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Friends without Benefits
Academic Clare is in a rut. She is in her forties, her job is stressful, and she feels worn down by the personalities and politics in the university department where she works. She has also just broken up with her latest boyfriend.
During one of their regular get-togethers, Clare’s oldest friend shows Clare a newspaper article, pushing her into an exploration of what it means to be asexual.
As Clare figures things out, she meets homoromantic couple, Tristan and Matt, nonbinary Ollie, student Jack, aromantic Janice, and Matt’s cousin, Natalia.
Follow Clare and her new friends through a series of misadventures as they road trip, take part in Pride, suffer a series of misunderstandings, and forge new relationships.
During one of their regular get-togethers, Clare’s oldest friend shows Clare a newspaper article, pushing her into an exploration of what it means to be asexual.
As Clare figures things out, she meets homoromantic couple, Tristan and Matt, nonbinary Ollie, student Jack, aromantic Janice, and Matt’s cousin, Natalia.
Follow Clare and her new friends through a series of misadventures as they road trip, take part in Pride, suffer a series of misunderstandings, and forge new relationships.
389 pages, ebook
First published March 21, 2023
3 people are currently reading
1023 people want to read
About the author
Evelyn Fenn
2 books8 followersI lived in five different cities, spanning two continents, before leaving crowds and commuting behind, and settling somewhere that official statistics describe as “Very Remote Rural”.
I have worked in the public, private, and voluntary sectors, with roles ranging from number crunching and lecturing to mucking out cowsheds and toilet cleaning. I currently hold down a day job in local government and write in my spare time.
I have made up stories for as long as I can remember and have been writing them down for almost as long. I cut my creative writing teeth on fan fiction in the days of paper fanzines and, later, online. I had fun but eventually grew tired of playing in other people’s sandpits. It’s more fun creating sandpits of my own.
I have worked in the public, private, and voluntary sectors, with roles ranging from number crunching and lecturing to mucking out cowsheds and toilet cleaning. I currently hold down a day job in local government and write in my spare time.
I have made up stories for as long as I can remember and have been writing them down for almost as long. I cut my creative writing teeth on fan fiction in the days of paper fanzines and, later, online. I had fun but eventually grew tired of playing in other people’s sandpits. It’s more fun creating sandpits of my own.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 30, 2023
Firstly, I want to say I’m glad this book exists and I hope more stories about asexual, aromantics, and aces of all kind keep being shared. I wish there was a more clear narrative and deeper introspection throughout instead of rushed at the end, however it is worth a read for those who want to learn more about this community.
December 30, 2023
this novel delivers on its promise to give varied representation within the aspec community from a member of said community with lived experience, and for that, it is worth reading. i can't bring myself to say anything completely negative about it because any amount of ace-flavored literature needs to be encouraged. that said, i had to keep a list of thoughts in my notes app while i was reading this since highlighting wasn't enough
Pros:
- ace, aro, agender, and older ace rep
- an adorably sweet QPR relationship which develops throughout the entire novel, a homoromantic ace wedding, a questioning kid being protected by the group
- the descriptions of dating before realizing one is aspec
- the group is referred to as 'the aces' which i thought was cute
- getting emotional at the pride parade and stepping into one's identity with confidence at any age
Cons:
- reads like a series of loosely connected vignettes, timeline was confusing at times
- lots of telling rather than showing, lots of focus given to (subjectively unimportant) setting details rather than the MC's own introspection and internal world
- MC finds the ace label, does a few nights of research on it, then she just accepts it without seemingly any inner hesitation or doubt. could happen, but is rarely that fast/sure
- the content warning does include aphobia, but i wasn't prepared for like aphobia, little triggering
- LOTS of university politics, like a TON more than i was interested in or prepared for. oddly, there's a lot more attention given to this than things like the MC's feelings, character backstories, or the MC's initial engagement with people on the AVEN forums. those things are all breezed over in comparison
- the cover and summary led me to believe that the road trip was going to be the majority of the novel, and its maximum like 20%, so after that, i just had no idea where the plot was going
- static, cardboard side characters; aside from the aces, none of the side characters go through any kind of transformation or change as as result of the events in the story
- the VILLAIN, holy cow, is a to the point where i no longer hate her, i just feel sorry for her that she's never received the help she so obviously needs
- little to no sex-positive ace or aro-only (not asexual) rep:/
