✨🥀✨Beauty and the Beast Retelling with a Succession Twist?? Yes, Please!! ✨🥀✨

Mae Bennett has weaved a tale as old as time! Barely Even Friends is packed with nostalgia, swoony romance, bookish vibes and is full of heart. I am a a huge fan of retellings and the merging of a beloved tale and modern day felt so effortless and worked perfectly!

🥀 Beauty and the Beast Retelling
🍿 Movie Quotes
📚 Dream Library
🌦️ Grumpy/Sunshine
🌶️ Spice
❤️‍🩹 Hurt/Comfort
🔨 Home Restoration
💖 Romance

I absolutely loved this debut romance and cannot wait to see what Mae Bennet will come up with next!

Method Read: 📖

🗓️ Barely Even Friends is Out Now!

Thank you so much to Alcove Press for the gifted copy!

I’m really getting into debut authors’ acknowledgments. Mae Bennett connected her work to the beautiful annals of romance books in a way that made me tear up a bit. Feeling seen is a big aspect of romance novels… realizing our lives are worthy of mention and love. As a short, curvy woman, this book was a song to my soul. Reading a book where the female MC is first and foremost, THE MAIN character and not just the love interest had me tingling with happiness. And then, Bennett made her curvy and feisty? Heck yeah! I appreciated also, that Bellamy didn’t make her entire personality on her body weight. She had her own hobbies, full of book and movie references, dreams and fears—fears which are all too close to home for many of us women.

A couple of pages in I realized this was a beauty and the best retelling and I got so happy! This is my favorite princess story and got excited identifying the parallels in the characters. Blaze (Bl8z3) will be my favorite. Hands. Down.

Bell works at restoring antique houses and homes and she grabs a gig to restore the Killington mansion where she meets, Oliver whom was nicknamed “Beast” as a football player in his teens. Both have their traumas but… the beautiful metaphor (I can’t believe I’m crying while writing these words) is that while Bell was restoring his home and bringing it back to life, Oliver brought her back to life and restored every part of her. Home is not a place, but a person and these two captured that beautifully.

🌶️ Smut was top-tier (had me blushing AND kicking my feet)
💗 One bed trope
💗 Forced proximity
💗 Sunshine and grumpy
💗 The iconic romance-novel both-heal-through-love trope 🥹

✨”You dragged me, kicking and screaming, into the sunshine with you, but I’m not afraid anymore. You reminded me I could feel again.”✨

THANK YOU NetGalley and Alcove Press!

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing the ARC.

I am a sucker for fairy tale retellings and I was excited to get into this one, but as much as I love Beauty and the Beast, I had a hard time enjoying this book.

My biggest issue was following the dialogue. I had a hard time discerning who was actually speaking at times, or if they were even speaking and it wasn't just an inner monologue. It made it difficult to stay engaged in the story just because I was having to go back and reread passages just to make sure I knew what was happening.

Additionally, I felt like there wasn't really a good lead up into the romance aspect. Tied in with the above, there were times where it went from no romance to all the romance with nothing in between to segue the story neatly into these new developments. As a result, the romance felt stilted and clunky, and I found it hard to engage with.

This book will certainly delight most readers, especially those who enjoy the Disney movie. I, however, wish there was a bit more than what I got from this author.

Because no matter where we went from here, I'd broken the biggest rule of all.
I'd fallen in love.

Barely Even Friends is an adult contemporary romance inspired loosely off of Beauty and the Beast . This story follows Bellamy as she (or rather her father and his company) is offered the contract of the lifetime to renovate and restore the mysterious and sprawling she finally thinks she has a chance to prove herself, especially with her father placing the responsibility of this project solely on her. Yet upon arrival she soon discovers the manor has a very reluctant reclusive heir residing it in and a fast approaching deadline but the heir's grandfather to get the mansion back to its glory.

Meanwhile Oliver has spent the last years hiding away in this crumbling abode to avoid responsibility and his family's legacy. Yet his grandfather has placed a deadline on his mourning. Now stuck with his own end date he finds that maybe he and Bellamy can work together (rather than against) to help each other out. Except no one expected the sparks...especially with their time counting down...

This is a very cute romance! Bellamy is a determine and fun character. She is put through so many hoops to achieve her goals and always finds a way to move forward. She doesn't take no as an answer but underneath her charisma she is self conscious about finding her own sense of success based on her own merit and not her father's name.

