253 reviews for:

Friends with Benefits

Marisa Kanter

3.66 AVERAGE

librarianh's review against another edition

4.5

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

firststreetbethreads's review

3.5

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

ls1314's review

3.5

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Oh, boy, oh boy. This was a real emotional rollercoaster of a ride for me. In “Friends with Benefits,” we meet best friends, Evie and Theo. Evie and Theo have been friends since they were in elementary school having met in dance class. Now, Evie is an aspiring Foley artist with Crohn's Disease who needs good health insurance and Theo, an elementary school teacher, needs to be married to stay within a certain income threshold to keep his rent-controlled apartment. And so here is the convenience part of their marriage of convenience. What is not so convenient is that Evie and Theo have each had feelings for each other for a long time. These feelings spring up and they each push those feelings deep, deep down. Many years of miscommunications, missed opportunities, misunderstandings, trauma-responses, push, pull, all of it. So what happens now that they are married?

I think this book was incredibly well written. Marisa Kanter has an amazing ability to not only thoroughly and meticulously paint a scene (like Theo’s classroom and his students, a Foley studio, an apartment, an old gas station turned ice cream shop), but she thoroughly and meticulously writes, analyzes, and digests characters’ emotions. The psychology major in me LOOOOOVED it. I want to understand how abandonment issues present themselves in every part of a character’s life. I want to understand how that intersects with having a chronic illness. I wanted it all and I got it all. It was so clear that the author understood and thought about every aspect of her characters (major and minor) and because of that I felt really well taken care of. I understood every one of their actions, of their relationships with others, of their internal thoughts, and there were no missing pieces.

And yet, I still wanted to shake both of the main characters out of frustration sometimes. I understood their actions and why they wouldn’t act differently and wanted them to act differently so badly. For me, when I read about the characters struggling and refusing their feelings for too much of the book, my heart just craves to see them happy and I wanted a tad bit more happy. The intellectual part of my brain was scratched in such a satisfying way that I wanted that for my heart as well. That is such a personal preference and I know there are people out there that will love the angst and yearning, but I highly recommend this book if you want to really understand the human psyche in a really powerful and meaningful way.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own. 

jess_vegasgirlreads's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense 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: Complicated

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Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anyone who knows me, knows #friendstolovers is my favorite trope. I just LOVE it!

Stefan and Caroline happen to be one of my favorite examples of this, after #mondler (Monica and Chandler) in #Friends.

Well, move over, Steroline and Mondler! Because we've got Thevelyn or...Eveo!

Point is, this book had me ALL IN MY FEELS, FOR REAL. And if Theo were real, whew! He was *the* love interest.

Theo and Evelyn (Evie, pronounced Eh-vee) have been best friends since childhood, facing dual crises in their lives.

Theo's roommates announce their moving out, and because of certain rent stipulations, he is ineligible to stay in the apartment solo.

Evelyn is a Foley artist (the magicians behind the sounds in movies and TV shows), who is presented with an opportunity to do a prestigious fellowship and finally get some legit experience and possible recognition for her passion. However, Evie, has Crohn's disease, and needs health insurance to literally live and function.

Does she stick with her current full-time job with bennies, continue to feel drained, under-appreciated, and stuck?

Well, after Evie is suddenly faced with her own housing crisis, the besties realize that two heads are better than one- marriage-style.

Theo and Evie get married to solve their problems--- score the apartment, pursue the fellowship, while not losing benefits since being married to Theo, she's on in his insurance.

Easy-peasy, right?

NOPE.

Turns out, good health insurance is not the only benefit.

This book has EVERYTHING:
*witty banter
*chronic illness rep
*gut-wrenching romance
*great supporting characters
*a great premise, with great execution
*an HEA

5-star rating, for sure. I absolutely fell in love with Eveo and their journey. How deep their friendship was, how solid the foundation they built, their support of each other, how in sync they were. JUST AMAZING! Go get it!

chessakat's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

kylie_t's review

4.0

emotional lighthearted

nikmcminn's review

4.0

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-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

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I really enjoyed so many things about Friends With Benefits, and it was a refreshing read in many ways. Theo was an absolute standout character—what a gem! His personality and charm truly elevated the entire story. The novel also does an excellent job with representation, which felt both authentic and meaningful. I really appreciated the way it tackled some difficult and often overlooked topics, particularly chronic illness and the lack of comprehensive, affordable, and accessible healthcare in America. It was handled with such heart and sensitivity, offering a nuanced perspective without feeling preachy or heavy-handed.

Another aspect I really valued was the portrayal of Evelyn. She was a confident, liberated bi-woman who wasn’t ashamed of her identity. What stood out to me, though, was how the novel never once forced her into an awkward or homophobic interaction. Her bisexuality was simply a part of who she was, and it wasn’t up for debate or discussion. This may seem like a small thing, but it’s incredibly rare to see in fiction, and it made the story feel more authentic and inclusive. It’s so refreshing to see a bi character just living her life without being scrutinized or made to feel uncomfortable about her identity.

Overall, Friends With Benefits is a thoughtful, well-rounded novel that tackles important issues with grace while providing a diverse and inclusive narrative. It’s a book I’ll definitely remember for its warmth, representation, and the depth of its characters.

martinas_library's review against another edition

5.0

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This was my first book by the author and I did not know what to expect going in. All I knew was it was had a marriage of convenience and that is my favorite trope! This book did not disappoint, in fact I fell in love with it. The FMC, Evie, has Crohn's disease and she must have insurance. Her dream internship doesn't offer benefits. In comes Theo, her best friend since childhood, who has fantastic insurance and offers to marry her so that she can be covered. Friends with Benefits...get it, like health insurance packages. Evie never wants to get married but maybe for her dreams, she can fake it and move in with Theo until she can secure her own benefits? This is a complicated story of best friends who always seem to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and both continually deny their feelings for each other. This was very reminiscent of Abby Jimenez books and that just made my heart so happy. It wasn't overly spicy, it had just the right amount. It touches on grief, on complicated parental figures, mental health, and the struggles of having an autoimmune disease. This may possibly be a top romance read for me in 2025! (it's only January, I need to calm down) 😂

Read if you enjoy:
-marriage of convenience
-friends to lovers
-mental health/chronic health rep
-bi main character 
-Jewish main characters (although they do admit to not being the most devout)

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

amarachireadss's review

4.0

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This was a cute read that was both a romance, story about grief and living with chronic illness. The fmc has Crohn's Disease and has to deal with the healthcare and insurance system along with having to put a hold on her dreams because of it. The mmc is the fmc's friend who is a school teacher who is still dealing with the grief of losing his mother. They both agree to become roommates and marry for insurance reasons which leads to the friends with the benefits aspect as mentioned in the title. 

This was low steam that focused more on the emotional and character development aspect which I quite liked. I loved the Jewish rep and all the threads that were explored in this book. There are some flashbacks and though I did think the third-act breakup was a bit dramatic I liked this book and would recommend it. Thank you, Celadon for this arc.

Read for: 
- Friends to lovers 
- Roomated to lovers 
- Friends with Benefits 
- Jewish mcs
- Crohn's disease rep 
- Grief 

smkraatz's review

4.0

emotional funny fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes