“If this doesn’t work and we get caught, was it worth it? Was…I worth it?”

This was the cutest read! I really enjoyed Jessica and Ben’s frenemie-ship. This book was very sex positive and it was a refreshing read. Even though we generally say times have changed, there is still a set way, a taboo way that involves sex, teaching it, talking about it, etc. There’s also the matter of consent, which the author did an excellent job at portraying how important consent is in a sexual relationship.

I do have to mention that the way Jessica and Ben’s relationship progresses and unfolds makes this more of an upper YA read, much closer to an NA read. Just putting that out there depending on what level of maturity you enjoy in your YA contemps.

This had two of my very favorite tropes; enemies-to-lovers and fake dating! It has some great banter between the main characters and some great steamy scenes as well. I truly loved Ben and Jessica - they were the cutest!

The friendships in this story are also great. Jessica has two best friends and they are just a wonderful group of supportive girls. They are honest and true to their selves. This book was full of healthy relationships.

All in all I highly recommend Frenemies with Benefits. It has be chuckling and swooning and it was just a truly feel-good read.

“You’re the only thing I think about before I fall asleep, and the only thing I think about as soon as I wake up. And when I dream, it’s all about you. And when I have nightmares, it’s because you aren’t there.”


*A huge thanks to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for review. All thoughts are my own.*

Frenemies with Benefits is the newest rom-com by Lydia Sharp. I have never heard of this author before and was drawn to the bright coloured cover. This cover already says "just read me already" and really tells a story on it's own. I was curious about this book before I even started reading. What will Lydia Sharp have in store for her readers?

Jess always is akward when it comes to talking to strangers, especially guys and let alone engage in doing things with them. Now high school is over it is time to chase Andrew, who she desires. All she needs is some practice first. When her friend and enemy Benjamin suggest such a thing she thinks it is weird but she enters a bargain. But what if the is the best and only candidate for her guy glow-up? A summer full of guy lessons and physical interaction with two cute boys on the horizon sounds amazing. Jess is sure she can win this bargain, but can her deal with Benjamin stay only with benefits? What does Jess even want? What if something goes wrong in the plan or feelings get involved?

This book just has all the popular tropes you could ever want in a rom-com. Enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, he falls first, friends with benefits and so on. All of these tropes I really love and they are now put together in one amazing book called Frenemies with Benefits. The tropes are balanced out really well, making them not too much.

Jess and Benjamin are both really different characters and therefore enemies within their group of friends, but still decide to help each other. He seems to be the only person who can get her what she wants, but with what consequences?

This book has a time period of the summer holiday, which is quite long. However all of the developments within the relation between Jess and Benjamin are quite rushed. There are little in-between moments and therefore I felt like sometimes the storyline lacked depth. This however does not ruin this book at all. The storyline itself is amazing and I really enjoyed it. Yes, it is maybe a bit lacky and quick paced. But this also adds to the storyline itself.

I really enjoyed reading Frenemies with Benefits and think everything is thought out really well. All of the tropes also just work together making it a fantastic whole. This book made me laugh but also cry. I think everyone wishes they could have a Benjamin in their life, since he is one-of-a-kind. He respects all the flaws which isn't something you come across very often in this kind of book. Frenemies with Benefits is a real must read and therefore I give it a 4,5 star rating.

Jessie is our FMC who is inexperienced when it comes to all things sex and makes a deal with her ‘frenemy’ Ben to teach her. She does this in hopes of attracting her older brother's best friend when he comes to visit. This fun YA is a romcom that doesn't shy away from sex, like so many other books in the genre.
I thought that there could have been more character and plot development, but I still really enjoyed it.
This book is definitely for older teens due to its mature content, but I liked that the author made it clear that a healthy relationship should be based on trust, honesty, and consent.

I would have absolutely eaten this up when I was in high school, I did now, but I would have then too. There's nothing quite like a sleeping with your enemy for experience plot line, and this one was done well. Throw in bonus fake dating, and the whole thing was a hit. I definitely got some DUFF vibes from this, which I appreciate because I loved that book too. This is fairly spicy for a YA book but also not? I mean the whole thing is about sex so its not unexpected, but also it doesn't go into super explicit detail or anything. I will admit, I was taken aback at first bc its like a book marketed to teenagers about sex *gasp* but also idk who I'm kidding because I was reading/doing all the same stuff as a teen. Overall, I think its a realistic take on that time of life that can be enjoyed by anyone!

