*Received an ARC for a honest review* This was such a good book. One of my favorites for 2020. I LOVED the hero and the heroine. It was such a beautiful love story. It was so sweet how he loved her and took care of her. It was a bit of instalove but it felt more like a “meant to be” thing not a cheap, quick, wham bam. Awesome. Jason and Sloan...two of my favorites! Highly recommend.

Abby Jimenez is one to watch. After only getting a preview of The Friend Zone on Netgalley last year (such a tease!) I went and bought the book when it was out. I knew from those first few pages that it would be worth it, and I wasn't wrong. She continues to amaze me with The Happy Ever After Playlist, which somehow feels very similar to The Friend Zone while being vastly different in tone and content. In both, she writes the most wonderfully relatable characters and stories that are not only heartfelt but also filled with much-needed humor and snafus aplenty.

Arguably (or not if you know what's up), the best thing about Abby Jimenez’s writing is her banter. From their first text, I was into Sloan and Jason together. I too wanted to be annoyed by his incessant flirting, but I just couldn't be. She brings so much wit and life to every character she writes. I wasn't a huge fan of Sloan in The Friend Zone - she seemed like the bland, somewhat rigid friend for the majority of the book - but it's so easy to fall in love with her immediately in The Happy Ever After Playlist. It was a blast getting to know this new cast of characters, but also getting to hear from some old favorites as well. Readers of The Friend Zone will love the glimpses we get of life with Josh and Kristen - who is still a star and one of my all-time favorite MCs.

The Happy Ever After Playlist is more than a romance. It’s a story about finding happiness after tragedy. It proves that love is hard work, but well worth it. I don't really want to talk about the plot at all because you need to read this book and discover it for yourself. This book had me stressed for the good majority of it - I didn't know how Sloan and Jason could stay together. It was nice for a romance to not be predictable because they tend to skew that way. Another testament to Jimenez's skill. Now, to go back and read again while actually taking the time to listen to the song paired with each chapter. I already knew a few and they definitely got stuck in my head while reading. I'm sure the pairings will make me cry on a re-read! I can't wait.

As I read the last sentence of this book, I’m grateful and saddened. This was like no other book I have ever read or will ever read. This was hands down my favorite book ever. My love for this book is as strong as my love for Stuntman Mike and Tucker.

I adored The Friend Zone. It was raw, humorous and emotional. To be honest this book had a lot to live up too and OH 👏🏻 MY 👏🏻 GOODNESS 👏🏻, this did not disappoint. It exceeded my expectations and completely blew every other book I have read out of the water.

If you read The Friend Zone, you were rooting for Sloan to have her happy ending. She had been through hell and is now barely scraping by. You are right there with her feeling every emotion she is going through. You want nothing more than for her to get back to her old self. And then the answer literally jumps into her sunroof and immediately wraps her with love.

Where do I find a Jason? A musician who isn’t in it for the fame or fortune, but is in it for the love of the music. He’s charming without being too cocky and you can’t help but love his swagger and game. His confidence and wit enhanced his sexiness and his thoughtfulness left me in a puddle. This was a rising star musician, who’s a sexy version of Bob the Builder, that wanted to put Sloan’s happiness before his, wanted to open doors for her, or just take out her trash, I mean C’MON! You couldn’t have written a better lead to woo Sloan.

I love where Abby Jimenez took this book. Exploring what happens after you thought your life had ended but it decided to move on with or without you. How a person deals with emotional struggles and how to find yourself again. Sloan and Jason were perfection. I was a goner from the first bit of text. From the adorable dates to the relentless musical assault, their relationship and chemistry leaped off the pages. Their bickering and flirting kept me smiling and laughing out loud.

Kristen is the friend every girl needs in their life. She is fiercely loyal, will give it to you straight without any of the BS, she’s your ride or die till the end, and she will be there by your side when you need a sarcastic comment or a loving hug. Sloan is the type of person who gets too wrapped up inside her own head. Kristen is the perfect blend of blunt honesty and sarcasm to keep her straight. The love between Sloan and Kristen is the type of love that goes beyond sisterhood or friendship. It’s the unabashed true love for another person who’s soul is a part of yours. A person who’s friendship has no bounds or limits. It’s a once in a lifetime experience that I’m so happy to see in a book.

