I love Monica Murphy and this book made me realize I haven’t been reading her books for a while now. Shame on me! Also, you know how with some authors, you just know, you will enjoy the story so you just buy/request without even reading the synopsis so here goes my second strike. I didn’t read the synopsis and jumped on the opportunity for an e-ARC from Monica Murphy so when I was reading it, I didn’t know Meant to Be was the 4th book of The Callahans series (my shame continues…). Even though I didn’t read the previous books in the series, I enjoyed the story and now I will go back and read all the books in the series. If you read the One Week Girlfriend series by Monica Murphy, you will have a delightful surprise because this book is about Drew and Fable’s youngest daughter Ava and QB of the rival team Eli.
Being a daughter and a niece of two football legends, of course, football is one of the things Ava Callahan needs to be involved in. She is a cheerleader for Badgers, her high school’s cheer team. She has an amazing family and a good life but her life is pretty monotonous. However, her monotonous life becomes pretty complicated when she falls in love with a rival team, Mustangs’s QB, Eli Bennett. Eli is the definition of a bad boy with his trash-talking troublemaker ways. They were sneaking around and hiding their relationship since the beginning and when it comes out no one believes they have something real. When I say coming out, what I mean is blowing to their faces. Getting caught by Ava’s brother Jake results in a punching match and trash-talking. I was pissed at Jake’s attitude towards her relationship with Eli and how his remarks were super hurtful. I can see where he is coming from, the Eli he knows is a bad-mouthed troublemaker, but he could have trusted his sister or at least listen to her. So thanks to Jake and his mouth, Ava and Eli have a huge fight because Eli thinks Ava shared everything he told her with his brother. Eli feels betrayed and hurt. I felt really bad for Eli. Beneath the bad boy exterior lies a vulnerable, insecure boy who got abandoned by the ones closest to him. Adding being young to the pile makes him impulsive and defensive. It takes him a while to realize what he lost but he finds his way back to Ava. I adored Ava, she gives the silent good girl vibe but she is super feisty and protective. She doesn’t give up easily and fights for what she wants.
Meant to Be was an inspiring journey filled with love, heartbreak, growth. I am excited to see what will come next in the series. Maybe we will get Jackson and Ellie’s story next. I am really curious about Jackson and what is making him stay away from getting serious with the ladies.
- Would I recommend this book: Yes
- Would I re-read this book: Yes
- Would I read future books by this author: Yes
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡
e-ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase Links: Amazon | iBooks | Nook | Kobo
About Monica Murphy:
Monica Murphy is a New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling romance author. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and have sold over two million copies worldwide. Both a traditionally published and independently published author, she writes young adult, new adult and contemporary romance. She’s also known as USA Today bestselling author Karen Erickson.
A native Californian, she lives on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere with her husband, two kids, one dog, and four cats. When she’s not writing, she’s an assistant coach for her daughter’s high school cheer team, which is a two season sport. Meaning, she’s at practice with a bunch of teenage girls all the time. Or she’s at a football game. Or a basketball game. Maybe someday, she’ll even write about this experience.
Mia the Book Addict 