Being Mary Bennet

Written by J. C. Peterson

Narrated by Sarah Beth Pfeifer

It is a truth universally acknowledged that every bookworm secretly wishes to be Lizzy Bennet from Pride and Prejudice.

A less acknowledged truth is that Mary Bennet might be a better fit.

For Marnie Barnes, realizing she’s a Mary Bennet is devastating. But she’s determined to reinvent herself, so she enlists the help of her bubbly roommate and opens up to the world. 

And between new friends, a very cute boy, and a rescue pup named Sir Pat, Marnie finds herself on a path to becoming a new person entirely. But she’s no Lizzy, or even Mary—instead, she’s someone even better: just plain Marnie.

With a hilariously sharp voice, a sweet and fulfilling romance that features a meet-cute in an animal shelter, and a big family that revels in causing big problems, this charming comedy of errors about a girl who resolves to become the main character of her own story (at any and all costs), is perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Becky Albertalli…and Jane Austen, of course.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Mar 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9780063060166

J. C. Peterson

J.C. Peterson lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband, two small sons, and one enormous tabby. She earned her degree in journalism from Michigan State University and worked as an award-winning journalist and editor at an alt-newsweekly before becoming a freelance writer and mom. When not dreaming up funny contemporary stories or herding children, she loves to eat and shop local, explore the Colorado mountains, and plan new adventures. Being Mary Bennet is her first novel, and you can find her at jcpetersonwrites.com.

Reviews for Being Mary Bennet

[Andrea Author · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A high school senior at an elite boarding school, Marnie realizes she's living the life of Mary Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. Determined to break out of that mold, she lets her fashion designer roommate make her over. Then, she meets cute-boy Whit at the animal shelter where she's conducting her senior project. Will he help her see she's worthy of being the protagonist in her own life?

This is a cute coming-of-age story with lots of family drama. It's a must-read for P&P fans, but you don't have to be a P&P fan to enjoy it. It's heartwarming, romantic, and funny.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[sjgirl-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Marnie is not the easiest character, she frequently gets in her own way, she says some fairly cringe-inducing things and it’s a toss up as to which was more frustrating, how she mishandled her only friendship or how she mishandled a sweet burgeoning romance, the girl self-sabotages all over the place to a sometimes maddening degree. But I really did like Marnie. I found her endearing with her bookishness, her awkwardness, her cat-centric taste in clothes and her fragile self-esteem that has taken far too many hits courtesy of her mother, so even in Marnie’s moments that tested my patience, that hurt characters I love (Adhira and Whit), I still had a real soft spot for her and an eagerness to see her turn things around. With five girls in Marnie’s family, there wasn’t really room to delve as deep into all of the sisters and their bonds (or lack thereof) as I might have preferred, still the family dynamics were well-crafted, playing an important emotional role in the story, in how Marnie sees herself and in the arc of her relationship with her sister Lindy.If you like character growth at a gradual two steps forward one step back pace, then Marnie’s your girl, she’s plenty flawed but that just makes her progress all the more rewarding in this strong debut novel.