Meant To Be by Tiffany King

MEANT TO BE by TIFFANY KING was one of those books that I read in one day. It was one of ‘those’ books! If you are an avid reader then you know what I mean! When you pick up a book and the very first paragraph grabs you immediately and you whisper to yourself “I’m not letting go until the very last word!” That’s what debut author Tiffany King’s new novel MEANT TO BE did to me!

The main character, Krista is incredibly intelligent, a model teenager with loving adoptive parents. Krista’s never had friends and keeps to herself, not out of preference but out of necessity. Krista is severely empathetic, unable to get to close to anyone without becoming overwhelmed by their emotions. She doesn’t just feel one emotion; she feels them all, sometimes to the point of making her physically ill. The only thing that has kept her sane are her nightly visits with an unknown boy she meets on a twilight beach in her dreams. He has the power to soothe her during these dreams so that she can go on to face another day. She’s had these dreams all her life yet she never sees his face but he is as familiar to her as her own self.

After a tragedy, Krista and her mother move to Santa Cruz, a place that Krista has always felt drawn to. It’s a special place where she immediately feels at home. The ocean and the beach soothe her but her dreams take a drastic turn the day she arrives in Santa Cruz. Despite Krista’s inner turmoil, she vows to make her life there as best as she can for her mother’s sake. Krista’s enrolled in a prestigious private school where she meets Samantha (Sam) and for the first time in her life she feels connected to a real person and has a true friend who not only understands her but also has the exact same empathy as Krista only she’s learned to control it. She also meets Mark, the boy in her dreams and the connection is instantaneous and powerful. It isn’t long before another joins their group. Questions start arising about how they all feel so connected. Things start to get seriously awry for the group and danger lurks around every corner. Supernatural/paranormal forces seem to be at work but will they find out the answers before something tears them apart?

There are a lot of things I liked about MEANT TO BE, I felt an instant connection with Krista when she said “Chocolate talked to my soul” (Location 294) and “There was nothing like the smell of books, both new and old. If someone ever bottled the smell, I would be all over it.” (Location 233) Now, here’s a girl I could hang with! She loves chocolate and the smell of books and reading! Aside from that, I liked how well developed all the characters were. They were ‘step off the page’ realistic and I fell in love with all of them and found myself rooting for them, crying with them and laughing out loud with them.

I do wish that I had gotten to know one of the characters a bit better and also would love to see this group continue their search and also research into their history. There are still a lot of unanswered questions which leads me to believe there will be a sequel. This would be most welcome to this reader.

In Summary, MEANT TO BE is a combination of all the things I love: paranormal romance, mystery, suspense, humor and intrigue plus some unforeseen plot twists and turns. It is an amazing book with exceptional characters, amazing plot and a great twist away from the usual fare of the genre.