The Friend Zone was everything I wanted and so much more. When a book has this much hype around it I get really excited to read it, but also scared. What if I’m the one person that just doesn’t like it? What if I expect too much and walk out disappointed? But, with this one, I had nothing to fear. It’s cute, it’s funny, it’s serious and overwhelmingly painful. It does all these things amazingly well. You can be smiling and all of a sudden crying and then laughing again. It’s all so incredibly well balanced and you definitely will not want to put this one down.

This book addressed issues of what living with infertility is like and how it can influence relationships. I enjoyed the story and fell in love with the leading male character.

I think this book would bring good discussion to a book club.

The book seemed a little predictable. I almost predicted exactly what was going to happen, but I still enjoyed it. I will definitely check out her next book.

So so so so so good! I have no words beyond this was just so good & absolutely worth the roller coaster gut punch of feels it provides.

THE FRIEND ZONE by Abby Jimenez took my emotions all over the place and made it impossible to read without laughing. I love the interplay between Josh and Kristen, even if sometimes it seemed contradictory to her character to avoid certain conversations through the book for the sake of the plot. Regardless, she plays out as a very likeable character who is thrown when she realizes that she’s falling for someone she desperately feels needs to stay in the friend zone. The last fourth of this book was my favorite and a very satisfying end to a one-day binge read experience. 4.5 stars. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I wasn't fully prepared for the friend zone. It went against my expectations which is a good thing but also had it's annoying parts. The book could be divided into parts, first a friendship, then angst, then super emotional and not prepared for this tearing of my heart and finally redemption. The two main characters went through some shit. It was push and pull for 90% of the book and what was irksome is how perfect the hero was. His only flaw, he was messy. How could she say no?! and she does say no for so long, I wanted to shake her and make her see how perfect he was but this was her journey. Kristen is supposed to be a guy's kind of girl that is ready for a good time, can down a beer and knows what the game is and Josh is the one that's in touch with his emotions. I enjoyed the book, it was a good read but, I felt as though these characters went through so much and then it was quickly wrapped up. I would've like for it to be more fleshed out and was def surprised by some of the events that occurred.

My blog partner brought this book to my attention and I am so glad I decided to read it too. It's hard to believe that this is Abby Jimenez's debut novel as it reads as a seasoned authors work!

The initial interaction between Kristen and Josh sucked me in and didn't let go.  Their banter was great - their friendship, their genuine "like" of each other was fantastic.  As their friendship grew into more - they never lost the "friend" part, they were so great together, even though Kristen often wasn't sure - but with Josh on the receiving end, he was fighting till the end to get Kristen.

This story gave me all the feels I am looking for in a book.  Some laughter, some steamy, some angst, and some tears.  This book has some serious themes to it that many can relate to and seeing the growth of these characters during these hard times is what made me fall in love with the characters and the story.  This is a bit of a slow burn, a friends-to-lovers romance that captured me early and it kept my attention without concern. I may have snuck a few pages in while at work at times because I was so invested in the story and these characters.

Absolutely take the time to read The Friends Zone soon because Abby Jimenez will have you laughing, crying and smiling while reading. A perfect debut and I am looking forward to more from this author in the future.

The Friend Zone had me laughing out loud one moment then reaching for the tissues in the next! Abby Jimenez delivers a solid debut novel! This book is equal parts fun and heartbreaking.

I liked the concept for The Friend Zone. I read the synopsis, heard the rave reviews, felt adequately warned of the triggering subject matter, and this sounded like a contemporary romance that I’d enjoy. And I did truly enjoy it! But at the same time, it left some to be desired.

I’d like to give two thumbs way up to the wit and banter, especially in the first half of the book! Kristen is spunky and tells it like it is! She is a fierce friend and a hard worker, all while dealing with a debilitating medical condition. I really enjoyed her character for the most part! But I LOVED Josh! The man is sexy, compassionate, and head over heals for Kristen!

For fear of giving away spoilers, I’ll simply say that lack of communication and a “miraculous” ending to a story-long plot point are what took away from this book for me.

Overall, I’d still recommend The Friend Zone. I know that a lot of readers will absolutely adore this book (after all, it does have some great reviews), and to those readers I say “go for it!”

*Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. Please note that it, in no way, had an effect on my opinion or review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because not only is it a contemporary romance (my fave), but it takes on real issues, grief, and loss. The author does this in such a way that you can empathize and understand (even if you haven't suffered from reproductive health issues, accidents, and loss) and it is truly exquisite. Thank you for sharing this story with us.

There has been a lot of buzz about this book. I requested it from NetGalley some time ago, then fell into a slump and didn't read much for two months.

I want to start out by saying I love Abby Jimenez's writing. The witty banter, sarcasm and practical jokes offered a lot of levity, but the prose itself was beautiful and allowed me to fall right into the book.

