Jess and Ben are the spare wheels in their group of friends. At every opportunity they snipe at one another, yet when Jess talks about needing to find a way to get the attention of her elder brother’s hot friend it’s Ben who devises an outrageous plan. Bizarrely suggesting the only way to get the attention of someone in their twenties is to not be a virgin, Jess enlists the help of her frenemy.
Their deal is that Ben will teach her how to be sexually confident. In return she will grant him a favour of his choosing. The only rule is…nobody can know.
From start to finish this was a fun read. A rather dubious idea, and I wasn’t totally sure about the sentiment behind the plan, but in a Judy Blume Forever-inspired romance this sent a really positive message about the need to talk and communicate openly if you’re going to have sex.
I may never see salted caramel ice cream in the same way again, and the ending was a little contrived, but this was highly entertaining. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this prior to publication.

Benjamin and Jessie are such a fun couple. Their banter is absolutely bonkers and their love to hate each other kept me laughing throughout the whole book. The little twist at the end was shocking and I was impressed by the growth of all characters involved. The steam was totally appropriate for a YA book and I thought the supporting characters were super likable as well.

(2.5 Stars) I am clearly not the right demographic for this novel. The thing I loved most is the cute cover. The premise is that graduating senior Jess Webster learns that her brother is bringing home his hot roommate mid summer. Of course she has a crush on him. She decides the only way to attract him is to be good at sex. Not going to look for common interests or learn some words in his native language. Nope. She is going to give up her virginity card because that will attract Anthony. Not sure how that works.

I’ve read and given five stars to books that similar I need to get comfortable with my sexuality themes. But this thought process combined with the barely turning 18 screams immaturity to me. She choses her frenemie Benjamin Oliver. He is the hot quarterback that led his team to win the state championship. He is also wealthy and son of the town mayor. Ben happily agrees to be her boy toy. At one point when his friends are mocking him for being with her, he doesn’t say anything to defend her but instead moves in for second of third base (not sure which) groping and kissing her in public. Not sure why he didn’t just whip it out and pee on her to mark his territory.

The book does bring up disparity in wealth and has parent interactions but they don’t really lead to anything. Jess frets about being seen as a gold digger and then lets him pay $5K for a dress for her friends wedding. She literally can’t afford a car and doesn’t have a plan for a vocation but accepts this gift. That’s when i knew this book was fantasy and the scene is just an excuse for bunny humping in a public place. Finally, I really disliked the ending. It has a magical wrap up that makes no sense in reality. I’m actually surprised at how negative I’m feeling while writing this review because I wasn’t miserable reading the book. It has some cute moments. I just had to suspend my idea of reality.

This squeaks into YA range because of the age of the teens and the book doesn’t get explicit even though they spend a month humping like bunnies. As a school librarian, I can see this being a hard book to get on to a high school book shelf in my state. Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing LLC for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

Loved every moment of this book. This had me laughing out loud multiple times because I see a lot of myself in Jessie. From the word vomit moments, the mental dialog, and her actions, it was like reading a book of my life back at that age. I can see this being a staple coming of age book for generations.

This upper-YA book was an incredibly fun read! It made me laugh out loud, swoon a bit, and generally reminded me how glad I am that I'm not in high school/college anymore! Our main character, Jess, is incredibly shy but has a crush on her brother's close friend who happens to be coming for a visit in just a few weeks. Jess decides she needs to practice how to flirt (and how to be romantically intimate) on someone else so she'll be ready to maximize her time with her crush. To do that, she makes a deal with her frenemy: hot golden boy jock Ben, who is all too happy to teach her how to kiss, how to flirt, how to...eat ice cream, etc. Of course, learning all of that with Ben makes it a lot harder to move on to the original object of desire, and normal teenage feelings and hijinks ensue. I really liked the dialogue in this, and the side characters were well developed. Strongly recommended for any YA reader open to frank discussions/activities related to sex, but probably a little much for younger eyes.

Note: I received this ARC through netgalley but it does not affect my review or opinion of this book.

"Love isn't perfection - its the opposite. It's two imperfect people making mistakes together and memories together and learning and growing from each other and leaning on each other. Trusting each other"

Jess's brothers best friend, Andrew is coming into town for the summer and now is Jess's chance to seduce him. However, Jess cannot even begin to form a full sentence around him. In an effort to prepare herself for his arrival, Jess makes a deal with Ben (her annoying, but handsome friend-group acquaintance) to help prepare her intimately, so she doesn't make a foul of herself when Andrew arrives. What goes from a sex education, becomes fake dating when she gets caught by surprise sneaking home by her brother Chris.

This is as if I was reliving every teen movie I ever dreamed of - I felt like a 15 year reading this, completely melting and swooning the entirety of the book over an 18 year old. Then I was snapped back into reality when the teens say "When will people who were born in a year starting with nineteen figure out that they aren't the younger generation anymore" THE AUDACITY.

This book has fantastic banter, great characters, perfect chemistry, hilarious moments and some real issues that teens deal with. I adored it. The author also includes a note to readers, as this book touches a lot on sex (from great sex, to unplanned pregnancies) and consent, this is a book I wish I had when I was younger.

