The Happy Ever After Playlist

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez takes place around two years after the events in The Friend Zone. Sloan is a shell of herself, trying to figure out how to move on after her fiance Brandon was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident. The last thing she needs is more stress but the universe doesn't seem to be listening when she's sitting at an intersection and a dog comes leaping through her sunroof and onto her lap. She does everything she can to find the owner but upon hearing nothing in response, she decides to keep Tucker as part of her new life.

Jason is a touring musician and he's livid to learn that his dog has been out roaming the streets of L.A. and not safely taken care of by the woman he left her with. He finally gets in contact with Sloan and the two enter a back and forth over whether or not Sloan will allow him HER new dog back. Slowly Jason starts to penetrate her walls and Sloan reluctantly agrees that when he comes back they can co-chaperone Tucker on an outing and she'll decide whether or not he's worthy.

Jason returns to LA and it's instant chemistry when him and Sloan finally interact. He scares Sloan and she isn't sure she should be feeling such strong emotions for someone in the wake of Brandon's absence. Slowly but surely Jason continues to wiggle his way into her head and her heart and Sloan starts to come into her own and find herself again. Then Sloan discovers a secret about Jason and learns this blossoming new relationship may have an expiration date before it ever really gets started...

OH MY GOD. I loved this one. I loved it even more than TFZ I think. I was laughing my ass off at the banter between these two. Jason was so sweet and understanding and used his wit and charm to continue flustering her and sneak under her defenses. It was so realistic and emotional. There's the exploration of timing and the fact that even once you find your person sometimes timing and life has a way of throwing road blocks into your plan. How you have to be comfortable being happy with yourself so you don't lose yourself in someone else. One of my favorite contemporaries I've read in awhile, and filled with hilarious cameos from everyone's favs Kristen and Josh. You HAVE to preorder this one so you have it when it comes out April 2020!! // ☕☕☕☕☕

Thanks to Forever Pub and NetGalley for the e-copy to review! All opinions are my own!

Okay, if you're like me and you've read The Friend Zone, you made it to the end and thought, "there damn well better be a Sloan book coming next!" There may have also been some tears and further emphatic demands made toward the universe but that basically sums it up. Well cheers to all because The Happy Ever After Playlist does not disappoint! And while you can absolutely read this one without reading Abby Jimenez's first book, I still highly recommend reading The Friend Zone first. It will make this one so much richer for you.

On to Sloan and Jason and the best meet-cute I've read in a long while. Any time you add a dog to the mix, I'm on board. And luckily Tucker is adorable and the best wingman a guy and girl could ask for. I also loved the way that our leads got to know each other in this one and build their flirty friendship turned romance. Jason's moves were that perfectly balanced but determined "I'm interested" but without being too pushy or creepy.

As for Sloan, I loved how she was still struggling with her past and the emotional hurdles she to work over. But at the same time, the author didn't drag it on and on. She gave us some solid moments in the first 1/3 of the book and then let it evolve. You really got to grasp and fall in love with Sloan and Jason (insert a cute couples name here). And I loved how much more we got to learn about Sloan and her life.

So that's basically the foundation of this book. What then takes place, the new trials and tribulations, the cute and the funny, and basically all of Jason, was so enjoyable to read. I won't spoil any of that. It was a wonderful follow up and practically everything I didn't even imagine I wanted when I knew I wanted this book. Loved it.

* I received a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Where to even start with this book? I read The Friend Zone earlier this year and I absolutely adored it so I could not wait to get my hands on this one. Author Abby Jimenez has the uncanny ability to submerge me completely in the story at the start of her books and I'm lucky if I know what day it is by the time I've finished. This book had everything a great rom-com should include -- an epic meet-cute (like, I don't think anything will top this one for me), banter that will, at the same time, have you laughing until you're crying but also blushing because DANG, THAT WAS HOT; a best friend whose love and support is both unwavering but also kind of bonkers (in the best way); and last, but most certainly not least, a dog. You really can't go wrong with any of that.

