From the USA Today bestselling author of The Friend Zone comes an adorable and fresh romantic comedy about one trouble-making dog who brings together two perfect strangers. Two years after losing her fiancé, Sloan Monroe still can’t seem to get her life back on track. But one trouble-making pup with a “take me home” look in his eyes is about to change everything. With her new pet by her side, … eyes is about to change everything. With her new pet by her side, Sloan finally starts to feel more like herself. Then, after weeks of unanswered texts, Tucker’s owner reaches out. He’s a musician on tour in Australia. And bottom line: He wants Tucker back.
Well, Sloan’s not about to give up her dog without a fight. But what if this Jason guy really loves Tucker? As their flirty texts turn into long calls, Sloan can’t deny a connection. Jason is hot and nice and funny. There’s no telling what could happen when they meet in person. The question is: With his music career on the rise, how long will Jason really stick around? And is it possible for Sloan to survive another heartbreak?
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How I loved this book! It was such a lovely and beautiful read. I was eager to know Sloan’s story. I have to say she was one of my favourite characters in The Friend Zone and her loss was so heartbreaking that she deserves her own happy ending. And this book is just that.
I absolutely loved the characters. I already loved Sloan but here I loved her even more. And is safe to say that Jason is my favourite male character Abby has written. Their story and their relationship were super cute and cheesy and I loved it. I don’t usually like super cheesy things, I find them tacky, but this book was too lovely. And the ending was just perfect.
If you like rom-com, you can’t miss this one!
Loved this second book in the series from Jimenez. I needed Sloan to find her happy ever after and this book delivered, no doubt! My favorite so far.
I think this book did a great job portraying grief and the difficulties with losing a loved one. And Tucker was a totally joy! However, Sloan was a mess. An absolute mess emotionally and honestly, really should have gone to therapy for at least a year. Jason was really frustrating. Patient and sweet and caring one minute, and making stupid decisions the next. I read this whole book and he annoyed me even with the ending.
I’m still ugly crying from this one. UGLY.
(Trust me: very ugly crying. You should read it.)
This was SO FREAKING GOOD. I was so hoping Sloan would get a HEA after the heartbreak of Book 1 and Miss Jimenez does NOT disappoint! LOVE LOVE LOVED. Also…Tucker :hearteyes:
Over-the-top romantic (in the best kind of way.) I adored this book even more than its prequel The Friend Zone. Jason is a terrific Prince Charming kind of guy, and after what happened to Sloan in The Friend Zone, seeing her stirring back to life is wonderful, rollercoaster and all. Anytime you find yourself rereading the ending when you just finished it–for the sheer pleasure of experiencing the emotions again–that’s a real winner. I’ll be keeping my eye out for more from Ms. Jimenez!
Is it possible that I loved The Happy Ever After Playlist MORE than The Friend Zone? Yes, yes it is. I freaking adored everything about this book, and I actually had to hold myself back from finishing it too quickly. Now I wish I had read it even more slowly, because I miss Jason & Sloan terribly.
When I read THAT part in The Friend Zone, where Sloan’s life is forever changed by her fiancee’s unexpected and terrible death, I desperately wanted to see Sloan get her happy ending. We didn’t really get to know her ex fiancee very well, but I was devastated by his death all the same —I actually cried a LOT.
Two years after Brandon’s loss, Sloan is the shell of the woman she once was. She has lost the will to live & enjoy life, she’s merely existing now. Until the moment a dog shows up on the hood of her car and changes her life forever. Sloan decides to keep the adorable dog, Tucker, temporarily until she can get ahold of his owner, but weeks pass and no luck. Tucker’s owner is nowhere to be found.
As expected Sloan gets attached to Tucker more and more as each day passes and just as she decides to keep him for herself, his owner contacts her. Sloan is not about to return Tucker back to a stranger she doesn’t trust, so Jason’s only choice is to beg & prove her that he cares for his dog. And so their daily communication via messages starts.
The connection between these two was INSANE, and that was before they even met face to face. Jason is an upcoming rockstar, known in the industry as Jaxon Waters, and he is a total sweetheart. He is so caring, he shows just how interested he is in Sloan with every chance he gets, and he is as understanding as it gets. He knows that Sloan has lost a man she has loved before, and he is willing to go as slow as she needs.
Sloan was such a strong character who had experienced loss from a very young age. Finding Tucker was the motive she needed to get her life back on track, and I was so happy to see her fight for her happiness again. Her relationship with Jason was so beautiful and sweet; they both respected and loved each other tremendously & more importantly, they cared about each other’s success and happiness. They both made sacrifices to achieve that, but hey— nothing worth having comes easily.
After this book, my boyfriend expectations have reached a new level. Jason destroyed me. Completely & utterly destroyed me. I’m going to die alone, with a paperback copy of The Happy Ever After Playlist safe in my arms.
