Beatle Meets Destiny

by Gabrielle Williams

Imagine your name is John Lennon, only everyone calls you Beatle.

And then you meet your Dream girl and her name is Destiny McCartney.

But what if you're already with the perfect girl?

A novel about change, chance and everybody doing the wrong thing.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Teen, Australia

291 pages, Paperback

First published August 3, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Gabrielle Williams has worked in recording studios, advertising and television. Her first novel for young adults, Beatle Meets Destiny, was shortlisted for two literary awards in 2010.

Reviews

[Lora · Rating 2 out of 5]

I literally feel more disappointment with myself for not liking this than I do with this book for letting me down. I never begin reading a book thinking that I'll dislike it; I read for enjoyment, not self-torture. And since this is realistic fiction, a genre which has quickly risen to top position on my favorites list, and since it is written by an Australian author, and since the opinions of some of the people I'm closest to here on this website are so high and positive, I believed that Beatle Meets Destiny would be a shoo-in for me. An instant five star book. I hate being wrong, but I especially hated it this time.

Although it would be fair to say that high expectations played a role in my ultimate disappointment, I know I still would've been just as disappointed had my expectations been low going in. I can't believe I'm saying this about an Aussie book, but I did not like this. It started out great, but then it started to wane for me, and it went down hill fast.

One of my biggest problems with cheaters is how utterly selfish they are. They want the best of both worlds: they want to have the nice, perfect girlfriend/boyfriend to show off to family and friends; but they also want another person on the side with whom they can indulge in all of their lusty whims. Somehow they seem to find it more exciting to be with someone who is forbidden. But if they left the person they're already with, the forbidden-fruit factor would be gone. This populous world would go back to being a free market, and the fun would be over. And they never stop to think about the people who spend their whole lives alone, not even while they have multiple lovers. I could never be that way, but my biological father was, among many other wretched things, a cheater. That being said, there are still situations in which I can understand cheating and be fine with it. Very few, but some nonetheless. For this reason and others, I believed that in the case of Beatle Meets Destiny, it would be one of the few I could stand. Unfortunately, not so much.
For me, Beatle and Destiny's "relationship" is blackened by the fact that he's with someone else and refuses to let that someone go before beginning another relationship. I can understand that he doesn't want to hurt Cilla by breaking up with her, but like all cheaters, doesn't he realize that finding out he's with another girl will hurt more than anything?

Now, I don't want people who read this to think that my prejudice against cheaters is the sole reason why this book didn't work for me, because it's not. In all truth, had there been no cheating of any sort, I'd still have given this two stars. Because a) I didn't see any chemistry between Beatle and Destiny. For me, it was like they only started going out because of the coincidence of their names and the fact that Destiny has big lips; b) I wasn't able to connect or empathize with any of the characters; and c) The characters were, IMO, boring and didn't possess enough personality for me to invest any interest in their story and outcome. So in the end, this was really just OK for me.

If you've read this review and you're still interested in this book (which you should be! opinions are subjective), maybe you'd like to read some positive opinions here, here, and here. And I truly hope you enjoy this more than I did.

[Nomes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beatle Meets Destiny has all the makings of an Aussie YA cult classic.

Set in Melbourne, it's completely charming with it's off-beat feel, whimsical yet sexy romance and huge belly-aching moments. This book is ridiculously good, refreshing, original and completely addictive.

What's it about? In Gabrielle's words taken from We Love YA:
I threw my two main characters together with a kiss at the end of the first chapter, and then added an extra girlfriend, a stalker, a stolen tapestry, a teacher/student romance, some superstitions, astrology, feng shui and a kooky mother and it all kind of kicked along from there.

And what a sweet, sexy, inspirational kiss it is :)


My attempt @ a mini synopsis/teaser thingy: Beatle meets Destiny and and she's charming and he's hot and they kiss and have it going on... only Beatle already has a girlfriend of three years, who's sweet and stuck by him though some intense stuff. Meanwhile, Destiny gets herself all tangled up with a stalker and some arty drama with her next-door neighbour and Beatle finds his sister making out with his English teacher (who just happens to be Destiny's older brother). There's lots about twins (so funny! Beatle's a twin, but two months older than his sister) and some laughs about astrology and fate and a large cast of friends and family who each have their own pocket of individuality to add.

There's tension about what will happen with the mess Beatle makes for himself, but even as it builds, it's so quirky and whimsical and teenager-y that you're just enjoying the ride and the tension is a niggling feeling lurking behind the mayhem of it all.

The characters are theatrical and kooky and I love them for leaping off the page and into my heart. I want to hang out with them :)

It has a Moriarty-esque feel about it. The seemingly random threads all tying together in a belly-aching, extraordinarily twisted and awesome way. The climax is one of the best I've ever read. So funny it was almost painful, so cringe-y (for poor poor Beatle) that I almost couldn't bear to read it. So brilliant that it left me stunned - how did she co-ordinate it so well?


Also, the dialogue: snappingly awesome and witty and whimsical and just. so. true.

Did I mention that I grinned and laughed a lot? And that I read it in one afternoon and re-read most of it the following day?

