I loved THE FRIEND ZONE by Abby Jimenez although it wasn’t perfect. If you haven’t read this author’s debut yet don’t continue reading this review as there will be spoilers.

“I want everything with you.”

In THE HAPPY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST we finally get Sloan’s story whose tragic loss totaly blindsided me. Brandon was such a lovely man and I was hoping for someone who wouldn’t feel like the second best thing after him. Jason is everything I hiped for and more. Despite him being an up and coming rockstar he was so down to earth, sweet and charming. He had charisma in troves and his sense of humor kept me entertained for hours. And thus, the first half was perfection. the banter between Jason and Sloan, their flirty moments…it was just so obvious that they were made for each other.

The second half was different, as if the author had flipped a switch. everything became complicated and super angsty. She made use of a lot of rockstar cliches and there was some drama that made my heart ache. Jason got caught between a rock and a hard place and his only way to handle it, the way he saw it, was by hurting the woman he loved and I couldn’t even fault him for that.

I wish that there would have been a little bit more focus on Sloan standing on her own two feet, getting over Brandon, moving into this new part of her life. That was a little glossed over or got drowned in the rockstar cliches. The ending and the epilogue however did make up for the heartbreak. All of the swoons!

“I would notice you in a crowd of a million.”

With THE HAPPY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST Abby Jimenez underscores that her debut success wasn’t just coincidence. Her stories are highly enjoyable even if they aren’t perfect. Now I wonder what she has in store for us next!

I’m not sure exactly what I expected this book to be, but it was definitely so much more.

My heart hurt for Sloan, but I was also smiling and laughing from Chapter 1. Jason was a perfect splash of sweetness to just make it overall perfect for me.

If you’ve read The Friend Zone, you’re familiar with Sloan and you know why my heart hurt for her. This was very much a journey of self discovery for Sloan. She really had to find herself and build herself up again and that took a lot of work. It took her friends, it took an unexpected dog and an even more unexpected and complicated love, but she got there. She got to her HEA and also found personal fulfillment and I love that more than anything.

I said it before and I’ll say it again. Jason is sweet and adorable and incredibly patient and caring and I just all around love him to pieces. That’s all I need to say about him.

This book took me on a ride and I loved every second of it.

Do I have this book in three different formats? Yesss, I do. I preordered a signed paperback but started reading the ebook then moved to audio. I had some painting to do and didn't want to stop reading. It's narrated by Zachary Webber and Erin Mallon, which are both favorites of mine.

Abby made her mark on the book world last year with The Friend Zone. The Happy Ever After Playlist just ensured that she's not going anywhere. She writes with a realness like she's just a girlfriend telling you a story over lunch. I knew I'd love Sloans story. I wanted her to get her HEA so freaking bad. Jason was everything she needed and more. As you can tell from above, I couldn't put it down. I'm a greedy girl that can't wait to find out what she's writing for us next.

In this sequel to The Friend Zone, we pick up two years after the first novel, telling us Sloan’s story. Life is hard for Sloan, who is still picking up the pieces of her life after losing Brandon. One day, while driving she is surprise “barks” into her life - the dog of Jason, a musician who is on away on tour. When he wants Tucker back after Sloan has loved and cared for him for two weeks, Sloan doesn’t want to give him up. What results is a witty, back and forth exchanges of questions between the two, leaving them wondering what will happen when it comes time for Sloan to return Tucker.

If you read The Friend Zone, you are already familiar with how the author can write one amazing rom-com! I tore through this book, needing to know what happened with Sloan’s story. Hearing more about Sloan was just what I needed and loved the introduction of Jason as her opposite. The chapters also alternate between both voices, making you truly see each character. Pick this one up, you won’t regret it!

This was a very sweet heart warming book. Loved all the characters and I wanted to create a playlist of all the songs and listen to them while reading the book. I’m keen to read the authors other book now so I can get the back story of Kristen and Josh. Devoured this in one sitting.

Oh my goodness, I just loved this book SO much. I honestly didn’t even want to put it down, it’s just that good! This book can be read as a stand alone. I haven’t read The Friend Zone, yet, and was able to follow along with no problems!

It’s been two years since Sloan’s fiancé has passed away. She is on her way to visit his grave. While driving she see’s a golden blur pass in front of her car. She slams on her breaks, hoping she did not just hit a dog. As she’s assessing the situation, the dog jumps into the car from the sunroof, right into her lap! She tries calling the owner, leaving message after message. After not hearing back, she decides to take the dog Tucker in, and take care of him until she hears back from the owner.

After two weeks, she finally hears back from Tucker’s owner, Jason. Jason is on tour in Australia, and agrees to let her keep Tucker, until he gets back. They then start talking more and more everyday, anxious to finally meet one another! Is he going to be the one for Sloan, or just someone to pass the time?

