I love books that leave you with a happy sigh and a little bit of a hangover. The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez is the type of book you pick up for a dose of happiness in a time of uncertainty. I cannot recommend this contemporary romance highly enough.

The Happy Ever After Playlist is a companion novel to The Friend Zone and features Sloan, Kristen’s best friend. Sloan is driving when a dog happens to jump through her sunroof. He has a tag with his name, Tucker, and the phone number of his owner Jason. Sloan keeps calling Jason, but gets no answer, so she decides to steal Tucker. Eventually though, Jason responds and well, a flirtation between Sloan and him develops. Jason is a musician who is about to blow up. Can it work out between Sloan and Jason?

I inhaled The Happy Ever After Playlist. Sloan’s growth and her leaving the in between place she was living in was so captivating to me. This book is serious but sweet – and I loved that it shines a spotlight on just how much grief can impact your life. I also loved Jason’s family – they live in Ely, Minnesota and his parents are clearly in love. Jason also had his moments of wonderful – although there were times where I was like come on, just communicate.

Jimenez’s second book proves to me lightening does strike twice. It’s just as fantastic as The Friend Zone – blending laughs and tears. This book left me in my feelings in the best kind of way. Get your hands on it as soon as it comes out, I promise you that if you are similar to me in taste, you absolutely will not regret your time reading.

The Happy Ever After Playlist is a solid romance. I'd say the issue with this one for me is that I always get a bit of whiplash from reading books that are all over the place tone-wise. Is this a romantic comedy or a romantic drama? It's hard to do both in a book and not really commit to either. I also felt like the relationship intensity went from zero to "soulmates 5ever" really quickly in this novel, and insta-love's not my favorite relationship trope for any book. (Give me a sizzling enemies-to-lovers storyline, however, and I'm A-OK.)

I'd say 2.5 stars for this one.

This book starts with the absolute best meet cute and I knew I would tear through this book and sure enough, that's exactly what happened. I found the writing so captivating and the banter between Sloan and Jason was perfect. This book made me laugh, cry, get angry and experience every other emotion you could think of.

This is a fantastic book and was unputdownable for me!! I highly recommend!!

Thank you SO MUCH Netgalley for giving me this arc!!!

The Friend Zone has easily been one of my absolute favorite reads of this year. So when I found out there was another book coming out, I freaked out... just a little.

This book was absolutely wonderful!!! Abby Jimenez continues to write beautiful stories that suck me in immediately and make me sad to put it down for even a short amount of time. Her giftedness for writing characters that are so intensely relatable will never fail to astonish me.

Sloan already had my heart from The Friend Zone and Jason grabbed my heart immediately. Sloan has been mourning for 2 years and you can see and truly feel the toll it’s taken on her. Underneath the depression though, lies a fun, spirited, energetic, and loving woman. Jason... where to begin. His patience and sincerity was insanely attractive. Not to mention he’s just hot. So there’s that. But his heart and intentions and just WHO he was, was amazing. I fell in love instantly with his flirtyness. Because... it was impossible not to.

This story was so fun and lighthearted, yet breached such heartbreaking emotions that you couldn’t help but feel the same pain these characters were feeling. It was also so fun to see Kristen and Josh again! Love and miss reading about them so this was just perfect. Everything was beautiful to read and I can’t wait for the rest of Abby’s fans to read another absolutely wonderful book!

P.S. I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend and suggest reading The Friend Zone first!!! It will absolutely enhance the reading experience!

What I love about Abby's books so far that first its based off of real people she knows. Secondly, I love how it doesn't follow the typical romance book formula. We get to experience Jason and Sloan relationship for awhile and its not even towards the end of the book! I did like how Jason and Sloan first are introduced to each other. Their banter was cute.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Okay, how much do I love this book?! The Happy Ever After Playlist begins with a meet-cute facilitated by an adorable dog jumping into the heroine's car. As if that weren't enough to make me melt, we then have the hero admitting that he loves his dog like his own child. As a cat mom myself, I absolutely fell in love with both Sloan and Jason within the first couple of chapters. As their long-distance flirtation deepened over their shared love for Tucker the dog, I very quickly found myself eager for them to find their happily ever after.