If I could, I'd put a copy of this book in everyone's hands and the world would be a brighter place :)

5 stars of whimsical brilliance and a place of honour with my favourite books of all time

Stuff you should know

Beatle Meets Destiny is being made into a major feature film (and while the book is set in Melbourne, they're thinking of doing the shoot in Ireland)!

It's also a 2010 notable for CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia).

And, on the short-list for the Prime Ministers Award (which comes with a $100 000 tax free prize). It's up against Stolen, but I'm totally rooting for Beatle Meets Destiny to win (and Stolen can win CBCA :) Stolen was powerful and lingering, but Beatle is quirky and cool and totally my thing.

Also, selected for the Books Alive Campaign - one of the 50 books you can't put down.

The best thing about being nom'ed for the biggest Australian awards is every respectable public library in Australia should carry the book (as part of national book week, Aug).

[Reynje · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know the ”expectations vs. reality” scene in 500 Days of Summer? When Tom arrives at Summer’s party, all heartbreakingly optimistic in his suit, holding his thoughtful gift, then the screen splits, and his vision of a romantic reunion plays out alongside the bitterly prosaic actual events?

Reading Beatle Meets Destiny was a little like that for me. Theoretically, this book should have charmed the figurative pants off me. And I wanted it to. But the reality was, I felt a bit all-dressed-up in eager anticipation, yet with nowhere truly exciting to go. All the while, I couldn’t shake a lingering desire for something more than what I was reading. (And a suspicion that this book only liked me for my reading skills and not my personality. Ha ha.)

This is not to say that it wasn’t a good experience – because I had a good time with Beatle Meets Destiny. As a hipsterific YA full of uniquely Australian culture references and a bang-on-realistic teenage vibe – it’s full of win. I loved the style it was written in - the omniscient, third person voice is strong enough to be a character in its own right. Full of tongue-in-cheek, dry humour, quirky asides and sharp wit, it fleshes out the story, giving it a certain unusual charm that prevents this from being a pedestrian teen rom-com. Basically, the writing makes me think that Gabrielle Williams must be one super-cool, riotously funny lady, and I really enjoyed the way she chose to relate the story.

In fact, Beatle Meets Destiny reads like, if not precisely a love letter to Melbourne, at the very least, a flirty note passed in class, complete with a cheeky invitation to pash behind the bike sheds during second break. You can tell that Williams adores this place, and knows it like the back of her hand, sliding into the writing plenty of references to Melbourne icons as well as lesser-known local hangouts. There’s a saying about Sydney and Melbourne (the two big sisters in the family of Australian cities): that Sydney was endowed with all the good looks, so Melbourne has to turn on the personality to generate appeal. I’m inclined to agree with that. The Yarra is no Sydney Harbour, but Melbourne’s got character in scads. Coffee-drinking, bike-riding, record-spinning, vintage-wearing scads. Williams works this into her book very naturally, which adds to the feeling that this story is something that could be happening in real time, just around the corner.

(Although – I have one small bone to pick here – the reference to the number 16 tram going near the Elwood Canal really bugged me. It doesn’t go anywhere near there! So I’m inclined to think this was written as a sneaky way to slip in the “near canal – far canal” joke. For those without the accent, “far canal” with the right inflection sounds like you’re cussing. Anyway, Melbourne rant over.)

Structurally, the book follows both Beatle and Destiny, occasionally split with small, interview-style excerpts. These at first seem unrelated, but eventually draw a thread through the book, trying up into a knot of an “aha!” moment at the end.

From the opening tram-stop “meet-cute” of the titular characters, the story takes up the idea of meeting someone so right when the timing couldn’t be more wrong. It’s a sly take on a contemporary young adult romance, twisting the usual formula with the addition of superstition and star signs, stalkers, skateboarding, secret rendezvous’ and the hazards of keeping multiple secrets.

I have to say, the cheating element of the story didn’t really bother me, as such, because I feel that the characters and the way they were rendered were fairly accurate and believable. As Shirley says much more eloquently in her review, I doubt this is a dissection of the moral ins and outs of infidelity. There’s more than one relationship of dubious ethical nature in this book, but I don’t get the feeling Williams is critiquing whether these situations are “wrong” or “right”. She’s telling a story about characters who get caught up in a web of choices and deception. Of course, I don’t condone Beatle’s actions – but I think he was emotionally immature as opposed to wilfully malicious. Contrary to popular YA fiction, high school is not all sparkly boys and literally undying love. People do incredibly foolish, impulsive, stupid things all the time.

On this point though – I found Beatle simultaneously endearing and incredibly frustrating. There was so much about him as a character that I liked (“lyk’d”.. ha ha) – yet his persistent unwillingness to take decisive action for himself made me more than a little cross with him at times. When it comes down to it, Destiny felt like the stronger person in this story. Sure, she does plenty of irresponsible things (tapestries and newspaper ads, anyone?) but in the end, Destiny has the guts to stand up and mess with the bull (so to speak – sorry Mrs McCartney) even when she knows she’s about to get the horns.

