Friends with Benefits is a heartfelt story about two lifelong best friends who have weathered trauma and challenges together. Through it all, they've remained constants in each other’s lives, quietly hiding the romantic feelings they’ve harbored since their teenage years. When both face sudden changes to their living situations, they decide that moving in together is the most practical solution.

There’s just one complication: Evelyn needs continuous medical care and, with it, access to health insurance. Coincidentally, Theo's benefits could cover her—if they were married. A marriage of convenience would not only secure Evelyn’s medical needs, but also allow them to keep Theo's apartment. As they try to navigate this arrangement, the attraction between them becomes harder to ignore. Despite the occasional casual hookup, they continue to insist they’re “just friends.”

While some may prefer lighthearted rom-coms that provide an escape from reality, I personally enjoy a slow-burn romance grounded in emotional depth. This book offers exactly that. The characters aren’t just falling in love—they’re learning who they are and healing from the wounds of their pasts. The way the story explores issues like chronic illness and complicated relationships with their mothers adds a layer of realism that many readers will find relatable.

This may not be the ideal pick for readers looking for a fast-paced, escapist romance, but for those who appreciate a love story rooted in life’s real complexities, Friends with Benefits is a compelling read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would wholeheartedly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance audio copy. The dual narration brought the characters to life beautifully, with both narrators doing an excellent job personifying Evelyn and Theo.

First, a big thank you to Celadon Book, Macmillan Audio, & NetGalley for the E-ARC & the audio ARC for Friends with Benefits.

Unfortunately, I was not the target audience for this one. It just didn't pull me in like I wanted it to, but I can definitely see this being someone's favorite!

As for the audio version, it wasn't bad and maybe it's just me, but the female voice felt more mysterious than romantic. I have been listening to more domestic thrillers lately so this really could just be a personal thing. Other than that, it was a great performance.

Overall an enjoyable rom-com, big fan of the mental health/chronic illness representation depicted. I wish there was a bit less miscommunication between the FMC and MMC, but led to a classic HEA.

I ended up liking this a lot more than I anticipated and the audiobook narrators really animate the characters and make their frustrations empathetic. I really appreciated how the author built the main characters friendship throughout the novel and its different timelines, from childhood to the present. The portraits of dysfunctional parenting, grief, and chronic illness are really thoughtful and well-drawn. At times, the plot and pacing became frustrating, especially as it often relied on the characters simply not talking to each other or getting caught up in their own heads. Still, I really enjoyed the main characters, Theo and Evie, and their relationship. I look forward to reading more from this author and listening to more from these audiobook narrators!

This is a sweet story of best friends Evie and Theo. Evie and Theo met as children in dance school. After Theo left to go to college at NYU and came home to become an elementary school teacher. Evie has had to deal with some serious health problems and the issue of her mother running off and left her and her sister. Theo’s roommates move out, and Evie needs a place to stay. They move in and get married so they can stay in Theo’s apartment.
This is a sweet friends to lovers story.if you love friends to lovers issues along with issues with parents then I recommend this book.

Thanks t9 Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to read this book.

I really enjoyed this friends to lovers romcom with depth. It’s got Abby Jiminez vibes in that it’s both light hearted and deals with some deep issues. I couldn’t wait to see what happens next. Highly recommend! Thanks to @netgalley for this arc!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 - 2 chili peppers

-childhood best friends to lovers
-marriage of convenience
-mental health rep
-chronic illness rep
-lgbtq+ rep
-duel narration
-forced proximity
-lots of angst and miscommunication

Lets start with the positives!
I loved seeing all the representation in this book. The fact that the fmc was actively in therapy and was shown going to sessions was great. I also think that all of the medical struggles both the fmc and mmc went through over the course of the book are very eye opening for most people. I can honestly say that I was not expecting to hear about how hypocritical the medical insurance companies are in a romance novel.

The narration was also great! Both narrators really embodied the characters and brought them to life. I would 100% listen to something that they narrated in the future.

That being said, I would have liked a better ending for Theo and his father. I think there was a lot there that could have been explored and expanded upon. The same with Evie and her mother. It just didn't feel finished.

