The plot of this book sucked me in right away! Sloan, our heroine, lost her fiancé two years previously and is still stuck in a pretty intense cycle of grief and living in LA. Jason, our hero, is a rockstar on the rise backpacking and touring for four weeks in Australia. They meet when Jason's dog escapes his neglectful dogsitter and jumps into Sloan's car. As far as meet cutes go? This book has a pretty epic one. Can't wait for the rest of the book.

I was given an excerpt of this for review and liked what I read so far!

I found Sloan a tad annoying and, like her friend, was frustrated with her for not finding it in herself to move past the death of her fiance. I liked how the dog she found (Tucker), in a way, seemed to serve as a therapy dog and how she seemed really receptive to his owner (eventually), Jason. Their banter was cute from what I read and I liked how lighthearted and genuine Jason seemed!

The songs at the beginning of each chapter were also a nice, innovative touch! I'm looking forward to reading a finished copy of this!

PUB date 4/14 Not going to bury the lede- I freaking adored this book.

This rom-com gem was near the tippy-top of my "highly anticipated releases" list. A bookish friend snagged an ARC and generously shared it with me. I couldn't read it fast enough. No seriously- I have the paper cuts to prove how aggressively I turned the pages. Then I got some more as I begrudgingly pried it out of my hands to send onto the next friend. I cannot wait until my copy arrives one month from today.
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What I love about Abby Jimenez's books is how she takes a somewhat familiar plot and infuses it with complexity. The story is propelled through a downright adorable meet-cute, witty banter via text and then clever dialogue throughout. Sure- the chemistry is pretty palpable, but its more than that. The characters are dealing with some real life baggage and they had me rooting for them from page one.
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BONUS feature: each chapter lists a song to set the tone and mood for what’s to come. It really enhanced the experience for me. You can find the full book playlist on Spotify and Apple Music
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Sigh- this book made me laugh, swoon and yes- cry. I read the ending through the best kind of tears. Then I read it all over again. It was just fabulous.
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While you could read it as a stand alone I would recommend reading The Friend Zone (TFZ) first. I read TFZ twice last year. On the first read I loved the solid storyline, the relatable characters and the steamy romance. But there were a couple things that kept needling at the of my brain. Since I kept thinking about it- I read it again 4 months later and guess what? The things that bothered me the first time were totally non-issues this go around. I couldn’t imagine changing a thing. And dare I say I loved The Happy Ever After Playlist even more?

Oh my gosh. I have high expectation for this book, seeing as I absolutely loved The Friend Zone last year, and then a preview promised that I will not be let down. I was immediately sucked in, loving every single second of the Banter between Kristen and Jason. I was so engrossed that I forgot it was a preview and was so sad when I got to the end of chapter 6 and realized I was at the end! I can’t wait to read the full book when it comes out in the 14th! 😍

Thank you NetGalley and pibloshers for a preview copy of this book.

Although I only read the first few chapters of this book, I'm hooked! Its a great love story! I love how the author uses different songs in the titles of each chapter. It really creates a literary experience that is fun and cute! I can't wait to finish reading!! It's soooo good!

Just read the preview but I can’t wait to read the rest. So glad to going back into this world and characters.

I just read the "Extended Preview" for the Happy Ever After Playlist and loved it! It has been two year since Sloan lost her fiancee in an accident. On the anniversary of the accident Sloan almost runs over a lost dog. As she takes the dog home and takes care of it she slowly takes back her life. When the dog's owner contacts Sloan from overseas they start an online flirtation.

I'm loving both Sloan and Jason. Abby Jimenez does a great job with Sloan, capturing her devastation from the loss of her fiancee and how Sloan kind of puts her life her hold. Jason is a music star, presumably of some note (since it is an extended preview I'm not entirely sure how famous he really is). His banter with Sloan, both by text and phone call is just so fun to read.

Needless to say, I can't wait until this book comes out and I get to read the rest of this story!

What fun! I can’t wait for the full novel to come out! I’m already hooked.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

The extended preview of The Happy Ever After Playlist was AMAZING! I honestly could not stop reading! I think y’all gave us too much because I’m insanely hooked and sad that I have to wait until April to read the rest!

I love the writing, the story flows nicely and the characters are well written. I love the back and forth conversations between Sloan and Jason, they had me giggling and blushing like I was there! I love the involvement of Sloans friends and Tucker the “good boy” dog! Anything involving dogs and romance have my instant interest! I can’t wait to read the rest!

So I LOVED Abby Jimenez’s #thefriendzone. I wanted to be BFFs with Kristen and just bask in her hilarity.
SPOILeR ALERt: if you haven't read TFZ yet, stop reading this review and purchase immediately.... Are they gone???? Ok. The only part of the book I didn't love was the side story with Sloan. It broke my heart she didn't get her happily ever after. I had a solid 24 hours of being mad at Abby Jimenez where I considered sob tweeting ”how could you” before I emotionally recovered enough to move on with my life.
anywho... I read the first quarter of this book on #netgalley and I'm now in love and counting down the days until it releases on April 14th. It has given me reason to live during these dark times (along with like my children and stuff.) I may love it more than TFZ. It's got of Kristens banter plus the ”texting a stranger/asking random questions” trope (which is my all time FAVE.) Plus he's swoony and dreamy and adorable!
So put this puppy on your list! Five star (so far) from me!

