Being Mary Bennet: A Funny Young Adult Coming-of-Age Rom-Com Inspired by Jane Austen

The Barnes Sisters #1

by J.C. Peterson

Acerbic and delightful, this YA rom-com about a girl who resolves to become the main character of her own story is perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Becky Albertalli.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that every bookworm secretly wishes to be Lizzie Bennet.

A less acknowledged truth is that Mary Bennet might be a better fit.

For seventeen-year-old Marnie Barnes, who’s convinced she is the long-suffering protagonist of her life, this revelation comes at the end of a series of self-induced disasters that force her to confront a devastating truth: Marnie has more in common with Mary Bennet—the utterly forgettable middle sister—than the effervescent Lizzie.

Determined to reinvent herself, she enlists the help of her bubbly roommate and opens herself up to the world—leading lady style. And between new friends, a very cute boy, and a rescue pup named Sir Pat, Marnie realizes that being the main character doesn’t mean rewriting your life entirely. It’s about finding the right cast of characters, the love interest of your dreams, and, most important, embracing your story, flaws and all.

With a hilariously sharp voice, a sweet and fulfilling romance that features a meet-cute in an animal shelter, and a big family that revels in causing big problems, this charming comedy of errors will have readers cheering for Marnie during every step of her obstacle-ridden journey toward embracing who she truly is.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Retellings, Fiction, Audiobook, Realistic Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2022

About the author

BEING MARY BENNET out now
LOLA AT LAST out 2.28.23

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I’m a YA author based in Denver, Colorado, where I live with my husband, two small sons, and one geriatric tabby. I'm represented by Amy Bishop of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

When I’m not dreaming up new stories or parenting two young boys, I love to eat local, hike in the amazing Colorado mountains, and plan for my next trip.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you stop channeling your inner Mary Bennet? How do you make your mark on the world as the middle of five girls when the other four seem to overshadow you with their accomplishments? Marnie Barnes is determined to cap off her senior year at Pacific Crest Academy with a winning the coveted Hunter Prize. Now, all she has to do is make her Bark Books project a reality. There are some interesting threads in addition to the reading to dogs project that Marnie envisions with Bark Books. There is her roommate Adhira who insists on trying to be her friend even though Marnie was supposed to have her own room. Hayworth Wellesley is the neighbor who has been her secret crush for years. Is he her prince or a pompous windbag? What about that cute guy Whit at the shelter? And a family with five girls is always going to have some relationship issues to work on. I went into this book expecting more of a retelling. What I got was more of an Austen fan fic. There is an Austen Ball that sounds quite spectacular.

Thank you to Harper Teen and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Carrie Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a DELIGHTFUL modernization of the Bennet family, with a Mary after my own heart: stubborn, prickly, bookish, socially awkward, and completely and totally relatable. I fell in love with the author's writing, wit, and voice from the first line-- this is a character I'd walk over coals for! My favorite reimagining yet of the Bennet family characters. There's also a beautiful friendship, a swoony sweet romance, and one of my fave settings, California's Bay Area. Plus cute dogs!!

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review: https://hiplibrariansbookblog.com/202...

[emily ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

i was NOT cheering for marnie. the amount of second hand embarrassment i got from this. i really wanted to enjoy it.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being Mary Bennet was a really cute retelling to jump into. Especially since it's a Pride & Prejudice one. Which, yes, is one of my all-time favorite books. Definitely see me being a Lizzie in life, so it was very interesting to see someone viewing themselves as Mary.

After meeting Marnie, it was pretty easy to fall in love with her. At seventeen years old, she has no idea what's going on in her life, but she's looking to reinvent herself. While being an introvert, she definitely starts to blossom out of her shell due to her roommate and friends she starts to make. Plus, a dog or two helps.

If I could, I would adopt Sir Pat right then and there. Unfortunately, I don't think my two dogs would appreciate a fictional one. Maybe a real brother or sister to play with. Maybe. Other than finding herself in this world, there's a lot of drama to maneuver through. Whether it's with her own family or not.

Honestly, I wasn't a fan of her mother and how she treated some of them. Other than that, I liked everyone else and just about died with the wedding scene. Girl can't handle her champagne, but it did make me laugh.

In the end, I'm really happy that I found the time to jump into this. I can't wait for the next Jane Austen retelling to fall in my lap.