There was a lot about Beatle Meets Destiny that I loved: the banter between the characters, the twin trivia, the quirky families, the interplay of the plot threads. At times this book felt so familiar I found myself laughing aloud, and Williams definitely nails infatuation in all its hilarious, cringe-worthy, fluttery moments. But there was a slightness of feeling here that I can’t overlook. On the surface, there’s a lot of fun to be had. Deeper than that – I found it a little wanting. I was entertained by the characters, but not massively invested in them. And some parts felt a tiny bit as if the “quirk” factor was being laboured, to the point of coming across slightly contrived (particularly the final scene with the “sign”.) But my major complaint is to do with one of the secondary characters, who gets rather shafted (in more ways than one). I felt as if she deserved more than a paragraph brush-off, considering the fact that almost the entire plot hinges on her existence.

So while my high expectations for Beatle Meets Destiny went a little unrealised and we didn’t fall madly in love and ride the number 16 tram off into the St Kilda sunset (as I am not classy enough for Kew) – it does have the makings of a fun Aussie classic, and it showed me a good time.

Finally, reading this book, and the subsequent review would not have been the same without the absolute pleasure of reading along with gorgeous Shirley Marr (Team Reynley!). Ms Marr's inimitable brilliance is on display here

Bonus Round!

As if this review wasn’t already long enough, and just because I can – gratuitous Melbourne photos from Beatle Meets Destiny locations:

St Kilda Botanical Gardens



The Espy



Melbourne skyline from near the Elwood Canal



Bonus Round 2

If I was going to nominate a song for this book, I’d choose Good Intent by Kimbra, Because (a) Kimbra’s based in Melbourne and (b) I think it’s a good fit for Beatle’s little situation..

[L A i N E Y (will be back) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really I don't remember the last time I was this intrigued by the synopsis.

[Arlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I was ever asked if I could fall for a male protag that was a cheater, accidental stalker, and a former pot smoker, I’d respond HELL.TO.THE.NOOO! So leave it to an Aussie writer like Gabrielle Williams to work her literary magic with Beatle Meets Destiny and create a cast of fully flawed characters that had me rooting for them the entire time.

This book is filled with hot mess guys and girls that share their hilarious, slightly cringing story and leave you with an awe-inspiring feeling that you won’t soon forget. Applause to these brilliant Aussie writers for penning books filled with magic, love and laughter. Beautifully done!

The main character in this novel is named John Lennon… aka… Beatle and on an off chance day, he stumbles across Destiny and not just any Destiny but Destiny McCartney. What are the chances? Well, did I happen to mention it’s also Friday the 13th? Yeah, well that’s how stars align sometimes, right? So after some great conversation and an unforgettable kiss, Beatle finds himself in a quandary. See he has a girlfriend, and she’s great, and she also stood by him while he recovered from an uncommon stroke for his age that left him with a limp and a slightly bruised ego after a string of bad luck. So what’s a guy to do? I’ll tell you… make a bad situation even worse after it’s all said and done. LOVED.IT.TO.PIECES!!

I recommend this book to absolutely everyone that enjoys YA contemporary. I read it so quickly and enjoyed it completely that it’s definitely moved to my top shelf of faves. Absolutely awesome!

Finally, the last scene where Beatle walks out of the theater holding hands with that certain someone, this song played in my head:
Song Choice: Best of Me - Sum 41

Favorite Quote I won’t soon forget.
Life throws up lots of stuff at you. You’ve already had more than your fair share for an eighteen-year-old, but as life goes on, you’re going to have other hard times. And the hard times are good in their own way, too. Because the only way you can achieve true happiness is if you experience true sadness as well. It’s all light and shade. Balance.

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favourite Quote: 'You know what they say about mistakes though,' she said, all breathy and half-lipsy. 'It's the only way you ever learn anything.' And she leant forward and kissed him. Right there, in the middle of the bar. Right there, in the middle of his lips.

This book marches to it's own beat! Beatle Meets Destiny is a little bit quirky, completely original but absolutely brilliant.

Right from the start this book was was a lot of fun. In the first chapter we learn Beatle has a twin who was born on a different day in a different year (I know what you are thinking it make no sense but trust me it does). This book made me laugh so hard I am glad that I wasn't reading it in public.

Not only do you laugh but you get caught up in the emotional mess of Beatle and Destiny's lives. Making you want to savour every word but at the same time rush to the end to know that everything is going to work out okay.

Beatle, I didn't expect to love him as much as I did. I mean the guy has a girlfriend (who is super nice) and he is kissing another girl. But Beatle was a little bit different in a good way (he had this strange quirk about Friday 13th), he is witty and of course handsome. And the whole kissing another girl thing well I completely understood why Beatle did it.

Destiny, is the artistic type who is up for anything kind of girl (she applied for a stalker position!). She also is a little bit quirky in her own way (she writes star signs for a local magazine and based on her large and crazy family). They are both really hard to describe but are impossible not to love.

And the secondary character they were just as well developed and as interesting. I especially liked Beatle sister, Winsome with her snarky attitude. I am hoping William's writes a book about her.

There were also some funny conversations that brought back lots of memories for me that Destiny had with her best friends about signs in any given situation. 'If I see a yellow car in the next five minutes that means Josh likes me'. Also listing all the reason why he possibly didn't call 'I know what happened,' Mathilde said, clicking her fingers again. 'He's had a terrible accident and can't call because he's broken his hands'. I couldn't help but laugh because when I was a teenager, my friends and I would have the exact same conversation. So I do think Williams has captures teen life perfectly.

