Marnie Barnes prefers her books to people. Or to some people. Definitely more than her family, since they make her feel like she is Mary Bennet, the boring younger sister to the most clever Lizzie and the beautiful Jane. While she wants to be the popular heroine of Pride and Prejudice, she finds herself feeling more like the overlooked, surly, forgotten Mary.
Now she’s a senior at Pacific Crest Academy, living on campus, but still in her sister’s shadow. When her sister Lindy had gone there, she had competed for the prestigious Hunt Prize, and Lindy had won. Now Marnie wants to win too, so that her family will take her seriously and give her the respect she deserves.
And maybe Hays will finally see her and fall in love with her, like she’s been waiting for years. Hayworth Wellsley has been a family friend for ages, but it was when Hays rescued her from drowning that Marnie fell for him. And even though he’s engaged to someone else, Marnie knows that one day he will finally be hers, just like in all her favorite novels.
Marnie has an idea for her Hunt Prize project, but she’ll need some help. Her idea is to use the library’s bookmobile to work with a local animal shelter to give kids the chance to rea to dogs. It gives the kids a chance to practice reading out loud for a sympathetic audience, and it would be good for the animal shelter, getting more attention to the adoptable pets. And after a bumpy start with her contact at the shelter, Whit gives her project a chance and helps set up some reading events.
It’s at one of those early events that Marnie falls into a love she’s not sure she can recover from. His name is Sir Pat (for Patrick Stewart), and those puppy dog eyes are mesmerizing. Sir Pat is too young to be adopted at first, but he does steal Marnie’s heart, as well as her sister’s, who keeps begging for photos. And she has to admit, she feels a spark around Whit as well. But she knows he won’t notice her as Mary Bennet. So she makes a contract with herself, to try to be less surly and more open to life.
Her decision to not hiding behind her Mary Bennet attitude anymore lets her open up to new ideas and new experiences. She finds herself making friends and spending more time with her family, laughing more and easing up her need to control everything. But will her new attitude get her what she really wants, or will she find that her new perspective means that she doesn’t want all those things she thought she did?
Being Mary Bennet is a sweet ya romance with enough puppies and cupcakes and literary references to warm the heart of any bookworm. Author J.C. Peterson’s debut novel is a charming story of a young woman trying to figure out who she is in a family full of strong personalities, and it is her willingness to see her own shortcomings and try to be a better person that drives the heart and soul of this book.
I enjoyed Being Mary Bennet. I loved all the literary references (not all Austen, if you were wondering), and I admired Marnie’s willingness to change. I did find the book a little slow in spots and repetitive in a few of the scenes, but the further you get in the book, the tighter the writing is. But overall, it’s an interesting story and a fun read, and I think fans of Jane Austen, Jane Eyre, and Anne of Green Gables will find a kindred spirit in author Peterson and the character of Marnie Barnes.
Voice galleys for Being Mary Bennet were provided by Harper Audio through NetGalley, with many thanks.
