Review of Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams

Imagine your name is John Lennon, but everyone calls you Beatle. And then you meet your dream girl, and her name is Destiny McCartney. But you meet her on the world's most unlucky day-Friday the 13th-and you're very superstitious. Not to mention that you're already dating the perfect girl, who happens to be your twin sister's best friend. . . . Beatle can't imagine ever leaving Cilla, who supported him after the stroke that changed his life and left him with a limp. Still, he knows that the only thing worse than staying with the wrong person is missing the chance to be with the right one.

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.

Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams is told through the alternating viewpoints of “Beatle” and Destiny. Basically, what happens is Beatle and Destiny meet on the subway, and share certain coincidences connecting them to the Beatles band. Anyways, they share a kiss, then go on with their lives, but don’t stop thinking about each other. However, they are prevented from getting together, cause Beatle already has a girlfriend. OH THE DRAMZ!

Unfortunately, I did sympathize with Beatle’s girlfriend for part of Beatle Meets Destiny, even though I wasn’t supposed to, but well, as someone’s girlfriend, I can’t help it, I would not want my boyfriend kissing on some girl just because he thinks it’s his destiny. No way. However, Destiny is a rather winning character with a great group of friends. Her family is huge and fun. Plus the scrapes she gets into with her friends are laugh out loud funny, including an adventure in how to be a stalker.

Beatle, once you get past the fact that he cheated on his girlfriend, is a rather nice guy. He’s a bit different from the average YA love interest/main character, in that he’s not quite able-bodied. He can’t walk regularly, and well, you’ll see why when you read the book. I like that Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams represents a teen who is not the norm.

I notice certain cultural differences within Beatle Meets Destiny. First off, school seems different. It sounds like instead of standardized tests, the students make these awesome portfolios. They also do these things called gap years. I know, I sound like such an American, but the concept of a gap year is so cool. Also, the characters do seem to party/club a lot, maybe there is a more lax attitude about alcohol in Australia than in America? I don’t know. I don’t presume to judge an entire continent based off of one YA book, that’s just silly, but it is interesting to note things which are automatically different for me.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed Beatle Meets Destiny and will try to read some more Aussie-based YA as this book was awesome. Plus, I like to read a little contemporary romance every now and then to clense my palate.

Disclosure: I won this from a contest held by Persnickety Snark

Other Reviews of Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams:

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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