Sloan and Jason had the cutest chemistry together. I remember taking a while to warm up to Kristin and Josh in The Friend Zone -- I hated the whole 'not like other girls' vibe, and their flirtation felt more snarky/angsty than flirty/swoony at times -- but I fell in love with Sloan and Jason almost immediately. I'm still not too keen on their shared love for hunting, but that's a personal bias rather than a book flaw.

I love that the will-they/won't-they question of Sloan and Jason getting together was based on a very real predicament: Sloan was still grieving the death of her fiance, and struggled to be able to move on. Jason very quickly decided he wanted Sloan in his life, but was dealing with a major career shift and had to decide if being with him at this time would be best for Sloan. Despite some heavy issues to work through, the first half of the book was very much a fun and fluffy rom com that was just a pleasure to read.

The second half switched to a more serious exploration of how Sloan and Jason can actually fit into each other's real lives, and the story became even stronger for it. I love that Jimenez explored both the swoony heart-racing aspects of falling in love and the harsh realities that real life goes beyond the swoon.

Jason is a singer on the verge of stardom, and Sloan is an artist who has to figure out if she can actually live with the touring rock star life style. Jimenez does a great job of showing the physical and psychological toll that touring takes on Sloan, and the immediate improvement when she takes a vacation to focus on her artwork. We also see Jason's dilemma, how he quickly tires of the touring / stardom aspect of his career, but has worked too hard to give it up easily. Neither of them is a jerk about it -- both are incredibly supportive of each other's happiness and respective careers; it's just a matter of figuring out how to make a difficult situation work.

There was also a subplot about Jason being stalked and Sloan being targeted. The prime suspect is Jason's ex Lola, whose flagging career could use a boost from Jason's rise, but as this thread develops, it begins to move away from the jealous ex trope to a more expansive critique of celebrity culture and the superstardom industry. This was probably my least favourite part of the book -- I'm meh on the jealous ex trope in general, though I did like how things eventually turned out. But I found this plot thread to be somewhat melodramatic and unnecessary, especially given all the very real issues that Sloan and Jason were already working through without it. 

There's also an author's note where Jimenez explains that she'd written this before The Friend Zone, which I appreciated. I thought that Sloan's fiance dying in The Friend Zone was totally random and unnecessary, and apparently some other readers felt the same, but the author's note explained that because she'd written Playlist first but Friend Zone came first chronologically, that twist was necessary.

Overall, I loved The Happily Ever After Playlist. From the best ever meet-cute over a dog to a delightfully cheesy over-the-top resolution, this story was super sweet and cute and feel-good.

+

Thank you to Forever Romance for an egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for this complimentary advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

Every reader has a style of storytelling that they find most compelling and enjoyable, and after reading two of her books, I've concluded Abby Jimenez's writing style is probably not for me. That said, her books have been met with largely positive reception, so please take my opinion for what it is: a personal, subjective review.

What I liked about this story:
- A realistic depiction of deep grief and its significant impact on quality of life.
- A depiction of a loving female friendship that is honest and supportive.
- An attempt to portray the raw and challenging aspects of fame.

What I struggled with:
- This storyline felt like it was relying heavily on a number of oft-done, old hat storylines in romance; rockstar whose life is too taxing and which precipitates lots of back and forth, doubt, and drama; too-perfect circumstances fostering an insta-love relationship; and a low morale woman who suddenly perks up and finds her mojo when she meets "the one."
- Jason is a romantic, I understand, but he is EXTRA. The whole martyr attitude of "I'll love her from afar. No one will ever love her as I have" was immature, especially because he pushed Sloan away by *lying* to her about cheating and thus denied her the opportunity to choose her own path.
- Sloan's growth happens off-pages. We had so many pages devoted to her letting her health and happiness go to hell while on tour with Jason, but her significant growth in terms of wellness, energy, artistic fulfillment, and sense of purpose happens between two chapters and is summed up in "three months later". I wanted to see Sloan's resilience happen, not just the hot mess she and Jason made of trying to tour without having good self-care boundaries.

As a romance writer myself, I firmly believe no book or writing style is for *everyone*. While this one was not for me, I am glad that this story is a pleasure for many to read.

