Pride and Prejudice meets reality tv and celebrity romance in this surprisingly smart Jane Austen retelling. I am not a Jane Austen purist, so I really enjoyed this spicy modern take on her classic romance. (If you ARE an Austen purist, this is not the book for you.) I liked the way Cotugno reimagines the classic themes of Austen’s work against the backdrop of Hollywood, social media fame and modern social issues. It’s witty, thoughtful and flat out fun to read! Arguably my favorite modern riff on Pride and Prejudice!

A fun and unexpectedly thought-provoking novel where an A-list movie star moves to Los Angeles—next door to a family of five eligible sisters.

Billed as Pride and Prejudice with the Kardashians, this modern update is more fun than I'd initially thought. I find the Kardashians to have No Redeeming Value, and that did make it hard for me to care about the Benedettos sisters in this book, but I found it to be entertaining nonetheless, and I ended up enjoying it.

I loved Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, and this is in that arena, but all the modern nods to pop culture that might date this book are what kept me reading. I really enjoyed Cotugno's previous book Birds of California, and I hope that her next book is just as good but with less Kardashian-like characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and Netgalley for an ARC of this book! I’ve willingly read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.

MEET THE BENEDETTOS is exactly as it’s been advertised: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE meets THE KARDASHIANS. The Benedetto girls starred in a short-lived reality show after their father made his fortune with Italian chain restaurants and are now struggling to remain relevant as the money dwindles. Their home is crumbling around them and every move they make seems to be twisted into something pathetic, despite their best intentions. Yet when the handsome movie star, Charlie Bingley, and his serious best friend and fellow actor, Will Darcy, move into the neighborhood, The Benedettos find their problems highlighted even more.

I’ve read SO many PRIDE AND PREJUDICE retellings and MEET THE BENEDETTOS was certainly a new take, with modern updates to the story that made it unique from the multitude of other adaptations out there. I really enjoyed trying to pick out the similarities and though I wish there had been a bit more romance, MEET THE BENEDETTOS was a quick read filled with a ton of modern issues and problems faced by more than just the celebrities of today.

3.5 ⭐️s rounded up.


TW: death of parents/loved one (off page), attempted suicide (off page), eating disorder, nonconsensual release of explicit materials

Pride and Prejudice meets the Kardashian’s? You might be thinking no way, but trust me it works.

I am a sucker for any of Austen’s retellings and this was no exception. We have our Lilly, an ex reality star trying to write a novel, and Will a stage actor trying it out in LA for a big movie. You know how this story ends but this book doesn’t suffer because of it.

All of Jane Austen’s familiar characters from the beloved P&P get an update. Each one dealing with modern challenges as well as the timeless themes in the original novel.

This book was a quick read with limited spice. I really liked it.

Thank you Net Galley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the ARC.

3.5 STARS. I liked this book for what it was - a witty, somewhat frothy, take on the vapid, shallow world of reality TV and its inhabitants. The main character and her family had a distinctively Kardashian vibe.
The book is well-written and at times very funny. My problem with it is that I felt the characters were somewhat one-dimensional. At times the author dug a little deeper into the struggles the characters faced but I would have liked to see more of that.
The ending wrapped up pretty nicely and a tad too conveniently.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for a fun, beach read especially if you are familiar with Los Angeles and the entertainment industry. Many thanks to @harperpernnial and @netgalley for the ARC. Book publishes 12/23 #meetthebenedettos #netgalley #harperperennial

on goodread at Stacey May There is a picture of a street in NYC w/ brownstones, in fall for my picture
on instagram @bibliomom6288

I would like to thank Net Galley and Harper publishing for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. This book was billed as a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, with the cast of the Kardashians. That is exactly what it is. Do not read this if you are looking for great deep thoughts, or deathless prose. It is a fun , lighthearted romp through Hollywood, by way of 19th century England . The Benedetto Family, Mother, Restauranteur Father, and 5 Daughters, live in a not so posh part of town. The family fortunes are failing, and the daughters reality show only lasted 3 seasons. However, things are looking up, 2 young actors Charlie Bingley and Will Darcy, have moved in down the street. Basically the plot is how the family navigates their life, and tries to improve their failing fortunes. The Will Darcy character is actually the most interesting of the bunch, a "serious" New York actor, with some secrets. It was a fun easy read. Sometimes, you just need some fluff, and this is perfect for those times.

A light and pleasant, albeit bare minimum retelling. I don't think this book ever quite manages to be its own thing; I was never truly immersed in *this* story or in *these* characters, rather than Jane Austen's.

I really liked Birds of California so I thought I’d give this one a try. What I got was a novel that unfortunately was not good. Was I supposed to like any of these characters? They were all awful. Their redeeming qualities are … not really there. Maybe it’s because I’m not a reality tv person, but this just seemed like a bad idea overall. So disappointing, because I was really looking forward to it as I liked the author’s previous book. If you like the Kardashians, you’ll probably like this one.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice where the Benedettos are more like the Kardashians and were in an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

I loved Lilly and Will they stole the show in this story, their chemistry and the build-up of tension as they navigated their attraction for one another was well-written. I enjoyed reading about the sister's relationships and their support for one another during unlucky times.

I did have a problem with the multiple povs and storylines. I feel like I lost a bit of connection with it constantly switching. I would have much preferred to read from the two main leads. The ending was abrupt, I was not expecting it to feel so rushed.

This was a creative take, and I would recommend it if you love a modern retelling with plenty of pop culture references and family drama to keep you entertained.

Thank you Netgalley, Harper Perennial and Katie Cotugno for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was like a form of Pride & Prejudice meets the Kardashians and I don’t know that that was a good thing.

