There was only one other book I have read this year that took my heart and it twisted it the way this one did - and it was MAGNIFICENT!!!

The book got off to a slower start but then it picked up and kept going until the last page turned over.
The characters were lovable and relatable. Connor with self discovery, Theo and Lexie with discovering each other, they just became this little wholesome family. Sure, they had their issues as well, but you learn something from it, right? I think these guys did. They had a lot of growth, both as individuals and together.
Connor was written the best, I found. I love that after his "self discovery" he didn't just jump face first into it, I love that he was giving himself that time to figure out what it means, and where to go from here.
On a side note, I never wanted to punch anyone as hard as I want to knock Daryl's teeth out.
My heart legit threw up during his Big hissy fit. He uses his child as a weapon against Lexie. Not only that but when he got his chance with Connor again, the first thing he does is break it? I mean, Connor had a point there.
I hate(d) him so much.
The thing I did find a bit unrealistic was the big turnaround point at the end, the big a-ha. Someone like Daryl, with the mindset that he had would not be that easy to convince. Not in that short amount of time.

The Plot is in the alternate POV of Lexie, Theo and Connor - but mainly Lexie. I never found myself confused by it, in fact, in this case, I loved it because I found it was filling the information in that we may have missed with someone else.

This book made me giggle, made me cry and most importantly, filled my heart with a TON of joy, and it is one that I am 100% going to buy when it gets released. I am also going to look into Swift's other work. If her other books are like this as well, I will be a long standing fan of hers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest Review.

Hmmm... This was a little surprising and different! I was expecting to read a romantic, sexy comedy but this book’s genre is women’s fiction: stepmother who catches second chance at love with new blooming friendship turns into a sexy, intense relationship and her teenage son who discovers his sexuality, suffering from growing pains,losing his mother and dealing with lack of interest of his own father

This was quite different emotional dysfunctional family story meets friends to lovers romance with steamy love making scenes.

We’re introduced so many amazing characters. Lexie is an adorable, tough, smart heroine whose dreamy life completely changed after her husband left to work overseas and their perfect marriage gets over. Now she stays with her teenage son Connor. They already formed an intimate bond. Lexie sees him as her own son and Connor is true sweet pie! You want to hug him tight, soothing him down.

Daryl’s absence ( the bastard husband who left our gorgeous, sweetheart heroine) is vacated by Theo Blake who is former colleague of Daryl ( even his name is irritating) and The Godfather of Connor. He and Lexie starts getting closer, starting a friends with sexy benefits relationship.

But the bastard decides to return back for good which brings out more angst, tears and heartbreaks into the equation. Poor Lexie has to make Sophie’s choice: she should choose between Theo who is not only her boy toy but love of her life and Connor who is like her own son.

It was different, sexy, emotional, riveting women’s fiction reading. I loved both POVs and conclusion of the story. Normally I was expecting an entertaining romcom which made me a little disappointed but I still enjoyed this reading with the connectable, well crafted characters so I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 motherhood, steamy, high chemistry, poignant, intense stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

This was a wonderful read for me. I particularly love the dual plotlines for Lexi and Theo's relationship as well as young Connor's coming-of-age story. It's a heartwarming story that tugs on your heart strings but there were still some funny parts that made me smile. You just can't help but love Connor's character and his unwavering loyalty towards his family. While it wasn't my favourite book of the year, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to my friends and family.

I was a little surprised of where some of the characters storylines Lead..Lexie is a Saint to take on anorther man's child to these length... Clearly conner and Lexie relationships is build on trust and respect... Thoe proves to be the better man in may way compared to Daz. Daz takes things to a whole new level and proves that adults can act like child. The story had alot of depth and angles.

This was a fun and enjoyable rom-com. It has relatable and likeable characters which cements your enjoyment of the book. The relationships and roles that play out are fully imaginable and have many layers.

A lovely story with likeable characters and many fascinating relationships. I loved the complex interplay of the parental roles and the son’s personal struggles with his own identity and how it was influenced by his father. I was expecting a light, fun read and it is certainly fun - but there is a lot more substance here than you might expect.

