I recently got my hands on an ARC of “Barely Even Friends” by Mae Bennett from Netgalley, and I’m here to share my thoughts with you all.

First off, I’m giving this book a cozy 3.5 stars. The story is a modern spin on “Beauty and the Beast” - think less fairy tale and more drama-filled series like “Succession,” with our main characters Bellamy and Oliver remodeling an old estate and their lives along the way.

Mae Bennett has a way of making characters feel like old friends. You’ll find yourself cheering for them, laughing with them, and maybe even shedding a tear or two. The romance? It’s got enough heat to keep you flipping the pages!

Now, did it blow my socks off? Not quite. But was it disappointing? Far from it! I did have high expectations from this book tho.

So, if you’re looking for a book that’s a good friend on a lazy Sunday afternoon, “Barely Even Friends” is the one. It’s got heart, humor, and just enough drama to keep things interesting. Can’t wait to see what Mae Bennett writes next!🎀

Bellamy Price is in for her biggest job yet, and she wants to prove to herself and to the world that she’s more than Maurice Price’s daughter.
She is the sole responsible for the restoration and modernization of Kilington Estate and her life depends on this project.
The only issue is, a grumpy and very sexy man who’s living in the mansion and will be monitoring Bellamy’s work throughout the duration.
Oliver Kilington is a man hunted by his past, stuck in it , and angry with the world for moving on without him.
Has controling issues and is filled with grief and regrets.
Together, under one roof the grumpy &sunshine what could possibly happen???
🔥🙈🔥🙈🔥🙈
This novel has it all:
Enemies to Lovers 🔥
Forced Proximity 😎
Spicy 🌶️
Grumpy X Sunshine 😉
Loveable Characters 🥰
Suspenders Kink 🙈
Retelling of The Beauty and The Beast

Loved every min of this book.
It was funny and emotional, dealt with serious topics delicately.
Oliver& Bellamy were super duper cute.
A To Z perfection and I congratulate Mae from all of my heart on this beautiful debut novel.
Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC of #BarelyEvenFriends in exchange for my honest review.

Xoxo💋

I am in awe! I’ve been following Mae through every step of this journey and finally reading her first book has been a pleasure, especially since it’s been brilliant. I love every aspect of this novel.

My main issue with retellings is that most times, the book in question has nothing to do with the work it’s supposed to be based on. In Barely Even Friends, you can feel Beauty and the Beast in every page, cover included. It was such a wonderful experience, the fairytale sensation never left my mind while reading, but it was perfectly adapted to be a contemporary romance without fantasy elements. This is how I want all retellings to be! Essence but originality 💜

The romance was so good. Bellamy and Oliver have big opposite personalities, though in Oliver’s case, it was merely a big armor he wore after all the trauma he went through in the past. Once he started trusting and loving Bellamy, he got rid of the grumpiness and became the biggest softie for her. It was so perfect. The secondary characters made the book extra fun and lovely, I’d love to stay in this mansion forever!

This book deserves all the love. If you need a enchanting story, look no further. 💜

Rating: 5/5
Steam level: Open door, 4-5 scenes, high level of detail

ARC provided by Alcove Press and NetGalley. Opinions are my own!

An incredible and irresistible romance! Definitely one of my new favorites and one I could see myself recommending. I found both of the characters truly interesting and engaging, and I loved the development of their relationship.

Ok, we've discussed before that plot is not usually the primary element of a romance novel. But the plot does have to hang together a little bit, or at least a little bit more than it does here. Bennett certainly leans into her Beauty and the Beast homage, which I support, but I think if I hadn't read the publisher's blurb (and seen the Disney movie more times than I like to think about), I might have been more than a little bit confused about the set-up and the characters' motivations. Still, it's an enjoyable read, with all the feelings and the Happily Ever After one expects.

What an absolutely delightful read this was! And I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this story is this author's debut novel. It only means that her future projects already hold a lot of promise!

Bellamy, "Bell", our FMC, is absolutely lovable. She runs a home improvement business with her dad, but because of the way she grew up, has never truly had a place to call "home". Unfortunately, this has given too many suitors the (wrong) impression that she's a commitment-phobe.

Oliver, the MMC, is our broken hero. Labeled as the family's recluse, he is quite the grump when he first meets Bell. But, it becomes pretty evident that he is incredibly kind and compassionate as we get to know him more.

In this sweet re-telling of "Beauty and the Beast", we see two characters be brave enough to open their hearts to the kind of love that they've feared and run away from for most of their lives. It's clear that they both bring out the best in each other. Even the third act breakup is true to who they are as people; terrified of love, and wanting to be as selfless for the person that they love.

Oliver's family, specifically his grandfather and cousin, are basically insane and power hungry. They seem almost desensitized to the amount of pain the Oliver has inflicted on himself by blaming himself for his parents' death. Thankfully, when we meet his sisters, we learn that they're not of the same opinion. This is an interesting juxtaposition to Bell's background, a father who cares for her, but might not actually see her for who she truly is. But, when they start to rely on each other, not just for companionship, but also for support, it becomes evident how well they compliment each other.

If I have anything negative to say about this story, it would be the Sebastian and Finn element. They're incredibly overbearing and annoying for most of the story, even though they do redeem themselves in the end.

