Series: The Friend Zone

Synopsis:

A slow burn, hilarious and heartwarming romantic comedy that Tessa Bailey calls "a romance for the ages!" from the New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly.

Kristen Peterson doesn't do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don't get her. She's also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.

Planning her best friend's wedding is bittersweet for Kristen -- especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He's funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he'd be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it's harder and harder to keep him at arm's length.

The Friend Zone will have you laughing one moment and grabbing for tissues the next as it tackles the realities of infertility and loss with wit, heart, and a lot of sass.

Review:

The Friend Zone absolutely destroyed me.  This was a freezer read, and I was definitely not prepared *hiccup sobs*.  Yet, I adored this story.  Even though it had the miscommunication trope in spades.  And that’s because these characters shined so brightly.  They felt so real to me and the story played out like I was watching a movie in my head.

“What? I haven’t gotten laid since last year. And this shirt smells incredible.” I dipped my nose back inside the neckline. “Like testosterone and cedar. And did you see him washing those dishes? He looked like Mr. February in a sexy firemen calendar. Guys like that are the exact reason why my grandmother always told me to wear clean underwear in case you get into a car accident.”
She shook her head. “I swear to God you’re a man.”

Josh and Kristen’s meet cute was absolutely memorable.  And then the next time they ran into each other I was laughing hysterically.  Both of their best friends were getting married, and their chemistry was instantaneous.  Josh was the best man, and Kristen was the maid of honor.  Yet Kristen had a boyfriend.  They had to play nice and keep the drama low.  Even while sparks kept igniting between them.

I reminded myself that she was taken. The good ones always were.

I loved Josh, he was my favorite character in this book!  He was a firefighter who was previously a Marine.  So his smart mouth, huge heart, and seductive ways definitely put a spell on me.  And I loved how he had no problem helping Kristen out.  He had 6 older sisters and they trained him well haha.  Plus the fact that Kristen’s dog, Stuntman Mike, loved him just sealed the deal.  Dogs are always the best judge of character!

I thought about how he’d given me his French toast earlier, and I had to clutch my heart through my dress.
“You okay?” he asked, watching me squeeze my chest.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
It’s just that you’re perfect, and my heart hurts.

Kristen, was the queen of sarcasm and I loved the relationship she had with her best friend Sloan.  So it made me happy that she made another connection.  To Josh.  Their friendship formed so easily.  And while Kristen had a boyfriend, she couldn’t deny the attraction she felt towards him.  How much she liked to hang out with him.  But, there was a huge but.  Josh wanted to have a huge family.  And Kristen’s future didn’t allow her to have children.  So she knew she couldn’t have a future with Josh.

“You know what I like about you, Josh?”
“My way with small, vicious dogs?”
I snorted.

As someone who suffered from something very similar to Kristen, I still got upset with her.  She wouldn’t even give Josh the choice of them.  And that’s because she kept her medical issues a secret from him.  So that made Josh create explanations in his head, for why she treated him the way she did.  And it made me so upset.  I got her struggle.  On such a deep soul shattering level.  But keeping those secrets and playing hot and cold with Josh made me want to shake her.  Hard.  Especially when Josh’s heart was being ripped to shreds!  This book was filled with the ultimate miscommunication trope.

I’m in love with you.
The impulse hit me so hard and fast, I didn’t even see it coming.
I’m so in love with you.

The emotions in this book choked me.  There was a part of this story that made me sob, multiple times.  There were pages that went by, and I couldn’t stop the tears.  My heart was ripped to shreds and was then shattered into a million pieces.  I was so mad and hurt with how something played out.  Yes it was real life.  But ugh.  It was so hard. So be prepared and keep tissues nearby.

“I promise to love Stuntman Mike and slay your spiders, and keep you from getting hangry.”
Now I was laughing through tears.

While my heart was elated for the ending of this story, it was also bittersweet.  And I still found myself crying tears of pain.  So while I closed this book with a smile on my face, it hurt to get there.  And I’m still thinking about what happened long after I closed the book.  It’s been a long time since a book has wrecked me this badly.  While I plan on reading every single book by Abby Jimenez, I can’t binge all of her books in a row.  My heart has to heal from this story first.