Overall this is an outstanding book that everybody needs to read!

[Isamlq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something must be in the water over there because so far every YA Aussie book I’ve read has left me wanting more. I haven’t laughed this hard and this long in quiet some time. Beatle meets Destiny has not one but two characters who are smart but don’t act like it. Beatle is an asshole.. but an asshole who makes me laugh. Destiny too makes me laugh but not quite for the same reasons.

It starts on a Friday, not on any ordinary Friday, but on one of those infamous Friday the thirteenth’s. One would think that its being a thirteenth wouldn’t be a big deal, but it is and was to Beatle, who is very superstitious. He meets Destiny, who according to him could be the yin to his yang. Except he happens to be dating his twin sister’s best friend. It would be quiet unfair of me to cut things there but to go on would spoil the fun that is Beatle and Destiny. But I reiterate: they are smart but don’t act like it. A series of events, a lot of misinterpretation and jumping the gun on both sides equals me laughing out aloud at the oddest of moments.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every positive thing you've heard about this book is true. It's funny, fast and extremely clever.

Beatle is among the most, if not THE most, loveable male character I've ever come across in a book. (Although admittedly he has to duke it out with Seb and Charlie from Finding Cassie Crazy and Jesse and Jonah from Break first.) All this while he's two-timing his girlfriend, wishing said girlfriend would dump him and generally behaving in a way that would have made me want to smack him over the head if Williams hadn't written him with such genuine love and delicate humour. Instead of making me want to scream at him "YOU COWARDLY WEASEL STOP WEASELLING OUT OF EVERYTHING!!!!", he made me want to say to him, "Beatle, honey, I know you're trying your best, but YOU REALLY ARE MAKING THINGS *SO MUCH* WORSE FOR YOURSELF." This isn't "He's Just Not That Into You", but I could really understand his feelings of frustration towards Cilla and his bottled-up feelings towards the situation even though they would seem unbelievably unsympathetic if I wrote them down here. Beatle's plight was so well written that, even though it technically WAS all his own fault, it all felt completely understandable and sympathetic for me. I had an intense amount of love and sympathy for Beatle by the end of the book.

Also, a preachy interlude: I loved how they handled Beatle's stroke. It could have been so much less sensitive but it was amazingly well-done. I felt that Williams really did it with this one. The reaction of Beatle's mum to it (thinking that it was something good for him) might seem unrealistic to guys who've never experienced something like that. I've had physical problems (thank God not a stroke) and both Beatle's mum's attitude and Beatle's attitude towards his situation were absolutely pitch perfect to me. Beatle's mum's attitude is also just like my own mum's, so I could really relate to that part of the book. It was so lovely to see it dealt with in a mature and serious way without angst.

Beatle and Destiny were a gorgeous couple. They had perfect chemistry. And Destiny was a brilliant, amazing female character. I LOVED how they made her rich but not in a spoiled-princess way - such a refreshing way to deal with affluent teens! Williams has a way of getting her characters into unbelievable predicaments that feel totally organic and believable. For instance: Destiny and her friend stealing the lawn chair from Destiny's neighbour. I loved, loved, loved this subplot. It had me writhing in a OH GOD DESTINY WHY ARE YOU BEING SO REAL AND STUPID? way. Destiny's friends were also awesome. Williams has the perfect teenage voice - if I just wrote down, "well, Destiny stole a lawn chair from her neighbour", you guys would just be like "waaaah? why should I want to read this?" But, no, somehow, Williams does it. She makes Destiny's accidental thievery (yes, really) of the lawn chair seem like the world-stopping thing it was for Destiny to the audience, too.

(Two tiny nitpicks that I'm putting in here because I didn't want to spoil the end of the review. I didn't like the spelling/grammar of "Omigod." For some reason, and no, I don't understand it either, I read it as "oh-me-god." And I hate that. I also had the misfortune of picking up an American copy from Amazon, so I had to deal with the fact that all the characters said "mum" but the narrative wrote "mom" when they weren't speaking. That bugged me. I would have prefered that they'd just left it at "mum", because the book is Australian, after all.)

...which brings me quite nicely to my next point. I loved the Australian-ness of the whole story. I hate reading about books set in Britain for some reason (I'm British, maybe that's it?) and I like books set in America, but I've decided that my new settingcrush is Australia. Between VARIOUS THINGS THAT COULD KILL ME, I could never go, but a lovely book like Beatle Meets Destiny is the perfect way to experience it. I loved how Williams embraced her setting. I really felt that I was reading an *Australian* book, and I really liked it.

