*I received this book courtesy of Forever Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Oh, how I loved this book! I’m always up for a good romcom, and The Friend Zone definitely delivered with lots of laugh-out-loud moments and so many swoons! What I didn’t expect from this book, however, were some of the more serious themes addressed that added such an important grounding element to
the characters and the story. I not only laughed with these characters, I cried with them, and learned from their journeys.

I absolutely adored both Kristen and Josh-their wit and humor made me feel like they were my best friends. Josh was the definition of swoon-worthy in the ways that he treated Kristen and loved those around him. Kristen was fierce, loyal, honest, and hilarious! Everyone needs a friend like Kristen in their life! Abby Jimenez did such a great job creating characters that were so real, you felt like you could meet them at a party somewhere and instantly click with them. As they faced the various trials and joys throughout the story, I loved the honesty with which the characters communicated with each other, and the realistic flow of the dialogue. I was moved by this story in more ways than one!

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful, swoony debut from Abby Jimenez and I can’t wait to read what she writes next!

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Romance for this ARC for an honest review.

After completing this book in April, I had to sleep on it for a while to sort out my feelings on it. Let me start by saying that I LOVE contemporary romances and rom coms. This book has such a good premise and I feel it had every potential at being a favorite. Unfortunately it wasn’t.

The title from the start was a bit off putting because I’m of the mind that the “friend zone” doesn’t exist. But as it turns out, it really has little bearing on the story.

I feel where this book mostly suffered was the over all tone. On picking it up, you’d think you’d be in for a sassy rom com, but in reality, the subject matter is heavy and heart breaking. And I can’t say it was all handled very well. It actually made me feel angry by the end.

Society already puts so much pressure on women when it comes to child bearing that I’m a little unnerved of how backwards this book came across. Why is it that the only (mentioned) character that doesn’t want children is completely demonized?

The main conflict between the main characters could have been resolved in one conversation instead of being painfully dragged out for weeks. It’s teeth grinding. I realize that I a lot of books do this, but this was torture and there were moments where I didn’t like either character.

Then the ending comes with a deus ex machina which I unfortunately DID see coming and I was hoping wouldn’t happen because I felt like it was a slap in the face to those who really struggle with reproductive issues.

In the end it was 2.5 ⭐️ for me. I really wanted to like this one more but I couldn’t bring myself to.

THIS BOOK. It took me by surprise at how emotional & personal it became. I connected with Kristen over the course of the novel as I watched her keep her guard up, attempting to be strong, yet saw her walls crashing inside. Her struggles, accompanied with Josh’s stability, really shined throughout this novel. It had me swooning, and crying, within the same pages!

The Friend Zone is one of the best debut novels I’ve read this year. This one got me right in the feels and I loved it so much. It’s one of those books I picked up and could not put down. I laughed, smiled, and sobbed my way through it and by the end, I couldn’t have loved it more.

Kristen and Josh have an interesting meet-cute. It starts with a fender bender, then they realize they’re in the same wedding. Kristen’s best friend is marrying Josh’s best friend.

Things have a rough start for them, but they actually end up becoming super close friends. You know when you meet someone and putting romantic feelings aside, they just become your person. That is the relationship they have. Of course, they are insanely attracted to each other, but they are friends first and I love that. Though it seems friends is all they’ll ever be… Josh broke up with his last girlfriend because she didn’t want children. He’s from a big family and he wants nothing more than to have a ton of little ones running around. Kristen would love that too, but it’s not in the cards for her. And she loves Josh too much to hold him back.

Cue the sobs. This book. It really did have me bawling my eyes out. I know, I’m extra emotional when it comes to stuff like this but it really got me all in my feels. These two belonged together, Josh could see it, I just wanted Kristen to see that she was good enough. That she was everything to Josh even if she couldn’t give him the one thing she thought he wanted above all.

I loved both Josh and Kristen so much. Their banter was fantastic, I loved Josh with her little dog, and Kristen’s sarcasm and fun-loving attitude. I think there will be some people that read this book and maybe they won’t understand Kristen and will be frustrated with her, but I got her. She never bothered or frustrated me personally.