I don’t want to say much more without giving the story away, but oh my gosh, this book is so good! I loved the chemistry between Sloan and Jason, and Tucker was just the absolute best! This story had me feeling all the emotions. If you’re looking for a good romance, I highly suggest this one!!

5 Perfect Stars!

“The Happy Ever After Playlist” by Abby Jimenez, Hits All the Right Notes! Cue the Smiles, the Laughter and yes, even the Tears!

What a Gem this novel is. In times like this, each and every one of us needs a book that will make us break into a smile and bring on that hysterical laughter. This, my friends, is that book!

First, there is the friendship between Sloan and her bestie Kristen (from Abby Jimenez’s prior novel “The Friend Zone”). These two will have you laughing so hard, you will be snorting in no time.

Then there’s Tucker. The sweetest dog ever. His appearance in Sloan’s life happens at the absolute perfect moment. Once Sloan finds him, she has no plans to let him go. I don’t blame her one bit!

And hubba, hubba, then there’s Jason. Talk about Swoon Worthy! Wowza. Once Tucker’s owner finally comes a calling, there’s no denying the chemistry. Fun, flirty, sarcastic texts galore! Of course, that’s just the start.

“The Happy Ever After Playlist” is beautifully written, with characters you can’t help but love, dealing with real life situations. At times heartbreaking and poignant, while at other times, amusing, flirty, and filled with witty banter that will have you rolling on the floor laughing. This is a novel that is highly entertaining and is a must read! Abby Jimenez: I will be anxiously awaiting your next novel.

A fabulous buddy read/audiobook with Kaceey!

A huge thank you to Abby Jimenez (you rock!), NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC and Libro.fm for the ALC.

Published on Goodreads on 4.17.20

First and foremost thank you so much to the author, NetGalley, and Forever publishing for gifting me an ARC of this wonderful novel! It was on my NetGalley wish list and I was lucky enough to receive a copy! I absolutely adored this book and it was just what I needed to kick me out of a reading slump and get me excited for my TBR.

I have been incredibly excited for this novel since I read her debut, The Friend Zone. If you haven't read the book yet please do, it was amazing! Needless to say there was a lot to live up to, and Abby absolutely smashed it out of the park! Now, just to note, The Friend Zone and The Happy Ever After Playlist aren't necessarily a duet, but are best read in order, trust me on that one. Things happen in The Friend Zone that are key to this one, so don't skip right to this novel if you wanted to read The Friend Zone anyway.

The thing I love the most about this novel is the way it seamlessly blends the humor and heart that I so desperately needed. This falls into that trope of rock-star romance, something I love but don't read a lot of. It was a really interesting and exciting piece to this novel on top of the romance and heart. I was laughing and crying and swooning and just devouring this book. Sloan is dealing with the emotional turmoil of losing her fiancé and having her life turned upside down, and in walks Tucker and Jason. The meet cute for this book is beyond adorable, by the way. Sloan slowly starts to notice the way she's let herself go and stopped really living, and in that way she very much saves herself as opposed to Jason saving her. Jason gives her the space to mourn, to come around to him, and to blossom again. And that's the real heart to this story.

This was a really fast paced novel that takes you on a journey, emotionally and physically, through downtown L.A. and the mountains of Minnesota and nearly everywhere in between.  It was such a treat to be able to read this and see Sloan get her happy ending as well as getting to see Josh and Kristen some more, as well. That epilogue killed me. This whole book was the best kind of roller coaster ride and I loved the way we got to see all these different sides of the characters and got to really experience all these hurdles they were able to overcome, both personal and professional.

Abby's writing is so witty and free flowing that once you start reading it's nearly impossible to put the book down until you've finished it. She writes like someone who's been penning contemporary romances for 20+ years, and I'm in awe at how she blends a story like no other. I cannot wait to see what Abby does next and whatever it is, I hope it comes soon!

I loved this book! Abby Jimenez knows how to make me laugh and swoon and tear up all in the same chapter. I loved the relationship between Sloan and Jason and it was wonderful to reunite with Kristin and Josh!

I'm still kind of gathering my thoughts about this one! But here's a shot at an initial review.

I liked this one and felt she carried many of the traits of her strong debut into her second book. I liked both Sloan and Jason and enjoyed seeing Kristen and Josh again. In terms of the plot, the conflict between Sloan and Jason honestly felt 100% insurmountable to me and I felt as overwhelmed as they did at how they could ever achieve a HEA. Jimenez does not pull any punches and I so appreciate the way the conflicts in both her books have felt completely legit and aren't based on silly misunderstandings or lack of communication. She sure puts her characters--and us--through the wringer!

