Meet the Benedettos by Katie Cotugno
12/5/23; 256 pages
HarperCollins
Meet the
Benedettos by Katie Cotugno is a highly recommended
contemporary romance/family drama/comedy in which Pride and Prejudice
merges with The Kardashians.
A few years after their TV reality show made them famous, the five twentysomething Benedetto sisters,
June, Lilly, Olivia,
Marianne, and Kit, are all living in their parents mansion. The family is bordering on bankruptcy, which their mother, Cinta, is not helping. Their father, Dominic, is known as the “Meatball King” of Los Angeles for his restaurants, has tried to tell them they are broke. When
movie star Charlie Bingley moves in next door with his best friend,
actor Will
Darcy, the sisters and Cinta all take note. Charlie
immediately falls for the oldest sister, June. Lilly, on the other hand,
clashes spectacularly with Will, but the two keep finding themselves
together.
At the beginning I
wasn't quite sure of this merger between a classic novel updated and
populated with people famous for being famous. Once I set any questions
aside and just went with it, I found it much more enjoyable and even
charming at times. It is firmly set in L.A. and the characters are very
representative of those famous for being vapid influencers. The
narrative is told through multiple points-of-view.
Meet the
Benedettos is a lighthearted read that moves quickly. it
doesn't require readers to know Austen's novel or look for comparisons
to that plot. Don't expect a literary masterpiece. This is just a
entertaining family drama with devoted Kardashian-like sisters and a
pair of lovers that keep clashing even though readers will know they
belong together.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
No comments:
Post a Comment