Meant to be Mine

Ever wonder what life would be like if destiny was mapped for you? If the possibilities of your life were in fact presented to you as a fait accompli rather than the results of your personal choices? Would this be liberating or terrifying? That is the central question faced by Edie, the main character of Hannah Orenstein’s Meant to Be Mine.

Edie, a stylist living in Manhattan, has kept herself out of romantic relationships, not because she was focusing on her career, but because her grandmother Gloria has successfully predicted the matches of everyone in her family. With Grandma Gloria’s prophecy informing her of the date that she will meet her one true romance, there is no need to shop around. In fact, it almost seems cruel to the suitors that are obviously not “the one”. However, as the fateful day and its aftermath unfold, Edie grows nervous that maybe Gloria’s rumored abilities have lead her astray – causing her to say goodbye to worthy mates in the past and pointing her in the wrong direction in the present.

Can she save her future?

At this point in the review I usually dive into a nice description of the love interest, but I would like to divert from that to focus on the MC, because the book diverts from what I think of as a typical romance structure. While it does follow a couple, there are many other love interests, both past and present, that appear and we are not always rooting for the one most frequently seen on the page. Similarly, while I can promise you there is a happy ending in store for Edie, it may not take the form you are expecting.

Which is a lesson the reader learns right along with the characters.

The book has several references to cultural and reform Judaism, but this is not the crux of the story and Edie is open to dating both Jews and non-Jews. The romance is closed door – meaning there is no graphic sex depicted on the page and it is safe for reading on the commute or in public spaces.

I enjoyed spending some time reflecting with Edie and pondering the what -ifs. Because sometimes the mystery is worth more than the sure thing.

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E Broderick is a writer and speculative fiction enthusiast. When not writing she enjoys epic games of trivial pursuit and baking. She currently lives in the U.S. but is eagerly awaiting the day a sentient spaceship offers to take her traveling around the galaxy.