Friends with Benefits Summary, Characters and Themes
Friends with Benefits by Marisa Kanter is a contemporary romance novel that explores the complex emotional landscape between two best friends, Evie Bloom and Theo Cohen. Both characters are navigating their own personal struggles—Evie with a chronic illness and the challenges of her career as a Foley artist, and Theo with his strained family dynamics.
The two have always been there for each other, but when they decide to marry for practical reasons, their friendship is tested as they begin to confront deeper feelings for each other. This emotionally charged story delves into themes of love, trust, and the complications of balancing platonic and romantic relationships.
Summary
Evie Bloom, a woman in her late twenties, is struggling with multiple challenges in her life. She works as a Foley artist, creating sound effects for films, but is not yet recognized in the industry.
Her big break comes unexpectedly when she is asked to fill in for another artist to record tap sounds for a biographical film about Ginger Rogers. While the job excites her, her contributions go unnoticed at the movie’s premiere when her name is erased from the credits, leaving her frustrated and feeling unappreciated.
Evie lives with her sister, Imogen, who works in casting for unscripted television. While they share a close bond, their relationship becomes strained as Imogen encourages Evie to embrace opportunities and network more—something Evie struggles with due to her social anxiety.
This tension escalates as Evie faces personal and professional setbacks, including a betrayal when her name is removed from the credits of the film she worked on.
In the midst of her struggles, Evie is also grappling with her chronic illness, Crohn’s disease, which prevents her from pursuing her dream of dancing. Her health further complicates her career and personal life, as she faces the harsh reality of her limitations.
Despite these challenges, Evie receives an opportunity to participate in a prestigious Foley artist fellowship, but the financial burden and lack of health insurance make it impossible for her to take advantage of the offer.
Evie’s family situation adds another layer of stress to her life. Her grandparents, whom she considers a stable and reliable support system, decide to sell the house they have lived in for years, forcing Evie into a housing crisis.
As if this weren’t enough, Theo Cohen, her best friend, tries to help, but his efforts often cause more harm than good. When he secretly applies for the fellowship on Evie’s behalf, despite her objections, it causes a rift between them.
However, their bond is strong enough that Evie eventually forgives him, realizing his actions were motivated by a desire to help.
Theo, a fourth-grade teacher, has always been there for Evie, and their relationship, though based on friendship, has a strong emotional core. As they navigate the aftermath of the housing crisis, Theo offers a solution to Evie’s problem: he suggests that she move in with him.
While this arrangement is practical, it also brings out deeper emotions as they begin to confront the feelings they have long suppressed.
As Evie adjusts to living with Theo, she begins to realize that her feelings for him go beyond friendship. This realization is compounded by the tension between her desires and her fears of commitment.
Theo, too, grapples with his feelings for Evie, but he is cautious about pushing their relationship further, knowing that Evie has always been emotionally distant.
The plot takes a turn when Theo proposes a solution to their financial woes—an unconventional one. He suggests that they get married, not for love, but for practical reasons.
Marriage would allow them to combine their incomes, giving Evie access to health insurance and financial stability to pursue her career. Evie is initially incredulous, as she has strong views against marriage due to her mother’s failed marriage and her own past experiences.
However, after much discussion, she agrees to the arrangement, understanding that it will give both of them the time and resources they need to move forward.
Though their marriage begins as a practical arrangement, it soon complicates their relationship. The lines between friendship and romance begin to blur as they share moments of vulnerability and intimacy.
Both of them struggle with their emotions, unsure of what their connection truly means. The tension between them grows as they navigate their new dynamic, each wrestling with their own fears and insecurities.
When they travel to New York together, Evie finds herself grappling with her feelings for Theo. The city brings up memories of their past, and their time there only intensifies their emotions.
Despite their shared history, Evie begins to see Theo in a new light, one that challenges her preconceived notions about love and commitment. Meanwhile, Theo confronts his own unresolved feelings, particularly in relation to his father, with whom he has a strained relationship.