Frenemies with Benefits by Lydia Sharp was a sweet YA contemporary romance.
Sharp’s writing is a breath of fresh air! I adored reading about Jess and Benjamin.
I loved the main character. She was pretty relatable and easy to connect with.
The author does an excellent job in conveying the ups and downs.
I thought this was a sweet, funny, enjoyable and entertaining story.
I think most YAs will relate to this book.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Entangled: Teen for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
SPICE: 🔥

This is a book that’s not in my typical genre, but i have seen so many people posting about it, that I was immediately curious and wanted to read. Boy, I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed this book. I think this is a great book that is right at the line of YA/NA and does a great job telling this story to that audience.

Jess Webster is a shy introvert with a crush on her older brother’s best friend. She worries that her shyness and inexperience (virginity) will stop her from getting her guy, so she decides she needs practice. Benjamin Oliver is the popular high school quarterback who happens to be Jess’s enemy in their friend-group. He’s also the one boy her nerves don’t get to her with, so when he offers to help her practice to get her guy, she takes him up on it, leading her to a summer of exploration and seeing her enemy in a vastly different light.

So first, I really liked the characters of Jess and Benjamin (it’s Ben) and thought they had great chemistry together. Jess was very realistic in the way she viewed her family’s financial status as well as the way she was portrayed as a shy introvert. It was refreshing that she and her friends felt very age appropriate and a little messy. Ben was a hot jock/secret musician and was almost a little too perfect, but I loved how he handled Jess’s inexperience with consent and her controlling things being part of their conversations.

I also really like how the spice was handled. I am a big supporter of sex being shown in YA books at an appropriate level and I thought this book did an excellent job of that. Since so much of the plot revolves around Jess and Ben being enemies-with-benefits, you knew what was going on between them without directly seeing it on screen. That really stood out to me and made this a book I would want to give to my teenage niece.

Overall this is a great and easy read, perfect for anyone who loves a good enemies to lovers trope, and doesn’t mind reading younger characters and their journeys.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an early copy, and Entangled Insiders for the hype on this book that made me want to read. My review is my own and made voluntarily

What a cute story! Totally gave me 10 things I hate about you vibe (which is my favorite movie) so this book was right up my alley. Absolutely love the banter between Ben and Jessie. The emotional rollercoaster that they go through really hits that they are teenagers finding their way in th world and understanding themselves. The story flowed and the author keeps you turning the page. Definitely a 5 star and a highlight for my summer reads.

4/5 stars! I picked up this book solely based on its cover. This is a YA contemporary romance and it definitely fulfills that genre. Jess is awkward and nerdy and Ben is a hottie with a body. I really liked their chemistry, but like often happens in these stories the FMC annoyed the sh*t out of me. I really enjoyed the story but I needed the FMC to know what she wanted and not hop back and forth.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

NOTE: Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC!

It's been a while since I sat down to read a YA rom com novel simply because a lot of them feel too familiar with predictable plots and what not. But the idea of a book that sets out to discuss sex as well as consent and showing the raw ups and downs of falling in love and teenage hood in a way that feels reminiscent to what it's like to be a teenager in our current times, I have to admit this book did a pretty good job. The last time I rea a book like that was Cynthia Hand's With You All the Way which was hilarious and did a good job of keeping us invested.

Now, onto our usual to see what happens.

Short Summary: The resident shy virgin sets out to impress her brother's best friend Andrew but to do that, she'll need help from her enemy to give her a few lessons in getting the boy she wants.

Cue the drum roll.


Long Summary: If there was an award for Least Able To Function Around Cute Boys, Jess Webster would clean up. She can barely talk to a guy, let alone engage in naked things. But now that high school is over, Jess resolves to put her big girl pants on and at last bang bag the longtime object of her desire, Andrew. All she needs is someone to practice on first.

Enter Benjamin Oliver. Jock hot, nerd hot (which is just greedy, really), star quarterback, and all-around pain in Jess’s ass. While Jess would rather nap on a nest of fire ants than be his girlfriend, there’s still something about him that sends a jolt through her stomach, making him her best (and only) candidate for her guy game glow-up.

With summer in full swing and not one, but two, cute boys on the horizon, Jess is pretty sure she’s on the winning side of the bargain. But can her deal with Benjamin stay purely business-with-pleasure? And, the question that Jess soon can’t ignore: does she want it to?