I didn't quite like this one as much as her previous book, but I think that's based on personal preference. I always enjoy famous people romances less--I'd rather read about normal people falling in love, although I'm probably in the minority on that! I also have a little bit of trouble with romances where two people are 100% in love after a couple weeks, but that's also kind of par for the course. The direction this book took was a surprise to me, in a mostly good way, but I also found myself thinking several times that it wasn't best for them to be together and I'm not sure how to process that in a romance read, ha!

Overall, I'd say the quality of Jimenez's contemporary romances continues to be very high and that she has a fresh approach to conflicts that feel far from typical. I'd recommend this, but I'll just warn you now that it's not all puppies and kittens :)

it was good

this started out very strong for me and I didn’t expect Sloan and Jason’s relationship to flourish so quickly! But about midway through, I started to get annoyed with Sloan. Her character seemed so inconsistent and seemed to bounce back and forth between self-sabotage and logical thinking and that threw me off. I guess you could argue that she was an emotional thinker; her bestie, Kristen (from book #1) even clocks her on “being a sentimentalist to a fault” and I’m so glad that flaw was recognized bc it almost ruined Sloan for me.

I really liked Jason! He was sweet, patient, caring and thoughtful. The only things I disliked about his character was that tried to solve everything himself. Like sir maybe talk to you gf and explain what’s going on 🙄. So much could have been avoided and/or easily resolved and I absolutely hate when miscommunication (or lack thereof) is used as the driving force of conflict between characters and this was utilized in the book frequently (much to my annoyance).

By the end of it, I didn’t really care what happened to the characters. I knew it was obv going to work itself out somehow in the end (like it’s romance, duh) but I didn’t find myself rooting for them incessantly, more like “that’s nice”. Things I did enjoy, however, included Kristen being honest with Sloan about how ridiculous she could be at times, the book not focusing on Sloan grieving over Brandon and showing her (finally) breaking out of that grief, Lola’s recovery and, of course, Tucker 🐶💛.

3.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I never thought I would enjoy a rock star romance book so much - but this was beyond that.

I loved the way Sloan's grief is portrayed in this book. Grief isn't linear and it isn't easy. Rarely does someone just meet the right person and all is well and Abby Jimenez handled this topic amazingly. I was not a fan of The Friend Zone mostly because I hated the way infertility was dealt with in that book, but this was much, much better.

This is not an easy, fluffy romance - but it has it's moments of pure adorableness. I loved watching Sloan grow and accept her new reality, I freaking adored Tucker and all her doggy mischief, and Jason is one of those book boys that will stand out. This book is emotional, raw, and hard to put down. I read it all in one day and immediately wanted to go back and reread some of my favorite parts (mostly Jason's texts!).

Basically, if The Friend Zone didn't work for you, try this one! This author is better than that first book, and if you liked TFZ you'll probably love to catch up with your favorites from the first book and meet a couple new ones. I hope we might get another book set in this series! Maybe Adrian? Honestly, I would just love a reason for more Jason and Tucker content!

I know, some may not think this is perfect but for me it was a perfect read. It is a follow up to Abby Jimenez debut novel The Friend Zone, but it's not necessary to read it to enjoy this one. I'm not usually one for the rock star trope but there are always exception to this and this book is definitely an exception. I loved everything about this book, I stayed up to 3 am finishing it and I regret nothing.

Jimenez's latest novel is a slam dunk, eminently readable with realistic characters and real world problems. I stayed up late to finish!

I listened to the audiobook of this and loved loved this! The narrators did an amazing job with this book. Tucker the dog wins best wingman ever for his job in this book. Tucker comes into Sloan's life on a horrible day (you learn a lot from book one and should be read to understand the main lady character) but he makes up for the damage by bringing Jason into her life. Jason is a rock star but from Ely, MN so like dream man for anyone but swooooon for me. Like dream book boyfriend material right here!

I loved Friend Zone by Abby but this one was her first book she wrote and wrote Friend Zone after to have the story for this book, you would never guess that . This book I just loved! The writing and story is just perfect. Loved the texting and the banter of how they started to get to know each other before meeting. Love the realness to this story and the rock star life that gets pulled into it all with TMZ and label companies doing shitty things. But I also love his mom and the camping in the Boundary Waters! Even if you are not a huge romance person these two books are worth it to read!

Overall, 5 stars and 3.5 steam.


Thanks to NetGalley, Fovever for the eARC and Libro and Hachette Audio for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

WARNING - no spoilers about this particular book but I will be referencing what happened to Sloan during book one, which is a companion.

I enjoyed THE FRIEND ZONE but there were a few things that unsettled me and bugged me more and more about the story (and ending, primarily) as time went on. I was SUPER SAD for Sloan when her fiance passed away so I was itching to see her move on and find happiness again. It was refreshing that this wasn't fully a book about moving on and grief though. I was nervous it would be really sad and hard to read.

