Meant to Be

Emily Giffin’s latest hit, Meant to Be, is an emotional story that is loosely based on JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessett. I read this with Kaley and Lina and we were enamored from the very beginning.

Synopsis: he Kingsley family is American royalty, beloved for their military heroics, political service, and unmatched elegance. In 1967, after Joseph S. Kingsley, Jr. is killed in a tragic accident, his charismatic son inherits the weight of that legacy. But Joe III is a free spirit—and a little bit reckless. Despite his best intentions, he has trouble meeting the expectations of a nation, as well as those of his exacting mother, Dottie.

Meanwhile, no one ever expected anything of Cate Cooper. She, too, grew up fatherless—and after her mother marries an abusive man, she is forced to fend for herself. After being discovered by a model scout at age sixteen, Cate decides that her looks may be her only ticket out of the cycle of disappointment that her mother has always inhabited. Before too long, Cate’s face is in magazines and on billboards. Yet she feels like a fraud, faking it in a world to which she’s never truly belonged.

When Joe and Cate unexpectedly cross paths one afternoon, their connection is instant and intense. But can their relationship survive the glare of the spotlight and the so-called Kingsley curse? In a beautifully written novel that captures a gilded moment in American history, Emily Giffin tells the story of two people searching for belonging and identity, as well as the answer to the question: Are certain love stories meant to be?

What appealed to you the most in this story?

I loved the nostalgia and how the story ties to John F. Kennedy Jr. and his romance/marriage to Carolyn Bessette. I’m a 90s girl, so I of course followed their relationship and how the media stalked and hounded them through their time together and right up to and after their horrific plane crash.

I truly loved how both the characters and the fairytale story combine to make an addicting, fascinating and passionate read. The full cast of characters were so endearing, down-to-earth, and they wormed their way into my heart from the very beginning. The best part was the dual timeline that allowed the reader to really dive into their backstories, and this is where I became so attached to both Joe and Kate’s characters.

How was the pace?

This is a fast-paced story that had me flying through the pages, because I just had to know if they were “meant to be”.

Do you recommend this book?

I highly recommend reading this epic love story! It is just a must read and screams poolside or beach reading!

Thank you, Ballantine Books, for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.