I cried when Brandon died. I even told Abby as much, but I didn't anticipate the tears that would constantly flow while reading book 2! After 2 years of grieving, Sloan is still miserable. I hated how Brandon's family seemed to pretty much abandon their future daughter-in-law (but we all know people suck). Aside from Kristen, Josh, and their baby boy, sis didn't really have much to brighten her day, but then, along came Tucker ! Leave it to an amazing pup to help Sloan love again. As all cheesy romances go, Sloan and Jason were bound to fall in love and live happily ever after and ride off into the sunset (and they did, but on a tour bus). What I loved most about Jason, was his level of patience, understanding, and protectiveness of Sloan and her feelings. This book was great you guys, and I'm a firm believer that all a person needs in this life, is a few best friends, tacos, tequila, books and LOTS OF LOVE!!! Love after loss exists and I love the way Abby had me laughing my ass off, The HEA Playlist is definitely a fun read. You're going to laugh and cry simultaneously !

Abby Jimenez has once again written a love story is sweet and tender and funny and challenging and romantic and sad and frustrating and absolutely wonderful! Sloan and Jason are sexy and adorable and devoted and exasperating and charming and infuriating and I loved every single second of this book!! Yes, the sad parts were devastating, but the lovely and love-filled parts were glorious.This story made me laugh and cry and fall in love and FEEL!!!

4.5 STARS

Abby Jimenez does it AGAIN. I would say I'm definitely in the majority when it comes to absolutely loving The Friend Zone so The HEAP has been on my list of books I want since it was announced there was a second book in the series. HEAP was actually written before The Friend Zone and in true Jimenez fashion, is based on real people and their experiences with some pretty tough topics (grief and infertility) so you need to always read the author's note and acknowledgments of her books!!

This is the story of Sloan as she processes her grief 2 years after Brandon's accident and starts to date again. The spark between Sloan and Jason is automatic and you really root for them the entire time. I love the way Jimenez writes and you really just get inside these people's heads and their banter.

I read it start to finish in ONE day because I couldn't put it down. I was so sad to leave Sloan and Jason's love story so I'm already wishing for a book 3!!

Thanks so much to Netgalley, Forever Pub, and Abby Jimenez for my free eARC in exchange for an honest review!!

What a perfect follow-up to The Friend Zone! I knew I was going to love Sloan’s story but I had no clue I would love it even more than TFZ! The fact that Sloan & Jason’s meet cute starts with an adorable and mischievous pup made me smile immediately and I was hooked from page one. Sloan might be my new favorite heroine because this chick is strong AF, communicates her needs, knows how to say no, and admits and acknowledges when she’s wrong, or out of line, or having a moment. And Jason??? Omg I just want to pinch his cheeks...both sets, of course. He is the damn sweetest, so patient, and even though he royally effs up a time or two, he had the best intentions and his heart was in the right place. Man guys, Abby really nailed it with this one and I am so stinking excited to see what she comes up with next!

I fell in love with Abby Jimenez's writing with Friend Zone and now it's full blown girl crush! There are SO many layers; grief, celebrity, trust, friendship, and manipulation. Kristen and Sloan are friendship goals and I love that the reader gets an update on Josh and Kristen's life. The discovery at just what the industry can be like with Jason's career and have so much more sympathy for what musicians have to go through. So heartbreaking, but utterly absolutely beautiful at the same time. Grief is a complex battle that can often seem insurmountable, but Sloan is amazing and her friendship with Kristen brought tears and laughter on the same page. I'll never get enough of romance like this and I can only hope we will keep getting them.

4.5 Stars. Oh my heart, did I LOVE this book! I loved The Friend Zone so much and was so excited to read this one and it was just as good, if not better! Abby really knows how to right an amazing love story, with strong characters and with humor, which I really appreciate. It was so nice to see Sloan start to recover from her trauma and open herself up to life and love again. I loved Jason from the beginning - his heart, his dedication and commitment. He is just wonderful. This could not have been a more perfect time to read this heartwarming story. Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Books for the ARC.

