I loved this book! As a chronic illness girly, I related so deeply with so many of the FMCs thoughts and struggles in her day to day life. Also insurance being terrible being a major plot point is so very American (womp womp), and the flirty banter about how good his insurance is was 10/10 and seduced me a little too.

I loved the relationship between Evie + Theo - the history, the pining, the friendship, the deep care for each other. They both genuinely wanted the best for each other even if they thought it wasn't them.

This is such a sweet friends to lovers book, and it's a perfect summer beach read!

...

TW: chronic illness, death of a parent (off page), parental neglect

This book was so refreshing and a fantastic debut adult romance! It was full of perfectly flawed characters with emotional baggage they had to work through! This is the story of two friends who support each other over the years leading to a fake marriage that benefits them both, but will it become something more? Their story is full of navigating complicated family dynamics, overcoming past trauma, living with a chronic illness and finding true love. As a GI nurse practitioner I loved that there was an IBD rep which is so unique, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this in a romance before. The FMC is also a foley artist which was so unique and I found it so interesting to learn more about this career. If you love perfectly flawed characters, slow burn, fake marriage and complicated family dynamics then this is the romance for you!

The (childhood) friends to lovers was very nicely done. You could feel the longing, the yearning, the-wanting-each-other-for-so-long-it-hurts. I also enjoyed the flashbacks a lot. I wanted to understand their friendship, their history and how/when things changed between them, and the flashbacks gave us that.

That being said, Evie's chronic illness was mentioned a bit too often in my opinion and I didn't feel like it was needed. Every situation seemed to circle back to that and I wish those moments were replaced by more shared memories with Theo. I also was a bit frustrated with Evie's behavior, which felt a bit immature at some points.

I still had a good time reading about Theo and Evie's story! I loved their small moments and the shared memories.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏽

Friends with Benefits by Marisa Kanter is a friends-to-lovers, marriage of convenience, funny as hell romance.

Evie is an aspiring Foley (sound) artist, struggling to get into the industry when she is accepted into a renowned fellowship program. Unfortunately, health benefits are not offered and with her Crohn’s disease, not having insurance is not an option. Theo is an elementary school teacher who finds himself looking for a roommate or face eviction from his rent-controlled apartment. Evie and Theo have been best friends since childhood when they met in dance class and what could go wrong with a marriage of convenience – housing for Theo and health insurance for Evie. I absolutely ADORED this book and could not put it down! The author did an amazing job representing characters struggling with chronic illness (both physical and mental), the health care system, misogyny, grief, and childhood trauma. Despite the heavy topics, she was able to infuse so much humor and fun into the story that the characters just came to life on the page. I also loved her representation of LGBTQ+ individuals through the novel. I cannot wait to read more by Marisa!

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure I was going to read this book. Childhood friends to lovers is historically not a trope I really like, but when I saw Marisa Kanter mention that there were Survivor references I decided to give it a try, and I'm so glad I did and so surprised by just how much I ended up liking this book. I even was rooting enough for Evie and Theo as a couple that I spent much of the last 20% of the book crying off and on.

You had me at friends-to-lovers, marriage of convenience romance. I had high hopes for this read because of it, but sadly it just didn’t cut it. I was trying hard to get into the book and finish it. It was super slow at first then it’ll pick up and then be slow again, I was just getting over it.

I feel like the author did a wonderful job with the friendship aspect between Evie and Theo. But the romance. Did not work. I simply didn’t feel the chemistry between them, I feel like their relationship was more platonic.

There were also a lot of weird moments throughout the book that just made you say “Huh

I was very excited to read this book but felt very underwhelmed as I read more and more. It felt extremely predictable and at times slow moving. Also wish it was written in 1st person.

4.5 ⭐️’s! I am obsessed with this book. The love that Theo and Ev have for each other made my heart. Highly recommended!!
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!

