*Love and Other Great Expectations by Becky Dean

*Love and Other Great Expectations puts romance in its place as part of life’s great adventure (but not all of it).

Love and Other Great Expectations by Becky Dean. Delacorte, 2022, 368 pages.

Reading Level: Teen, ages 12-15

Recommended for: ages 14-up

A “Unique Opportunity”

Britt Hanson is a doer, not a scholar. Until recently she relied on her soccer skills to get her into college, but “Dreams are like knees—you don’t realize how fragile they are until something rips them to shreds.” Blowing out a knee also blows up her scholarship. The near future looks bleak until she’s invited to participate in a “Unique Opportunity.” Her English teacher Ms. Carmichael, who happens to be English and surprisingly wealthy, is making four of her students an offer to participate in a literary scavenger hunt in the UK, all expenses paid. And the winner will receive $100,000.

Never mind that Britt may be the least literary of Ms. Carmichael’s students; it’s an offer she can’t refuse. And if she wins, her college dilemma is solved. Her three competitors include a former friend and a sworn enemy, but a far more significant character appears in the person of Luke Jackson, her chaperone’s cousin, who is currently at loose ends and looking for occupation. Luke is bookish, quiet, and thoughtful—Britt’s opposite, but he’s also cute and dryly witty. What’s more, he seems as drawn to Britt’s flamboyant personality as she is to his subdued one. Sparks will fly, but also restraint and even wisdom. Love isn’t everything, as Luke observes: “We realize this world alone can’t satisfy and there’s more to life than what we see.”

An educational journey

He’s paraphrasing C. S. Lewis, of course, and Lewis plays a part in the scavenger hunt, as do Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen, Tolkien, Doyle, and Chaucer. Self-discovery plays a larger part, and falling in love—or at least, intense like—is not all the equation. It’s in relationship that we discover ourselves, and find the courage to face disappointment and anticipate new adventures. Luke is a large part of Britt’s new adventure, and he’s perhaps a little too sensitive and understanding (also, we don’t need to notice his cute dimple so often). But Britt is nicely complex and an entertaining narrator. To have Shakespeare, et al. along for the ride adds to the fun and even to the education.

Overall Rating: 4.5

• Worldview/moral value: 4.5
• Artistic/literary value: 4.5

Read more about our ratings here.                 

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Resource: See how our tastes change from teenhood to adulthood, in “Those Love Stories We Loved.”
• Reflection: Thoughts about “The State of Teen Romance” from 8 years ago; also “Five Red Flags to Watch for in YA Christian Romance.”

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