The play on words with the title was great with the book. Friends with Benefits follows two best friends that decided to choose a marriage of convenience in order to be financially stable with benefits for their futures. As this wasn’t my favorite book, It was a good friends to lovers story. I knew from the beginning that they will eventually fall for each other. The character development was a bit slow and I found it hard to connect with the characters. As for the narrators, I thought they did a good job bringing the characters to life and helped moved the story along but it felt more straightforward than actually making the story immersive. They should have put more emotions into their narration. Overall, I enjoyed the how the author addressed the issues of chronic pain and the struggles people might face with it.

This story captures the classic slow burn, will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic between two best friends who gradually realize their deeper feelings for each other. Featuring dual timelines and narrators, it explores their journey from childhood to adulthood, weaving in themes of coming of age, chronic illness, and the heartache of a parent dying from cancer.

While the narrators delivered a competent performance, I found the audio narration felt more like straightforward reading rather than a fully immersive acting experience. I suspect I might have enjoyed the story more if I had read it myself, as the emotional depth seemed somewhat muted in audio form.

The plot centers on two friends who struggle with communication, often letting assumptions and past traumas cloud their interactions. Their childhood wounds profoundly shape their behavior, creating barriers that keep them apart. Despite these challenges, the story offers a hopeful resolution as they finally find understanding and connection by the end.

Overall, it’s a heartfelt exploration of friendship, love, and healing-perfect for readers who appreciate nuanced characters and emotional slow burns.

This was such a sweet read! As someone with her own childhood trauma and parental abandonment issues, there were some tough moments that had eye prickling, but in a therapeutic way.

I loved the theming. Theo was super endearing. I love the journey of self healing they both went on. It was a real roller coaster!

My only complaint is the spice level. Am I selfish in wanting more spice? Yes. Does the story actually need it? Not at all. I’m just a degenerate! lol!

Friends with Benefits was so PACKED my head is spinning—an obvious friends-to-lovers; chronic illness, parental neglect, grief, LGBTQ+ and foley representation; miscommunication; also, make it dual timeline.
Oh, and it’s a marriage of convenience!


Evie and Theo have been best friends since childhood dance classes. Evie suffers from a chronic illness, so she needs health benefits to accept the foley fellowship of her dreams. At the same time, Theo—an elementary school teacher—needs a roommate with a stable financial situation... unless he marries someone. Yeah, so they decide to marry. Why not? It’s a win-win situation, right?


I appreciate a slightly messy, almost unlikable FMC, but they usually bring so much “dust” it makes me nauseous?
Theo was perfect, Evie was just there trying her best…

I had an opportunity to listen to the audiobook early, so I do recommend listening, since it just seems more fun this way? It definitely made my reading experience 20% more enjoyable.


Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for early access to the audiobook!

2.5 stars. A huge thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for letting me listen to the advanced audio book. I really enjoyed the premises of the book, however I had a hard time getting into it. I am not sure if it was the story, the narration style or the books POV. I found that Theo was a very likeable character- but I struggled with the character growth for both him and Evie. It felt very rushed at the end. As a film nerd I loved the representation of Foley! There was also a lot of really great pop culture references! Overall- the book had a good premise, I just was not the right reader for it!

"Lifelong best friends say 'I do' to a marriage of convenience, trading vows for a financial safety net and benefits."

One of the best tropes in my opinion! I love a marriage of convenience!
Evie and Theo have known each other for what seems like forever. Not only that but they use to be dance partners and are already VERY close and comfortable with each other. Now all grown up, this book hops from the present to flashes of their past and how they seemingly kept missing opportunities and signals to be together. A complicated relationship to say the least, it is easy to see how the lines blur so quickly between this husband & wife.
Narrated by Gail Shalan & GM Hakim, I was not the biggest fan of the audio. This is all relative but I didn't feel that Theo's voice was "manly" enough for what I was envisioning and would sometimes fail to distinguish when it was supposed to be him speaking or thinking. Evie's also wasn't my favorite but I didn't have the same issues for her male counterpart.
All that being said, I always appreciate the convenience of an audiobook for a lighthearted, quick and easy read!