Kristen's best friend Sloan is marrying the man of her dreams, Brandon. His best friend, Josh, is new in town and the two of them are forced together a lot while they help with wedding preparations, and Josh acts as a stand in carpenter for Kristen's business after hers quits unexpectedly. They hit it off pretty early on and they have chemistry in spades, but Kristen has a boyfriend...plus, she's hiding a pretty big secret from Josh. He's made it clear on several occasions that he wants a ton of kids, but she's infertile. She suffers from fibroids in her uterus that are making her absolutely miserable. In fact, she's having a partial hysterectomy in a matter of weeks.

As the weeks go by and Kristen and Josh spend more time together, it becomes clear to Kristen that Josh is the perfect match for her in every way....except she can't be with him. Because it wouldn't be fair to deprive him of the kids he's always wanted.

While I loved the writing and the male MC, this book was problematic for me on a number of levels. Rowena and I will be reviewing it together later in the month, but I have to say the way Kristen acted because of her medical problem was wrong. Period. Full stop. She was described as a unicorn - a perfect female with no drama, who is always upfront and honest. Yet all she did was lie, play hot and cold with the hero and string two guys along.

Parts of this were beautiful, but the majority of it was just so wrong I can't even begin to express my rage.

***4.5 Stars***

Ok...
Here’s the thing...
I Loved this book.
I did
I swear
I devoured it and all it’s ‘We are only friends because I know what’s best for you’ frustrating goodness
But...there is that ONE thing that had me going

W.T.E.L.F (yeah figure that one out)?!?

Why?!?!
Why did the author have to put me through that???
Not cool...I mean I get it...but still

*takes a deep breath and let’s it out*

But on to the review...

I couldn’t put this one down. It was funny, sweet, swoon worthy and all kinds of frustrating, but it was addicting and I couldn’t stop turning the pages to see what would happen next.

I loved Josh and Kristen. Josh is sweet, sneaky, smexy as all get and simply a good man.
Kristen has moxie. She doesn’t mince her words, in fact saying she has no edit button is pretty apt. But she has a unique wit and a huge heart that helped to make some of her rougher edges smooth out.

To say their journey to their HEA was frustrating is an understatement, I still enjoyed it, but man the conversations they had with themselves in their heads and the belief that one could know what was best for another without talking to them tried me. But even as frustrating as their situation was, I still loved them together. They got each other and, with an exception or two ~ mostly because they had no knowledge of it ~ they just got each other. The flow was there. The chemistry was there and I loved how much they enjoyed simply being together. There are a lot of landmines in this one, and one was huge, but I really liked where the ended up.

This was a fun read, with one exception, but overall a fun one. The writing was engaging and I ended up loving the characters ~ especially Stuntman Mike. As for that one exception ~ it’s been almost a week since I read the book (My vacation was ending and I came back to #workhell and my brain just couldn’t do anything but get my #worklife straightened out) and I’m still in limbo about it. I get it, it’s all about realism/life happens kinda thing, but part of me thinks it was a bit much ~ but that is simply my opinion and I’d still recommend this one when everything was said and done.

~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

Wow. What a fantastic and real romance novel. Kristen's struggles with her reproductive issues, including infertility are realistic, both medically and emotionally. Josh and Kristen's friendship is relatable to anyone who finds themselves falling for a close friend. A great, well-written read. I highly recommend it.

I didn’t like the sexist tropes in this book. The heroine was described as, “not like other girls” and the focus on having your own biological kids and emphasis on having boys struck me as so old school. I liked the story, but the sexism took me out of it and ultimately made me not like this book.

The Friend Zone is an amazing and impactful debut novel by the amazing Abby Jimenez. She even goes so far as to address important topics like killer periods, fibroids and infertility. She relates these issues to what it means to the stage of life our character is in. Kristen assumes she'll never have children due to the fact that her longtime boyfriend is rarely around due to being deployed. Then when she least expects she meets Josh. He's the best man and her best friend's wedding. He also comes from a large family and is looking to have a large family. This book will make you laugh, it will make you cry and at times it will feel like your insides are being twisted up in a knot. I highly recommend this book. It's funny, raw, honest and just a little sad.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

The Friend Zone is an amazingly real fictional story. These characters aren't your stereotypical romance characters. Josh isn't some rich jerk, he's a genuinely kind man… such a breath of fresh air! Kristen isn't a whiny girl who has to make sure her heels coordinate with her skirt, she's a real woman with a real problem that isn't talked about often enough in the current world. Don't forget Stuntman Mike…. He's the real HEA of this novel.
I loved everything about The Friend Zone. Abby Jimenez does such a great job creating this world and sucking you into it. You'll instantly feel invested in the lives of these characters. I couldn't put this book down, and you won't be able to either. I'm counting down the days until her next book comes out, because I'm going to need some real healing after reading something that happened in this one.
Don't delay, pick this book up and read it!

