Author: Katie Cotungo
Series: None
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pages: 256
Obtained: publisher
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Interesting reality tv twist on a classic
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab
Summary: An A-list movie star moves to Los Angeles--next door to a family of five eligible sisters--in this irresistible novel where The Kardashians meets Pride and Prejudice, from the NYT bestselling author of Birds of California. Every family is complicated, and the Benedettos are no exception. A few years after a reality TV show skyrocketed them to pop-culture fame, the five twentysomething sisters are living together in their parents' crumbling McMansion, nearly broke and teetering towards rock-bottom. Lilly, the sensible second-eldest sister, is all too aware that her family is viewed as a spectacle, but she's focused on holding herself and her family together, and unlike her siblings she tends not to care what the world thinks. The Benedettos' fortunes finally appear to be brightening when Charlie Bingley, the dashing star of Captain Fantastic, moves into their Los Angeles neighborhood with his friend Will Darcy in tow. It isn't long before Charlie falls for the warm and lovely eldest sister, June. Lilly has no such luck: the arrogant and judgmental Will Darcy, a man plagued by his own private demons, seems ready to clash with her at every turn--yet the two can't seem to stay away from each other. And while the Benedettos' matriarch sets to work encouraging a potential match between Charlie and June, there are plenty of others in the community who are determined to steer these eligible young men away from a ridiculous family of reality show has-beens...Katie Cotugno brings a big, boisterous cast of characters to life in this deliciously sprawling LA story--a thoroughly fresh and modern tale about a family that's "famous for being famous," the ways that preconceived notions make fools of us all, and how unexpected romance can bloom despite the odds. ~amazon.com
Review: I am probably not the right reader to entice with a Kardashians tagline but I'm glad I ignored that and read the novel anyway. I do understand why they would use that though to attract readers who love some reality tv. It's also been a long time since I've read Pride and Prejudice but I remember enough to draw the parallels.
Lilly and Will are the central characters in Meet the Benedettos and they initially they are attracted to each other but of course someone says something which leads to some hard feelings. They are thrown together because Will's best friend, Charlie, is interested in Lilly's older sister June; plus they live in the same neighborhood.
While this is a love story it is more a story of family, reckoning with the past and moving forward. Both Lilly and Will have a lot to deal with when it comes to figuring out where they go from the place they are at. For Will, it's dealing with his recent mental health issues and reverberating issues from his parents death years ago. Lilly is dealing with being infamous now that her families reality show is over and the demise of their family "fortune". She's also the sister who feels like she's in charge of everyone else, even if this isn't the case. She feels like she's the most responsible so she carries the weight on her shoulders.
I enjoyed the story overall and how the characters grew up a bit. The biggest revelation with Mari at the end of the book. She was always the one in the background; the mysterious one.
If you are a fan of family stories or reimagines of classics, you will want to grab Meet the Benedettos.
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