Marnie Barnes, a seventeen-year-old boarding school student, has always preferred books to most people. Particularly classics – Jane Eyre, Anne of Green Gables, Pride and Prejudice, that sort of thing. But when she realizes (to her horror) that she’s more like the dour Mary Bennet than the heroine Lizzie, she decides to step out of her comfort zone and make a change.

Marnie really is a lot like Mary Bennet – and not just personality-wise. She’s got a frivolous and shallow mother, four sisters who look down their noses at her dour and pedantic behavior, and a father who clearly favors other sisters. Fortunately, Marnie has someone outside the family to rely on: her roommate, Adhira, who helps her broaden her horizons. UNfortunately, Marnie has a hopeless crush on a family friend, Hayes, who is engaged to her sister Lindy’s best friend. (Which makes him seem like the Mr. Collins of the story, but I’m pretty sure he’s the Wickham.)

Marnie also has ambitions: she has her heart set on attending Stanford, and the key to her admission (as she sees it) is winning the Hunt Prize, an award given out by her private school to the student who implements the best philanthropic project. (Plus, her sister Lindy won in spectacular fashion several years ago – and if Marnie can win, she can prove she’s just as good.) Marnie’s project revolves around rescue dogs, and she works closely with a handsome shelter employee named Whit. Whit, who appreciates her love of books. Who wants her project to succeed and seems to actually like her. But Marnie’s still smitten with Hayes... or is she?

A lot of Marnie’s anti-social tendencies ultimately stem from anxiety. Her family certainly doesn’t help matters. Marnie is super sensitive to every slight, perceived or real. But she also appears to be frequently oblivious to other people’s feelings, especially when their ideas or intentions clash with her own. Part of this is due to her anxiety – she's too busy worrying to realize when she’s being rude – but she’s also deeply self-focused and mistrustful, at least at first. But she’s also a perfectionist to a painful degree, in part because she thinks that’s what she needs to be in order to compete with her sisters, and when she never seems to measure up, it’s painful. She’s got pretty low self esteem, and it’s good to see that she meets people like Adhira and Whit who both genuinely like her and genuinely support her.

The character growth Marnie has over the course of the novel is fantastic, and many of the supporting characters are great too. I especially loved how Marnie and Lindy become closer and understand each other better. The romance between Marnie and Whit was really sweet, though I would have liked just a little more character development for Whit. Overall, it was an excellent P&P-based YA novel, and I’d happily read more from this author.

Representation: Major characters of color, lesbian characters, main character with anxiety

CW: emotionally abusive parenting, cheating, pregnancy loss

<i>"Everybody longs to be the Lizzy in their own life, the vivacious, witty beauty destined for greatness. No one wants to be Mary. Hell, even Mary didn't want to be Mary. The fact is: if Adhira's right, I'm not the protagonist in my own life.
If I ever want to find my rightful place in my family and stand on my own, I simply *cannot* be that person. And Hayes...even if he never choose to love me, I want to be a person who *could* earn him.
I must change. I *have* to change."</i>

TL;DR: A surprisingly fun twist on the perennial classic, <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>, that doesn't simply retell the story from the perspective of a different Bennet sister. Peterson sets the story in contemporary times in Bay area / San Franscisco, reimagining the Bennet family as a wealthy tech family. But middle-child Marnie is aware of -- and loves -- <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>, filtering the story through a quirky meta-lens that makes the story particularly fun for bookworms. <i>Being Mary Bennet</i>, while a bit too heavy on the romance side of things at times, is a love story to bookish girls, literary heroines, and childhood classics that just made it a really, really fun read.
<b><i>I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</b></i>

Vibes: <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> + Keeping Up With The Kardashians

Genre: True YA Contemporary Romance w/a dash of Regency Retelling
Could easily appeal to New Adults, particularly those who love Austen retellings and/or who were shy bookish kids growing up.

Romance Meter: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 ♡
It's a bit too heavy on the romance at times, and does have the ubiquitous Love Triangle.