Something that is so rare in YA books is for the writer to truly embrace the spirit of farce that manages to be extremely funny without being cartoonish and still keeping the readers' emotions. BEATLE MEETS DESTINY is a masterclass at that. I was actually howling with laughter during the consequences of Destiny going to own up about the lawn chair, and causing the choking incident. The climax is a masterwork of emotionally-involving, true cringing-but-laughing reading. (Trust me: I hate cringe comedy. Somehow, Williams created the best cringe comedy I've ever read.) From Beatle's fearful nightmares of what would happen if he owned up to two-timing Destiny and Cilla (especially the imagined reaction of Frank), to Beatle ranting furiously at the guy who crashed into them and convincing himself that twin sister Winsome was Destiny's family's stalker, I was squawking and thinking, "oh dear God, what now?" throughout the entire book.

The humorous repetition of "deny deny deny" as arc words through the book struck me, too. As a concept, I looooove arc words for some reason, and "deny deny deny" fitted perfectly with this novel's themes and characters.

I've heard some criticism of the stalker subplot. In my opinion, this was perfect in the book. Only because there was a layer of darkness that racheted up the tension just a little bit, raising the stakes a little (probably helped that I was constantly fearful of something happening to Beatle) which was perfect to keep it from falling into the too-cutesy trap (which it never did). Also, I loved the added farce of the entire situation, I can't help it. Williams never gets too dark or too serious, but it raises the tensions just that little bit more.

But the secondary characters are fantastic, as well, and almost steal Destiny's thunder at times. (Sorry, I love Beatle too much.) Special mention goes to Frank, Destiny's brother, Beatle's teacher and Winsome's boyfriend as well as her teacher (yep, it's that kind of book) who owned my favourite scene in the entire novel. It's the one where Beatle finally explains what's going on to him after he's been arrested and they're in Destiny's kitchen, and Frank's reaction to it made me hoot.

To top this all off, Williams manages poignancy, somewhere within all the humour and the pulling together of plot strands and general awesomeness that drenched BEATLE MEETS DESTINY. Winsome and Beatle's contribution to the twin tales was my favourite, especially the one where Winsome revealed her reaction to Beatle's stroke, but Beatle's relationship with his mum was also moving for me, as was the scene where Beatle blew up at the guy who crashed into him with added humour value. Reading about the night of Beatle's stroke really upset me too.

She brings everything together just beautifully, as well. It's quite magical to see all the plot twists unravelling and piling up on one another in a way that usually made me cringe, laugh or some combination of both. Many stuff genuinely surprised me, and I love feeling that in a book. From Lally and Beatle's mum to the lawn chair to the dog to the stalker to Beatle and Destiny and Winsome and Frank - it all comes together into one of my very favourites.

To summarise: GAHHH! AWWW!

[YA Reads Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are lots of interesting things about Beatle. His name isn’t really Beatle, for one, but the name ‘Beatle’ is a pretty fitting nickname, since his real name is actually John Lennon – for real. Beatle’s eccentric, astrological crazed mother is a huge fan of the pop group, The Beatles, and I reckon that’s all I need to say about that!

Another interesting thing about Beatle is the fact that he’s a twin, but he’s no ordinary twin. Beatle’s sister, Winsome, was born 45 days after Beatle, making her birthday fall on a completely different day, in a completely different year to Beatle’s. How many twins can say that about themselves?

And then there’s Beatle’s limp. Beatle had a stroke a couple of years ago and his gimp walk is something that is a constant reminder of his ordeal. A stroke sounds like something only old people experience, but Beatle is living proof that old people’s health problems can plague the youthful, too. I reckon all these things together make Beatle one pretty interesting character.

Then, on freaky Friday the 13th, in a remarkable twist of fate, Beatle meets Destiny, and his story gets even more interesting…

Destiny McCartney can’t freaking believe that this Beatle guy’s name is really John Lennon. I mean, come on, how trippy is that? He she is, Destiny McCartney, just minding her own business at the bus stop after a disastrous Friday afternoon, and along comes John Lennon. Of course, he’s not the real John Lennon – the musical genius – but you have to admit, it’s pretty freaky all the same. The irony is certainly not wasted on her, or him, for that matter.

There are lots of interesting things about Destiny, too. She’s the second youngest sibling in a family of nine kids. Although most of her siblings are in their twenties and beyond, a lot of them still live at home. I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in a house full of so much chaos!

Another interesting thing about Destiny is that she’s always up for a bit of fun. In a bout of boredom one afternoon, Destiny and her friends answer a ‘Stalker Wanted’ advertisement in their local newspaper, thinking that the person who paid for the advertisement is the one who wants a stalker, but then a whole bunch of crazy things start happening to Destiny and her family and she realises that maybe, just maybe, she’s made a huge mistake. What kind of person answers a ‘Stalker Wanted’ advertisement anyway?

The most interesting thing about Beatle and Destiny, though, is not how much they like each other, but how much their lives are already so intertwined, and they have absolutely no idea. Beatle and Destiny’s freak meeting on that uneventful Friday afternoon proves that maybe fate has a little more control over our lives than we really care to admit. Some people are just meant to be.

Beatle Meets Destiny is a belly aching, hilarious read. Destiny and Beatle are such unique characters and their story is like a breath of very fresh air. Set in Melbourne, Australia, Beatle and Destiny’s story flows effortlessly off the page into what felt like was a real-life drama. This is one book that I think would make a rocking, Indie Australian film. I hope someone out there in film-land thinks the same one day.

