A young adult story of self-discovery and exploration told in a perfect opposites/enemies-to-lovers rom-com.

Jess is a shy, awkward girl whose beauty is overlooked due her frumpy style. She has zero boy experience and a huge crush on her brother’s hot college roommate who will be visiting for a month during Summer after she graduates high school.

Ben is the high school heartthrob and star quarterback who has a reputation with the ladies. Lots of them. He has also been Jess’s biggest nemesis their entire Senior year, prodding her every day at lunch.

Eavesdropping on Jess’s conversation with her best friend, Ben throws out an idea to help Jess land her college crush that couldn’t possibly work, could it? Four weeks of confidence building bedroom activity, with him. No strings. Well, except one.

First impression, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get past my literary pet peeves with this one but I was swept away with the story almost as quickly as the characters were introduced. Then suddenly those same concerns became part of the reason I inhaled this book in one sitting. The immature writing was necessary and appropriate. The young characters had depth and chemistry, the banter was entertaining and believable, the dialogue and spice were realistic and honest, the issues were genuine and relatable. There was a little bit of everything in this story, but without an underlying agenda. Part predictable yet still sweetly surprised in the end.

The cover snagged a hook in me. But the story made me sink. I was grinning whenever my heart strings weren’t being tugged. Try not to fall in love with Benjamin, if you can.

In this engaging enemies-to-lovers romance, Jessica harbors a crush on her older brother's best friend, Andrew. Eager to capture his attention during his summer visit, Jessica enlists the help of her friend/enemy Ben, who proposes a fake dating plan with added physical elements to make her stand out. While the premise is initially centered on questionable motivations, the story evolves as Jessica discovers more about Andrew. The plot unfolds predictably, but the characters, especially the transformation of Ben from a complex start to a sweet and genuine presence, add depth. The inclusion of safe sex discussions and consent reflects a positive aspect of the narrative. Overall, the book offers a lovely, sweet, and romantic tale with supportive friendships, making it an enjoyable read that leaves a smile on the reader's face.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. This book was fun read. It was an enemies to lover, best friend dating so they are forced to be around each other. It made it tense and funny all at the same time. I was not sure what I was thinking of getting out of this but I found it and more. It takes place most after they have gotten out of high school. It is kind of the verge between YA and NA. I think it was worth the read. Jess was a fun character and made the book worth the read.

This was a fun YA hate to love romance. Jess turns into a mess when she sees a cute boy and wants to learn how to act so she can get past most of her dating and relationship first. She also wants to be able to talk to Andrew, her crush and her brother's friend. Benjamin is the bane of her existence but also the only person who might be able to help her. When Jess agrees to Benjamin's outrageous request to take lessons from him on dating, she reluctantly agrees. While they spend more time together and fake date, feelings become real but will she give up Benjamin for Andrew.

Jessica Webster wanted to catch the eye of the guy of her dreams, her older brother’s best friend, when they come to spend the summer with her at home. But with her innocence in all things relationships or otherwise, how would she get this college guy to notice her?

Frenemies with Benefits is full of fun and heartfelt moments alike that kept me flipping those pages as fast I could. As a mood reader, this fulfilled so many lighthearted romantic tropes I could ask for. Enemies to lovers! Fake dating! All the angst one could request with the miscommunication. To become a catch, Jess agrees to learn the ropes from her rival, Benjamin Oliver, a known player and all around annoying guy. Little does she know, no strings attached is rarely so simple.

In the vein of Cameron Lund’s The Best Laid Plans, the journey our main character takes from innocent girl to one who knows what she wants was fascinating. Jessie was at times very insecure about her ability to attract a guy emotionally so she put so much into the physical skills to draw Andrew’s eye. I found it was a fine balance to have Jess uncertain about herself and going overboard with her insecurities. But she really came out of her own head when in the presence of Ben. Their banter was absolutely everything. I loved his smirks and her savagery. While Jess said she hated him a lot, I mean, we all knew it wasn’t really right? Although we didn’t get Ben’s POV (would’ve been pretty great, I’m not gonna lie), there was always this sense that he saw her more highly than their apparently horrible first meeting that set them down the path of “enemies”.

The story started out as simply no strings attached kind of a deal, but Lydia kept it steamy without the explicit details. It wasn’t exactly fade to black but the wording was careful to maintain PG-13 so the emotions of such scenes are not taken away in the haze of lust. I appreciated this for the story it was trying to tell, especially surrounding someone’s first time and all the emotions that come with it. The growth Jessie took emotionally, not just sexually, carried the story for me.

