This was such a sweet read. I appreciated that the author dealt with the issue of infertility. This is a very prominent issue but I've never seen it discussed in novels. Definitely a book I will be re-reading.

I really like this book so far! It’s funny and the characters are likable. The writing is good so far, and good enough that I’m going to purchase the book and continue reading!

I just read the preview of this book and I’m HOOKED! I love seeing romance from the male perspective, especially when it’s believable and Josh is 100% believable so far. Also loving Kristin and the already evident chemistry between them (Tyler who?). No cheesy dialogue, funny and also loving the secondary characters. Friends/enemies to lovers is a trope I always enjoy and I think this is heading that way! I need to get my hands on a copy of the full book to find out!

I find it a bit difficult to rate a preview...since a few chapters isn’t much to base a review on! I enjoyed the preview and will likely borrow the book from the library. Thank you so much for the extended preview of The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez.

Loved the preview and I'm ready to grab the full copy of The Friend Zone! This hilarious and cute story captured my attention from the start.

I didn't mean to request this preview. I'm also still mad that "previews" continue to be posted on NetGalley in the first place. Previews are for promotion, not for reviewing. Publishers need to stop this, it's very annoying to readers.


Anyway, I did end up reading this book entirely thanks to my library. The book itself is good -- very angsty but at times fun, too, and I enjoyed Jimenez's writing voice. I don't regret picking up this book -- I just regret clicking request on this silly preview on here!

I really enjoyed the extended preview. This gave me just enough to know that I would love to read the entire book. I enjoyed the characters!

A wonderful book. Heartbreaking and beautiful. I fell in love with all the characters and was satisfied with the ending.

I enjoyed what I got to read, but this wasn't the full book for me to read, it was just a preview. So I can't really give a full review.

Only read the first five chapters provided. I really enjoy the chemistry between Josh and Kristen. Their banther is funny and light-hearted. The books flows seamlessly and I'm intrigued to read the rest.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Whole it started off FULL of cliches, it also dealt with some harder issues that brought much more depth than I was expecting.

Kristen's boyfriend Tyler is actually likable and obviously cares for her, so while you're on #teamjosh, you kinda feel sorry for Tyler who was there first.

Family issues, infertility, and some serious trauma bring this light rom com a more realistic feel and contribute to the complicated relationship between Kristen and Josh. Worth a read, for sure!

My Rating : 4🌟

I know this is just a preview, but I really liked where the story was going and I would definitely be reading the whole book now !

The preview for this book had me hooked! I cannot wait to read the entire novel by this new to me author

Kristen's best friend is getting married in two months, and she's the maid of honor. When Kristen and Josh, the groom's best man, meet for the first time, there's an attraction behind the witty repartee. But Kristen has a secret. And a boyfriend, who will be moving in with her in 3 weeks when his deployment ends. As their friendship grows, will snarky, no-nonsense Kristen be able to keep sexy, attentive Josh at an arm's length?

This excerpt was full of laugh out loud moments and tangible attraction. The first 5 chapters doesn't delve into the heavy hitting emotion that I know will come later, but the introduction was done so well. I'm already rooting for them and curious to see where Kristen and Josh's story goes. Jimenez really shows off her witty and snarky style in this delightful read. I can't wait to get my hands on the full book!

This was an excerpt for The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the advance copy excerpt in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I would love to thank netgally and the publisher for give me the opportunity of reading this extended preview. After seeing this book all over social media I wanted to see what the buzz was all about and decided to request this short preview and she if I would like it. After reading chapters 1-5 I’m hooked and will buy the book as soon as I can.

I just had the pleasure of reading a different kind of book, a book where a woman’s health condition is front and center in the plot of the story. Kristen suffers from uterine fibroids and has had a bad time of it. Very long and painful periods, anemia caused by the excessive flow, loss of social life due to the condition, difficulty in sustaining a sexual relation with a boyfriend, and most probably infertility. I had never read a woman condition portrayed in such a compassionate and realistic manner, a condition that is more common than we realize.

Josh moved from South Dakota to California to get away from a nuclear girlfriend he broke up with. He moved to be near his best friend Brandon who is about to marry the love of his life, Sloan. On his arrival day, he has a rear bender and the woman whose car he hit was very snarky and strange. He liked her on the spot. Later they meet again, as best man and maid of honor of their best friends, Brandon and Sloan. The snark, the witty repartee, the joking start immediately, with Kristen scowling and Josh enjoying himself immensely.

Kristen is immediately very off-putting with Josh, but since he has six sisters, he’s an expert managing snarky females so he’s at home managing her. He’s so great at it that they form a friendship and get along extremely well. Kristen recognized in Josh a perfect partner, but she has a boyfriend who’s deployed and arriving soon to move in with her. She’s torn because Josh is so much more compatible with her, he understands her because he observes her so closely as if she’s very important to him. She’s finding she feels for him more than for her actual boyfriend. Her problem: Josh wants kids in a future relation and she has none to offer due to her defective uterus.

Here we have the situation of a woman who feels defective because she doesn’t have healthy uterus. She settles for what she can have instead of what she wants and refuses to see any other alternative. Even though Josh is falling for her, she is extremely obstinate and will not compromise on her position.

There were many funny moments and other heartbreaking ones. Kristen is a very creative prankster and Josh is an exceptional accomplice. Fun times! The author draws you into the life of these characters and you’re delighted and irritated and angered at the many human situations portrayed. I was specially irritated by Kristen’s stubbornness in not having an open mind and frequently wanted to hit her on the head. I felt that the situation was stringed on a little longer than was necessary but maybe that was my impatience to get them to communicate. I felt for Josh who was the perfect boyfriend and didn’t seem to get a chance.

I loved this author’s writing, I found it refreshing and human and loved that she approached a sensitive subject matter with accuracy and sensitivity. I think any woman who has ever had a painful period sympathized and identified with Kristen’s disorder. Great reading!

The first five chapters of this book are captivating.
Both Josh and Kristen are very interesting characters.
Josh escaped a relationship that wasn't going anywhere and moved to a new job in a new firehouse where he felt he might be a little busier.
Kristen is an entrepreneur who sells items for small dogs. But she has some serious health issues and a long-distance boyfriend she has only spent 14 weeks with over the span of 2 years.
Josh and Kristen meet when Josh accidentally rear-ends her when she slams on her breaks. Josh is interested in this fireball of a woman instantly.

The book seems like a quick fun read. I can't wait to read the rest.

I read the first five chapters through NetGalley and I am very, very interested to see where this goes. I already love the characters - both the main two and the two side characters - and the dynamic between them. I can't wait to get my copy to see what happens!

As for now I am going to give this four stars because I am just so excited to read more!

I really want to read the rest of the story, this was a very good teaser and it will be an amazing book

The Friend Zone opens on a weird note - I think you're supposed to see that Josh is a good guy coming out of a rough breakup, but instead it made me wonder about him. Maybe I'm too familiar with men villainizing their exes to interpret it as a vote in his favor.

The meet-cute between the two romantic leads happens almost immediately, and includes Josh checking (Kristen) out more than once. I appreciated her calling him out on staring at her ass! It wasn't my favorite meeting - she's upset, and instead of him actually helping or voicing concern, his internal dialogue makes it clear he doesn't respect her all that much. (The vibe I got was that he thought she was a hot piece, not a person.)

But then he grew on me! And so did she. I'll definitely be continuing on with the rest of the book - probably in one sitting, right now.