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 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.

I would like to thank netgalley and Alcove Press for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a brilliant homage to beauty and the beast. I loved all the references and the characters.

Barely Even Friends was a very cute story.
Bellamy Price has been offered a job that will set her up for life. Restoring the crumbling Kellington mansion. When she gets there, she finds the house is occupied, by the heir of the Killington empire. Who does not want the house remodelled at all. With a unrealistic deadline for the remodel and an unfriendly house guest can Bellamy restore the mansion to its true beauty?

This was a very cute and steamy read. I found the dynamic between Bellamy and Oliver throughout the book really enjoyable. And I loved Bellamy. I started to feel really intense about if she could get the job done or not! This was a very quick and easy read. Thanks to netgalley and Alcove Press for the arc!

In her role as lead contractor on the restoration of Killington Estate, Bellamy Price is determined that she will finally make a name for herself in a male dominated industry. Yet she is surprised to find Oliver Killington, heir to the Killington empire, still in residence. After a traumatic car accident that left his parents dead and himself injured, he is the caretaker of his grandfather’s mansion, and he isn’t too pleased to meet Bellamy. Consequently, he will do all that he can to interfere with her work. Yet they form a cautious truce, and soon their relationship leads to something worth fighting for.
Bellamy and Oliver are too strong and very opposing personalities. Yet, as they spend time together, Bellamy tends to smooth over Oliver’s brusque manner, which is largely due to his past traumas. There is plenty of chemistry between them and quite spicy. There are several trigger warnings for this story, including death of parents.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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

“𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬.” 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐮𝐩.
“𝐈 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬.” 𝐇𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝. 𝐌𝐲 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐞.
“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞.”

This debut novel is a super cute beauty and the beast retelling. And boy do I love a spicy retelling.

In this book Bellamy (Bell) and her Dad are home renovators and while Maurice falls ill, Bell has to take on the project of restoring this mansion that's falling apart.

Oliver (our Beast) has been hiding in the house for years after a fateful accident left his parents dead and him injured. The guilt from the accident and him feeling like he was no longer good enough have kept him from taking on his family legacy and rejoining the world.

He's none to happy when he finds out his grandfather has commissioned Bell to fix up his house.

Their grumpy/sunshine banter was so fun to read. Even when they start to catch feelings, the banter continues and I loved it! I adored them together. Two people finding their way in the world on their own, being braze, stepping out of their comfort zones.

The found family in this book is also really touching and heartwarming. Even a sassy AI that lives in the walls. The way the author was able to weave the classic story we know with modern elements and characters was really fun.

This is a spicy story as well, and I can get down with Oliver. He's hot.

“𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭.”
𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥, 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬. “𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞.”
𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐣𝐚𝐰. 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭. “𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧? 𝐎𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐝!𝐜𝐤?”

My only critiques are at times it does read like a debut. There are things that are a little too repetitive, and little too told and not shown. The ending was excruciating waiting for these guys to get their sh!t together. And I unfortunately got the ick from the nickname the MMC used.

So I'm giving it a 3.75 stars and rounding up for goodreads.

I received this ARC from #Netgalley in exchange for this honest review. #barelyevenfriends #alcovepress

Unfortunately I just couldn't connect with the character fors some reason, had to DNF at about 45%. That being said, i do think this is just a personal issue and that other may enjoy this book a lot.

Thank you NetGalley, Mae Bennett, and Alcove Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a sweet and steamy 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, simmering passion, sizzling chemistry, and a perfect amount of spice! 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
🔥Spice

<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 and deliciously spicy 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!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mae Bennett's debut novel, "Barely Even Friends," weaves a delightful tale of love, restoration, and unexpected connections. Set against the backdrop of the mysterious Killington Estate, this steamy Beauty and the Beast retelling—with a twist of the hit TV series "Succession"—is a must-read for fans of contemporary romance.

Meet Bellamy Price. She is a talented lead contractor who lands the job of a lifetime: restoring the sprawling Killington Estate. If she can meet the owner's tight timeline, she'll finally make her mark in the male-dominated industry. But when she arrives at the crumbling mansion, she discovers it's already occupied by Oliver Killington, the grumpy caretaker. Oliver, heir to the Killington empire, has his own ultimatum from his grandfather. Sparks fly as Bellamy and Oliver navigate their shared space, leading to a cautious truce that ignites more than just faulty wiring.

Bellamy and Oliver's interactions sizzle with tension. Their banter is sharp, and their emotional journey feels authentic. Bennett masterfully builds the romance, allowing it to simmer and evolve naturally. The chemistry between Bellamy and Oliver is electric. Bellamy and Oliver are multifaceted, flawed, and utterly relatable. Their growth throughout the story is heartwarming.