As with most no strings attached stories, complicated emotions or unexpected wrenches get thrown into the plan. From here the story gives us some fake dating as well that continues to show the vulnerability of both Ben and Jessie beyond the physical attraction. I felt the pacing and transition was great as nothing dragged on too long before moving with the progression of their relationship. The writing and plot overall is definitely catered to younger readers in the YA genre but I still enjoyed it for what it was. If you’re fans of The Best Laid Plans and Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty series, this one’s for you.

Overall Recommendation:
Sometimes you want a book that’s purely fun and full of tropes you enjoy. Frenemies with Benefits gives exactly that, with enemies to lovers and fake dating and plenty of angst stemming from miscommunication. While the premise is pretty full of steamy stuff, the author takes care to write about first times and sexual experiences in a thoughtful manner without the explicit detail to focus on a teen’s thoughts and feelings through her romantic journey. A quick read all around but a fun one I truly needed at this moment in time.

This book had so much potential: the clear boundaries and consent on the page, the sweet evolution of their relationship, the banter and sass, and, of course, the friend group. My only complaint was their ages; this novel made me a little uncomfortable as I have a child the same age on the MMC, and let me be honest, I want to pretend he is not there yet, so if you had made them college-age and contemplating grad school, this would have been a 5star for me.

Okay. I liked the idea of this book. It's perfect for the time in my life. I like that the love wasn't too unrealistic, aside from when she switches suddenly from Andrew to Ben because of [spoilers] but other than that it was fun. Not a huge fan of the cover, though. I think it would have been better in a different style.

This book was so much fun! I enjoyed how sex positive this book was and how much consent was talked about! It is a book I highly recommend and encourage all high schoolers to read. It was informative without being heavy. All around 10/10!!

Cutest YA romcom, but touches the borders of NA! Entangled sure knows to pick the best original stories!

As a huge fan of the Enemies To Lovers trope, I was onboard immediately. Frenemies with Benefits" by Lydia Sharp is a contemporary romantic comedy that explores the dynamics and conplexities of relationships. The story revolves around the theme of "enemies to lovers" and "fake dating," with a focus on sexuality, trust, and communication. The book was a refreshingly healthy portrayal of real relationships, with humor and swoon-worthy moments thrown in. If you are a fan of realistic and modern romance, this is the book for you!

This has been one of my favorite books this year. I was invested right away most likely because the thought of enemies becoming lovers are one of my favorite tropes. It's just so fun to watch the heat between two people sizzle and turn into flames.

The main two characters were so made for each other it was a beautiful thing to see their interest grow, I really felt for Jess, she's just so naïve but when reality settles in and she finally realizes all her feelings it's a beautiful thing to see. Benjamin was also a really great character and I adored him right away. I could totally picture him in my mind especially with those brown eyes that were constantly mentioned.

Overall the book was amazing, I didn't want to put it down and it's a definite must read.

I LOVED this book! The characters were well developed. The story had a fresh dynamic I’ve never read before. What I thought at first would be a stereotypical upper YA spicy romance with familial angst and personal confusion in identity, turned into a sweet romance with second chances and standing your ground in what you believe in. I love that the male lead wasn’t a typical 18-year-old boy. He was sweet and understanding. Nothing phased him and he put his heart on the line despite knowing what the terms of their deal were. The female lead wasn’t all puppy love, head over heels despite the sexual tension. I love the twist the story took, even though I kind of saw it coming, I love that the characters weren’t in a rush to get to their stereotypical happily ever after. I highly recommend this book! Thank you Entangled and Netgalley for the ARC!

great book and loved the mystery through out the book. I loved the characters and how they grew through all of their adventures. I enjoyed this book and this author and will check them out again add them to my reading pile.

Lydia Sharp is a new author to me and I was attracted by the cover and the title!

I enjoyed thoroughly this book, It was sweet, endearing , funny and a real feel good read!
The banter is comedy gold !
Jessica and Benjamin made a pact but we all know how it is going to end… the frenemies…

If you’re looking for a romcom that will make you LOL and swoon, this one is for you!

Thanks to NetGalley Entangled Teen and Lydia Sharp for the e-arc of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Esta lectura comenzó como algo lento y predecible, hasta un poco forzado. Peeero, al avanzar con la lectura no me di ni cuenta cuando ya estaba super atrapada en la historia. No podía parar de leer, quería saber todo lo que pasaba entre Ben y Jess.

