Sorry friends, this one felt like it was being told by multiple authors (who had never met or interacted in any way) and was a bit soulless as a result. In addition to the voice not coming together, the MC was kind of...meh.

Don't get me wrong, I thought this was cute and I did enjoy the romance between the two main characters. I just wasn't a huge fan of anything else. The plot was lacking something. I just didn't vibe with it, IDK.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to review Barely Even Friends. This is a fun, sweet book and a nostalgic throwback for those of us who grew up watching Beauty and the Beast.
This book follows the protagonist, Bellamy Price, a contractor who is taking on a career-making job- the huge but decaying Killington Estate. And success good bring Bellamy everything she’s ever wanted professionally, but there are several challenges… including the handsome, reclusive, and unwelcoming tenant, Oliver Killington. As the renovation begins, Bellamy and Oliver find that being barely even friends is just the beginning.
There’s so much to recommend this book! The Beauty and the Beast references are a lot of fun (my personal favorite is that Bellamy’s fathers car is named Philippe), but the author also take on more difficult subjects, such as grief and sexism, in a way that feels authentic to Oliver and Bellamy. The supporting characters bring much humor to the book as well. Please note that this is definitely an “open door” romance- I only factor that into my overall review if it impacts the plot strongly, but it’s worth mentioning for those who might want a heads up. Overall, if you enjoy a romcom, I recommend giving this one a try.

Sadly this one wasn't for me. I love a Beauty and the Beast retelling but the setup/first 20% , although fun, left me struggling to get into the plot. This does deliver on the forced proximity/enemies to lovers tropes and the supporting characters fit the vibes of the retelling well.

3/5

I absolutely adored BARELY EVEN FRIENDS by Mae Bennett! This modern Beauty & the Beast inspired story with a fun Succession twist works so well because our two main characters are wonderful. Bellamy and Oliver have a great steamy rivals to lovers romance that had me swooning.

This book is cleary an homage to Disney's Beauty & The Beast, with clever work-arounds for modern times such as the AI system that speaks and acts as a sort of Cogsworth/Lumiere type lead. I had a little bit of difficulty with too much telling, not enough showing, which made it a bit disjointed at the beginning. But diehard fans of fairy tales will likely have no issue falling in love with this one!

read if you like

general fiction (adult)
contemporary romance
beauty and beast retelling
frenemies to lovers
grumpy X sunshine
socially awkward male X awkwardly social female
plus size rep

review

I grew up watching beauty and the beast- so my inner child was thrilled to read this retelling. Thank you @MaeBennet, @Netgalley and @AlcovePress for the ARC. I was thrilled to have it and here is my honest review.

The magic and hope of the original story were perfectly captured in this tale. When Bellamy enters the dilapidated manor house as part of a remodeling project, she is surprised to find it inhabited. The first meeting between social recluse Oliver Killington and firecracker Bellamy Price is what you would call - hate at first sight. One who has spent years hiding behind walls, and one who wants to break down the walls (of mansion ofc iykyk) - both trying their best to get rid of the other, but an ultimatum from Oliver's grandfather calls for a temporary truce.

I love the fact that this book deals with so many modern themes while still referencing the classics. All the characters in this book were broken in their own way and hid their mental trauma in order to live but, when the right person comes by the walls might come down- brick by brick. The magical element of the book was the love and healing.

A beast - no, just a misunderstood and blamed man with trauma.

A beauty - no, just an insecure, curvy woman who wants to prove herself. (She's beautiful in her own way, just not the way shitty society wants her to be).

captivity - no, just an unwilling partnership to save the damsel in distress - the castle.

the chemistry between Oliver and Bellamy was fantastic and the way they overcame all the challenges was great to read. Needless to say, I loved the book and am rooting for Mae and all her next bookish endeavors.

