The Friend Zone

This debut novel certainly lived up to the hype! Abby Jimenez hit it out of the park with The Friend Zone! This story is slow burn, addictive, laugh out loud funny and heart wrenching all wrapped up in a pretty little Josh & Kristen package. These characters are lovable, fun and soooo relatable. I had a hard time tearing myself away. I needed to know how these two got to their happy ending. It’s not an easy journey but it sure was worth the read and I absolutely can not wait for what’s to come.

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez is an emotional ride through a best friend’s wedding with a side of magnetic attraction with the best man. Just when you think you’ve figured out where this is going, there’s a bit of a twist.

I cannot tell you how much fun I had reading this one! I had a quiet afternoon in a waiting room and sat in the corner and grabbed an extra chair to put my feet up, and power read this from beginning to end and wanted more. I found myself laughing out loud and apologizing over my shoulder to the others around me but who cares! I was deep in a GREAT BOOK with Super-duper characters! Kristen will do anything for her friends and she is planning her best friend’s wedding when she meets the best man, Josh. He is almost more than she can handle at this point in her life with what she is anticipating but his form of sexy/fun may be just what she needs. Will they or won’t they figure out they belong together before they implode. This one is a MUST READ! I highly recommend!!!!

I’m in love!

Debut Author Abby Jimenez made me fall in love with Kristen & Josh and that lovable doggie!

This book is heartwarming, humor, love, heart wrenching and totally relatable parts to it that it just made me swoon with delight.

The main characters as well as the secondary characters are all memorable.

I felt what Kristen was going through as I read this book and there were times I wanted to shake some sense into her when it came to some of her decisions.

Josh is smart, funny and his feelings toward Kristen had me rooting for him. Also he made me fall in love with him on being there for Kristen even through the struggles.

I overall liked the whole storyline of living life and excepting that you can be friends, lovers and find your happily ever after even when you think you should give up.

Looking forward to reading more from Author Abby Jimenez!
Go One Click it!

5 popped!

My attempt of not feeding into the hype from The Friend Zone goes something like this, *ahem* “Say hello to one of your favourite reads of the year!”

I know, I know, I failed miserably, but I can’t be blamed because I had the best time reading this and feel it’s my duty to shout it from the rooftops. The characters were fantastic, and the humour hit the spot. From Kristen with her snarky, craggy ways to her adorable one of a kind dog, Stuntman Mike.

Kristen’s health concerns brought a more serious element to the story, and the first cracks in the relationship with Josh. Throughout it all Josh was consistent and caring and there wasn’t one thing I didn’t love about him.

The romance tentative and fraught, and the tension served so well in heightening the push and pull between Kristen and Josh. There were casualties along the way but so great was my bias I easily overlooked it.

Although The Friend Zone is Abby’s debut I found myself asking where she has been all my life. I love her voice and humour and am very excited about what Ms Jimenez will deliver to us next.

5 stars and all the feels!!!

OMG. What did I just read?

• A fantastically fun friends-to-lovers romance that had me laughing out loud?
• A chemistry-filled love story between a fabulously snarky and sarcastic heroine and a smart-talking, witty, sweetheart hero who is absolutely irresistible?
• A heartaching story of a woman’s battle with infertility?
• A gutwrenching, angsty drama that had me in tears more than once?

Yes! To all of the above.

This stunning debut novel from Abby Jimenez captivated me from start to finish, and I felt everything. What an amazing story!

Kristen is my favourite type of heroine – smart, snarky, sarcastic and completely filterless. She is very matter-of-fact, especially when dealing with her near-debilitating health issues, and is dealing with the realities of an upcoming surgery that will mean that she is not able to have children. On top of all of that, she is preparing for her long-distance boyfriend to return home and move in with her for the first time, is helping to plan the wedding of her best friend in the world, and if her life isn’t complicated enough, it becomes even more so when she meets the best man, Josh.

Josh is new to town and is working as a firefighter/paramedic alongside his best friend, Brandon. When he meets Kristen he is immediately attracted to her, and when he unexpectedly ends up doing some part time work at her house, it pushes the two of them all up in each other’s lives, and the friendship that unfolds is absolutely fantastic. They laugh and banter, they tease and joke, they have everything in common, and it’s all just so easy for them. They become each other’s person, every moment between them is pure gold, and their chemistry just sizzles off the page. But due to Kristen’s relationship, they keep things strictly in the friend-zone.

