I’m sorry but I couldn’t get past the opening chapter. The fat phobic nonsense in the opening page immediately rubbed me up the wrong way and the writing was of a subpar standard. There are too many great books to read to waste more time on this one.

I really couldn't get into this book, I found it hard and quite immature to get into. I would not recommend this book unless I know someone who would like this sort of story.

What a ride was this book, and sadly, not in a good way.
The writing is not it for me, it felt immature, but not in a way where it is written for children. More in a way where the author can't just say what needs to be said, or the other way around: says things that are totally unnecessary. Example: 'Okay, my description of chick clothes aren't the best, but you can imagine the kind of things she makes'.
The way Jake views women in the first half of the book made me feel uncomfortable. It felt like he just sees them as lust objects, and cant connect with them on a mental level. It got better in the second half, but by then I couldn't let it go.
I also feel uncomfortable with how often Jake did not respect Jess' boundaries. He only thought of what he wanted. I feel like the author wrote this in a way that makes me as a reader feel like this should be a health relationship, which it isn't.

In the end I really think the story had great potential, but the execution wasn't even okay for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

✦ Friends to lovers
✦ Return to Hometown
✦ Roommates
✦ Only one bed

This felt like it was written by a man. The way the author writes about women is so hard to read.
It truly feels like the author has never met another woman before. They way they describe what ‘all women want’ is insane. Have we not learnt that the male gaze and female gaze are very different? This book feels as thought it was completely written through the male gaze.

Jake is insufferable. He thinks he’s above everyone else, including his friends which he doesn’t even seem to like so why be friends with them?

I like the idea of the book. Taking a friend along with you when you go back to your hometown to keep you company because your ex will be there. That’s a very fun premise. I just can’t get past the writing.

A few specific things I had a problem with

• Fatphobia on page one.
• Calling grown women ‘girls’ instead of ‘women’.
• Calling women loose, milfs, chicks.
• Side characters introducing their girlfriend’s and calling them ‘crazy and annoying as hell’.
• Jake rating how ‘sexy’ Jess’s outfits were. Most of them were outfits she made herself and always said they looked bad???
• Using the phrase ‘man-hug’. It’s 2023. We can just say hug.
• The whole ‘he’s mean to you because he likes you’ thing is SO harmful and should not be put into a book as a ‘fun and cute’ little joke. It’s how people explain away abusive relationships and is just disgusting.

Emily and Jake were not dating and he’s acting like because he was nice to Emily when they were kids she owed him everything.
He was sleeping with a bunch of different women in college but she couldn’t sleep with anyone but him? And of course it’s her fault they’re not friends? No. He’s an entitled asshole.
He also proposes the same day he knows his brother is going to propose which is a complete dick move.

I was extremely disappointed and honestly, offended by the content in this book.

Jessie and Jake have been roommates and best friends for years. Since a few months they are friends with benefits but only when they are drunk. Now Jake goes on a vacation where he will face the woman who broke his heart and he convinces Jessie to come along to support him. Once they are on vacation and surrounded by happy couples feelings start to shift.
I liked reading this book it was funny and entertaining. I could not always relate to the main characters problems but I enjoyed this summer read.

I received an ARC via Netgalley.com and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Oh this was a difficult book to review - there were some parts I loved and others I really struggled. I struggled to connect with characters, in particular Jake. Right from the start, I found Jake to be insufferable and a bit unlikeable. Some of his, and his friends, comments about other women were really grating and portrayed his as bit of a prat.

I thought the start was really sweet but found I didn't connect with the romance part of the story.

Overall the writing was really well done and easy to read, but this one wasn't for me!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC! Opinions are my own

I struggled to finish this book. Maybe it's on me, but once i got like 30% into it, it felt like every other book plot ever. No originality and the characters could not hold my attention for too long. It might be because their arrangement is so obviously not working for both of them that I could feel them lying to themselves the whole time?

This book was ok, unfortunately I really didn’t like it connect with the main characters which is a pretty major limitation for my enjoyment of the book. I didn’t like Jake and found him superficial and a little two dimensional as a character. Although some development was attempted with Jess I felt as if I knew nothing about her except she has a good body!

The writing was good overall but unfortunately just not my cup of tea!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This was my first Laura Carter read. I think I might have enjoyed it more if I'd read the first two in the series. I know friends to lovers isn't a favorite trope for many but I typically like it. In this case, I understood the motivations for the arrangement between Jess and Jake but wasn't sure why it proceeded that way for so long. I didn't love Jake's character, I thought he was kind of a dick. Overall, it wasn't the writing that made me lean with 3 stars instead of 4, but Jake and the story lagged a bit for me.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for review.

Friends with Benefits is about two friends that live together and only sleep together when they are drunk. As the story unfolds, it is made know why the main characters are not in a relationship. Both of the characters past relationship experiences are discussed and the reader starts to understand the characters better. The ending was very sweet. I do wish there was an epilogue that showed the characters in the future.