- MC is meant to be progressive(?) yet judges the traditionally feminine characters around her (her best friend included) for dressing for male attention, enjoying fashion, wearing padded bras and two inch heels?? Also she scoffs at the idea of therapy for some reason? like, girl come on now
- 'Dr Who' might be okay for some fans, but 'a female Dr Who' is missing the point entirely because Doctor is a name and Doctor Who is a question, and YES i will die on that hill
- i get that the MC is in her 40's but jfc the 'kids and their phones these days' and 'back in my day, we actually talked to one another' narrative was incredibly alienating to a 20-something reader like myself
Pros:
- ace, aro, agender, and older ace rep
- an adorably sweet QPR relationship which develops throughout the entire novel, a homoromantic ace wedding, a questioning kid being protected by the group
- the descriptions of dating before realizing one is aspec
- the group is referred to as 'the aces' which i thought was cute
- getting emotional at the pride parade and stepping into one's identity with confidence at any age
Cons:
- reads like a series of loosely connected vignettes, timeline was confusing at times
- lots of telling rather than showing, lots of focus given to (subjectively unimportant) setting details rather than the MC's own introspection and internal world
- MC finds the ace label, does a few nights of research on it, then she just accepts it without seemingly any inner hesitation or doubt. could happen, but is rarely that fast/sure
- the content warning does include aphobia, but i wasn't prepared for like aphobia, little triggering
- LOTS of university politics, like a TON more than i was interested in or prepared for. oddly, there's a lot more attention given to this than things like the MC's feelings, character backstories, or the MC's initial engagement with people on the AVEN forums. those things are all breezed over in comparison
- the cover and summary led me to believe that the road trip was going to be the majority of the novel, and its maximum like 20%, so after that, i just had no idea where the plot was going
- static, cardboard side characters; aside from the aces, none of the side characters go through any kind of transformation or change as as result of the events in the story
- the VILLAIN, holy cow, is a to the point where i no longer hate her, i just feel sorry for her that she's never received the help she so obviously needs
- little to no sex-positive ace or aro-only (not asexual) rep:/
- MC is meant to be progressive(?) yet judges the traditionally feminine characters around her (her best friend included) for dressing for male attention, enjoying fashion, wearing padded bras and two inch heels?? Also she scoffs at the idea of therapy for some reason? like, girl come on now
- 'Dr Who' might be okay for some fans, but 'a female Dr Who' is missing the point entirely because Doctor is a name and Doctor Who is a question, and YES i will die on that hill
- i get that the MC is in her 40's but jfc the 'kids and their phones these days' and 'back in my day, we actually talked to one another' narrative was incredibly alienating to a 20-something reader like myself
March 22, 2023
I wanted to read and review Friends Without Benefits by Evelyn Fenn because it is about asexual people and there aren’t enough fiction books about asexuality. The reader follows the main character, Clare, on her voyage of discovery about the asexual world. I especially enjoyed the broad spectrum of asexuality the author showed through the different secondary characters. It was entertaining to experience lots of firsts with Clare, including Pride. Most of the characters have suitable endings, both negative and positive, by the time the book is done, which is very satisfying. One in particular put a smile on my face (no spoilers). I received a copy of Friends Without Benefits by Evelyn Fenn from Indigo Marketing and Design and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 9, 2023
A really good read
I enjoyed this book very much, just the thing for a relaxing holiday read. It tells the story of a woman who discovers that she is asexual and joins a group of like minded people. Adventures follow and relationships develop. Loved the characters and ended up caring about them.
I enjoyed this book very much, just the thing for a relaxing holiday read. It tells the story of a woman who discovers that she is asexual and joins a group of like minded people. Adventures follow and relationships develop. Loved the characters and ended up caring about them.
June 19, 2023
Though a bit of a slow stater, once Clare meets the other aces in the group and makes friends, this is a really nice, low angst book about new friends, new relationships, and moving forward without preconceived ideas about how those friendships and relationships should proceed.
June 15, 2023
I feel like I have so much in common with Clare. That's so nice to be able to identify with a character for once.
May 1, 2023
Friends Without Benefits is an aroace journey into self-discovery. Clare has no idea that she is asexual until a long-time friend shows her an article about it. From that moment on, Clare is on a quest for more information and community.
Check out the rest of my review at Mx. Phoebe’s Viewpoint. Link in bio.
I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.
Check out the rest of my review at Mx. Phoebe’s Viewpoint. Link in bio.
I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews