Title: The Girl Who Became a Beatle
Author: Greg Taylor
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: January 4, 2011
Genre: YA
Pages: 288
Source: Publisher

When Regina Bloomsbury’s band, the Caverns, breaks up, she thinks it’s all over. And then she makes a wish— “I wish I could be as famous as the Beatles.”

The Beatles are her music idols. The next day, she gets up to find that the Caverns are not just as famous as the Beatles, they have replaced them in history! Regina is living like a rock star, and loving it. There are talk shows, music videos, and live concerts with thousands of screaming fans. And Regina is the star of it all.

But fame is getting the better of Regina, and she has a decision to make. Does she want to replace the Beatles forever?

The Girl Who Became a Beatle follows the story of teenage Regina Bloomsbury. Above all else, Regina is a musician, and when her band, The Caverns, breaks up, she’s devastated. On a whim, Regina makes a wish…wishing that The Caverns could have been as famous as the Beatles. She didn’t count on having a fairy godmother there to grant her wish. The Caverns are suddenly more famous than the Beatles ever were. In fact, the Caverns replaced the Beatles in history, and Regina is thrust into a world of rock and roll, fame, and fortune. But it comes with a price, and Regina has let it go to her head. She has a chocice to make. Does Regina want the Caverns to replace the Beatles forever?

I remember seeing the title for The Girl Who Became a Beatle a while back, but I usually avoid contemps, so I didn’t really pay it any mind. I figured I’d wait for the reviews and give it a go later, based on people’s thoughts. Despite my reservations, The Girl Who Became a Beatle was actually really fun for what it was. Greg Taylor has a fluid, easy-to-read writing style and voice. His prose is simple but sweet, the plot is easy to follow, and he doesn’t convolute the plot points with excessive descriptions that might otherwise cloud the story. The Girl Who Became a Beatle is a fast-paced journey into a life of fame, fortune and excess, showing you the fun, but portraying the pitfalls, too.

I really didn’t have too many qualms with The Girl Who Became the Beatle. Regina, though a bit juvenile for my reading tastes, was a pretty good MC. She transforms from a selfish, egotistical child into a young adult, and the transformation is fun to see. The side characters are good, though perhaps a bit flat – it took me a while to connect with Regina’s father and Julian. Something about him just seemed a bit bland. The plot moved quickly, though I will say that I was lost on a lot of the Beatles references. I know the basics in terms of the Beatles, but that’s about it. The only other thing I would point out if I’m being nit-picky (which I am) is that there is a LOT of dialogue in this book – far more dialogue than descriptions. This was a bit overbearing at times, if you know what I mean.

All in all, The Girl Who Became a Beatle is a cute, fun, and quirky read. I give it a 4 out of 5, and I’d recommend it YA and MG fans who enjoy contemporary fiction and fantasy, especially those who like the Beatles and music, in general.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here are the rules: Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page, and BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I stared dumbly at the Regina doll, still feeling kind of fuzzy in the head and thought, Ok, this is strange. Just as odd as the fact that my John, Paul, George and Ringo Beatle dolls were not on the shelf where they had been the night before. 

The Girl Who Became a Beatle by Greg Taylor

And now, for my Tuesday Teaser...For those of you who don't know, I do my Tuesday Teasers differently (and yes, I add this disclaimer every time). Each week, I feature two sentences (or more) of something I've written, leave it up all day, then remove it around 11 PM. You're welcome to comment on it, love it, hate it, or simply read it at your leisure...if you'd like, of course. This week's teaser is from my current WIP, RACE.

The ground is cool and from my perch on the ash I can see the faintest streaks of red bleeding their way across the horizon. The colors are as beautiful as the Racers - forbidden, forgotten, and thought lost forever.

In My Mailbox is an amazing weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren that features the books we have received during the week. It's so much fun because we get to see what our fellow bloggers stumbled upon this week and add even more to our piles of books! Without further ado, this week I received the following books:

The Girl Who Became a Beatle - (ARC - Thank you, Feiwel & Friends) - When Regina Bloomsbury’s band, the Caverns, breaks up, she thinks it’s all over. And then she makes a wish— “I wish I could be as famous as the Beatles.” The Beatles are her music idols. The next day, she gets up to find that the Caverns are not just as famous as the Beatles, they have replaced them in history! Regina is living like a rock star, and loving it. There are talk shows, music videos, and live concerts with thousands of screaming fans. And Regina is the star of it all. But fame is getting the better of Regina, and she has a decision to make. Does she want to replace the Beatles forever?

Dark Goddess - (ARC - Thank you, Eating YA Books) - Billi's back, and it seems like the Unholy just can't take a hint. Still reeling from the death of her best friend, Kay, Billi's thrust back into action when the Templars are called to investigate werewolf activity. And these werewolves are like nothing Bilil's seen before. They call themselves the Polenitsy - Man Killers. The ancient warrior women of Eastern Europe, supposedly wiped out centuries ago. But now they're out of hiding and on the hunt for a Spring Child -- an Oracle powerful enough to blow the volcano at Yellowstone -- precipitating a Fimbulwinter that will wipe out humankind for good.

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Happy New Year to all of my amazing friends! Please leave me a link to your mailboxes, and I'll be sure to check them out!