Greatly enjoyed it. Bought the rest of the book and read it in a day. A perfect beach read with a satisfying ending.

This book is engaging and has me wanting to read more. Abby gives the characters depth and makes the reader want to know more. I only got to read the first few chapters but I can’t wait to read the rest of the book.

Too Damn Sad!

Kristen meets her soulmate, Josh, but she has a secret that makes her a less than perfect match for him, so she does her best to keep him in “the friend zone.” Things don’t go as planned and she finds herself falling for the man she needs to keep at bay. She can either keep him as a friend or reveal her secret and risk losing him forever.

As a result of Kristen’s secret, there is a lot of back and forth/will they won’t they, which was fun for a while, but at a certain point, I couldn’t take it anymore! I was ready to give up but then the storyline had a major shift and I was happy for that, but then it was just sad and awful.

After seeing amazing reviews and ratings on my GR friends’ feeds, The Friend Zone became a must read. I read bits and pieces about the plot but went in mostly blind. I was thinking that this was going to be a typical, light-hearted chick-lit novel, so I wasn’t expecting to go on an emotional rollercoaster ride. I felt everything from wanting to throttle the main character (I just wanted her to tell him already!), to getting annoyed over some of the narrative tropes, to feeling happy, back to annoyed, to shifting to an intense level of sadness, back to happy sadness, to happiness, to annoyance. I am not sure I am over the sadness. I did not like the ending--the author’s note did help explain her choice for having THAT happen, but it took away from the message of what this book could have been about. I am spent. I need a nap.

While I didn’t wholly the love the plot or the ending and found parts of The Friend Zone to be problematic, I did love Abby Jimenez's writing style. She has created sharp, quick-witted characters with strong voices I do look forward to her next book featuring Kristen’s best friend, Sloan.

Enjoyed the preview and looking forward to reading the full when it releases! I like that it seems like it will have a bit more emotional heft to it while also some good rom com flavor too.

Ok I was drawn in by this preview and immediately iatly bought the book. Haven’t finished it yet but have a feeling I’m going to love this one!!!!

This book y'all! I was legitimately worried that it would not live up to the hype, because there is SO MUCH hype over it in Romancelandia, but now I can honestly say that it is well deserved. While I can see why The Friend Zone moved droves of readers to tears, I only experienced that sting in the eye sensation a few times but that hint of visceral emotion was well earned. The characters that Abby Jimenez created are so real - you can't help but feel for them and that's what makes this book such an awesome experience. Josh Copeland is officially one of the best book boyfriends ever (one of these days I’ll have to compile a Top Ten list). From his meet cute intro to Kristen (and the Reader) to the epilogue he is just everything: masculine, considerate, sexy, sweet, intelligent, thoughtful, and not plagued with hyper-masculinity. He was my favorite part of this reading experience and that’s saying a lot because The Friend Zone is truly superb from beginning to end. And now I sort of need a book about Shawn - he deserves to get bowled over (HARD) by love. 5 out of 5 wine glasses.

Well, based on the first five chapters of this book, I can already tell it's going to be amazing. It feels like a rom com mixed with more dramactic issues.


The main character, Kristin, is incredible. She seems very down to earth and funny. Josh is also a very nice guy and the cutest.

The narrative is very simple and the writing so light that I read it rather quickly.


I look forward to continue to reading this one.

This book has been getting a lot of buzz on Instagram so I requested a copy through NetGalley. What I didn't realize is that this was only the first couple of chapters- the story seems very cute and quirky and I will most likely take it out from the library. I love a nice light read once in a while and I liked the direction this was going in the preview chapters. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the preview ARC. All Thoughts and opinions are my own.

It started off a little rocky for me, choppy writing style. But then I found myself smiling or chuckling as I continued to read. Kristen and Josh first meet when they get into a minor fender bender. Snarky banter flies as neither think they will ever see each other again. Except it turns out that Josh is the guy Kristen's best couple friends wanted her to meet, the best man to her maid of honor. As the story unfolds (Kristen's boyfriend is returning from the marines after 2 years of long distance relationship, Josh just got out of a serious relationship), I found myself rooting for the spark to fly and the relationship to progress. It's so unusual for me to be affected this deeply by a seemingly typical romcom. Without giving away too much, this novel had everything u could've expected and everything u couldn't have.
Witty sarcastic banter ☑️
Sexual tension☑️
Heartbreak☑️
All the feels☑️
Was it a little repetitive at times? Sure, but that's pretty much the only reason it gets 4.5 stars out of 5.
You'll want to grab this one!

