3.5 stars- Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley. I enjoyed Emily Griffin's newest novel. It was a fun enjoyable summer read.

Count on the imagination and lyrical writing of Emily Giffin to rewrite history, giving us a beautiful ending and breathing life into a loving couple that was so senselessly lost.
Emily takes the timeline of a certain famous American family and weaves it with a slightly different looping action. In her story, the prince and princess are allowed to live. Emily’s reflections of the “royal” couple’s relationship and history are so enchanting, paralleling reality at times, and veering off to a respectable distance at other times. As I finished the last few pages, I reflected on “if only it could be done in real life”. They were truly America’s sweethearts.
Sincere thanks to Random House- Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is now available.

Kennedy esque inspired story. This was lovely. This is a story of two people who come from very different backgrounds, and despite this they are able to find love. This story had ups and downs, grief, heartache and love. This truly is one of those stories that you think about long after you close the last page.

Thank you #Netgalley for an early read of #MeantToBe

This is the story of Joe and Cate and how, even though the odds and the world seem to be against them, they decide that they are meant to be. Joe is American royalty and recognizable because of it. Cate escapes her family to New York City and modeling as soon as she can. When they meet it seems that anything is possible but will their past, his family, and the world intrude on what was meant to be?

Fluffy, but enjoyable - a regular romance novel.

"Meant to Be" is a contemporary romance novel set mostly in New York City, part rags to riches, part National Enquirer headlines.

I enjoyed the setting of New York City and the glamorous aspects with Cinderella feel to the start of the couple's relationship.

My preference would have been for more originality, maybe less cliché issues for the couple to overcome. Did she really need to become a model? Insert eyeroll here.

Admittedly, I was excited to read this book because I truly enjoyed "All We Ever Wanted" and unfortunately, my expectations weren't met. So my review is not the most favorable for that reason, since this book is completely different-I wasn't looking to read a romance novel. For a romance novel, I think its probably fine. Giving it 3 out of 5 stars.

I rarely give two star reviews, but this book was very disappointing. A fictional story based VERY loosely on Caroline Bessett and JFK Jr., the story moved slowly. Cate’s character was annoying, as she was so insecure yet lucky in many ways. Joe Kingsley was also painted in a very superficial light. The relationship seemed unrealistic to me, and the dialogue very forced. Iwould not recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Meant to Be by Emily Giffin is the story of a family that draws a lot of parallels to the Kennedy family, they are both considered American royalty. The two main characters in the book, and who the story is told by in alternating chapters, are Joe and Cate. Joe and Cate are loosely based on John Jr. and his wife, Carolyn. I was never a huge Kennedy fan, but did find John and Carolyn to be pretty interesting, so this book is intriguing to me in the aspect of 'what could have been'. All of the characters are engaging with excellent development, the story flows nicely, and I had a tough time putting it down.

This has a nice life / love story about 2 people that were so different and yet they were “meant to be” the way it was. Cate grew up with her mother and her abusive step father, and she couldn’t wait to be able to leave home and be on her own. Joe was born in a rich family and his life was always followed close by the press. How could their paths intersect? You just have to read to find out.

Entertaining and the perfect beach read.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Meant To Be by Emily Giffin was not an easy book for me to review. I have loved some of her books and disliked some. Meant to Be falls in between. I appreciate that it is a take on the story of John F. Kennedy, Jr., and Carolyn Bessette. It did the trick of making me go look those two up and see what was known about their story. I love how Giffin made Bessette's fictional alter ego, Kate wear gowns and clothing described as some specific ones that she was known to have worn and her physical description was the same. Joe was described quite close to identical to JFK, Jr., as well, in physical appearance and even having failed the Bar exam twice. I think I struggled because so much detail was taken so literally from the two real people that occasionally it irritated me the differences she wove into the story that were SOOOO different from reality. Let me say that I know almost nothing about Carolyn Bessette except what she looked like in photos, but I did not like the character Giffin wrote. I understood some of the fears Kate had about a relationship with "American Royalty", but how sullen and withdrawn she was was off-putting to me. The way the book was written, whether based on reality or not, I was not rooting for her once she learned some things about her own family and how she reacted to them. It made her seem like she herself was a horribly judgmental and unforgiving person and who wants to root for someone like that. Aside from her, I did like Joe, though he was almost TOO obsequious to Kate. I don't know. I didn't dislike the book, but I didn't really FEEL the connection between the two leads which made me sort of unenthusiastic. That said, it was a fine beach read.

