I'll be honest, I really struggled with this book and am on the fence whether to rate this a 2 or 3 star read. Unfortunately, I started and stopped this book so many times and had to force myself to finish. The first 60% was just really boring and seemed to drag and offered no motivation to continue. I'd find myself checking at the beginning of the chapter to see how many more chapters I had to go before I could mark this one as complete. Since I can count on one hand how many books I have DNF'd in my life, I figured I'd keep reading in hopes it would grab my attention. This book could have easily been written with half the pages and been 100x better. I couldn't even count on some heat to keep me interested, as they only made out twice and that was it, FOR THE ENTIRE BOOK). I'm usually not a fan of YA since it's hard for me to relate (I'm at least 15 years older than the characters in this book). But the premise of this one sounded interesting and I'm a sucker for a good sports romance, so I gave it a try, especially since this was a 'new to me' author.

I didn't really have an issue with the plot itself, which is a plus. I did find myself having a hard time connecting with the characters. Jess wasn't my favorite character. She was so obsessed with 'Ben I Am' that I just became annoyed. I really hated hearing about another love interest for most of the story and hated how she used Logan (at his insistence though) to get closer to Ben. She seemed a bit too shallow and one-dimensional to me.

I really liked Logan ... a lot. He had such a rough childhood and had made obvious mistakes, but he was serious about turning his life around. He wasn't obsessed with playing in the NFL, only wanted to graduate so that he could become a teacher. I had a lot of respect for him and found his honor and respect for Coach's rules to be inspiring.

Speaking of rules, Coach's rules were absurd and not at all realistic. I mean to prohibit a player from having ANY romantic relationship with a woman, not even the holding hands innocent kind, was taking things a step too far and into communist/dictator territory. I almost put the book down and didn't go past that chapter once I read that. It made me that mad and had me scoffing at the same time.

Around the 60% mark, I started getting more into the book. Things were picking up with Logan and Jess' relationship and the plot sped up. So for that alone, I gave my review an extra star. That 'emotional support milk' the author threw in at the end of the book just had me swooning. That was unique and made my heart melt for the guy. I wish we had gotten more of an epilogue. I felt like we were taken through the book on such a drawn out journey and then left to hang and assume life after college would be great.

I really wish the secondary characters had provided more color. They just seemed to make the occasional appearance and were pretty bland. I found Ford and Keilani to be very intriguing and I wanted to see more of them instead of more of Jess/Logan.

OMG I laughed so hard reading this book it was hilarious yet serious all summed up in one. This is a must read for anyone who wants to laugh and cry all at once!

This sweet new adult sport romance has a lot of rules for NFL players and the biggest rule is broken. Because NFL player Logan falls in love in the coach daughter Jess. A story that is so much deeper than just ordinary collage romance. Both Logan and Jess had very trouble past full of pain. Somehow, they heal each other and offer support with which they have feeling that they can accomplish more and to fight for what they want. Their story is amazing and to see how they developed and become wiser.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

The title of this book is absolutely perfect! There is so much "friend zoning" going on in this book. That's what happens when the football coach makes "no girls" one of his rules. This coach's rules are rigid and if you break them, you are basically done playing for him with no questions asked. Logan cannot afford to lose the football scholarship so he makes the comment to his math tutor early on that no girl is worthing losing his future. The math tutor, Jess (aka Jessica) is also the coach's daughter. She and Logan become friends while she is tutoring him. He agrees to try to help her make another math tutor, Ben, jealous. She's had a crush on Ben for a while but he's been having a "thing" with her nemesis. Somewhere along the way, Jess realizes it's not Ben she's interested in anymore, but Logan. Unfortunately she knows that can't happen because of her father's rules and of all of them, dating her would be the biggest violation. She refuses to be the reason that Logan could lose his ability to play football and thus continue school. She also doesn't want to betray her father's trust. So, she and Logan both try to resist the increasing attraction that they feel for one another.

The underlying passion between these two is palpable. They acquiesce to some kisses here and there but are constantly in fear of being caught. Logan is driven to succeed by his intense need to not "be his step-father" and he firmly believes that getting his education is his ticket out. Jess has been battling her own demons after a situation that happened to her in the past. Logan's friendship has helped her to see that all football players are not the same. She is attracted to his caring nature, sensitivity and vulnerability. Of course, I'm sure his perfect athletic physique doesn't hurt matters either. She battles it because she knows he can't afford school without the scholarship. Yet, neither of them can fully distance themself from the other and they think they can maintain a friendship without stepping over the line again. Can they make this work or are their hearts too invested already?

The Friend Zone was a very enjoyable slow burn romance. The characters had depth and had experienced difficult life experiences. It made it easy to feel invested in their outcome. I also really liked Logan's roommate, Bash. He was just a big lug with a heart. It was also rewarding to see Jess and her father's relationship grow as well.

