FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS

Best friends decide to get married for the insurance benefits, but find that things get complicated.

Evie Bloom and Theo Cohen have been best friends since they were children. As former dance partners, they’re used to being in close physical contact—and, sure, they may have kissed once or twice, but it didn’t mean anything. When Evie, an aspiring Foley artist, is up for a big full-time fellowship (without benefits) that could change her career trajectory, she knows she’ll never be able to go for it because she needs the insurance that comes along with her stable job. She lives with Crohn’s disease, a chronic illness, and could never pay for her treatments without insurance. Theo, a fourth grade teacher, finds out that his roommates are moving out just as Evie learns that her grandparents are selling the home she’s been crashing in. Neither of them can afford a place on their own—but a married couple could get around the steep income requirements on Theo’s place. What’s more, marriage would entitle Evie to Theo’s insurance, meaning she’d be able to quit her job and take the fellowship. So, they quickly get married, vowing that it won’t change anything about their friendship—but, given that both of them have been nursing complicated feelings, their marriage starts to feel a lot more real, and a lot scarier, than they expected. There are many fake-dating and marriage-of-convenience romances out there, but Kanter’s stands out by presenting an entirely realistic reason for two best friends to get married. Evie’s struggles with her illness and the American healthcare industry are believable and surely relatable for many readers. Theo and Evie have sizzling chemistry, and their relationship is a satisfyingly slow burn.

A romance that balances fun tropes with the frustrating realities of America’s healthcare system.