This is my first Giffin to read in over a year, and it was lovely.

Joe Kingsley comes from a prestigious family. His father was an astronaut and politician who died on a space mission, recognized as a hero. Cate Cooper comes from a single-mom household and an abusive stepfather. After getting picked up by a modeling agency, she drops out of high school and moves away from her abusive home. Her paths cross with Joe’s one day in the Hamptons, and this starts an up-and-down relationship in which they have to navigate their very different backgrounds.

This shifts POV between Joe and Cate, an element to the story that I loved. I enjoyed reading about their relationship development and was overall happy with the plot of the novel.

Usually I love Emily Giffon books, but I don't have anything memorable about this one. Definitely based on the Kennedys, but I didn't feel or believe the attraction between the 2 main characters.

Emily Griffin cannot write a bad book, just sayin. I loved the story and was entralled the whole way through. One thing I will say is that I felt the end was rushed a wee bit, but would still recommend .

I've always loved Emily Giffin books' and this one didn't disappoint. I felt like it did start a bit slow, but it eventually picked up in the middle of the book, and I'm glad I stuck with it.

I like the way the characters went back and forth throughout the book, and I thought it was an easy and enjoyable read.

I like the romance that was included in the book, but definitely didn't go into too much 'romance' at all.

Can't wait for the next Emily Giffin book.

I got swept away by Cate and Joe’s romance, a result of Giffin’s ability to craft compelling dialogue and keep a novel moving at perfect pace. This was my favorite of hers to date!

If you’re nostalgic for the Camelot of the Kennedy administration, and fascinated by the powerful family’s day-to-day life, Meant to Be may be meant for you! Loosely based on the romance of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, the novel follows Joseph S. Kingsley III and Cate Cooper. Joe is the reckless and charismatic son of American royalty. Cate grew up in an abusive household, and found an escape route through modeling.

When the two meet by chance, the connection is electric. Can the pair find their place in the world together and avoid the Kingsley curse?

This was such a beautiful and timeless love story. I would love to see this book made into a movie. I thought this was such an easy read. I loved the plot and the characters in this book. I loved the dual POV in this book. This book is loosely based off the Kennedy’s. It’s such a beautiful love story, I highly recommend checking it out!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. The characters reminded me of the Kennedy family.
Loved the story. I could see this becoming a made for tv movie.

Meant to Be is a novel loosely based on the life of JFK Jr and Carolyn Bassette. It was engaging and interesting but also nostalgic, for those of us old enough to remember. I really enjoyed this story and was a hit from Emily Giffin. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

If People Weekly magazine wrote a romance novel, it would read a lot like this. Easy, very readable peek into the lives of the famous, but lacking the depth and emotion that Giffin fans are accustomed to.

2 stars! Meant to Be missed the mark for me.
Thank you to Emily Giffin, Random House Publishing-Ballantine, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Giffin is so fun to follow in Instagram and her stories with the Kennedys had me excited to read this book, Cate and Joe are very clearly based on JFK, jr and Carolyn. Cate is a strong woman and the romance was so lovely. It was a fun romance to follow. It was a fun beach read.

I have always enjoy Emily Giffin's books but this one was just not for me. I had a hard time keeping myself focused. It may have been the Covid brain but I think it was just that I didn't like that it seemed to be about the Kennedy's. Or more precise JFK jr and his wife. While I loved him my whole life I didn't want to read about him. I just didn't.

While the story is touching in parts and has a dynamic ending, it just was not one I enjoyed. Not like her earlier and some previous books.

I"m sorry but I just didn't enjoy. That doesn't mean it was not well written in any way. I highly suggest you read this for yourself.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc.

3.5 stars

Enjoyable romance novel. Hooked me right away. Joe lives a life of power & influence, while Cate came from an abusive household from which she escaped to make a life of her own. A bit predictable, but still enjoyable.

Young, handsome, and wealthy, Joseph S. Kingsley III was mourning the early death of his father and managing the conflicted feelings that came with his legacy of privilege. Joe knew he was expected to do great things, but he was a bit of a rebel, undecided at what his place in history would be.

Cate knew she did not want a life that was anything like her mother’s, finding a series of loser boyfriends and working at unskilled jobs. Cate wanted more, and when she started modeling, she was sure it would lead to the exciting, successful life she’d always wanted. Upon meeting Joe, she knew instantly her life would never be the same.

Well. This was not at all what I had expected. To me, the book seemed flat, that even though the characters had plenty of drama in their lives, it didn’t leap off the pages the way I wanted it to. Based loosely on the relationship of JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette, Meant To Be was repetitive in places and the characters never really developed. I’m normally an Emily Giffin fan, but this book just wasn’t a good fit for me.

I keep giving Emily Giffin a chance because her early books were winners with such huge impacts on me. But <i>Meant to Be</i> still didn't make the mark. it was forgettable because of its predictability. Until the end... But even that didn't save me from giving this a better rating.

As always, Emily Giffin hits it out of the park with her stories. A well crafted and complex life story with such depth to the characters. Funny, sweet, poignant and bittersweet at times. Would recommend to any fan,

I didn’t realize this book was fan fiction until it was over. I know very little about JFK jr so I enjoyed this story as is. The story is pretty predictable but Griffin makes you invested in the characters. A great summer romance.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Ms. Giffin's latest and while it does seem to mirror JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bissette's romance, there are definite changes. I'm not a Kennedy devotee, but I obviously knew the highlights of their courtship. I liked Joe and Cate but there were times when I thought Cate sold herself short and that communication with Joe would have lessened the heartbreak.

I felt this book to be a bit predictable but I loved that it was loosely based on the Kennedy family. I thought that the writing was a bit simple and that was due to the characters being young but it kept that way. I didn't like the change of surviving the plane crash since that's not what actually happens for the Kennedys but again its loosely based on them. Overall- a solid read!