Abby’s writing is phenomenal. I don’t know how she does it. She is able to take an intimate scene and make it beautiful. She’s able to add humor with steam and make you feel a wide range of emotions in a couple of paragraphs and she can make me blush without being obscene. She’s able to shape and form characters that make you feel one extreme emotion to the next so seamlessly. It’s truly incredible how good her writing is.

This book was everything to me. This book made me happy. The kind of happy that stays with you after you put it down or just instantly changes my whole mood for the better. It’s the love story to end all other love stories set to the perfect playlist. I think Kristen set it up best when she said “if Jason can take you at your best, he can take you at your bag of Doritos”. I plan to live my life by this motto. Now excuse me while I go buy my bff a crocheted vagina tissue box cover.

I loved basically everything about this book! My favourite thing... The banter! Abby Jimenez writes TOP NOTCH BANTER!

Sloan's journey was touching. She is still heartbroken two years after the death of her fiancé, honestly who can blame her! But watching her come alive again was wonderful!

Jason, oh Jason, it's like Abby wrote a list of the very best attributes someone could have and just packed the guy full of them! He's not exactly in the best place in his life to start a new relationship, especially one that involves so much patience but he won't take no for an answer but not in a creepy annoying way!

I actually preferred Kristen as a secondary character, her personality was the perfect injection of humour and realness!

Let's not forget about Tucker!

There are ups and downs and moments you think everything is going to disintegrate and you're preparing for that "ugh" moment...

But then things work out or at the very least don't go in the exact direction you're expecting and you're like,

The use of music at the start of every chapter was great and now I want to go listen to the playlist in full! Also, some of the lines in this book will MELT YOUR HEART! And that is coming from a cynic!

Honestly, the end is a bit to perfect but the title kind of gives that away and I loved the rest so MUCH I wasn't even a little mad!

I absolutely loved the authors previous book which I recommend that you read before reading this book called The Friend Zone! So when the amazing readingmamareviews passed a copy to me I was beyond excited! It’s been two years since Sloan lost her fiancée Brandon and she’s still devastated, she hasn’t painted anything only jobs that she takes to make a paycheck , she refuses to cook and she stays locked in her house that’s filled with Brandons clothing. She has left everything the way he left it before he died. On the day she’s driving to Brandon’s grave, a dog runs in front of her car and somehow the dog jumps through her sunroof. After trying numerous times to contact it’s owner she decides
to keep the dog. Having the dog around helps her and adds a purpose, she finds herself leaving the house and actually visiting Kristen and Josh. Finally two weeks later the dogs owner Jason contacts her he’s a musician , and he’s been out of touch in Australia and tells her the dogs name is Tucker. Sloan agrees to watch Tucker until he comes back. Soon Jason and Sloan begin talking by text and then phone calls and they begin to flirt. He makes her promise to allow him to take her dinner when he gets back. Sloan doesn’t know if she’s ready to move on yet but she can’t deny that she’s getting feelings for Jason and their chemistry is amazing. What happens from there is a whirlwind of so many feelings and you just want both of them to be happy! I found myself laughing and loving this couple. I give this five amazing stars!! I can’t wait to read more from the author!!

Abby Jimenez has done it again. She made me laugh, and she made me cry. This book was an emotional roller coaster and I cannot wait to read it again. I was devastated for Sloan after reading the friend zone. In The Happy Ever Playlist I am so glad that Sloan got her shot at the happiness that she deserves. Also Jason isn’t too bad himself.
I would read anything that Abby publishes, even a grocery list.

4.5 stars!!


What an incredible story! After meeting Sloan in The Friend Zone and after all the tragedy involving her by the end of the book, I felt like no one deserved to get a happy ending more than she did. I immediately added this book to my TBR and I’ve been anxiously anticipating it ever since! I think my waiting payed off because this exceeded my expectations. It was not only funny and sweet, but also heart wrenching and a beautiful story.

