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jessreads17's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mad_pall's review
4.0
I think this book is important for teenagers! We don’t have to be like the stereotypical main characters in books. We may always feel like we aren’t good enough, but lots of people love us for the way we are.
vianadear's review
3.0
i've been meaning to read this for the longest time and finally got it over with. the first few chapters were the hardest ones to get through bc of the amount of second hand embarrassment you get, but it compares nicely to how you see her flourish later on. it's a nice mixture of austenesque prose with modern YA. overall very cute.
lxmns's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I actually picked this book up because I'd read the second book in the series - the one about her sister, Lola - first (I hadn't realized that it was book 2 when I read it), so I wanted to see if this one was good too.
It was a nice, cute story, and a really enjoyable read. Some of it came off as a tad unrealistic, but in this type of story, you almost expect that, so it didn't bug me. The only two things I have to say are that the main character (I can't for the life of me remember her name. It was Maisie? Maybe? Or Marnie? I don't know) was kind of rude in my opinion (which might have been the point), which could be a little annoying; and that the guy that she'd been in love with since she was 13 (Hayes might have been his name? I can't remember that either) was a major creep and jerk (also probably the point, but still)
I definitely recommend, although I think I liked the second book a bit more than this one. Very nice read
It was a nice, cute story, and a really enjoyable read. Some of it came off as a tad unrealistic, but in this type of story, you almost expect that, so it didn't bug me. The only two things I have to say are that the main character (I can't for the life of me remember her name. It was Maisie? Maybe? Or Marnie? I don't know) was kind of rude in my opinion (which might have been the point), which could be a little annoying; and that the guy that she'd been in love with since she was 13 (Hayes might have been his name? I can't remember that either) was a major creep and jerk (also probably the point, but still)
I definitely recommend, although I think I liked the second book a bit more than this one. Very nice read
worldsunlikeourown's review
3.0
Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
I expected this book to be a modern day Pride and Prejudice retelling from Mary’s perspective, and while it kind of did turn out to be something like that, it didn’t live up to the blurb. I think the biggest issue for me was that Marnie, the main character was not likeable at all. I get that it was probably the point for her to be an unlikeable character, but that never changes and it made it really hard to sympathize with her in her quest to be less Mary-Bennet-like. Honestly, the side characters were more interesting.
I found the pacing to be really slow, but that could have easily been because I was annoyed with the MC and struggled to get through most of the first half of the book. It did pick up later, especially in the last handful of chapters where there was almost too much going on.
I wasn’t very impressed by the romance either, it felt forced and should have been better developed. Marnie’s arc had enough going on that this book would have been perfectly fine even without it.
On the plus side, the plot itself was interesting and the Barnes family very much mirrored the Bennets with their rather chaotic dynamic, albeit in a modern setting. Marnie’s arc and journey throughout the story was also a great one despite the pacing issues. The Bark Books project she works on was also pretty cool, and I wish this, along with the prize she’s doing the project for were more of a focus in the story.
Being Mary Bennet had an interesting concept, but the execution didn’t live up to it. The ending was much better than I expected however, and thoroughly fitting. Overall, it was a decent read, and I would suggest picking it up.
I expected this book to be a modern day Pride and Prejudice retelling from Mary’s perspective, and while it kind of did turn out to be something like that, it didn’t live up to the blurb. I think the biggest issue for me was that Marnie, the main character was not likeable at all. I get that it was probably the point for her to be an unlikeable character, but that never changes and it made it really hard to sympathize with her in her quest to be less Mary-Bennet-like. Honestly, the side characters were more interesting.
I found the pacing to be really slow, but that could have easily been because I was annoyed with the MC and struggled to get through most of the first half of the book. It did pick up later, especially in the last handful of chapters where there was almost too much going on.
I wasn’t very impressed by the romance either, it felt forced and should have been better developed. Marnie’s arc had enough going on that this book would have been perfectly fine even without it.
On the plus side, the plot itself was interesting and the Barnes family very much mirrored the Bennets with their rather chaotic dynamic, albeit in a modern setting. Marnie’s arc and journey throughout the story was also a great one despite the pacing issues. The Bark Books project she works on was also pretty cool, and I wish this, along with the prize she’s doing the project for were more of a focus in the story.
Being Mary Bennet had an interesting concept, but the execution didn’t live up to it. The ending was much better than I expected however, and thoroughly fitting. Overall, it was a decent read, and I would suggest picking it up.
mtyler3707's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Becoming Mary Bennet is a cute modern imagining of Mary Bennet. I did find Marnie insufferable for about 90% of the book. I kept going because it’s Austen in August after all and I was guaranteed a happy ending. I did love Adhira and her determination no befriend Marnie. I also liked Whit and the Bark Books project. I think this is a creative debut but I was longing for the angst and self loathing to be dialed way down and for Marnie to take responsibility for her actions rather than avoiding taking responsibility for them. I felt anxious/embarrassed for her for a good portion of the book.
brendalovesbooks's review
5.0
I ADORED this. It was seriously so much fun to read. The humor in this was just so spot on, with such a fantastic story about finding out who you really are. And if that’s not enough, there was a sweet love story too.
heyitscin's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I very much adored this book.
rusereviews's review
5.0
4.5 rounded up to a 5
I honestly wasn't aware that Being Mary Bennet by J.C. Peterson was a debut novel until I listened to the Acknowledgements section. I really enjoyed the YA rom-com--I flew through it--and the cover is very cute. I'm listing a few CWs at the end of this review, but I think the topics are handled pretty well.
Our heroine is seventeen-year-old Marnie Barnes, who wishes she was Lizzie but wholeheartedly believes she is more like Mary Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. She is a bookworm and feels like the odd child out in her large family, headed by her socialite mother and technology bigwig father in San Francisco. While managing a huge project tying together animal adoption and bookmobiles to vie for the prestigious Hunt Prize, Marnie decides to reinvent herself at the same time. Thankfully, she has the help of her fashion-minded boarding school roommate, Adhira.
Watching Marnie blossom out of her curmudgeonly shell and learn how to develop her various familial, platonic, and romantic relationships felt very true to life for me. I identified with this character a lot; she made quite a few decisions (and/or mistakes) that I probably would have also made in her shoes. I didn't find her completely unlikeable at the start because I've been in her shoes, and she goes through a LOT of personal growth throughout the novel.
The eBook version is 384 pages. Big thanks to NetGalley for providing a voicegalley that was about 9 hours long for review. All opinions contained herein are my own.
Tropes: retelling from other POVs, friends to lovers, boarding school, dysfunctional family
CW: casual body and food shaming, racism, bullying, pregnancy/infant loss, off-page car accident, mention of inappropriate relationships between adults and minors
I honestly wasn't aware that Being Mary Bennet by J.C. Peterson was a debut novel until I listened to the Acknowledgements section. I really enjoyed the YA rom-com--I flew through it--and the cover is very cute. I'm listing a few CWs at the end of this review, but I think the topics are handled pretty well.
Our heroine is seventeen-year-old Marnie Barnes, who wishes she was Lizzie but wholeheartedly believes she is more like Mary Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. She is a bookworm and feels like the odd child out in her large family, headed by her socialite mother and technology bigwig father in San Francisco. While managing a huge project tying together animal adoption and bookmobiles to vie for the prestigious Hunt Prize, Marnie decides to reinvent herself at the same time. Thankfully, she has the help of her fashion-minded boarding school roommate, Adhira.
Watching Marnie blossom out of her curmudgeonly shell and learn how to develop her various familial, platonic, and romantic relationships felt very true to life for me. I identified with this character a lot; she made quite a few decisions (and/or mistakes) that I probably would have also made in her shoes. I didn't find her completely unlikeable at the start because I've been in her shoes, and she goes through a LOT of personal growth throughout the novel.
The eBook version is 384 pages. Big thanks to NetGalley for providing a voicegalley that was about 9 hours long for review. All opinions contained herein are my own.
Tropes: retelling from other POVs, friends to lovers, boarding school, dysfunctional family
CW: casual body and food shaming, racism, bullying, pregnancy/infant loss, off-page car accident, mention of inappropriate relationships between adults and minors