michbo's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was a good retelling of P&P, and I liked that it wasn’t a 1:1 copy to the modern day. I wasn’t sure how she’d do things like Mr Collins’ storyline with inheriting longborne, but it all worked.
However overall, it was too fast paced. It felt like half the story was missing and she just jumped days/weeks towards the end of the book instead of fleshing out the story. That was disappointing, and a crappy note to end on.
However overall, it was too fast paced. It felt like half the story was missing and she just jumped days/weeks towards the end of the book instead of fleshing out the story. That was disappointing, and a crappy note to end on.
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Car accident
cassieloo2's review against another edition
3.0
Cotugno does a great job setting a scene. Between the too-big house in LA, trendy restaurants and clubs and jetsetting locations, I felt like I was watching a reality show. This was both good and bad - sometimes I wasn't excited to pick this book up for escapism but most of the time I didn't really care. The stakes didn't seem high and the story never really took off for me. I liked the multiple viewpoints but I felt like there were a few too many and they didn't really add to the story or add a useful perspective.
This was a quick and funny read that I'd recommend to my friends who enjoy reality tv. The writing was good and I found myself laughing A LOT.
Thank you Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the ARC.
This was a quick and funny read that I'd recommend to my friends who enjoy reality tv. The writing was good and I found myself laughing A LOT.
Thank you Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the ARC.
danistormborn's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
danadoesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Thank you BiblioLifestyle and Harper Perennial for the gifted copy of Meet The Benedettos! All opinions in this review are my own.
In this Pride and Prejudice retelling, Lilly is both trying to keep her family together while also avoid her snobby neighbor Will Darcy.
Meet The Benedettos is easily my favorite Katie Cotugno book that I've read. I love how she not only stays faithful to the Pride and Prejudice storyline, but also how well she writes her characters. Will's first impression of Lilly is that she is a vapid reality star caught up in her own drama. However, as both he and the reader see as the book progresses, Lilly is constantly trying to solve her family's problems while she is also trying to follow her own dreams. The disgust to love romance between Lilly and Will adds tension to the family drama. I can't wait to see what Cotugno comes out with next!
bookedbymadeline's review
Thank you to Harper Perennial and Netgalley for the eARC!
I love Pride and Prejudice and fun/light contemporary novels so I was really excited for this but it was a huge let down! Modern, Hollywood/influencer retelling of Pride & Prejudice.
A little too heavy on pop culture references, it felt like name/brand dropping and will date the book heavily in years to come.
A little too heavy on pop culture references, it felt like name/brand dropping and will date the book heavily in years to come.
I did Like the switching POVs between Lilly and Will, but the others became too much and pointless. I found Lilly kind of insufferable 😩 and the other characters I didn’t love or hate, they were just okay. It felt like there were so many people to keep track of it got confusing at times.
Maybe I shouldn’t have read this since I don’t watch (or enjoy) The Kardashians and the whole idea of “famous for being famous” but I was intrigued by the Austen twist to it and it sounded light/fun. Also I thought perhaps it just meant Kardashian-inspired as in there’s 5 sisters and they’re a famous family. I didn’t realize it came with “we’re famous but pity us and we aren’t famous because of our show, we built ourselves from the ground up” 🙃
I think I would’ve liked it better if it wasn’t for Lilly. She judges Will for things that her family also would have or did have at one point? So she ends up sounding like a hypocrite. And she tries to act as if her family’s “famous for being famous” status is bogus, acting as if they’re famous for other reasons when in reality they wouldn’t be in the positions they are if it hadn’t been for their reality show and well-known public fights. I feel like if she hadn’t acted as if she and her family aren’t privileged and accepted why they have fame and that they’re trying to branch out, it would have been a better novel. But sadly because of her (lack of) character depth, I couldn’t care and found it annoying.
TW/CW: eating disorder, drug abuse, car accident (brief mention), death of parent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Eating disorder
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
courtneycanread's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was very fine. The Kardashians meets Pride and Prejudice, it will at the very least entertain you although I wished for more substance and grounding from the numerous characters.
aurigae's review against another edition
5.0
Meet the Benedettos is an engrossing, witty, touching retelling of Pride and Prejudice, in which Jane Austen's characters are transmuted into contemporary actors and celebrities. The transformation is done with wit and insight, giving some of the characters modern trappings to the personalities Austen gave them (Kitty and Lydia are influencers, of course) while others are transformed in ways that will satisfy contemporary Austenites (I particularly loved the reinterpretation of Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins).
I don't usually enjoy romances involving movie stars, and I don't know anything about the Kardashians. But specific trappings of celebrity are not a big part of this story; the Benedettos' fame is mostly a proxy for the social approbation (or disapprobation) that's such a big part of Austen's world. At the same time, the author lets the modern elements of her adaptation take on their own life, giving the characters career aspirations and insecurities and backstories. in that way, Meet the Benedettos becomes both a delightful riff on Austen's work and something more, a romantic comedy about the boxes we put others in and the ones we build for ourselves.
[I received a complimentary ARC from NetGalley. Opinions are my own.]
I don't usually enjoy romances involving movie stars, and I don't know anything about the Kardashians. But specific trappings of celebrity are not a big part of this story; the Benedettos' fame is mostly a proxy for the social approbation (or disapprobation) that's such a big part of Austen's world. At the same time, the author lets the modern elements of her adaptation take on their own life, giving the characters career aspirations and insecurities and backstories. in that way, Meet the Benedettos becomes both a delightful riff on Austen's work and something more, a romantic comedy about the boxes we put others in and the ones we build for ourselves.
[I received a complimentary ARC from NetGalley. Opinions are my own.]