Evie and Theo have been best friends since he offered her the spot next to him at her first dance class. When Evie's grandparents sell the house she's living in, and Theo's roommates buy a condo, it makes sense for them to get married. Evie suffers from Crohn's disease and needs Theo's health insurance. It's a marriage of convenience. Or is it?
This was a fun read. Instead of watching a rom com, I read one. This book was totally predictable, and I loved every single page. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I adored this book. Theo and Evie (pronounced Eh-vee, since it’s short for Evelyn), have been friends forever. They’ve also been in love with each other forever. But they’re just friends. When Evie takes an internship and needs medical insurance for her Crohns, Theo offers for them to get married so she can use his benefits. Which ignites all their feelings for each other, which neither one will admit.

Theo and Evie are very fleshed out characters. They met at dance class when they were kids. They were partners in dances through high school, until Evie falls during a routine. This is also where she’s finally diagnosed with Crohns (because of course all their doctors told her the stomach issues she had were normal or related to her period).

Evie has complicated feelings about relationships. Her dad left early on, and her mother left her and her sister with her grandparents to ‘take a break’, and now she has a new family and seems to be the perfect mother. Her grandparents never married, so the non-marriage option suits her just fine. Theo had a great family, until his mom died of cancer, and then he and his dad butted heads and never got their relationship ship back on track. But he still believes marriage is what shows the world you are ultimately committed to each other.

Other things I loved. Both Evie and Theo are Jewish, but it wasn’t thrown in the readers face like some other books do (meaning, there want any over explaining, they’re just Jewish). And Evie representing a hidden disability, that is in remission, but she still has to watch what she eats and watch her stress levels so it doesn’t flare up. Also, both of them are in therapy, Theo to deal with the grief of losing his mother and Evie to deal with her Crohns.

Theo and Evie are both very flawed people, but they work well together. It’s not a matter of them finally realizing they both love each other, it’s them putting aside their views on relationships to finally be together.

Seriously loved this one! If you know me, you know I'm a sucker for the marriage of convenience trope, and Friends with Benefits totally delivered. Sometimes the reasons behind those fake marriages can feel a little flimsy, but I thought the setup in this book was really well done and felt genuinely believable.

Evie's job as a Foley Artist was so interesting and unique! I also really appreciated the thoughtful representation of chronic illness. The author didn't shy away from showing the real challenges of navigating healthcare and insurance, which added a great layer of depth to Evie's character.

Theo was just the sweetest. The way he knew all of Evie's dietary restrictions and could read her pain cues was honestly the most heartwarming thing about him. It was so clear he'd been in love with her for ages. Plus, his interactions with his students were hilarious (those kids were so funny)! The "1985" trick to quiet them down was genius.

I'm usually not a fan of third-act breakups because they often feel forced by miscommunication. But while I was internally screaming, "No! You love each other!", I was actually surprised that this one felt more grounded. The book did a good job of highlighting the past trauma both characters carried, making their conflict feel like a realistic (though still frustrating!) hurdle they had to overcome. My only minor quibble is that the reconciliation felt like it took just a little too long.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for letting me read this ARC!

Friends with Benefits written by Marisa Kanter and narrated by Gail Shalan & GM Hakim was a relatable romance with fake marriage and lots of yearning. Friends with Benefits honestly demonstrates the struggles of chronic illness/pain, grief, loss of a parent due to both neglect and death. I did a dual listen/read and equally enjoyed both. The narrators were lovely.

This is a book full of representation and being able to see yourself in the characters - I love that!
Childhood friends to lovers and miscommunication are the strongest tropes. We get alternate POVs with Evelyn and Theo as well as flashbacks to core memories from their past. I personally didn't love Evelyn as the book went on. She pushed people away but wanted them to really stay. I think Theo was my favorite because of how he was as a teacher with his class and his dedication to Survivor (the show). The ending was good when they all got their heads out of their butts to realize what they were missing out on. Thanks to netgalley and Celadon Books for the early copy!

2.5! cutesy friends to lovers romance. easy read
it was very well done!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

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.

This book was a pretty realistic look at chronic illness. The story draws you in from the beginning and it is an enjoyable ride.

I rounded up for this one because omg the main characters’ miscommunication/incessant need to NOT talk to one another was SO annoying.

That being said, I did love how much the MMC yearned for the FMC. We love men who yearn.

What I don’t love, though, is the amount of religion that was woven throughout the book. Though I’m not religious, I wish we, the readers, would have been given a heads up of how much it would be discussed in the book. I’m agnostic, so I didn’t mind, but I have a feeling it could others won’t feel the same.

On the very un-religious side of things, this was unexpectedly spicy!! Definitely didn’t think we get so much 3-3.5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

(Thank you, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley, for the ARC and audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5, rounded up.

I’ll admit, this book took me a bit to get into, though now that I finished it, I’m not really sure why. I loved the protagonist’s occupations and how well they fit them both. I loved the love story and how it progressed, even though the lack of communication had me about to tear my hair out. I loved that the story went back and forth, telling the same big moments from both perspectives, really building the characters. There were a few moments where the backstory and world building felt overwhelming — so many names to keep track of! — but it all leveled out and let the story be told.

There are a couple of little things that probably only Disney adults would pick up on (the Disney parks sell Powerade, not Gatorade, and Mickey is 5ft tall, not 6 :)), but I loved the scenes that took place in Disneyland, seeing how the park became a tradition for Evelyn and Imogen. The references to “upcoming movies” also had me cackling.

Overall this book was a fantastic rom com, and I had a blast reading it! Thank you to NetGalley for sending it my way!