This is Gabrielle Williams first novel for young adult and I sincerely hope that it is not her last. I’d recommend this book to anyone, of any age, gender, or nationality.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first began reading this book, I had an instant connection – with the story, the characters, everything. I don’t think I’ve ever had a connection so early on with a book, and I especially loved the first chapter of Beatle Meets Destiny. It was striking and grabbed my attention. In the first chapter, we learn Beatle has a twin who was born on a different day, in a different year (sounds mind boggling, but it makes sense if you read the book, trust me). This among other things is what made this book so interesting, captivating and fun to read!

Above I mention that I had a connection very early on in this book and that would be due to the amazing characters. After just a chapter, I was intrigued and loved the way the author talked about and described both Beatle and Destiny. Especially Destiny, as the author, Gabrielle Williams depicted her beautifully, and somehow managed to make her flaws seem completely attractive. Here’s what I’m talking ‘bout:

‘Spanish, or something, with a strong, straight nose, and an over-large mouth, and when she spoke you expected an accent, but there was no accent. Instead, there was a lisp. Or not really a lisp, but a slight sibilant sssomething underlining each of her words. As if her tongue was a fraction too big for her both.’

Some people might not really like Beatle and the cheating aspect of this book, but I didn’t have a problem with it. You might think this is just another, average story about a guy getting away with two timing. Yes and no. Yes, he cheats. But, unlike other books I’ve read, Beatle isn’t two timing for the sake of two timing! He’s just been lucky enough to find two beautiful girls, and is now stuck with the difficult decision of what to do.

Quirky characters, a fun plot, laugh out loud moments. I’m sure you’ll love this Aussie read.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much to love about this book.

Okay, I'm biased because I'm a Melbourne boy, and this book is very Melbourne (in the same vein as Metzenthen's equally wonderful Jarvis 24) and really struck a chord with me.

This book finds a perfect balance - wonderfully understated yet brimming with attitude, inventive without being contrived, outrageously-flawed yet very real characters, and stupidly romantic without being gushy. And there's a sublime poignancy about family, which kinda sneaks up on you without you noticing it.

Of course, I wouldn't recommend that readers go out and cheat on their partners with the next person they meet at the tram stop. But at the heart of this book is an important message that it's sometimes okay to take risks, and go with your gut feeling.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read a whole lot of Australian YA. As an American, my access to Australian YA seems limited to books by Melina Marchetta and Markus Zusak. I don't complain, as Zusak is a fabulous author, and I have yet to read Marchetta but I hear she is excellent too.Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams was my first taste of Aussie Contemporary YA and I have to say, I highly enjoyed it.
Read the rest of my review here

[Jessica Lewenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
Really cute, but I hate love stories where the guy (or girl) already has a girl(boy)friend. Cheating is never romantic. It's dicky. It's gross. That was my biggest turn-off with this book.

I want to thank Shirley and Reynje for their awesome commentary of this book. I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise (the cover is pretty lackluster, and the summary on the back of the book is just... boring.)

[Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

I always have the hardest time talking about books that I absolutely adored. Gabrielle Williams is quickly shaping up to be one of my favourite Aussie authors at this rate, after having relishing in her latest novel, My Life as a Hashtag. I was surprised when Beatle Meets Destiny managed to far surpass any prior expectations I may have had (yes, I would pick this book over Hashtag!), and it may yet have landed on my top 5 for the year! One thing that I feel gives this book the upper hand is the timeless feel to it - even though it was written back in 2009 I felt like my reading experience of it would have been exactly the same back then: no social media stuff or technology that could date it.

Beatle Meets Destiny is a delectable conglomeration of fate and happenstance, superstition, astrology, twins, friends, love, skateboarding, stalkers, Year 12 life, and perfectly captured Melbourne-ness! I am so glad that I am reading more Aussie books so that I can stumble upon masterpieces crafted by the like Gabrielle Williams. If you have not read anything by her yet, seriously I implore you to rectify that post-haste!

In Gabrielle Williams' debut YA novel, we are introduced to a classic boy-meets-girl story: John 'Beatle' Lennon stumbles upon Destiny McCartney at a local tram stop late one Friday the 13th, right before Valentine's Day. One crazy coincidence follows the next in one of the most satisfyingly dizzying and magical stories of happenstance to date: the next day, Destiny walks into the coffee shop where Beatle works at, which also happens to be on the other side of town, and if she had gone in 7 minutes later they would have missed each other. And so on. The only thing is, Beatle already has a girlfriend.

[Full review to come on the blog.]

[♥ Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the idea behind the story. I liked that Beatle was so superstitious, and that Beatle meets Destiny on Friday the 13th. But I hated the fact that Beatle ended up cheating on his girlfriend, Cilla. Also, Beatle’s twin sister, Winsome, was so one-dimensional; actually, all of the characters were. They were all so boring & predictable.

Perhaps it was my nagging conscience holding me back from embracing this truly cutesy story, but I doubt it. Even if Beatle didn’t cheat on Cilla, Beatle & Destiny’s relationship would have still been a snooze-fest. I can’t recall specific moments I thought were cute, or sweet, or full of chemistry. I can only recall being plagued with ultimate boredom, contemplating on if I should give up on the book, or stick with it.