Now don't shy away, even if you are a strict adult reader, I completely loved it and I think you will too. Especially if you enjoy:

- Romcoms
- Enemies to Fake Dating to Lovers to Friends etc.
- Great banter
- Relatable teen experiences (peer pressure, pleasing people, etc).
- Coming of age
- Sexual Exploration
- Fake Dating
- Friends with Benefits
- Consent

Thank you so much to Brittany Zimmerman, Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Loved this book! Super cute teen romcom. I could see this being a movie! I wish this book existed when I was a teenager.

This plot was so cute! Frenemies!! That word alone tells you everything you need to know about this book!

Jess and Ben are arch nemesis. They sit at the same lunch table because they are in the same friend group. They spent their entire senior year insulting each other. Jess’s college crush will be in town all summer and Jess needs help getting him to notice her. Ben, jokingly or maybe not jokingly, offers to teach her everything she needs to know in 4 weeks about talking to guys to having sex. Jess decides to take Ben up on his offer. She could learn a lot from the high school jock right? He’s experienced.

I found myself rooting for Jess and Ben the whole time. Their chemistry was great. I was smiling at parts when Ben was sweet to Jess, and laughing at parts when he was sarcastic to her.

“Love isn’t perfection—it’s the opposite. It’s two imperfect people making mistakes together and memories together and learning and growing from each other and leaning on each other. Trusting each other.“

This book was so freaking good it hit all the marks I laughed I cringed (in a good way) I swooned I even almost cried I loved this so so so much. This book does "Enemies to Lovers" and fake dating so well in a combined story of young love and finding yourself after high school. We got to follow Jessie and Benjamin as they end high school and spend a summer finding love from the silly deal made on graduation day.

OMG yaaaas!!! ❤️😭❤️

Jess Webster is graduating high school as a shy, awkward virgin. She didn’t plan it that way, that’s just where the shy and awkward part comes in. Now that high school is over, Jess has her eyes set on her brother’s friend, Andrew. Things seem to be working in her favor because in four weeks, her brother Chris and Andrew will be coming back for the summer! The only problem? Andrew is an experienced college boy and Jess is as inexperienced as you can get.

When longtime enemy, Benjamin Oliver suggests she needs someone to practice with, she doesn’t take him seriously. The more she thinks about it, though, she reluctantly decides he’s right. And who better to practice with than Ben himself? Sure he’s insufferable, but he’s hot and that has to count for something. So starts a steamy frenemies with benefits relationship with a strict rule that it ends in 4 weeks. Easier said than done.

When Chris and Andrew finally come home, Jess lets it slip that she’s been with Ben and when they assume he’s her boyfriend, she doesn’t deny it. So begins her fake/not so fake relationship with non other than freaking Ben Oliver. A plan is set in motion to make Andrew jealous and get him to notice her as more than Chris’s little sister. But what if that’s no longer what she wants? What if Ben is not who she thought he was at all?

This was funny, charming, witty and definitely had me in my feels. I loved Jess and Ben together! I didn’t really see Jess as being shy as it was stated a few times. Awkward around certain guys, sure, but shy she was not in my opinion. The chemistry between Ben and Jesus was off the charts and I was smiling through every interaction.

This had all my favorite tropes in one: enemies to lovers, fake dating, opposites attract, rich/poor, all the good stuff! This was fast paced and kept me interested the whole time- I couldn’t put it down! I laughed, I cried (read: sobbed), I squealed-this was perfection. I can see this one soaring to the top of Booktok already! This is a must read and I cannot recommend it enough! I just have one question? Where can I find myself a Ben Oliver?!

Jessie is the 18 year old virgin who hates Ben. Ben is the playboy who hates Jessie. They are constantly picking at each other but it as the saying goes though, there’s a fine line between love and hate and that line gets really blurry when s3x is involved.

I think this author did a phenomenal job of giving “the talk” not to mention the benefits of a healthy relationship and the consequences that can come if we’re careless. It’s perfect for more adult teens and young adults trying to figure it all out.

I was shocked by the length of it though. I got an e-arc so it may not be a hefty book but about halfway through I thought it was surely the end but nope, still more to go. Im glad it went as long as it did though. The length benefited the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Frenemies with Benefits was such a cute little romcom. There were times I had to remind myself the characters were only 18 as the dialogue became a little cringy. But I heavily enjoyed the banter between the main group of friends.

I found Jess extremely relatable with feeling left out that all her friends have had sex and that she wouldn’t be able to get a college guy with her lack of experience. She was awkward but witty and sarcastic. Also infuriatingly dense at times.

Ben was a typical playboy that grew on me by the end. I loved seeing his vulnerable side shine through with every encounter with Jess. They had great chemistry and Ben was absolutely swoon worthy with his affections.

3.5 stars because I didn’t really understand the Andrew appeal. Jess didn’t even know him but was obsessed. And I immediately saw the “twist” with him coming when he was introduced. I also didn’t care for her best friend Rayna. She was drunk most of the time, extremely superficial, and selfish.