This book can work as a stand-alone, for sure, but, for me, having read The Friend Zone, it felt much easier to get completely swept up in this one, letting a book devour me for once, and, since I was already familiar with Sloan and her devastating past, I was attached to her from the get-go and it was impossible for me not to fall in love with her and to root for her the entire time. And, really, is there anything better than that?

The Friend Zone was one of my favorite books of 2019, The Happy Ever After Playlist will definitely be one of my favorites of 2020 when I read it again upon it's released on April 14th, and Abby Jimenez has become one of my favorite authors, hands down. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to this book, to The Friend Zone, and to anything Abby might gift us in the future. You won't regret it.

"Sometimes the hardest place to live is in the one in-between. And sometimes the in-between is all you'll ever get."

It's official, I will read ANYTHING Abby Jimenez writes. I was left heartbroken after The Friend Zone, so when I received my ARC of HEA, I dropped everything else. It felt so good to be back in Josh and Kristin's world. They may have been side characters this time, but that just meant I had the chance to fall in love with new people in their lives.

We watched Sloan's life fall apart in The Friend Zone, and this time we watched her put it back together again. It's heartbreaking at times and empowering at others. Of course, she didn't do it by herself. She had Josh and Kristin to pick her up the pieces but we also meet Jason. I thought Josh was the best thing about these books (no I lied, he still is) but then came Jason. He's on the road to fame, he's romantic but patient, and he comes from the best family. Sloan doesn't know if she's ready to fall in love again, but Jason might change that.

But I forgot that best part: Tucker! This book has the best meet cute I've seen in a while. Jason's dog, Tucker, jumps into Sloan's car and when she tries to return him, she can't get through to anyone. When Jason finally gets her messages, she refuses to give him back at first. This is followed by A LOT of flirty texts and phone calls before they finally meet. Yeah, I loved every minute of it. Give me a cute dog, a cute guy, and flirty texts. I'm sold.

As I said about the Friend Zone, don't skip the author's notes at the end! Learning more about Abby Jimenez and the stories behind her books always make me love them more. I've rambled enough now so just pick up this book as soon as you can! And if you haven't read the Friend Zone yet, what are you doing?

Talk about an amazing book boyfriend. If you don't fall in love with Jason I'd be shocked. Also, where can I get myself a Tucker?!

Featuring characters from Jimenez's first novel, The Friend Zone, Happily Ever After Playlist features more quick wit and page-turning romantic drama. While Sloan isn't quite as laugh-out-loud funny as her BFF Kristen, she is equally, if not more, vulnerable and fierce. Jimenez does a remarkable job of giving her characters whole lives and realistic personalities, which makes this romance novel stand out from the crowd.

A wonderful follow up novel! Jimenez's humor and heart shine through yet again. And the song list is amazing. Highly recommended!

I loved Sloan in THE FRIEND ZONE and couldn't wait to see where her story would go. THE HAPPY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST does not disappoint in this regard. It also features the best meet-cute I've ever read in a contemporary romance -- if you love dogs, you won't be able to resist the opening chapters of this book! Like in her previous book, Jimenez does not shy away from difficult topics; in this case, Sloan is still processing her grief over the tragedy that took place in THE FRIEND ZONE. Sloan's new love interest is a musician who invites her to join his tour, so if you devoured the tour scenes in DAISY JONES & THE SIX you'll probably love this book, too. A great follow-up to THE FRIEND ZONE; I hope this isn't the last time we see Kristen, Josh, Sloan, and Jason! (less)

Abby Jimenez, author of "The Friend Zone," is back with another hilarious, emotional romance that is a must-read for 2020! The Happy Ever After Playlist follows Sloane, the best friend of the main characters from TFZ, and though I seriously thought that nothing could top the first book in the series, Sloane's story exceeded my expectations.
Sloane's fiance died in a car accident two years ago, and it's not until she meets Jason and his dog Tucker that she finally begins to feel like herself again. Jason is attentive and flirtatious, and he helps Sloane overcome her grief at her own pace. But his career as a rising musician threatens their budding relationship, and their feelings for each other are put to the test as his fame skyrockets.
This book will have you racing to finish to figure out what will happen between these two vulnerable characters, and there's plenty of appearances from our favorite couple, Kristen and Josh!

