Ben and Beatriz: A Novel

by Katalina Gamarra

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Complex themes of race, class and toxic masculinity, all wrapped in the deceptively charming package of a love story. This clever retelling of Much Ado About Nothing is perfect for YA and adult readers alike.

There’s nothing like falling for your worst enemy.

Beatriz Herrera is a fierce woman who will take you down with her quick wit and keen intellect. And after the results of the 2016 election worked hard to erase her identity as a queer biracial woman, she’d be right to. Especially if you come for her sweet BFF cousin, Hero. Beatriz would do anything for her, a loyalty that lands Beatriz precisely where she doesn’t want to be: spending a week at the ridiculous Cape Cod mansion of stupid-hot playboy Ben Montgomery. The same Ben Montgomery she definitely shouldn’t have hooked up with that one time… The things we do for family.

White and wealthy, Ben talks the talk and walks the walk of privilege, but deep down, he’s wrestling with the politics and expectations of a conservative family he can’t relate to. Though Beatriz’s caustic tongue drives him wild in the very best way, he's the last person she'd want, because she has zero interest in compromising her identity. But as her and Ben’s assumptions begin to unravel and their hookups turn into something real, they start wondering if it’s still possible to hold space for one another and the inescapable love that unites them. 

This retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is both razor-sharp and swoon-worthy: the perfect love story for our time.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780369720504
Publisher:	Graydon House Books
Publication date:	08/02/2022
Sold by:	HARLEQUIN
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	274,051
File size:	968 KB

About the Author

KATALINA GAMARRA earned a BA in English from Drew University, where she received accolades for both creative writing and academic prowess, as well as an award in Shakespeare study. Before becoming an author, she worked in bookselling and literary scouting. She lives in Boston with her husband, cat and dog.

Editorial Reviews

05/02/2022

Gamarra debuts with an equally steamy and thorny adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing set in the early days of Trump’s presidency. Beatriz “Bea” Herrera feels lost in the wake of the 2016 election, uncertain where she—a queer, biracial Latinx woman—will fit into America after graduating from Harvard in the spring. Her solace is her cousin, Hero. So, when Hero asks Bea if they can spend spring break with Hero’s new boyfriend, Claudio, Bea suppresses her hatred for Claudio’s best friend, Ben Montgomery, and agrees. Ben is a rich, straight, white man from a conservative family—the antithesis to Bea in every way. The trip proves tumultuous as the quartet contends with Ben’s antagonistic brother and his frequent microaggressions against Bea—and, of course, Bea and Ben match wits. But beneath their verbal sparring, the pair can’t ignore their lingering attraction from a one-night stand three years ago. Gamarra uses their love story to explore race, colorism, sexuality, and privilege, crafting a romance between two people who are all too aware of their differences but still find a safe space in each other. Fans of the original sparring hearts love story will find this a worthy update on the classic. Agent: Larissa Melo Pienkowsk, Jill Grinberg Literary Management. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"BEN AND BEATRIZ should be required reading. I want to scream at the entire world to pick up this book and read it! At times, I was shaking while reading because it made me feel so seen. Gamarra's novel is an incredible love story, yes, but beyond that it's also a deeply complex study on racism and privilege that goes so far beyond the surface. Its approach to mental health, consent, and sexual identity is brilliant and compassionate and so, so authentic. We should be studying this book. AAHHH!!!" — Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties

"Katalina Gamarra weaves together the wit, banter and joy Shakespeare fans will expect from a modern retelling and the exploration of the complex topics of race, sexuality, class and more all with sensitivity and amazing skill. A fantastic debut!" — Samantha Young, New York Times bestselling author of Much Ado About You

“It was an absolute honour to read Ben and Beatriz, from the brilliant, unique new voice: Katalina Gamarra. This book tackles hefty themes with serious wit—truly a romance for our times. Engaging, thrilling and totally fresh. Bravo!” — Lizzy Dent, author of The Summer Job

“Gamarra uses [Ben and Beatriz’s] love story to explore race, colorism, sexuality, and privilege, crafting a romance between two people who are all too aware of their differences but still find a safe space in each other. Fans of the original sparring hearts love story will find this a worthy update on the classic.” — Publishers Weekly

“This creative retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing explores contemporary issues like drug addiction, suicide, mental health, class divides, racism, and more, all while the love story progresses quickly. An opposites-attract romance grappling head-on with real-world issues while still offering indulgent escapism.” — Kirkus

From the Publisher

03/01/2022

In this reimagining of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, queer, Latinx Beatriz is sharp of mind and tongue and always there for beloved cousin Hero, which lands her at the Cape Cod mansion of rich, white playboy Ben Montgomery. Ben represents everything Beatriz hates, but he's beginning to question the values of his conservative family. After they join forces to circumvent a tragedy, Beatriz and Ben reach a sort of rapprochement that could lead to a different kind of love story. With a 100,000-copy first printing.

Library Journal

2022-05-25
It's the last spring break for the Harvard Class of 2017, and sworn enemies Ben Montgomery and Beatriz Herrera are spending their vacation at Ben's family’s mansion on Cape Cod.

Accompanied by Ben's roommate, Claudio, and Beatriz's cousin, Hero, who've just started dating, the two try to put aside their dislike of each other on behalf of their friends. Appalled by Ben's family's ostentatious wealth and his obvious White privilege, Beatriz, a queer Latinx woman distraught over the 2016 election, grapples with her mysterious attraction to this person who symbolizes everything she despises. Ben, at odds with his brusque older brother, John, and increasingly worried about his hometown friend Meg, who works at McDonald's, also questions his place with Beatriz, a woman he's always found intriguing. Their mutual nerdiness—this spring break involves studying on the beach and playing Magic: The Gathering—as well as their physical longing turn the enemies to secret lovers quite quickly and intensely, leading both Ben and Beatriz to question their identities, their values, and their places in society. Told through Ben’s and Beatriz's alternating first-person narratives, with plenty of text messages interwoven through the scenes, this creative retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing explores contemporary issues like drug addiction, suicide, mental health, class divides, racism, and more, all while the love story progresses quickly.

An opposites-attract romance grappling head-on with real-world issues while still offering indulgent escapism.

Kirkus Reviews