The smell of her, the taste of her, the feel of her, the closeness of her. He could feel himself breathing more heavily. Feel her head in his hand, her hair soft.
Only one detail jarred with the whole love and lust thing Beatle was experiencing at that moment.
One tiny detail. And that one tiny detail was Beatle’s girlfriend.
Cilla.
When your mum gives you a name like John Lennon, it’s hardly surprising that everyone calls you Beatle. But when you meet a girl whose surname is McCartney, it seems like destiny that you should be together – especially when her first name IS Destiny.
Beatle Meets Destiny is a gorgeous blend of wit, issue and soul-searching, as Beatle, a seventeen year old stroke survivor picks his way across the minefield of relationships, superstition, family and friendship. There are some serious issues dealt with, including stalking, but the issues drive the plot in a humorous, absorbing way rather than bogging it down.
Beatle is a likeable but flawed main character. He has survived a stroke which hit during a joint-smoking session, and has been with his girlfriend, a friend of his sister, since she visited him in hospital. But when he meets Destiny, he embarks on a new relationship whilst continuing the old one, two-timing in a way that will inevitably bring him unstuck. The reader can see this, but is still taken on the ride, cheering Beatle on whilst seeing why he is this mess and wondering how he can get out of it.
Funny, absorbing and real, this is a novel which teen readers will love. It’s destiny.
Beatle Meets Destiny, by Gabrielle Williams
Penguin, 2009
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