Character MVP: Adhira, Marnie's costume-designing roommate at PCA

Verdict: I went into this book not knowing much about it -- in fact, I initially thought it was just a retelling of P&P from Mary's POV. Which I was actually eager to read, because I had just read <a href="https://www.themarysue.com/eloise-bridgerton-and-the-mary-bennet-problem/">"Eloise Bridgerton and the Mary Bennet Problem</a>, where Princess Weekes talks about how Mary Bennet (and Eloise Bridgerton) should be really relatable characters, but instead end up <i>"always trying to morally grandstand rather than actually have empathy for the women who are trying to make their best within a situation"</i>. Weekes' point, about Eloise in particular, was that <i>"Eloise feels like a parody of an intelligent woman from privilege because there is zero depth to anything she says. It is a performance piece we are forced to take part in.</i>" I had that in the back of my mind, so I was really curious to see how Peterson addressed that in a Mary-centric POV.

Which, I didn't get, technically, but I actually think it's like Peterson had Weekes' take on Mary Bennet (and Eloise Bridgerton) in mind as she wrote this book. Not that Weekes is the first to make it, of course, but the two texts do line up fairly well.

Initially, Marnie Barnes -- Peterson's Mary Bennet -- is all the things Weekes faults Mary and Eloise for: she is "semi-bookish" and "plain," and also "looks down on people and acts with a sense of moral superiority." She has a fair amount of "social ineptitude," and she "talks at people" (often in the form of 'did you know...' statements) and while she doesn't "ignore family activities" completely, she is often sidelined during them, and ignores pretty much everything except studying. And finally, she is "always reading" and, like Mary & Eloise, "doesn't get the themes or ideas of what she is reading."

But, as one would hope, Peterson has Marnie realize that she *is* Mary Bennet pretty quickly, and the story follows her attempts to first erase her Mary-Bennet-ness, and then come to peace with it. She is still bookish and a bit socially inept, but there's a depth to her journey of self-acceptance that struck me -- maybe because it rang a bit too close at home. Marnie's realizations are a bit on-the-nose, but I think could be beneficial for YA readers to see her label and identify her jealousy and internalized self-loathing and work through them.

The Barnes family lines up pretty closely with Austen's Bennet family -- and it's actually kinda delightful to see how Peterson imagines them living in 21st century California: Mr. Bennet is now a tech scion, and Mrs. Bennet is a socialite who is still histrionic and melodramatic (and it works). There is no Mr. Bingley, as Jane/Joss is married to a woman (who makes amazing lemon cupcakes!) that detail stuck) and has a set of triplets, but Lindy (our Lizzie) has her Mr. Darcy still and they're quite the California power couple. Kitty and Lydia are still around, reimagined as the twins Kat and Lola, and Lydia would 100% wear all black and have pink hair. Sadly, there is no Mr. Collins, but our rakish Wickham is here as Hayworth "Hayes" Wellesley, the object of Mary's cringey adolescent obsession. Given Mary's weird infatuation with Mr. Collins, this crush kinda makes sense, and I know every good Regency romp needs a rake, but it got a bit much for me at times. I know it was the main vehicle for Marnie's growth but...*shrug* I also don't love Love Triangles, so I could have done without.

It's Adhira who calls Marnie out for her Mary Bennet-ness, giving the book it's title, and I really enjoyed the meta-ness of this approach. Marnie wasn't a retelling of Mary, no matter how much her life and family mirror of that of the iconic Austen novel; there's even a delightful scene where she reads through P&P looking for the (scant) descriptions of Mary.

But the thing I loved most about this story was that it is, I think, a love letter to bookish girls and the literary heroines they love. Lindy / Lizzie, true to form, is one of the most engaging characters in the book, and I love the moment when Marnie realizes that she and her sister both speak the language of books. They're *both* bookish and literarily-inclined, even if Lindy is the more vivacious and witty one; I've never thought of Lizzie as extroverted, but compared to Jane and Mary, she might be. Mary / Marnie is the shy & awkward introvert, who identifies with the Anne Shirleys, the Mary Lennoxes, the Jane Eyres, the Jo and Beth Marches of the world.

There's this absolutely wonderful scene where Lindy hands Marnie a copy of <i>Wide Sargasso Sea</i> -- the famous retelling of <i>Jane Eyre</i> from the perspective of Bertha Mason, Mr. Rochester's "madwoman in the attic" -- and says:

<i><b>"You are not Mary Bennet, Marnie. And even if you were, that doesn't make you any less a protagonist in your own life." Lindy jabs a finger at the novel's cover. "Every person is the main character in their own story, even the women stuffed in the attics."</i></b>

My one complaint is that Peterson spent too long on the love triangle -- while Whit was a swoony love interest; he likes dogs! and dogs like him! -- at the expense of Marnie's journey. Peterson ends not with Marnie and her family, realizing that they love and appreciate her, but with her and Whit, which just undercut things a bit for me. It's the weird insertion of romance into *every* story as the driving force, and I think the story might have been stronger if Marnie's self-acceptance had been the closing focus. I understand that Whit was supposed to be the antithesis of Hayes, and Marnie's openness to a relationship with him was supposed to represent the changes she'd gone through and that her Mary Bennet-ness still makes her worthy of romantic love, but I think that Marnie's internal validation is a bit more rewarding than the external validation of a relationship.

Oh, and Lindy should have adopted Sir Pat. You won't change my mind on this.

"Every person is the main character in their own story, even the women stuffed in the attic."

Being Mary Bennet was such a steady and calming story. I loved tottering along with Marnie as she unfolded before my eyes on these pages. And Whit! Oh my Gosh, BOOK BOYFRIEND OF THE CENTURY! I read this story slowly on purpose so I could make it last longer.

Marnie's story is such a beautiful testament to loving oneself and accepting one's own flaws. I could really relate to Marnie as a character, we literary nerds can be so in our own heads...and feel as if we are in the shadow of our siblings (and others) so often. Seeing Marnie grow was amazing.

I'm so happy I got a chance to read Being Mary Bennet! I can't wait to see what else flows from the great mind of J.C. Peterson!

Thanks to HarperTeen and NetGalley for this ARC!
This book saw through to my soul, Being Mary Bennet is every teenage girl after they read Pride and Prejudice for the first time. It's bubbly and fun with a good helping of teenage angst as well. If you've ever wanted to be the main character this book is for you.

I had zero expectations going into Being Mary Bennet...and honestly, I did it a disservice. Peterson is an adept author, who wrote a very flawed protagonist coming of age and finding herself, but did it in such a way that you felt for Marnie and her struggles and rooted for her to figure herself out. And it wasn't schmaltzy or saccharine in a way some bildungsroman can be, when written by adults reflecting on their own youths.

There are some issues with pacing and secondary characters, but nothing that took me out of the story all too much. Truly, Peterson's characterization of Marnie is so nuanced and realistic that it anchors an otherwise predictable story. I also appreciated seeing how the Bennet sisters were brought to life in a 21st century family that wasn't an exact facsimile of the original Austen family; Peterson's work rings of someone who genuinely loves Austen but is confident enough as a writer that they don't need to PROVE that their love and/or knowledge of the source material (this is an ongoing issue of mine with some other recent YA adaptations of classic works, but I digress). The references novel are a good mix of obvious and sly.

This is one I would love to put on my classroom shelves for teenage readers, as I think it'll ring very true with those kids who constantly see themselves as the "worst" of their family or the "letdown" or just the imperfect black sheep. :)

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the ebook ARC. All opinions in this review are my own.

This was a fun read with a unique voice and take on the Austen story, but unfortunately, it wasn't anything that wow-ed me. I found myself irritated with nearly all of the characters, and I didn't end up being satisfied by the end of the book. I know many readers found this book delightful, so I'm glad it found its audience!

Thank you to HarperTeen and NetGalley for the e-book in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Even though this was a "retelling" of sorts, it felt so refreshing! I loved Marnie's prickly nature and watching her and Whit together. There was an amazing ensemble cast as well, with such great levity and banter as well as emotional depth. Peterson's writing made me invested in Marnie from the start, and I can't wait to see what's next from her!

This one was suuuper cute and I liked it a lot!! But after reading the summary and noting that this was labeled romcom…I am CONFUSED! I originally thought the romance was just a subplot because I wanted MORE because BOY OH BOY was it rushed at the end ugh they deserved more (I’m so sad but also I will survive). I really loved Marnie's personal journey though and her friendship with Adhira was so good (there's even a redeemed enemy arc I loved). I also cried

Marnie is one of those characters who you may not like at the beginning of the novel. But I really really love when this happens. I have such a fondness for redeemed snooty/selfish characters. I use redeemed lightly because obviously she still remained firmly herself, but ended the book just a little bit more aware of how she can hurt others and how others have/haven't hurt her. I love witnessing the growth and acceptance these books normally work through. So while you may be disgruntled with her character at first, I really hope you see it through until the end.