I loved the emotional rollercoaster that was Abby Jimenez's first book, The Friend Zone so I was ecstatic when my wish was granted to read the ARC of The Happy Ever After Playlist.

This book takes place after the events of The Friend Zone so I would recommend you pick that book up before this one (you just get a better emotional connection to all the characters, okay?). Sloane is a lot less wacky than the main character of The Friend Zone, Kristen. Sloane is still grieving a year after the events of the last book when a dog suddenly jumps into her convertible when she's driving. When she meets the guy who owns the dog, she finds out he's a musician and they fall in love. This book is riddled with drama as the guy's popularity surges and Sloane still tries to deal with her grief.

I think I'm officially obsessed with Abby Jimenez's books. She writes adorable, complex, romantic relationships and amazing friendships. I would say this book was a lot lighter than The Friend Zone. While this book felt very wish-fulfillment-y at the end, it felt deserved after all Jimenez put her characters through. My only complaint with her books is that her men do fall into those weird masculine stereotypes of raging when they get upset.

All in all, I'm looking forward to seeing what Abby Jimenez comes up with next.

I had the best time reading The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jiminez this weekend. Not to mention the full fledged conversation I had with author @authorabbyjimenez that basically made my weekend when she responded after u posted on my Instagram story. I was a huge fan of The Friend Zone because it pulled on all the heart strings. This book follows Sloan as she continues to grieve two years later and proves that there is love after a tremendous loss.
-
It's been almost two years since Sloan lost her fiance and she is still not ready to move on. But on the way to visit Brandon's grave, a dog finds his way into her sunroof. Obviously, the police officer didn't believe that story either. Sloan cannot get a hold of Tucker's owner and has decided it's fate and her dog forever. Until Jason, his owner, finally reaches out but he can't get Tucker for two more weeks. The two strangers find a unique friendship and Sloan may have found her new purpose and move past her grief, but can she find love again? -
-
Most definitely recommend this book and I would suggest reading The Friend Zone first. Although I'm sure the book can be devoured alone, you will understand the personal development of Sloan through her grief if you knew her before. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
-
Huge thanks to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for my advance copy. -

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sloan has lost the love of her life, Brandon. Her friends Tucker and Kristen do everything in their power to bring her out of her deep mourning, back into the world, with no success.

It is only when she takes pity on a stray dog and seeks out it s owner that Sloan slowly reconnects with the world and starts to put aside her prolonged grief. The emails and texts between Sloan and Jason make for addictive reading.

Jason is a performer, constantly in the public eye, whereas Sloan is an artist who needs a more structured routine and environment. Living on the road as Jason tours with his band has but a serious stop to Sloan's creativity.. Jason at one point realizes that Sloan is giving up too much to be with him and makes the ultimate sacrifice and splits up with her.. At this point in the story, I felt the author was stretching things a bit. The final reconciliation scene was also a tad over the top, but I still had a smile on my face at the end of it. Abby Jimenez writes very well and always has characters who are going through difficult emotional or physical traumas. A highly enjoyable read with plenty of drama to keep you interested.

I truly enjoyed this follow-up to THE FRIEND ZONE. Abby Jimenez has created characters I can't help but love. This is a little bit outside of my usual genre, but given what's going on in the world, it's what I picked up for a lighthearted romp. Highly recommend.

Wow This book was SO SO GOOD! Definitely one of my Top 5 of the year so far. I absolutely loved this book and I surely did not want it to end. Abby Jimenez is definitely a auto-buy for me from now on since i have read her other book The Friend Zone and I loved that one too. This story was so amazing and perfect and I loved the relationship between Sloan and Jason. Their relationship was so cute and they both went so well together. Jason is like the perfect boyfriend material. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

Abby Jimenez is one to watch. After only getting a preview of The Friend Zone on Netgalley last year (such a tease!) I went and bought the book when it was out. I knew from those first few pages that it would be worth it, and I wasn't wrong. She continues to amaze me with The Happy Ever After Playlist, which somehow feels very similar to The Friend Zone while being vastly different in tone and content. In both, she writes the most wonderfully relatable characters and stories that are not only heartfelt but also filled with much-needed humor and snafus aplenty.