Meanwhile Oliver is dealing with a lot of unresolved trauma - with good reason! He has spent so much time pushing people away he's not use to compromise and making things work. I adore how he went about making appends when he put his foot in his mouth and those moments were his old self shined through amidst the grief.

The spice in this book is about a 1.5 spicy pepper out of 5 spicy pepper. This is a slow burn romance so don't expect any spice until closer to the end. I felt the spice itself is on the lighter side as it doesn't get too explicit and I felt that matched the romcom vibes we get here.

"...That's not what's driving me to distraction. I'm angry that you wear these stupid suspenders. I'm angry that you're in every room, invading this house. And I'm furious at how much I think about kissing you."

The story itself is cheesy and fun. You have this kind of underdog aspect going on with a seemingly unsurmountable tasks (ie the house has a LOT of issues). I loved the banter the camaraderie that comes with the characters banding together. I enjoyed the dynamics of different character relationships and how they showed the history rather than told it. One thing that did strike me off was the whole thing around Bellamy staying in the dilapidated mansion - I needed more context to understand why and how that works (I feel in a professional setting this wouldn't work?). Also Sebastian did Bellamy dirty in a way I have no idea how they can keep being friends...I can't and won't forgive. There is tension at the end with the climax but there is a HEA to help bring it all together.

Overall, this was a book I easily devoured in a day. It's sweet, quick, and has some fun nuances that freshened it up for me. I will definitely keep an eye out for more Mae Bennett!

Thank you Alcove Press for this arc!

This is Mae Bennett's debut. It is such a nice twist on Beauty and the Beast. It took me reading about Oliver(MMC) being described as roaring for it to hit me, lol.

This is a character driven book and I was here for it. Learning so much about Bellamy and Oliver was wonderful. You have some books that try to lean on side characters and this was a nice breath of fresh air. The time spent to delve into what makes them tick and make them very real is nice. This is not a dual POV but it doesn't matter at all.

There is fantastic spice in this. It was pretty hot!!

Kudos to Mae Bennett for an awesome debut.

Thanks to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Mae Bennett for this e-ARC. This review is my own opinion.

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0 ☆

this was such a cute book. I love fairy tale retellings especially beauty and the beast ones so ofc I ate this up.

I loved the modernizing of the servants & the third act breakup was actuality agonizing.

loved it def will read again

POV: Dual
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

This is a fun Beauty and the Beast re-telling and I enjoyed the modern home renovation take. I think the author did a good job at telling her own unique story while using the fun correlations with the original.

As a Disney lover, the title and cover really reeled me in on this one, especially as most book lovers can relate to Belle. However, my favorite character was the “Beast” Oliver. He’s grumpy but sweet and I like that he had some insecurities. Both him and Bellamy had some things to work through and it was great how they helped each other.

I’m excited for what’s to come next for this debut author!

A sweet story with interesting characters!

Bellamy (Bell) Price is given her first solo job redoing a home. Only hiccup is the recluse nephew of the owner lives there and he's not exactly jumping for joy at the "invasion".

The characters & story were enjoyable. I liked that there was a lot of character growth. There were some fun "scenes" that helped the story along well.

I could not have LOVED a book more! Mae Bennett’s book is perfect for every single lover of BEAUTY & THE BEAST! This retelling is a more modern today retelling and I had the absolute best time seeing all aspects of the movie come to life in Bennett’s book.

Things I loved about this book:

💜 Laugh Out Loud Banter - the one liners in this book are off the charts & the back and forth comments between Olivier & Bellamy are hilarious
🌹 Grumpy x Sunshine - Oliver & Bellamy
💜 He Falls First - Oliver is the most adorable when he is overcome with so many new emotions for Bellamy
🌹 Plus Sized Positivity - Love how Bellamy loves herself & embraces her size
💜 Rocked By Emotion & Love - Both Bellamy & Oliver face doubts about themselves and what they deserve, about love & about relationships
🌹 Spicy - oh, Bellamy is a lucky girl
💜 Swoon-worthy - Oliver is just wow! The things he does & says definitely make you swoon (of course, he has a very “beastly” stage first)
🌹 Creating & Finding a Home - not going to say more
💜 The Meddlers - there are a few, but Sebastian is my fav
🌹 Just a Favorite - The Library

I cannot recommend this book enough! It is a great debut novel!!!