I really, really wanted to like this book more than I did. By the end, the FMC was just so irritating. I understand that both the fmc and mmc had a lot of history and trauma but it was a romance novel. It shouldn't have been that complicated. This is not a book for someone who is looking for a lighthearted rom-com, which is how the book seems to be promoted. This was incredibly frustrating at times and the miscommunication trope is just not for me when it is happening continuously throughout the book . I just wanted to grab Evie and shake her at times to stop self sabotaging and let herself be loved.

Thank you to the publisher Macmillan Audio for the copy of an Advanced Listener Copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Publishers and Macmillan audio for granting me access to an early copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I give this book a solid ⭐⭐⭐. I love a great friends-to-lovers and marriage of convenience story, however I didn't love this book as much as I was hoping. With this novel being Marisa Kanter's first adult novel, I found the character development a little flat. The FMC (Evie) seemed overly juvenile and self-centered. Her internal struggle and thought process reminded me of an emotionally unstable teenager and many of the relationship struggles she experienced were a direct result of her selfish words and choices. I found it very difficult to connect with and root for her. The MMC (Theo) was very sweet and his love for Evie felt sincere, however, the author could have developed his character a little more. I found myself wanting him to write Evie off and move on to someone more deserving of his love.

I appreciate how the author addressed the issue of chronic pain/illness and the various struggles that come along with that reality. Having loved ones who suffer from chronic pain, I liked that she touched on how someone can truly be sick/ill even if they may not LOOK sick. Also, having been born and raised in Anaheim, it was fun to hear how much of the story took place in and around my old stomping grounds.

Overall, the story was good, but I found myself wanting a little more depth and emotional maturity.

Friends with Benefits by Marisa Kanter is a fresh take on the “marriage of convenience” trope, blending romance with real-world struggles. Evie Bloom, an aspiring artist, and Theo, an elementary school teacher, decide to marry - not for love, but for practical reasons. She needs health insurance to pursue her dream fellowship, and he needs to meet income requirements to keep his rent-controlled apartment. What starts as a logical arrangement soon turns into something much more complicated as their long-buried feelings start to surface.

I love the dual POV, which allows you to experience both Evie’s guarded independence and Theo’s quiet devotion. I love how Kanter highlights what people face in today’s world; challenges of healthcare access and financial instability, making you feel deeply relatable.

Overall, this book delivers both swoon-worthy moments and meaningful discussions about modern relationships.

Friends to lovers is definitely one of my favorite romance tropes, and this one was a lot of fun! Theodore and Evelyn have the sweetest, most in-depth friendship, and I loved learning their story and hearing their voices.

It wasn't only the fun banter and the inside jokes between these two that I loved; it was the way they grieved together and supported each other and faced health issues together, both mental and physical.

This book did have a little spice, which I honestly don't even need from my rom-coms, but I absolutely loved the way it ended--the message of starting over and second chances and figuring out what really matters.

I listened to this one, and the dual narration was such a great enrichment of the story. I loved the central characters, of course, but the supporting characters like Pep and Jen and Theo's precious students really brought the story to life for me.

Finally, this was a great read for Mental Health Awareness Month, as both Theo and Ev work hard to face their demons and work through their challenges in healthy ways. I think it's so important for mainstream media to positively shine a light on both mental health issues and their management.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and had so much fun growing up with these two.

I really wanted to love this book. I had it on my TBR list and then when it came up for review, I jumped to request it. It’s a friends to lovers, marriage if convenience story. I thought the author did a great job showcasing chronic illness and the struggles with our current health care system.
Unfortunately, this book just didn’t deliver like I thought it would. I wasn’t a huge fan of the male narrator. His voice was a bit monotone, but I enjoyed the female narrator. I loved that there were two narrators. This helps the story significantly. The characters and storyline just didn’t grab me like I’d hoped. Everything just feels a bit forced. I would definitely try another book by this author though. I received this book from Macmillan Audio books and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This book was fun and cute! It was just overall happy. I felt butterflies and was so giddy page to page, chapter to chapter.