Arguably (or not if you know what's up), the best thing about Abby Jimenez’s writing is her banter. From their first text, I was into Sloan and Jason together. I too wanted to be annoyed by his incessant flirting, but I just couldn't be. She brings so much wit and life to every character she writes. I wasn't a huge fan of Sloan in The Friend Zone - she seemed like the bland, somewhat rigid friend for the majority of the book - but it's so easy to fall in love with her immediately in The Happy Ever After Playlist. It was a blast getting to know this new cast of characters, but also getting to hear from some old favorites as well. Readers of The Friend Zone will love the glimpses we get of life with Josh and Kristen - who is still a star and one of my all-time favorite MCs.

The Happy Ever After Playlist is more than a romance. It’s a story about finding happiness after tragedy. It proves that love is hard work, but well worth it. I don't really want to talk about the plot at all because you need to read this book and discover it for yourself. This book had me stressed for the good majority of it - I didn't know how Sloan and Jason could stay together. It was nice for a romance to not be predictable because they tend to skew that way. Another testament to Jimenez's skill. Now, to go back and read again while actually taking the time to listen to the song paired with each chapter. I already knew a few and they definitely got stuck in my head while reading. I'm sure the pairings will make me cry on a re-read! I can't wait.

As I read the last sentence of this book, I’m grateful and saddened. This was like no other book I have ever read or will ever read. This was hands down my favorite book ever. My love for this book is as strong as my love for Stuntman Mike and Tucker.

I adored The Friend Zone. It was raw, humorous and emotional. To be honest this book had a lot to live up too and OH 👏🏻 MY 👏🏻 GOODNESS 👏🏻, this did not disappoint. It exceeded my expectations and completely blew every other book I have read out of the water.

If you read The Friend Zone, you were rooting for Sloan to have her happy ending. She had been through hell and is now barely scraping by. You are right there with her feeling every emotion she is going through. You want nothing more than for her to get back to her old self. And then the answer literally jumps into her sunroof and immediately wraps her with love.

Where do I find a Jason? A musician who isn’t in it for the fame or fortune, but is in it for the love of the music. He’s charming without being too cocky and you can’t help but love his swagger and game. His confidence and wit enhanced his sexiness and his thoughtfulness left me in a puddle. This was a rising star musician, who’s a sexy version of Bob the Builder, that wanted to put Sloan’s happiness before his, wanted to open doors for her, or just take out her trash, I mean C’MON! You couldn’t have written a better lead to woo Sloan.

I love where Abby Jimenez took this book. Exploring what happens after you thought your life had ended but it decided to move on with or without you. How a person deals with emotional struggles and how to find yourself again. Sloan and Jason were perfection. I was a goner from the first bit of text. From the adorable dates to the relentless musical assault, their relationship and chemistry leaped off the pages. Their bickering and flirting kept me smiling and laughing out loud.

Kristen is the friend every girl needs in their life. She is fiercely loyal, will give it to you straight without any of the BS, she’s your ride or die till the end, and she will be there by your side when you need a sarcastic comment or a loving hug. Sloan is the type of person who gets too wrapped up inside her own head. Kristen is the perfect blend of blunt honesty and sarcasm to keep her straight. The love between Sloan and Kristen is the type of love that goes beyond sisterhood or friendship. It’s the unabashed true love for another person who’s soul is a part of yours. A person who’s friendship has no bounds or limits. It’s a once in a lifetime experience that I’m so happy to see in a book.

Abby’s writing is phenomenal. I don’t know how she does it. She is able to take an intimate scene and make it beautiful. She’s able to add humor with steam and make you feel a wide range of emotions in a couple of paragraphs and she can make me blush without being obscene. She’s able to shape and form characters that make you feel one extreme emotion to the next so seamlessly. It’s truly incredible how good her writing is.

This book was everything to me. This book made me happy. The kind of happy that stays with you after you put it down or just instantly changes my whole mood for the better. It’s the love story to end all other love stories set to the perfect playlist. I think Kristen set it up best when she said “if Jason can take you at your best, he can take you at your bag of Doritos”. I plan to live my life by this motto. Now excuse me while I go buy my bff a crocheted vagina tissue box cover.