Abby did it again. For her first book, which was written 'as a hobby', she crafted an engaging story of healing and new love. I can see why and appreciate that she saved Sloan's story for her second book.

I ate this right up. Abby Jimenez successfully delivers another home run with this release and I can't say I'm surprised. I LOVED The Friend Zone so much. It was a random pick up and I was excited about a new romance title and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Then I got this one in my hands and WOW. WOW WOW WOW. I loved it. I went into this blind - as I tend to do lately, and it just made it all the more enjoyable. Highly recommend. Please read and recommend this.

OMG I loved this book so much. I didn't think I could love it as much as the first book but this book blew the Friend Zone out of the water in my opinion. Right from the beginning I fell in love with how the main characters accidentally started talked. I loved both of them so much and there was so much pain for Sloan to work through. Her transformation and their love story was just amazing. I've been in a huuuge bookhole since I finished the book. I can't wait to read more from this author!

I will start this off by stating that I had no intention of reading this book. The Friend Zone really messed me up, and I did not want to read a story about the girl who broke my heart in that book. I love a rom com. And the ending of the Friend Zone was really missing the Com, even though it delivered on the Rom.

That being said, I really liked this book. Abby Jimenez did right by Sloan, and gave her the happy ending she deserved. I felt that grief and finding love again were handled very respectfully, and I liked that it was never as if Brandon was getting replaced. All in all, this book makes up for the absolute devastation I felt at the end of The Friend Zone. I would recommend reading the two books back to back so that you aren't left on a sad clifhanger.

THE FRIEND ZONE ended on a bittersweet note for me because I felt so deeply sad for Sloan and what had become of her world when her happily ever after was crushed. Abby Jimenez takes us back to Sloan's world in THE HAPPY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST and lets the reader experience equal parts grief and joy along with Sloan as she slowly decides to try again at unexpected happiness. I appreciated the rollercoaster of emotions in this book, which made Sloan's eventual happiness something to truly celebrate!

This story about a young woman’s second chance at finding the love of her life is a wonderfully compelling blend of humor and heart. After two years of grieving the loss of her fiancée to a tragic accident, Sloan finally has a meet cute, but it’s with an adorable lost dog rather than a man. That dog’s human, Jason, turns out to be a sweet romantic hunk of a man who cares for his dog but has been out of town on an extended work trip, and has really bad judgment in dog sitters. The two start to connect on an elemental level over the series of phone calls and texts. By the time they meet in person, they’re already half way to falling crazy in love. The big catch is that he’s a famous musician who’s on the road for the indefinite future, and his lifestyle don’t allow for a proper relationship.

Figuring out how to navigate that situation and be together in a way that’s healthy for both of them despite the distractions and a myriad of hangers on threatening to pull them apart is the book’s real conflict. These aren’t the everyday issues most couples face. But if rock star romance is your thing or at least something you’re open to, The Happy Ever After Playlist is a great choice. It’s engrossing, original and sweet.

I went into this so unsure, my expectations weren't super high because Sloan wasnt my favourite character from the Friend Zone, not even a close second and I loved Brandon so I was reluctant to see her with someone other than him, even though he had died and I knew she couldnt end up with him.
But I loved this book so much. It made me really love Sloan, something that was lacking for me from the first book. And Jason is a perfect guy for her to end up with, they just fit right together, which I didnt think the author would be able to do since, as i said, i loved brandon. I 100% recommend this.

