I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. If you loved the Kennedy family and by extension fell in love with their offspring this book is definitely for you. Giffin takes a fictional couple loosely based on John and Carolyn's love story and puts a fresh spin on it. I enjoyed reading this book mainly for the little reminders of the Kennedys, I always loved reading about the family.

Joe Kingsley is from a generational wealth family and he lost his father way too soon. Many of the expectations the family had for his father now fall to him. He was raised in a privileged world and was famous from the time he was born. Cate was raised in a dysfunctional home, dropped out of school and started modeling to escape. The two meet and sparks fly. The question is can two people who come from two vastly different upbringings find enough in common to stay together. Both Joe and Cate are floundering in life trying to find the right path for them. Is it possible that the right path is the one they forge together?

I would recommend this book for anyone who loved the Kennedy family and their history. I would also recommend it for anyone who loves chicklit, romance or women's fiction. Giffin's writing style is so engaging and makes you want to keep going well after bed time.

I always look forward to an Emily Giffin book. Romance is totally not my thing usually, but I always get so sucked in! I love the varying timelines and development of the characters. It was an easy, fun read that had me rooting for the two main characters until the very end.

I've been a big fan of Emily's books since the beginning when I started reading. Some of them weren't my favorites though and I worried that my once favorite author wasn't going to be anymore. Thankfully, this book worked it's magic and I am so in love all over again! Meant to Be is a wonderful read filled with so much heart and emotion that I thought I would burst! I truly loved this one and recommend it to everyone!

I enjoyed this read. At first I thought it was going to be another one that was all about powerful people and their fancy lives that I couldn't really relate to. And while books like that are nice once in a while, I would rather have books that are relatable. However, this one was good because you could see Cate's inner struggle with the life that she had grown up with. Then I loved the author's notes at the end and her comparison to the Kennedy's. Overall this was an enjoyable book.

I tried, I really did to love this one. I got 30% through and there had only been 1 scene with the main characters. I was just bored by that point. I skimmed the rest. Wished for more with this one

This was such a fun, escapist, wish-fulfillment type of read, I really enjoyed it. I raced through this one, although it's not all light reading - it has some really interesting insights as to what it would be like to embark on a relationship with someone extremely famous.

Cate is a beautiful girl recognized for her beauty and poise at an early age. Her upbringing leaves a lot to be desired though and she longs for a different life. Joe is a public figure and has been since birth. He constantly risks it all and plays into the playboy heartthrob. When they meet, sparks fly, but can their opposite lifestyles merge to find happiness?

I thought this book was a great romance that dealt with tough issues. The development of each character separately was nice to read but I loved how Giffin overlapped moments within their lives to describe how the other was feeling and what they were thinking.

The dynamic between Cate and Joe was fantastic and shows how adult relationships can be complicated due to factors out of everyone’s control. The way they handled every situation head on with confidence and poise is how I want to handle things in my life.

My only complaint is that Cate’s character was a tad annoying because she just wouldn’t communicate with Joe at specific points but I understood why. I feel like she sometimes threw teenage tantrums which had me rolling my eyes a few times.

I liked the plot, and her wonderful writing swept me into the story, as it usually does. I was invested in the characters and their lives but I didn’t like how much of this is just really a thinly veiled look at JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessettes life. Cate comes across as very immature, suddenly leaving him without explanation and it rings false as she’s always been honest in the past. Not very original with its many references to what happened in their life together, although this time with a happy ending and not a bad ending, but I found it distasteful.

Emily Griffin always hits it out of the park. I could not put this down as I was desperate to see where the love story would end. This novel is loosely based on the love story of JFK jr and Caroline B. The main characters come from very different backgrounds and must overcome tremendous differences to find love with each other and see if their relationship can survive the differences. The story is told chapter by chapter in the voices of the two main characters Joe and Cate which gave a a fresh perspective of the couple’s relationship. It is a beautiful, yet tragic at times story that you will devour. Highly recommend it ! Thank you to Net galley for the opportunity to read the arc for an honest review.

Emily Giffin hits another homerun with Meant to Be. I have to tell the truth - I haven't read anything by Griffin that I haven't liked, but this is one of my favorites. The characters are well-developed and likable. They go through some typical romance novel challenges, but also some not-so-typical challenges. Through it all, I rooted for them to succeed.
I read this ARC while I was on a cruise, and I found myself reaching for it again and again when I should have been doing other things - like enjoying the views from a beautiful foreign island. It is that good. My only regret it that I can't read it again for the first time.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Joseph Kingsley, Jr. grew up in the shadow of his dad in an almost Kennedyesque upbringing. Joseph Kingsley Sr. was an American hero and his son grew up with high expectations to live up to his family name. And then he met Cate, who grew up in a troubled family and pulled herself up as someone to be envied and admired.

