Review: Friends With Benedicts

Friends With Benedicts

Staci Hart

Published June 8, 2021

Timing is everything.

Presley Hale and Sebastian Vargas are no strangers to goodbye. Their high school summers were spent wrapped up in each other until she would inevitably go home to California. One season after college, Sebastian finally escaped the little Texas town to travel the world, and they said goodbye for what they thought might be the last time.  Sebastian went one way. Presley went the other.

For the first time in five years, they’re both in town, but the timing is no better than ever. So the only thing to do is what they do best. Keep it casual.

Friends with benefits.

They’ve done it before—doing it again will be easy.

But their hearts don’t get the memo.

When the lines of their arrangement blur, Presley and Sebastian are faced with decisions they’ve avoided for years. And that’s not even their biggest problem. 

A small town in danger of failing.

A secret that could tear them apart.

And two hearts that can’t hide anymore.

They’ve shared so many summers, but none compare to what they’ll face.

Timing is everything. 

And their time is almost up. - from Goodreads

Thank you to the author for providing me with a complimentary ARC of this book.  All thoughts are my own.

 

Presley and Sebastian spent summers together for years when she returned to his small Texas town to visit her family but haven't seen in each other in awhile.  Now, she's back in town and eager to reconnect, but a secret she's held onto for years could derail everything.

I loved Sebastian and Presley - Presley is so good-hearted and positive, and Sebastian is a good mix of serious and silly.  The chemistry between them leapt off the pages - you could tell each wanted to make their "friends with benefits" situation more permanent, but both worried the other one wouldn't want it.  The miscommunication was a little frustrating, but they did explain themselves well.  After Presley revealed her secret to Sebastian, it made me root for them even more.

A fun cast of supporting characters surround Presley and Sebastian; they're fleshed out enough so that I felt invested in them, but they also never felt like they were overpowering the story.  They added just enough!  Hart does a great job of creating the small-town atmosphere, where everyone knows each other and their business!  There's an additional storyline where the town's small businesses are being threatened by the possible arrival of a big box store, and it was great to see everyone come together and fight.

I always love Staci Hart's stories, and this was no exception.  I breezed through this story in just a couple days and it was exactly what I needed at the time.  A sweet romance, with some steamy scenes and just enough drama to keep things interesting!

 

4 stars