- (My YA favs include If I'm Being Honest and A Midsummer's Nightmare.) (One I used to love is Before I Fall but I don't have the emotional capacity to read that book anymore, but I read the shit out of it when I was younger.)

I definitely wanted to shake Marnie A LOT when it came to Hayes, but even then, I get it. She's not the only one to have a very terrible, very messy crush and even though I was DISGUSTED with the man, I still understood Marnie. Also he was very sleazy and predatory so half of her mixed up emotions and feelings were because he was using and toying with her. He got his proper punishment though so I'm feeling good. Her family also got on my nerves, but I think they mainly made up for their initial shitty behavior. The mother, however, still needs to answer for giving away that lemon cupcake. That is a CRIME.

The animal shelter plot line was super cute and I liked the scope of her project. I also liked getting to know the San Fransisco area a bit more. The wedding was perfectly dramatic and I love Marnie for her flare. That scene alone was worth one star AT LEAST; I was so happy. I especially loved the wedding scene because so many times, characters are not able to go a little balls to the wall. Marnie did her fair share of fucking around and finding out and I loved watching her live her unhinged life. I too get seduced by chocolate desserts.

The romance between Marnie and Whit was like 15% of this book. I loved Marnie and had such a good time, but this was wayyyyy more centered on her relationship with her family, herself, Adhira, even Hayes, and then Whit. So much so that at the last chapter I didn’t actually know if they’d get together. We didn’t meet Whit until 25% into the book. I’m not saying this is a terribly terrible thing because I really did enjoy the book—I just wish we got more of Marnie and Whit because we don’t know much about him and I don’t know enough about them together to believe they love each other???

There was a SUPER swoony moment but it was immediately ruined by Marnie being plagued by lockjaw because Whit asked a very simple question and she simply could not answer it. (It was that type of moment where the main character just clams up even though they *think* about their response but ultimately say nothing.) It kinda spoiled the mood because again, the answer was SUPER simple. But still, that scene was SO good. I need to find myself a ball gown, ball, and enamored hero.

Overall, I had a really fun time re-imagining Mary Bennet's character. I laughed, I cried, I craved dessert. Marnie was nothing if not relatable—she's not always a great person, but I can't claim to always be either. She had enough of heart to keep me rooting for her. I liked the literary references and screeched at the Gilbert/Anne references, my heart! I also had a very fun time creeping on Will during this book because I will always have a hard-on for Darcy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to the publisher for giving me an arc via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are honest and my own.

CWs: Comments on main characters body/weight, car accident, miscarriage, predatory older men

Being Mary Bennet, as a book, is very much like Mary Bennet. At first you just don't like her. She is cranky and offensively opinionated. She has no idea who she is and comes across as a pretentious snob. But then you keep getting to know her and she actually has redeeming qualities and becomes a friendly, fun person to know. That is how this book is structured.
At first I wanted to DNF it. I didn't like Marnie, she was unredeemable and annoying. But I kept reading and you see her character develop in such a way that real life teenagers do. Her innocence resonated with my past self and I really started to understand and feel with her. The feeling of not belonging, whether it be her family, her school, the young and established society in which she is living in: all feelings that angsty teens deal with all the time! While the beginning was slow and somewhat aggravating, the middle and end make up for it and make this a very enjoyable book to pick up and devour. Which is what I did. :)
I loved the friendships that developed throughout this entire book: Adhira and Marnie; Adhira and Dev and Tilda; Marnie and Whit; and most of all, Marnie and her family/sisters. There is sadness in this book but it was a great flagstone to the relationship between Marnie and Lindi, as well as Marnie and herself.
This is *definitely* YA, perhaps too young for some adult readers who dabble in YA, so may be a struggle for some readers, but it was a sweet, cute, and charming little book.

It's time for a confession: I've never read Pride & Prejudice. Despite being a bookworm, I haven't read what's largely regarded to be one of the greatest romances of all time. I want to, at some point, but I haven't yet. All this to say, I know very little about Mary Bennet - or any of the Bennet sisters aside from Lizzy. I'm not sure whether that affected my reading experience, in all honesty.

