BEATLE MEETS DESTINY

A quirky comedy of errors plays out in this enjoyable love story set in modern-day Melbourne. Eighteen-year-old John "Beatle" Lennon represents one half of a set of twins—though his sister, Winsome, was born months after him due to an accident that resulted in Beatle's premature birth. Loath to become anything like his absent, ne'er-do-well father, Beatle is horrified when he finds himself stumbling into love with Destiny, a gorgeous, funny girl he meets by chance one Friday the 13th even as he is still involved in a long-term relationship with his girlfriend, Cilla. Readers willing to suspend their disbelief regarding the sheer number of coincidences that populate these pages will enjoy the awkwardly hilarious scenarios that result, and the overarching suggestion that fate is at work throughout the novel helps make the bizarre twists palatable. Characters, both primary and secondary, are strongly developed, and the Australian locale and cultural details will spark American teens' interest, with some terms and geographical facts explained in the backmatter. (Fiction. 13 & up)