The Happy Ever After Playlist may be a romance, and you never question that about the book, but I felt like it’s more than that. It’s a story about grief, about how to move on with your life after losing someone you thought would be with you for a very very long time. It’s about how leaning on others for support, how allowing your heart to open up again is so important when you’re healing, but the only person who can truly heal you is yourself. I thought Abby did a wonderful job with this aspect of the story.

I absolutely loved Sloan. She was an amazing women to read about. Her growth throughout the story was beautiful. She learned to move forward after losing the person she thought she would spend the rest of her life with, she opened her heart to someone else, she went back to her passion, and she learned to just be happy again. By the end of story I was just so happy for her and her development. She deserved to be happy like no one else.

Jason was one of the cutest heroes ever. His flirty personality made me smile so hard in the beginning of the story! And he was so understanding of Sloan, and so patient with her. It just made me love him even more.

Sloan and Jason were an amazing couple. They meet because Sloan finds Jason’s dog and “steals” him for a little while, and they start communicating by phone from there. Their early interactions are just hilarious. There was a little bit of an insta love in there, but I’ll admit that for the most part I didn’t mind it this time. I felt like their development was well done, their chemistry was amazing, and their moments together just made me smile & laugh out loud so many times. I felt like they were true soulmates. Jason mentions later on how Sloan stole his heart, and I don’t mean to be cheesy, but I felt the same way about this couple. A few chapters in and they had my whole heart. I really didn’t expect to love them as much as I did.

I also loved Tucker. The addition of dogs also makes my so happy, and I loved how important Tucker was to their relationship. I mean, he was the reason they met!


Lastly, I loved the scenes between Sloan and Kristen. Not just the sweet, heart warming ones, but also the funny ones! Kristen just like in The Friend Zone was hilarious. And I love seeing their friendship through Sloan’s eyes, as well as seeing Kristen and Josh team up to make sure Sloan gets her happy ending.


I do want to point out my reasoning behind not giving this a full five star. I just wasn’t a huge fan of how the conflict at the end played out, I guess. I thought it was a little bit abruptly done and overly dramatic for my taste.


Overall, such a win for me and definitely making it as a favorite!! The Happy Ever After Playlist may be a romance, and it may provide multiple funny moments, but more than that, it’s a story about grief, and about finding love again. It’s about second chances in love. And it’s beautiful.

I know!

Abby Jimenez really made some of you angry with the direction that Sloane’s life took, when we met her as Kristen’s best friend, in book #1 “The Friend Zone”.

And even though, she promised to “make things right” in this book...you just could NOT imagine how she could.!!

Well, let me tell you...she found the PERFECT way...and his name is Tucker. 🐶
Oh, and Tucker’s dog daddy, Jason isn’t bad either.
Even if he is a “soon to be famous” rock star!

Will he be “the one” or just the person to get Sloane through the “in between” time?!

Just like with “ The Friend Zone” you will want to scream at some of the characters in frustration, and you will both laugh and cry as you cheer Sloane on, in her quest to “choose happiness”!

Do read the “author’s note at the end of this book.
You may forgive Abby, when you do...if you haven’t already!

Thank You to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Abby Jimenez for allowing me to read a digital ARC in exchange for a candid review!

This title will be released on April 14, 2020!

Wow oh wow!!! I adored reading The Friend Zone last year and I was so flipping excited to get my hands on Abby Jimenez’s second novel The Happy Ever After Playlist!!!

Both novels can be read as complete standalones, but to truly appreciate the awesomeness of their storylines and character development it’s best if you read The Friend Zone first— trust me you will immediately move onto The Happy Ever After Playlist because you will be hooked!!!!

The Happy Ever After Playlist is a great romance with a perfect balance of laugh-out-loudness and heartstring pulling moments!!! The entire time I was reading it, it played out like a movie in my mind. Abby Jimenez does a fabulous job with writing characters you immediately love which in turn has you completely emotionally invested!! I could not put this book down and as I was reading I knew I should slow because I didn’t want this 5 star book to end!! If you haven’t read Abby Jimenez yet, I highly recommend you 1-click her now—I know you will love her novels as much as I do!!

