Meant to Be
by Jo Knowles (Goodreads Author)
Ivy loves living in her apartment building because her best friends are right down the hall, but the rest of her family is hoping to move away to a nicer house. Her best friend, Alice, gets some bad news and Ivy tries to cheer her up but ends up always saying the wrong thing and hurting Alice’s feelings. Ivy feels terrible, but doesn’t know how to make things right again. Ivy hopes that they can bond again through their favorite cooking show.
This was such a cute little book! Ivy’s narrative voice was a little more juvenile than I was expecting, but I found her very relatable and sweet. I remember always feeling like I said the wrong thing when I was a kid, and not knowing how to fix it. I love the excellent writing style! Ivy’s voice is very distinct and memorable.
However, I felt like the plot moved way too slow. This book could have been condensed, and I think that would have fit the narrative style to appeal to younger readers. Especially since Ivy is nine years old, a shorter book would have been more in keeping with the age range for the target audience. Plus it just seemed like several plot points and similar scenes were repeated over and over. The emotional arc just took too long to get to the point.
I loved all the little details of Ivy’s family and her friendships and all her hobbies. But I didn’t need all the superfluous details about every single neighbor in the apartment building. It is very well-written, but a little too much for this type of book.
Overall, this is a sweet book that I enjoyed very much!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
Luminous Libro 