Loved the beginning, but it slowly got worse as I read on. Didn't love this one nearly as much as The Friend Zone, so I was obviously disappointed by it.

One of my top reads of 2020!
The extended preview of The Happy Ever After Playlist piqued my interest , and now that I've read the complete book, I can say it lived up to all my expectations! I hadn't read the first book in the series, but I went out and bought The Friend Zone as soon as I finished THEAP.

This book is everything you hope for in a series but rarely find. In Abby Jimenez’ first book, The Friend Zone, we meet sloan and live through her tragic loss in a truly visceral way. The Happy Ever After Playlist takes you through her journey of rediscovering her joy, her spirit, and her passion. Her debut novel made us all believe in soul mates and true love, yet her follow up novel, The Happy Ever After Playlist, makes you believe that sometimes lightening can strike twice. It is a wonderfully written book that will make you laugh out loud in one chapter, cry in the next, and swoon in the one that follows. The best kind of rollercoaster that as soon as you’re done, you get right back on to ride it again.

Wonderful story line. amazing author. cant wait for the next one! I am hooked on abbys books she is doing an amazing job!

Love this book! Abby did it again! Definitely recommend this book as well as The Friend Zone! You'll be laughing one moment and crying the next!

Abby Jimenez is a wonderful writer whose characters will live in my mind forever. I loved her first book, The Friend Zone, and to be as enamored with this one. I most certainly was. Her characters are very realistic, flawed and easy to imagine knowing in my own life. I loved this book so much I bought the audio version to make the characters even more real in my memory.

If you're a music fan, Abby (working with her teenage daughter) assigned songs to different chapters to set the mood. She created a playlist for it and it is perfect to accompany this book. Such a cool extra touch!

If you are looking for a good rom-com that also tugs at your heartstrings, this is a great book for you or one to gift a friend who loves character-driven stories that will keep you riveted from beginning to end.

I have read (and reread, and re-reread) Jimenez's first book many times, anxiously awaiting this sequel. Once I finally got my hands on it, The Happily Ever After Playlist did not disappoint! I love how Jimenez elevates the "romance" genre beyond the typical bodice-rippers (though there is no shortage of sexiness in this book!) by creating flawed characters who feel *real* and giving them actual real-life problems (well, maybe "being a world-famous musician" doesn't qualify as a true real-world problem, but it didn't make Jason feel inaccessible as a character). Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go reread this one again.

This was a cute romance, but it didn't really stick out for me. It was really fun while I read it, but whenever I put it down I wasn't itching to pick it back up. I would definitely recommend this other other romance-lovers, though!

Abby Jimenez did it again. Probably one of my all time romance faves. PERFECT AND BEAUTIFUL AND I AM STILL TRYING TO RECOVER FROM IT.

I loved this book!
I think it could be read by itself without reading the first one, which is nice. (I did read the first one and also loved it)
Very quick read - love the characters and the switching back and forth between characters.

This was super cute! Although lately with romance books that so many of the issues would be solved if they actually just told each other the truth. I definitely enjoyed this one more than the friend zone and I will definitely pick up Abby's next book.

For the last few weeks, I've seen the glowing reviews roll in for The Happy Ever After Playlist, and I was excited but also nervous, because her first book didn't sound like my thing, but omg was the hype ever right about this one.

This is one of those books that grabbed me immediately. In the opening scene, Sloan slams on her brakes to avoid hitting a dog who runs into the street, and he proceeds to leap onto the hood and then through her sunroof. I'm not entirely sure a dog could manage that, but it's definitely a great mutt-cute. Tucker stole both of our hearts. Also, the voice was great right from the beginning, and I could not put the book down.

Sloan's in mourning. It's nearly the second anniversary of the accident that took her fiance's life a month later. In those two years, she has disappeared inside herself lost in the grief. This novel will definitely disappoint some who will see this as a book where the heroine is "fixed" by new love, which is a valid take, though the book does specifically reference this to try to stress that that's not what's going on. For me, I think falling in love with Jason helps a lot, but the transformation begins with Tucker. For this dog, she has to get out of the house, taking him for walks so he won't pee on the floor (he's a good boy but he has a bladder infection and can't help it). The author's note about her friend who went through similar circumstances made me cry.

Sloan and Jason start talking because of Tucker, but things quickly grow from dog-sitting to flirting, even before he's seen her, since she's a smart, modern woman who is terrified he will turn out to be a murderer. The banter is A+ consistently, and I was in a happy, shippy haze for most of the book. It's one of those books where it's instalove in the absolute best way where you totally think they're in love and you're in love WITH them. This is how you do that.

Even though Jason's an up-and-coming celebrity, he's a convincingly good and down-to-earth guy throughout. It's generally hard to believe, but Jason seems so authentic. Maybe it helps that he's an indie artist rather than a rocker or boyband guy? I wish he was actually real, because I'm fairly certain I would love his music, based on how many of the songs in the chapter headings are in my own playlists.

There was a downturn obviously, which I knew was coming (it's pretty much always coming because plot UGH), and I hated it. I mean, not HATED like it was utter garbage, but hated because WHY WAS I GIVEN EMOTIONS. Obviously I don't want to spoil anything, but what I will say is that the thing I'm most glad about is that the mean girl romantic rival trope is totally overthrown, because that was my main worry about the book for much of the time. The book does get dramatic and travel down some well-worn plot paths, but it does fit the crazy circumstances they were in and resolve in a satisfying way.

