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A review by nerdynatreads
Friends Without Benefits by Penny Reid
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Wow. This is one of the strangest experiences I’ve had with a book in a while. Similar to Grady Hendrix’s Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, this book was enjoyable but also enraged me so much.
The setup, second chance romance, childhood enemies, ex’s best friend, all of that I was pretty on board with, but the downfall of all of them was the FMC, Elizabeth. She was so incredibly frustrating because I actually quite liked her, but she is also one of the most emotionally constipated characters I’ve read in a while. I was literally chanting for her to attend therapy (and with another member of the Knitting circle being a therapist, I really thought it would happen a lot sooner.) She is a perfect example of why grief counseling is really important when a young person goes through something traumatic. That said, her qualms made perfect sense for why she was so hesitant to date Nico, but it was still frustrating how long things went in circles because she couldn’t deal with her own shit.
Nico was actually a real highlight of this book for me. I definitely was marking some red flags when Elizabeth discussed their high school days. He bullied her because he couldn’t handle his feelings, but I was impressed at how mature he responded when confronted with that. Still not my favorite thing in a romance, but I was surprised at how the author managed to change my tune. This man is head over heels for Elizabeth, so he was down-right adorable, romantic, and funny, but I’ll admit, pushing things too far at times when Elizabeth was clearly uncomfortable. The third act conflict comes about because he puts on the breaks for, what I believe, to be a very logical reason, but this is a romance book, so screw logic right? The way this book ends had me smacking myself with the book. I had to suspend so much disbelief to live in their romantic bubble, but still pretty damn cute, I’ll admit. Even though I did have so many logistical questions to raise.
I also had some issues with the writing, though I would remind myself this was only Reid’s second book. First, rather than actually writing a swear word, Reid would just state that the character was cursing. I don’t mind that occasionally, but sometimes it did seem a little silly. Just say fuck! Second, there were also a few phrases that were repeated here and there which isn’t inherently a bad thing, but I felt like the fact that I picked up on many of them did make the writing feel repetitive. Finally, I have a personal issue with the number of times Elizabeth said “bottom” to refer to her ass. Idk, it reminds me of my grandma, plus felt oddly juvenile.
Most of the time I was reading this, I actually really enjoyed it. I was laughing and kicking my feet, but I also was so freaking annoyed by Elizabeth. I liked this book, but it also irritated me, though not in the same way Neanderthal Seeks Human did. However, it did make me more invested in some of the future heroines in the series to continue.
The setup, second chance romance, childhood enemies, ex’s best friend, all of that I was pretty on board with, but the downfall of all of them was the FMC, Elizabeth. She was so incredibly frustrating because I actually quite liked her, but she is also one of the most emotionally constipated characters I’ve read in a while. I was literally chanting for her to attend therapy (and with another member of the Knitting circle being a therapist, I really thought it would happen a lot sooner.) She is a perfect example of why grief counseling is really important when a young person goes through something traumatic. That said, her qualms made perfect sense for why she was so hesitant to date Nico, but it was still frustrating how long things went in circles because she couldn’t deal with her own shit.
Nico was actually a real highlight of this book for me. I definitely was marking some red flags when Elizabeth discussed their high school days. He bullied her because he couldn’t handle his feelings, but I was impressed at how mature he responded when confronted with that. Still not my favorite thing in a romance, but I was surprised at how the author managed to change my tune. This man is head over heels for Elizabeth, so he was down-right adorable, romantic, and funny, but I’ll admit, pushing things too far at times when Elizabeth was clearly uncomfortable. The third act conflict comes about because he puts on the breaks for, what I believe, to be a very logical reason, but this is a romance book, so screw logic right? The way this book ends had me smacking myself with the book. I had to suspend so much disbelief to live in their romantic bubble, but still pretty damn cute, I’ll admit. Even though I did have so many logistical questions to raise.
I also had some issues with the writing, though I would remind myself this was only Reid’s second book. First, rather than actually writing a swear word, Reid would just state that the character was cursing. I don’t mind that occasionally, but sometimes it did seem a little silly. Just say fuck! Second, there were also a few phrases that were repeated here and there which isn’t inherently a bad thing, but I felt like the fact that I picked up on many of them did make the writing feel repetitive. Finally, I have a personal issue with the number of times Elizabeth said “bottom” to refer to her ass. Idk, it reminds me of my grandma, plus felt oddly juvenile.
Most of the time I was reading this, I actually really enjoyed it. I was laughing and kicking my feet, but I also was so freaking annoyed by Elizabeth. I liked this book, but it also irritated me, though not in the same way Neanderthal Seeks Human did. However, it did make me more invested in some of the future heroines in the series to continue.