Ah, the memories, all those conversations with friends, the wondering…

But there was no Benjamin. There were romance novels and movies and lots of unrealistic expectations and dating. No Benjamin.

Is this novel a YA novel of what things are supposed to be like? A fantasy? Because there is no Benjamin, the professional-level-lover, not at 18. Or is this a new adult novel of looking back and laughing in recollection?

There is realistic body image in the book- yay. Parents? Not too real. Scenes? Mixed bag. Banter? Fantastic. No fear of this arrangement blowing up all over social media - seriously? Ending- sweet, until I think about an 18-year-old hoping for HEA after a summer of dating. I’d so much rather have the two of them agree to be friends and go their separate ways, off to adventure and adult lives. THAT would have made a great summer of discovery.

Title: A Heartwarming Rom-Com Delight! 🌟📚
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

I had the absolute pleasure of diving into "Frenemies With Benefits" by Lydia Sharp, and I can't thank Entangled enough for providing me with this captivating ARC read on NetGalley! 📖💕

In a sea of intense romances, this book was a refreshing and cozy escape that I didn't know I needed. Settle in for a heartwarming ride as you follow the delightful journey of these characters. The story was beautifully written and kept me glued to the pages from start to finish.

Lydia Sharp's storytelling prowess shines through in this feel-good romantic comedy. After a string of darker romances, "Frenemies With Benefits" offered a much-needed change of pace. The characters' banter and chemistry were simply hilarious and amazing, making every minute of this book a joy to read.

As I eagerly await its official release on August 29th, I can't help but hope that this gem receives the attention it truly deserves. So if you're looking for a light, entertaining read to brighten your day, mark your calendars and be ready to grab this book when it hits the shelves!

In my bookish journey, "Frenemies With Benefits" easily earns a solid 4 out of 5 stars. 🌟 A big shoutout to Lydia Sharp for crafting such an amazing story, and to Entangled for bringing it to eager readers like me. 🙌✨

Frenemies With Benefits is cute, fun, and funny. Loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

A sweet and genuine YA romance with some pretty great banter thrown in for good measure. The misunderstandings and communication between the leads definitely felt very teen, but their overall chemistry was really fun to read. Finished it very quickly because it was so enjoyable!

Jess Webster is your typical just graduated teen. She can barely talk to a guy and has yet to explore anything sexual of that nature. But she decides to take the plunge and finally get Andrew, the guy she’s Lon time crushed on. But to do so she uses Benjamin Oliver as a stepping stone to help her get over all the awkwardness. Benjamin’s the hot jock quarterback but also a pain in Jess’s side.

Take enemies to somewhat friends and than add in the benefits and boom here’s a story. I love a good falling for the enemy, bad guy, and someone you didn’t see coming story. Jess wants Andrew but little did she know building a connection with Ben would help her open her world more.

This was a cute, down to earth, rom-com that had me laughing and wishing I could go back to my high school days and redo some of the awkwardness that comes with find yourself. Jess and Benjamin’s banter was perfect and I loved the characters. I could definitely relate with Jess with being someone who wasn’t quite there in experiences like everyone else.

All I all, I enjoyed this book and the realness it had. So if you’re looking for a funny rom-com that will leave you smiling and feeling lighthearted.. look no further!

Ahhh cute young love. This was such a really cute read. I enjoyed their banter during their deal aka fake relationship. Some of it brought me back to my high school days. I’m happy with the ending. I love that during this book you could tell that they were falling for each other. She was falling for him as much as he was falling more for her. This was a fun read and would recommend. So many feels.

Ben and Jess are a lot of fun. I think it's pretty obvious from the start that he is in love with her but I love a clueless heroine. I also love that she thought they weren't dating when they did literally everything that people dating do. I would love a bonus chapter from Ben's pov possibly from a future proposal?

I received an arc through netgalley.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Jess Webster is barely able to function around cure guys, so learning that her older brother will be bringing his hot friend Andrew home for the summer, she knows she needs to do something to be able to entice him. Before Andrew arrives, Jess needs someone to practice her seduction on, and to be intimate with, so that she isn't a complete novice. Who better to ask than complete pain in the ass, Benjamin Oliver. Jess and Ben have never gotten along, but it is undeniable that there's a chemistry between them to explore, and he has more than enough practice to help Jess. Becoming secret 'friends-with-benefits', Jess and Ben realise that they have more in common than just their attraction to each other, and what may have started out as simply a scheme to scratch the itch, soon becomes the most important relationship either has ever had.

