My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5

Hello my friends and readers! I hope your having a great weekend. Today, I’m diving into my recent ARC from Netgally, Friends With Benefits by Marisa Kanter, this is a slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance that is about lifelong friendships, unspoken feelings, and the practicalities of a marriage of convenience. While it wasn’t the most original story I’ve read, it still had its moments, earning a solid 3.5 stars from me!

I need to start with Evie and Theo. Evie Bloom is an aspiring Foley artist with chronic health issues. When she lands a prestigious fellowship with no health benefits, her chronic illness forces her to turn it down. Enter Theo Cohen, her best friend since childhood, who’s facing eviction from his rent-controlled apartment unless he meets certain income requirements. Theo proposes a practical solution, they get married so Evie can accept her dream opportunity with his health insurance, It’s his fault she was even accepted to this position she didn’t even apply for, and Theo can stay in his apartment. Makes sense, right? Except for the tiny detail that both have secretly been in love with each other since they were children.

The premise is sweet and grounded in real-world struggles like financial insecurity and healthcare challenges, which added some depth to the story. Their friendship felt real, the story was filled with shared history we get to hear about and the easy banter made their connection believable. Watching them navigate their current feelings while trying to maintain their friendship was both adorable and frustrating. Like just talk to each other already! 

While the story had potential, the execution lacked originality for me. The friends-to-lovers trope is one I enjoy as you probably know if you read some of my past posts, but this story didn’t bring anything new to the table. I felt like I’d read variations of this same story many times before, and there wasn’t enough to make it stand out from the others.

So, If you’re looking for an easy light read and like friends-to-lovers romances with a marriage-of-convenience twist, Friends With Benefits might be worth picking up. While it didn’t completely wow me, it still delivered some sweet moments between two characters who clearly care deeply for each other.

So if you pick up this book, let me know what you think—happy reading!