I can’t recommend this book enough y’all —it was everything: sweet, sad, funny, realistic. I’m SO hyped for the next book in the series.
What a roller coaster of a book, I loved it! Couldn’t put it down until I finished…
The thing that got me with this book was that for most of it, I didn’t know if there would be a HEA or if the author would surprise us all with a tragic ending. The romance is so realistic, with the ups and downs that most relationships have (and let me tell you, there are quite a few downs), that I kept going from giddy happiness for them, to crying ugly tears…
Also, a disclaimer for the ladies out there, don’t fall in love with Jason, a man like him simply doesn’t exist, so I’m doing you a favor and managing your expectations right now! 😛
The Happy Ever After Playlist was an exceptional story. It was incredibly entertaining and charming with the best characters. I laughed and cried, and yelled and cheered as Jason and Sloan found their way to happy. This is a new favorite!
Excellent book–loved the gritty, sweary heroine SO MUCH! She was real and the book was funny, yet raw and poignant at the same time. This is the first of Abby’s books I’d read, and it got me hooked on this author. Great read!
I adored this second book by Abby Jimenez. She tackles tough subjects with such compassion, humor, and heart. Sloan is lost in grief when a dog literally lands in her lap and in the process of connecting with his owner, she reconnects with herself. The owner just happens to be on the verge of hitting big as a musician, but this is a fan-meets-celeb-crush book unlike any other. Loved it.
This had a very dreamy love interest.
I enjoyed revisiting Sloan and Kristin which felt like I was reuniting with old friends. in this story we get to know Sloan more and about how she is doing two years after her fiance passed. This book had lots of humor which caused me to laugh out loud and also had times were my emotions got the best of me. I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the music business, a profession I know little about.
Devoured The Happy Ever Play List. Expected great things from the follow up to The Friend Zone and was not disappointed. Great story and characters with loving & respectful handling of a mental health issue (coping with complicated grief.) From the very beginning of the book you are invested in the characters and laughing. I’ll read anything Abby writes. I want to meet her genuine and wonderfully flawed characters in person.
This book immediately sucked me in and I read nearly 200 pages in a night. I love Jimenez’s writing because her characters are real and relatable. She writes about tough situations while also peppering in sarcasm and humor. We got to see grieving Sloan find a renewed purpose as she takes care of puppy Tucker who fell into her lap at the perfect moment. I found myself grinning at the chemistry between Sloan and Jason, but the second half of the story slowed a bit for me as it followed Jason on tour and you lost some of the sweet moments we had upfront. Overall I enjoyed the story and had fun rooting for the couple and seeing Sloan get her happily ever after.
I recommend this one for those who enjoy contemporary romance and music—it comes with a Spotify playlist!
The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Sloan Monroe is a retired artist and grieving widow. She gave up on a lot – career, ambitions, and her identity, with the passing of her fiance in a horrible accident in the last book. She placed a high wall to separate her from everyone, and every life in her left her body with Brendon’s, her fiance’s, passing.
Jason “Jaxon” Waters is a rising music artist. He just got the record deal of the year and has been traveling a lot while asking a friend to watch over Tucker, his pet and best friend. Unknowing to Jason, that friend left Tucker and wound up in the driver’s seat of Sloan’s car on her way to the cemetery.
One strange, happenstance day, Sloan was driving on a busy street when Tucker literally “leaped” into Sloan’s life; then things got a lot interesting. It would feel like Sloan’s life turned from black & white to technicolor! Sloan had more excitement to handling Tucker than she ever did in the two years when her life imploded. Sloan did her best in finding out Tucker’s owner – she went through many avenues to find his owner that at one point, she resigned to keep Tucker in fear that a shelter would not be able to take care of him compared to her. Tucker was also growing on her…until Tucker’s owner finally get cellphone service – a lot of weeks later!
The Happy Ever After Playlist is one of my most anticipated books from the author. After reading The Friend Zone, I badly wanted to find out what would happen to Sloan. I am so happy that I had it on my shelf at the start of 2020 but did not have time until 2021 to get this going.
First off, I have to say that Book 1 was not a happy chapter in Sloan’s life. It was a tragic one and caught everyone (especially me) off-guard. I had to talk myself through that Book 1 was not Sloan’s story. I remember being torn between two extreme emotions – ecstatic for Kristen but devastated for Sloan. I felt more of the latter, so when Book 2 was rumored to be coming – I was delighted to know that Sloan will finally have her HEA after her tragedy, even if it would be more complicated than initially thought out to be.
The writing is spot-on and easy to related to. Readers will connect with everyone in the story – even the detested, evil Lola, a misunderstood character. There were many moving parts/stories in the book outside of Sloan and Jason that would make a growing relationship a hard one.
