A spicy Beauty and the Beast retelling with a Succession type of twist. It was really fun watching Bellamy and Oliver's relationship grow and watching Bellamy grow more confident in her abilities. I do wish we had seen more of the growth and had less snippets, but it worked with the length of the book.

This was a difficult book to review - and a difficult one to get through.

I enjoyed the plus size representation and I actually thought the steamy scenes were written really well.
I enjoyed the character writing in most of the second half of this book, however, I came close to DNF’ing it at least 3 times in the first half and if I wasn’t planning on reviewing it, I probably would have done so.

The snarky, juvenile “banter” of the first half didn’t work for me - I found Bellamy’s friends really annoying, the constant “growling” by Oliver exaggerated to the point of being ridiculous and Bellamy’s unprofessional attitude a bit too annoying. I also felt the Beauty and the Beast retellings which work well are usually subtle in their adaptations, and this was not subtle at all - it felt like I was reading a Modern AU fan fiction of the original story.

It is difficult - because in the second half, both of them actually start acting like complicated people, with motivations, feelings and consideration of one another and I wish more of the book was like that. That part had so much potential.

I would recommend this to readers who don’t mind a “contemporary romance enemies to lovers” and the type of “banter” which comes with it, but if you are tired of this in your romance, this may be a skip for you.

I appreciate this a debut novel and based on the acknowledgements, the author seems like a really sweet person - I hope we get the chance of seeing more books from them and see their writing grow even better with their next book.

This debut novel has a lot going for it: a swoony romance, hot sex scenes, and wonderful fat representation. It's very enjoyable as long as you fully suspend your disbelief and don't ask questions about how the crumbling mansion has an AI assistant wired into every room. I wish it had gotten a tougher edit because this story has so much heart but is undermined by writing tics that an editor should have caught. The constant mentions of the main character's suspenders, the comically evil grandfather character, the unconvincing miscommunication breakup... it feels like a paperback rom-com rushed through the editing process at the expense of the author and the reader. Mae Bennett has a lot of promise and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Bellamy and her father own a home restoration company focussing on historic homes. When the wealthy Killington family contracts them to restore their crumbling New York estate, it is the chance of a lifetime. While Maurice already has a name for himself in the business, this will be Bellamy's first solo project and an opportunity to make a name for herself, maybe even open doors to her dream job! What she wasn't counting on was the grumpy Oliver Killington living on-site in the dilapidated manor, after all no one had seen him in eight years. He can make or break this project, and Bellamy will be damned if she lets an arrogant trust fund baby stand in her way of success. As they spend more time together, though, they begin to realize that they have misjudged each other, and instead of anger, a different kind of sparks begin to fly.

Mae Bennett's novel is a masterpiece! With subtle hints to the classic Beauty and the Beast, this love story has it all: forced proximity, humor, enemies to lovers, and so many spicy scenes! I read the entire novel one day because I couldn't put it down! I had to know what was going to happen next! The supporting characters of the novel are unforgettable, and they make you wish that you had friends as great as them! The romance was a slow build, and I loved seeing the main characters' perspectives of each other change over time until they both realized they loved the other. 5/5 for me. I highly recommend this novel to any romance novel fan!

Disclaimer: While I received a free advanced copy of this novel, my thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

» dnf @ 28%

i didn't read far enough into this to give a whole long review on it but it was falling even more flat with every page i turned. the writing style wasn't for me, the characters annoyed me, i didn't feel chemistry, and the plot was just boring.

with all that being said i do think a certain type of reader would enjoy this. i don't know what type but .. A type. does that make sense?

anyway, cover's cute.

thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an arc! (review not posted on gr)

I was hopeful that this book would be really good but it just fell flat for me. I loved how it was a twist on Beauty and the Beast but it also came off as really forced to matched parts of that storyline. I loved the idea of a female contractor, her being larger in size, and I did love how generous Oliver was. However, so much of the book was cheesy and forced. I didn’t feel any chemistry between the two characters, which made this a bit harder to read through. The two best friends also were just very unnecessary and it felt like they were added as diversity characters. Overall it’s a fine book, it just could’ve been better. The description overpromised and the book underdelivered. 3⭐️, 2🌶

The premise behind this plot is what drew me in initially. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairytale and I love when one of the main plot points includes fixing up and caring for an old house (and maybe fixing up and caring for someone else who is damaged....). The house itself is it's own character that shows our characters that they can't control every aspect of their life. Sometimes it felt like I was getting whiplash from the relationship between our lovebirds, as they went from hating each other to being obsessed with each over in seemingly split seconds. They both had to do some individual reflection before being ready for each other and I think that was super important to me in this story and made their relationship more believable.

This book which is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast just didn’t land for me. The writing style wasn’t my favorite and it was a bit more campy than I was looking for.

This will be a fun read for people who love the original story and enjoy suspended belief in their books!

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%