4 ⭐️

I devour retellings, especially those of Beauty and the Beast. This one's different from some that I've read, and I absolutely loved it. It's not fantasy or has any sort of magic. It's a modern take on the traditional story where Bellamy, Bells, restores houses. She and her father have a successfully known business and are passionate about their work. Bellamy is a strong, independent heroine who won't take crap from any "Sir Asshole". Then there's Oliver, "Sir Asshole" or the "Beast" who's grumpy, rude, and just the perfect enemy you'd want in an enemies to lovers romance. He's alone in a mansion grieving over his past and has been alone until Bellamy's next project is restoring his home.
As any enemies to lovers story, you get to read the arguments, butting heads, tension, and them falling for each other. There's also a lack of beds in the mansion, so do I need to say more? *wink*
This is the author's debut novel, and I enjoyed it. There are a diverse set of characters that you'll fall in love with, grumpy vs sunshine main characters, and just a sweet happily ever after ending.

Overall, this was a cute beauty and the beast rom com and I enjoyed it. I do feel like a couple things were left unfinished, but nothing super pertinent to the plot. It was a quick, fun romance and I will be stocking it in my store.

This was a cute story. There were a lot of side characters that I did not love. I felt as if they mentioned the characters were fat a lot. Overall not a bad book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pretty good debut novel!

I personally don’t like when books reference movies or modern things. It takes me out of the book. But I don’t mind when they make up their own fictional version. Just me? Okay anyways.

Quirky FFM Bellamy restores the house for the grumpy recluse who is “cursed.” Super cute novel and loved the authors‘ take on Beauty and the Beast. It will make you giggle and kick your feet!

Tropes:

🥀Beauty and the Beast retelling
🥀Enemies to lovers
🥀One bed
🥀Grumpy x sunshine
🥀Forced proximity
🥀SO much banter

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I really wanted to like this, but at 55% through the book I am not connecting with the characters or their story at all. There’s also too much dry humping.

This is a rom-com/contemporary romance retelling of beauty and the beast where a grumpy rich homeowner is forced to work with a sunshiney project manager to update his estate.

I could see some readers liking this, it just wasn’t for me. I also don’t love the plus size trope - I don’t think the size of the character should matter. The inner monologue was a little cringey and the smut wasn’t for me either.

This was such a sweet book. I love a good Beauty and the Beast take, and this hit all the right spots, with a little bit of spice.

This was such a fun spin on Beauty and the Beast! I loved Bellamy and her determination to knock the renovation project out of the park, and Oliver was such a great grumpy hero. There were so many cute moments in this book and a really entertaining cast of side characters (including a meddling AI assistant, which made me laugh a bunch of times). Can't wait to read more from Mae!

Barely Even Friends is a fun, sweet, swoony, and spicy retelling of Beauty And The Beast.
I liked the contemporary take and the way the author turned the magic elements of the Disney's classic into something realistic.
This is the ultimate grumpy × sunshine romance. I liked the banter, the tension, the chemistry, the swoon-worthy moments, and the spice between Bellamy and Oliver.
If you are looking for a romance with fairytale vibes and all the spice, this is the right book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The horniest retelling of Beauty and the Beast that we all deserved. Thank you Mae.

I pre-ordered this.

Arc received from the author; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

A clever, cute, and swoony debut romantic comedy! I love beauty and the beast and was excited to see a different take on it in this original retelling. Bennett writes an engaging story with fun prose and banter, and characters you will love to root for. This is pretty steamy so people who enjoy spice will also love those scenes.

Grumpy meets Bratty.

A cute new contemporary romance that will really appeal to fans of Olivia Dade and Tessa Bailey.

I am a sucker for Beauty and the Beast so this new retelling was a must read for me.

Although, I will say the AI house guest was an odd addition.

I think the contemporary spin on the fairy tale retelling of one of my favorite stories is spot on. A renovator redesigning a crumbling old-money mansion? With AI as the whimsical non-human servant? Brilliant. I struggled through this book though, because of the execution. It needs a thorough round of edits. I would begin by providing a longer backstory in the first chapter to build up to arriving to the mansion. The led-up with the first chapter was short and rushed, making it hard to get into the story investing in the characters. With that, I recommend nixing the Bib storyline. Working at a museum, especially one as large as this is made out to be, requires years of museum experience and a PhD. Bellamy wanting to work there, without putting any dedicated training in the field beyond her work in renovation is very out of touch with the professional realty, and it really pulled me away from the story. The only thing that makes it realistic is the fact that it's a nepo hire since Oliver had an in. I think the story would be much more satisfying if she wanted to take over her father's business or start her own. My last comment is to rework the section when Bellamy introduces her friends to the reader during her phone conversation with them. Introducing them by their kinks was incredibly awkward, and I would rather get to know them by the personalities, friendship with Bellamy, etc before discussing their sexual life. I've never known anyone to introduce their close friends that way.

We stan a grumpy hero, who fall first and doesn’t think he deserves the FMC!! This was a fun and unexpected retelling of Beauty and the Beast. The slow burn in this really worked and I enjoyed the character growth. A modern spin on a beloved classic is hard to do but Mae accomplishes it!

This was a really fun retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Very steamy, and I loved the look into the whole building restoration process!