I enjoyed the small part I've read so much! I really wanted to read the whole book. I think I have to purchase it from my kindle account sooner! So excited to find something really good!

I ADORED this book! I always love a rom-com that tackles real issues, when the relationship feels real, and the female lead especially feels like a real woman. This book delivered! Kristen and Josh were a believable couple who really loved each other, and I was really rooting for them the entire way through. Infertility issues affect so many couples, and highlighting it in a romance novel was beyond refreshing.

I really enjoyed the preview of the first few chapters of The Friend Zone. The characters seem likable and the storyline seems interesting. It's such a short preview that it's hard to judge much more than that, so my rating is somewhat arbitrary, but I definitely liked it enough that I want to read the rest and give it a real rating/review!

At first, I was a bit skeptical about all the raving reviews. However, after reading this excerpt, I feel like the reviews are well deserved, The first five chapters have given me an appetite for more. I am looking for ward to it!

I really wanted to pick this up, so I was excited to get a sampler to make sure I would love it before buying it. Well, I ended up buying it and reading the whole thing in one day.

Everyone is talking about this book so you probably already know that this story does follow a taboo topic along with fertility and female issues. I related to Kristen on so many levels. I felt her every emotion as she talked about her cycles, the pain she was in, and the heartbreak of not knowing if she would have a child one day. I have suffered with many of the same issues and I just loved reading a story that actually took that conversation a little further than any other I have read.

It did have a cute romance as well. I liked both Kristen and Josh. I loved their building relationship and the fun they had together. However; I did not think it was anything extra special compared to other romances away from the female issues being discussed. Then BAM! Something happens that I was not expecting! It all worked within the story, and I did not see it coming. Even though it was very sad and emotional, I liked what it brought to the story.

Overall, I would recommend this.

This was a cute and pretty standard romantic comedy that took a twist near the end with real life thrown in. I enjoyed the book overall. I did struggle with the unrealistic representation of the military. I felt like it was an unfair depiction of what it's like to be in a relationship with someone in the military.

Albeit only the first 5 chapters of the book, it was addicting!! I found the heroine, Kristen, to be relatable in every way. I will be waiting patiently to find out how the author deals with infertility in its entirety. I was left with a smile on my face when I finished the preview and I cannot wait to get my hands on this book!


*ARC courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I want to express a thank you to the valued author, the publisher who took a chance on the author, and Netgalley for providing a copy.*

Great start to this book! I can already tell in the first 5 chapters that this is going to be one of my favorite books of the year. Going to go buy a copy right now!

While this is just a sample (the first five chapters), I’m hooked. I immediately want to buy the full book. I can tell it’s going to be witty and break my heart!

From the moment I cracked open THE FRIEND ZONE I knew it would be a winner. Kristen, our heroine, is impossible not to like or identify with and I was happy to go along with this ride.

I think a lot has been said already about this book before but in case you are not aware of Kristen has suffered her whole life with issues related to her period. They’ve caused a lot of hardships, both physical and emotional, and it’s finally come to the point she’s taken the decision that she will have a hysterectomy. Her long distance military boyfriend is ok with that and Kristen thought she was too. Until she meets the perfect man for her. Josh is exactly the type of guy that she should’ve always been with and he wants lots of children. Obviously she has to keep him in the friend zone and stick to her life plan. No kids, no Josh.

Like I said before, the thing that drew me in from the very beginning was how relatable Kristen was. I think she’s a heroine that a lot of women will be able to relate to in one way or another. Maybe it’s her struggles with not being able to have children, or maybe it’s just her fun and snarky personality. She was my favorite thing about reading this book and I think the author did a great job at creating her character.

And then we have the romance. While maybe Josh won’t be going on a book boyfriend list for me, I thought he was the perfect complement for Kristen. I really loved seeing their relationship blossom from instant attraction to a true friendship and slowly into more. And it was also done in a way I found believable and I never questioned the heroines’ actions. They were adorable together!

THE FRIEND ZONE is a book that will draw a gamut of emotions and you have to be ready for that ride. It’s funny, sweet and romantic but also heartbreaking. My only complaint with this book, and also the reason this is not rated higher, was the ending. While it left me happy it was also disappointing and in my opinion took away from the true impact of this story. It’s hard to say more without giving away a spoiler, but I do think it’s good to read the author’s note at the end anyway. While I understand where she’s coming from, I also wish she would’ve taken a different route.

What a great debut by Abby Jimenez! I can’t recommend it enough. THE FRIEND ZONE is a must read for your summer reading. I expect more great things in her future and I’ll be reading them all. Starting with the next book, not sure if it’s a series or companion novel. I’m ready to have my heart torn out with that one.

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.