and cozy, but it stayed interesting the whole time. While it touched on some heavier topics, it remained a sweet and encouraging book. It was exactly what I wanted from a YA contemporary romance!

I would definitely recommend this for anyone who likes a cute and wholesome YA romance! I'm looking forward to Becky's future books!

A sweet and fun YA romance with delightful characters and a charming plot. Dean has done a great job with this laugh out loud tale!

Insta love……. Just putting it out there that that is not my thing. So this book ended up not being for me

Thank you NetGalley I’m for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

Love a book that has a scavenger hunt and explores classic literature. And the teens weren't annoyingly angsty! Yay!

So many good things about this book!

Love & Other Great Expectations introduces us to Britt, a high school soccer player that never pictured a future outside of soccer. When her only dream, and with it her money for college, is suddenly ripped from her, Britt scrambles to figure out what's next?

Enter Ms. Carmichael, Britt's English teacher, with an opportunity too good to pass up, a 1 in 4 chance at $100,000! Britt, along with three other classmates are invited to compete in a classic British literature themed scavenger hunt throughout England, and while Britt has never been the most studious English student, it is chance she can't refuse.

What follows is a buttoned up babysitter with a snarky side, rivals, mishaps, and of course a bookish British boy dealing with his own sense of loss for other reasons.

Becky Dean dazzles with this literature themed debut!

I thoroughly enjoyed traveling through the UK with Britt and Luke. Several moments had me laughing out loud! The character development was very well done, and I enjoyed seeing the characters grow and flesh out their stories from beginning to end. Being a lover of classic literature, I think enhanced my enjoyment of this novel. It might not appeal to all students, especially those who are not as familiar with the classic novels mentioned in the book, but I do believe that the story is enjoyable enough on its own without prior knowledge of the works mentioned. I have already recommended this book to several of my friends and students. I can’t wait to purchase it for my library. I appreciated that it is something that I can feel comfortable putting in my middle school library.

I loved this adorable YA romance! Britt's world is turned upside down when she learns a soccer injury will sideline her permanently. She then is enlisted to participate in a scavenger-hunt style game that could earn her $100,000 - enough to help her go to college now that she won't be getting a soccer scholarship. But while she's in the contest, she meets an amazing boy, and all of her walls and defenses start to come down.

what an adventure! britt and luke’s quests kept this novel fast-paced and fun but the stories of their past add a hearty layer of love that’s hard to ignore. i loved all the references to sherlock holmes and king arthur but i probably would have enjoyed them to a whole other level if i’d been more familiar with those tales. i had no idea what to make out of each clue so i was figuring it out as britt was. my family and i visited london this past summer so it was lots of fun revisiting fish n’ chips pubs and the london eye, among other places, with the britt and luke.

i absolutely loved the friendships formed throughout the novel, the strongest one being between britt and luke. i’d say that the plot was focused more on the literary adventures taken upon by the four students and britt’s journey towards self-discovery. romance took the back seat but it was still charming to see the acts of affection between the duo. i felt that each of the other side characters were introduced well enough that i had an idea of who i liked/didn’t but they didn’t take over the plot. applying for college is a tough time for students so i was super happy watching as britt decided where she wanted to take the next chapter of her life.

I had so much fun reading this book! I had almost nothing in common with Britt, but I appreciated her perspective on the world all the more because of it. She, Luke, and Al made a trio I thoroughly enjoyed following around the UK. I laughed out loud multiple times, and I loved the focus on storytelling as valuable in ways beyond books. This was an utterly charming read, and I loved it!

Very cute and sweet story about a young girl finding herself and finding a new dream. Britt has had a horrific injury and now is questioning her next steps in life. Her journey in a new country, meeting new people, and classic literature will change her life.

Quick cute young adult read! There is great character development and the book takes you away to London. You can picture vividly what’s going on in the book. The only thing I didn’t like was the over explanation of British things (ex. That’s cause they have parliament instead of congress).

As much as I wanted to like this book, I just couldn’t connect with it. I found it to be quite boring, if I am being honest. The characters had zero chemistry, even with the insta-love. I also felt like the characters didn’t develop enough. There were a few interesting moments, which is why it’s getting two stars instead of one, but not enough for me to really enjoy reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Children’s for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy. This honest review was based off my experience reading this eARC, which in no way biased me. All opinions are my own.

First impression is that maybe it’s just me but these cartoon covers are really starting to be misleading. Now with the influx of cartoon covers for adult romance books when I see a cartoon cover I immediately think it is not going to be YA. This was not the case here. I did not realize this was YA when I requested it, and I have become more and more picky with the YA reads I pick up. Unfortunately I am not the target audience for this book and it wasn’t anything other than average for me.

It was predictable but there isn’t anything wrong with predictable here. Also if anyone isn’t a fan of insta love (because of a timeline) I would avoid this. I don’t mind the insta love trope, but I know a lot of people do.

Please, someone, MAKE THIS A MOVIE!!!! I'm currently teaching Brit Lit and reading Pride and Prejudice with my son. Of course, this book hit me a little differently. I tried solving the riddles on my own before reading on to see the answers. I've also wanted to travel the UK. And my favorite books involve ANY of my favorite hobbies with a little romance thrown in. This book was perfect. Romance and self-discovery.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a super cute book! It follows Britt, a high school graduate that lost her dream of playing soccer because of an accident. Her teacher gives her the opportunity of a lifetime to participate in a scavenger hunt in England based on readings from her English class.

While on the scavenger hunt, Britt meets Luke, a nerdy Brit (Britt and Brit, ha!) who agrees to accompany her on her quest. Along the way, Britt learns more about herself and her abilities.

I loved how Britt grew as a character. She didn’t believe in herself in the beginning and was just lost in general. Throughout the book, she slowly realizes she has talents other than soccer and begins to believe in herself.

I cannot post a review of this book without gushing about Luke. He was the cutest character. He was funny, smart, and kind. Luke was also so protective of Britt and helped her grow as a character.

The romance balanced very nicely with the rest of the book. It wasn’t solely focused on romance or on the scavenger hunt. I also like how realistic the ending was. Slight spoilers but they say they like each other and kiss. There was no “I love you” which I appreciated since they knew each other for a week.

This book was amazing and I recommend getting a copy for yourself.

oh geez, i wanted to like this book. I've heard great thing about it, but it did not do it for me. it fell so flat and i'm kinda sad about it but also, like, every book doesn't work for every person, so. thanks netgalley for the e-arc!

Title: Love & Other Great Expectations
Author: Becky Dean

Ch: 30

Pg: 371

Genre: YA Contemporary Rom Comish

Rating: 4.5 stars

Publisher: Delacorte Press



I'm not going to lie I picked this one up for the cover and title. I didn't bother to read the blurb. But it was the first line "Dreams are like knees-- you don't realize how fragile they are until something rips them to shreds." that had me hooked. I had to keep reading I had to know what happened. Because like Britt I also played soccer and it was a knee injury that sidelined me. And just like Britt I had to rethink my whole future and career choices. But my knee injury wouldn't keep me from college I had no desire to play college soccer no my knee injury and the diagnosis it led to me having to give up my dream of joining the Marines. So even though I'm not the typical audience for YA Britt was an easy character to relate. I enjoyed reading her adventures through the United Kingdom and through classic works of literature. With British Luke along for the ride.


This one lean more on the side of YA Contemporary more so than a YA Rom Com though it does have its rom com moments. This was a great debut from Becky Dean, and I can't wait to see what else she writes.



I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.