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gammys_reads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Thank you NetGalley, Mae Bennett, and Alcove Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
What a sweet modern retelling of the Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast, infused with a contemporary twist and loaded with Taylor Swift references!! "Barely Even Friends" chronicles the journey of Bellamy and Oliver as they renovate an old estate, potentially transforming not only the property but also their own lives in the process. Brimming with mutual longing, palpable tension, witty banter, and chemistry. Both of the main characters are richly developed with genuine struggles to overcome, making it easy to root for them until the very end. I absolutely adored this book and can't wait to explore more from this author!!
<I>Tropes/Themes:</I>
💜Beauty and the Beast Retelling
💜Grumpy/Sunshine
💜Frenemies to Lovers
💜Slow Burn Romance
💜Forced Proximity
💜Only One Bed
💜Plus Size Representation
💜Sassy AI
💜Swiftie References
<I>Synopsis:</I>
Bellamy Price is offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to lead the restoration of the enigmatic Killington Estate. With the chance to make a name for herself in a male-dominated industry, she's determined to meet the owner's ambitious timeline. However, upon arriving at the crumbling mansion, she finds it already occupied by Oliver Killington, the heir nursing his own traumas. Initially resistant to Bellamy's presence, Oliver eventually forms a cautious truce with her. As they work together to restore the estate, sparks fly, leading Bellamy to confront the walls she's built around herself.
Oliver, a grouchy recluse who struggles to believe he deserves love, undergoes a remarkable personal transformation throughout the story, which was truly captivating to witness. On the other hand, Bellamy, a strong, loving, and hardworking individual, has never had a place she could truly call home. Seeing these two characters bravely confront and embrace the love they've long feared and avoided was incredibly moving. Their journey highlights how they bring out the best in each other.
Overall, it's a delightfully sweet rom-com that is a tale of love, healing, and dismantling the barriers we construct within ourselves. I highly recommend this well written modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What a sweet modern retelling of the Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast, infused with a contemporary twist and loaded with Taylor Swift references!! "Barely Even Friends" chronicles the journey of Bellamy and Oliver as they renovate an old estate, potentially transforming not only the property but also their own lives in the process. Brimming with mutual longing, palpable tension, witty banter, and chemistry. Both of the main characters are richly developed with genuine struggles to overcome, making it easy to root for them until the very end. I absolutely adored this book and can't wait to explore more from this author!!
<I>Tropes/Themes:</I>
💜Beauty and the Beast Retelling
💜Grumpy/Sunshine
💜Frenemies to Lovers
💜Slow Burn Romance
💜Forced Proximity
💜Only One Bed
💜Plus Size Representation
💜Sassy AI
💜Swiftie References
<I>Synopsis:</I>
Bellamy Price is offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to lead the restoration of the enigmatic Killington Estate. With the chance to make a name for herself in a male-dominated industry, she's determined to meet the owner's ambitious timeline. However, upon arriving at the crumbling mansion, she finds it already occupied by Oliver Killington, the heir nursing his own traumas. Initially resistant to Bellamy's presence, Oliver eventually forms a cautious truce with her. As they work together to restore the estate, sparks fly, leading Bellamy to confront the walls she's built around herself.
Oliver, a grouchy recluse who struggles to believe he deserves love, undergoes a remarkable personal transformation throughout the story, which was truly captivating to witness. On the other hand, Bellamy, a strong, loving, and hardworking individual, has never had a place she could truly call home. Seeing these two characters bravely confront and embrace the love they've long feared and avoided was incredibly moving. Their journey highlights how they bring out the best in each other.
Overall, it's a delightfully sweet rom-com that is a tale of love, healing, and dismantling the barriers we construct within ourselves. I highly recommend this well written modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
kricklereadsbooks's review
3.0
This book was a cute predictable read. I wish I felt more connected with the characters. It seemed to be more of a recipe for how to write a romance book the author was following then trying to write an engaging story. I see much potential in the author’s writing so I would read another book by her. Just wish I like this one more.
daniallreads's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
If you're a girly who's ever dreamed of living the life that Belle did, you're gonna want this book in your life.
Thank you Alcove Press for the gifted copy for us bookish nerds to annotate! Mae Bennett's "Barely Even Friends" publishes June 4th!
Mae Bennett NAILED this modern day "Beauty and the Beast" re-telling. I was not ready for how creative this story was. I just thought this romanced ended up being so fwiggin amazing.