When Cate and Joe meet they have an instant connection, and it seems that they are a couple that is meant to be. However, Destiny may have other plans, as Cate's past comes back to haunt her. And she is left deciding whether she loves Joe enough to let him go.

Meant to Be was such a sweet story that kept me reading right until the end. The characters are well written, and it's easy to become invested in this beautiful love story. I'm always thrilled when a new Emily Giffin book is released, and Meant to Be definitely did not disappoint!

I love Emily Griffin's books so was excited to read this one! Cate meets Joe, a wealthy but unassuming young man destined for great things. They date, they fall in love, but of course nothing is quite that easy! She has family "baggage" and he doesn't. Enough said about the plot. When tragedy strikes, will that change things? Read it and discover another of Griffin's novels that will have you laughing and crying as these two navigate lives that seem so different!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Why is it that EVERY SINGLE Emily Giffin book is one of my favorites?
I love her books, her characters, everything!

Cate, by all means looks like she has it all, she's beautiful and has a stunning modeling career and she is dating one of the most eligible bachelors Joe Kingsley.

The Kingsley family has a lot of Kennedy vibes to them (Which I love because I've been obessed with the Kennedy's, but the Kingsley's have no where near as much drama as they did). The vibe is so strong that Joe appears to be inspired by John F Kennedy JR. Joe lost is father at a young age, he is a lawyer, his mother would like to see him in politics and he is a pilot. He's charming and all. However, go a little deeper than the surface, you get a little more of a look inside of Joe and see his kindness.

Of course, Cate holds a secret about how she grew up. While Joe is introduced to the basis of it. there is more than even Cate knows.

I adored the characters of Joe and Cate and to be honest, I LOVED their chemistry. Joe was not your average "born with a silver spoon in your mouth" sort of guy and I loved that about hi.

Once again, Emily has crafted a great story that I wouldn't put down at all!

I have read most of Emily Giffin’s novels (and loved them all) so when I received an invitation to read her newest book, I was thrilled. This one did not disappoint! JFK Jr and his wife Carolyn died when I was only a preteen. So I never really knew much about them, besides their tragic ending and the Kennedy curse. They were a great inspiration for Joe Kingsley and Cate Cooper. I loved the story, the pacing, and the ending. There are so many wonderful people (celebrities and us regular folks) that die too young and this was a fun way to keep their memory alive and imagine what could have been.

This was just okay for me. It was a good story and moved along well. I didn’t love the main character, Cate, so that might have influenced my opinion. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this pre-release.

I loved this book! A reimagined (and far less tragic) love story for John Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy? Yes, please! I loved how the whole story played out and while Cate's backstory was so sad at times, her strength was admirable. And Joe, well Joe was just the sweetest!! I really enjoyed everything about this book and it's my favorite novel by Giffin in a while.

Y'all, you should know I devoured this book in a day. I was so captivated by this love story, and I just had to know what was going to happen! The story focuses on the relationship between Joe and Kate. Joe is a member of the well-known and well-to-do Kingsley family (basically the Kennedys) who is trying to figure out his own path while also having the weight of the expectations of his late father and family. Cate is a model who has found success despite a difficult childhood. The difficulties of her childhood are also something she keeps hidden from the world. Joe and Cate have a chance meeting and fall fast in love despite having very different backgrounds. However, these backgrounds do play a part in how their relationship evolves. Again, I just loved this one as Emily Giffin knows how to write a great love story, and that is so, so much this. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this May 2022 release that is sure to be the hottest beach read of the summer!

I liked this book! She did a great job of telling this fictional story that's loosely based on a true story. It made me laugh and cry and cannot wait to get it in the library to recommend to patrons.

This was your typical Cinderella story with a modern day twist. I enjoyed it but at times it seemed like yesterdays headlines. The characters were believable to appoint but Joe was too good to be true!

Meant to Be is Emily Giffin's latest novel. The main characters, Joe and Cate, are a fictional version of John Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. The book follows their love story from their first meeting, imagining what could have been.

I had really enjoyed Giffin's prior novels but this one missed the mark for me. It was fanfic of John and Carolyn Kennedy's lives. The dialog was sappy, juvenile and cliched and certainly not the caliber that I'd come to expect from this author. The plot all too predictable. Had I not agreed to provide a review, I would have stopped reading early on.