This was a fresh and rewarding sports romance. Even though a lot of underlying sexual tension and attraction was at play between our main characters, the book only contained some steamy kissing scenes. However, those were definitely some hot kisses. If you like sports romance, fake relationships, friends to lovers and somewhat forbidden relationships, you'd enjoy this book.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for providing me with the ARC.**

A great friends to “lovers,” slow burn novel and so much more than your typical sports romance. Logan is the fallen star football player looking for a second chance and Jess is his new coach’s daughter. Their love is forbidden from the start thanks to Coach Oakley’s no dating, and especially no dating the coach’s daughter, rule for the football team. This rule forces Logan and Jess to be friends first and to really get to know one another. Both Logan and Jess have experienced traumatic events in their past, but Wilson does a great job of balancing the heavy content with light banter and overalls this is a fun read.

I’m really hoping this will be the start of a series because there were some great secondary characters. If so, fingers crossed for Bash as the lead in book 2.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Montlake Romance for giving me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

NEW BOOK BOYFRIEND ALERT! Logan Hunt seriously made this story for me. The difficult upbringing, the perseverance, the loyalty. Coach's rules are over the top, but Logan is determined to follow them. He is just a dream come true. The empathetic way he listens to Jess and supports her really adds to their connection. Both characters have been through a lot, and they deserve so much more. This friends to lovers story will pull on all your heartstrings, and I definitely recommend it!

The writing of this just wasn't for me. I found it a bit cringe-worthy at times and cheesy at others. I thought Jess's character could of gone in a very different way from the first chapter we see her in, but her first POV then sort of negates it. I don't know, something about this just didn't click.

3 1/2 stars This was a cute New Adult romance and my first time reading this author. I enjoyed this story about Logan and Jess. They were sweet. I think the fact that these two had to literally spend time in the friend zone led to a much deeper connection between them and it was so nice watching that develop. I really liked the epilogue.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

We have another forbidden love. We have an angry jock Logan who almost lost what he lives for Football, but given a second chance he is trying to behave. And that would be fine if his tutor wasn't the coaches daughter who hates football and everything with it. But as these two start spending time with each other feelings change, attitudes change but the problems persist and how will they deal with them.. It is a slow burn and I am sorry to say but i miss the hotness..

4 stars
Another cute story by Sariah Wilson. It was a sweet and innocent romance, with a side of football. While some arts were a little hard to believe, it was still a cute story. I enjoyed it.

I think Sariah Wilson is my new favorite author!! I love all of her royal books and wasn’t sure if I would like this one but every time I pick up one of her books I fall in love. In The Friend Zone I fell deeply in love with Logan and his honor and integrity. I love the selflessness of Jess and I love how they both persevered despite the obstacles in their lives. I felt like I was in college all over again. Thanks Sariah for another great book.

I really enjoyed this! I will definitely be recommending this to be regular patrons at books a million!!!! I wish that they did more paperbacks of these types of books though.

A heartwarming friends-to-lovers romance!

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Logan and Jess especially since it had a taste of the forbidden due to the rules that Logan's coach lays down for the football team.

No swearing. No drugs or alcohol. No girlfriends.

Their friendship is especially dangerous since Jess is the daughter of the coach! Logan knows the consequences, but he's so drawn to Jess because of her vibrant personality. What starts off as a fake relationship - crafted to land Jess the guy she's been crushing on - turns into a deep connection between the two as they spend the majority of their free time together.

It was love at first sight, but Jessica’s father is the football coach and he has a rules lots of rules for his players. Logan and Jess find time to be together doing lots of “friends” things. This was a cute friends to boyfriend story.

A cute, fun story. Im a sucker for the friends to lovers trope and this story progressed nicely. What gave it 3.5 stars for me was some of the things that the main characters did made zero sense once they were “together”. The other guy wasn’t relevant towards the end, but he would be placed in parts of the story and would make you wanna scream at the book “why is he here?!? Isn’t she over him yet?!?” Keeping all of this in mind, I will definitely look into more work from this author. The ending was cute and ties everything up nicely. I received an arc from netgalley for an honest review!

I’ve read one other book by this author and have to say that I do like her style of writing.

But in this book the inner monologues are a bit lengthy and take away from the flow of the story. Other then that I did enjoy this book about Logan and Jess.
Jess is trying to stay clear of the football type guys she’s encountered in Texas that have done horrible things to her. Her dad and she move to Seattle for a fresh start at a new College. Her dad is a coach and sets up rules for his team to not being allowed to date, especially his daughter. Logan (who’s the QB on the football team), needs a math tutor and Jess is the best.
They form a friendship and he wants to help her get with a guy...

