A huge thank you to Celadon publishing and NetGalley for choosing me for this arc! Honestly, the book itself was adorable. However, there were pieces that I felt could have been executed better for it to receive a higher rating. I did make sure to read beginning to end, but there were parts where I thought to myself, do I even want to finish this? If I know what’s going to happen?! However, the ending did turn out to be adorable, so it was worth it.

Evie and Theo have been friends since childhood and have walked through some really difficult things together. Now as 20-somethings living in LA, they are starting to get their lives together…until Theo’s roommates tell him they’re moving out and Evie gets offered the fellowship of a lifetime, but it doesn’t include health insurance and she has a chronic illness. So, what if they got married…for the benefits?

🌸Childhood Friends to Lovers
🌸Marriage of Convenience
🌸Chronic Illness Representation
🌸Open door romance (the intimacy is described on the page)
🌸Third person POV
🌸Pop-culture references
🌸Heavy issues like the death of a parent, childhood abandonment, and health anxiety
🌸Still felt like a light and fluffy read

Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a lot! I found myself relating to Theo a lot more than I related to Evie, which is a bit unusual for me but not an issue. I liked their relationship and their growth both individually and as a couple. The conflict felt realistic and believable, as did the way that it was reconciled. For all the heavy topics that this book dealt with, I was surprised at how light and fluffy it felt, which was actually a benefit for me. If these themes check your boxes, I think this would be a great summer beach read!

Thank you to @netgalley and @celadonbooks for the ARC of this book!

Friends With Benefits was not what I expected based on the cover. The cover lead me to believe that this would be a light rom com. This turned out to be a much deeper dive into a friends to lovers troupe. The FMC and the MMC were well developed through the plot. There was an emphasis on the challenges of living with a chronic illness that made the story a bit heavier and complicated the plot and gave it depth. I did find the middle a little long but I was happy I saw the book through to the end.

The audio was a dual narration which delineated the perspective that the story was being told in very well. Although, some parts of the book were told twice but from each main character's perspective. The production was well done with extra details that made it even more realistic.

Thank you Net Galley, Marisa Kanter, Caledon Books and Macmillian Audio for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
Friends with Benefits is now available.
I gave a 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

2.5 Stars - Honestly, I skip-read most of this book. It was just ok and didn't have me 100% invested. There was only enough interest to keep me from the dreaded DNF.

**Thanks Celadon Books via NetGalley for the arc in exchange of my honest opinion.

When best friends Theo and Evie enter into a marriage of convicence to save a beloved apartment, things heat up fast.

I loved the premise of this book and while it certainly has been done before it still felt fresh. I enjoyed the dynamic between Theo and Evie and felt as though I got to know them really well. The downside for me, was Evie fell a bit flat. I felt as though she lacked growth and development through out the book.

Oh goodness.... I wanted to like this book. The cover was cute but I have to be honest, I almost DNF this read several times.

First, I didn't like Evie at all. She seemed immature and I just couldn't see her point of view at all. And the slowness.... The over inclusion and slow, slow movement just wore me down.

Thank you NetGalley and Celedon books for the ARC for my honest review.

#NetGalley #CeledonBooks

Thank you to Celadon Books for the early copy!

I really enjoyed Evie and Theo’s love story and all of the flashbacks to their extensive history of being best friends. I also loved the disability representation all through the story. The ending was also great and wrapped everything up nicely! Evie was on my nerves for like 90% of this book though for her attitude and refusal to talk about anything important. Not talking as a basis is not my favorite element to romance novels, but I understand why it works!

This book had everything on paper that could have made for a fantastic story, a marriage of convenience between two best friends who slowly fall in love. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t work for me, and it didn’t read like a romcom at all.

There were a lot of emotional and serious themes packed into the story: health insurance struggles, chronic illness, grief, and the loss of a parent. All of these could have added depth, but instead, they weighed the story down without being fully resolved or balanced with lighter moments.

What made the book especially hard for me was Evie’s treatment of Theo. She came off as selfish and, at times, downright cruel. I really wanted to root for her, but her behavior made her feel more like a villain than a romantic lead. While she was decent at the start and seemed to get way worse at the end. I personally hoped Theo wouldn’t end up with her, he deserved someone kinder and more supportive.

I also felt like the writing and tone may be aimed at a different audience, maybe younger readers or those more into that quirky, indie vibe? There were moments where characters would say things like “I need a beat,” and I was left genuinely confused. Who says that? LOL.

Overall, this one just didn’t work for me. I really wanted to love it because the concept was right up my alley, but the character dynamics and tone made it a frustrating read. The only character I liked was Theo and I wish him the best of luck.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Celadon Books for the eARC!

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for this arc.