Wow - this book snuck up on me!! It was a slow starter for me - I wasn't sure in the first few chapters if I was going to like it. But once I got into the relationship with Sloan and Jason, I was in. It's a very sweet story in a lot of ways - a beautiful love story. There are deeper elements which round it out and make it far more interesting, and you really struggle with the characters as they go through their trials. It's a little farfetched in some ways (girl falls in love with small town boy turned rock star) but in other ways, it's refreshingly real and honest. I think Abby Jimenez has done a wonderful job with this book and I am excited to read other writings by her.

Thank you to @netgalley and Forever/Grand Central Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review. After reading and adoring The Friend Zone, The Happy Ever After Playlist was one of my most anticipated books of 2020 and it did not disappoint. It was nice to follow Sloan’s story that we saw a snapshot of in the Friend Zone. Jimenez creates some amazing characters that deal with a lot of real life issues. She also is great with stories that have moments of laughter and tears. I loved that Sloan and Jason met because of his dog Tucker. I’ve adored both of her books and can’t wait for more!

I will share on my bookstagram account closer to the April 14th release date and update with the link.

You know when you finish a book, then immediately page back and find your favorite part and read that again? And maybe a third time? This is one of those books.
While the first book in this series (duet? Trilogy? Are there more?) was the kind of read that broke you into pieces and then patched you back together again, the conflict in this one more internal. The hero is a musician who is making it big, so this qualifies as a rockstar romance. That provides external conflict. But where the author really shines is delving into the heroine's grief. She lost her fiance two years earlier and has not found a way out of that. We go through her journey of chosing joy, processing loss, and then setting boundaries in her new relationship so she doesn't lose herself again. I'll be recommending this one over and over. Absolutely loved it.

I’m so happy right now because I have to admit, I have so many second thoughts before requesting this book to review!

I can hear you ask me:” Why the hell you requested and stole other romance lovers’ chances, you…” Okay, don’t fill the blanks and I hope you didn’t get angry to me. But I have a good reason: This is the second book of Abby Jimenez and I had so much trouble to like the first one. I didn’t any problem about the witty, sarcastic writing but also angtsy, heart-wrenching story progression. I just hate Kirsten with all my heart. And I felt so sorry for Josh to choose her.

And this second book is about Sloan (We already met her as Kristen’s bestie, so much likeable character, we ugly cried for her when she lost her fiancée! That was the most soul crushing, traumatic part of the first book) and indie rocker Jaxon Waters (that’s his stage name, just call him “Jason”)

Thankfully I loved both of the characters. And I adored Tucker, the dog that brought them together when Jason was in Australia for concerts and movie soundtrack installment. Cute Tucker literally jumps into Sloan’s car at the anniversary of her fiancé’s death (Sloan thinks this might be a sign and her death fiancée sent the dog to rescue her from asocial, restricted life!)

Sloan reaches at Jason and they talk and text on the phone for two weeks nonstop before they meet in person. And as soon as they meet, sparks start to fly around. Especially Jason is so sure he finally found “the one”.

This beginning was sweet, entertaining, swoony but that insta love parts were a little flimsy for me. But when we get in the middle and Sloan involves Jason’s over consuming and challenging tour plan, it rocked my heart several times. The story captivated my attention immediately: And I was still happy because one of them didn’t do something to give me a reason for hating them. (At least till the last quarter, everything was better!)

Especially the parts Sloan’s car is vandalized, tires are slashed and all the arrows showed the crazy-ex singer girlfriend Lola who is soul- twin of Britney Spears, I loved Sloan’s determination and I felt so sorry how she sacrificed herself for the well-being of their relationship. There is no sign of happy ending for the couple at least for ten years and she was still okay with it even though her heart was tarnished and broken, she hardly fought with her inner demons and still suffered from the grief, loss of her fiancée.

The angst and unnecessary melodramatic parts at the end made me angry and I want to punch Jason for several times but I gotta admit, he knows how to growl and suffer.