[Casey · Rating 1 out of 5]

To suggest Marnie is a Mary is a grevious injury to Mary. yes mary is a prig, but Marnie is just a bitch. she's selfish, self-obssed, immature, jealous and envious of EVERYONE, judgemental, snobbish, condescending, rude and a complete brat. I wouldn't allow her behaviour from a 13 year old let alone an 18 year old. she's pathetic.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put this down. Marnie is difficult and petulant yet lovable and oh so relatable. Her struggles for acceptance and belonging in her family are sharp and a journey I loved seeing her take.

And hold on to your heartstrings, there’s cute dogs and an even cuter boy added to the mix!

A must-read contemporary for every book lover and spouter of inane facts.

[Ardie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting to read a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice…but told through Mary’s perspective. In truth, the heart of this story is more along the lines of, “I just discovered that I’m basically my least favourite character in my absolute favourite book, and I need to change that”.

Marnie Barnes is essentially Mary Bennet brought to life in the modern world. She is an incredibly insecure character who is so off putting at times that it’s hard to connect with her. Thankfully, she has a delightful roommate at her boarding school named Adhira who chooses to be Marnie’s friend (come hell or high water) and helps Marnie see her Mary-esque behaviour.

J.C. Peterson did a great job creating an unlikeable character who made the reader feel both exasperation and pity toward her. The only problem with creating such a character is that she wasn’t always fun to read about. Thankfully, the author also helped us see that growth was possible…not just for the Mary’s of the world, but for everyone.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#BeingMaryBennet #NetGalley

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marnie makes decisions and mistakes that I could very easily see myself making as a teen. She wants to live up to the image of her "perfect" sibling in order to gain attention from her parents and that causes her quite a lot of grief and leads to the realization that no one, including her precious childhood crush, is as perfect as they seem! I thoroughly enjoyed following Marnie's train of thought and seeing her eyes get opened to the realities around her. I also loved Whit! He makes very mature decisions and is so conscious of what Marnie needs even when it would be so much easier for him to make selfish decisions.

The opposite nature of her and Adhira, the heartbreak and growth that comes from that friendship, is simply beautiful!

[Gili · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly not sure if I just read this at a bad time, but this book was a mess.
I'm a bit baffled by the choices of what to keep and what to leave out in this adaptation of P&P.
For the least offensive examples- the protagonist has 5 sisters, but the younger ones don't serve the same roles as in P&P, in fact there is a classmate who sort of becomes a Lydia, and the relationship with the mom is completely different. Mr. Collins, the ridiculous cousin becomes a sort of Whickam, grooming young girls. Whickham equivalent is a nice guy.
The really weird thing adaptation-wise was taking Marnie from being a judgey, focused on accomplishments and a bit oblivious to being an introvert, jealous of Elizabeth Bennet and kind of mean. And not wanting to be like Mary Bennet. I sort of get it- Elizabeth is clever without appearing to make an effort, but I sort of wish someone choosing to adapt Mary Bennet would actually try to work with her original personality instead of validating the fact that Elizabeth is the only one that is worth being like (especially in modern adaptations).
All the POC characters in this book were bland af.

[Joy| joyluck.bookclub · Rating 3 out of 5]

This modern Pride and Prejudice “retelling” is all about making Mary Bennet the main character.

I thought it was a super cute YA retelling. And I also love that it was written by an author from my city. S/O to Denver!

It was a bit young for me (my 10 year high school reunion is this summer😅), but I think it would be great for younger lovers of P&P!

[Hannah]

DNF halfway through the second chapter. Marnie is incredibly irritating and unlikeable; her air of superiority is off putting and I had a hard time sitting through what I actually read. Definitely not for me.

[Alli · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's time for a confession: I've never read Pride & Prejudice. Despite being a bookworm, I haven't read what's largely regarded to be one of the greatest romances of all time. I want to, at some point, but I haven't yet. All this to say, I know very little about Mary Bennet - or any of the Bennet sisters aside from Lizzy. I'm not sure whether that affected my reading experience, in all honesty.

This feels like a great example of a time when I judged a book by its cover...only to end up disappointed.

I mean, look at that cover! It's so cute!

Unfortunately, this book didn't bring me the same amount of joy that its cover did. In fact, I ended up being fairly annoyed with it.