I admit that while reading this book, the beginning did feel a bit cringy and trying a bit too hard to incorporate the Gen Z language "The boomer teacher" had me dying inside, but if we brush aside the try-hard attempt in the beginning to hook readers, the banter and chemistry between Jess and Benjamin--I mean, Ben haha is one that makes you wonder what exactly happens between frenemies who shake on a deal and maybe realize that they had pent-up desires to be with each other.

I did get a few good laughs on the train with this one, so there is that.

Overall: 4/5 stars.

I was hoping this would be a quick, fun read that I’d breeze through, but I found myself constantly putting it down. Partly it’s the lack of descriptions that made me unable to immerse myself in the story. People were talking heads, the descriptions coming long after I’d formed my own image of them, and everything happened in a vacuum. Yes, I can imagine what a high school or a teenager’s bedroom looks like, but I want to be transported to the particular locations of this book.

Mostly, though, it was because I couldn’t get behind the premise of sex being cure for insecurity, though I can understand why a teenager would think so. I guess I wanted something a bit sweeter, where they try other things first. And how insecure can a person be, really, if intimacy isn’t a problem. Still, this wasn’t a bad book. It just wasn’t for me.

"If there was an award for Least Able To Function Around Cute Boys, Jess Webster would clean up. She can barely talk to a guy, let alone engage in naked things. But now that high school is over, Jess resolves to put her big-girl pants on and at last bang bag the longtime object of her desire, Andrew. All she needs is someone to practice on first."

I was enraptured by this read.
I couldn't put it down. @lydiadawnsharp gave us everything every high school aged/new adult wanted to read.

In her authors note she mentions that everyone was talking about s*x in high school, and some were having it, and a conversation needed to be had that hadn't yet been had.

And the consent was so sexy!

Frenemies with Benefits is that conversation. There is a joy in seeing these BIG things talked about when no one is saying it.

Wanting Benjamin and Jess navigate their own path was delightful, and at times embarrassing 😉.

Sharp did a great job of being descriptive of their "spice" without being graphic. I would absolutely have loved this read as a teen!

Thank you @entangledteen for the #gifted copy.

🩷 Frenemies with Benefits 🩷

This was a cute, easy read! A mature YA romcom that follows Jessie, who has a crush on her brother’s best friend coming to stay at their house this summer. Shy around new people and inexperienced compared to her friends, Jessie is worried about making a good impression. She enlists the help of Benjamin Oliver, the star quarterback son of the mayor, to help her build her confidence and experience. He can’t stand her, so there’s no way anyone will get the wrong idea and they can have a clean break at the end. Right?

Cute, quick and fun read! Note that while it’s mostly fade to black, this was spicier than a typical YA.

Check this out if you’re looking for:
🩷 Enemies to lovers
🩷 He teaches her
🩷 Difference in financial status
🩷 Well modeled consent and asking for what you want

Frenemies with Benefits is on shelves August 28, 2023!
Thank you to Entangled Teen and Netgalley for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

This is one of the cutest and most hilarious book I've ever read and my favorite YA of 2023! I LOVED IT. I was laughing and smiling and sighing through the whole story and with a swarm of butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

Jess can't stand Benjamin, and they're always bantering but now she needs to practice flirting because she wants to woo Andrew, her brother's best friend and she's still totally inexperienced, and her best bet is Ben, he is sexy, star quarterback, nerdy jock, popular, so she asks Ben for help and he agrees to help her.

But little by little what started as practice of flirting and fake dating ends in deeper emotions, and Jess realizes that there is much more to Ben than she thought. I loved their scenes together, their dialogues so hilarious, the tension between them is palpable through the pages. Ben is the most tender, sexy and sweet boy. I love him so much, always supporting Jess and helping her in everything she needs.

Their banter is off the charts, their electrifying chemistry is epic, and they are so perfect together, I swooned so hard.

Frenemies with benefits is a cute and sexy RomCom that will make you laugh, sigh, I'm so obsessed with this book, I devoured it in one sitting. A TOP READ 2023. Perfect for fans of
Enemies to friends to lovers
Sexual Tension
Hilarious Banter
Swoony Hero
Fake dating
Romcom
Cute
YA romance

I LOVED this book. I would have given anything to have a book like this when I was a teenager. I think this read fills a good gap between teen reads and young adult books that aren’t frequently written about. The awkward as hell period between graduating high school, questioning your future, and exploring your sexuality. The inclusion of consent, and communication about comfort level during sexual exploration was so amazing and I can’t wait for my daughters to be old enough to read this story in the future.