Overall I would highly recommend for mature teens/young adults. A cute, fun book that you can’t help but smile and laugh while reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Entangled for the eArc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Entangled Teen and Netgalley for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an absolutely adorable, feet kicking, happy squeals, late night belly tightening with laughter rom-com of a upper YA coming of age book!

Jessica and Benjamin ("It's Ben-") met 9 months ago when their best friends started dating, and have hated each other ever since. That is, until in the wake of graduation Jessica get's a call from her brother and he is bringing his gorgeous roommate Andrew home for the summer. Jessica is crushing, hard, but is entirely shy and inexperienced with boys. Ben is your football star, Mr. Popular and has an idea, lose her virginity and gain the confidence she needs to seduce her dream guy. But it's all a joke right? he couldn't actually be proposing such a ludicrous idea right? Except, the more she thinks about it, the more she thinks she SHOULD. Graduation is here, and she's going to go for it, she has a month before Andrew arrives and how could she possibly get attached to the boy she hates anyway? So she goes for it, Ben and her make a pack and seal it with a toe curling kiss. What could possibly go wrong?

Like I said, originally, this book was absolutely adorable! From the start the banter was fantastic and the characters sink in their nails and never let you go. Now, its been a little while since I had just been a newly graduated 18 year old, but this still made me feel like it was capturing the essence of what it is to be a teenager/young adult in the modern world. Lydia didn't shy away from breeching some topics of real world problems all while delivering it in such a way that it didn't overshadow the full story but added depth.

This is definitely a fade-to-black upper YA book, while it does get right up until the go point, there is no on page sexual acts. Which I thought was an interesting choice to make a book about a sex pact YA. While my brain struggled with this notion, it was still a fantastic light read. I demolished it in a day.

This was such a fun and adorable rom-com, it says frenemies but there is a bit more to that story and it is so much fun to read about. These two are so funny together and fun to watch their interactions and what happens with them. Never a dull moment.
This book is said to be a YA, but I think it's for the older YA and adults bc there is some spice.
Jess and Benjamin -they can't stand each other (or so they think, right?!?!!?) but their best friends are dating so they have to deal with each other. They are both kinda the 3rd wheels, which makes them coupled up together often.
Jess has a crush on her brother's friend, so she needs help with how to attract a guy, she has no experience with boys.
So we have enemies who fake date (secretly.....) what could go wrong. Spending so much time together. 4 weeks of this strictly "business" deal
Ben starts off as kinda a jerk but just wait til you read the book, he def changes.
There is also a huge twist that you might not expect.
Read in a 1 day sitting bc it was soooo good and couldn't put it down.
Well written, fun, great characters and many funny moments
Loved it

I was so glad to have been able to read this ARC thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. The above review/opinion is my own, honest and voluntary.

I loved this, it was a very entertaining read and a great representation of teenage relationships, including peer pressure, teenage pregnancy and family relationships


I enjoyed reading this and my full review is on goodreads ( i've attached a link)

Username: Sahi (Taylor's version)

Thank you to Entangled for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

This is a fun new adult romance. Jess Webster is graduating from high school, and her brother and his best friend Andrew will be spending the summer at her home. She has a huge crush on Andrew, but is worried that she's not experienced enough to attract him. So she agrees to a benefits only, no strings relationship with her frenemy/rival Benjamin.

I really enjoyed the text exchanges between Jess and Ben. Their relationship was so fun to read about. I appreciated their frank conversations about consent. I frequently wanted Ben's perspective to see as much into his head as we do for Jess. I enjoyed how well developed their circle of friends was as well.

I didn't love the author's note that started the book. It put me in the mindset of whether this was the book I would recommend for teens; it took me a bit to return to just enjoying it for the story. In that vein, I would have liked more pushback against the idea that virginity is bad, and people need to be sexually experienced to be attractive.

Overall, this is a light coming-of-age romance, but with just enough more serious topics to add nuance and texture.

CW: parental abuse

This book was really cute, I am a sucker for a good enemies to lovers read! I will say the only thing I wish the book went more into detail on would be Benjamin and him playing the cello.

I loved this book! This is the kind of teen/YA romance I wish I could’ve read when I was that age. I loved all of the characters so much. Jessie and Ben were the cutest and I loved their banter. Their chemistry was undeniable and the way they helped each other grow warmed my heart.

I received an arc of this book from Entangled Teen and Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

This book was lots of fun, super lighthearted and cute. I love that the author emphasized verified consent and bodily autonomy. The characters were adorable.

I was a bit confused about the target audience of this book, though. The characters read like they were MAYBE 16, but they were 18. Their sexual experiences, in my opinion, read like those of someone in their 20s, not in their late teens. While they weren’t explicit, the frequency of sex scenes made me surprised that this passed as a young adult novel.

There were some cringey scenes (looking at you, 2 chapters), but that is typical of young adult novels in my experience.

Overall, I had fun with this book and it was well written! I look forward to reading more from Entangled Teen and this author.

Honestly such a great read and definitely would have been a book I related to a lot when I was 16-18. The flirting/jabs at each other that the characters did was great and I really loved they’re chemistry.