While I was a little late on the train for getting this arc, I still read this book in just a couple hours and then promptly went to Barnes and noble and purchased my physical copy.

I loved the marriages of convenience trope and the characters are so sweet. It’s smart and witty!

I struggled a bit with this one. I love a good friends-to-lovers and marriage of convenience trope but I had a hard time connecting or sympathizing with Evie’s character. Loved Theo, and I also love a Survivor watch party. I applaud the inclusion of chronic illness for Evie with her Crohn’s disease however, I didn’t feel that her description related to the struggles was flawlessly embedded within the story. It seemed to stick out awkwardly. I do think there were funny moments and overall I liked the friendship that they built as kids. I did not post my review on Goodreads as a respect the author’s work and don’t want to negatively impact her ratings, however, this one just wasn’t for me. Thank you so much to Marisa Kanter, the publisher, & NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-ARC.

This marriage of convenience, friends to lovers story was sweet, witty, and heartfelt. So happy to have gotten to read an ARC and while I started it late (it’s already released), I still finished it in less than 24 hours because I absolutely could not put it down. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to Marisa Kanter, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

4.5 rounded up. This is my second marriage of convenience ARC in a row and I’m not mad about it. I overall enjoyed this book and the plot, though I did kind of want to shake Evie and ask her why she was being the way she was. I appreciate the vulnerability of both characters and Theo learning to stand up for himself to someone he loves deeply, I just wish it had happened sooner for both their sakes!

POV: dual third person

You can expect: marriage of convenience, friends to lovers, roomance, flashbacks, forced proximity, he falls first (a long time ago)

Rep: queer FMC, lesbian side character, bisexual side characters, Crohn’s disease, chronic pain, anxiety, grief, Jewish MMC/FMC, panic attack, medication - Lexapro, past broken ankle.

Spice: 2.5/5

CW: death of a parent (past), sports injury, absent parent, misogyny (by a side character), parental abandonment

Evie Bloom wanted to be a dancer. She worked hard and trained, despite being in pain much of the time. Her grandmother had taken her to doctor after doctor, and none of them found anything wrong. They told her that she was okay, that she just had a low tolerance for pain, that there was nothing they could do for her. So she kept on. It was during a performance with her best friend Theo Cohen that she fell and hurt her ankle. After that hospital visit, a doctor took her seriously and ran more tests. That’s when she found out she had Chron’s disease. And that’s how she knew her dreams of being a dancer on Broadway were over.

She had planned on moving to New York to chase her dreams, and Theo was going there to chase his. He got into college in New York, and even though Evie’s dreams were crushed, she wanted to make sure that Theo still went after his. She had watched him as his mother had battled cancer, and now that she was better, Evie wanted him to follow his dreams, even if that meant he was moving across the country to study education.

Evie stayed in California and eventually found another dream job, being a Foley artist. She loved the idea of adding the sound effects to movies and television shows, and her dance training helped a lot. It had taught her precision and timing, key traits of a Foley artist. But it was a difficult career to break into, especially since she needed a job with health insurance. So Evie worked as an editor for podcasters, a job that offered her the health insurance she needed, while trying to chase after freelance Foley jobs.

Evie and Theo had grown up together, and even during Theo’s years of college in New York, they stayed in touch. They watched Survivor together every week. And when his mother’s cancer came back, Evie was there for him. After college, Theo moved back to California and got a job teaching at the same elementary school where his mother taught. But when his roommates told him they were moving out, he needed a new roommate fast. And then he learned that the lease had a rider, that each person living in the apartment had to make three times the rent payment. But that was only for singles.

Theo comes up with the perfect solution: he and Evie can get married. He has excellent health insurance, and if they’re married, it’s her insurance too. That will free her up to take a fellowship with an established Foley artist and make the connections she needs to move ahead with her dreams. And he can stay in his apartment. It’s a perfect solution. Except for one tiny problem. He’s a little in love with her and always has been. And Evie is a little in love with Theo and always has been. But if they agree to keep it casual, then it will all work out in the end. I mean, what could go wrong?

Friends with Benefits is a rom com where the benefits in the relationship are literally health insurance. This romance deals with a lot of serious issues, like chronic illness, cancer, the death of a parent, and the abandonment of a parent. Evie and Theo both have had to deal with heavy problems when they were teenagers, and that has repercussions in their friendship and in their marriage. There is a lot of laughter and joy in these pages, but there is darkness also.

I listened to the audio book of Friends with Benefits, narrated in alternating chapters by Gail Shalan and GM. Hakim. I thought they both did a really good job with the humor and with the challenging issues these characters faced. I liked that some of the chapters overlapped, with the end of one giving one character’s perspective on the scene with the opening of the next chapter telling the other character’s perspective on the same situation, and the narrators handled those transitions perfectly. I really enjoyed Friend with Benefits. I appreciated how the Chron’s disease was handled with gentleness, and the childhood trauma was talked about with grace.