Sloan used to happy. She had everything – a loving partner/fiance, a thriving career, and wonderful friends around her until tragedy struck without warning. Her life turned 180 degrees, and to have a loved one die in front of her was too much. Two years after Brandon’s death, Sloan still has to let go or clear out Brandon’s things – it was still sprawled all over the house they were trying to fix together. Her life was still a mess, and she was a shell of herself – living through the tragedy. Her friends were all worried, yet they did not know how to help but keep her close. Readers would have honed into this “despair” in Book 1. It was very evident in the pages – to the point that I was pretty worried about her also. I appreciate the author pointing out that the grief Sloan went through was the debilitating kind. This type of grief needs more supportive friends but professional help. She mentioned this more in detail at the end of the book – closing into PTSD and depression.
Sloan did not realize how she seemed to have stopped living until Tucker and Jason entered her life. Having Tucker barge into her life slowly changed and helped her a lot, then later finding a second chance for Jason. A text or call was all it took before realizing how much they “dig” each other.
Book 2’s pets have proven significantly how these furbies can move and impact a story. They all were great supporting characters in Tucker and even Stuntman Mike. Without Tucker, I believe the story would fall flat because Tucker acted so human-like that he emphasized Sloan. Tucker was there in many of the “dark moments” for Sloan, which helped her. Tucker became an emotional support pet for Sloan.
Favorite Moment in the Book: When Sloan met Tucker – big time! That moment immortalized in words was a laugh trip! I believe this moment will be etched in my brain for years. Tucker seemed to have “chosen” Sloan amidst the “chaos” of the moment – in the middle of a busy street.
Too bad, things get more complicated with dating a “star,” and it even brought a lot of “sacrifices” for both that was tearing them apart. All I can say, I did not expect the events to happen and the revelations Sloan and Jason discovered. Sometimes, love is not enough to keep a couple together. Both of them are very brave in their decision to protect the other – without realizing that they should try to work things together versus separately. They were dying with the separation. It was gut-wrenching!
Overall, The Happy Ever After Playlist is all about second chances, sacrifices, healing/redemption, “coming out of the dark,” and cannot-live-without-the-other love. Yes, Sloan and Jason get their HEA, but how they got there was nowhere near what I could have envisioned in the first place. The world of fame and fortune is a cut-throat one, which did not help Sloan and Jason’s budding relationship. In the end, these two main characters had to sort themselves out and to accept that they are linked for life. This book is a worthy read and rounded well for Sloan! I couldn’t be happier!
After reading The Friend Zone, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn about Sloan’s journey. I knew her story would be compelling, and it is.
I was a goner from the moment the adorable dog Tucker is introduced. It’s a topnotch meet cute. Then you add in the witty and flirty text messages and phone calls between Sloan and Tucker’s owner, Jason. Can you say rom com heaven? If you think you’re getting just a fluffy romantic comedy though, think again. The entire book has an emphasis on self-discovery and recovering from grief. It’s those aspects that really touched me.
I laughed and swooned through the first half of the book, even as Sloane works through difficult emotions. Jason brings his A-game as he repeatedly proves himself to be a patient and worthy partner. Sloan’s unfiltered best friend, Kristen, is a great source of comedy.
I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second half when the rockstar romance aspect becomes the focus. I’m a rocker romance fan so that didn’t bother me, but the tone is moodier. Sloan does a 180 and the change is too much, too soon . Nonetheless, I was absorbed in the story.
The addictive type of love that Jason and Sloan share won me over time and again. The Happy Ever After Playlist is fun and emotional and delivers exactly what the title promises.
Fans of The Hating Game – meet your new best friend. The Happy Ever After Playlist is everything you want, and more, in a HEA Rom/Com.
Playlist continues two years after The Friend Zone leaves off (though can be read as a stand-alone). This is the most amazing love story of Sloan and Jason. From the beginning, Abby Jimenez draws you in and you never want to let go. I laughed, cried, and swooned over Sloan and Jason’s relationship. Though their story is nicely wrapped up in an Epilogue ; I finished Playlist in a day, and was left wanting more. I never wanted their story to end – and I would love to see this made into a movie.
I’m now pre-ordering the third book in this series, Life’s Too Short! I can’t wait to read it.
The Happy Ever Playlist is a MUST read!! If you haven’t read The Friend Zone read it first for the back story. I absolutely love Abby’s writing, and sense of humor! I have read & listened to both. It’s so easy to get pulled into the story that I feel like I am hanging out with the charcoal I read (or listen). The only problem with Abby’s books is I go through them so quickly & don’t want them to end. Great storylines, I cried, I laughed, I couldn’t put it down, & I may have gotten a few strange looks at work while listening to it. Don’t miss Abby’s books!!
I liked but didn’t love this story. There’s a very cute-meet and a slightly too-good-to-feel true romance that stalls with unwarranted jealousy and two very different careers. I did love the snarky friend, maybe more than the two protagonists. Maybe I prefer snark over sweet?