Friends with Benefits is a fun, flirty, and heartfelt romance that blends friendship, fake dating, and all the messy emotions in between. Marisa Kanter does a great job capturing the complexities of feelings that grow beyond friendship.
The chemistry between the main characters is sweet and believable, and the dialogue is full of wit and charm. It’s also refreshing to see a Jewish main character and authentic cultural representation seamlessly woven into the story.
This book is perfect for fans of slow-burn romance and friends-to-lovers tropes. It’s light but layered, with just enough emotional depth to make it more than just a typical rom-com.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC—I really enjoyed this read!

Thank you for this ARC read! I think this book will have its crowd but I don’t think I’m in it. Ended up having to DNF.

I love a friends to lovers trope but there was just too many plots to enjoy it for me. I really struggled with the MFC and her inner dialogue and tangents.

I love that the author was trying to represent a lot of underrepresented things but in all it was just too much to feel the story happening.

This book! Half of it I wanted to scream "JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER" and the other half I just wanted to give the characters a giant hug. Friends since their young childhoods, through being dance partners and coming close to dating but backing off to maintain their friendship, Theo and Evie suddenly marry so that she can have insurance and still take a new job. No one is surprised because they were always inevitable. However, told in their current time and their flashbacks the reader sees their brokenness and how their parallel grief, growth and refusal to let each other go has hurt each other and their relationship.

thank you netgalley & celadon books for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

a huge reason for my dislike of this book has to be that i did not vibe with the writing style, and that’s okay because even though it did not work for me, it might work for others. it was not the third pov that bothered me though (just to clear that up).

the premise of this book is good. i love marriage-of-convenience and friends-to-loves! however, evie’s inner monologues are another aspect of this book that felt unbearable and exhausting for me to read. as always, i recommend people to try this book because you may end up liking it even if i didn’t.

3.5 Stars

Friends With Benefits is a thoughtful, slow-burn romance about two lifelong best friends who enter a marriage of convenience, and slowly realize it might not be so convenient for their hearts.

Evie is an aspiring Foley artist with a chronic illness and no health insurance. Theo is a public school teacher about to lose his rent-controlled apartment. Their solution? Get married. It’s practical, logical… and more emotional than either of them expected.

This was a charming, character driven romance with heart and depth. Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC of Friends with Benefits in exchange for an honest review!

I am deciding to DNF this one at this time and that is not a reflection on the writing or even necessarily this story itself. Since requesting this arc, I’ve learned that friends-to-lovers is not a trope I enjoy very often. This story also has quite a bit of heavier topics and I am not currently in the mental space for a heavier read. .Again, this reflects on me as a reader and not this author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. A forced marriage between long time best friends and throw in some stomach problems, I was immediately hooked by the storyline. Unfortunately, I DNF’ed this book. I found the FMC unbearable, making something out of nothings, unhappy, and I couldn’t find myself rooting for her. Theo and the kids in his classroom were very entertaining though!

I was so invested in this book as a devoted lover of binge romance reading. I also read the previous works of Marisa Kanter and enjoyed them, which made me extra enthusiastic about this book. But... yes, a big but coming up...

I made the mistake of requesting this one without reading the plot first—rookie move, I know—only to realize it shares a strikingly similar premise with Would You Rather by Allison Ashley, a book I absolutely adored and rated five stars. In both stories, we have lifelong friends entering a marriage of convenience: one needs health insurance, the other needs to keep a roof over their head. When plots echo each other this closely, it’s hard not to compare, and unfortunately, Friends with Benefits didn’t shine as brightly in that comparison.

The biggest hurdle for me was the protagonist, Evie Bloom. I wanted to like her. Her job as a Foley artist (seriously cool!) had the potential to bring something really fresh and quirky to the story, but her personality came off as too chaotic and self-centered for me to emotionally connect. Her inner monologue often felt more exhausting than endearing, and some of her choices made it hard to root for her. It’s not that she had flaws—I like flawed characters—but she didn’t seem to grow in a way that made those flaws feel purposeful or redemptive.

On the flip side, Theo was an absolute sweetheart. As an elementary school teacher facing eviction, he felt grounded, kind, and genuine. His soft-spoken, supportive nature was exactly what Evie needed—but sometimes it felt like he got lost in the whirlwind of her drama. I would have loved to see more of his perspective, more fire from him, and a better balance between their emotional journeys.

I do want to acknowledge one of the book’s strengths: the honest and much-needed representation of chronic illness and the broken healthcare system. Evie’s health struggles gave the story a real-world urgency, and I appreciated how the author didn’t shy away from showing the messy, stressful realities of living with a chronic condition. That layer added substance to the otherwise rom-com-style plot.

The friends-to-lovers dynamic had sweet moments, and some flashbacks were lovely, but overall, the pacing dragged for me, and the chemistry just didn’t feel strong enough to carry the story. I found myself wanting more connection and less over-explaining of every detail (seriously, I didn’t need to know every character’s drink order!).

In the end, this was a solid three-star read. It had potential, and there were moments that hit the right notes, but as a whole, it didn’t sweep me off my feet. Still, I know many romance readers will find charm and warmth in these pages—and I’ll absolutely keep an eye out for what Marisa Kanter writes next.

A very huge thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for sharing this romance's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

As I read this book all I could think was,”Too much!” There were too many subplots, too many misunderstandings, too many dramatic pauses. Also, Evie might just be the most toxic person in the history of the romantic universe. Toxic to the point that I was actively rooting against her for at least half of this book. 2 1/2 stars.

I loved the concept of this book. As someone who reads a lot of romance, Friends with Benefits had a new, fresh vibe about it. The story itself rang true in many ways, providing an injection of reality in amongst the many emotional moments.