When their attraction becomes too hard to ignore, they finally reach a point where they can act on it, but there is another huge issue standing in their way – Josh is from a big family with dreams of having one of his own one day. That’s not something Kristen can have with him, and she refuses to stand in the way of his dream. And OMG, it hurt!

Kristen’s battle was so incredibly heartbreaking and my chest actually hurt while I was reading this book. I could understand her decisions, her frustrations, and her heartache, and I was floored by her resilience in the face of such devastation. Did I agree with all of her decisions? No, and the story did become really angsty and there were times I wanted to just shake her, but I’m not in her position and it’s hard to judge what you would do in such a difficult situation, and her perspective on the whole thing is really well written. It becomes especially hard as her and Josh as their world is completely upended and they are left floundering in more ways than one. And there went my heart again, and I sobbed for all that they were going through.

Through the whole story, Josh just shines. He is a man in love who is fighting hard for his girl, and I loved his patience, understanding and acceptance of Kristen through it all. And the romance is just beautiful. It’s easy, natural, fun and playful, and though this book isn’t particularly steamy, you can feel their passion for each other. I fell in mad love with both of these characters and their amazing love story.

I cannot believe that this is a debut novel. The writing is crisp, witty and so freaking emotive! This book took me on a wildly emotional ride, and I laughed and cried and felt so much. It was hard to read in some places and I actually had to put my kindle down just to take a breath and try to deal with the emotion of it all, but it ends beautifully in a really great place, and with stories coming for (at least one of) the amazing side characters, I am so freaking excited to see what Abby Jimenez has in store for us next!

This book has been one of my anticipated reads for the month and it didn’t disappoint! After reading the first chapter I was hooked. I loved Josh and Kristen so much. Their connection was instantaneous, their chemistry was off the charts and loved their banter in this book.

This story touches on infertility and the struggles some face. Kristen reminded me of my grandmother and mother who both suffered with the same issues as she did. I loved the way it was handled. My heart really aches for Kristen in this story because she feels she isn’t good enough because she can’t have kids and that she’s damaged goods. I loved when she finally let her guard down and let Josh love her fully imperfections and all.

Josh has been added to my book boyfriend list which I don’t take lightly. I loved how he didn’t shy away from the unpleasantness and was there for it all. Josh loved Kristen and never gave up even when it hurt and he was just perfection in this story.

As a long time reader of romance novels, this genre can get stale and Jimenez delivered such a refreshing and realistic read. This book had me all in my feels. I would laugh, smile, shake my head in frustration at the characters and then I was crying as I read. It’s been a long time since I’ve cried while reading a book.

I was in such a book slump and this book knocked it right out! Now I’m in a book hangover. I’ve been seeing a lot of good things about this book and its definitely worth the hype. Make sure to pick up a copy on release day. Jimenez knocked it out of the park with a well written, raw, realistic,heartwarming, debut novel.

The characters were great, but I cried like a baby through the last quarter of the book. I don’t really feel the title is the best, but I still loved this.

Told in alternating perspectives The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez allows you to get completely into both Josh and Kristen’s heads. By turns this book tore me apart and made me laugh hysterically. Though I am generally not a fan of characters that make decisions for other people, Jimenez drew me far enough into the story and Kristen’s head that I was able to let it go. Jimenez’s debut is heart-wrenching and not for the faint of heart. Those that take the plunge will find it well worth it….just make sure you have the large box of tissues handy and lots of water (hydrate!)

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

I was given an ARC of this book and voluntarily give my review.

This book has everything a romantic comedy should, a sweet story, hilarious moments, witty banter, but it is also surprisingly real and relatable, with heart wrenching moments that brought tears to my eyes. Abby Jimenez writes about challenging issues that don’t often get a voice in the romance novel world. This might be my favorite book of the year so far. I loved that it took place in my neck of the woods (Burbank, Canoga Park and Los Angeles) I could picture the locations that were mentioned vividly, because I have been there. I also felt that the push and pull between the hero and heroine was realistic. She didn’t fall all over him because he demanded it, she made her own decisions, and they weren’t always the ones the reader wanted her to make, but not once did I roll my eyes and think “That would never happen”…. I take that back, getting from Canoga Park to Malibu during rush hour would definitely take more than 45 minutes 😉
Lastly, without giving away spoilers, I need to say that the Author’s Note at the end of the book was beautiful and caused some tears because I was able to relate to parts of this story very strongly.

I vehemently encourage everyone with a soft spot for love to read this book.