I’m just going to jump into my actual review here. I usually try to write my own little summary, but apart from the above, I’m unsure how to sum it up in a short amount of space. At first, I was intrigued by the book. I liked the dynamic between Lilly and Will. They had good chemistry and friction. Then other character POVs and storylines started getting introduced and my interest waned. It got distracting every time a random POV who was not Lilly or Will got dropped in. I didn’t really care about what everyone else had going on. I think it all would have been a lot stronger had it been left to Will and Lilly only. The end also came so abruptly that it felt incomplete.

I did really like Lilly and her dedication and loyalty to her family. She knew how people viewed them and that they could be a mess, but they were her mess and she’d stay by their side and try to hold everything together with everything she had.

I had a hard time really connecting with this book. All the characters were vapid, uninteresting, and really difficult to like or want to succeed. There are far too many unneeded viewpoints that don't add to the story and instead detract from the experience. The writing is fine but it is obvious the author did not understand what makes stories like Pride and Prejudice so engaging.

Story: Lily Benedetto's father is the sausage king - and their family rose to fame through an 'unscripted' reality tv show. But that is in the past now and Lily just wants to get on with life. Unfortunately, finances are hard for the family after some bad investments by her otherwise unflagging father and she still has to deal with the fallout of being instafamous for nothing. Then a hot young movie star moves in next door in their private gated community, bringing with him his Juilliard trained bestie. Suddenly, there is a lot more activity in the Benedetto home as older sister June meets up with Bingly and Darcy.

The book doesn't follow Austen too closely, which is appreciated in a retelling. But at the same time, it's always better to use the themes of the book rather than just a few scenes and names. What draws many people to Austen in general and Pride and Prejudice in particular is that the heroine is an intelligent and self reliant person navigating a sea of superficiality. In this book, everyone is superficial and Lilly spends most of the story being fairly vapid herself. Getting drunk, stoned, going shopping, etc. - we are told she is more grounded than her flighty family but are rarely actually shown it (and no, having an old car just to say that she is not money driven does not work since it is more of a quirk for her (and a plot device)). And unfortunately, Lilly is the prototypical unpleasant nasty person that authors these days seem to feel means independent and strong. I wanted Lilly to have risen above her environment like Elizabeth Bennet did in hers but that never happened.

Other characters did not fare well either. Older sister June has an eating disorder and obsessed with how she looks. She is pretty much a cardboard cutout with little personality or reason why Bingley is so taken with her. Will is pretty dull - we don't see the pride so much as him always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. The mother lacks the comedy of Austen's counterpart while the father just seems pathetic. The other sisters are actually quirkier and more interesting, ironically.

As a contemporary fiction, I know there is a huge audience for shows like the Kardashians. This likely will suit their tastes because we have all the fame-centric shenanigans that captivate people. Honestly, it might have been better if this had been written without any of the Austen since it never really captured the aspects of Austen that could have made for a more interesting and appealing heroine/set of characters. And no, I'm not an Austen purist. I just prefer to read heroines and romances where there is intelligence and reasons to actually mutually respect each other rather than one is hot or one is famous. And I am so tired of rudeness being used as a writing crutch to make the heroine look self sufficient/strong. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the author.

I felt as though I was reading about the Kardashians. DNF


******************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.*********************

The absolute best story I have read in a long time. Will be sharing this one with everyone I know! This was totally adorable!

This is a fun beach read! Even though I'm not a fan of the Kardashian's - I mean really, who alive hasan't heard of them - the plot of this book could be their reality show - however - these characters are very likeable. Interesting book.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that there is no such thing as too many Pride & Prejudice retellings. This one is maybe the best I've ever read, The Bennetts are the Benedettos, a semi washed-up reality television family in Calabasas, think if the Kardashians were mothered by Mrs. Bennett instead of Kris Jenner. Darcy and Bingley are snobby Juilliard-trained actors. Liz Benedetto is just like me fr. She doesn't need anyone, least of all someone so viscerally ashamed of her place in the social hierarchy while so unable to resist his physical attraction to her, and that coolly contemporary conflict scaffolds the entire story beautifully. One of my top reads of this year. Profuse thanks to Harper Perennial and Netgalley for the ARC!

I loved this unexpectedly! It was so fun and the character development was very realistic . Thoroughly reccommend!

This story is a mix of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and a modern retelling of "Pride and Prejudice". This waffle between two very different concepts plays out in the story telling: I'm not entirely sure this story ever really knows what it is.
The pros: the relationships between the sisters is very well written and the main lead, Lilly, has some great interiority. The chemistry between Will and Lilly is very palpable and their inner monologues as they deal with their attraction is well written. Their individual backstories, and trauma, are incredibly well done.
However, the things that brought this down to 3 stars for me: there are multiple POVS throughout this, and about three quarters of them are unnecessary. They are used to provide a different vantage point to the main two leads but really bring nothing to the story line. I hate skimming, and these POVs definitely cause me to skim.
I also think the ending seems really rushed/loose ended? It didn't get wrapped up in any way: almost feels like the ending to the Sopranos. I turned the page and went "wait, what?". I wanted a REAL ending.
This wasn't bad by any means. I finished it and did find myself wanting to come back for it. But it had so much room for so so much more.

Took me forever to get through, it was like watching a bad episode of the Kardashians. These sisters were unloveable, and the mother came off like an moron- it could have been a book of bad advice. With all the books in the world don’t waste time on this one.

This is yet another book based on the Pride and Prejudice trope. I thought that I would like it because of the take a la the Kardashians. However, I could not get into this book because of the fact that there is no prelude to the action at the beginning o the book. The pace is strange and it's hard to differentiate the characters in the beginning. I am sure that the book gets better, but it was a lot of work in the beginning.