Beatle Meets Destiny Hardcover – October 1, 2010

Usually, after finishing a book I have a pretty solid opinion on whether I liked it or not and why that was. I knew when I finished Beatle Meest Destiny that I didn't like it, but it was hard to entirely pin down the reasons. I think the problem is that the reasons ranged so much that I've just ender up with a splatter of reasons to not like this book.First, I don't like the characters. Both Beatle and Destiny were hard to care for because I never once felt they deserved my sympathy. They lacked depth and they were full of problems- not in that way that some authors do with characters that have issues, but in that way that it seems the author themselves might not have intentionally written them to be such crappy people. They just make so many bad decisions and then end up with no real consequences. Or rather, we hear about some consequence here or there, but it's all given one line of attention and it's done off stage. In the end I'm left feeling like two people can be completely incosiderate jerks and still end up with a happy ending. Whether that's possibly in real life or not is irrelevant; I just don't like to read those kinds of stories.There was far too much exposition in this book. The narrator kept jolting me out of the book by reminding me that I was, in fact, reading a book. I was given back story on things I didn't deem relevant by the end of it all, and often we were given subplots that seemed like badly crafted devices to bring the characters together.There was one subplot that I found interesting- I won't say what it is so as not to spoil things- but it was given very little attention and then it was wrapped up quickly at the end. I felt like there had been hardly a point in introducing it to begin with.Lastly, I seriously object to writing styles that would include similes such as, "time- being the perverse bastard it was- stood sullenly in the room like some unwanted fat cousin, refusing to budge." First of that, that's tasteless. Second, who considers time to be like an unwanted fat cousin? What kind of person makes this kind of comparison? It's weird to say the least, and it wasn't in any way the only weird issue with the writing style but it's the one that stood out most.I'd recommend passing this book by. It isn't worth it.

Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams is a classic "boy meets girl" story full of teen drama, romance, and humor. Set in Australia, this story could have taken place from Toronto to Chicago or London. It would be a dream world to most Americans who don't realize that the drinking age is 18 in many countries and project-based learning rather than testing is the focus of schools.Someone in my YA reading group identified this as a "popcorn romance". I agree with this description. Lots of teens will be attracted to this type of light romance. However I'm a little concerned the length of the book might scare off the intended "light reading" audience.While I thought the dialog was witty and the superstitions and coincidences were cute, I found myself skimming through the middle. It would be a great book to read on the beach, but it's not particularly special.

John Lennon, aka Beatle, meets Destiny McCartney. Beatle already has a girlfriend, but he's drawn to Destiny. Too many things happen in the realm of superstition and astrology that place the two together. He feels bad since his girlfriend, Cilla, stayed by his side during his toughest time: when he suffered from a stroke which left him with a limp. When Beatle's twin sister does something criminal Beatle is willing to take the fall, which means he'll put himself and his secrets out in the open.I never imagined that I'd love a male character who was cheating on his girlfriend. The author has a way of making the characters' motivations logical, emotional, and magical. This is a cute, hilarious romance. I'm so glad I found this since some Australian books I'm interested in reading are not readily available.

This book is perfect if you're looking for a little humor and romantic comedy. It wasn't too predictable because you didn't really know how the events were going to play out so it kept me turning pages because I wanted to know how it was all going to end. I laughed out loud quite a bit so it was very entertaining.

As a lover of YA literature, I found this book on sale and figured I'd give it a try. It was entertaining the whole way through. The author gives the characters a wonderful sense of humor but manages to keep it realistic and not over the top. It's an easy read, definitely enjoyable, and I highly recommend it. If you also enjoy young adult books, you will love this one!