What happens when you take the tale of Beauty & The Beast but give it a modern day twist? Add in a little spice, a grumpy heir to a wealthy empire who is a recluse and a nomadic career driven woman who is assigned to restore his historical mansion... you get Barely Even Friends. It's a cute and fun read with some steamy parts that has you rooting for their HEA.

I really wanted to love this book and there are some great tropes and elements. There was just something not connecting for me when it came to the main characters. Bell is a strong, driven and funny FMC with insecurities just beneath the surface. Oliver is the hot reclusive MMC that has the tragic backstory. Maybe it's that the story is told only from Bell's POV that had me missing something.

I really loved the scenes where Oliver and Bell connect - I think I just wished there were more of them. More funny and sweet moments that show their friendship blossoming.

Tropes & Elements:
☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🩷 Enemies to Friends to Lovers
🛌 One Bed
🏡 Forced Proximity
🛠️ Working Relationship
❤️ Plus Size Rep

My Rating: 3 out of 5 ⭐️

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Barely Even Friends
Author: Mae Bennett
Romance

Thank you Netgalley and Alcove Press for this arc 🥹. This book was so sweet. It was a Beauty and the Beast retelling. The way the book is set up is that Belle works on remodeling historic homes. She is sent to do a job at this house where *surprise*, Oliver lives. He is the grumpy recluse man rumored to have murdered his entire family.. *hot*. I loved Oliver (aka the beast). I thought the way the author modernized this story by bringing Belle to the house to remodel it was cute. I liked that you could clearly tell it was a retelling, but at the same time it was not the same boring story we are all love but are also used to. It felt very unique, and I loved all of the characters. This was an easy, happy, with a side of spice read. I enjoyed it.

- steamy, spicy 3.5/5 🌶
- grumpy sunshine
- beauty & the beast retelling contemporary romance
- close proximity
- only one bed!!!
- curvy FMC

This was cute!

Things I liked about this one: the slow build-up to their romance, the Beauty and the Beast inspiration, a quirky group of secondary characters. The setting was described well, and there was a solid balance of intimate moments, steam, wit and humor. It didn't capture my interest as much as I would have linked to have aseen from a retelling of a fairytale that's so familiar and a go-to of mine, but overall it was a great sweet romance read. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something easy and light to read.

Thank ou to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this title. These are my honest thoughts.

a steamy beauty and the beast grumpy/sunshine romance!

bellamy takes a job as the lead contractor for oliver’s family’s mansion restoration. as someone with so many walls up, bellamy never imagined taking this job may land her with roots she wants to put down. and oliver being the family recluse, he never imagined falling head over heels for the witty contractor. but along the way of restoring his family’s home and digging through memories and past trauma, oliver realizes he wants you to do and be so much more than the shut in portrayed for years. with bellamy’s help, they both knock down those walls they have built up over time and realize how much they want love, a life, and to build new memories together.

my initial thoughts were this story is going slow and I wasn’t as invested. but as it progressed more, you really start to enjoy the main characters and the passion that blooms between them. it was beautiful to see both oliver and bellamy bloom into their own people. and oliver’s cute nickname for bellamy left me swooning! there are also some spicy scenes that come towards the end of the book.

shout out to netgalley for the ARC! <3 thank you!

cw: family died in a car accident, parent with health issues, grief, familial abandonment, misogyny, & fatphobia (internalized imo)

tropes & microtropes:
* beauty & the beast inspired
* enemies to lovers
* forced proximity
* only one bed
* “let me take care of you” <3
* sweatpants :p
* “eff it” moments
* grumpy/grumpy (imo this is not grumpy/sunshine)
* hurt/comfort
* his shirts are tight on her <3 i eat that up every time!!!
* cuddling to keep warm
* caught in the rain

pros:
* beauty & the beast anything >>>
* yummy hero
* beards & long hair are hot
* “petal” (FMC’s nickname)
* curvy FMC
* the cover is so cute
* sassy robot
* funny at times
* so many hot scenes!
* “then smother me” (iykyk)
* the tropes <3

cons:
* not every nonbinary character has to wear polos & shave half their head! if i had a nickel for every book i’ve read with this characterization…
* i didn’t like reading about the restorations, but that’s my bad lol
* um, the suspenders! sorry!
* the family members were…a lot!
* the sex-obsessed gay couple is bad rep imo…
* this is rich coming from me, but not every FMC needs to read romance & listen to taylor swift

overall, this was just ok. i definitely skimmed sections since i didn’t care about the mansion at all haha. but for a debut, wow! i’ll still recommend it even though it’s not my favorite.