Epic library? Couldn't miss it. Talking furniture? No problem. AI! But how is there a "beast?" Don't fret Bennett's creativity will make you swoon. I cannot get over how brilliant it was to make AI a character to mimic the original story. I have to admit B18z3 was the best! My favorite character. Being a "Beauty and the Beast" stan, I appreciated everything that she put into this.
Give me a mmc who gives adorable nicknames and I am putty. I never thought a simple word like "petal" would make me weak in the knees but the delivery *eeeee* It just made my heart so happy every time Oliver dropped this sweet name into their conversations.
Speaking of romance... we've got a habanero pepper on our hands. Oh baby, the library scene will live rent free in my head. Thank you, Mae, for making me have fantasies about making out in a library now. Oliver and Bellamy were more than just the physical, the small moments where they could read each other's body language and automatically understood their feelings. Talk about weak in the knees? This man *spoiler* made her book shelves. How can you not fall in love after that.
Did I mention that this is her debut? Slay.
🔨 Forced Proximity
🔧 Enemies to Lovers
📏 Plus Size Rep
💜 Grumpy x Sunshine
🔨 If HGTV is ALWAYS on your television
🔧 Habanero Spiced
📏 Taylor Swift References
Thank you Alcove Press for the gifted copy for us bookish nerds to annotate! Mae Bennett's "Barely Even Friends" publishes June 4th!
Mae Bennett NAILED this modern day "Beauty and the Beast" re-telling. I was not ready for how creative this story was. I just thought this romanced ended up being so fwiggin amazing.
Epic library? Couldn't miss it. Talking furniture? No problem. AI! But how is there a "beast?" Don't fret Bennett's creativity will make you swoon. I cannot get over how brilliant it was to make AI a character to mimic the original story. I have to admit B18z3 was the best! My favorite character. Being a "Beauty and the Beast" stan, I appreciated everything that she put into this.
Give me a mmc who gives adorable nicknames and I am putty. I never thought a simple word like "petal" would make me weak in the knees but the delivery *eeeee* It just made my heart so happy every time Oliver dropped this sweet name into their conversations.
Speaking of romance... we've got a habanero pepper on our hands. Oh baby, the library scene will live rent free in my head. Thank you, Mae, for making me have fantasies about making out in a library now. Oliver and Bellamy were more than just the physical, the small moments where they could read each other's body language and automatically understood their feelings. Talk about weak in the knees? This man *spoiler* made her book shelves. How can you not fall in love after that.
Did I mention that this is her debut? Slay.
🔨 Forced Proximity
🔧 Enemies to Lovers
📏 Plus Size Rep
💜 Grumpy x Sunshine
🔨 If HGTV is ALWAYS on your television
🔧 Habanero Spiced
📏 Taylor Swift References
panda27's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
rebeccap's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an advanced reader copy. The opinions expressed are mine alone.
Interesting take on the Beauty and the Beast retelling storyline. In general I liked the diverse cast of characters and found them believable. Instead of objects coming to life there was an AI system built into the estate which was super cool. My only “complaint” was that there was more sexual content than I typically prefer. But, I am not usually a fan of that kinda thing and this was tame compared to what it could have been. I give it 4 / 5 stars.
Interesting take on the Beauty and the Beast retelling storyline. In general I liked the diverse cast of characters and found them believable. Instead of objects coming to life there was an AI system built into the estate which was super cool. My only “complaint” was that there was more sexual content than I typically prefer. But, I am not usually a fan of that kinda thing and this was tame compared to what it could have been. I give it 4 / 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Cursing, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident
emcroll's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Big thanks to Alcove Press for providing this eArc via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and freely given.
“Barely Even Friends” offers a modern twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast story, dropping us into the middle of the crumbling, yet mysterious Killington Estate. Bellamy Price, eager to prove herself in the tough world of estate restoration, clashes with Oliver Killington, the broody and secretive heir who'd rather have the mansion to himself. He's still dealing with the aftermath of a car accident that changed his life, and he’s not too keen on sharing his space with anyone, let alone a determined contractor.
I really wanted to enjoy this book—the setup sounded super intriguing! But honestly, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The shift from enemies to lovebirds felt super rushed, almost like the author just wanted to get to the romance without building up the tension properly. Bellamy’s constant self-deprecation, especially about wearing suspenders (seriously - this was mentioned every other page) and being ‘fat,’ got old fast. It felt overdone and took away from her being the badass contractor she’s meant to be.
The dialogue felt oddly formal at times, which didn’t mesh well with the more laid-back, intimate scenes. It was like the characters couldn’t decide how they wanted to talk to each other. The side characters were pretty much cardboard cutouts, there for convenience rather than adding any real flavor to the story. And the AI thing? That felt out of left field in a mansion that’s falling apart at the seams (like wouldn't the contractors see this wires everywhere?!).