I received this ebook copy from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The romantic tension in this story was through the roof- how could it not be when two people wanted to be together and yet couldn’t? The plot was good, with two people becoming friends and fighting to stay that way when they both want to be more. I loved the author’s way of switching first person perspective between Jess and Logan. It brought the book to life, especially with the skill the author had in writing from a girl’s AND boy’s perspective.

I loved the coach and the life lessons he was trying to teach the football team. And despite being very hard to live by, Logan does his best to follow the rules. Jess, the coach’s daughter, was a great protagonist as well. She is bright and kind and quickly realizes that she wants what’s best for Logan, even if it means staying away from him. Jess and Logan were such good friends and their flirting and bantering were so fun. I loved the added depth that came from each of the protagonists backgrounds- each came from their own set of difficulties and were changed as a result of it.

Another great clean romance from Sariah Wilson, and I’m hoping we get to read more about some of these characters in future books!

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

One of these days I will finally understand what makes a New Adult book be classified as such. I would have said this book would be on that genre, but every source I have checked considers this book just Contemporary Romance. In the end, it’s not that important; except for tidy shelves. In any case, here we go with The Friend Zone!!

This book follows the adventures of Logan Hunt, a college student and football player who has been kicked off his former team for bad behaviour. He ends in en EOL College, where he will be given a second and last chance. There he meets Jess, the witty and fun daughter of his current coach. They become almost insta-friends and it could develop much more further if it wasn’t for a tiny detail: the coach doesn’t allow his players to have dates under penalty of expulsion…

If you told me a couple of years ago that I would enjoy so much the several Sport Romance books I have read lately, I would have thinked you were crazy or talking with the wrong person. I’m not a sports guy. Like, not at all. But I guess I enjoy the healthy banter these books usually have. The Friend Zone is no exception. The most remarkable characteristic of this story is the dynamic between Logan and Jess. It is beautifully written. A slow dance that takes us through all the stages from funny flirtation to mindblowing friendship and an equally sweet and hot romance. No rush. No crazy displays of love. Every step has the utmost respect for the characters and their situations, which makes everything much more realistic.

In case it is not clear, I’m in love with the characters of this book. Jess is the usual woman you find in this kind of books: independent, smart and not an easy prey. What makes her more special is the fact that she remains like that way longer than other female characters in similar books. And Logan… *sigh*. When I started the book the first thing that came to my mind was: I smell a book boyfriend. My first impression was spot on! I’m not going to say he is perfect, because there are a couple of situations that made me frown; but he is pretty close: good humored, funny, honest, loyal, hard-working and, surprie, surprise, a full package hottie. in the previous book I read, I met the worst kind of cocky. Logan, on the other hand, is the perfect kind. So with these two, I really enjoyed the romance between them. Playful, charismatic, sweet… And man… those kisses… they were really hot. The undeniable power of keeping it simple. No need of sex to sell the readers their connection.

Not everything shines under the sun, though. The book has also a couple of things that I don’t like that much. The most obvious one are the coach’s rules. More precisely, the one against dating. Why? I know there is an explanation, but it’s crazy. It’s putting all the young men of this world in the same box and listening to no reason. It’s the same rule used to introduce a bit of drama in the story and in my opinion it is a bit weak. But, I must also admit that the author does a superb job to apply this rule to Logan’s situation. The problem is that Logan is not the only one in the team… With such crazy regulations it is a wonder there is a team at all!!

The other big issue for me is Ben. If this guy were a real contender for Jess’ heart, the story would have been even better. I mean, since the first time we meet the The Bentastic Poet, we know there is zero chemistry. I have a hard time believing that Jess doesn’t realize that way sooner. I also don’t like how quickly the poor guy is belittle by Logan. I admit that Ben is a self-centered jerk, but we don’t get to know that after much later in the book. So, all that mockery about his looks and choices in life feels too much like bullying for my taste.

By the way, I should have skipped the epilogue. The aftertaste of the book would have been much better.

A sweet, clean read for all ages. I liked this book. It’s far different from what I’ve been reading lately, which is nice to get a break from the angst but I’m definitely ready to dive back into my norm after reading this. A great palate cleanse, if you will. Enjoyable characters and an overall good book.

The Friend Zone introduced me to a new author, and for that, thank you.

This friends to lovers story is so beautiful. Of course it is filled with anxieties, pressure and fear of losing it all but through it all, Jess and Logan's friendship survives and flourishes.

Before this couple find their HEA, the author convinces the reader that they have such a strong foundation in friendship that will survive almost anything, that there is no risk!

And isn't that what it's all about? The reader 'believing' what they are reading?

A lovely start to what I hope is a long and happy relationship with a new author.