His father’s reaction to their marriage proposal adds to the complexity of Theo’s internal conflict.
Back in Los Angeles, their relationship continues to evolve, marked by moments of passion and emotional attachment. However, both Evie and Theo are still reluctant to fully embrace their feelings for each other.
The complexity of their situation—driven by their pasts, their careers, and their deep connection—makes it difficult for them to navigate the next steps in their relationship.
As the story progresses, Evie and Theo both realize that their feelings for each other are more than just a temporary arrangement. Evie, despite her fears, begins to accept that she loves Theo, and Theo acknowledges his love for her as well.
However, their journey is far from simple. They must both confront their pasts, including Evie’s complicated relationship with her mother and her struggle with trust, and Theo’s emotional baggage regarding his father.
The novel concludes with Evie and Theo at a crossroads. Though their relationship has grown deeper, they are both uncertain about what the future holds.
Evie faces the decision of whether to stay in Los Angeles or join Theo in New York, and while she initially resists the idea, she ultimately decides to take a leap of faith. The story ends with them embarking on a new chapter, unsure of where their relationship will go but confident that their connection is worth fighting for.
Characters
Evelyn (Evie) Bloom
Evelyn “Evie” Bloom is the protagonist of Friends with Benefits. She is a woman in her late twenties, balancing the complexities of her career, chronic illness, and personal relationships.
Evie works as a Foley artist, a profession that involves creating sound effects for films, though she is largely unrecognized for her work. Her role in the film industry is overshadowed by bigger names, which fuels her frustration.
Evie struggles with social anxiety, making networking and professional advancement challenging, which is compounded by her insecurities about her health, specifically her Crohn’s disease. This chronic illness restricts her physically, preventing her from fully pursuing her dreams, especially in the area of dance, a passion she once had.
Evie is also deeply affected by her strained relationship with her mother, Naomi, whose emotional distance has left a lasting impact on her. This lack of maternal love has made it difficult for Evie to trust people and form deep connections.
Despite her reluctance, she eventually confronts her fear of commitment and realizes her love for Theo, her best friend. Their complicated relationship, once purely platonic, evolves throughout the story as they navigate their feelings for one another, leading Evie to make significant emotional strides, particularly regarding trust and intimacy.
In the end, despite her previous fears about commitment and marriage, Evie recognizes that love and trust are essential components of moving forward with Theo.
Theo Cohen
Theo Cohen is Evie’s best friend and, later, her husband in a practical arrangement. A fourth-grade teacher by profession, Theo is a steady and dependable presence in Evie’s life, offering unwavering support.
He sees their marriage as a pragmatic solution to their financial struggles, providing Evie with health insurance for her chronic illness and stability for both of them. Theo is emotionally intelligent and sensitive, particularly when it comes to his relationship with Evie.
His feelings for her evolve throughout the story, and he comes to realize that his affection for her goes beyond friendship.
Despite his love for Evie, Theo has his own emotional baggage, stemming from his complicated relationship with his estranged father. The pain of this strained connection complicates his view of commitment, particularly when it comes to his feelings for Evie.
His attempts to support Evie, sometimes overstepping boundaries in the process, stem from his deep care for her, but these actions sometimes create tension between them. Ultimately, Theo’s journey is about confronting his feelings for Evie and deciding how to navigate his relationship with her while managing his unresolved grief over his mother’s death and his difficult relationship with his father.
Theo’s love for Evie grows stronger as the story unfolds, leading him to push for a future together, despite the uncertainties and emotional complexities that lie ahead.
Imogen Bloom
Imogen Bloom is Evie’s sister and serves as a counterpoint to her more reserved nature. Imogen works in casting for unscripted television and plays a crucial role in pushing Evie out of her comfort zone.
Their close bond is tested as Imogen encourages Evie to network and take more risks professionally, which challenges Evie’s social anxiety. Imogen’s relentless pursuit of success for her sister highlights the differences in their personalities and approaches to life.