And let’s not forget the coolest playlist that Abby Jimenez presented us at the beginning of each chapter and all those amazing songs serve so well with the chapter’s contents.

So I cut only one star for the over exaggerated angst and heart-tearing parts and foolishness, masochism of our still so much loveable Jason. I’m also giving five stars to playlist. ( From Black Keys, Paramore, Billie Eilish , Artric Monkeys, there were my favorite artists and bands’ songs were on the list which made me cheered up!)

So I’m proudly giving four musical, tear jerking, cute, flirty stars. And I’m so happy this book’s ending was also satisfying (I cannot say the same for the first book, but this is promising and one of my favorite romance reads of this year!)

So much special thanks to NetGalley and Forever( Grand Central Publishing) for sharing this poignant ARC in exchange my honest review.

This was a good romance with a lot going on and characters that really made you root for them. Sloan is struggling to recover from her fiance's death when she finds her dog-best-friend Tucker. When she finds out that Tucker's owner is coming back to get him, they end up getting to know each other and opening up their hearts. In the first half, Jason is the perfect guy for Sloan cheering her on and encouraging her to rebuild her life and take the next steps, until his musician life gets in the way. The second half is very angsty with papparazzi and the industry causing multiple misunderstandings. It is lovely to see both Sloan and Jason truly loving each other and overcoming the craziness, and how their friends and family support them and the HEA and epilogue really brings it all together. I won't lie though, there were moments I just wanted to get through the drama and find out how they resolve things. I'm going to go back and read the Friend Zone, which is the prologue, once I have some time off.

Sloan's story is exactly what we need. If you loved the Friend Zone as much as I did, you can't miss this book. It takes place two years after the end of The Friend Zone so we get some updates on Kristen and Josh but it also allows Sloan to develop in a completely different way than if it had been closer in time. I feel so many things when I read Abby's books and absolutely can't put them down. Its a laugh, cry, need to know what happens book and I couldn't stop reading. Thank you so much to Forever Pub and Abby for letting me read and review. It was an absolute joy.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC copy of this book.

While I enjoyed her previous book (The Friend Zone), this book just hits it out of the park. The book started with the most adorable opening chapter I've read in a long time, and then it just stays that adorable through the first half of the book. Of course, the book then has to turn dark for a while, exhibiting the evils (boo! hiss!) of the recording industry. Then I just totally lost it during the obligatory culminating get-back-together scene. There was even a nice "three years later" epilogue that nicely tied up the story.

I rarely give five-star reviews, but this one certainly earned it from me.

Wow, just wow. I absolutely loved The a Friend Zone, but Abby Jimenez completely crushed it. This was a story I didn’t know I needed in my life. What an amazing read. It made me feel so good, tore me apart and then put me back together again. Jason and Sloan were everything. Their connection and love felt so genuine and real from the start. The chemistry was so potent and strong. I felt it in their initial texts and phone calls and it just continued to build. The love between them was just so swoony and I felt it to my very soul. I can’t say enough good things about this story. If you just want to feel good, but experience a little angst along the way, you’ll love this story. A book like this is the reason I read.

I loved this book so much!! Tucker was the heart of the book honestly. Sloan is very likeable and the blooming romance had me invested from the beginning. I love romance novels with flirty text relationships so this was perfect for me! I loved the Friend Zone and this one too!!Musician Jason was perfect for this book and for Sloan!

Is it possible for me to love this more than The Friend Zone? Abby Jimenez weaves together romance, comedy, tragedy and heart throughout her books. Loved this one! Sloan’s story is heartbreaking but I loved reading how she struggled and brought love back in her life.

What a charming, engrossing follow up to The Friend Zone. The dual perspectives helped you get to know each character and I was rooting for them both, despite their flaws. It was so nice to say hello to the characters introduced in The Friend Zone and find out what happened to Sloan in the aftermath of Brandon's death. This wasn't just a straight forward typical meet cute romance, it has depth and heart. At times the love story got a little predictable, but you know what? I didn't even mind. As a bonus, I loved that each chapter's tone was set by a song. I didn't recognize many of them so this added a fun element to Sloan & Jason's story.