My main problem with the book was actually our main character - Marnie. I understand she wasn't supposed to be all that likable at first, but I had trouble sympathizing with her at all. And it's hard to love a book when you're constantly being annoyed by the main character.

I'll try to say this with as few spoilers as I can, but my other problem was some of the plot twists. Some surprisingly heavy content was dealt with in Being Mary Bennet, and at times it felt cheap like it was only included for the main character to have some realization. It just didn't sit well with me.

I will say, though, that this book did have some good things going for it! The San Francisco setting was absolutely amazing, and the side characters stole my heart.

Overall, this might just have not been the book for me, but I just struggled to enjoy it.

[Hanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

THIS WAS SO BAD!
First off, the main character is one of the most annoying main characters I have ever encountered. I have never wanted to punch someone harder, real or fictional. She thinks being painfully introverted is a good personality trait, and then gets upset that she doesn't have any friends! Like hm! I Wonder Who's Fault That Is! She causes all of her own problems. Like at Lindy's baby shower, completely ruining the gender reveal. And then gets mad when her family is annoyed at her. Like hm! I Wonder Who's Fault That Is! And don't even get me started on the 'romance'. I thought it was gonna be a love triangle, but not even close. It was a wide circle of miscommunication. Hayes was such a confusing character, Marnie was in loveeeeee with him, but all of a sudden she flips her feelings. I mean it made sense later on, but it just really wasn't realistic. And Whit omfg...... zero chemistry. Zeeerrrroooooo. Like I don't even think this could be marketed as a romance novel I'm genuinely serious. Spoiler?? Marnie says she's in love with him before they were even together. I think that's a major red flag tbh. AND THEY ONLY KISSED ON THE LAST PAGE. And then the whole hart prize thing????? Marnie was about to end it all over this competition, then right at the end she throws it all away??? What???? Yeah she did a nice thing for her friend, but if she deserved that prize she really should've gotten it! Overall. Waste of my afternoon reading this book if I'm being completely honest.

[Maya Joelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finding good, or even decent, YA contemporary is very hard these days, so I was pleasantly surprised at Being Mary Bennet. It's full of references to literary heroines I love, and the main character (Marnie) reminds me of myself in many ways. Lots of good sister relationships and friends; Marnie learning to be her own person, and that she doesn't have to be the Elizabeth Bennet of her life, was lovely and a good reminder to me.

Of course, there's the requisite content warning: profanity, sexual content, underage drinking, family strife... because apparently we can't write YA without that these days. This book does handle heavy topics better than most, though, and needless adult content is minimal. (Still only recommended for older teens and up.) There's also a lost pregnancy, which (though handled very well) was hard to read about.

All in all, a cozy, bookish romp that I very much enjoyed. For older teens and adults who like Austen and Anne, and who have never quite fit in because they'd rather go to the library than a party: read this book :)

[joanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was…fine. Honestly it didn’t blow me away and it wasn’t completely obnoxious but I didn’t really care for it. I think I struggled the most with the writing. I mean it was a little annoying because she’s always like my stomach is like a volcano and it’s bubbling into my throat and I’m just like girl. I do not need those constant descriptions.

I also felt like the story was kind of bland overall. I liked the sisters and I feel like we would have needed more interaction with them to get a full story. The ending was also super rushed and it felt super cheesy at points especially with Marnie’s big speech.

Overall I just don’t really care and I feel like I needed more Adhira and Whit and not so many inner monologues.

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a revised version of Pride and Prejudice, perhaps told by Mary, but instead I ended up with a YA romance that I enjoyed quite a bit. A must read if you like love triangles and Victorian novels.

Mi aspettavo una versione riveduta e corretta di Orgoglio e pregiudizio, magari raccontata da Mary e invece mi sono ritrovata con un romance YA che peró mi ha divertito parecchio. Da leggere se vi piacciono i triangoli amorosi ed i romanzi vittoriani.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

[Ann Fraistat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Voice-y and charming, sweet and lively, this was a delightful read! There's so much great humor and hope in Marnie's journey from semi-aggressive curmudgeon to heroine of her own story. I loved seeing her relationships with her roommate and love interest blossom, and I especially loved how she began to discover a deeper connection with her sisters. All around, a warm hug of a book, and a fun and funny twist on P&P!