Im gonna be real I did enjoy parts of this but not the overall story. I liked the message of her finding her own little family and learning about it but I feel like there was quite a few unanswered parts for me. I did not like Emily in the slightest they talked about how she was such an important part of his life until college yet we barely see her and when we do its not alot to grasp onto besides seeing them at the very beginning of the story when he beats the other kid up. I did like just kind of felt the whole thing was rushed and I would’ve liked to see more of their relationship even in the FWB stage instead of the random flashbacks here and there.


Thank you netgalley and the author for allowing to enjoy your story!

Oof. I was immediately turned off during the first chapter when we meet the “bully” and instead of talking about him being an ass or a social climber or something like that, it’s just repeated over and over again how fat he is. Fast forward a bit and Jake is referring to someone at work he slept with as “looser than a slip knot”. I sincerely hoped that these instances were over exaggerated to make a point about what an absolute douche bag the main character is, but unfortunately he doesn’t really get much better with time. I wish I could look past that when reading the story but it’s really hard to get into a romance where you absolutely hate the main character. I won’t be posting a review on any social media out of respect for the author and publisher giving me an arc copy but this was an absolute no from me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
The story started sweet. A ten year old boy defends an eight year old girl. Then time shifts and the boy becomes a man, moving to another country, and living with another girl. He is totally not interested in her but they occasionally sleep together (this not cool for a romance novel). He returns back to his country and takes this friend of his, just for support because he is afraid of still having feelings for the childhood girlfriend (of like 10-15 years). He later understands that he is in love with the casual friend. What?
I really did expect that he would turn from an ordinary douche to an actually romance hero, because what happened in between was not satisfactory. We can not say “this is life” because, this is a romance book..
I am sorry the hints of Jess (the casual friend) being the real love interest were not that obvious and he was already not into her beforehand. I am not writing further out of respect..

The story of Jake and Jess follows a recognizable friends-to-lovers trope and digs deep into fear of commitment. They both have history, Jake with his life-long childhood love (who he never actually dated?) and Jess with losing her parents (and a failed engagement?) the plot is a little confusing and it’s a bit difficult to figure out what actually happened in the past. And yet, there was too much else covering up this delightful core to make the book enjoyable at all. Jake and his friends are macho, get-into-physical-fights-over-women type of people. One line expresses Jake’s anger over his friend even looking at Jess, while another is shock that a minor character doesn’t check her out despite how “hot she looks.” He is possessive and focuses almost all his attention on Jess’ physical appearance, frequently rating her appearance on a scale of 10 throughout the book, accompanied by his reasoning for why it’s not working for him. Frankly, it’s gross and degrading and takes away from what could have been a very sweet story.

This didn’t start off great for me and neither did it ended that well but the middle part of the book was great. I greatly enjoyed that and I liked Jess’s personality but i couldn’t help feeling that she deserved better.


Jack in the first chapter was just so degrading of other women and he also was flirting with other women while in the arrangement with Jess. He really isn’t my favorite character of the book.


Also, I feel like there was a certain aspect in Jess’s past that should have been provided closure too. Anyways the book was actually a quick fun read!


Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing this ARC!

This book was okay, but I didn't love it.

I though the writing was well done and it was an easy read.

I think the main thing I didn't like was the two main characters... which makes it really hard to enjoy a book.

I didn't like Jake's attitude for the most part and it was kind of weird to read, especially in the first chapter. In this chapter he fights a classmate but he's 10? I'm sure 10 year olds fight, but the way his thoughts were written, I assumed he would have been older at the time.

I also wasn't a huge fan of Jess, but her backstory was enjoyable.

The plot was well paced and full of humour, which was redeeming to me.

Friends With Benefits by Laura Carter
4.25 ⭐

I didn't really like Jess but I liked Jess's backstory. I usually love books with a lot of male pov, but I didn't enjoy being in Jake's head. He seemed like a good guy but I don't like his attitude, I guess. Jess seemed pure and elegant. I loved her for what she had gone through with grace. Except Emily, I liked all the other supporting characters too.

The plot was pretty entertaining- with friends and fun. Oh, and the new book cover is pretty amazing! It's what drew me to this book in the first place.

Friends with Benefits...

With a title like that you know we are going to have a fun read. This story follows Jake and Jess. I fell in love with Jake from the every first chapter. I couldn't put the book down and read it in a couple hours. You just can't help but love everything about Jake.
Jake and Jess are roommates but also have the friends with benefits pack but only when drunk. That is the rule. There is no hard feelings, nothing awkward the next day. Just best friends who will sleep together.
When Jake has to head back to New York, he finds out his ex girlfriend will be close by and that bothers him. So we get Jake begging Jess to come with him and help him out.
Being with each other all the time and always being there for each other, Jake and Jess know each other better then they know about themselves. But will strong feelings get in the way of their pact and friendship?
Every character in this story has a sweet and funny side. We do have steamy scenes but they are more closed door. It is just such a sweet read! You will enjoy it!