Barely Even Friends Review

By Mae Bennett

Star rating: ★★★★★

Blurb

A grumpy, rich recluse meets his match in this steamy Beauty and the Beast retelling—with a Succession twist.

Bellamy Price has just been offered the job of a lifetime: lead contractor on the restoration of the mysterious and sprawling Killington Estate. If she meets the owner’s ridiculous timeline, she’ll finally make a name for herself in this male-dominated industry. But when she rolls up her sleeves, slips on her suspenders, and shows up at the crumbling mansion, Bellamy finds the estate very much occupied.

After a traumatic car accident that left his parents dead and himself injured, Oliver Killington, heir to the Killington empire, took up residence as the grumpy caretaker of his grandfather’s mansion. None too pleased by the presence of the hammer-wielding woman who’s moved into his house, Oliver tries to block her at every turn.

But when Bellamy discovers Oliver’s facing his own ultimatum from his grandfather, the two form a cautious truce, which leads to flying sparks that are definitely not from faulty wiring. As Bellamy restores the gleam to the Killington Estate, she’ll have to decide if the walls she’s built around herself are worth knocking down to make space for someone else.

This clever, steamy debut novel will have readers rooting for this Beauty and her Beast until the very last page.

Genre: Contemporary romance

Read if you Like:

🖌️ Fairy tale retellings

🖌️ Grumpy sunshine

🖌️ Brooding hero

🖌️ Roommates

🖌️ Celebrity romance

My Thoughts:

Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favorite fairy tales so I love reading retellings of it! Barley Even Friends captures the feeling of the original story incredibly well while also adding details that make it unique and interesting.

I loved Bellamy and Oliver together. Oliver had a difficult history but Bellamy helped him open up. Additionally, I am always a big fan of a story where the hero smiles only for the heroine. I liked that Bellamy stood up for Oliver and believed in him even when his family didn't.

I loved how this story kept the magical feeling from the original story without actually having any magic in the story. The house had mysteries and Oliver felt like he was cursed. I also think Barley Even Friends had a bit of a historical romance vibe so fans of historicals will like this one!

If you are a fan of retellings, grumpy sunshine or brooding heroes this one is a must read! The perfect story for fans of the Disney movie who are now grown up and want a little spice thrown in!

Thanks to Netgalley and Alcove Press for letting me read this one early in order to review. All opinions are my own.