The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez: Kristen is smart, confident, feisty, independent, and tells it like it is. She's fun, funny, and blunt and tired of living with near constant pain. She's always wanted a family, but she's about to have surgery that will ensure she'll never get pregnant. She's loyal, great in a crisis, and yet never asks for help for herself. She loves running her own business and her dog, Stuntman Mike, who is very particular about who he likes.

Josh is happy to be working with his best friend, but he's not a fan of all the calls they respond to as firefighters and paramedics that aren't actually serious. He's smart, sexy, funny, generous, and can't wait to have a family of his own one day. He has six older sisters, so he knows how to deal with women, and he wants to have a large family.

Kristen and Josh may not get off on quite the right foot, but they immediately find that they share the same sense of humor, love to eat, and love the same movies. They just click and connect on so many levels, which is great since they will need to see each as they are the maid of honor and best man for their best friends upcoming wedding. There is an immediate attraction on both sides, but Kristen has her reasons for putting him in the friend zone.

Josh is less than thrilled by being friend zoned, especially by a woman who is so perfect for him. Their friendship becomes very important to both of them. They grow closer with each day they spend together and it becomes that much harder not to cross that line from friendship into more, even though both want more. It's almost a battle between Josh's patience and determination and Kristen's stubbornness.

The Friend Zone is heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and emotional. Abby Jimenez wrote a difficult storyline with sensitivity, heat, humor, banter, and unwavering friendship. Ms. Jimenez developed a cast of characters you'd like to hang out with. Fans of Nicole Jacquelyn, Helen Hoang, and Meghan Quinn will love The Friend Zone.

This book is amazing. I devoured it in one sitting. The banter....epic.
It had it all. I can't wait to read more by this author.

The Friend Zone is already my favorite book of the year! I am stunned that is the author's debut novel. It was truly the quality of a highly experienced author. I began the book and was instantly hooked. The characters, Josh and Kristen, had so much chemistry and appeal that I had to know how their story was going to end. One of the great things about this book was the loveable and important background characters. Stuntman Mike, Sloan, Brandon, Tyler, and even Evelyn made this story so real and relatable.

I appreciate the humor that author Abby Jimenez brought to this contemporary romance novel. We get to see it starting with Josh and Kristen's initial meeting and throughout the entire book which made it so light-hearted. The two may have some differences, but they both enjoy sarcasm, food, and Stuntman Mike!

Josh is an ex-Marine, a bad driver, and is currently working as a firefighter/EMT. He is funny, kind, and single. Yep, totally swooning over here. Kristen is a young entrepreneur, a great mom to Stuntman Mike, loyal, and is my spirit animal. It was beautiful to see these two create a friendship that was already filled with lots of laughs, tons of sarcasm, and sparks!!

I rooted for these two the entire time, but there was one major problem. Kristen was in a long distance relationship. As the story moves along, I really loved every page and think so many readers will too.

This book was more than a romance novel. There was a message of self-worth that I think took this book to the next level. Kristen didn't believe that she was ever enough and this broke my heart. How could she not see how bold and brave she was on a daily basis? I think Josh played an important role in helping her overcome those demons. There was also a tragic aspect of the book that made me cry so hard...and I do not cry very easily.

I am so excited about this book because I just want to talk about it already. I know a book is GREAT when I want to read it over and over again. And this book makes me feel this way. Again, I cannot believe that this is a debut novel. The Friend Zone has become my top pick for book of the year! I can't wait for readers to get their hands on this book and fall in love with this book like I have. And this is why I have to give The Friend Zone 5 stars. It really deserves more than that and I feel like 10 stars wouldn't even do it justice. Abby Jimenez just found herself a fan for life!

Let me start off by saying that I FLEW through this book. I could not put it down and I thought about the characters constantly when I wasn't reading it. I did, however, have some issues with certain parts that prevented this from being a 5 star read for me. In fact, as I was reading it, I thought the entire time that I would give it 3 stars. But as I finished it, I realized I enjoyed it more than a 3 star book. There are just certain things that I would have liked changed. I definitely didn't predict the part about Brandon. It was a good story and definitely unputdownable. I can't wait to read more from this author. If you like romances, you need to check this one out!

This book was incredibly emotional to read. An amazing drama, filled with real-life characters and a difficult moral dilemma. I found myself rooting for the heroine and cheering her on. A simply beautifully written book

Wow! I powered through this book in one sitting. The anticipation for this book has been killing me, and it totally lived up to its hype.

For those who have fallen in love with Abby’s sense of humor, that totally shows up in this book. But it is a whole lot more than a rom com. This book has heart and heartbreak and all the feels! It takes you for a crazy ride that you don’t want to get off.

I am so happy to have had a chance to read an early copy of this book, and will be recommending it to everybody and certainly purchasing for my library.


I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was beyond amazing. Easily 5 stars. The dialogue, chemistry, witty banter - it was all there. I was LOLing throughout, but this book also made me tear up several times. This book had it ALL and I absolutely loved it. Deeper than your usual rom-com, this was a phenomenal debut. I already pre-ordered and will be recommending to everyone.