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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Friends with Benefits by Marisa Kanter is a deeply emotional, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately touching story about love, friendship, chronic illness, and the ways we show up for the people we care about.
Let’s start with what worked: the representation of chronic illness in this book was both realistic and impactful. Evie’s struggles with her health were portrayed with honesty and sensitivity, adding a weighty, real world urgency to what might otherwise be a lighthearted rom com premise. I really appreciated how the author didn’t shy away from showing the complexities of navigating a broken healthcare system. I have navigated said system and it can truly be awful, so I appreciated her highlighting this.
Theo was easily the best part of this book for me. His quiet yearning for Evie, the way he supported her, his kind, grounded energy; yes to all of it. We love men who yearn, and Theo delivered. He was the emotional anchor of the story, even when I wanted to shake both characters and scream “JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER!” The miscommunication trope was strong in this one, and it wore on me a bit too much. I love slow burns, but this veered into maddening territory at times.
Evie, on the other hand, was a mixed bag. I wanted to root for her, and I did at times, but her inner monologue often felt chaotic, self-absorbed, and exhausting. She had potential, as her her job as a Foley artist was a fresh, unique angle, but her choices and lack of growth made her tough to connect with emotionally.
The Disneyland setting was a total win for me though! The little references (even if they flubbed the Gatorade vs. Powerade and Mickey’s actual height 😅) added a layer of nostalgia and charm. I especially loved how the park became a symbol of tradition and comfort for Theo and Evie.
That said, the religious themes caught me off guard. As someone who is agnostic, I wasn’t personally bothered, but I do wish there had been some kind of heads up about how much religion would be woven into the narrative. It’s an element that could really impact someone’s reading experience, especially if they’re not expecting it.
Ultimately, this book had a great premise of friends to lovers, marriage of convenience, childhood dance partners turned adults who clearly love each other, but it was weighed down by too many subplots, a heavy dose of miscommunication, and a main character I struggled to root for. I wanted to love it more than I did.
Thank you to NetGalley, Marisa Kanter, and Celadon Books for the eARC of this book.
Let’s start with what worked: the representation of chronic illness in this book was both realistic and impactful. Evie’s struggles with her health were portrayed with honesty and sensitivity, adding a weighty, real world urgency to what might otherwise be a lighthearted rom com premise. I really appreciated how the author didn’t shy away from showing the complexities of navigating a broken healthcare system. I have navigated said system and it can truly be awful, so I appreciated her highlighting this.
Theo was easily the best part of this book for me. His quiet yearning for Evie, the way he supported her, his kind, grounded energy; yes to all of it. We love men who yearn, and Theo delivered. He was the emotional anchor of the story, even when I wanted to shake both characters and scream “JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER!” The miscommunication trope was strong in this one, and it wore on me a bit too much. I love slow burns, but this veered into maddening territory at times.
Evie, on the other hand, was a mixed bag. I wanted to root for her, and I did at times, but her inner monologue often felt chaotic, self-absorbed, and exhausting. She had potential, as her her job as a Foley artist was a fresh, unique angle, but her choices and lack of growth made her tough to connect with emotionally.
The Disneyland setting was a total win for me though! The little references (even if they flubbed the Gatorade vs. Powerade and Mickey’s actual height 😅) added a layer of nostalgia and charm. I especially loved how the park became a symbol of tradition and comfort for Theo and Evie.
That said, the religious themes caught me off guard. As someone who is agnostic, I wasn’t personally bothered, but I do wish there had been some kind of heads up about how much religion would be woven into the narrative. It’s an element that could really impact someone’s reading experience, especially if they’re not expecting it.
Ultimately, this book had a great premise of friends to lovers, marriage of convenience, childhood dance partners turned adults who clearly love each other, but it was weighed down by too many subplots, a heavy dose of miscommunication, and a main character I struggled to root for. I wanted to love it more than I did.
Thank you to NetGalley, Marisa Kanter, and Celadon Books for the eARC of this book.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
📖 Bookish Thoughts
I loved Evie and Theo together. They were just so cute together. And “friends with benefits”—literal health benefits? Hilarious and painfully accurate. 😭😭😭
This isn’t really a romcom. The story flips between present day and flashbacks of them growing up, and it deals with some raw, emotional topics—like chronic illness, grief, and the loss of a parent. It’s a romance with emotional depth, not something light or fluffy. Still beautiful, just not romcom vibes.
💛 Read if you love:
• Friends to lovers
• Marriage of convenience
• Best friend devotion
• Bi leading lady
💭 Final Thoughts
I really liked this one overall! Evie frustrated me toward the end—she was honestly so harsh to Theo. And I will never love the third act breakup. Despite all that, it really delivered emotionally. It was still a strong 4-star read!
⸻
📖 Final Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧 Audio Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.75)
🎙️ Narration Style: Dual
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy for review. All thoughts are my own.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you Celadon Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
They say we are all fools in love, but I think Evie and Theo take it to the next level in this book.
I wanted to like this book but honestly, it felt like a chore. The concept sounded believable and a great way to introduce the friends to lovers trope. This book has all the makings of a book up there with Emily Henry or Katherine Center. There’s humor, spice, trauma, and emotional baggage getting in the way of the two being together. That said, all of that just fell really flat for me.