Bellamy has just been offered the job of a lifetime: lead contractor on the restoration of the mysterious and sprawling Killington Estate. After a traumatic car accident that left his parents dead and himself injured, Oliver, heir to the Killington empire, took up residence as the grumpy caretaker of his grandfather’s mansion. None too pleased by the presence of the hammer-wielding woman who’s moved into his house, Oliver tries to block her at every turn.

What a great beauty and the beast retelling! I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this romance so much.

Bell & Oliver's banter was my favorite. They butted heads at the beginning and slowly let their guards down to open up to each other. I loved how they cared for each other so much. Oliver's tragic past made him seem like a grump, but once you get to know him, it'll all make sense.

Just like the original Beauty and the Beast, this too had great side characters, especially the AI one. Hah it was hilarious.

Overall, it was a great debut & I can't wait for more by Mae.

Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first romance book I’ve read where I don’t really understand how or why the couple is together. When they first kissed, it was so out of nowhere that I flipped back a few pages to see if I missed something. I didn’t. This was a common theme while I was reading the book. It didn’t flow very well from one scene to the next. It would have been better if we saw more of the main characters bonding with their late night conversations instead of just hearing that they happened. There’s a lot of explicit intimate scenes for such a small book, which I don’t mind usually. The scenes in this book were abrupt, like with the first kiss. It felt like the plot was getting lost after the spicy scenes started. Overall, I didn’t like this book.

Blimey, "Barely Even Friends" has been a right good find! This steamy, drama-packed debut novel hooks you from the opening pages.

The author has nailed recreating that classic Beauty and the Beast vibe, but given it a fresh, modern twist. The lead characters Bellamy and Oliver are so engaging, with real depth and complexity that makes you feel like you know 'em.

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 Succession get uncovered. The vivid writing proper transports you into the crumbling old mansion.

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 packed with loads of dramatic plot definitely need to devour this literary gem. An absolute treat!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

If you enjoy modern fairy-tale romances, you’ll enjoy this Beauty and the Beast story. It has everything including the servants and an AI voice that has much more personality than any real AI computer today.

Bellamy goes to work to refurbish a lovely old house. And she finds there a hunky, large guy who has been living there as a recluse for eight years since his parents died in a car accident.

Of course, he’s immediately attracted to her, but he’s such a grump that she doesn’t realize it for a good part of the book. The story is over the top and after a while I got rather tired of the whole sunny/grumpy trope along with all the fairy tale tidbits.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

4.5 stars! It was almost a 5 star rating but whenever there is a grumpyxsunshine trope I feel like it has to be dual POV to just enhance it. I honestly didn't know what to expect when starting this book but it was surprisingly beautiful. The found family trope in this book really did it for me. Oliver was the perfect level of grumpy for me, he wasn't too much of an asshole and stopped being grumpy at an appropriate part of the book. I loved the main character Bellamy she was so relatable and I felt like her struggles were very justified. I did also kind of have an issue with the 3rd act breakup because to me it feel like a little dramatic, but how everything tied together at the end was very good. I also grew to love all the side characters in this book and the AI made me laugh out loud soooo many times.

“I wish I could say that was the first time I’d heard something like that. My youth, weight and gender they all worked against me in these types of situations (...). I’d stand in front of a group of old white men, and they would always prefer another man. They’d never consider that a woman might be in charge, especially one that looked like me.”

Barely Even Friends is a very easy read, steamy, fast paced and with very lovable characters. The first thing that jumps to the eyes is the Beauty and Beast retelling. I enjoyed how it was done, with obvious references, especially in the beginning, but with a story that –of course– also works completely on its own too.
The book appealed to me for many reasons. Bellamy, the plus-size MFC, was one of them, and I’m thrilled to say that she is a great one. The character isn’t all self-pity or super empowered, but something in between that feels real –and made me feel seen– and the judgments she endures (now or in the past) felt real and familiar. Too young. Not a man. Not fitting the “beauty standards”. These prejudices are real and I loved that they are one of the core problems for Bellamy, one of the reasons why it first became so difficult for her to balance her personal and professional life.
Oliver’s character, even if the whole book is told from Bellamy’s POV, is also very developed and interesting. His arc around grief is more classic, and sometimes the load of guilt is a bit much, but again he is really well crafted and feels real.
I adored both Oliver and Bellamy, how the reciprocated irritation moved into sexual tension and gradually turned into a real relationship. In the end, they revealed to each other, and their wounds echoed one another, eventually helping them grow. The renovation metaphor really worked here, for them both.
I only regret that sometimes changes feel a bit rushed, especially regarding Oliver. Maybe it’s where the dual POV sometimes helps, because the pivoting in the car and library felt a bit rushed or “out-of-nowhere” (or were some pages missing in the ARC?), and the same sentiment lingered over the last part, even if here Bellamy’s POV explained everything as we see the whole situation through her eyes.
I truly enjoyed that read, thank you NetGalley, Mae Bennett and Alcove Press for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

