Incredible PRIDE AND PREJUDICE adaptation/retelling concept!! So many fun little Easter eggs and pop culture bits. I did have a little bit of trouble keeping all the characters straight, especially the ones with similarly spelled/sounding names who weren't one of the main characters. I also would have killed for an epilogue! Totally get the Sopranos-style ending, but would have loved to really see more of the main relationship succeeding vs. a HFN.

4.5 stars

This month has been unofficially dubbed "P&P Month" since I have just been devouring various adaptations of Austen's classic text to varying levels of success. Meet the Benedettos, which transports the Bennett sisters to the Hollywood Hills, was certainly a hit for me with its messy drama, unexpected heart, and touching nods to the original story.

The idea of making the Benedettos former reality stars dealing with the loss of their relevance is an inspired choice by Cotungo and immediately makes the reader understand why this family (like Austen's Bennetts) would be looked down upon by society. It does also mean that there are a ton of celebrity references and jokes about LA culture, which I know can be a turn off for some. For me, though, I was living for the mess of it all. These characters are people who make mistakes, constantly say the wrong thing. and delude themselves into thinking everything is all right when it is clearly not. However, Cotungo does a wonderful job of building the world around them to the point where you understand why certain characters make certain choices. You don't have to agree with them, but I'd say that you would be hard-pressed to argue that they are not supported textually. Even the end, which is a little more open-ended than Austen's, rings true when you consider where each character is on their personal journey.

Will this book be for everyone? Definitely not. However, I had an absolutely wonderful time getting to meet the Benedettos and I hope that you do too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Meet the Benedettos is a fun modern take on Pride and Prejudice, featuring a family who are a less successful version of the Kardashians. Lilly is the lead character, and like Elizabeth, she's stubborn and complicated, yet the most likable of the family. I liked that the sisters were all given interesting storylines, they were more multi-dimensional than some of the P&P sisters. There are so many modern takes on P&P, this was a good one.

I’m always game for a retelling of Pride and Prejudice so I requested this as soon as I saw it. While it was an enjoyable P&P adaptation, it won’t be like others in that category which I frequently reread.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC. This was enjoyable but not really a retelling in my opinion. I think this would have been better if the characters were more fun and likable.

This book is a spin off from Birds of California, which I thoroughly enjoyed last year, but this can definitely be read as a stand alone. A fun and funny story, with Jane Austin vibes, about a family with 5 young adult daughters all still living at home in their McMansion that has seen better days. The Benedetto’s found fame and fortune as a reality show family but after years of living extravagantly find that the money has run out and bills are piling up. But even in the worst of times, romance is still achievable. Can love conquer all? Thank you Netgalley, Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on December 5, 2023

Clearly based on the Kardashian sisters, this novel is fluffy with just the right amount of heart (and spice) and focuses on the bond of family while asking the question, when is it time to really grow up?

I enjoyed the frothy plot; I found it predictable but still very enjoyable. And by the end, I really felt the strength of the relationship among all the sisters.

Unfortunately it was incredibly challenging to keep all the characters straight and this distracted from my enjoyment of the book. Sometimes I couldn’t remember if a new character was introduced or if we were just referring to someone by a nickname, and there were not always context clues for me to keep track. I also appreciated having five sisters to show the big chaotic family, but it was frustrating how some sisters (certainly Mari, and then the two youngest) hardly had their own personalities.

Would certainly recommend this as a beach or plane read for a light, quick book! Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book and exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgallery and the publisher for this eARC.

I love Katie Cotugno, but this book was unfortunately not for me. DNF at approx 30%. Maybe it’s because I honestly don’t care about the Kardashians?

4.25 stars!

Katie SLAYED! This was such a refreshing and honest take on viral fame and the world of Hollywood. I loved how messy (katie's signature) all the characters were and how they learned to work through said mess. The romance between Lilly and Will was ELECTRIC! They were saying the rudest things one sec and were super hot and romantic the next. I love the Bennedettos and can't wait to see more of them!

Cotugno does a great job setting a scene. Between the too-big house in LA, trendy restaurants and clubs and jetsetting locations, I felt like I was watching a reality show. This was both good and bad - sometimes I wasn't excited to pick this book up for escapism but most of the time I didn't really care. The stakes didn't seem high and the story never really took off for me. I liked the multiple viewpoints but I felt like there were a few too many and they didn't really add to the story or add a useful perspective.

This was a quick and funny read that I'd recommend to my friends who enjoy reality tv. The writing was good and I found myself laughing A LOT.

The Benedettos were skyrocketed to fame a few years ago after having their own reality show. After the show ended however, the five sisters have begun to fall from their pedestal. When Charlie and Will move in down the street, the sisters become wrapped up in their drama as well as their own.

