Friends without Benefits: Knitting in the City, Book 2
4.3 | 4,599 ratings
Price: 21.83
Last update: 01-04-2026
Top reviews from the United States
- Kate MyersHLB Reviews Friends with BenefitsI love, love, love this book. I think I have read it like four or five times now (I might be a little obsessed with it). I know this is the second book in the series, and normally I liked starting at the beginning, but the synopsis of this book just called to me, and I couldn't not buy it, so I did, and I fell in love from the start.
Elizabeth is such a totally awesome character. I loved her so much in this book. She's awkward and funny, and truth be told she says things that I totally would have said. I'm going to let my nerd show and admit that I am completely in love with the amount of Star Trek Voyager references, I mean seriously, it's like my go to show. I loved that she is obsessed with boy bands, even though they really aren't my thing. She has these seriously laugh out loud moments in the book that I just couldn't believe and were so awesome. Especially at the reunion, and in her defense I wouldn't have yelled fire either (read it, you will laugh). She's smart and independent and fiercely protective of her friends. She is just the kind of girl I would want to be friends with.
Nico is kind of everything I want in a book boyfriend. He is successful, he is kind, he is good to his family, he's funny, and he is kind of an alpha guy but without being too much so. I loved that he stands up for himself about whether or not his show is sexist to Elizabeth, and that he surrounds himself with smart and independent women. I feel bad for him that he has some issues with his fame, and that some people don't understand personal space. But I did love how good he is to his niece, I mean that part was just awesome. The chemistry with Elizabeth and Nico is just off the charts. Oh and he and I agree on music choices a lot more than Elizabeth and I do, that Death Cab song is one of my all time favorites.
There is a suspenseful element in this book, Nico has a serious stalker and she has her sights set up on Elizabeth. So there is a lot of bodyguards and sightings and worry within the book, which makes for high tense situations. I really liked that whole aspect of the book, it wasn't too overdone, it was just enough to keep me thinking about it throughout the book.
Without a doubt I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I want to read more of Penny Reid's book, her sense of humor and the things she quotes make my day, I want more and ASAP! - Doctor MomThis book exceeded my expectations.The book summary they give you at Amazon does not make this book justice. I was expecting the cookie cutter romance story about two people hating each other one minute then jumping on each other's bones the next one that always makes me roll my eyes. It's not. It's a deep complex story brewing over more than a decade between childhood frenemies. The background history to explain the psychology of the main female character is quite well thought-- even if the result is a not very likeable emotionally stunted woman. I was expecting the male character to be a detestable chauvinist. Not at all. Nico emerges as a multilayered, charming man. Both an adorable rascal and an irresistible seducer.
The only reason I took one star off was because the story flow fumbled on the last quarter of the book or so. The plot reaches a peak twice and each time then slows down, made heavy by an overdose of overthinking-neurosis between the characters that feels forced. Then the way things get resolved at the end doesn't match the realism the author had tried to convey earlier in the book. I get it: it's a metaphor for taking a risk and exposing our vulnerability, but it still feels out of place and a little childish in a story that had paid so much attention to the psychological evolution of the main characters.
Still, it was overall a very worthy read. I particularly loved the twist that the author offered two alternative versions on the main love scenes -- an explicit one and a more subtle one-- to give the reader the option to match their comfort level. I thought it was genius. I also loved the occasional jewels of wisdom hidden in humor like "Life is an alphabet soup" or (I paraphrase): "I fall in and out of love with my husband all the time, depending on the time of the month and how much he has helped lately with the dishes." I am also relishing the background loving support network of the knitting club women. Girlfriends'/ Soul sisters' love is such a vital and unfortunately often neglected part of an adult woman's life. It's good to see it well represented.
I am really looking forward to read more from this author and see her evolve in her writing style.