[Leslie Vedder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun and heartfelt book! Marnie is the perfect bookish heroine whose dry wit and clever literature references will have you in stitches. The love story was so sweet (and I also fell head over heels for Sir Patrick Stewart the dog!!). A beautiful story about finding yourself in every way possible—finding family, finding friendship, and of course, finding love.

[Lanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marnie was very annoying for a large chunk of this, but I really liked her character arc, the side characters, and the relationships

[Mahdis · Rating 3 out of 5]

۳.۵

در نهایت کتاب بامزه ای از آب دراومد. کاراکتر آرک کاراکتر اصلی بد نبود و رومنسش با اینکه خیلی زیاد نبود دوست داشتنی از آب دراومد. یه مقدار کتابی بودن و رفرنس های کتاب به آن شرلی، زنان کوچک و غرور و تعصب هم خوب بود. یکم زیادی همه چی خوب پیش رفت که به نظرم همون چیزی بود که من کتاب رو به خاطرش شروع کردم احتمالا.

خانواده کاراکتر اصلی واقعا وایب خانواده بنت از غرور و تعصب رو دارن. ۵ تا دختر که دو تای اول با هم خیلی خوبن. دختر دومی مورد علاقه باباست، مامانه شلوغ و رو مخه : ))) و خب کاراکتر اصلی ما مری بنته، اون خواهری که هیشکی دوستش نداره‌ و همه تایمش رو کتاب میخونه و به نظر خودش بهتر از بقیه ست.

پ.ن: چند روز از وقتی این ریویو رو نوشتم میگذره. من رفتم دنبال یه کتاب که از سیاهی درم بیاره. این رو پیدا کردم. ولی دیدم اشاره نکردم چرا تو سیاهی بودم. چرا تو سیاهی هستیم. چون آبان ۱۴۰۱ ئه.

[ੈ✩‧₊˚ faithreads *ೃ༄ (inactive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book!! It was interesting and such a good spin on the classic Jane Austen stories! I just loved how the story was a sweet coming of age and it just was so wholesome! It was a little bit annoying and cringy tho ngl lol! I didn’t love the Hayes plot line, but I do think it was needed for the way the story worked. lol. Also I did not like the whole Whit plotline…like i loved their relationship but it was just weird. And im sorry but she did not love him😭 idk it was just little things like that that made me take a star off, but I overall really loved the book!

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars, because I'm feeling generous.
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This book couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Is it a Pride and Prejudice variation? Kind of. Is it another angsty YA tale? Kind of. Does it have anything to do with Jane Eyre? Maybe?
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The last 1/4 of the story was really strange. It was almost like the author remembered all of the things she'd wanted to put in, but forgot until the last minute and just kind of crammed it all in.
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The romance felt really forced and undeveloped. Dear authors: it's OK if the hero/heroine doesn't end up with anyone at the end!
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The best way I can describe this story is that it was fine.

[Anita Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH! The writing is so smart and clever and tight and the whole story is just so rich. Marnie is a wonderfully complex character—prickly! sensitive! annoyed (and for good reason most of the time)! kind of a jerk sometimes! passionate, determined, smart! and lonely. In other words, a true teenager. Also: swooning over Whit forever. Also: such a great friendship storyline. Also: San Francisco. Also: dogs.

[Shaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Every person is the main character in their own story, even the women stuffed in the attics.” As an avid Austen reader, I was absolutely delighted by this book. Marnie is determined to become the protagonist in her own story, as she views herself as the Mary Bennet instead. I found myself smiling throughout the book, and can imagine students of mine that would enjoy it as well. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

[Preye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following Marnie on her journey and witnessing her self-discovery was a delight. The book captures the essence of youth and family dynamics in an honest way.

Links:  Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Reedsy

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good premise but I didn’t realize how YA it really was until I picked it up. There were some very contrived bits, and Marnie’s stream of consciousness got a little exhausting to read… Still, there were a few sweet moments, and I liked Marnie’s arc.

[Amanda Quain]

I am SO excited to read this one - what a fresh, fun perspective on Pride and Prejudice! (Also can we talk about that cover??? OBSESSED.) This one is high on the TBR list!!

[Juli · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf 75% i just wanted to puke most of this book, some of it was okay but its just 🤮 and the characters were as flat as a flat tire. wish i could've liked it

[lina · Rating 2 out of 5]

marnie is so insufferable 😭