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook ARC, all opinions are my own.

I overall enjoyed this book and I enjoyed the friends to lovers trope. There were definitely times I wanted to shake the FMC, but in the end she figured it out lol. There is definitely some politics in this book that really resonates with my generation, which was very relatable, but I can understand why others not appreciate it. I didn’t have any issues with it and still really enjoyed the book, but sometimes it did feel very front and center throughout certain parts of the book. Overall, it was a a fun read and I enjoyed it!

I really wanted to love Friends with Benefits, but wow… this one started so slow, I kept checking if the audiobook was stuck on the same chapter. Evie and Theo have such a sweet setup marriage of convenience, best friends, secret feelings, all the good stuff! But instead of diving into the fun, the story kind of wandered through insurance details, apartment drama, and long stretches of not much happening.

Theo’s little crush on Evie was cute, and there were moments that made me smile, but by the time things warmed up between them, I felt like I’d been waiting in line at the DMV. This had potential to be a lighthearted romcom, but it just took its sweet time getting there.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advance listeners copy and audiobook of this book, in exchange for my honest review! I was very excited to receive it and hopeful as the title and the book description really interested me.

While the book and storyline had potential, it ultimately fell flat. The storyline felt predictable, and the characters lacked depth, making it hard for me to connect with them. I found Evie to be kind of insufferable at times and hard to enjoy her inner dialogue. Her character came across much younger than she is and somewhat combative. Theo was more likable as a MMC.

While I appreciate so much when books encourage inclusiveness and real life issues, this one seems to make those feel forced and constantly repetitive. I love when those things seamlessly fit into the story vs over explained, feeling almost performative. It then looses the plot and the story as well. I often too found the story to have an odd pacing and I don’t think I’m a huge fan of third person at least in this one.

That being said I did enjoy the dual narration of the audio and can see where this book may be for others who would may enjoy it! It unfortunately was a miss for me even though I liked the idea of a deep found friendship turning into more.

This book was flirty, fun, and had just the right amount of emotional chaos. Friends with Benefit gives us that classic “we’re just hooking up… until we’re absolutely not” energy—and I ate it up.

The banter? Sharp. The chemistry? Off the charts. I liked how the main characters actually had real conversations (when they weren’t trying to avoid their feelings, of course). There were a few moments where I wanted to shake them both, but honestly? That just means I was invested.

If you’re into friends-to-lovers with angst, tension, and steam, this one delivers. It’s messy in a good way—and I loved how the story didn’t rush the emotional growth.

Thanks to the author for the ARC

This was a quick, friends to lovers romance between Evie and Theo. Even though it was a quick read, it just wasn't my favorite. I did enjoy the marriage of convenience trope in this story with Theo wanting to help Evie with her medical bills as well. as the living situation.

Friends With Benefits is an emotional and funny friends-to-lovers romance that balances lighthearted charm with deep character development. Told through dual POVs, it follows childhood best friends Evie and Theo as they navigate love, grief, and trust—complete with tropes like marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and (a lot of) miscommunication.

Evie, a queer protagonist with chronic illness and deep-rooted mommy issues, sometimes comes off as emotionally distant—especially through her repeated use of “take a beat,” which felt a bit manipulative. Theo, a lovable elementary school teacher, brings a ton of heart. The supporting cast is underused until a last-minute intervention, which made Evie feel unintentionally isolated.

Still, the book shines with vivid flashbacks, heartfelt moments (especially their first kiss!), and the warmth of Theo’s “Obviously.” If you love messy characters and emotional slow burns, this one’s worth the read.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the Arc of this book! This book had potential but unfortunately didn’t hit the mark for me personally. I love dual narration but I just wanted more from the characters. Also just not a fan of politics in books but to each their own!

