1960. john lennon. slow burn. i started writing this to beat seasonal depression and now i can't stop. --- A new city, reckless nights, and a band on the edge of something big. ⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚ Ellysetta wasn't looking for trouble, but trouble found her.... in the form of The Beatles, a dark past, the reckless city of Hamburg, and John Lennon. She's spent years surviving alone... But now? Running isn't an option. #johnlennon

Hamburg, 1960. Willa and Elsie March are on the run, and they find safety at the Bambi Kino in the red light district of Hamburg with five cocky, sometimes maddening, usually drunk, and bloody talented boys--the Beatles. Willa has never met anyone quite like John Lennon. He's everything she didn't know she'd been missing. "I thought about John, about our interactions and our late-night chats. He was without a doubt intense, and most definitely moody. He made me feel so many things--confused, annoyed, relieved, comfortable, content, and bloody irritated--but not nervous." And there's more to Elsie's relationship with Paul McCartney than she's willing to admit. This is their story, full of trust, betrayal, secrets, love, lies, hope...and the Beatles. ** Achievements 2025 Grand Winner - Fanficiton Category (The Nano Watt Awards) ** •Part One: 1960 (Chp 0 - Chp 17) Started: March 5, 2023 Completed: June 27, 2023 •Part Two: 1961 (Chp 18 - Chp 36) Started: Sept 24, 2023 Completed: June 16, 2024 •Part Three: 1962 (Chp 37 - Chp 53) Started: Sept 29, 2024 Completed: March 23, 2025 ** Thank you so much to the amazing @strange_daisies for creating the cover! ** [Just Like] Starting Over is a work of fiction. While many characters of the story bear the names of actual people, they and their actions have been imagined by the author. Some events depicted in this story are based on reality, but there are also many that have been modified or created purely by the author. I (obviously) do not own The Beatles, but I do own my original characters. ** Warnings: This is a mature story and as such there is swearing, shagging, violence, angst, drug references and use, death, and explicit adult situations. ** Comments, feedback, and votes are always very much appreciated. I will reply to you as quickly as I can! Thank you so much for reading! x ** [Just Like] Starting Over © NikSzabo (2023)