Hannah B.'s Reviews > Being Mary Bennet

✨I too am a dirty little slut for libraries and dessert✨

This one was suuuper cute and I liked it a lot!! But after reading the summary and noting that this was labeled romcom…I am CONFUSED! I originally thought the romance was just a subplot because I wanted MORE because BOY OH BOY was it rushed at the end ugh they deserved more (I’m so sad but also I will survive). I really loved Marnie's personal journey though and her friendship with Adhira was so good (there's even a redeemed enemy arc I loved). I also cried

Marnie is one of those characters who you may not like at the beginning of the novel. But I really really love when this happens. I have such a fondness for redeemed snooty/selfish characters. I use redeemed lightly because obviously she still remained firmly herself, but ended the book just a little bit more aware of how she can hurt others and how others have/haven't hurt her. I love witnessing the growth and acceptance these books normally work through. So while you may be disgruntled with her character at first, I really hope you see it through until the end.

- (My YA favs include If I'm Being Honest and A Midsummer's Nightmare.) (One I used to love is Before I Fall but I don't have the emotional capacity to read that book anymore, but I read the shit out of it when I was younger.)

I definitely wanted to shake Marnie A LOT when it came to Hayes, but even then, I get it. She's not the only one to have a very terrible, very messy crush and even though I was DISGUSTED with the man, I still understood Marnie. Also he was very sleazy and predatory so half of her mixed up emotions and feelings were because he was using and toying with her. He got his proper punishment though so I'm feeling good. Her family also got on my nerves, but I think they mainly made up for their initial shitty behavior. The mother, however, still needs to answer for giving away that lemon cupcake. That is a CRIME.

The animal shelter plot line was super cute and I liked the scope of her project. I also liked getting to know the San Fransisco area a bit more. The wedding was perfectly dramatic and I love Marnie for her flare. That scene alone was worth one star AT LEAST; I was so happy. I especially loved the wedding scene because so many times, characters are not able to go a little balls to the wall. Marnie did her fair share of fucking around and finding out and I loved watching her live her unhinged life. I too get seduced by chocolate desserts.

The romance between Marnie and Whit was like 15% of this book. I loved Marnie and had such a good time, but this was wayyyyy more centered on her relationship with her family, herself, Adhira, even Hayes, and then Whit. So much so that at the last chapter I didn’t actually know if they’d get together. We didn’t meet Whit until 25% into the book. I’m not saying this is a terribly terrible thing because I really did enjoy the book—I just wish we got more of Marnie and Whit because we don’t know much about him and I don’t know enough about them together to believe they love each other???

There was a SUPER swoony moment but it was immediately ruined by Marnie being plagued by lockjaw because Whit asked a very simple question and she simply could not answer it. (It was that type of moment where the main character just clams up even though they *think* about their response but ultimately say nothing.) It kinda spoiled the mood because again, the answer was SUPER simple. But still, that scene was SO good. I need to find myself a ball gown, ball, and enamored hero.

Overall, I had a really fun time re-imagining Mary Bennet's character. I laughed, I cried, I craved dessert. Marnie was nothing if not relatable—she's not always a great person, but I can't claim to always be either. She had enough of heart to keep me rooting for her. I liked the literary references and screeched at the Gilbert/Anne references, my heart! I also had a very fun time creeping on Will during this book because I will always have a hard-on for Darcy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to the publisher for giving me an arc via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are honest and my own.

CWs: Comments on main characters body/weight, car accident, miscarriage, predatory older men