Reading books about infertility is hit or miss for me. As someone who has dealt with it for 7+ years, I have to be in the right mind set to read it and it has to be written right. This was written perfectly. I love romances that have real life problems in them and aren’t all fluff. Abby Jimenez wrote this perfectly. There were many obstacles this couple faced, and I love the way she wrote it and resolved it. That last 20-30% was rough in more than one way, but by the end I had a big smile on my face, even if it was a tad bittersweet in some regards.

The writing in this book was outstanding and the story was equal parts emotional, funny, heartbreaking, angsty, and romantic. I can’t remember another time a book that had me laughing out loud and bawling my eyes out equally. It was a book I fell in love with and can’t recommend it enough!

This book was very enjoyable!! I would give it a 4/5 stars! It was a nice quick read. I really like the characters and theming of the whole book.

This book has ALL of the feels!!! Every single one of them! Reading the description for The Friend Zone, I thought this would be a fun, cute read—it was definitely both of them and so much more! I was taken aback by how much depth and emotion was packed into this fantastic novel! The storyline was well-developed with many moving parts which is the reason I was on the hook the entire way through. I laughed, I cried, I never wanted this book to end! I knew going into The Friend Zone that it was Abby Jimenez’s debut novel, but at least a dozen times I found myself thinking this lady can WRITE how on earth is this her first book?!?! The Friend Zone is a complete 5 star novel that I would LOVE to see turned into a long running series!!

I am sad I did not love this book. Despite really enjoying the first 40% of this book and appreciating the frank discussion of infertility, I have to rate this 3 stars. A part of this is me, I was expecting a cute and fun book with serious discussions, but this GETS SAD. With a title like 'The Friend Zone' I thought the main focus would be between the banter between the two main characters, which is what the beginning was. But, then it gets angsty (idk what exactly qualifies as angst) and I was just telling Kristen to tell Josh things. It does not happen for awhile.

I also was not happy with the miscommunication that seemed to last forever and the love triangle. Without these two things I probably could have dealt with the sad parts, but between the unexpected sadness and them; it was not enjoyable for me.

I think if you go into this expecting an emotional ride, you will like it.

I’M NOT CRYING YOU’RE CRYING 😭 For real, though, this book made me laugh out loud and sob heavily, sometimes simultaneously. It’s romance but it’s oh so real and there’s sad, sad stuff and there’s all kinds of menstrual talk and there’s so much hanger and it’s just flat-out AMAZING. If you read anything besides depressing books that don’t make sense and win fancy literary prizes, you’ll love this book. I read it in one sitting and I’m furious that it’s over already. I need MORE from this author and I’m ecstatic that book 2 is coming next year!

Debut release from a brand new author... really? This story felt like Abby has been writing and releasing books for years.... not just this book so far. A friends to lover romance that makes you laugh and cry! You will need some tissues with this one. But over all a great read and I highly recommend it. And I love Stuntman Mike. 🐶 Can’t wait to read her next book.

I really loved this book. It was funny and sweet and sexy and heartbreaking. I just feel so affected by this story and these characters. The story, although fiction, was so real for me. Kristen was such a solid heroine, with some funny personality traits, but some serious health concerns that became the center plot line. Josh was sweet and strong and just a great guy. Their friends were also wonderful characters. I won’t say much more because I don’t want to spoil this book, but I’m still thinking about this story days later. Well written and a great debut novel from Abby Jimenez. I’m very much looking forward to more from her! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC through Netgalley.

I saw someone post about this book in probably January 2019 and say that it was one of the best books they'd read this year so I went to check it out and could not WAIT to read it. I was delighted to be approved for an ARC from Netgalley and Forever earlier this week and couldn't resist diving into the book right away despite being in the middle of a few other books. This book certainly did not disappoint. It packed WAY more of an emotional punch than I was expecting based on the synopsis and the cover, especially in the latter chapters. I loved the dual perspectives, and fully appreciated Josh's perspective in particular. Not every female author nails the male POV the way that Abby does in this book. Of course, it helps that the main characters are all extremely lovable (including Stuntman Mike, Kristen's adorable dog!).
By the time I finished this, I felt like I had been put through the emotional wringer but it was still ultimately a satisfying ending. These two characters and their path to one another isn't easy and there are some very, very real issues that go on in this book. It was such a great read and I highly recommend if this is your genre of choice (and if you read it, PLEASE talk to me about it, PLEASE!!!)