Bennett's writing is elegant and evocative. She paints vivid scenes, making the estate and its inhabitants leap off the page. The atmospheric Killington Estate comes alive on the pages. From the creaking floorboards to the hidden secrets, it's a character in itself. The novel explores redemption, forgiveness, and the power of vulnerability. It's a refreshing take on the classic fairy tale.

“Barely Even Friends” is a gem: a modern fairy tale that balances romance, wit, and depth. Bennett's storytelling prowess shines, leaving readers rooting for Bellamy and Oliver until the very last page. If you're a fan of love stories with substance, this book deserves a prime spot on your reading list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute, modern take on the classic "Beauty and the Beast."

In BARELY EVEN FRIENDS, we follow Bellamy (Bell), as she takes on restoring the family mansion of Oliver Killington. Oliver is living in isolation and guilt following the deaths of his parents. Oliver does not want Bell in his home, but Bell is insistent on continuing the project and proving herself. As the project continues, Bell and Oliver grow closer and she helps him come to terms with his guilt and reconnect with his remaining family.

If you like retellings of classic fairytales, then you will enjoy this. It felt a little bit too on the nose for me, but I did enjoy it and thought it was a sweet story.

Star Rating: 3.25/5
Spice Rating: 2.5 / 5

I was very intrigued by the blurb but unfortunately this story wasn’t for me. It was a quick read but it took me a while to get into the story
Thank you Netgalley and Alcove Press for this arc

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.

I thought this was a light and easy read. However, I didn't entirely connect with the characters and felt the pacing was a bit off. Still made for a solid read on a flight though.

Based on the summary I was very interested and excited to read this book, but I had to DNF it after 30%. I really tried giving it a chance, but I'm just not a fan of the writing style. The plot was very intriguing and the characters seemed interesting enough, but this book has almost put me in a reading slump and I'm not interested in forcing myself to read it.
However I'm sure that this book would be amazing, if you like the authors writing style.

Barely Even Friends by Mae Bennett Bellamy is a restoration expert hired to renovate the Killington estate (think Succession weekend mansion in disrepair). The estate is occupied with grandson and heir, Oliver, who was known as “Beast” during his football career, now a recluse as he blames himself for his parents fatal car accident. The mansion come with 3 staff members and a mysterious “enchantment” of AI in this modern updated retelling of Beauty and the Beast (in a very feminist way).



Pros:

Plus Size rep! Bellamy is curvy and the book is accurately body positive (meaning doubts sometimes, acceptance most times).

Dealing with body issues for men as well- as Oliver is heavier than he was when playing football and is embarrassed of his leg scarring from the car accident

Accurate portrayal of depression/PTSD

Quirk of Oliver being terrible at everything he tried to do to help

Cuteness of the Beauty and the Beast connections throughout the book

Bellamy’s best friends





Cons:

Didn’t get the suspenders thing…. And how could one wear “only suspenders” while being intimate? What would they attach to?

The house staff was one dimensional- kept forgetting the butler and didn’t understand if he were related to the cook and their kid



The romance in this book was very cute and I was pulling for Bellamy and Oliver to be able to communicate more effectively (though it made a ton of sense why they were both guarded and putting walls up). Tropes of grumpy/sunshine, enemies-to-lovers and only-one-bed were done in a unique way. The book had the right amount of spice. I enjoyed this debut book by Bennett and will happily read her next one. Thanks to Net Galley and Alcove Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. 3.75 stars

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

I really wanted to like this book based off of the blurb because I love Beauty and the Beast retellings but it was unfortunately not for me. I could not connect at all with the main characters and I really struggled to finish this book. I was also not a big fan of the writing style one bit. I loved the concept and this book could be right for someone but it just was not right for me.

Thank you so much to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy.

I generally read many of these books, and a retelling of Beauty and the Beast is my absolutely favorites. I feel like this one fell short.
I loved the whole aspect of her having to take over the job from her dad, and a failing business. Grumpy X Sunshine, Close Proximity, Curvy MFC, who is sassy and quick witted. But the whining and broodiness of the Main male character left a sour taste in my mouth, he was always bringing up he was cursed without directly saying it. They did not really banter, or get a good chemistry between them I felt, it was very immature in their relationship.

I found the steamy scenes to be pretty decent and enjoyable for the most part, if you wanting a good plot or dialog between the characters this is just not it. Read for the spice that is all I can say.

this was so fun and cute and i loved both characters so bad. i definitely plan to read more
books from this author soon