Ahh the Kardashians meets Pride and Prejudice. A show I have never watched and a book I have never read! That said, reading about a family that made a bunch of money for doing…well…kind of nothing, and then spending it all while not making more, is hard to feel bad for. Yet, I still found myself feeling bad for these sisters as they try to ignore the crumbling foundation of their families finances. I did feel like there was a bit too many characters for such a short book, it was hard to follow who was who at times, but I did enjoy this one overall!

I don't care one single bit about the Kardashians or really any other reality TV stars so I'm not exactly sure why I thought I'd care about their fictional counterparts. Cotungo is a talented writer, but this book was just not for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for an eARC of this novel!

I will always opt-in to a "Pride and Prejudice" retelling, and this one hits all the familiar marks! The Kardashian comparison is also spot-on with all the hallmarks influencer culture included. The best part, though, is the back-and-forth relationship dynamics between the leading couple...that's what kept me engaged and flying through this frothy read in an afternoon. Other characters didn't feel rounded out enough to have deep influence on the story, but that may have been a byproduct of trying to fit the P&P mold a little *too* much -- a pro & a con. Overall, a fun read that's perfect for your next warm weather getaway!

When it comes to contemporary adaptations of Jane Austen, particularly of Pride and Prejudice, which is arguably the one most people feel the most precious about, the challenge becomes how to adapt a well-known and beloved story into a new context that can stand wholly on its own. Billed as “The Kardashians Meets Pride and Prejudice”, Katie Cotugno’s Meet the Benedettos is possibly the most audacious approach I’ve seen to a modern adaptation, but one that ultimately serves the narrative really well.

In Meet the Benedettos, the titular Benedetto family are one-time reality stars who have since fallen on hard times now that their fifteen minutes of fame are over. Caught collectively between denial and hopelessness, things change when Julliard-trained actors Charlie Bingley and Will Darcy move into their neighbourhood, and take an interest in the family, and in oldest daughters June and Lilly respectively.

Plot-wise, the novel roughly follows the same beats as Pride and Prejudice, condensing key conversations while making sure to preserve the big emotional beats those familiar with the story will still expect to find. While the story primarily focuses on Lilly and Will, the rest of the supporting cast also get their chance to shine in their own POV chapters, though I did find myself wishing we had gotten just a little bit more of them. Nothing is left unresolved with any of them by the end of the story, but I missed out on watching that develop a little more in real time, particularly with June.

The chemistry between Lilly and Will is by far the highlight. Without the societal norms in place to keep them apart, Cotugno makes up for it by giving them other reasons to be hesitant in jumping into a relationship — and indeed other reasons to avoid liking each other in the first place — that feel a lot more believable that hewing closer to the original text would have allowed. The book also takes the liberties of significantly reducing the roles of certain supporting characters who don’t sufficiently support the new version of the story. They’re present long enough to get the point across, but no longer than that.

As a social commentary, the book has a lot to say about the toll that stardom can have on people, particularly those who fell into it young, and fell into the shine of being at the center of attention for a fickle audience. In staying spiritually close to Austen’s text, even as she substitutes Regency England for modern day Los Angeles, Cotugno keeps the spirit of Pride and Prejudice alive in this breezy new romance.

Meet the Benedettos hits shelves on December 5. Special thank you to Harper Perennial for the advance copy for review purposes.

This was good! I liked the quirky characters and mostly realistic plot lines. The celebrity/minor celebrity storyline was fun to follow too. The pacing of the story was well done and I read it pretty quickly.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This novel follows a reality tv family with many sisters and a family business. However, the girls are into their own worlds that they don't realize the financial situation their family is in. However, Lilly, is able to recognize what is really going on and gets frustrated with her siblings for not caring or taking things seriously. We also learn about a rental property down the street being occupied by two famous actors. Of course, we see a few of the girls get entangled with these men. A lighthearted read with a modern reality tv spin.

Laugh out loud funny- finished in a single afternoon because it flows so well. If you love to read about the rich and famous or enjoy the Kardashians- this one is for you!

This one just wasn’t for me. It was cleverly written, I made it about 20% but felt like a waste of my time.

This book was closed to the Kardashians then Pride and Prejudice but it was still overall a fun read. I liked the dual POVs and descriptive language used. Each sister had a different personality so they weren’t all blended together. I’d recommend this book for a quick weekend read if you’re in a reading slump or book hangover.

I just reviewed Meet the Benedettos by Katie Cotugno. #MeettheBenedettos #NetGalley

This was a fun, solid read, and more interesting than I expected! Told from varying perspectives of the sisters, as well as Charlie and Will, the story moved quickly, and kept me engaged.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, Harper Perennial for the ARC!