This feels like a great example of a time when I judged a book by its cover...only to end up disappointed.

I mean, look at that cover! It's so cute!

Unfortunately, this book didn't bring me the same amount of joy that its cover did. In fact, I ended up being fairly annoyed with it.

My main problem with the book was actually our main character - Marnie. I understand she wasn't supposed to be all that likable at first, but I had trouble sympathizing with her at all. And it's hard to love a book when you're constantly being annoyed by the main character.

I'll try to say this with as few spoilers as I can, but my other problem was some of the plot twists. Some surprisingly heavy content was dealt with in Being Mary Bennet, and at times it felt cheap like it was only included for the main character to have some realization. It just didn't sit well with me.

I will say, though, that this book did have some good things going for it! The San Francisco setting was absolutely amazing, and the side characters stole my heart.

Overall, this might just have not been the book for me, but I just struggled to enjoy it.

Being Mary Bennet, by J.C. Peterson, follows Marnie Barnes, a senior in boarding school who desperately wants to win the Hunt Prize, a prestigious competition at her school. When her roommate calls her Mary Bennet in an argument, she decides to try and reinvent herself.

I don't quite know how to describe this book. It's not quite a Pride and Prejudice retelling, but it's also not not a Pride and Prejudice retelling. It's a family of five sisters (Joss, Lindy, Marnie, Kat, and Lola, as opposed to the original Jane, Lizzie, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia), and they, the parents, and the Darcy and Bingley-adjacent characters all have similar personalities to those which they're based on in P&P. Additionally, another central character, who Marnie is infatuated with, is (I believe) supposed to be the Mr. Collins-equivalent character, with his fiancé, Lindy's best friend, being the Charlotte Lucas counterpart, although this character (Hayes) was personality-wise more similar to Wickham. There was very little overlap in plot, but honestly all but 3-4 characters came straight out of Pride and Prejudice, which is why I'm hesitant over whether or not to call it a retelling. Mostly I'm just confused about how Marnie loves Pride & Prejudice in-universe and never saw the connections between her family and the characters in that until it was pointed out to her; I feel like it ought to have been more subtle.

I really loved Marnie's character development over the course of the novel. She learns to accept herself and begins to see those around her for who they really are, rather than just her preconceived notions (in many ways mirroring Lizzie's development in Pride & Prejudice). It was definitely the most well-written aspect of the story. She was also so fun to read about; how could I not love a character who also adores Anne of Green Gables?

Marnie's relationships were also enjoyable to read about. Her friendship with her roommate, Adhira, is so fun, with the latter being easily one of my favorite characters in the book. Her love interest, Whit, is really cute, and their interactions are all adorable (he calls her Anne-girl during a discussion about Anne of Green Gables when they meet, and I just about swooned at that).

I also really liked Marnie's relationships with her sisters, though I wish they'd been more developed. Lindy's relationship to her definitely gets explored the most, which makes sense given that she's the Lizzie Bennet-equivalent and everybody (including me) loves her, and I did really enjoy those scenes, but I wish that Lola (the Lydia-adjacent character) had been fleshed out more. Lola had a lot of character depth that was hinted at at the start but that didn't really seem to go anywhere. Meanwhile, Joss and Kat were barely present.

Hayes creeped me out. Marnie's been infatuated with him ever since he "saved her life" when she was younger (a debatable designation), and is convinced that they're meant to be together, despite him being in his late twenties while she's only 18. The worst part is that it isn't entirely one-sided, despite him being engaged and having known her since she was a child. He's just so creepy and horrible; the entire plotline honestly felt unnecessary, and is the sole reason why I'm taking a star off of my rating of the book.

Overall, I did thoroughly enjoy this book. The characters are all exceptionally well-written, and it's just such a fun spin on Pride & Prejudice. Although there was one storyline that I could definitely have done without, the rest of it was really wonderful, and I'd definitely recommend it to any fan of P&P, or just any lover of YA contemporary. It's got well-written family dynamics, wonderful friendships, and an adorable romance; what more could one ask for?

Being Mary Bennet, the debut novel from J. C. Peterson, is a love letter to every nerdy girl who wishes she was Lizzie Bennet, but secretly knows that she is Mary. Most of us are in this boat, and it gets us down. Now, there have been a million contemporary Pride & Prejudice retellings, so it can be hard to get jazzed about a new one, even for hardcore fans. But seeing the story through Mary’s eyes takes us to a whole new world.