In all, while “Barely Even Friends” set up a promising story of love and personal growth amid the dust and cobwebs of an old mansion, it didn’t fully deliver on its fairy tale promise.
Overall rating: 2.5 stars, 1.5 chili peppers
“Barely Even Friends” offers a modern twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast story, dropping us into the middle of the crumbling, yet mysterious Killington Estate. Bellamy Price, eager to prove herself in the tough world of estate restoration, clashes with Oliver Killington, the broody and secretive heir who'd rather have the mansion to himself. He's still dealing with the aftermath of a car accident that changed his life, and he’s not too keen on sharing his space with anyone, let alone a determined contractor.
I really wanted to enjoy this book—the setup sounded super intriguing! But honestly, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The shift from enemies to lovebirds felt super rushed, almost like the author just wanted to get to the romance without building up the tension properly. Bellamy’s constant self-deprecation, especially about wearing suspenders (seriously - this was mentioned every other page) and being ‘fat,’ got old fast. It felt overdone and took away from her being the badass contractor she’s meant to be.
The dialogue felt oddly formal at times, which didn’t mesh well with the more laid-back, intimate scenes. It was like the characters couldn’t decide how they wanted to talk to each other. The side characters were pretty much cardboard cutouts, there for convenience rather than adding any real flavor to the story. And the AI thing? That felt out of left field in a mansion that’s falling apart at the seams (like wouldn't the contractors see this wires everywhere?!).
In all, while “Barely Even Friends” set up a promising story of love and personal growth amid the dust and cobwebs of an old mansion, it didn’t fully deliver on its fairy tale promise.
Overall rating: 2.5 stars, 1.5 chili peppers
intensej's review
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I am all for a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but I really struggled with this book. The premise just felt way too over the top. I was fine with Bellamy renovating a historical house like the Killington Estate, but Oliver Killington's talking AI was too reminiscent of Jarvis. I wanted to focus on the relationship between grumpy Oliver and Bellamy, but I was getting too distracted by all of the side characters. The whole book just felt too cliche, and I couldn't finish reading it.
I am all for a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but I really struggled with this book. The premise just felt way too over the top. I was fine with Bellamy renovating a historical house like the Killington Estate, but Oliver Killington's talking AI was too reminiscent of Jarvis. I wanted to focus on the relationship between grumpy Oliver and Bellamy, but I was getting too distracted by all of the side characters. The whole book just felt too cliche, and I couldn't finish reading it.
walktheworldandread's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Barely Even Friends, then somebody bends, unexpectedly. Or perhaps a little expectedly?
This steamy Beauty and the Beast retelling had all the loveable characteristics of the original storyline; the blunt but caring housekeeping staff, the grand mansions filled with secrets and beauty, and the personal growth from recluse to loved. Although the ending was expected, it was still anticipated as the reader. You were drawn into cheering them on together and loved the banter, playfulness and vulnerability that overflowed from their new relationship.
Barely Even Friends lost a few stars for me as I felt the inner turmoil of the female MC to be a little repetitive and frustratingly miscommunicated. For such an intelligent woman, she was unable to articulate herself well with anyone. Additionally, there was a lot of descriptions of stomach clenching and chest clenching during interactions with the male MC. I found them to interrupt the flow of the scene and, at times, over-done.
Overall, I believe that Disney fans, readers of fairy tale retellings, readers of domestic fiction and those who enjoy an optimistic ending would enjoy this story.
This steamy Beauty and the Beast retelling had all the loveable characteristics of the original storyline; the blunt but caring housekeeping staff, the grand mansions filled with secrets and beauty, and the personal growth from recluse to loved. Although the ending was expected, it was still anticipated as the reader. You were drawn into cheering them on together and loved the banter, playfulness and vulnerability that overflowed from their new relationship.
Barely Even Friends lost a few stars for me as I felt the inner turmoil of the female MC to be a little repetitive and frustratingly miscommunicated. For such an intelligent woman, she was unable to articulate herself well with anyone. Additionally, there was a lot of descriptions of stomach clenching and chest clenching during interactions with the male MC. I found them to interrupt the flow of the scene and, at times, over-done.
Overall, I believe that Disney fans, readers of fairy tale retellings, readers of domestic fiction and those who enjoy an optimistic ending would enjoy this story.
sydneys_bookshelf's review
i feel bad because i got it as an ARC, but i think i regret requesting it because on further inspection, many of the tropes/premises are ones i don’t enjoy unless they’re done perfectly