🌶️🌶️

✔️ Enemies to Lovers
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Slow Burn
✔️ Grumpy Sunshine

I have been absolutely obsessed with Belle and Beauty and the Beast since I was a child so when I heard about this retelling I KNEW I had to get my hands on it. Thank you so much @Mae Bennett, @NetGalley, and @AlcovePress for sending me an ARC so I could read this! ❤️🌹

This book is a spicy adult retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in the modern world and full of Taylor Swift references. I freaking loved how the author tweaked the classic story to make it her own by giving Bellamy a restoration career and a focus on the mansion, taking away the furry beast and giving us a lonely grief-stricken growly hairy man, and taking away most of the talking inanimate objects but giving us the AI Bl8z3. Just like the animated classic this story has so much heart in it. ❤️ Bellamy and Oliver are both real characters with problems they have to overcome and I liked that not all of them were magically fixed by the other person. The slow burn and witty banter is fantastic. 🧑‍🍳💋 For me Bl8ze stole the show with his humor and spontaneity much like Lumiere did in the classic. Overall I thought this story was super cute and would absolutely recommend. ❤️


“His lips captured mine, and f**k, it was worse, so much worse than I had prepared myself for. Because it was better than the last time-impossibly, earth-shatteringly better. Fireworks went off in my brain…”

I love myself a modern fairytale retelling, and Beauty and the Beast is my absolute favorite, so I went in with really high expectations. It’s a really cute story and does the grumpy sunshine aspect really well. The couple have lovely chemistry and fit well together. I think a lot of the little nods to the story were cute if maybe a little over done. But this was a solid romance to read if you are looking for the butterflies!

I love a good beauty and the beast retelling. This book started off really well with a modern and quirky take on the classic. There was even a house AI to lend some charm and novelty to this retelling but sadly that's where it ends. The author stuck so stubbornly to the original classic in all other ways that a chance to reinterpret in a more unique or deeper way was completely missed. Everything including the character's past traumas and their personal troubles were told rather than shown and the pacing was all over the place. Sadly this one did not work inspite of the great start.

Cozy beauty and the beast retelling with a plus size fmc, everything you could possibly want in a romance. I highly recommend!

Grumpy heroes are my catnip and Oliver was oh so grouchy. When Bellamy shows up at his crumbling mansion, he absolutely does not want her there, but what she can't figure out is why. It is clear that Oliver is drawn to her but he will not let himself have her. He says he is not a good man, but all of his acts prove otherwise. He thinks he doesn't deserve someone as amazing as she is, but sometimes we need to look inside and forgive ourselves for the mistakes we made in the past and realize we can't live in purgatory for the rest of our lives. Everyone deserves happiness and the ones that beat themselves up for their mistakes and own up to things that they have done wrong, I just want to hug and hold tight.
Oliver was so gone for Bellamy it gave me all the butterflies in my belly. I look for those when I read any book and this story gave them to me in waves. For a Beauty and the Beast retelling, it really hit the mark.
Thank you to Mae Bennett, Alcove Press and Netgalley for an early copy.

This was adorable and funny and clever. I loved the twist on the classic tale without giving us “she is imprisoned” or “we are going to make him super ugly to make a point”. It addresses ableism (internalized and external), sexism, depression, body/self-image struggles, and more, without feeling like it’s shoehorned in for the sake of writing about it.

Their friendship grows organically and though there were a few times I was ready to clunk their heads together, communication was a struggle for both of them (admittedly) so we’ll let it slide.

Very cute, enjoyable, and the “magic” of Bl8z3 was very clever.

Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favorite fairy tales so I love reading retellings of it! Barley Even Friends captures the feeling of the original story incredibly well while also adding details that make it unique and interesting.

I loved Bellamy and Oliver together. Oliver had a difficult history but Bellamy helped him open up. Additionally, I am always a big fan of a story where the hero smiles only for the heroine. I liked that Bellamy stood up for Oliver and believed in him even when his family didn't.

I loved how this story kept the magical feeling from the original story without actually having any magic in the story. The house had mysteries and Oliver felt like he was cursed. I also think Barley Even Friends had a bit of a historical romance vibe so fans of historicals will like this one!

If you are a fan of retellings, grumpy sunshine or brooding heroes this one is a must read! The perfect story for fans of the Disney movie who are now grown up and want a little spice thrown in!

Thank you to Alcove and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is my book so I might be a bit biased but I think it's pretty good. Skipping, jumping I get an ARC of it.

Thank you!