I really wanted to absolutely love this book, but I didn’t. I really liked the modern take on Beauty and the Beast and thought the elements of the story to create a 21st century version were very clever. It also could’ve been thought through a little more. The Ai was a little too sentient. The house managers were also very quick to try to push two people together when they didn’t take the time to get to know the FMC at all. The male character was completely a gray space to me. I loved the FMC but could not find a pulse on the MMC. I hope this author’s next book finds a really good editor she can write alongside because she has the makings of being a great writer!

This was such a lovely and clever debut! I'll never say no to a Beauty and the Beast adaptation, and Mae Bennett's Barely Even Friends is a fantastic one.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Absolutely warm and wonderful and delightful. I loved it, and can’t wait to see what Bennett does next.

This was a cute modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast, I felt a bit of grumpy x grumpy which isn’t my favorite combination - but I liked both characters. I did struggle with this book a little bit but I do thing it was a complete me thing - it wasn’t vibing with my mood and I wasn’t feeling the chemistry between the characters.
I loved the fact that it was very women empowering - women can do anything that men can do AND that women deserve the credit and confidence.

Overall it was a cute book and one that I would like to re-read because I’m very much a mood reader & since I read this as part of a traveling ARC, it just hit me at the wrong time.

Thank you to Alcove Press for the traveling ARC for our group and thank you & NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First, a big thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC of Mae Bennett’s novel “Barely Even Friends" – “A grumpy, rich recluse meets his match in this steamy Beauty and the Beast retelling—with a Succession twist.”

Here me out, I am an instant sucker for the Beauty and the Beast trope. The author has really stuck to recreating that classic Beauty and the Beast vibe, but updated it with a modern twist. The lead characters Bellamy and Oliver are so engaging, with real depth and complexity that makes you feel like they are real people.

The tension is off the charts when ambitious contractor Bellamy gets thrown into the world of the mega-rich Killingtons, taking on a reno job at their ancient family mansion. Oliver, the brooding but fit heir, isn't having any of her being there at first, setting up a classic opposites clash dynamic that soon leads to sparks flying another way.

But it goes way beyond just a will-they-won't-they romance. As the juicy plot thickens, some right twisted family secrets and jaw-dropping twists worthy of popular tv show Succession get uncovered.

What really makes this a belter of a book are the blazing intimate scenes woven amongst that elegant prose. The author turns up the heat without being crude or vulgar about it. It's a total page-turner from start to finish. Fans of passionate romance tales such as Tessa Bailey’s “Tools of Engagement,” and Anne E. Collins’ “Love at First Spite” will love this book. Packed with loads of dramatic plot, you will definitely need to devour this book. I am definitely looking forward to reading more of this author's work and I am glad that I started here!

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I swear this has all of my favorite things jampacked into one book! First of all, I absolutely adore retellings but especially Beauty and the Beast retellings! I once thought that contemporary romance just wasn't for me, but I have never been so thrilled to be proved wrong! From the very beginning, this book grabs your attention and refuses to let go! The essence of the original fairytale has been so deeply embedded within this story, and yet it has such a beautiful originality to it that I didn't think was possible. Throw in a good ole grumpy sunshine but the grump is just a shy softie AND the spice was very much hitting. Adored!!!

I loved this story. The representation of larger bodies is something we need more in the romance genre. I liked the Beauty and the Beast vibes, and thought that Bellamy being a contractor was different in a good way. I love frenemies to lovers and I thought that this book did it very well. The tender moments hit for me and the spice was fire. Thank you for sending me this to read!

I’ve found a new author to love in debut author Mae Bennett. Mae writes like a seasoned professional delivering wonderful characters and a plot almost as old as time.

When her father is unable to head up a once-in-a-lifetime renovation job, Bellamy Price steps up to the plate. This is the moment she’s been waiting for her whole life. If she’s successful, not only will it boost her confidence, and give her bragging rights, but it will also look good on her resume and hopefully help her land her dream job. As with all the renovation jobs she and her father do, Bellamy plans to live on-site. She’s very excited to work on and live at the Killington Estate until she arrives and is reluctantly greeted by Oliver Killington whom she wasn’t expecting. Not only was she not expecting Oliver, she doesn’t know who he is, outside of being the grandson of the man who hired her father.

For the last eight years, since the death of his parents, Oliver Killington has been a recluse. The accident didn’t just kill his parents, but it left him injured, destroying any chance he had to live out his dream. His refuge has been the crumbling Killington Estate which was once his family’s vacation home. Oliver isn’t happy with Bellamy’s arrival and plans to renovate the estate. He definitely isn’t happy she will be living there.