I loved this book! The chemistry between Kristen and Josh and the romantic tension was incredible. There are a few things that she says to him that were just so cute!! She is not your typical girl - she is tougher, she isn't into drama, she doesn't care about things that other women seem to put a lot of time into and Josh is all over that.

This was so much more than a romance - it was about friendship, infertility, overcoming obstacles, believing yourself deserving of love. There were parts that were laugh out loud funny and more than one time when I reached for the tissues.

It was such a good book and I can not wait to see what else Abby Jimenez writes!

I could not finish this book. I really tried to get into it but no luck. I disliked both of the main characters and Kristen hanging out all the time with a guy she's crushing on when she's in a relationship was gross to me. Also the friend zone doesn't exist. Women don't owe you anything. Pass.

Book friends. I am unwell. I stayed up until FOUR AM to finish The Friend Zone and I loved it! But now I am so sad I have to wait until next year for the second book! 😩

I can’t even express how much I loved this book. It was funny, sweet, and heartbreaking all at the same time. Kristen is so damn relatable and how fucking refreshing to have a romance about a woman with a serious condition so many women live with. This book is probably the most a woman’s period is discussed in romance and I am 100% here for it! ✊

Kristen talks a lot about how her body is broken, and I felt that. Her struggle to feel worthy knowing she couldn’t have children normally is something I’ve gone through. The parts where Kristen is really struggling through accepting that her body would never allow her to get pregnant absolutely wrecked me.

And Josh, ugh Josh is such a GREAT character! I enjoyed reading his chapters so much. Abby wrote us a fantastic book boyfriend. The chemistry between these two is insane! This is a friends-to-lovers, but even as friends their interactions are great. I am very uncomfortable when characters start catching feelings and they’re already dating someone. I struggled with the parts that involved Tyler, Kristen’s boyfriend. But it was next to impossible to not root for Josh and Kristen to be together, they are too perfect together, and believe me I tried not to in the beginning!

I will say my heart broke in ways I was totally not expecting with this story. There are so many parts that had me dying of laughter, but when it was heavy it was SO heavy. There’s no way to read this and not love most of the characters, and when they’re experiencing heartbreak and devastating moments in the book, I felt like I was right there with them.

The range of emotions Abby puts in this book are phenomenal. She is an insanely talented author! If I wasn’t already a huge romance fan, this book would have convinced me otherwise. Even if you think you don’t like romance, you need to try The Friend Zone. It’s fantastic, hands down 5 stars.

This was a 5 stars for me. So cute! This book begins with Kristen helping her best friend plan her wedding. She quickly gets drawn to the the best man Josh. We get love and heartbreak throughout this book. I loved the main character Kristen's sense of humor. She has a great friendship with Sloan. This book is rom com, but also an interesting view on a serious topic infertility and Kristen's issues with endometriosis. This book will make you laugh and cry and the same time, and asking for more.

This was an impulse request for an advanced copy based on an Instagram I saw. Somehow I thought it would be a typical “I hate you, I love you” type romance, perhaps similar to a Hallmark Channel movie. Well, let me tell you, there is nothing typical about this book! And I was pleasantly surprised.
Kristen meets Jeff after he rear-ends her and turns out they have mutual friends and they end up being paired as best man/maid of honor in their friend’s wedding. You know where this is going. But this book is so much more! It deals with issues and their relationship has so much depth. The characters are very real and multi-dimensional. While I can’t relate to any of them, I know people like them.
Also, the writing was done so well. It flowed, there was laughter, unfortunately some tears, and sincere feelings that came across the pages. I feel like this book is up there with Jasmine Guillory, whose books I seem to devour in a couple of sittings. This book has joined the same ranks.
If you’re looking for a romance that has depth and goes beyond the typical rom-com, this is your book. Grab the sunscreen because you’re gonna need it. You’ll be laying by the pool completely consumed by this book!