I DNF'd this one because I had a very hard time connecting to the characters and the writing. I also wasn't really a fan of being introduced to her best friend and his boyfriend and immediately being told about their sexual activity - I've never been introduced to a straight best friend character and their partner and immediately been told who's the dominant one and who's the submissive. This was alienating in that it felt a bit contrived.

Bellamy Price works for her dad's company, Price Restoration, which restores estates. Bellamy's dad has been in the hospital and not able to work so when an opportunity to restore one of Killington estates property, it could be life changing for the family business and Bellamy professional career. Bellamy arrives at the mansion to be in a dire condition and to be occupied by the forgotten Killington, Oliver Killington. Her greeting is far from welcoming by Oliver.

In this Beauty and the Beast Retelling, it relied a little too heavily on the same storyline for me. I was a little confused on the turn around from hating each other to liking each other all of a sudden. It was lack luster of that tension between the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really had fun delving into Oliver and Bell's story! It wasn't insta-love, it was a slow build up, and they were grumpy (Oliver) and sunshine (Bell)
The modern nods to a beloved classic fairy tale were well done and all the characters were so lovable and fun to read!
Some smut scenes were well placed and didn't overtake the book!
The side plot of restoring an old mansion and learning Oliver's back story were also interesting and intriguing to read!
Overall, I really enjoyed this read!

This debut by Mae Bennet has a unique plot, witty, loveable characters, and a great balance of heart and steam. My favorite tropes were in the mix: Enemies-to-Lovers, Found Family, One Room (ahem, eventually One Bed), Forced Proximity and Grumpy-Sunshine.

WHAT I LOVED MOST:
The MMC and MFC were adorable, but the cast of side characters was a delight. They all brought something different to the relationship of the main characters and their individual growth and I think everyone needs a Bl8z3 in their life.

The setting was different than any I’ve ever read and the visualization the author provided made me feel like I was there, scrubbing, and hauling, and painting.

She wore suspenders and he LOOOOVED it. That’s freaking adorable!

The slow burn, and OMG, the banter. I ate it up!

FAVORITE QUOTES:
“Thank you.” His fingers squeezed mine, thumb pressed to my rapidly beating pulse point. “For what?” “Not giving up on me.”

“Work was what I knew: how to reconstruct a house. Reconstructing my heart was not something I was equipped for.”

“I hate you.” “Say it again. Maybe it’ll stick.”

“I thought my life was nothing but misery until I met you.”



I would absolutely recommend this book as a fun read, with some heart squeezes along the way. Congratulations to the author and I am excited to read future books of hers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mae Bennet for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was the perfect read for someone who loves cute romance books. I’m normal a big fan of dark romance so I picked this up to give my brain a break and I absolutely loved the characters and the plot. Borgia was predictable which made this read more interesting than others I’ve tried.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of a honest review.

This book didn't interest me at all, Initially it was looking as a retelling of Beauty and Beast or some hate- love kinda story but later slowly I started losing my focus from the book.

DNF@35%

Oliver is a grumpy former football star turned recluse following a family tragedy. He has been hiding in one of his family’s estates for years while it decays. Until one day it has been decided the estate will undergo renovation and he is forced to face change.

Bellamy moves around a lot with her family business renovating homes. This is her first project that her father is letting her do solo and she wants it to go perfectly. With hiccups that throw off the budget, family members showing up announced, and dealing with the grumpy owner in a one-bed situation, can she complete the renovation project in time?

This book took me a long time to get through because I found it to be lackluster. It seems that the story relies on the MC identifying as female wearing suspenders to make this story unique. The mentions of the suspenders feel constant and, frankly, unnecessary. It felt like the suspenders were supposed to be kinky but I did not feel that they were incorporated well which made them feel like a forced mention. I also felt like her father is a forced mention to align with the Disney Beauty and the Beast storyline because her father is not really necessary in this book. Another forced mention was Bellamy’s nickname, Petal, as it is used frequently and it seems it was only used to reference the rose in Beauty and the Beast.