While Evie is more cautious and self-doubting, Imogen is confident and determined, even if her methods can sometimes feel pushy to Evie. Throughout the story, Imogen’s role as both a supportive sister and a driving force for Evie’s personal and professional growth becomes central to Evie’s development.
Pep and Mo
Pep and Mo are Evie’s grandparents, who provide the emotional stability and grounding in her life. Their decision to sell their long-time family home marks a significant shift in Evie’s life, creating a sense of uncertainty.
They represent Evie’s connection to the past and the emotional roots she has in her family. Their decision, while practical, signals the end of an era for Evie, who finds herself dealing with both the loss of her home and the impact of their absence.
Pep and Mo’s relationship with Evie is one of unconditional support, and their emotional foundation provides a contrast to the instability Evie faces in other areas of her life.
Saskia
Saskia is a former close friend of Evie’s, with whom she shares unresolved emotional and sexual tension. Although their interactions have dwindled over the years, and they now only communicate via social media, there is an undercurrent of unresolved desires.
Saskia’s presence in the story serves as a reminder of Evie’s past relationships and the complexities of emotional connections. Evie’s unresolved feelings for Saskia highlight the themes of longing and the difficulty in letting go of past attachments, even when those relationships are no longer viable.
Saskia’s role in the story is more peripheral, but she symbolizes a part of Evie’s emotional past that continues to influence her present.
Jacob Cohen
Jacob Cohen is Theo’s estranged father, who adds another layer of complexity to Theo’s emotional world. His relationship with Theo is distant, and his reappearance in Theo’s life after Theo’s marriage to Evie adds tension.
Jacob’s surprise at Theo’s decision to marry Evie for practical reasons reveals the strained father-son dynamic. Jacob’s involvement in the story highlights Theo’s internal conflict regarding family and commitment.
His attempts to reconnect with Theo are fraught with emotional baggage, making it difficult for Theo to fully reconcile with him. Jacob’s role in the narrative emphasizes the difficulties of repairing broken familial bonds and the emotional scars that linger, complicating Theo’s understanding of love and commitment.
Hanna
Hanna is a past romantic partner of Evie’s, with whom she shared a deep emotional connection. However, their relationship ultimately ended because Evie could not fully embrace the idea of marriage, a theme that is central to her emotional journey.
Hanna’s role in the story is more symbolic, representing a past love that Evie could not commit to, which reflects her deeper fears of emotional vulnerability and commitment. Her absence in the story highlights Evie’s internal struggle with the concept of love and commitment, which she must overcome in order to move forward with Theo.
Themes
Friendship and Love
The evolving dynamic between Evie and Theo showcases the complex intersection of deep friendship and romantic love. Initially, their relationship is grounded in a long history of friendship, characterized by mutual support and shared experiences.
However, as their situation becomes more complicated—especially after the marriage proposal—the boundaries between friendship and something deeper begin to blur. Despite Theo’s initial proposal being practical, driven by the need for financial stability, it soon becomes clear that both of them struggle with unacknowledged feelings for one another.
For Evie, her past relationships and her emotional distance, particularly stemming from her mother’s abandonment, make her hesitant to recognize the love she feels for Theo. She resists confronting these feelings, initially viewing their arrangement as purely platonic, even though their connection grows more intimate over time.
Theo, on the other hand, is more open to the possibility of their relationship shifting into something romantic, though he grapples with the fear of complicating their bond. The complexity of their feelings highlights how love can emerge from the foundation of a close, supportive friendship, but also the difficulties that arise when emotions shift, making it harder to define the relationship.
By the end, both are forced to confront the reality that their connection is much deeper than they initially realized, and despite their fears and insecurities, they must navigate the shift from friendship to love.
Identity and Self-Worth
Evie’s journey is marked by a constant struggle with her sense of identity and self-worth. As a woman with Crohn’s disease, she grapples with physical limitations that prevent her from pursuing her dreams, particularly her once-held ambition to become a dancer.