I was incredibly excited when I heard that Abby Jimenez was writing this book. I first learned of Abby's wit and charm through social media posts related to her bakery, and after reading a description for "The Friend Zone," I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Thankfully, the wait was more than worth it - I LOVED this book! I hated that real life kept interrupting me because I didn't want to put it down. I laughed, I cried, and I fell in love with each and every one of these characters.

There is so much I want to say about this book, but at the same time I don't want to say much at all because I wouldn't want to ruin the twists and turns for those who have not yet read it. Generally speaking, however, the writing is excellent and incredibly mature. I found it difficult to believe that it was actually a debut novel! Also, I love how the book manages to be both funny and poignant at the same time. It deals with a number of very serious subjects, but delicately and realistically.

I am so happy that Abby is writing a follow-up to this book! I can't wait to find out what happens to these characters next.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was wonderfully unexpected for me. I requested it on a whim and it was one of the most enjoyable books I've read all year. It had the right amount of cheese and real world feel. It was a nice balance. I literally could not stop reading it.

I’ve been reading a lot of romance, to no one’s surprise. But when I saw Estelle from Forever talking about this, I knew I had to read it.

In Abby Jimenez’ The Friend Zone, you have a bit of romance, humor, and something more. There is an emotional give and take that happens between Kristen and Josh. It threw me off for a moment, but when I realized what was going on, I threw my preconceived notions out the window and just let the feelings come.

In the first few pages of this story, we meet both Kristen and Josh in a slight fender bender. After a few colorful words were exchanged, they head in their own ways. Josh was rushing to the same party that Kristen was headed to. Kristen is the bride’s best friend, owns her own company, a dog accessories online shop. And Josh is the groom’s best friend, and a Firefighter from South Dakota, who recently moved to Los Angeles after a terrible relationship gone wrong.

These two are in the angst category. They can’t get enough of each other, but are in huge denial of the attraction. Kristen has a boyfriend who is deployed, counting the days until he comes back, and Josh is doing anything he can to win her over.

Guys, these two are the epitome of complex. At one point, their banter and push and pull made me frustrated. I’m not always a fan of angst, and boy do these two have it.

There was a twist in the end that I didn’t expect. It came out of nowhere, and I definitely did not see it coming.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and am ready to see more from Jimenez.

*Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Another wonderful addition for the rom-com genre in my books! The Friend Zone delivered with a sassy heroine and a charming male lead! There were many laugh out loud moments and it was super swoon worthy!
What I really like was all the serious themes that were intrinsically tied into the plot. I laughed with these characters and I cried with them throughout their journey.

Thank you again to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for an honest review!

I am still recovering from this book as I write this review so excuse the rambling but oh my god??? Why did this book want to HURT ME LIKE THAT??? I am genuinely feeling a little nauseous lol.

The nausea has nothing to do with how the book was, just about certain events I won’t dive into. Rest assured, if you do read this book and have some serious feelings afterwards, please talk to me so we can all cry together. A HAPPY CRYING CIRCLE.

If you are not a fan of any kind of angst, you should probably skip this book because there is a lot of it. Sometimes it felt unavoidable, other times it was frustrating but honestly it wasn’t actually an issue for me. I went into this book expecting angst so I was prepared.

Josh and Kristen are extremely perfect for each other in every single way. Except that he wants a very very big family and she cannot have kids. In fact, he broke up with his ex because she didn’t want to have kids. So, while Josh falls slowly in love, Kristen works her hardest to resist the attraction she feels (1. Because she has a boyfriend and also 2. Because she doesn’t want to put Josh in an awkward position by telling her the truth about her condition).

For a book that tries so hard to defy gender norms, it is somehow also still entrenched in them? Especially when Josh cannot stop talking about how different Kristen is from the other girls because she drinks beer and is unafraid to speak her mind. Chill out, Josh.

So yeah, this book isn’t perfect but it still managed to get my attention from the get-go and somehow the pages just flew by?? Both Josh and Kristen are such well-rounded characters. I love that their friends are such a major part of their lives, I love that they are passionate about their jobs, I love that they work SO WELL TOGETHER. Even when they cannot figure out how to be together.

There are tons of amazing sounding romance books coming out this summer and the one thing that makes this one stand out is how health/infertility issues are discussed. They aren’t just shoved to the back of the close never to be mentioned again. They are very much part of Kristen’s life so they become part of Josh’s life. I also love that this book is as much about Josh and Kristen falling in love as it is Kirsten learning to feel like she is worth loving.

I am reluctant to rate this book because I do have issues with this one event that gutted me and felt completely unnecessary. Please not that there is a HEA for Josh and Kristen and the one event aside, The Friend Zone is an adorable, thoughtful romcom absolutely worth reading.