This book was so lovely to read. Lexie is such a lovely stepmom to Connor and I really liked the way this story was constructed.

I thought Lexie was a well rounded protagonist that you really rooted for and I enjoyed the way the story unfolded. I thought the author did a lovely job of developing the story and I really enjoyed the ending.

Thanks for sharing!

Another easy to read novel from one of my favourite authors. Families can be complicated and this one certainly is as Lexie single-handedly brings up the troubled teenage son of her soon to be ex husband, while slowly falling for a man she has always only seen as a business partner and friend. When the ex returns from working abroad, wanting his son (and Lexie) back, things turn decidedly nasty, especially when he discovers the secrets Lexie has been keeping from him. Can plenty of talking, common sense, friendship and love save the day? A story of relationships, why they break, and how to rebuild them.

‘Friends With Benefits’ is a friends-to-lovers with ex-drama and child related complications. But it’s more than that. A lot more. And that I think is the whole and soul of my problem with hanging in with this story.

There is so much going on. SO. Much. I consider myself a pretty sophisticated reader but I was genuinely having difficulty keeping track of who was where and when. In fact, it seemed as though the subplot with Connor (the teenaged son) overtook and overwhelmed whatever relationship story was going on between Lexie and Theo as the friends-to-lovers part of this book. Their whole coming together kind of snuck up on me and didn’t have the punch I was expecting. The drama involving the ex Daryl was really shoe-horned into an already jam-packed tale and unfortunately that contributed to putting the book down and walking away from it. I wasn’t steadily turning pages to find out what happened. Even the tick-all-the-boxes satisfying ending didn’t stay with me.

The other issue I had - and this may be a personal thing - but, I found the book to be almost hyper-English in its references. Don’t get me wrong: I do love (and understand) books with those sorts of setting elements. However, in this particular book it was distracting with the ‘spag bol’ thrown in for spaghetti bolognese, and every character interaction cosying up to a Corrie Street chat...it kind of turned me off.

Thank you to Hera Books and NetGalley for providing a copy for my honest review

What a delightful romantic comedy! The interaction between the main characters was sexy and full of chemistry, and the storyline was engaging. Loved it!

I was drawn to this book firstly by the cover. It's beautiful and made me want to pick it up straight away and start reading. I am so glad I read this book. It was wonderful.

Lexie is raising her stepson, connor on her own while her marriage falls apart and trying to run a business with Connor's godfather.

The characters in this novel are brilliant, strong, heart warming and made me feel like I wanted to sit in their 1940's cafe and have a catch up with them. Lexie....what an incredible character. I want to be more like Lexie.

The issues that were entangled in this novel were perfectly written and it's so relevant in 2020. Beautiful story that I was completely lost in for a couple of days.


Best romantic book I have read this year! Lisa Swift , you have written a gem of a novel!

Engrossing friends to lovers romance. Lexie and Theo are best friends and business partners who fall in bed after a night of drinking. After which, they decide to have a friends with benefits relationship. Throw in a confused stepson, an almost ex-husband, a pregnancy scare and inconvenient feelings and you've got the makings of a great read.
Thank you Lisa Swift, Hera Books and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

Lexie lives with her stepson Connor, she is separated from his dad Daryl who left her and his business partner Theo to go and work in Japan. Lexie and Theo own a 1940's themed restaurant and are very good friends. After a drunken night where they end up sleeping together they decide to have a "friends with benefits " relationship. However things dont go to plan. What do you do when you end up falling in love? how do things pan out. Add in a soon to be jealous ex husband and you get a great novel of love friendship and family.
Loved this book
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

I first want to say thank you to Hera Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Friends With Benefits in exchange for an honest review.

Friends to lovers? Unconventional families? Creative theme restaurants? What more could you ask for? This books is sweet and sexy wrapped into one. The character descriptions are in depth and complex which adds to the story. It’s a book I didn’t want to put down.

The timeline of the story was a bit hard to follow. The time jumps were never quite clear and I found myself having to guess how long it was from time to time.

I do recommend this book to anyone who is looking for their next romance read.