The only thing that I could find unique is the technology with sass, Bl8ze. I appreciated the comic relief and the personality reminded me a lot of Iron Man’s J.A.R.V.I.S. However, it is a confusing aspect as the house is falling apart and yet has this groundbreaking technology.

In conclusion: this book felt like a hodgepodge of ideas thrown together and not executed well, in my opinion. This could be a better story with a few more edits and not sold as a Beauty and the Beast retelling.

I was given an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily. At the time of this review, the book is expected to be released June 4, 2024.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Alcove for this ARC!

If I haven’t said it before let me say it now: I am a sucker for any and all Beauty and the Beast retellings. Scratch that, I’m a fan of ANY fairytale retelling. I really enjoyed the modern twist on one of my favorite stories — instead of finding her way to the Beast through her father’s inventions, she’s the architect there to refinish the manor. The romance had some real heat mixed with tender romance and I had a blast reading it. It’ll definitely be a book I revisit on the days when I just need a fun escape from reality.

A modern day Beauty and the Beast retelling with a touch of Succession, featuring a grumpy rich recluse and the sweet contractor who was hired to restore his estate... without his knowledge. Bellamy Price comes from a reputable contractor family and she dreams about making her place as a contractor, so when she is offered the job of a lifetime: to be the lead contractor on the restoration of the mysterious Killington Estate, she can't pass it up. If she meets the absurd timeline, she'll establish her name in the industry. Yet the moment she enters the house it is clear the owner of the estate did not expect her and was not looking forward to her staying. Oliver Killington is the heir to the Killington empire and blames himself for his parents deaths and he is now injured and living as a recluse and being a grumpy caretaker to his grandfather's mansion. Oliver wants to stop Bell yet the more time they spend together the more sparks begin to fly. Bell has had her heart broken and is afraid of staying and giving her heart to this man... but maybe this time... she's built her own true love in Killington Estate. This was a really cute modern day retelling and I had fun reading it. It's got spice but it also has sweet moments and it was a really fun way to reimagine the classic story. I would definitely recommend this for fans of fairytale retellings!

*Thanks Netgalley and Alcove Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

3.5 stars

This is an odd sort of spicy romantic retelling of beauty and the beast that I imagine will work for some people and really not work for others. What’s odd you say? Oh I don’t know, the AI “butler”, her friends coming over (uninvited) at her work for a sleepover, or how weird people are about her not having a “home”. Oh no, it’s the suspenders. She’s got millions I guess, and people are always commenting on them, making her new ones, or helping her get them on. Her bookbag must be magical because it has room for five cases of this accessory alone. I became sort of wrapped up in the story and all its different beats, it ended up growing on me. Completely bonkers, but I guess so am I.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A different twist on a classic, Beauty and the Beast. "Bellamy" is hired to restore a run down mansion by a "beast" names Oliver. The world building and character descriptions by the author were great, I felt like I was in the mansion. While there are references to the classic tale, the author definitely made it their own.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC**

This book hooked me in from the first chapter. I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

I DNF'd this one, unfortunately. There was nothing particularly bad about it I just wasn't vibing with the characters and the home renovation background was only sort of interesting to me. I think people who enjoy that kind of thing will really love this! I'd definitely recommend it to the right person.

Retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a twist. Bellamy is hired to restore a crumbling mansion with a "beast" of an owner, Oliver. Locked away inside his families once grand estate, Oliver is grieving the loss of his beloved parents and brother. Bellamy arrives ready to prove she's a designer to be watched and hoping this job leads to more prestigious opportunities. The animated help has been replaced with a mostly human staff with the exception of Bl8z3, the virtual butler with an attitude. Bl8z3 is a much needed sarcastically witty addition to the house occupants. Construction issues, unexpected guests, clashing personalities lead to tension between Bellamy and Oliver. But their attraction grows as they are forced to become roommates. Sparks fly and feelings are felt. A bad decision by Oliver causes the almost couple to break apart. But the HEA ending comes with a reconciliation and declarations of love.
While parts of this retelling were clever, I felt the overall story fell a bit flat. There was too much grumpy from Oliver. The dialog between the eventual lovers was tedious at times and I felt like I wanted to skip ahead to keep the story moving. Sebastian and Finn were annoying and it was a strange twist to make them Bellamy's closest friends.
Fans of fairytale retellings may enjoy this book more than I did. For me, the story was too long, the dialog too forced, and the cast of characters a bit annoying. 3/5 stars