This book hit me in my heart space in both happy and sad ways. Jimenez has definitely made a fan out of me with this one.

I loved this book! Sloan lost her fiancé about 2 years ago and has not stopped grieving or found a way to move forward.

One her way to visit her fiancés grave she ends up finding a puppy that is lost. She takes the puppy in and tries to locate the owner - this leads her to Jason.

This book was both laugh out loud funny and poignantly heart breaking. Sloan's sorrow for losing her fiancé is painful to read but also her joy as she moves past her grief is amazing. Jason is great, funny and a good dog daddy. The dog is clearly the star and so many funny parts come from that dog's antics. Overall one of my very favorite books of the year.

I was so happy to be able to revisit Sloane from The Friend Zone in The Happily Ever After playlist! I was so devastated for Sloane in the first book, and was so happy to hear Abby Jimenez was writing a second book about her.
I really loved this book and found myself completely engrossed in the story line. I felt like I was watching a comfortable TV drama that I've been watching for years, watching Sloane and Jason go through the trials and tribulations of love! Also, I think Josh may have some competition for resident literary hot guy!!!

On the way to visit her late fiancé's gravestone, a dog tumbles into Sloan's sunroof. According to his tag, Tucker belongs to a mysterious Jason who won't answer his phone for the next few weeks... and when he finally calls Sloan back, she's decided Tucker is hers now. This is only the beginning to a romance I was completely swept up in, a book that deals with grief, music, and of course, the power of love with a helping paw. I loved Jimenez's The Friend Zone, but I love The Happy Ever After Playlist even more.

Abby Jimenez once again hits it out of the park with this amazing story! Heartbroken for Sloan in The Friend Zone, we see her trying to move on in life the best way she knows how after experiencing the ultimate loss. However Abby mends our hearts back together beautifully through an adorable dog meet-cute, funny romantic banter and beautiful, vulnerable characters that you can’t help but get emotionally invested in. Abby Jimenez could honestly take the most anti-romantic person in the world and make their hearts flutter with her stories. Read this book people!

I absolutely adored The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez! I had a smile from the beginning of the story and a sheen of happy tears towards the end! and I was swooning and fangirling for both Jasón and Sloan in the epilogue. Their fun love at first sight story was so real, you could really believe it and all started with Jason’s mischievous dog, Tucker, who will also steal your heart.
Jason is the kind of boyfriend every girl should have. He’s thoughtful, and will do anything for Sloan, but as their life faces some challenges, that’s when they learn in the end what matters most.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were excellent. I look forward to listening to more stories by Zachary Webber and Erin Mallon.
Another win for Abby Jimenez in my book. I can’t wait to read more books by this author.
I received an advanced copy from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

When a loose dog literally jumps into her car in the middle of the street, Sloan is pretty sure this is going to be a minor annoyance to deal with before going back to her depressing life painting astronaut cats for online buyers and eating frozen dinners. In other words, the same sad life she's had since her fiance died two years earlier. Instead, the dog's insane leap into her life leads to the dog's owner, an indie rock darling named Jason who is on his way to superstardom. As their flirty texts turn into a real relationship, Sloan is stuck trying to find herself in between grief, celebrity gossip sites, and the whirlwind of a rock star's touring life.

I was a bit surprised by this book, which I didn't expect to be quite as honest with the grief as it is. That said, I think it's well-balanced with the traditional romance tropes that occur throughout the book. It's not the best romance I've read, but it was certainly fun and enjoyable.

Synopsis: They say that time heals all wounds, but for Sloan Monroe, that isn’t the case at all. It’s been two years since Sloan lost her fiance Brandon in a horrific motorcycle accident. In those two years, Sloan has become used to just existing. She has lost her self and her identity and most days she just feels lost. But then all of that changes when a dog (named Tucker) literally jumps through the sunroof of her car and wiggles his way into her heart.

Sloan tries to track down the dog owner but after leaving multiple voicemails over the course of several weeks she decides that she is going to keep the dog for herself since his owner clearly doesn’t want him back.

Jason has been off the grid for two weeks, traveling all over the globe as a famous musician. When Jason finally is able to charge his phone, he is bombarded by text messages and voicemails from some random woman who claims to have his dog, and worst of all – she says she’s not giving him back.

Jason reaches out to Sloan to clear the air, and get his dog back, and at first, Sloan wants nothing to do with Jason, but then she begins to change her mind and there seems to be some chemistry happening between them.

Review: When I found out that this book was the sequel to The Friend Zone, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I was excited to see that the story focused on Sloan and her life following the accident. I’m not really a dog person but watching Sloan and Jason build a relationship because of Tucker, I couldn’t help but have a soft spot in my heart for him.

“I was a ghost, wandering the rooms of a museum of the person I used to be, and Jason was like one of the living who could somehow see me and decided to wander the place with me.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Happy Ever After Playlist

I loved the storyline of this book. I liked that the storyline was more light and airy compared to The Friend Zone. I fell in love with the characters and I really enjoyed seeing Kristin and Josh make multiple cameos. Jason was such a sweetheart in the story and you could tell how much he cared about Sloan. His gestures were so sweet and attentive. I couldn’t help but swoon and smile, in fact, my cheeks hurt so bad from smiling through the entire story. I cannot wait to read the third book in this series, set to be published in 2021.