Barely Even Friends is full of tropes: grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, only one bed, he falls first, and found family. It was a fun read with main and secondary characters I loved. The story is told in first person from the POV of Bellamy. I would have liked for there to have been some chapters from Oliver’s perspective. Throughout the book, you’re often left to wonder what’s going on in his mind and what his feelings are. But he IMMEDIATELY owned a piece of my heart. Bellamy and Oliver definitely have passion, in and out of the bedroom.

I am looking forward to reading more from Mae.

~ Favorite Quotes ~

“Information is power.”

“It’s nice to have a friend.”

“Lean into the joy. If you have something you love, do it.”

“I believe in you.”

“Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family.”

“Vulnerability is hard. Trusting someone with your heart, having feelings that aren’t entirely in your control. That stuff can’t go on a to-do list.”

“Falling in love is scary.”

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This book was fun, light and fluffy while still holding substance and preforming as a well written book. The plot (although derived from beauty and the beast) was modernised and changed enough that it felt fresh new and original with a sprinkle of nostalgia. This book is for lovers of a rom com and the sweetness and depth that the genre is renowned as it embodies these qualities perfectly! Great read to cozy up in a chair and finish in a day!

What a cute and modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Barely Even Friends by Mae Bennett is a slow burn romance full of witty banter and house renovation. While this wasn't my favorite contemporary romance out there, it was really cute and funny overall. I loved Bl8z3, the AI in Oliver's house. He added a lot of humor and emotion to the story. The plot wasn't very strong or interesting but the romance was the main focus so it was easy to overlook. Once the slow burn was done simmering there was some pretty great spice as well. Overall, this was a quick and fun retelling Beauty and the Beast retelling.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute “retelling” of beauty and the beast! I loved the grump to sunshine trope and how feisty Bellamy was!! Fun and quick read.

Grumpy/sunshine, beauty & the beast vibes? Couldn't have asked for anything more. Seriously loved this book from beginning to end and I can't wait to read more from this author.

Are you a fan of retellings? Because this is the spicy, swoon-worthy Beauty and the Beast retelling you’re going to need in your life.

Oliver Killington was in a horrible car crash that killed his parents and left him injured. He’s taken it upon himself to be the caretaker of his grandfather’s estate, and is currently reveling in his hermit era.

Bellamy Price has just been offered the job as lead contractor on the restoration of the Killington Estate and she’s convinced it will allow her to finally show everyone what she’s capable of.

These two butt heads as only sunshine and grump can...that is, until their interests start to converge and they become allies. Working together leads to friendship, which leads to a whole lot more.

I love me some plus-size rep and can’t go past a good forced proximity trope either. The restoration project put a really fun spin on this retelling, and I also enjoyed the AI aspect too. Congrats to Mae on her debut!

I subscribe to the author's Substack and enjoy it, so I was excited to get a galley of her upcoming book. I will take some responsibility that I didn't do my due diligence to learn that this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling before I started reading. I am not the target audience for any fairytale retelling. In fact, I firmly believe there are already more than enough— too many, in fact. I tried to put this aversion aside and read the book based on its writing and storytelling, instead of its tropes. Unfortunately, both fell flat for me. Getting through the first chapter was a slog for me. It was so prose-heavy and explained every inch of detail upfront. I felt like I was being slapped in the face by context. I ultimately DNFed and moved on to something with a pace I could actually read with enjoyment.

"Barely Even Friends" by Mae Bennett offers a modern twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast tale, set against the backdrop of the enigmatic Killington Estate. Bellamy Price, an ambitious estate restoration contractor, finds herself at odds with the brooding heir, Oliver Killington, who prefers solitude in the wake of a life-altering car accident. Their clashes and eventual bond provide a compelling narrative, though it might fall short for die-hard fans of Beauty and the Beast retellings. Bennett's storytelling is enjoyable, yet the magic of the original fairy tale feels somewhat diluted. Overall, a decent read with a 3/5 rating, capturing the essence of transformation and understanding amidst a modern setting.

I couldn’t put it down and ended up devouring the whole thing in one sitting!

This is a modern take on the Beauty and the Beast story, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it, especially since retellings aren’t usually my thing. It didn’t feel like the author was trying too hard to stick to the original, which made it feel fresh and unique.

