What they don’t tell you about reading romance novels is that some steamy scenes might catch you when you are in public—or at least that was my experience with Natalie Caña’s Sleeping with the Frenemy. Every time I rode the train, I would take out the book and read more about Leo and Sofi’s story. Inevitably, when things got hotter between them, my cheeks would blush as the other train passengers ignored the love my eyes were witnessing. It was my little secret: peeking into the two lovers’ journey to overcome what kept them apart.
Although the boiling, undeniable love between the two characters is the heart of this novel, Sleeping with the Frenemy goes beyond the sexual chemistry between Leo and Sofi. The story is also about forgiveness and rediscovering one’s purpose. Each character has healing ahead to do, especially when it comes to their families. Leo’s struggle growing up with a family who didn’t understand him and Sofi’s absent yet controlling father define their personalities and decision-making. Would they be capable of forgiving those who hurt them, including each other? With this, Caña does an excellent job in her narrative to show how important it is to prioritize one’s healing while reminding us that we are worthy of love despite how broken we are. In many ways, the couple mirrors each other: Sofi is stuck in a job she hates while Leo is stuck in his failed attempts to recover the job he loves. She wants out and he wants back in. Both are floating—or rather sinking—without course, yet they find an anchor in each other.
“The story is also about forgiveness and rediscovering one’s purpose.”
Furthermore, the exploration of gender-based stereotypes, the representation of queerness, and the conversation around body positivity are all present in Caña’s work. In many ways, the book shows stereotypical “macho-man” behavior in many male characters, but it doesn’t go unchallenged. The author contrasts it with the inversion of gender roles between the main couple, the representation of strong female characters and feminist men, and Leo’s ever-present vulnerability. Despite being a heterosexual love story, Caña effortlessly includes queer couples in the narrative, which provides a diversity of love to the story—a highly appreciated detail. Similarly, despite Leo and Sofi being described as good-looking, the latter suffers from insecurities around her slim figure yet finds beauty in the plus-size figure of another female character. With this, the author challenges stereotypical beliefs around body image and highlights how any woman could suffer from body dysmorphia no matter their size.
Still, let’s not forget that Leo and Sofi’s love is what makes this story shine. Leo’s complete devotion to the woman he believes is destined for him and Sofi’s refusal to admit her feelings is a dance I could watch all day. Packed with humor, romanticism, erotism, family dynamics, and trauma healing, Sleeping with the Frenemy is a joyful read that will warm your heart—and your cheeks. Read in public at your own risk!
Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration.
Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.
In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.