An unlikable, but lovable, protagonist
Marnie Barnes is the type of girl who wants to spend her birthday alone in the library. She prefers to spend her life buried in the classics. She carries around worn copies of Jane Eyre or Anne of Green Gables to read over and over again. Most of all, she is right in the middle of five sisters, the least remarkable of the bunch, with a mother who has always judged her at every turn.

Marnie will never be beautiful and beloved like her older sister, Lindy. Instead, she is prickly and awkward and always speaks her mind, sometimes by accident.

She is the YA heroine that we can all relate to. She might have said a few things that made me cringe, and she did a few things that I definitely did not agree with, but ultimately, that just made her more real. I appreciated reading about a girl who makes mistakes.

A one-sided, sisterly rivalry
Throughout the story, Marnie’s goal is to win the prestigious Hunt Prize, which Lindy won several years ago. By winning, she hopes that her father will finally start paying attention to her. She presents her plan to the judges: Bark Books, a program where little kids can read books to puppies at a local shelter. This will encourage both reading and puppy adoption, the two things she’s most passionate about!

Her plan is approved, and now she must cross the next hurdle: finding a mentor. She wants to ask her dad, but asking him is harder than she anticipated. Early in the novel, there is a heartbreaking scene where Marnie attends a family gathering and is completely ignored. Her mom asks her to take a photo of the rest of the family, as if she isn’t a part of it, and Marnie storms away. As someone who comes from a difficult family, I ached for her. The author perfectly captured those emotions on the page.

Bit off more than it could chew
This novel tried to tackle a lot of different relationships. Family is the biggest focus in this book, particularly her feelings of inadequacy with her father and her sister Lindy. This part of the book felt authentic. We don’t see enough big families in YA, and it gave a fresh twist to the “overshadowed sibling” trope, because Marnie is overshadowed not by one sister, but four! The family dynamic really shines in this book—I loved how they kept all five sisters, when most retellings cut one or two. The chaos felt like the Bennet household in Pride & Prejudice itself.

Our heroine also finds herself caught in a love triangle. Since middle school, she’s been pining over one of her sister’s friends. Again, super relatable for nerdy readers such as myself. When that relationship becomes a possibility, however, she starts to think she might prefer to love him from afar.

At the same time, a cute boy at the dog shelter starts flirting with her, and Marnie doesn’t know what to do. Does she let go of her tragic unrequited love story for something real? Or is that still too scary?

I found Marnie’s romantic relationships extremely compelling and relatable. They gave her plenty of opportunities to screw up in a frustrating and endearing way. Near the end, however, it felt like the author was running out of time and some conflicts were resolved too quickly.

I felt the same way about Marnie’s relationship with her roommate and best friend. They are complete best friend goals, and I loved every minute Adhira was on the page. But throughout the story, conflict builds between them and finally, when it reaches a boiling point, the resolution is a bit of a letdown. This novel tried to explore everything, to its detriment.

Austen nerds, unite!
Even if you’re fed up with Austen retellings, try this one. Marnie will probably win your heart, draw you in, and not let go. And if you really can’t stand her, at least there are plenty of cute boys and puppies.

DNF halfway through the second chapter. Marnie is incredibly irritating and unlikeable; her air of superiority is off putting and I had a hard time sitting through what I actually read. Definitely not for me.

A smart, modern retelling of what Mary Bennet's life from "Pride & Prejudice" might look like today. You definitely don't have to be an Austen fan to enjoy this book. But if you have a base familiarity with her work, plus enjoy other classic titles like "Anne of Green Gables," the nods to them will leave a smile on your face. I especially appreciated the relationship between Marnie (our Mary stand-in) and her roommate, Adhira. Also, any book that features a cute dog gets bonus points from me!

A fun read, especially for the introverted, anxious, occasionally pedantic bookworms among us! The way the story acknowledges and plays with its status as an adaptation is fun and interesting without requiring any level of Austen expertise for enjoyment overall, and it's cool to see Mary getting the treatment that Lydia got in the Lizzie Bennet Diaries version (will Kitty ever get a turn? who's to say). The writing is solid and fairly humorous although not particularly extraordinary, although the scenes in the hospital were especially nicely done, and the narrative does offer appropriate time to the various .subplots (even if I wasn't 100% feeling the Marnie/Whit relationship) and allows Marnie to grow as a character and discover herself without completely leaving behind who she was at the outset. An easy rec for Austen/classic lit fans, but also for those who enjoy YA contemporaries like Amanda Sellet's By the Book.