The characters were a real highlight for me. The mix of tropes—forced proximity, grumpy x sunshine, and the fact that both main characters are plus-sized—really worked well together. And who doesn’t love a little Taylor Swift sprinkled in?

Oliver, the grumpy hero, was fantastic. I’m a sucker for a character who starts off closed-off and brooding, only to have his walls slowly broken down by the bright, sunny Bellamy. His emotional transformation throughout the story was beautifully done, even if there were moments where I wanted to shake some sense into him! The grand gesture at the end definitely made up for his mistakes.

I also really enjoyed the plot. Bellamy being sent to restore Oliver’s house added a nice touch, and the slow burn of their romance made their eventual connection that much more satisfying. The plus-size representation was great to see, though there were a few times where it felt a little heavy-handed. As someone who’s plus-sized myself, I felt it could have been woven into the story a bit more naturally.

Overall, this was a fantastic debut from Mae Bennett. I’m definitely looking forward to more of her work. If you’re a fan of romance with a bit of spice and a modern twist on classic tales, this one is a must-read. Between the house repairs, AI robots, and all those Taylor Swift references, you’re in for a treat with this debut!

This was a solid read. I feel kinda indifferent about it. The first half was pretty slow and dry for me (but I might just be used to reading romance books, where the main characters are LOVEDDD DOWN!), BUT the second half kinda made up for it. I think the sex scenes were good, but a little vanilla for me. I feel like there are folks who are like "newer" to the romance world, who could really like this book and it be more their speed.

Things I enjoyed - I didn't realize at the time that this was like a Beauty and the Beast re-telling, but i think it was a cute spin on things. I also loved loved loved, the library scenes. I am a girl who is a sucker for the library in all its forms. I feel like the grumpy-sunshine things kinda works here, but then Bells is so far in her head, it sometimes doesnt work. I could see some people enjoying the slow burn and the banter. The side characters really helped me enjoy this book more.

Things that didnt work for me - I feel like the build up of Bellamy and Oliver, took wayyyyy too long for my opinion. I feel like it was supposed to be like a slow burn, but it in some places was just dragging for me. I also felt like the end just wrapped up too quickly, like we went from like almost every day enteries to skipping almost months. I just wanted a little more, Bell's inner dialogue and logic in some places was insufferable to me. like, I can see how she jumped to some of those conclusions, but ma'am LOL.

Anyways, thanks Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC. I would probably read something by this author again in the future :)

A thrilling romcom!

Bellamy has been offered an amazing job that will allow her to make a name for herself: restore the Killington Estate in a very, very short time. The only problem is, when she shows up there, she meets Oliver, heir to the empire, living there. He's grumpy, rude, and definitely doesn't want her to restore the house. But Bellamy doesn't plan on making it easy for him to throw her out. She has a job to do.

This book was an amazing Beauty and the Beast retelling. I had a lot of fun reading Bellamy's story, and I loved her from the first few pages. She's capable, hard-working and dedicated to her work, which is really inspiring. As for Oliver, I loved discovering his deepest, darkest secrets as the pages turned. The slow-burn romance was ON POINT. The sexual tension was through the roof and I loved how the characters wanted one another but were to proud to admit it until...they had no other choice. The spice was definitely hot too, and very well-written and beautifully weaved into the characters' pasts and feelings. I honetsly loved this book and would have given it five stars if it werent for the third-act breakup that felt unnecessary and only made the book too long in my opinion. Otherwise, I had a blast.

I highly recommend if you want a fun and sweet romcom to devour!

"The only world that exists to me is the one that sees how brilliant you are."

This Beauty and the Beast retelling is like HGTV meets rom-com. Such a fun premise!

Bellamy Price is a woman on a mission. She's landed the job of her dreams: restoring the grand Killington Estate. It's her chance to prove herself in a male-dominated field, but there's a catch. The estate comes with its very own brooding caretaker, Oliver Killington.

Oliver, still healing from a tragic accident, isn't thrilled about sharing his space with the determined contractor. But as Bellamy starts breathing new life into the old mansion, she might just be working her magic on its grumpy inhabitant too.

With both Bellamy and Oliver facing their own personal deadlines, they reluctantly join forces. What follows is a delightful dance of witty banter, unexpected teamwork, and an undeniable attraction that neither saw coming. Warning: it gets a bit spicy!

This clever debut novel expertly balances humor and heart. It's a joy to watch Bellamy and Oliver navigate their growing feelings while dealing with power tools and family pressure.

"Barely Even Friends" is a charming, feel-good read that will have you rooting for this modern Beauty and her Beast from start to finish.