June 2022

Those who follow Emily Giffin know that she loves the Kennedys and the Queen/monarchy. MEANT TO BE is a veiled and oh-so-fun look at John Jr. and his crazy romantic life right up to the time he falls head first in love.

Here Joseph S. Kingsley III (see what I mean about the veiled reference?) falls for a woman he meets by chance who is out of his social circle. Cate Cooper has a checkered past, which includes a stepfather who berates her and beats on her mom. She is discovered as a model, moves to New York and meets Joe there. He is impetuous and a true free spirit. His mom wants him destined for political life; his dad had been killed in an accident, so the family legacy all hinges on him. He has flunked the bar twice, has been photographed in a seemingly unending list of compromising positions, and has what we call “a reputation.” As drawn as she is to him, Cate wants to keep him at arm’s length. The book is just plain fun. We know this will dip in crazy directions, and there will be romantic and embarrassing moments. The media will be all over them. And they will try to outsmart them.

Both Joe’s mother and his best friend will cast doubts on the relationship, which will add appropriate tension. One will be amused by the way Joe’s mom handles their meeting. Cate will question being good enough for Joe, and in fact she will wonder how she can hurt him professionally. His best female friend will cast her own doubt later in the book.

But ahhhh the romance; it’s just pure fun escape, and we all need that once in a while. I confess that I wondered how it would end; we all know the way that John Jr.’s life ended. No spoilers here, but it so well done.

Amusingly, I rarely, if ever, dream about books, but one night this week I found myself dreaming about Cate trying to make it back to Joe. There was a storm, and cell service was out. She stopped in some dicey places. Well, if they ever make a film of this, we can see if my extra scenes make it into the story when it becomes “Hollywood-ized.”

This book belongs on beach, pool and lake lounge chairs this summer. It’s what I call “a romp of a read”!