Okay I have to be honest I almost dnfed this book at the beginning because the protagonist was so incredibly unlikeable to me, but all the other characters were likeable enough to keep me in. I think our best friend character puts up with an awful lot from the protag and it can be hard to read, and while I loved the ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’ refs, it didn’t land super hard for me when it’s empowering a white mega rich usually pretty insufferable leading character?
BUT I thought the protagonist’s arc was overall fine, I had fun reading it once I got over my initial dislike, and my English teacher heart appreciated all the literary references so. Solid stuff I would recommend to my Rory Gilmore inspired students 😝

Cover Story: Gallery Wall of Fame
BFF Charm: Eventually
Talky Talk: Straight Up: Austen Edish
Bonus Factors: Austen Adaptation, San Francisco, Sir Pat the Dog
Relationship Status: A Thousand Times Yes

Cover Story: Gallery Wall of Fame

It’s like cutesy cartoon but with a twist. All your faves are here: Marnie, Adhira, Whit, Sir Pat the dog! And unfortunately, also, Hayes is there. Overall, it feels like a modern day ode to Jane Austen, which is a perfect match for the story.

The Deal:

Everyone likes to think of themselves as the main character in their own life. For Austen fans, you might find the occasional Jane or (if we’re honest) Lydia, but for the most part, we all fancy ourselves an Elizabeth Bennet: clever, witty, a little mysterious. But after a rather disastrous birthday evening, Marnie Barnes comes to the horrifying realization that she’s not an Elizabeth…

She’s a Mary Bennet.

Marnie decides it’s time for her own makeover montage. She’s finally going to step outside of her comfort zone and make some friends, catch the attention of her long-time crush, and most importantly, she’s going to come up with an idea that will win her the Hunt Prize, an elite, academic award at her school for a community-oriented project. But Marnie quickly realizes that being the main character may be harder than it looks.

BFF Charm: Eventually

BFF Charm with a sweatband on
The whole deal here (see above) is that Marnie needs to undergo some serious character development. So it should come as no surprise that at the beginning of the book, Marnie is pedantic and bratty. I kept getting SUPER frustrated with her, while also seeing that sometimes her family (her mother especially, but of course) didn’t pay enough attention to her.

But as Marnie began to challenge herself to be the Elizabeth Bennet of her life, I was proud of every step forward she made. Her setbacks were frustrating because I knew she was capable of more – it always felt like she was giving up when I was rooting so hard for her.

Swoonworthy Scale: 7

Marnie’s Hunt Prize project involves having children read books to shelter dogs, and her first visit to the animal shelter introduces Whit. Whit is cute, he’s sweet, he’s an animal lover who volunteers at a shelter, and he’s also (hold on to your butts) a lover of Anne of Green Gables. A perfect book boy! Their romance is one of my favorite types: a sweet, slow build-up where every brushing of hands or sideways glance feels like you might explode from excitement. Prepare to be tortured, though. Peterson keeps us guessing until the very end whether these two will figure things out.

Talky Talk: Straight Up: Austen Edish

Peterson’s writing is so voice-y and acerbic – filled with personality. And the jokes were laugh out loud funny, which has felt like a bit of a book unicorn lately. Marnie refers to Mary Bennet as “one of literature’s famous wet rags” and has great one-liners like, “Nothing untoward happens in a bookmobile.”

Marnie is a hilarious combination of super smart, kind of nerdy, a bit self deprecating, while also being a little clueless, which results in lots of little passages like this one, which made me chuckle:

“I tug at the edges of my sack dress pockets, then shove my hands into my cardigan pockets–that’s right, I’m double-pocketed.

“Your cardigan,” Tilda says. “Did you add the embellishments yourself?”

I glance down at my cardigan, and it glances back. It’s covered in embroidered orange cats in various attitudes.”

While this is obviously a ~sort of~ Pride & Prejudice retelling, it’s done in a subtle and modernized way that felt really fresh and new.