I was never quite able to care about the characters. I liked that there was chronic illness rep in the book, as well as trauma rep, but she was getting in her own way so much, not achieving much in her character arc until the last 25%, it drove me nuts. Also, both of these things are used as her excuses at the end but only the trauma was played up to be believable. Maybe if it would have been more equally built between each, I would have believed it more.
My other problem with this book was it was way too long. It was repetitive in several different ways and I found myself skimming after about 50%. I felt like it could have been reduced by 100 pages easily. I was close to DNFing, but I was mildly curious how it would end, so I skimmed. I do not feel like I missed anything…nothing important anyway.
I would probably only rate this 1 star, but I’m opting for 2 stars since this is the author’s adult debut and it’s possible I was in the wrong mood for this book so maybe I’m being overly critical. However, I also feel that even so, good books will grab your attention and hold it. This just wasn’t for me.
They say we are all fools in love, but I think Evie and Theo take it to the next level in this book.
I wanted to like this book but honestly, it felt like a chore. The concept sounded believable and a great way to introduce the friends to lovers trope. This book has all the makings of a book up there with Emily Henry or Katherine Center. There’s humor, spice, trauma, and emotional baggage getting in the way of the two being together. That said, all of that just fell really flat for me.
I was never quite able to care about the characters. I liked that there was chronic illness rep in the book, as well as trauma rep, but she was getting in her own way so much, not achieving much in her character arc until the last 25%, it drove me nuts. Also, both of these things are used as her excuses at the end but only the trauma was played up to be believable. Maybe if it would have been more equally built between each, I would have believed it more.
My other problem with this book was it was way too long. It was repetitive in several different ways and I found myself skimming after about 50%. I felt like it could have been reduced by 100 pages easily. I was close to DNFing, but I was mildly curious how it would end, so I skimmed. I do not feel like I missed anything…nothing important anyway.
I would probably only rate this 1 star, but I’m opting for 2 stars since this is the author’s adult debut and it’s possible I was in the wrong mood for this book so maybe I’m being overly critical. However, I also feel that even so, good books will grab your attention and hold it. This just wasn’t for me.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Okay but this was so cute?? I won’t lie, the cover? Not my fav. I wouldn’t have picked it up if it weren’t for a friend recommending it to me.
There is chronic illness rep in our FMC. AND both of our main characters are bi? Didn’t expect that either!
It touches on our health care system and how fucked up it is.
Annnnnd marriage of convenience ?? That’s going to get me every time.
I really adored the flashbacks to their friendship because it really added to the emotional depth.
The end is giving every 90-2000’s ending in a rom com. So cute!
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the ALC!
There is chronic illness rep in our FMC. AND both of our main characters are bi? Didn’t expect that either!
It touches on our health care system and how fucked up it is.
Annnnnd marriage of convenience ?? That’s going to get me every time.
I really adored the flashbacks to their friendship because it really added to the emotional depth.
The end is giving every 90-2000’s ending in a rom com. So cute!
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the ALC!
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS is Nora Ephron's situational comedic reality meets Rainbow Rowell's raw emotional intensity. Evelyn and Theo's journey through grief and trauma, and the nightmares of the American health care system felt like a therapeutic shout. It refused to mask how much of life is affected by chronic illness. How grief is a weight carried long after the traumatic event. And still. Joy is found in connection, passions are pursed, and love can soothe.
I appreciate Kanter flavoring Evelyn and Theo's friends to lovers romance with drama. Their falling in love wasn't soft or inevitable. Evelyn battles abandonment trauma and pushes love away before it can leave her. Theo has put the needs of others ahead of his own for so long that he struggles to advocate for himself. Together they've been in a "right person, wrong time" loop since they were teens. But through the mess of life, whether they're pushing or pulling too hard to maintain a platonic relationship, they are absolutely each other's Ride Or Die.
You're picking up FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS for the marriage of convenience between lifelong friends, and you'll get affirmation that you deserve joy and fulfillment during a health crisis. During any stage of grief. That healing looks like treating yourself to a day at Disneyland. That you can fall and you are worthy of support and patience to get back up.
Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for an advance digital copy to read and review.
I appreciate Kanter flavoring Evelyn and Theo's friends to lovers romance with drama. Their falling in love wasn't soft or inevitable. Evelyn battles abandonment trauma and pushes love away before it can leave her. Theo has put the needs of others ahead of his own for so long that he struggles to advocate for himself. Together they've been in a "right person, wrong time" loop since they were teens. But through the mess of life, whether they're pushing or pulling too hard to maintain a platonic relationship, they are absolutely each other's Ride Or Die.
You're picking up FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS for the marriage of convenience between lifelong friends, and you'll get affirmation that you deserve joy and fulfillment during a health crisis. During any stage of grief. That healing looks like treating yourself to a day at Disneyland. That you can fall and you are worthy of support and patience to get back up.
Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for an advance digital copy to read and review.
lighthearted
slow-paced
This one had all the ingredients I should like - marriage of convenience, friends to lovers, and bonding over survivor but it just didn't work for me. I was very frustrated by the writing and endless mentions of specific details and rambling descriptions. I don't care about the full name of random roommates, everyone's drink order, and if I had to hear about his freshly Lysol wiped desk one more time I was going to scream. I didn't feel any chemistry with the leads at all and we were just told they had this built up love story but even the flashbacks didn't really convince me. They both were kind of annoying and needed more therapy not a relationship. The part I did like was the chronic illness rep and the troubles with the healthcare system. There was also queer rep Evie is bi/pan and her sister is a lesbian.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.