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.

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.

Love and Other Great Expectations is the first book that I have read by Becky Dean and it certainly won’t be the last, if this remarkable story is anything to go by. I loved reading this very unique and beautifully written story. I don’t read as many young adult books as I used to, but even though it took me a little longer than I planned to finish it, it was well worth it. I really enjoyed getting to know all the main characters, and found them easy to relate to. I loved that there was a romantic element to the story, but that there was so much more to it than that. What a fresh and exciting new way to go about teaching a bit about all the different literary classics.

I highly recommend joining Britt as she embarks on a very unique and exciting adventure through the greatest English literary classics to anyone who is looking for a book with adventure with a little bit of romance thrown in too.

A great young adult book for those who are somewhere between middle grade and true YA readers. I would recommend this sweet love story for tweens and early teens. The book is a milder romance than a lot of YA books, without any graphic content. I thought the scavenger hunt and the way that literature was woven into the story was ingenious. I know if I had read this as a young reader I would have been delighted. My only gripe is that some of the dialogue could be less on the nose (the common issue of show me don’t tell me), but since the book is geared towards a younger audience it won’t detract from the primary audience’s enjoyment.

Britt is given the opportunity of a lifetime! She gets a full expenses paid trip through Britain paid for my her English teacher with the chance to win money for college! An opportunity I would gladly take. The competition involves clues about British lit and sharing some memorable times with a British boy. What could go wrong??

The premise of this book really drew me in. After getting started it feels a lot like the Amazing Race: British edition. I loved the learning curve that she goes through as an American trying to learn customs in her new surroundings. As an American who is dying to go to London I loved those bits as well as the setting in general. Unfortunately, I felt like the story fell kind of flat. The boy was nice but felt bland to me, which made the romance also bland. There were fun parts here and there, but I felt like the clues were too easy for her because she just looked them up and headed to the next area.

I would recommend to those who have a love of London and all things British. It's a light fluffy read.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought the main characters were charming and the idea behind the concept was great.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @delacortepress for gifting me a copy of Love & Other Great Expectations in exchange for an honest review.

☂️ Mini Review 🇬🇧
I’m always looking for a good YA Contemporary Romance. Here lately they’ve been harder and harder to find. I wanted to love this book, but I just couldn’t get into it.

Britt is an amazing soccer player, but because of a leg injury she hasn’t played in so months and this has ruined her chances at a scholarship. Well, thankfully she gets invited to go on this amazing scavenger hunt in England. There she has to figure out all the clues to this bookish scavenger hunt in order to win the money she needs for college.

During this hunt she meets bookish Luke. He can’t know the rules of the scavenger and can’t really help her but he decides to be her wingman.

I just… I couldn’t get into this one. As much as I love the idea of a bookish scavenger hunt I didn’t like it in this book. I didn’t make sense. Anyways, this one just wasn’t for me.

If you like YA contemporaries I would say try this one out. I gave it ⭐️⭐️

This book was so funny! I have only laughed out loud for a few books. This is one of them. I started laughing from the second chapter. I loved it! I loved Britt, who is the main character. I could see myself in her so much, but there were so many things she had that I wish I did. Her humor, courage, creativity, and determination were some things I loved to to see in this book. Al was the perfect babysitter for Britt and their personality clash brought so much humor to the story. I am not a person that goes and reads romance books, but this was so different. I will definitely be looking for more books like this from this author. I loved the references to classics like Jane Austen, C. S. Lewis, Sherlock Holmes, and many more. I have always wanted to go to the UK and this book has only fueled that desire to go. I highly recommend!

Britt is about to graduate high school, and she has a secret- the knee injury that ended her soccer season early has also altered the path of her life forever.
Near the end of school, Britt receives an invitation to a meeting in her English teacher’s classroom. There she is invited to take part in an all expenses paid trip to England for a 10 day scavenger hunt against 3 of her fellow classmates. The winner will take home $100,000.
Britt sets off to England without fully understanding the adventure before her, but she knows she needs to do something different or she will lose the dream of college.
As she follows the scavenger hunt clues, she meets Luke- the cute British boy who is also trying to decide his future- and together they travel the country and tackle the clues.
By the time Britt’s journey is finished, she has a new appreciation for herself outside of soccer and she might just get the boy too.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange honest review.

If I could give this book 100 stars I would! I loved this story. It was swoony and very sweet. I loved the characters (They are super adorable) I really loved the story. The amount of detail in this book is amazing! I also really enjoyed all of the literary references in it.

Love & Other Great Expectations is a completely fun-filled story that features an amazing scavenger hunt across England. My Amazing Race-loving, anglophile heart was bursting throughout this entire book. The adorable main characters, Britt & Luke, and literary culture as well made the book a fantastic adventure of personal growth. I felt completely captivated the entire time! Highly and enthusiastically recommend!

REVIEW | Love and Other Great Expectations
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Thank you @netgalley, @randomhousechildrens, and @beckydeanwrites for the #gifted digital ARC.
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LOVE & OTHER GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Becky Dean (@beckydeanwrites)
Publisher: Delacourte Press, @randomhousechildrens
Pub Date: June 14, 2022 | Available now!
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Britt Hanson has always preferred scoring goals on the soccer field to analyzing dusty old books. But when an injury ends her dream to play in college, she jumps at the chance to compete in a scavenger hunt in England that takes her to the locations of classic novels—the prize money would change her life!

There she meets bookish and very British Luke Jackson. He can’t actually help her with any of the clues (against the rules), but something about Luke compels her to invite him to join her. She wouldn’t mind getting to know him—and listening to his accent.

To win, Britt must outwit three smart competitors who aren’t afraid to play dirty while solving clues and traveling around the English countryside. Along the way, Britt learns that sometimes you have to follow the map and other times, you need to throw caution to the wind and see where the cobblestoned road takes you.
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Read this if you like…
• Riddles and scavenger hunts
• Classic British literature
• Self-discovery through foreign travel
• The Amazing Race
• Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Sherlock Holmes, King Arthur, Canterbury Tales, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein
• Grump and sunshine (Britt and Al, not Luke ha)
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I thought this book was so fun after my own three-week trip to Britain and Ireland. Not only was I entertained by the features above, but I was so engaged by hearing about locations I just had visited myself! See the slideshow for some pics of Oxford, Bath, Edinburgh, and London.
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#LoveOtherGreatExpectations #NetGalley #BeckyDean #delacourtepress #randomhousekids @randomhousekids @randomhouse #canva #canvadesign