I received an Advanced Listener Copy of the audiobook for Friends with Benefits by Marisa Kanter. The narrators are Gail Shalan and GM Hakim. It’s performed in dual narration which isn’t my favorite. But I do feel the narrators did a good job respectively.
The story itself was just lacking for me. I expected a fun time. Fake marriage, childhood friends to lovers…i was expecting rom com vibes. And I didn’t get much of that here.
I did however like the ending. And the survivor tv series references.
Overall the book was repetitive and too drawn out for me personally.

4.5 stars. I listened to the audiobook and read the digital version of this book. The audio was narrated by Gail Shalan and G. M. Hakim. They both did a fantastic job. I loved the voices and I think it added to the overall experience.

I thought this was a really cute best friends to lovers, forced proximity romance. Both Evie and Theo are Jewish, so they have similar backgrounds and beliefs. They have literally been best friends forever, each secretly wishing for more. They both say repeatedly that they are just friends and it needs to stay that way. Their journey to becoming more was frustrating at times, but equally adorable when they finally got with it!

Thanks to Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the copies. All thoughts are my own.

Wow thank you, Marisa Kanter, for writing such a beautiful piece! The title immediately grabbed my attention, and the synopsis completely hooked me. Evie and Theo will forever hold a piece of my heart. They’re both incredibly likable and feel so real.

I especially appreciated the honest and thoughtful representation of mental health. It didn’t feel performative or forced. While reading, I felt like the best friend they would both come to when they needed to vent, which speaks volumes about how immersive the writing is.

This review is spoiler-free, but if you’re looking for a true friends-to-lovers story that will tug at your heartstrings in all the right ways, this is it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of Friends with Benefits by Marisa Kanter.

If you enjoy contemporary romances with familiar and beloved tropes—marriage of convenience and friends to lovers—this is definitely worth adding to your TBR. Though the pacing starts a little slow, the story settles into a satisfying rhythm by the midpoint and explores themes of family, societal pressures, and healthcare in a very natural way.

I personally found myself slightly disconnected from the FMC, whose dramatic moments sometimes overshadowed the MMC. However, I adored Theo's sweet, grounded presence, though I did wish his character arc had a bit more depth and independence beyond their shared experiences.

The dual POVs worked beautifully and gave the romance an added emotional layer. While this wasn’t a five-star standout for me, it was an enjoyable and heartfelt read with moments that will resonate with many. Overall, a solid 3-star contemporary romance perfect for fans of relatable, trope-driven love stories.

This one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I found myself wishing it were tighter and more focused—it definitely dragged in parts and felt longer than it needed to be.

I appreciated how it tackled the realities of chronic pain and how isolating and life-altering it can be, especially when you're young.

As for the romance, the friends-to-lovers trope worked here because the feelings were clearly mutual and had a lot of history behind them. But I’ll be honest—I still struggle with this trope in general. There’s something that always feels a little emotionally manipulative about hiding romantic feelings under the guise of friendship, and this story didn’t fully shake that discomfort for me.

This was such a delightful read! It beautifully blended romance, grief, and the realities of living with a chronic illness. The female main character has Crohn’s Disease and navigates the ups and downs of the healthcare and insurance system, all while putting her dreams on pause. Her close friend—the male main character—is a kind-hearted school teacher still processing the loss of his mother. When they decide to become roommates and enter a marriage of convenience for insurance purposes, their friendship takes a sweet and spicy turn, just like the title hints!

The story is low on steam but rich in emotional depth and character growth, which I really appreciated. I especially loved the Jewish representation and all the thoughtful threads the author wove throughout the book. The flashbacks added a nice layer, and while the third-act breakup felt a little over the top, I still really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. Big thanks to Celadon for the ARC!

The impossible relationship. Marriage of convenience. They both have dreams to follow, but they keep coming back together.
Theo and Ev are so much fun and have a lifetime of friendship.
I love this story, it finds all the good feels and emotions. The characters have amazing growth. The narration is so good on the audio! Highly recommend!