“The Happy Ever After Playlist” by Abby Jimenez is one of those books that checks off all the boxes for a fresh and romantic read: yummy book boyfriend, witty banter, a supportive best friend, angsty scenarios that resolve, an included rockstar and lovable pet, a friends to lovers premise, and emotional depth with laugh out loud moments.

Blurb: Sloan, who lost her fiancé, can’t seem to get her life in order. While still grieving the loss of her fiancé, a dog jumps into her car and changes her life forever.

Sloan looks everywhere for the owner of the dog and ends up developing a phone friendship with the notorious pet owner, who just so happens to be a rockstar.

The two develop deeper feelings, but can Sloan fall for someone who is constantly on the road and can her heart survive anymore heartbreak?

The first book by Abby Jimenez, “The Friend Zone,” was one of my favorite romance reads last year, so when I heard that Sloan was getting her happily ever after, I was immediately jumping up and down. I wanted so badly for Sloan to find happiness again.

This book gave me everything I was hoping for and more, including an epic kind of love and an angsty climax. Jason and Sloan are without a doubt one of the cutest romance book couples and I couldn’t be anymore pleased by this sweet and redemptive romance! An adorable and relishing read!

I loved The Happy Ever After Playlist and gobbled it up in one sitting. It's a breed apart from the run-of-the-mill romance - there are compelling characters, an interesting plot, and twists and turns that I did not see coming. I even (can you believe this) skipped over some of the steamy parts because I wanted to know how Abby Jimenez was going to wrap up the conflict and get to the HEA ending. The writing is fresh, the characters are real, and the playlist is excellent. I highly recommend this book and look forward to selling it in my bookstore.

Abby has done it again! The Happy Ever After Playlist SLAYED me. I had all of the feels for this one. It is maybe even better than The Friend Zone if that is possible?!?! I need for Jason to be a real man because he is INCREDIBLE. The originality of the characters and the crazy chemistry of the Jason and Sloan was so great. Abby deals with grief in a perfect way and it was just such a great book that I won't forget anytime soon.

I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alright. I’m ready to talk about The Happy Ever After Playlist.

Took me long enough….yes, thanks for noticing. This novel really hit me all in the feels and I had to let it simmer before giving my complete thoughts.

I wanted to love this novel as much as I loved The Friend Zone. I wanted a marathon reading session. I wanted to reconnect with the characters that I fell in love with last year. Welp, that happened….except for the added bonus. I loved HEA even better!

I.Loved.This.Book The characters, the story, the fairy tale quality with a big smack of real life…..it’s my jam.

I actually fell so hard for this book, it keeps entering my mind. Abby, is an incredibly visual writer and because of that…I am treated to daily flashbacks 😊.

Read the synopsis if you want the full low down on what this book is about. But trust me. Pick it up. Even if you did not enjoy The Friend Zone….this is a different story with similar characters but bringing to life a new chapter.

PS:

I thought about not including this in my review….but I want to and I do what I want. When I posted on Instagram how much I enjoyed HEA, Abby reached out to me. What came out of that conversation was a greater understanding of The Friend Zone and The Happy Ever After Playlist. Y’all. These were real people. Both Kristen and Sloane are real life stories….I adored that. As real as the characters were for me and trust me….they were real. This brought to light a whole new feeling from this novel. Go in knowing that grief looks different for everyone. Infertility looks different for everyone. Thank goodness we have authors that are willing to share a piece of themselves with us. {stepping off my soapbox…thank you for your time!}

Abby Jimenez knocks it out of the park again with a fun romance that I could not put down! Sloan's fiance has passed away nearly two years before when she finds a stray dog (or perhaps that stray dog finds her) and goes on a quest to find his owner. Just when she thinks the search may be over and the dog may be hers for good, his owner turns up. Not only is he funny, flirtatious and gorgeous, but he's also famous. The story unfolds from there!

“You can’t control the bad things that happen to you. All you can do is decide how much of you you’re going to let them take.”