The extended preview of The Happy Ever After Playlist did its job - it left me desperately wanting to keep reading the story.

Connected to Jimenez's last story, a grieving widow suddenly finds herself taking care of a dog when it jumps through her car's sunroof. When the owner finally makes contact (after two weeks!) he's in Australia and model handsome.

The preview sets up what looks to be a story of connection and recovery, with peeks into the life of characters from the prior book.

I am very much looking forward to reading the rest of this book!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for review.

If was a fun and sweet read and now I want to read the rest of the story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

With a dog in the spotlight, romance in the air as well as a light, humorous style - the plot grabbed me! Based on the preview, am looking forward to reading the whole story when it comes out in April!

I was provided a preview of the book through NetGalley. The book is a clear follow-up to Jimenez’s debut novel “The Friend Zone.” All of the primary characters are back (Kristen, Josh, Stuntman Mike), but the story shifts focus on Sloan. Where she was a reliable supporting character there, she becomes a strong lead here, discovering her path forward after a life altering event. In an attempt not to spoil the preceding book, she’s in a bad place when the book opens. Yet, Jimenez deftly navigates Sloan’s dark place into the light of a potentially fun romance when a series of events lead her to meet the adorable Tucker, a dog that is quite lovable, and his handsome owner Jason. It's got enough of a hook to make you want to see where everyone will go.

I read The Friend Zone in one night and was plugging along, thinking it was like so many other books in this genre. Well, I was so wrong, and the shake up in that story sets the stage for The Happily Ever After Playlist. The author strategically sets up this sequel in The Friend Zone by having the epilogue fast forward two years, which is where The Happily Ever After Playlist picks up. I jumped right into the first chapter in this preview, enjoyed the banter between the main characters, and the direction the story is headed. Though I imagine some of the story will follow some tried and true formulas, I also expect Jimenez to throw in a curveball, keeping the reader on their toes. Can’t wait to read the whole book

I was SO blessed to be able to borrow Happy Ever After Playlist from a great friend who scored this amazing book before the release date. ⁣
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I LOVED this book so much.💕⁣
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Not going to lie, any time someone has a dog as the main character, a retriever at that, I’m in! 🐶🐾⁣
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If you haven’t read the Friend Zone, you might not want to jump ahead. ⁣
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Sloan has been mourning for 2 years and it’s finally time she gets back to being herself. That’s when a lovely pup leaps into her life, which brings a long a handsome, single musician as his owner and her world is flipped upside all over again.⁣
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The text and phone calls long distance between these two had my cracking up. My goodness was Jason a catch! Romantic, attentive, a musician, rugged, patient man.💕⁣
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Sloan and Kristens relationship is #bestierelationshipgoals.⁣
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I loved everything about this book. 5 ⭐️

Not my cup of tea, it’s not necessarily my genre but I also didn’t enjoy the characters or the plot. Just didn’t do it for me. I’m willing to try other books by this author, maybe they will resonate more!

Please note: I was able to borrow a completed ARC of this book from my friend Shannon (@workreadsleeprepeat on Instagram) so this review is for the full book, not just the Extended Preview.

Rating: 5/5⭐️⁣
Rationale: Abby Jimenez consistently knocks it out of the park with her characters and stories. After loving The Friend Zone last summer, this book was a highly anticipated 2020 release for me and it didn’t disappoint.
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𝗪𝐡𝐨 𝐈’𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨: Romance-lovers who can appreciate: playful banter, midwestern gentlemen, complicated grief, and a good dose of Hollywood drama.
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝: Jason. First of all, sir, who gave you THE RIGHT to be sweet, understanding, witty, attractive, and musically talented. BRB while I fly myself out to the midwest in search of some of his relatives.

The banter in this one was 💯right off the bat, and I loved Jason and Sloan’s playfulness. This story hits you in the feels because of how emotional the premise is, but it will also make you cackle out loud.

For fans of Kristen, you definitely get hints of her spicy, no-filter antics throughout the story. You’ll also gain a new level of love for her as you get a deeper look at Kristen and Sloan’s friendship. She supports Sloan through good times and bad: picking her up during down times when she needs a hug, but also giving her a loving reality check when she really needs a kick in the ass.

I loved the major theme of timing: even if you find your *person* sometimes timing and life has a way of throwing a wrench in your plans. Sloan’s growth throughout the book (especially since the prequel The Friend Zone) is so realistic due to her messy, ever-changing, complicated grief. It was empowering to witness her character become comfortable with herself so that she didn’t become all-consumed by another person.

Additional kudos to Abby for the Author’s Note/Acknowledgements at the end. Don’t skip them.
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞: The drama in the latter half of the book was a little far-fetched in terms of character arcs, but I’ll allow it because the rest of the book was so damn on-point.

What a tease I loved this!! If you haven’t read the book before this do it!! You won’t regret it! I’m so thankful that I just got approved to read the whole book!!

THE HAPPY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST (EXTENDED PREVIEW) by Abby Jimenez was fantastic. For fans of The Friend Zone, this novel is going to be a must read. I instantly went out an preordered the book so I guess that’s the point of a preview. It’s capturing the recovery, romance, and humor that a good romantic comedy should have. Cannot wait to see what happens with Sloan and Jason! Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.