4 stars

This was such a fun read! Emily Giffin is one of my go-to authors when I am looking for a light but well written “beach read”. The entire time I was reading it I kept thinking that it mirrored JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette and when I read the note from Emily, that is exactly what she intended!

I really enjoyed the story and the lighthearted nature of the book. I read a lot of “heavier” novels and books like Meant to Be are a perfect palate cleanser. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are looking for a good beach read or chick lit book.

Thank you to Random House Publishing for my copy of this book via NetGalley

I am not a romance fan but when I read the synopsis, I knew I had to read it. I have always been a bit obsessed with all things Kennedy and was heartbroken when JFK, Jr. and Carolyn died. Meant to Be is a reimagining of their romance and it is oh so good! Unputdownable!

Emily Giffin is back!! Meant to Be might be her best effort yet. You can see that this novel was a passion project for her and she put her heart and soul into these pages. She has been a favorite author of mine ever since she published her debut novel, Something Borrowed, almost 20 years ago! Meant to Be is loosely based on the relationship of JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, but I went into reading this blindly, as I never really followed the story of JFK Jr and his family. It is a true page turner because I could not put this book down! The pacing is perfect and the character development is strong. It has Emily Giffin's trademark NYC setting, where she mixes romance with nostalgia and a touch of humor. The cover is exquisite and it's a departure from her typical cover design. She certainly did her research on this story and it shows. 5 strong stars. Many thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

4.5/5 (rounded up)

It has been a while since I have read an Emily Giffin novel, and what a better way to get back to her than by reading Meant to Be. This is a slow-burn, women's fiction/romance story that was inspired by Giffin wanting to create a bit of a "what if" scenario with John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Caroline (thank you author's note!). I loved that the book rotated between Joe and Cate's viewpoints, and how unique each of their voices was. Even though I don't really know much about the Kennedys, I can't help but think Giffin nailed her idea for the story, and I adored her author's note at the end of the book since I had no idea going into this that it was supposed to have anything to do with the Kennedys. I tend not to see connections though, and I'm sure other readers will easily be able to pick this out.

And if you are looking for an amazing audiobook, you will find it with Meant to Be. The narrators Caroline Hewitt and Robert Petkoff felt like they were made to voice Cate and Joe, and I LOVED their narration. For this reason, I would highly recommend listening to the audio, and I thought their voices and talent brought a lot to the story and characters. To me, this felt like a very character-driven story as opposed to plot, and I really enjoyed the fact that we got to know our MCs so well. They felt like real people that I wanted to be friends with, and that is something I always love and appreciate. I definitely had tears in my eyes at the end, and even though there was one thing that I thought was pretty cheesy, I couldn't help but still love it. If you are already a Giffin fan or just want a lovely romance with a lot of depth, you will certainly want to read Meant to Be.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A young love, based loosely on the Kennedy family and the era. A woman from the wrong side of the tracks, who has been discovered and is becoming a famous model and a man from a famous family with many obligations. Is their love a once in a lifetime love?

⭐️⭐️⭐️This started out VERY slowly for me… I didn’t really become interested until 1/4 of the way through. I am a HUGE Carolyn Bessette fan (RIP) so was curious to see if it would do her justice… I think too much was changed about her life story to really compare it. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.

As I was reading Meant to Be by Emily Giffin, it reminded me of the Kennedy's and specifically John Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. I know how obsessed Emily is with the Kennedy's and the British Royal family so it didn't surprise me that she created a story about a couple with a little bit of John Jr. and Carolyn in them. This story sucked me in from the beginning and I read it in two days. Emily is great at weaving a love story with many twists and turns, heartaches and deep love. She shows that despite differences and roadblocks, if it was "meant to be" then it will happen. That is the love of Joe and Cate. Great Giffin book that is well worth the read.

This was a pretty good read but it wasn't my favorite of her books. The story is highly readable and the characters are very likable. The story was just a bit fluffy for me. It will make a great beach read. If you are a fan of rom coms and you want an uplifting hopeful book this one will be a good fit for you!

Incredible! First book by this author and it won’t be my last! Loved the alternating narration, the characters, and the real-life connection to the Kennedy dynasty, I did not want this amazing tale to end. Highly highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this story. Being in my upper 30s I am only slightly familiar with the true story, so I did look up some of the facts before hand to see what liberties she took (obviously a lot). I read a lot of romance and I am used to it being a little more personal, so the writing style had a little bit of a disconnect emotionally... it felt more factual than truly pulling me into their thoughts in emotions. I could have used just a little extra emotion to fully pull me in and make it a 5 star.