Rate 4.5/5

This book made me feel all the emotions- I legitimately cried for our main characters! It starts out as a nod to Beauty and the Beast- girl comes to castle for her father (in this case for his business) and runs into the wounded beast that wants her gone, and the cast of servants (including Bl8z3) that steal the show. It is, from the view of romance, a terrible meet-cute, but it was perfect here. Ambrose, our housekeeper and tailor, is charming in his old fashioned way where as Rue and Nick keep things light and funny. Bl8z3, the ai home… secretary is the best word, I think, is a charming way to bring out the enchanted part of our contemporary Beauty and the Beast retelling.

As far as our main characters go, Bellamy and Oliver are perfect. She is brightness and determination and he is steady, grounding. The chemisty here is undeniable, though in true romcom fashion they tried their damndest, and I loved their interactions. It was the emotional connection, though, that really got me. Each have their own demons to master before they are ready to committ to one another. I saw a lot of growth here, and I loved that. The thing about romcoms is that the same tropes have been told a million times. What keeps these fresh are characters, interactions, the cute aspects of their connection which is always unique. This one delivered a fun, fresh, sexy read that made me want more. I will be waiting to see if any of our side characters get their own story. With a solid plot, great characters, and a good flow to the story, I would consider this a five star book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
As far as adult content goes, there is language, sexual content (level four spice, not terribly explicit but definitely hot), and emotional abuse (this may be a trigger for some readers). All in all, I would still say it’s appropriate for new adults.

Once again, I recieved this book from Netgalley working with Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review. My thanks!

Words cannot describe how much I loved this book and how proud and happy I am for the person who wrote it.

When Mae announced that her Beauty and Beast retelling got picked up for trad publication, I was ESTACTIC, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

READ. THIS. BOOK. Not only is it a great Beauty and Beast retelling, but Mae manages to handle some big topics, like grief, with grace. I LOVED everything about this book, from the MCs to the side characters to the conflicts to the shenanigans. EVERYTHING.

Mae - I am so HAPPY for you and so glad I can call you a friend. I can’t wait to read anything and everything you write. 🥰💛

A really sweet debut from author Mae Bennett. A take on our favorite fairy tale, which you can get from the title, it’s changed and modernized enough to be very enjoyable and entertaining. A solid 4-star read.

We have our isolated mansion, our library with ladders, our household staff off misfits (all human, though, except one lovable AI… no candelabra or clock or teapot!), and our characters named Bell (Bellamy), and a beastly acting one who hid himself away after an injury. Bellamy is tasked by the beast… I mean Oliver’s grandfather hires her father’s restoration company to fix up the estate. She ends up living in close proximity to the grump during the project and manages to befriend the recluse. I also appreciated all of the side characters and loved each one, and the LGBTQ aspect with several.

It was a great spin on the classic tale with some unexpected moments and surprises in the storyline that made it better than some other versions I’ve read - I definitely recommend it for that alone! A great debut and I see a brilliant career ahead for Bennett! I’m looking forward to her future releases.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Alcove Press, and this is my honest feedback.

Unfortunately, a DNF for me - I'm simply not connecting with the story or the characters. I've tried to get into it multiple times with no success. As someone who has watched Beauty and the Beast more times than I can count, that's definitely disappointing for me. This is a true retelling, with strong references to the beloved story and some modern twists. Not sure I was a big fan of the modern twists, honestly, but they would've been fine if I'd been more emotionally invested in the characters. And I simply wasn't, so I set it aside. I am looking forward to checking out more from this debut author as her writing grows, especially if I can't mentally compare it to a story I know well.

Barely Even Friends by Mae Bennett was the best most steamy Beauty and the Beast retelling ever! I was so excited to jump into this one and it did not disappoint!
I really enjoyed this read, it was such a cute story with memorable characters.

Thank You NetGalley and Alcove Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!