"Meant to Be" offers a contemporary twist on a classic love story, drawing inspiration from the iconic romance between JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. In this novel, we meet Joe Kingsley, the son of esteemed American lineage, who finds himself captivated by Cate Cooper, a model with a humble background.

Their love story unfolds against the backdrop of societal expectations and personal struggles, with Cate hesitant to embrace the spotlight that comes with dating Joe. As they navigate the complexities of their relationship, secrets from Cate's past and unforeseen tragedies threaten to unravel the fragile bond they've built.

While the parallels to the Kennedy family are evident, the novel stands on its own with unique twists and turns. However, I found myself struggling with certain aspects of the book. The dialogue felt forced at times, and the characters, while likable, lacked depth and dimension.

Narrated through alternating perspectives between Joe and Cate, the story is engaging and easy to follow, but it does have moments of repetition. Despite these drawbacks, I found myself drawn to Joe and Cate's journey and enjoyed witnessing their growth throughout the novel.

Overall, "Meant to Be" is a readable and entertaining love story, albeit with some flaws. Fans of contemporary romance may find enjoyment in Joe and Cate's story, despite its shortcomings. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Meant to Be and would reread and recommend to friends and family. The characters were well developed which allowed me to react in various ways towards the decisions they made.

Loosely based off of the relationship of JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette, which admittedly I know little about. Most of my knowledge of the Kennedy's comes from Carole Radziwill on RHONY.

Emily Giffin will forever be one of my favorite authors! Her characters are always so well drawn and heartfelt.

I am not quite sure how I feel about this book…it is a fictionalized, reimagining of JFK Jr’s life? It simultaneously feels too close, and deliberately different than his actual life, which made it a feel a little disjointed to me. It was well written and kept me engaged.

The character of Joe seems pretty one dimensional and stereotypical to me, but Cate was much more interesting and her story more complex. I was really rooting for her to succeed and break free from her past.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book once I got into it! I had a couple of false starts because I found the first couple of chapters to be a little bit hard to engage with. There was a lot of political history background that I ultimately didn’t feel was necessary to the story. Emily Giffin is a must read author for me. I’ve read all of her books and they’ve never disappointed. it made me curious to learn more about JFK Jr. Looking forward to her next release!

I haven't read many of Ms. Emily's books but my sister adores her writing. This one for me, was not a favorite but....definitely a great read! Royalty and the American Dream. Loosely based upon the Kennedy family, mostly John Jr. and Caryolyn's tale. Well worth reading for sure and Emily never fails to put words to paper in such a heavenly way.

I love Emily Giffin’s writing style and was super excited to be approved for this one. Even though the plot line wasn’t something I was as interested in, her writing kept the story moving and kept it fresh. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

Emily Giffin is just such a talented author. I adore her characters and her writing style. I loved following these characters and seeing them grow.

Meant to Be was loosely based on JFK, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. I enjoyed the book and thought did a great job of showing us a glimpse into what could have been their love story. The plot was simple and overall an easy read.

I thought this would be a better story so I was disappointed. The Kennedy connection was just too icky for me.

Love Emily Giffin. She is one of the authors whose new books I always look forward to, and this book did not disappoint!

I loved this book! I loved all characters and was really rooting for Joe and Cate. Not having a deep knowledge of the Kennedys, this was a fresh story for me but now I cannot wait to read more about the famous family!

I understand what Emily Giffin was trying to do and I completely understand this was a retelling of John F. Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette, but the story was just not interesting and lacked hook to engage the reader.
The predictability was ok, as romance stories usually are. But it could have been done in a way that was less eye-roll inducing.

A classic tale of love conquering difficult circumstances. Emily Griffin can always be counted on to deliver a page-turner and this is no exception.

I definitely enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. This, through alternating chapters, tells the story of Joe and Cate. Joe is born into a wealthy family, where he is expected to continue along the lineage of his father and his family before him. Cate grows up with just her mom until she marries Chip. Chip is abusive and a generally terrible person. She gets out as soon as possible.

These two meet and immediately click, but the timing isn't right. Eventually they do get together, but it isn't easy. This is a story of two people coming from very different backgrounds, trying to navigate the world together. They communicate (which I appreciate!) and try to work through their issues together... and it's tough.

I didn't realize until the end that this book is loosely based on the story of JFK/Carolyn Bessette. I don't know a lot about them, so it made me appreciate this book even more.

This was a sweet book that is based on JFK Jr and Carolyn. I liked the glimpse into their lives along with the storyline created.

Page turner. Could not put this book down. Very loosely based on John F. Kennedy Jr.'s romances and life. Enjoyed Cate's journey to accept her past and grow into herself.

Odd pacing. The reference material is obvious throughout, and at times distracting - feels like an attempt at anonymizing for a podcast. Unsatisfying overall.

I love Emily Giffin and Meant to Be was one of my favorites of hers! Meant to Be is a great romance, I loved the characters and couldn't put it down.