I LOVED this book! Honestly, it's the book that teenagers need, and I'm a little gutted that it wasn't around when I was younger. Jess and Ben are so brutally real, and this book doesn't glamorise relationships to an unnatural extent, but shows sex and intimacy in all it's true glory. The banter between the pair kept me so hooked, and I really believed in their relationship. There are some heartfelt moments too, where family issues are discussed, and walls broken down. Ben fell so hard for Jess, and it was adorable to see him yearning for her, when Jess was completely oblivious. I guessed at some of the 'twists' which came, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. Honestly, this was fantastic, and I want to read more books like this in the future!

Let me start with what I loved, this book is cute, funny, and emotional, and is just a fun read, I found myself laughing so many times, on top of that have I mentioned how cute it is???

Jess is one of those girls that is practical, she knows what the world is and where she fits into it, she's not someone that believes life ends happily ever after but she does believe that with practice there's nothing she can't do.

Benjamin seems to be the typical sports king of their high school, he's the quarterback, the ladies man, and the Mayor's son, no pressure in any of that at all.

Jess and Ben keep getting thrown together because of their friend group of six they're the only singles, well when Ben isn't with someone that is, and the two of them are just plain explosive together.

When Jess finds out her brother is coming home for the summer and bringing his best friend Andrew home with him Jess nearly loses her mind. You see Jess has the biggest of the big crushes on Andrew and just knows that if she can spend some time with him he'll fall in love with her and she might just get a chance at being truly happy.

There's only one little catch to her plan, she's "inexperienced" and thinks her lack of experience will keep her dreams from coming true, so what does she do??? She makes a deal with Ben, of course, to finally go all the way and be ready to start dating the college man of her dreams.

Through crazy dates and realizing everything isn't always as it seems Jess realizes that she's perfect just the way she is and that Ben is so much more than he seems, can we say cello-playing prodigy?

Jess also realizes that no matter how scared it may make her she can be the one to stand up and say something, she can be the one to talk to people she doesn't know, and she can be the one that realizes when she's made a huge mistake and then fix it.

I will say the only (and I mean only) thing that kept me from giving this one five stars is that in my opinion, this isn't a young adult book, it's more new adult, there are a lot of topics/experiences that are touched on (no pun intended) that don't fall into the YA genre for me, let's be honest here, that cover is adorable, I can see someone picking this up for a 12/13-year-old based off the blurb and the cover and it's really detailed (I'll never look at ice cream cones the same way again) for the lower end of the y/a age range.

Overall I loved this book though, it's fun and funny, thought-provoking, and way spicier than I thought it was going to be while showing that even when things aren't perfect life isn't hopeless when you have good friends, a strong support system, and belief in yourself. .

Thank you to Entangled and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this ebook, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @entangledteen for an early copy of Frenemies with Benefits by @lydiadawnsharp. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Check out the blurb here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62039335-frenemies-with-benefits?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=QhTkvYppJZ&rank=1

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

Frenemies with Benefits is such a cute and steamy, coming-of-age novel with a relatable FMC Jess, who’s incredibly shy and feels like she’s the odd woman out in her friend group, but is still quite confident with how she is, what she wears, and what she does. She can’t stand Benjamin, who’s best friends with her best friend’s boyfriend, which makes them stuck together in the same friend group.

With Andrew, Jess’ crush and her brother’s friend coming over for the summer, she asks Ben to show her the ropes of having a physical relationship to help her ease her nervousness around Andrew when he comes over, and it all goes uphill from there as they sneak behind everyone’s backs as Ben gives her the experience of a lifetime.

Though they spar verbally every chance they get, their chemistry is just so cute and funny. I enjoyed their banter and how they tease each other during their deal/fake relationship – it just feels so natural, and nothing makes me swoon knowing that Benjamin fell for Jess as hard as she did for him. I honestly didn’t feel Jess liked Andrew at all as she had a lot more chemistry and strong feelings for Ben. As the story progressed, Ben just became more and more sweet towards Jess and showed her how real their relationship was for him, but as these tropes go on, they fail to truly communicate with words about their feelings until the last minute.