I kind of regret sticking with it, as it felt like a tremendous waste of time. The little coincidences were somewhat cute, but too over the top, and extreme for my taste. I would’ve preferred something more subtle, but undeniably written-in-the-stars. Stuff that didn't feel like Forced Fate. Blegh. Beatle & Destiny’s relationship was boring, juvenile, cheesy, and dirty (in that “cheating” way); a huge let down all around.

[Skye · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is also posted on my blog, In The Good Books.

I was captivated right from beginning, from the explanation of Beatle and his twin sister being born six weeks apart. Scattered throughout the book were interviews with other twins with interesting and entertaining stories to tell, which we later find out go into a documentary Beatle and his sister feature in.

You fall in love with Beatle and Destiny as soon as you meet them. Perspective between them alternates, and you hear both of their unique stories. There is so much chemistry between the pair and their conversations are hilarious.

I loved the superstitious themes, I loved Beatle and Destiny's juxtaposed family dynamics, and I loved the narration that felt perfectly true to the teenaged characters.

But what I did I love the most about this book? The setting! I've never read a book set where I live. It was weird (in the best way possible) to have been to and know about all the places the characters go.

Beatle Meets Destiny is quirky, cute, funny, (especially the stalker plot) unconventional love story. It's short and light, and I give it a 5 out of 5.

[nightlyreadingheather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed at http://www.nightlyreading.wordpress.com


This was a hilarious and quirky book!

Beatle's real name is John Lennon, but everyone just calls him Beatle. Destiny's last name is McCartney. Anyone whom is a Beatles fan, would totally get the irony in this. Beatle is very superstitious and Destiny is not sure if her name truly fits her. On Friday, the 13th, their world's collide and all the trouble begins!!!

I actually cannot express how mush I enjoyed this book! I loved the little skits in between the chapters with the different relationships between twins. Also, the fact that Beatle and his sister were interviewed last. I enjoyed Destiny's friends. They were a hilarious group!!! Alsways finding a way to get into trouble. I also really liked the fact that the writer lets you really get into Beatles head, and some of his thoughts are belly laughing funny!

The cover to this book is really eye catching. I loved the red and the hearts. (I am a sucker for hearts)

I would personally like to send out a big THANK YOU to Gabrielle Williams for writing this fun, quirky and fresh book! I would highly recommend it to anyone.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Gorgeous Gorgeous book (repetition intentional).

There were some fabulous 'Fawlty Towers' moments that had me laughing and cringing at the same time :)

I am loving Australian YA Fiction, it has been a breathe of fresh air after my recent YA Grief bender...

[Bek · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up from a local book-swap as a joke. I found the blurb so utterly ridiculous I knew I had to read it. You could say... it was destiny.

The amount of superstition and coincidence in this book is probably going to give me bad luck for the rest of my life. You know how crazy events in fiction can be excused with fictional plausibility? That was most certainly not the case here.

There was so much filler. So, so much filler. You can tell that the premise alone wasn't enough to carry this book, so a bunch of mundane scenes with Beatle and Destiny were dumped in for 'character development', or maybe 'character recession'—hard to tell.

The whole 'twin thing' anecdotes every few chapters wasn't my cup of tea and it didn't blend particularly well with the rest of the story; it was very loosely tied in at the end. And why's that? So we can have another crazy coincidence! It must be fate.

But hey, it had its moments. When it wasn't boring, it was laughably stupid. That's the one reason I ploughed through and finished this monstrosity.

In the first chapter, however, there is a genius piece of dialogue:

'Oral sex?' he suggested.
'Omigod,' she said, smacking his arm.

Needless to say, I will be returning this book.

[Rkogu408bethlehemschools.Org · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the theme throughout this book was good things come in pairs.

[Fred · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of people really liked this book, there are 65 reviews, and 242 ratings at this point, and you should read one of those raves if you think you might want to try this. As for me, I had more mixed feelings. It is well written, there were some phrases that were so clever and wry that I laughed in that funny literary appreciation-y way that you get sometimes. I guess my problems were with the two MC's. They seemed kind of mean to me. Not in a bullying way, more in a lacking empathy and casually thoughtless of others feelings way. That whole story with the tapestry and how it turns out - not nice, Destiny. And Beatle. You have the Playboy logo as your fb profile pic? Srsly? I honestly thought Beatle's girlfriend Cilla was the only likeable character, but heads up - don't get too attached to her, my friend. I know you're supposed to look beyond the appeal of the characters to the literary merit and all (I did concede up front that this has that!), but that's not how I like to read or review, I need to feel a connection. I really hate to sound so negative, because there are lots of fun elements to this book, besides just the witty style - the superstitions, the twins motif, Beatle's backstory with the stroke and all, the vibe of the city of Melbourne. I just looked at the blurb again, and it says this is about "everybody doing the wrong thing." Yup, that's it. Somehow Beatle and Destiny (and many other readers) found that quirky, kooky and charming (or did they? I didn't get what attracted those two to each other in the first place), but it left me wondering why exactly I wanted to invest my emotions in them. So, one of those books for me, kind of left me wondering what's wrong with me, everybody loved it, what did I miss (Confession? I felt that way about The Hangover, too).

