Katie Cotugno’s Meet the Benedettos is a vibrant and heartfelt exploration of family, love, and self-discovery, set against the backdrop of a close-knit Italian-American community. In her latest novel, Cotugno skillfully combines the warmth of family dynamics with the complexities of personal growth, creating a story that is both entertaining and deeply moving. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Meet the Bendettos is a fun, quick, addictive read. It's a "where are they now" following the former reality tv family the Bendettos as they navigate life after losing their former 5 minutes of fame.

I really enjoyed this one, however, it was told from too many points of view to keep track of!

Meet the Benedettos, like any Katie Cotugno book, is a good read. It follows the Benedetto family, a set of parents and their five adult daughters, who used to be reality tv stars and are now on the brink of foreclosure. When action star Charlie Bingley moves to the neighborhood with a roommate, Will Darcy, the Benedettos spend the next several months making headlines. Lilly, the second sister, can’t help but feel a magnet pulling her toward Will despite their reservations about one another. In Meet the Benedettos, we explore what the tabloids don’t mention or, more often than not, get wrong through multiple points of view.

This modern Pride and Prejudice retelling was solidly structured. Honestly, with how well the characters fit the 2020s, it was not easy to pinpoint the classics inspiration. The glaringly obvious names and plot points were a big hint though, haha. I liked the intricacies of the family. Will’s backstory was heartbreaking and created a well-rounded character. His dynamic with Lilly, given her backstory, was messy in the best way possible. I always believe that two romantic characters need a good balance of similarities and differences, and these two reflected that.

I would have loved more form these characters. The ending, though satisfying, felt abrupt and I was sad to have finished their story.

Loved the Benedettos, loved Lilly and Will. Can’t wait to read more from Katie Cotugno.

Imagine Pride and Prejudice meets the Katdashians in this modern-day retelling! The characters were a perfect fit for Austen’s timeless story, bringing fresh life and drama to the classic. While the ending felt a bit abrupt, overall, it was a fun and clever twist on a beloved tale!

Hollywood-ized version of the classic "Pride and Prejudice" about a reality television family whose moment in the spotlight dimmed after the media convinced the general public they were has-beens without substance. This would be a good, easy read if you are a fan of P&P adaptions; similarly, skip this book if you've already read the original and enough "updated" versions to satisfy your need to rehear this story.

3.75 stars

Okay, I reallyyyy wanted to like this one! The Pride and Prejudice comparisons had me so excited, and there was comparisons to the Kardashians as well. I loved Lilly’s character, and felt like the sisters were a good modern representation of the P&P sisters. Will’s character was okay, kind of annoying. The story was drama filled and kept my interest, even if some of the side characters were bland and felt two dimensional. It did touch on some heavy topics and some ridiculous ones. However, the ending felt rushed and kind of unfinished, I would have liked more - but overall it was a quick fun read!

Side note, looks like it was a follow up to a previous book I did not read, so maybe there will be a sequel with more info on these characters! I am not sure which if any of these characters was featured in the first book.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for this ARC!

3.5⭐
PG🌶️

I loved the idea of this book for an updated Pride and Prejudice, but the execution fell flat--I wish instead of this book being so short there had been more yearning between Lizzie/Lilly and Will Darcy. The sisters' relationships were everything though!

I didn't love this one. It was longer than needed and there were a lot of POVs; some weren't necessarily needed. I do not remember anything from P & P in college, so I don't know if this was a decent retelling or not. As a novel not connected to Jane Austen, it was fine, but forgettable.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

I really loved the previous book by this author so I was excited to read Meet the Benedettos. Unfortunately, I was a bit underwhelmed - yet still interested enough to read it in just a few hours! I know, that doesn't make sense, does it?

I think my main problem was that I couldn't get attached to any of the characters. There were 5 sisters, I didn't really like any of them and kept getting them mixed up. Also, I am NOT a fan of reality tv or the Kardashians, and honestly, I haven't read Austen recently enough to draw the comparisons the author was aiming for.

This is a quick read that fans of the Kardashians will probably enjoy. It just wasn't for me.

I did not love this one as much as I was hoping to. The characters just never fully caught my attention and therefore I struggled to finish.

Katie Cotugno has been an autobuy author for me so I was really excited to able to read this book. While I have either loved or liked her books, this one really missed the mark for me.
It is marketed a Pride and Prejudice meets the Kardashians, while it was an interesting concept, I think it was just too much for me.
Most of the characters were unlikable (especially Lilly) but if I had to choose one character I like the most it will probably be Will. 2.5 stars

I was really excited for this book, but feel a little let down. I struggled keeping all the characters straight and all their interconnected webs, and felt like the end was fast and unresolved

Good book with an interesting story. Took me a bit to get into this one. Once I did it was good but the first part just felt disjointed.

I just did not connect with this Hollywood version of Pride and Prejudice. The content - diving into various eating disorders, suicide, drugs, sex - just were not my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for the advanced e-copy of this book!

This book was not my cup of tea. I struggled to keep up with all of the different sisters and couldn't get invested in any of their stories. Plus the whole Kardashian connection was just too much for me. The multiple points of view made the story hard to follow. I hate being negative, but as you can tell, I really can't recommend this book.

I absolutely loved this! it was the perfect lit fic. I thought that it was a little bit slow at times but I still was very captivated. The ending was very rushed in my opinion.

I really loved her writing and will be reading more books by this author.

This book answers the question of what happens to reality stars once they are not longer stars--sort of. This is a sort of retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but not really. And that seems to be the problem with this book-- it is sort of a lot of thing, but not a lot of anything--is it a love story, is it a women's lib story, is it a family story. Although this book has its problems it is a fun read, if you don't take it too seriously. Although the names sort of reflect Jane Austin's characters, a reader does not have to know the her character's to enjoy it.

Thank you Net Galley for giving me a copy of Meet the Benedettos by Katie Cotugno. This book was a fun Pride & Prejudice meets The Kardashians remake. I really enjoyed this lighter read…..the ending felt a little abrupt but nonetheless, I would recommend it for those who love Jane Austen, modern day reality tv and those in need of a lighter palette cleanser.

I *love* a Pride and Prejudice retelling and this one which reimagines the Bennetts as a Kardashianesque family and Will Darcy & Charlie Bingley as actors is *so much fun*. I loved that it’s a story about sisters, about women being underestimated but showing that they’re so much more, and I thought it had a fantastic ending. Highly recommend!

MEET THE BENEDETTOS takes the idea of today's version of celebrity and weaves it into the narrative of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Cotugno manages to give her characters different identities while still having the familiar qualities we have all come to love in Austen’s classic.

Bottom line...this was a fun book. It is a one-sitting read that centers around the Benedettos sisters. They are reality TV stars gone by the wayside. The personalities are a bit like caricatures, but that worked for the overall narrative. The one person who came through as the most real was Lilly. She made this book for me. I enjoyed the character more than the others because her actions and emotions were honest.

MEET THE BENEDETTOS is prime to hit the screen, big or small, and reads like that. I would have loved a little more depth to the sisters as they navigate the situations within the book. And yet, it was entertaining and a fresh take on a classic.