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez is a beautifully written masterpiece about love, loss, perseverance, and ultimately about finding yourself.

Two years after losing her fiancé, Sloane is still fighting her battle with grief. Her world is flipped upside down when a mischievous puppy, Tucker, comes tumbling into her life—literally. Sloane takes the pup home and with her new companion by her side, Sloane finally starts to feel like her old self again.

That all changes when Tucker’s owner, Jason, reaches out to get his dog back. Jason is a super hot musician on the rise to stardom and will stop at nothing to get his dog back...but Sloane won’t let Tucker go without a fight. The two banter back and forth between texts and long phone calls, and soon their rivalry sparks an electric connection that neither can deny. But will Jason’s rising fame come between them? And can Sloane risk her putting her newly mended heart out there again?

THIS BOOK YOU GUYS. This. Book. Only Jimenez can make me bawl my eyes out one second and have me doubled over with laughter the next. And sometimes, I did both in the same sentence. The characters she brings to life in this novel captured my heart from the very first page. I truly experienced their grief, their heartache, their laughter, their hope, and their love. Grief is such a relatable topic that leaves its mark on every single human. It was so inspiring to watch the main character, Sloane, navigate through the deep waters of grief and make radical changes to her life. This story mended my heart in more ways than one. I loved that Jimenez was able to touch on some deeper subjects but still maintain levity throughout the story. I would highly recommend this story to anyone and everyone.

A huge thank you to Forever Publishing for sending me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much!! Tucker was the heart of the book honestly. Sloan is very likeable and the blooming romance had me invested from the beginning. I love romance novels with flirty text relationships so this was perfect for me! I loved the Friend Zone and this one too!!Musician Jason was perfect for this book and for Sloan!

Is it possible for me to love this more than The Friend Zone? Abby Jimenez weaves together romance, comedy, tragedy and heart throughout her books. Loved this one! Sloan’s story is heartbreaking but I loved reading how she struggled and brought love back in her life.

Sloan's story is exactly what we need. If you loved the Friend Zone as much as I did, you can't miss this book. It takes place two years after the end of The Friend Zone so we get some updates on Kristen and Josh but it also allows Sloan to develop in a completely different way than if it had been closer in time. I feel so many things when I read Abby's books and absolutely can't put them down. Its a laugh, cry, need to know what happens book and I couldn't stop reading. Thank you so much to Forever Pub and Abby for letting me read and review. It was an absolute joy.

Wow, just wow. I absolutely loved The a Friend Zone, but Abby Jimenez completely crushed it. This was a story I didn’t know I needed in my life. What an amazing read. It made me feel so good, tore me apart and then put me back together again. Jason and Sloan were everything. Their connection and love felt so genuine and real from the start. The chemistry was so potent and strong. I felt it in their initial texts and phone calls and it just continued to build. The love between them was just so swoony and I felt it to my very soul. I can’t say enough good things about this story. If you just want to feel good, but experience a little angst along the way, you’ll love this story. A book like this is the reason I read.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC copy of this book.

While I enjoyed her previous book (The Friend Zone), this book just hits it out of the park. The book started with the most adorable opening chapter I've read in a long time, and then it just stays that adorable through the first half of the book. Of course, the book then has to turn dark for a while, exhibiting the evils (boo! hiss!) of the recording industry. Then I just totally lost it during the obligatory culminating get-back-together scene. There was even a nice "three years later" epilogue that nicely tied up the story.

I rarely give five-star reviews, but this one certainly earned it from me.

You know when you finish a book, then immediately page back and find your favorite part and read that again? And maybe a third time? This is one of those books.
While the first book in this series (duet? Trilogy? Are there more?) was the kind of read that broke you into pieces and then patched you back together again, the conflict in this one more internal. The hero is a musician who is making it big, so this qualifies as a rockstar romance. That provides external conflict. But where the author really shines is delving into the heroine's grief. She lost her fiance two years earlier and has not found a way out of that. We go through her journey of chosing joy, processing loss, and then setting boundaries in her new relationship so she doesn't lose herself again. I'll be recommending this one over and over. Absolutely loved it.