Professionally, she feels invisible, particularly in her role as a Foley artist, where she is overshadowed by bigger names and struggles to receive recognition for her work. This lack of acknowledgment fuels her sense of inadequacy, leaving her questioning her value in both personal and professional realms.
Her internal struggle is compounded by her strained relationship with her mother, who’s emotionally distant and leaves Evie feeling unimportant. Despite her achievements, Evie is often defined by her chronic illness and feels trapped by her circumstances.
Throughout the story, her connection with Theo challenges her self-perception, especially as she starts to recognize the support he offers and the potential for love that she has long resisted. Her growth comes when she starts confronting the emotional barriers that keep her from fully embracing her worth and her place in the world.
The narrative explores how difficult it can be to recognize one’s value in the face of external challenges and past trauma, but it also highlights the importance of self-reflection, acceptance, and the transformative power of love and support.
Trust and Vulnerability
Trust plays a pivotal role in the development of Evie and Theo’s relationship. From the outset, Evie’s resistance to trust others, shaped by her tumultuous relationship with her mother and past romantic disappointments, presents a significant obstacle to their potential for deeper intimacy.
Her reluctance to fully open up to Theo, even when their bond becomes more than just friendship, stems from her fear of being hurt or abandoned. In contrast, Theo’s unwavering support for Evie, particularly his emotional and practical efforts to help her overcome her personal struggles, highlights his trust in their relationship and his willingness to make sacrifices for her.
However, the tension between them grows as Theo’s own vulnerabilities, particularly related to his strained relationship with his father, come to light. This dynamic forces both of them to confront the need for vulnerability in relationships.
For Evie, allowing herself to trust Theo and others means confronting her past and breaking the cycle of emotional detachment that has defined her life. In Theo’s case, his willingness to risk his feelings for Evie, despite his emotional baggage, illustrates his desire for connection and emotional openness.
Their journey together illustrates that trust and vulnerability, while difficult to embrace, are essential for building meaningful relationships.
Family and Legacy
The theme of family and legacy is explored through Evie’s relationship with her grandparents and her complicated feelings toward her mother. Evie’s grandparents, Pep and Mo, serve as a source of stability in her life, and their decision to sell their long-time family home disrupts her sense of security.
This decision brings forth questions about the legacy of family and the emotional weight attached to familial ties. Evie’s bond with them is deeply rooted in the comfort of their constant presence, and their sale of the house forces her to confront the idea that change is inevitable, even in the most familiar parts of life.
Her relationship with her mother, Naomi, is characterized by emotional neglect, and this history affects Evie’s ability to trust and form lasting connections with others. Her mother’s failures in her own marriages leave Evie wary of commitment, particularly when it comes to her relationship with Theo.
The contrast between her grandparents’ stability and her mother’s emotional absence highlights the importance of family dynamics in shaping one’s approach to relationships and life choices. As Evie navigates her personal and professional struggles, she must reconcile her past with her present, understanding how family, both by blood and by choice, can influence her growth and decisions.
Commitment and Fear of Change
At the heart of the story is Evie’s fear of commitment and change. Having witnessed her mother’s repeated failures in relationships, Evie has always been wary of commitment, particularly the institution of marriage.
This fear is evident when Theo proposes their pragmatic arrangement, which she initially rejects, unable to see how something as traditional as marriage could provide any stability in her life. Her reluctance to embrace marriage stems from her past experiences with her mother, but also from her own fear of vulnerability and the potential pain of being hurt.
The proposal, however, becomes a catalyst for Evie to question her beliefs about love, commitment, and the future. As the story progresses, she is forced to confront her fears and reassess her understanding of relationships.
Her journey toward accepting marriage, not as a rigid institution but as a potential expression of love and partnership, represents a significant shift in her character. Theo’s unwavering commitment to her, despite her reluctance, shows the power of love to push through the barriers of fear and resistance.
In the end, Evie’s decision to take a chance on her relationship with Theo, even if it means embracing change, is a reflection of her growth and her willingness to move beyond her past to build a new future.