Friends With Benefits

Friends With Benefits

by Kanter, Marisa

Format

Paperback $7.49
Condition Bargain Brand-new publisher overstock that may have a remainder mark and minor wear from handling. Bargain
$7.49

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About

Lifelong best friends say "I Do" to a marriage of convenience, trading vows for a financial safety net and benefits. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Katherine Center.

Evie Bloom pays attention to the details. Her very job depends on it—as an aspiring Foley artist, she's responsible for every crisp footstep, smacking kiss, and distinct sound in film and television. So when she's selected for a fellowship opportunity that would make all her career dreams come true, she's quick to spot the catch: There are no health benefits, and since she has a chronic illness, that's a nonstarter.

Theo Cohen is an elementary school teacher who can't afford to live on his own in LA and is facing eviction after his roommates couple up and move out of their rent- controlled apartment. But there is one loophole in his lease: Each tenant must meet an income threshold, unless the tenants are married.

For Theo, the answer is obvious. Marry Evie, his best friend since forever. It's not as if they don't spend all their time together anyway. Not only will Theo be able to keep his apartment, but Evie can be added to his insurance plan so she can accept her dream fellowship. It's such a logical, practical solution. Never mind that Evie doesn't really want to be married—not to Theo, not to anyone—ever. Or the small, complicating fact that Theo has always been a little bit in love with Evie.

But it doesn't have to be a big deal. marriage. It will just give them space to breathe and much-needed relief from the daily financial stress. It won't change anything.

It's...going to change everything.
Additional Info

Topics and Key Themes

Narrative Tropes

  • Friends to Lovers
  • Marriage of Convenience
  • Slow Burn
  • Forced Proximity
  • He Falls First

Key Themes

  • Healthcare as a life-or-death stake — chronic illness forces Evie to choose between her dream and her survival.
  • The cost of practicality — a logical arrangement quietly dismantles every wall the heart built.
  • Secrets between best friends — Theo's long-carried truth threatens the relationship built on honesty.
  • Career dreams with impossible fine print — ambition means nothing without the safety net to pursue it.
  • Marriage as the safest risk — two people terrified of forever find it in each other anyway.

Who is this book for?

Spice Level: 2 / 5: Mild

A gentle simmer — a few warm moments with minimal detail; the love story leads.

About the Author

Marisa Kanter is the author of three novels for teens (What I Like About You, As If on Cue, and the forthcoming Finally Fitz – S&S BFYR). Born and raised in the suburbs of Boston, her obsession with books led her to New York, where she worked in publishing. She now lives in Los Angeles, writing love stories by day and crocheting her wardrobe by night. She is also an amateur baker, and reality television enthusiast.