Jessie and Ben are opposites and ‘enemies’ but in the same friend group since their besties are dating. Ben is confident and experienced sexually so when Jessie is ready to explore her own sexual journey to ‘prepare’ herself to get the attention of her older brother’s roommate/crush, Ben and Jessie agree to explore together. They moved from enemies to friends to lovers over time and along the way was amazing banter! Some of this book is nostalgic, yet fresh and unique! Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my honest feedback, I look forward to recommending this book on by social pages next week on pub day!

Cute story even if it's a little predictable. I saw what was going on with Andrew pretty much immediately. I like Benjamin more than Jessie. I didn't quite understand her relationship with her mother. It was just odd that the minter wasn't communicating well. I did really enjoy the ending, I feel like it's been a while since I've read a book with a grand gesture, and I enjoyed it! The author noted that she wanted this to be similar to Judy Blumes Forever, and I think she did a pretty good job. It's realistic in the aspects of teens and sex. Overall, good book, with ok writing. There were times when I wasn't write she what exactly just happened did to lack of detail.

When Jessica finds out her brothers, hot, best friend Andrew is returning home for the Summer, Jess needs to come up with a way to make Andrew finally notice her. Overhearing Jessica’s predicament to her friend, Ben surprisingly, offers himself up as tribute. What better person to teach Jess sex appeal, and to become more confident around guys, then the sex god himself. Queue the <i>Frenemies with Benefits</i>.

Light-hearted, banter filled, rom-com, that had me giggling, and gasping for more. A real <i>'Walk down memory lane'</i> for some of us, in our high school years. This borderlines YA/NA (which is a great thing, we need more books that fill this gap)

<b>Frenemies with Benefits</b>, really showcases, that we are all not we appear to be on the outside. This book brushes on some deeper and more meaningful aspects of Young Adulthood. Not everyone knows what they want to do when they grow up (and I still don't) The trials, that both Jess and Ben face separately, and then together - has every hopeless romantic here, in the feels.
The level of consent throughout is entire book is exactly what every 'coming of age' storyline needs. Ben is the best book boyfriend, with his unwavering encouragement, and support.

Jessica and Ben, doing a triple act on us. From enemies to lovers - to, friends to lovers - to, second chance romance. Well played Lydia Sharp. Well played!

This is what I want to see in every rom-com. Next film adaptation? I think 'Frenemies with Benefits' would be the perfect choice, right up there with 'Red, White and Royal Blue', and 'My Fault'.

Thank you again to Lydia Sharp, the publisher Entangled Publishing , Entangled: Teen , and NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun read omg. I genuinely enjoyed it so so much and the premise of it provided such good tension and will they won’t they vibes. Although the main character was extremely oblivious most of the time, it made sense given that she is 18 and had no romantic experiences.

The pacing of this book was well done where nothing felt rushed and the events that occurred were able to feel believable. The banter was also fun and made the main character’s dynamic with the love interest even more enjoyable and genuine feeling.

If you’re looking for a cute, coming of age story about learning to embrace and express your sexuality with some fake dating, you should check this out! Please note, this is more about the story and is fade-to-black “spice”.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for granting me an advance copy of this book in return for my honest opinions.

Wow! This book was incredible. I so loved the agreement between her and Ben. Ben agrees it teach Jess all about sex in order for her to get her crush, Andrew, her brothers friend to notice her in return for unnamed favor(s).

It was frustrating when she started to fall for him and kept denying it to herself. I wanted to scream at her to wake up. It was so satisfying when she stood up for him to his father. What a horrid parent!

The banter between them is so funny and I love how they continue to keep it going as their feelings for each other grow.

A great book!!!

Highly recommend

**Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. This review is my opinion**

OMG this was adorable! Enemies to lovers is one of my top favorite tropes. It can easily be done badly, and there are hundreds of books that do this. So, because I have read some of those failures, I am always apprehensive about picking up a book with this trope. Thankfully, Lydia Sharp did not disappoint! Ben loves to tease our main gal, Jess. The witty banter between them always brought a smile to my face. I especially loved that Ben is described as a POC. Being biracial (half Black, half white), I love seeing interracial relationships in the books I read. The romance was adorable, fresh, and I will definitely being looking out for more of the authors books.

I loved the open discussion about sex and the various forms sex can take. Also, that there was ALOT of consent. All that being said, I was up and down with liking and not liking this book. But I can't figure out exactly why. However, I did love the ending.