This is a perfect read for a chill, steamy weekend. Rating Frenemies with Benefits ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5. Releases August 29th, 2023!

First of all, thank you to Entangled and NetGalley for this e-ARC.
Now onto my thoughts…

Ugh, this book was so cute.
I absolutely could not get enough of Jessie and Ben. They were the prime example of, “I hate you so much that I love you” and I love me a good enemies to lovers trope.
This book was a good representation of high school relationships (as well as situationships) without the shame that usually comes with the discussion of such occurrences, when they are very very real and prevalent. There were points when I felt reminiscent of my time in high school while I read this book and was able to relate so well to the characters, even though I’ve been out of high school almost 15 years.
The characters are relatable, dynamic, and three dimensional. Jessie and Ben are two characters who grow tremendously throughout this book, Jessie especially, and show the reader that you don’t have to have it all figured out in life. Sometimes you just need to let life happen and embrace the uncertainty.
I cannot recommend this book enough. Frenemies with Benefits has my heart through and through. I will absolutely be getting a physical copy for my bookshelf when it comes out on August 29th.

Jessica and Ben! I love their chemistry and their bickering. Their relationship started as fake and for a favor but I love everything about it. It doesn't seem forced because it wasn't really forced in the first place! I love them both!

ARC REVIEW
I loved this! The smile i had barely left my face while reading this. I love the fake dating and how oblivious the characters were to their own feelings at the beginning. Definitely recommend 👌. Also, new book boyfriend alert!!

Frenemies with Benefits is a story that is not so far from the reality that teenagers live in these times! I love how Ben is and the way he treats Jess.
If I had to describe this story, I would say that it is funny and refreshing. It has the perfect balance. Everyone is going to love the witch and the scarecrow!!

This book should have existed when I was in high school! This is a great coming of age RomCom for sure! Also, now that I am a parent all of the information you get about her mom and the true reasons their relationship has changed so much toward the end of the book hits really different for me! Some of the book seemed very immature for me personally but that I'm sure is because of the stage I am in in my own life. The relationships were relatable, seemed real and I was absolutely invested in not only Jessie and Ben's relationship and future but also their entire friend group. I will absolutely be recommending this to my young adult nieces and some of my former students. ♥️ Yay for a Body Positive, Female Empowering, Romantic story that I truly enjoyed reading!

If I were asked what book did you previously read but still decided to go to the bookshop just to buy a physical copy so you could re-read it? I would most definitely say this book.
"Frenemies with Benefits" is a fun, nostalgic read. This book is one you would pick up, sit in your nearest coffee shop, order your favorite drink and just flip through the pages, the progressing figures of everyone else blurry behind the pages.
It's a book that will have you smiling hysterically throughout. It's playful, it's hot, it's cute, it's funny and it's a most read for lovers of contemporary rom-com.

This was such a cute little romcom. It’s so obvious what’s going to happen, it the depth she gave each character was so great to read 💕

For the mature reader, this hilarious 'coming of age' story is one that anyone reminiscing on their ' first time' should consider.

I really liked the pact made by these frenemies but it was very clear from the start that Benjamin was 'all in' fairly early into their 'arrangement'.

Tutoring Jessica on intimacy, and all that entails, is an amazing balance of cute and humorous. The verbal back and forth is highly entertaining and the one liners (of which there are numerous) makes this novel even more worthy of a read.

I'll certainly be looking for more YA titles from Lydia Sharp...her special brand of humour and witty dialogue is a real winner for me!

Frenemies with Benefits by Lydia Sharp was such a great story. I love a great enemy to lover story and this book offered just that.

I want to start off by saying I wish I had this book when I was a teenager. It was refreshing to read a YA book that openly discusses relationships. As a fan of the fake dating trope, I thought Sharp did a wonderful job of creating an entertaining storyline. I really enjoyed the banter and chemistry between Jess and Ben. Ben's grand gesture at the end was ADORABLE. There were a few things I did not like about the book. There were quite a few times where I found myself rolling my eyes at Jess's dramatics. I also found it odd that Jess was so obsessed with Andrew when she barely knew him. Another thing that frustrated me was the realism of the story. If Jeremy and Ben were actually playing college football for division 1 teams, they would have been at their respective colleges the whole summer. Although this was a minor plot point, it bugged me enough to throw off my reading. Overall, I thought this was a fun and easy read! Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC.