Being Mary Bennet audiobook

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

Such a fun light read! Loved the characters and I found Marnie to be quite relatable (guess I have some Mary Bennet in me too).Also, if someone ever called me ‘Anne girl’, I would probably fall in love with them right then and there.

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.) (view spoiler)[There's also a lost pregnancy, which (though handled very well) was hard to read about. (hide spoiler)]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 :)

“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.

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

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.

Content warning: miscarriage (not happening to the main character)Okay, I was really scared in the first 30% of the book due to the crush Marnie had on a certain someone. It was very cringe and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. But! I trudged on and really did enjoy this book so much. That doesn't mean there wasn't a lot of secondhand embarrassment, but there were also a lot of parts that made me laugh out loud.Do y'all remember the YouTube series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries? For some reason, this reminded me a great deal of that but in a different way. I never really thought much about Mary in Pride and Prejudice itself, only that she doesn't seem to have much of a personality, so I like it when books like this come along and want to give more to that character. Sure, it's a true "retelling" but it is sure is fun.I'm very glad Marnie had a nice character arc because I found her rather unlikeable as we start this book. I had to remind myself often that she's just a teenager with lots of room for development and while she thinks she knows herself and what she wants, we see that isn't the case. I liked her roommate, Adhira, and her strength and loyalty to Marnie even when Marnie often didn't deserve it. The Barnes family itself seems fun while also stressful at times. Of course I love Joss and Lindy (the Jane and Lizzy family members, respectively), but there's also Lola and Kat (Lydia and Kitty, respectively). I see the next book (Lola at Last) is about Lola and I'm really intrigued because Lola seems so subdued in this book. Of course. Mrs. Barnes made me grit my teeth. I think the author did a good job modernizing the Mrs. Bennet counterpart but Marnie's mom definitely had some cringe moments too with her casual microaggressions to Lindy and fatphobic comments to Marnie. Sure, she's loyal to her family but her words and some of her actions are really harsh. I'm not sure I find many redeeming qualities about her. But I did love Marnie's interactions with Lindy and how whatever misunderstanding was between them was overcome and allowed them to be closer because I really think that's something Marnie needed.One of the main reasons I didn't give this book a full 5 stars is the crush Marnie has on (view spoiler)[Hays. It's all really cringe, especially since Hays is engaged and in his mid-twenties. I guess I wouldn't find it so bad if Marnie wasn't 18, but she also has this delusion about Hays that makes me want to gag. (hide spoiler)] I know she's really blind to what happened when she was younger, but it doesn't wholly negate the crush in its entirety. So cue me smiling when Marnie meets Whit and things develop slowly between them.I also thought the "ball"/party Marnie and Adhira attended could have been something a lot more, something that could have really pushed Marnie and Whit together but it didn't and felt really anticlimactic.I listened to this book via audiobook and it was really enjoyable. I thought the voice actress did a really great job and would highly recommend.

As a GIANT Austen fan, I actually don't read that many retellings. Mostly because I am just super picky and critical (not just about them, but like, in general). Anyway, I decided on a whim to read this that I had downloaded from a year and a half ago, to give it a go. Because I didn't bother to reread the book summary, it took me a minute to realized that this wasn't a straight up retelling but a self-aware comparison with a character totally obsessed with classic books. Yes her life is pretty similar to the Bennets in Pride and Prejudice, but since Marnie literally compares herself to the Mary Bennet of that family (the sister no one likes) I was totally on board with this sort of integrated, Austen-adjacent story. What I did like:-the writing. It's great for a debut. -Marnie's internal narration/voice. It's funny and nerdy. This is definitely classified as a bildungsroman and not a 'YA rom com' because a lot of the plot is moved forward by her self growth and working through things that a lot of teenagers struggle with. Fitting in, family love, self worth etc.-I did appreciate that as part of this growth, the inclusion of Marnie's crush on an unattainable asshole. This is where I had to repeat my mantra of "she is a teenager" for some of the stupid, naive decisions she makes and situations she finds herself in. She doesn't handle it all well, but I think this creepy situation played out realistically for someone her age: comments were dismissed and she doesn't tell people everything. Her feelings go from heart-eyes obsessed to self-doubt with a rollercoaster in between and I haven't seen this kind of plot in any YA contemporary before. (Probably plots like this are often in the slightly darker YA contemporary which I don't tend to read.)-boarding school setting, her friendshipsWhat I didn't care for as much:-Alright so for a giant twist in this sweet genre, there is a BIG TRIGGER WARNING for a miscarriage by way of car accident. It was almost triggering to me and I don't have kids and likely won't ever. But holy shit that part of the book was maybe a little unnecessary in its extremity. To be clear it's not Marnie's, but a side character's. But the trauma of that character is described pretty intensely. I feel like a different traumatic situation could have been introduced and had the same plot-result. This was just unexpected for a relatively lighthearted YA with otherwise mild themes.-The love interest was the definition of...'that escalated quickly'. Because this is a bildungsroman YA story, a lot of the book focused on Marnie as a teenager, and not developing a romantic relationship for the center of the plot. I liked the slow burn side romance that was something Marnie was thinking about, but not her main concern. (that's technically a pro in my list here) BUT then on like the last page she is like 'omg i love you!' and kisses him for the first time and then the story ends and I was like...wtf no? So it was good until the literal last moment. -also a minor trigger warning for a couple fatphobic comments from Marnie's mom, but from how I read it, these comments were not supported by any other characters or the narrative, so it was her mom being a bitch. That being said, no one really said anything to defend Marnie from those small comments.- Marnie is also part of a super rich family and her privilege could have been acknowledged more since she seemed a pretty socially savvy character for a cishet white person. But it's not that kind of story, so I get why it wasn't touched upon.All in all, great read and I am definitely going to pick up Lola's story next!

A. Dor. A. Ble.Once again I went into a book blind. There's just something I enjoy about the experience of everything feels new with few preconceived notions. I did think this was a spin off featuring Mary, but, alas, I'm happy to say it was infinitely better than what it could have been in such a case. Granted, there are a lot of similarities between the Barnes and Bennet families.Antisocial Marnie is looking for prestige and high marks only during her first year at university. She's secretly competing with any and all, namely her older and more praised sisters. Upon being told she resembles Mary Bennet, Marnie is offended but quickly sees too many unhappy coincidences to not want to shed the personification.JC does such a great job with Marnie's character arc and the supporting cast. I found myself enjoying the dynamics of the cast and rooting for Marnie to embrace her bookish self while sorting out positive relationships with those around her. The sweet romance was an added bonus.Sarah Beth Pfeifer, the narrator, was a delight to listen to. Her voice perfectly encompassed the nerdy, somewhat insecure, and solitary Marnie.Thank you to Harper Audio for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

5/5 🌟wow. i adored this book. the theme: accepting your true self (and the mary bennet in al of us) really touched my heart. i found myself relating to marnie in so so so many ways. (in a “not funny ‘haha’, funny weird” way 😂) honestly though, i loved marnie. it was hard to like her in the beginning, because her flaws were so out there in the open, but you never stopped rooting for her. i think this book has helped me to accept the mary bennet in me and just to accept who i am. i have always struggled with myself (as i’m sure so many people do) , not being funny enough, cool enough, pretty enough…but this really resonated in my heart. it’s okay to be who you are. embrace your best parts of yourself—that’s what makes you so special and unique. truly loved this book and cannot believe this was a debut novel!!! i cannot wait to read the next books in tote from this author!!

✨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.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5Thank 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