Thanks to #NetGalley for the early read. Being Mary Bennet is a nice young adult book and read. Marnie Barnes is a big reader lover of books and is convinced she is the suffering protagonist of her own life. She's the middle sister and is frequently forgotten. Marnie decides to reinvent herself and calls on her best friend to help her!
A story filled with lots of laughs and relatable events.

Being Mary Bennet is a fun young adult comedic romance that highlights the importance of being yourself. Marnie has a unique voice and perspective. I look forward to more from this debut author in the future.
I will recommend to fans of YA romance and Jane Austen, but especially readers who enjoyed Pride by Ibi Zoboi and Mary B. by Katherine Chen.
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperTeen for digital review copy.

Yes - read it or better yet listen to it!

I received the book as an ARC in a rough audiobook format from Netgalley & Harper Audio. So the final version of the audiobook is not final at this time.

I thought the story lent itself very well to audiobook format despite the computer generated voice.

Janeites will enjoy a story looking thru Mary Bennett's eyes. It was wonderful to have a character who works to improve herself yet coming to the understanding that she can still be herself.

This book was amazing. At first, it was slow to get into it and most of the characters annoyed me. It was really interesting to see Marnee’s development throughout the story. I also enjoyed hearing about Adhira’s character and her story. I loved the story because it includes important themes like grooming of minors.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Marnie Barnes turns 18 while at boarding school in California. She's a difficult person with strained relationships with her family. It's a chicken and egg type of family relationship--she's treated so poorly that Marnie has built up some defense mechanisms. Marnie tries to be less like Mary Bennet and a bit more open to building friendships and improving family relationships.

J.C. Peterson did a great job of modernizing the Bennet family.

Narration was a synthetic voice for early reviews which was fine. I think the audiobook will be even better with real actor narration and emphasis.