Up until about 35% in I was ready to “1985” this book. But mama didn’t raise no quitter so I kept on and I’m honestly glad I did.

I’m not a fan of third person POV so for me personally it was hard to connect to these characters at first. Also, as another reviewer stated (a lot of the reason I was struggling in the beginning) was the over-inclusion aspect. It seemed very forced and there were a lot of political opinions I could’ve done without.

All that being said, I throughly enjoyed the second half of this book. I loved Theo, especially the scenes in his classroom and how he was always so patient and caring with Evie.

Evie on the other hand seemed quite immature for her age. I do understand she had been through so much in her life but she was so quick to run away I’m glad she finally figured her life out.

I’m always down for a friends to lovers book, I loved the chapters from their childhood and that they were dance partners as kids. So many sweet moments and these characters really did grow on me.

Best friendsto lovers
Marriage of convenience
Right people, wrong time
Chronic illness rep

3.75⭐️
2🌶️

Friends with Benefits by Marisa Kanter is the kind of book that makes you smile long after you’ve turned the last page. Witty, warm, and full of swoony tension, this friends-to-lovers story delivers all the emotional depth and delightful banter that rom-com lovers crave.

The chemistry between the leads sparkles right from the start, and Kanter does a phenomenal job of building their relationship in a way that feels both natural and utterly satisfying. There’s humor, there’s heart, and most importantly, there’s a real sense of emotional growth. These characters feel like people you could know (and root for endlessly).

I especially appreciated how the story didn’t shy away from vulnerability—it’s more than just a cute romance; it’s a story about trust, communication, and what it really means to show up for the people you love.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this gem early. This is one book I’ll be recommending to all my rom-com-loving friends!

This was such a swoony, heartfelt, friends to lovers romance. Oh my gosh. The way I was rooting so hard for them!!!! They broke my heart multiple times, but at least they healed me too.

The novel follows Evie and Theo who have been best friends since they were 8 years old, and now they are entering into a marriage of convenience at 28. Evie wants to take on a career change while also needing to stay on health insurance and Theo is a teacher with excellent benefits. They also both need eachother to have a place to live. It’s tangled and messy, but they both swear this will change nothing in their friendship. But, of course, these two have been hiding their feelings for eachother for such a long time, with only a few slip ups, so this is actually going to be a struggle.

I really loved the tough topics in this story. Evie struggles. With her mom having abandoned her and her sister, with her opposition to marriage, her health issues, the emotional toll of a life changing injury…the girl is a bit of a mess. Theo, also, dealing with the grief of loosing his mom to cancer, the fear of his health and his loved ones health, lots of guilt for things in his past…he’s not at his best. But these two heal eachother in such beautiful ways. They take care of eachother. It’s been this way throughout their friendship. Whether it’s a meal, a steady hand, looking out for triggers for the other person…they are so in tune. I really loved that. Everyone around them knows they are soulmates in love, except for them who just think they can be platonic soulmates…but their chemistry says otherwise. Playing husband and wife really brought out their angst and I loved it!! Brought out all the feelings they had been suppressing. Watching them not want to loose eachothers friendship, but also being so obsessed, it did hurt a bit.

I also really enjoyed the flashbacks throughout the book. The dual pov within those moments but getting to see them at different times in the story made the emotions more powerful.

I just loved this book.

I had to DNF this book. I must not be the Target audience. I found it to drag on and on over a communication issue.

Thank you for the chance to read the eARC.

I am an ARC reader with NetGalley but that does not change my review in anyway. I am leaving my honest thoughts and options

this book is just so cute and its one of those books that makes you want to curl up on a cold day with a cup of tea and just read for hours on end and its creditably well written. I really like Evie and Theo they are just the cutest duo together. I loved the dynamic between them and just how at easy they were together. Another thing that I loved was both of their character development outside of their relationship and how they grew as a person and their relationship together was also really cute and I loved seeing it grow. I also really liked having the flash back to when they were younger however it did lead to me forgetting if it was something that was happening in the present or in the past and I will say that the first 10 pages are a bit slow but after that it picks after that.

