A complicated romance from debut author Abby Jimenez
THE FRIEND ZONE by ABBY JIMENEZ
Series: Standalone
Publication date: June 11, 2019
Published by: Forever Romance
Genre: contemporary romance
SYNOPSIS
Kristen Petersen doesn't do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don't get her. She's also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.
Planning her best friend's wedding is bittersweet for Kristen--especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He's funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he'd be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it's harder and harder to keep him at arm's length.
The Friend Zone will have you laughing one moment and grabbing for tissues the next as it tackles the realities of infertility and loss with wit, heart, and a lot of sass.
Planning her best friend's wedding is bittersweet for Kristen--especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He's funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he'd be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it's harder and harder to keep him at arm's length.
The Friend Zone will have you laughing one moment and grabbing for tissues the next as it tackles the realities of infertility and loss with wit, heart, and a lot of sass.
Purchase your copy now!
Praise for The Friend Zone:
Good Housekeeping Best New Books for Summer 2019
PopSugar Best Books of Summer 2019
Women's Health Best Romance Novels of 2019
SheReads Most Anticipated Romance Books of 2019
Women.com Most Highly Anticipated Books for Summer
Bookstr Ultimate Summer 2019 Reading Guide
Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Booklist Starred Review
Good Housekeeping Best New Books for Summer 2019
PopSugar Best Books of Summer 2019
Women's Health Best Romance Novels of 2019
SheReads Most Anticipated Romance Books of 2019
Women.com Most Highly Anticipated Books for Summer
Bookstr Ultimate Summer 2019 Reading Guide
Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Booklist Starred Review
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abby Jimenez is a Food Network champion, motivational speaker, and contemporary romance novelist living in Minnesota. She founded Nadia Cakes out of her home kitchen back in 2007. The bakery has since gone on to win numerous Food Network competitions and has amassed an international cult following. Abby's wry literary wit was spotlighted as the admin behind the hilarious viral comments on the now famous Nadia Cakes Vageode ® cake.
Abby loves a good romance, coffee, doglets, and not leaving the house.
You can find her on:
The Friend Zone by Abby JimenezMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Friend Zone was one of my most anticipated contemporary romances this year. I don't like to read reviews before starting an arc, but I saw the love this one was getting and could not wait to get started on it. There's a certain level of excitement that goes above and beyond your average read, and my gut was telling me that this was going to hook me. I can honestly say that it delivered in that department. I knew within the first chapter that I had an addictive story in my hands. I was so utterly consumed by it that I couldn't pause for a second to make any highlights. Let me tell you, as a book blogger I need my highlights and notes to help the reviewing process go smoother, so you are warned. I'm completely winging it this time. The second sign that this book is gripping? I stayed up until THREE AM to finish it. My dry bloodshot eyes the following day were a small price to pay for finally getting my HEA.
If you think this will be a light, humorous romance, you're only partly right. I was NOT prepared for the level of angst this one hit me with. My emotions were all over the place. Jimenez was a puppet master pulling my strings, making me dance to her whim. It was exhausting and not just because of my sleep deprivation. There are several factors that contribute to the angst: Kristen's upcoming surgery that will eliminate any sliver of a chance of getting pregnant. Being attracted to Josh, living with him, and having a long distance boyfriend at the same time. Then there was her inability to open up to Josh about her medical issues, and how that prevented her from letting him have a real relationship with her. Finally, some SUPER unexpected angst at the end that just about rips your heart out. I'm not spoiling it, but bring tissues.
One trope that could've been thrown in the mix for further emotional battery was cheating. Cheating is a hard pass for me 99.9% of the time, and it tends to sour a story for me. I was so happy to find that the heroine Kristen was emphatically against it, in fact, did everything in her power to avoid it happening when she started to grow strong feelings beyond friendship for Josh. As much as the sexual tension amped up, and their willpower was battered, neither ever crossed the line when they shouldn't have.
I loved their friendship period as they were getting to know one another. After a bad first impression, they had a bit of banter back and forth, but it was all pretty good natured. Josh is such an easy going guy, and her snark rolled right off his back every time. He almost immediately labeled her one of the unattainable "cool girls." The kind that are unapologetically themselves, are effortlessly sexy, and an absolute delight to spend time with. Having just gotten out of a nasty breakup himself, he was certainly not on the look out for a new romantic relationship. So he got to know unfiltered Kristen in close quarters, and the slow burn attraction started to build.
The banter was perfection, the humor was charming, and the heat was red hot with this couple. There was a whole lot to love. But I have to say, Kristen's stubbornness seemed to be indestructible after a certain point. It was so maddening I wanted to pull my hair out. I'm not saying I didn't see where she was coming from. I was trying to be open minded about her sex only rule with Josh because I was in her head properly and understood her hesitation. She had legitimate fears that were only enforced as time went on. And thing is, she's not the bold and confident woman she portrays herself as. At least, not to the extent she wants the world to believe. The vulnerable woman who feels unworthy because of her relationship with her mother is hidden well.
While I did see all of this about her, I hated how long she stubbornly refused to give him a chance. To rip herself open, lay the facts on the table, and let him have his say in the unspoken conversation. A conversation that was one-sided and entirely in her own head for the majority. It killed me to see how badly he'd hurt from her mixed signals and her lack of communication. That being said, I have a lot of respect for the emotion this book pulled out of me, and the quality of this debut author's writing! I was pleasantly surprised at how instantly engaged I was, and how it held me captive until the very end. That's no easy task for this reader after reading every basic romance trope too many times to count in a million different variations. I think Abby Jimenez brings something fresh to the romance genre, and she's the new voice to look out for in the future. I look forward to seeing what she has to offer us next.
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