Bonus Factor: Austen Adaptation

Vintage cover of Pride and Prejudice with a peacock
I loved seeing how Peterson envisioned the modernized versions of each P&P character. Mr. Barnes, the distracted professor. Mrs. Barnes, the Real Housewife-esque socialite who is constantly throwing fundraisers like her “melanoma awareness pool party.” Lindy, the beloved, quasi-famous nature documentarian, and her loaded Silicon Valley husband who live in a tastefully understated mansion. I’d be interested in an entire book dedicated to Lola, the party girl who recently returned home after a scandalous semester in France.

Bonus Factor: San Francisco

View of the city of San Francisco with the Painted Ladies houses in the foreground
This was one of those books where the city backdrop feels like its own character. I may be all “eat the rich” IRL but the swanky settings of tech billionaire family homes in Being Mary Bennet felt indulgent in a good way.

Bonus Factor: Sir Pat the Dog

Golden retriever looking at camera while being hugged by a man
If you thought there’d be a meet-cute in an animal shelter and no awesome dogs around, you’d be WRONG. Sir Pat won my heart with his bearded whiskers and judgmental stare – I was just as invested in his HEA as I was in Marnie’s!

Relationship Status:

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that I’m gonna love a Pride & Prejudice retelling, but I particularly liked the modernization here, and being able to see the story I know and love through a different lens. This was one of those books that had EVERYTHING I love all in one place, with a hilarious, fresh voice to boot. I devoured it in just a couple of sittings. And did I mention that author J.C. Peterson is a member of the Denver FYA Book Club?! We’re as proud as Mrs. Bennet over here.

It should come as no surprise that I am a huge Jane Austen fan. I am a sucker for an Austen retelling. This one is a good one. Marnie loves literature, and she sees the parallels between her own family and the Bennet family of Pride and Prejudice. When she is compared to pedantic Mary Bennet, she vows to change her ways. It’s not an easy path. She has to learn about what friendship is, and just how much her family really means to her—and how much she means to them. She also has to see the light about her longstanding childhood crush.

It’s not always easy to read. Marnie gets into some excruciatingly embarrassing situations. You cringe with her as she recognizes her faults. But it’s uncomfortable in the good way—the growth way.

I loved watching Marnie’s friendship with Adhira grow, particularly because Marnie is realizing just how much she needed a friend.

This was a book that had me sneaking pages during class while my students were working.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Teenage drinking. Dysfunctional family. Sexual harassment. Kissing. Swearing, mostly mild but a few F words. A car accident leads to miscarriage. Same-sex marriage.

Who Might Like This Book:
Any Pride and Prejudice fan will probably get a kick out of this book. Anyone who likes big families will get it. If you were the nerdy awkward kid in high school, it will resonate.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

Being Mary Bennet was absolutely adorable! It follows Marnie Barnes who is bookish, socially awkward, and a bit uptight. She struggles to fit into her family, and has always wanted the attention of her parents and the guy she’s been in love with for years. But on her journey to shed the Mary Bennet she recognizes in herself—and to be the protagonist in her own story—she finds confidence, a new crush, and love from both her family and new friends.

This story was a delight! Marnie, despite her prickly personality, is so relatable. I loved getting to experience her change and her self-discovery. I loved the cute romance, and the author did such an amazing job with character development and the relationship building between Marnie and her sisters and her roommate/best friend. The book held my attention from the second I picked it up. It had me cackling, feeling uncomfortable, and rooting for Marnie the whole time. Highly recommend if you love contemporary YA!

Marnie Barnes is a socially awkward, bookworm who desperately feels out of place in her own family. When in the heat of an arguement, a friend tells her that she is the Mary Bennet in her own story, Marnie takes it completely to heart. In her quest to change from a Mary to a Lizzie, she makes some advances, but also some missteps along the way.

Let me start by saying that I've never highlighted so many passages in a book. There are so many great passages in this book, both meaningful and hysterical. This was one of those books that I want my teenagers to read, and I want my adult friends to read. There are so many great takeaways from this story! I literally had all the emotions throughout this book; I was angry on Marnie's behalf, I grieved beside her, I laughed with her, and I felt pride in who she ultimately became throughout her story.

I highly recommend this book, and am really excited to see more from this debut author!

Thank you to J.C. Peterson and Harper Collins for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.