Everything I love in a romance—sharp-witted banter, undeniable chemistry, and just the right amount of angst to keep me hooked. From page one, I was fully invested in this friends-to-lovers journey, equal parts swooning and screaming, “JUST ADMIT YOU LOVE EACH OTHER ALREADY!”

Kanter perfectly captures the push and pull of falling for someone who’s always been there, making every moment feel authentic, heartwarming, and so addictive. The humor is spot-on, the romance is chef’s kiss, and the emotional depth sneaks up on you in the best way.

If you love a rom-com that’s as funny as it is swoony, with characters you’ll root for from start to finish, Friends with Benefits is a must-read. Get ready to smile, swoon, and maybe scream into your pillow a little. 💕📖🔥

This one was so cute! The ultimate friends to lovers love story! I will read whatever Marisa does next.

friends to lovers and marriage of convenience are two of my FAVORITE tropes so I was really excited to read this book. While I really liked it overall, when we were early in the book, I got a super strong JUST best friends vide, so when they started revealing their thoughts, it felt a bit startling. Overall, the story was good, but I got a bit impatient in the later part for the story to move along. Still, a super fun read!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC of Friends with Benefits in exchange for my honest review.

Friends with Benefits is a sweet and fun friends-to-lovers romance that explores some deeper topics, like chronic illness and financial struggles. Evie, is coping with health insurance issues, and Theo, a teacher trying to hold onto his apartment, decide get married to solve each of these issues.

And they're best friends! So it's perfect!

While I really enjoyed the foundation of their friendship—full of humor, inside jokes, and support—I struggled a bit with the romance. The chemistry between Evie and Theo didn’t quite click for me, and sometimes their treatment of each other felt a little off.

That being said, the representation of chronic illness and its financial implications was great, and I loved the banter and the spice. If you're into friends-to-lovers romances, this one’s worth checking out!

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of Friends with Benefits; all opinions are completely my own.

While this book was a romance, it had a sad undertone and dived into some very heavy topics such as chronic illness, parental issues, and death of a parent. I appreciate the difficulty of these experiences, but I think it got to be a bit much for me at times. The story seemed to move pretty slowly, and there's a lot of repetition and revisiting past events. I found it frustrating how much the main characters were denying their feelings... for best friends, they seemed to avoid talking about things a lot. This was by no means a bad book, but I think it turned out to not quite be the right book for me, or at least not the light read I was expecting.

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon books for the ARC of Friends with Benefits in exchange for my honest review.

Friends with Benefits by Marisa Kanter is a fun, heartfelt friends-to-lovers romance. The story follows Evie, a Foley artist struggling with health insurance due to a chronic illness, and Theo, an elementary school teacher trying to hold onto his rent-controlled apartment. They resolve this in a very romance novel-familiar way: a marriage of convenience.

I loved the set up of their friendship, but I felt the romance element was a little harder to buy. Evie and Theo’s friendship feels authentic, filled with inside jokes and support, but I didn't really buy the chemistry, nor how they treated each other, all the time.

All that said, I loved the representation of chronic illness and the financial impacts it has, as well as the banter and the spice. I'd recommend it!

If you love a good friends-to-lovers romance with plenty of heart and a little chaos, this one’s worth the read!

I have to give @celadonbooks the BIGGEST shoutout for sending me Friends with Benefits by Marisa Kanter! I was literally screaming, crying *not throwing up* when I received this as my VERY FIRST physical ARC!

I recently finished reading this book and…WOWZERS! It was such a good read! Everything from fake friendship, real tension, and feelings that are definitely not part of the plan - it was gooooooood!!

I wasn’t ready for how amazing this read would be but I can’t wait to post my review this week!

If you haven’t already, you need this book added this to your TBR!! ✨🤍