Finalmente igual predije algunos de los desenlaces a los conflictos presentados, pero disfruté tanto leyendo cómo se llevaba hasta ahí, que no me molestó que no fuera más desafiante en ese sentido.

Esta historia nos muestra principalmente a Jessica intentando por todos sus medios superar sus miedos, que son bastantes. Pues ella es muy muy tímida e introvertida, le cuesta demasiado establecer conversaciones con desconocidos (e incluso algunos conocidos). Tiene poca experiencia en relaciones románticas por este mismo motivo, lo que le pesa mucho, especialmente ahora que sabe que el amigo de su hermano, en quien ella tiene un crush desde hace tiempo, vendrá para pasar las vacaciones de verano en casa de ella.

Por otro lado tenemos a Ben (te amamos Ben), quien a ojos de Jessica y como primera impresión, vemos como el típico chico mujeriego, bad boy, con el ego por las nubes, quaterback del equipo de fútbol americano, en fin, el más guapo y popular de la escuela. Sin embargo, a medida que se avanza en los capítulos, comenzamos a entender más sus formas de tratar a los otros (especialmente a Jess), sus otras facetas, motivaciones, conflictos, etc. Yo al menos, lo terminé amando. Es demasiado atento para su propio bien, muy respetuoso, todo un caballero.

La verdad, cuando terminé de leer esta historia, quedé con ganas de saber más de ellos. Si Lydia Sharp decide escribir una segunda parte o sacar capítulos extra, definitivamente los quiero leer.

MUY RECOMENDADO!!

Shania posts a review semi on time and not years later?? Say it isn’t so!

Omg. Like OMG! This book did EVERY THING FOR ME! I’ll go through slumps where I just cannot read anything for the life of me and it’s books like this that just make me rediscover the live I have for reading! Nothing and I mean NOTHING is better than a good romance!

The fact that Jess is the only one that calls him Benjamin? And that he’s the only boy that she doesn’t become stupid over? YOUR HONOR THEY ARE IN LOVE!!! (As I write this, I’m already wanting to reread it 😭). I fear this is going to become one of my favorite comfort rereads. You are going to have to pry this book from my cold dead hands!

I love a good “just for practice” book and then tying in enemies to lovers?? COME ON

Thank you to Lydia Sharp and Netgalley for gifting me an early copy of this books!

This was a good read and one that I read though quickly. Realistic and enjoyable story for my older students. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for a copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

This book was everything I wanted it to be and nothing like what I expected it to be. This book is technically YA – but it is definitely upper YA, bordering on NA due to the character’s age, and also the fact that it is ~spicy~. But, to be clear, it is spicy but not in an erotica way? Like, sex is present on the page, but very much in a teenagers figuring out their first time/first love, fumbling hands and awkward moments. It is not spicy adult romance, it is newly high school graduated seniors learning things about themselves. I would not suggest anyone under 16 probably read this book (or really high school in general, so I guess 14), but I think all of the content was done in a very age appropriate way. Teenagers have sex, and so this was taking that into consideration without feeling exploitative of the characters. My biggest issue is very much a ME issue, but that was that the names of the characters set off my PTSD. I loved the characters, and they have generic enough names, they just happen to be linked trauma names for me and so it made it hard to read at times. Once I was able to dissociate enough with the names that it didn’t click for me this book was a breeze to read and I loved it. 100% would read again and read other things Lydia writes.

i enjoyed this book so much! i am a SUCKER for "he falls first" and "he falls harder" and this book was the perfect version of that! fake dating will forever be one of my favourite tropes and this book was no exception <3333 i found all of the characters to be very likable (especially ben) and the plot felt fun and fast paced!

i also liked how this was very sex positive and i haven't read anything that tackles sex scenes the way this book did! it was the perfect type of in between where it's not really fade to black but it's also not super explicit, since this book is technically still classified as ya (upper ya obviously).

** Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for a review **

There is something about a fake dating trope that I really enjoy. It’s so silly, but fun. This was a cute read. I thought the banter between Jess and Benjamin was entertaining, and the dynamic they had with one another made their relationship development interesting and believable.

I do dislike in books though when there is a character that seems to be lacking common sense, or just completely unaware, and that made me groan a bit.

Overall this was a fun quick read, with some very funny and sweet moments.