The Friend Zone is Abby Jimenez’s debut novel and will be part of a series. Kristen is busy planning her best friend’s wedding along side the best man, Joshua. Kristen and Joshua are drawn to each other, but Kristen is a long distance relationship with her military boyfriend of two years. Kristen also finds out that Josh wants kids, but she won’t be able to as she’ll be facing a life-changing medical procedure that will leave her to become infertile which then leads the question of whether things can go further with Josh or not. Given all the hype of this book on Instagram, I was really looking forward to reading this, but it didn’t quite fit my romance read standards. This romance read is unique in a sense where it discusses about battling infertility. I liked the way the author incorporated this, however, the main characters and the story killed it for me. I found both main characters to be unlikable and annoying. The story doesn’t really pick up until a third of the way into it and it took me a while to warm up to it. I also didn’t like the ending at all which I will leave it at that without any spoilers. With all of that said, this is a decent romance novel. I would recommend to you check it out yourself as it might be more of your cup of tea than mine.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Sometimes you come across a book that seems to embody everything you could want - it had best friends, friends to lovers, humor, heartbreak and it brought me to tears more than once. This highly anticipated debut novel from Abby Jimenez was as good as I had been hearing that it was.

Kristen is a twenty-four year old woman who has started her own business, is enduring a two-year long distance relationship with her boyfriend who is in the military and she's helping to plan her best friend's upcoming wedding. She's feisty, strong, funny and is unfortunately facing a life changing surgery that will make her unable to bear children.

Josh has just moved to town after breaking off a long-term relationship with his girlfriend. He's a firefighter and is thrilled to be working with his best friend at the firehouse even though the job isn't the most fun one he's ever had. Josh is smart, funny, kind, handsome and who doesn't want that in a guy?

Kristen and Josh unknowingly meet one another in a fender bender before being properly introduced by their best friends where they realize that they are the maid of honor and best man in the upcoming wedding and will be spending a lot of time together. When Kristen talks about needing a carpenter to build the doggy stairs for her business, Josh's carpentry skills quickly become an asset to her meaning they end up spending quite a bit of time together.

The chemistry between Kristen and Josh is evident from the outset. Josh knows he can't act on it since Kristen has a boyfriend, but Kristen in turn knows she's in trouble because of how drawn to Josh she is. Can these two manage to keep things in the friend zone?

There was so much emotion in this book, both happy and sad. It was about friendships, forgiveness, not taking things for granted and also how not everything is black and white. I laughed, I cried, and I felt deeply. The realness in this book really got to me as well. Infertility is such an issue in our world today and I felt like Jimenez portrayed it in such a realistic way and brought attention to it, giving some a look at it that they may not have otherwise had. I highly recommend picking up this wonderful read!

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez, is a love story about Kristen, who is a sarcastic, intelligent woman who can hold her own in any situation, and Josh, who is hunky fireman that is the sweet and calm to Kristen’s feisty, strong willed, slightly damaged personality.
The story follows the two soul mates as they fight their ever-growing attraction to each other.
I loved this book! Kirsten is my spirit animal, Josh was 100% my husband and Sloan was a past life.
I highly recommend this book. It was a surprising and engaging book of love and loss and the path to self-acceptance despite what seems to make her “damaged goods”. I was expecting a puff piece of a book that would be a quick read with a feel good happily ever after. This book grabbed my attention from the very first page and I couldn’t put it down until the very end. I read this book in one day. It was not your typical love story. The Author did a very good job of throwing unexpected curveballs in the story, that made a great statement of living every moment to its fullest and to not take anyone you love for granted.
While the book did tackle some hard issues such as loss and infertility, it was still very light, while making you feel everything that the characters felt.
Abby Jimenez is a very talented writer.
(On a side note, I really hope that the author writes a sequel that follows Sloan. I would read that book in a heartbeat.)

I can’t believe this book is her debut novel!
It’s a must read!

I fell hard for this book. It’s just so great even with it’s slow burn. There’s so much chemistry between the characters.

Josh and Kristen just sparked from the start. It was so fun reading their chemistry. Josh is one of the best book boyfriends EVER!
I did get a little annoyed with Kristen about 60% in because of the back and forth but I totally understood why which is why this book still gets five stars from me.

The friends in this book help shape the two main characters. I actually liked how the were all written. Just enough to like them but not enough to take away from loving Josh and Kristen.

This book made me laugh and cry! It’s so real and raw and talks about things that so many go through in some way and are embarrassed talking about.

This book was just a great read.