A review by charmettebooks
Friends with Benefits by Marisa Kanter

reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Friends with Benefits is the story of Theo and Evie, who have known each other since childhood and end up getting married for practical reasons. The premise of this book, and the character’s lives had a lot of potential interest, but their relationship didn’t work for me. The more I read about Evie, the less I liked her. 

When this book starts, the focus is on Evie and Theo’s backgrounds and current struggles. There was no mention of attraction or anything other than a platonic relationship between them. As the book progresses, all of a sudden the characters describe chemistry and longing between each other. While I enjoyed their connection, I had a hard time transitioning into thinking of them as a couple in love. The steamy scenes seemed excessive to me. Overall, this book didn’t work for me as a romance.

I found the main characters’ stories compelling in some ways. Both had been through difficult situations with their families, which brought a lot of sadness to this book. Theo and Evie both had interesting careers and I enjoyed reading about their day-to-day work experiences. These characters had great potential, but I found their personalities lacking in many ways. I was really annoyed with Evie in multiple situations when she didn’t treat Theo well. The author describes Theo’s love and concern for Evie’s health and well-being, but Evie’s character was much more self-centered and focused on herself.

I appreciated the author’s representation of health issues in this book. This is not common in romance books, and I think it is important to acknowledge the pain and challenges of chronic health issues that many people face, particularly with the financial burden of health insurance with high premiums and low coverage. 

This book had an interesting premise, and the character’s careers and health issues made them stand out from other characters in romance novels. Their story had a lot of potential, but their lack of chemistry and unbalanced relationship was not appealing to me. 

Thank you to Marisa Kanter, Celadon Books and NetGalley for an advance reader’s copy of this book. All opinions are my own.