The Happy Ever Playlist opens with a near-miss: Sloan almost hits a dog that runs out into the street. (No dogs were harmed in the production of this novel.) When a policeman pulls her over, she ends up taking in the obviously neglected dog to save him from the pound and then she tries to find the dog's real owner. Many phone calls later, she finally hears back from Jason, a singer-songwriter who's been on location in Australia and without cell service and left his dog, Tucker, with a person who turns out to be horrible and left after just a couple of days.


Sloan's fiancé died two years prior and she's never really come back to herself, but meeting Tucker (the dog) jolts her into action and during the month she has him, she starts to feel more like herself. I liked that she doesn't regain her happiness because of Jason, but because of a change in routine and a dog who forces her out of her house. Jason recently signed with a record label and is about to go on tour for several months, so as the relationship between the two main characters grows, the looming separation causes most of the romantic conflict. Sloan's late fiancé continues to be a good person in Sloan's memory and Jason never tries to replace him, another good thing.


Secondary characters, including the couple from Jimenez's The Friend Zone and Jason's close-knit family, keep the book from falling into the much-used angsty rockstar trap and Jimenez's authorial voice and humor throughout keep Sloan's grief from taking over her narrative. At one point, Sloan reflects on the fact that Jason's career requires him to be on the road constantly, while she, as a painter, needs to stand still. It's a quick moment, but it's reflective of so much of their trouble, in large part because after grieving the loss of one man for two years, Sloan doesn't want to build her life around a different man.


One note: there's an Evil Ex subplot and I was worried about how it would be resolved, but Jimenez flips it and I ended up happy instead of angry at the portrayal of this other character.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Happy Ever After Playlist and I plan to bump up The Friend Zone on my TBR list.


Suzanne received a digital audiobook copy of this book for review via the publisher and Libro.fm.




Content Warnings: grief, past: death of fiancé, stalking/harassment, pregnancy, secondary character with fertility issues (first book)

*New fav author alert!* The Friend Zone was one of my favourite books of 2019 so I was super excited to read the sequel but I was also a bit scared that it wouldn’t live up to book #1. Let me tell you... IT DID! I loved it so much, I’m obsessed!

I was hooked right from the start. I loved the storyline and the characters (bonus points for Tucker the dog). It was funny, exciting and gut wrenching. I finished it 4 days ago and the book hangover is still real.

If you haven’t read The Friend Zone yet, I recommend picking it up ASAP and then immediately read The Happy Ever After Playlist! You can read one without the other but it hits you even harder if you’ve already read The Friend Zone!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Abby Jimenez’s debut, The Friend Zone, was one of my favorite reads of 2019. I think I squealed when I was approved for The Happy Ever After Playlist on NetGalley and immediately started reading. This is a companion novel, following The Friend Zone heroine’s best friend, who goes through something very traumatic at the end of that first book. The Happy Ever After Playlist starts two years later. Sloan is living a half-life, still unable to fully process her grief. Her world shifts when a stray dog literally jumps through the sunroof of her car and begins to bring her back to life. This mirrors the meet-cute in The Friend Zone, which also has a funny car incident. Sloan tries to find the dog’s owner, Jason, who happens to be a famous singer. Jimenez writes heroes who have deep emotions and feel grounded in reality, and Jason was really fantastic. For me, this book is about grief in the way that The Friend Zone was about self-worth, which makes the story very emotional to read. As the reader, you want so badly for Sloan to find her happily ever after. But Jimenez balances the dark moments of her books with hysterical levity, especially when The Friend Zone’s Kristen (who is a riot to have in a scene) makes appearances. I adored the very sappy way that this book ended. It just made all of the horrible things Jimenez put these four characters through worth it.