Reading this book was a pretty different experience right from the get-go. I LOVED Sloan. I thought it was realistic that she missed her fiance but still somewhat allowed herself to fall for someone while balancing all of her emotions, two years later. Jason was a great leading male as well - their chemistry was SO good from the very beginning. After Sloan nearly hits Jason's dog with a car, she takes him in for two weeks while he doesn't respond to her messages. When he finally surfaces (with good reason for his absence), Jason and Sloan spend multiple more weeks chatting on the phone and texting while she keeps an eye on Tucker. I loved seeing the slow-ish development of their relationship virtually first because they built a great foundation for him to come home to when he inevitably did. The two had a really solid relationship and I found myself dreading the inevitable fallout, since they were so happy so early on in the story!

Abby Jimenez has a way of writing really interesting characters with unique hobbies or businesses. Kristen from THE FRIEND ZONE made dog accessories for small dogs as her job. Sloan is an artist by trade but used to run a blog about cooking game meat. I'll be honest, I am VERY not into hunting and it wasn't personally enjoyable to read about it, but like I said - it's fun that the author comes up with unique character traits like that. (I had the same thoughts in THE FRIEND ZONE with Josh's guns and hunting, etc. - not for me, but obviously a popular hobby for people.) Josh and Kristen obviously made some appearances in this one and I continued to love their friendship.

I adored the ending to this one, but yes: the inevitable fallout was kind of crazy. Keep in mind that this is a rockstar/normie romance book, so everything felt elevated to a new level. Just think about all of the external factors that could mess up a relationship in that situation; they all (logically) happened. Drama got wild for a little bit, but like I said: it all made sense. Lola was a fascinating side character, someone who I'm even more curious about now. I'm smelling a second-chance romance for her if one were to be written ;)

I'm sorry to continue to compare to book one in this companion series, but they were very similar in the best ways. Everything I liked about TFZ was in this one, and all of the parts I didn't love were not.

The Happy Ever After Playlist is the must-read book of 2020! I've been counting down the days for this release ever since Sloan was introduced to readers in The Friend Zone. Sloan starts off the story with a hilarious meet-cute of her own, only it's with a lost dog who wreaks havoc on her day. The bond she shares with Tucker will pull at your heart strings and draw you in to the story right away. Jason is a man after my own heart. His witty and flirty banter with Sloan will put him at the top of your book boyfriend list. I love that they get to know each other through daily questions and phone calls. Fans of The Friend Zone will love this book, and appreciate that it won't wreck your heart nearly as much as the first book does, lol. With plenty of appearances from our favorite duo, Kristen and Josh, this story was everything I was hoping for and more. A pure delight, especially if you get the audiobook!

To say I flew through this book would be an understatement. It was exactly what I needed and what I looking to read. I loved learning more about Sloan who we met as Kristen’s bereaved friend in The Friend Zone. In this one she gets her groove back when a dog literally jumps into her car. The owner, Jason, is traveling so Sloan offers to keep him until he returns but some serious flirting commences between the two. The rest is history but with some serious bumps in the road.

Ms. Jimenez has easily become a go to author for me. I can’t wait to read what she writes next.

If you were like me and felt emotionally destroyed while reading The Friend Zone, you absolutely need to read The Happy Ever After Playlist. I laughed, I cried (a lot, to be honest 🙈), and I LOVED every second of it. The Friend Zone is one of my top books of 2019, but The Happy Ever After Playlist is right up there with it! If it’s possible, I think I loved HEAP even more. Seriously, both phenomenal reads.
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And talk about the best meet-cute between characters! I already loved Sloan from TFZ, but this book made me absolutely adore her. And Jason! *swoon* I just loved them as a couple so, so much. This was EXACTLY the book I needed after TFZ, Abby knows how to write a damn good romance! ⁣⁣And write amazing friendships, the bond between Kristen and Sloan is beautiful, hilarious, and real. Just perfect.
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If you haven’t read TFZ, please read Abby’s authors note in the back when you do. Her notes for both books are must reads and discuss what inspired her characters. ⁣⁣
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The Happy Ever After Playlist deserves all the stars. I didn’t want it to end!

What can I say other than I loved this book?! Sloane is still recovering from her husband's tragic death and is no space to find love. She finds a stray dog one day and desperately tries to get in contact with its owner. Enter Jason, the lovable popular rising music star who is on tour in Australia. They begin communicating until Jason can get back to the states to pick up his beloved dog, and possibly ask out Sloane. What ensues is a whirlwind fairy-tale of love after loss and the positivity of moving forward. Of course there are hardships within their relationship but they both bring out the best in one another. Jason truly helps Sloane heal and move forward in life, instead of sitting around and moping the loss of her husband forever. Sloane encourages Jason to follow his dreams while figuring out how to still live the family life he always dreamed about. I laughed throughout the book and really enjoyed the chemistry between them! I want to thank the publisher for granting my wish for this book on Netgalley in exchange for my review :-)