Egalleys for Friends with Benefits were provided by Celadon Books and an early copy of the audio was provided by Macmillan Audio through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.

Title: Friends with Benefits
Series: n/a
Author(s): Marisa Kanter
Genre: contemporary romance
Publication Date: May 6th. 2025
Publishing Co.: Celadon Books
Length: 368 pages/ 30 chapters
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️ / 🌶️

Tropes:

Friends to lovers
Marriage of convenience

Triggers:

Chronic illness

This was my first experience reading something by Ms. Kanter, and I absolutely adored it! The characters and storyline were relatable. I particularly loved Evie and Theo! Their friendship, and love for one another. I appreciate that the book addressed chronic illness and real-life situations.

I enjoyed it so much that I bought a paperback copy today! I can't wait to read more adventures written by Ms. Kanter.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Celadon Books for an advanced copy of Friends with Benefits in exchange for an honest review.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

Friends with Benefits by Marisa Kanter is about two friends trying to survive the housing market in LA and health care costs, which I found cute (get it? Benefits!). This one was hard for me to get through. For instance, there were plot points like the non-union FMC working on a Union film as a Foley Artist and then, as the Foley Artist, being invited to the premier of the movie. There was also a weird moment when they went to Disneyland (a real place), rode (real) rides and then the author made up a Dr. Strange x Winnie the Pooh crossover ride/musical, stating that this was the next phase in the MCU. It was very out of left field, like an inside joke the readers are not in on.
This book often felt overwritten and slow. I think a lot of the problem was Kanter telling instead of showing. Kanter also frequently uses one word sentences for emphasis or repeats a word three times but when you do it as much as she does, the words lose all importance. She does the three word thing so much that I started counting it - finding it happing twice on one page several times and four times alone in chapter 23.
Additionally I found the characters unlikeable. Kanter shows their relationship through flashbacks and asserts that they’ve been in love with each other for a long time, but you don’t really get that from either character. At no point, before the final blowup, do they fight for each other or try to fix misunderstandings. Lastly, the final quarter of the book felt drawn out with the FMC needing at least three seperate characters, three seperate times, to tell her that her excuses to push away the MMC were absolutely surmountable.
I think the people who like this book will love it, but it wasn’t for me.
Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the eARC!

I enjoyed reading Friends with Benefits by Marisa Kanter. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

I really wanted to love this one more 😭 genuinely sad I didn’t.

💜 Friends to lovers
💜 Slow burn
💜 Marriage of convenience
💜 Chronic illness rep
💜 Mental health rep

Thinks I liked: chronic illness rep, which I feel we don’t see enough. As someone with an autoimmune disorder, I greatly appreciated the inclusion. On that note, I also appreciated the commentary on the absolutely broken healthcare system of our country. I also loved Jacob and his character development (albeit as a side character), Pep and Mo!, and the (eventual and long time coming) HEA.

Things I didn’t love: the toxic behaviors exhibited throughout, Evie’s immaturity, all the miscommunication and/or general lack of adult communication, a bunch of superfluous side plots, and the slow pacing and repetitive nature of the story.

⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you Celadon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Evie is selected for a fellowship opportunity, she’s quick to spot the catch: there are no health benefits, and for someone with a chronic illness it a no. Theo is an elementary school teacher who can't afford to live on his own. But there is one loophole in his lease: each tenant must meet an income threshold, unless the tenants are married. So Evie & Theo enter a marriage of convenience situation.

Friends to lovers isn't my usual cup of tea, but I genuinely loved this one.

Friends since childhood, Evie & Theo have held a touch for each other but nothing ever came close to taking it further, except maybe their 2nd kiss that happened years ago which they still don't talk about.

I loved how both friends to lovers & marriage of convenience tropes came into play here. It fitted well with the theme and the angst was next level. I think both of them knew what the other had to give up in case they gave this relationship a chance in the past, that's why they didn't act upon it. I appreciated the backstory & how their romance blossomed.

<i>Thank you publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.<i>

I have such mixed feelings about this book. I loved parts of it and other parts made so mad. Evie and Theo are perfect for each other, and I hated hearing about past lovers and relationships. That’s a personal pet peeve but I felt like Evie especially spent too much time for me just talking about wanting other people instead.

The supporting characters were interesting and diverse. I looooved Theo’s students. I thought the third act break up was too extreme - they both say some truly terrible stuff, and I don’t think the conversation about it was really enough for me to get over it as a reader

I was excited and had hopes but it just wasn’t for me. I liked the MMC but FMC was frustrating - they both were at times. YA book with a touch of politics. Not a terrible read, just wasn’t for me!