This was a relatively predictable rom-com that fell somewhat flat for me. I will say, the audiobook narrators were great and I thoroughly enjoyed them! But the pacing of the story was a bit slow at times and while it was cute, and followed the friends-to-lovers formula… it didn’t give me all the feel-good butterflies I was looking for.

Evie and Theo are long-time best friends. They may also be in love with each other, but neither can admit it because every time they have come close, things have made it seem that the other wasn't interested. When Evie gets her dream opportunity and will have to turn it down due to the lack of health insurance to manage her autoimmune disease, and Theo loses his roommates and rent-controlled apartment, the two decide on a marriage of convenience. But two people who are secretly in love with each other cannot fake love without falling in deeper!

With an adorable cast of characters and the harsh realities of America's BS healthcare system, this is a cute love story. I fell in love with the characters, and hearing about Theo with his students almost made me yearn for the classroom. Instead, I get to influence a whole school and build up our future readers, so I will stick with that!

The narration was excellent and really had me into the story. I listened to the whole thing in about a day.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Net Galley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Macmillan audio for this ALC.

This one was just not for me. For a marriage of convenience and friends to lovers, there were too many conflicts and these two just needed to communicate desperately. The narrators were fine, but disconnected in this third person POV.

I'm not sure how Marisa wrote a book that was both sweet and swoony AND angsty but she did!

The mutual pining, the right person/wrong time, the missed connections, the emotional roller coaster this book took me on was a long one, but the HEA at the end makes the journey worth it.

The audio of this was easy to listen to. This was a duet narration (one voice narrating a chapter). It is narrated by Gail Shalan and GM Hakim. I enjoyed the audio!

This is the perfect quick gushy read with the perfect romance formula down pat.

Evie and Theo are lifelong best friends who secretly have had crushes on one another and bad timings kept on getting in their way. They were dance partners as kids and survivor watching buddies every Wednesday. Until Evie finds herself without a home, a new unpaid opportunity in the field she’s trying to pursue - foley artist which is such a cool job - while living with a chronic illness and she needs health insurance. Theo needs a roommate so they get married!

I love a marriage of convenience especially when it’s between two best friends that don’t know the other is in love with them just as much as they are! The only thing I don’t like is the miscommunication but I loved that Evie consulted a therapist!!

This book is more real life than a whirlwind romance and I really appreciate reading books like that once in a while!

I love that they are survivor fans and listen to survivor podcast. I am going to just assume they are RHAP fans 😌 and she has a torch tattoo for him?!?! 🤭

💜 Marriage of Convenience
🧡 Longtime Best Friends to lovers
💜 Chronic Illness Rep
🧡 Yearning + Pinning
💜 Flashbacks / Dual Timeline
🧡 Family issues/ drama
💜 Foley Artist x Teacher
🧡 Ex-dance partners

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review!

I appreciated the way Kanter skillfully wove together so many beloved tropes — friends to lovers, fake dating, marriage of convenience, and forced proximity — all within a story that also tackled the critical issue of the frustrating realities of America’s healthcare system. I applaud Kanter for striking a thoughtful balance between lighthearted romantic comedy and meaningful, grounded storytelling.

While I have no major criticisms, I have to admit the story didn’t leave a lasting impression or fully capture my engagement.

Read this if you like:
💍Marriage of Convenience
🥸Fake Dating
🧍‍♂️Friendship to Lovers
👏Chronic Illness Rep
📺Survivor
🏠Forced Proximity
💖HEA

We love a marriage of convenience!! Evie and Theo are best friends from childhood who end up in a fake marriage to keep an apartment and get health insurance. Sooo normal! I really enjoyed the health insurance/Crohn's disease plotline, highlighting just how valuable good insurance is and how debilitating invisible illness and disability can be. It really offers a great perspective on living with this and managing it firsthand. One aspect that was a bit too much for me was the focus on Theo's mom's cancer. Normally, this isn't a huge deal for me, but maybe it's triggering me because I finished it so close to Mother's Day. I think it was real and raw and relatable, but more so just heavy-handed at a hard time for me. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, though, and definitely recommend it!

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