[Dania · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be blunt, this book was nothing I expected. It was a lot of mumbo jumbo that didn't mean much. It was very unrealistic, and I feel as though the author could have done a much better job writing through the eyes of such a well known artistic figure such as John Lennon. The book was not easy to follow, it was unrealistic and a young adult wouldn't be able to relate to it as well as the author might have intended. Even though the book was not as good as I hoped it'd be, there were a couple of quotes that really stood out to me. The first one being “And hard times are good in their own way, too. Because the only way you can achieve true happiness is if you experience true sadness as well. It's all about light and shade. Balance.” This quote relates to not only young adults, but adults as well. It is quote that describes to us what life is about, how we should be able to pull through difficult situations when things get hard, and what the ultimate result is. The author is explaining to us that to be good times, there has to be a balance as well between good and bad. The second quote that stood out to me was, "You know what they say about mistakes,...it's the only way you ever learn anything". This quote might be simple and short, but sometimes the things that are sweet and short bring us to realization the quickest. Mistakes are something humans do all the time. The quote was able to bring the truth to the section quickly and easily. Mistakes are something humans do, we screw up every day, but in the end, it IS the only way we learn how to become better. In the end, the book might not have been the very best, but some of the sections the author did a fair job. The book brings out a lot of realizations that were always there but we just started noticing in a way. In conclusion, the book wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either.

[L.E. Fidler · Rating 3 out of 5]

i wanted to love this book so much, but i just...well...i just didn't. maybe because i'm still riding the obsessive euphoria of my outlander high and this one sadly suffers from a distinct lack of kilts.

of course, this is set in australia, so there's a logical reason for it.

here, i think the major flaw falls on trying to make cheating fit into a meet-cute. it's a hard sell - cheating can be a polarizing topic and even sympathetic characters end up seeming selfish and terrible by virtue of their inability to decide what they want and act on it appropriately.

but then, there's this thing in life and novels called "tension" or "conflict" and they're, of course, necessary to plot development.

the other problems stem from the implausible side narratives here - the interspliced twin bits, the aptly named destiny, the teacher-student love affair, the stalker, the stolen tapestry...it's a lot to swallow on top of believing that beatle isn't s dick because he wants to have his cake and eat it too.

all said, i like beatle more than destiny and felt the end was slightly rushed and anticlimactic.

cute but not entirely special.

[Kricket · Rating 3 out of 5]

beatle's real name is john lennon, he was born 45 days before his twin sister winsome, and he is happily enough dating winsome's best friend cilla. and then one day he meets destiny mccartney at a tram stop he didn't intend to be at and can't get her out of his head.

this is a fun little book filled with misunderstandings, astrology, comical mishaps and very silly humor. the australian setting is fun, the astrology doesn't take itself too seriously, and the writing is clever and conversational. all that said, i felt it was a bit shallow and i think that's why i can't give it 4 stars, even though it made me giggle repeatedly.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original rating: 4 Stars

Updated rating: 3 stars.

I'm going to chalk the drop in stars up to the book ageing, myself ageing and the fact that I've read a lot more since 2009, so my scaling is different.

This was a cute and light-hearted book, and I can totally understand why younger me enjoyed this one.
Glad I re-read it, but I probably won't again.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was indifferent to the characters, the plot, the storytelling. Most scenes felt like an afterthought, backed up with more exposition. It's a tell not show sort of book--and for that alone, will never get more than a 2 from me.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

People I don't like acting badly and a boring undercurrent of fate. Well guess what? It gets a bad review. I don't think the characters are properly developed and the cute aspects are insufficient to make me enjoy the book.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy)]

I have read through the other reviews and I am going to leave this unrated. It appears this book did not connect with me as it did for others.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A laugh-out loud sparkler of a book. Clever, realistic and non-stereotypical. Always excellent aspects in YA.

[silene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beatle Meets Destiny Review

Note: contains minor spoilers. Look out for *spoiler* and skip through them if you want.

Overall star review: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

One sentence story summary: A young adult romance built on superstitions.

What I liked: The characters were interesting and diverse. It flowed quite well and for the most part, there weren't that many plot holes. I also enjoyed the dialogue which was well-thought-out by the author and was witty and not too forced (which sometimes happens in books). The thematic material was clever and relevant, and Williams put a lot of lessons into the storyline (such as *spoiler* the stalker part and how you shouldn’t respond to weird and shady-looking ads, how you shouldn’t trust strangers, the pros of simply telling the truth instead of lying, etc…)

What I didn’t like: At times I felt like the story dragged a little and some of the conflict wasn't resolved as well as I would have liked (there were some plot holes, *spoiler* I especially thought the stalker arrest was rushed and not quite explained - a lot of questions were left unanswered). I also thought that in some parts there was a bit of a superstition overload, and this did not make the plot very realistic.

Will I recommend this book? If yes, to whom? It depends. Half of the story is told from a boy’s perspective, so I would say it could appeal as equally to a male audience as a female. But to be honest, I wouldn’t say this was my favourite read. Sure it is different from most YA novels and would be a unique read, but there are better ones out there.

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Happy reading :)