BOOK REVIEW: The Friend Zone (The Friend Zone #1) by Abby Jimenez

The Friend Zone (The Friend Zone #1)
by Abby Jimenez
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

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.

BOOK REVIEW: (The Improbable Meet-Cute #1) by Christina Lauren & Worst Wingman Ever (The Improbable Meet-Cute #2) by Abby Jimenez

The Exception to the Rule (The Improbable Meet-Cute #1)
by Christina Lauren
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
On February 14, an accidental email to a stranger opens the door to an unexpected relationship in a captivating short story by the New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners.

One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance. Wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day isn’t the end. In fact, it becomes a friendly annual tradition—with rules: no pics, no real names, nothing too personal. As years pass, the rules for their email “dates” are breaking, and they’re sharing more than they imagined—including the urge to ask…what if we actually met?

Christina Lauren’s The Exception to the Rule is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Let’s make a date of it.

Review:

The Exception to the Rule was a friends to lovers, epistolary romance that was beyond adorable! By accident, they started emailing each other in 2014. And continued to send an email wishing the other a Happy Valentines Day every year. And each year that followed, I loved their little happy messages to each other. And the rules of secrecy they played by. Yet as the years went by, real life started to slip in. They would tell each other things they struggled with or what had shattered their hearts. If they were dating someone. To just sharing things that made the other person smile. I loved watching a true friendship form!

“Too soon?” he asks, breath minty, his lips only an inch from mine.
“I don’t normally kiss before the first date,” I tell him. “But you’re the exception to the rule.”

Yet I am so beyond glad I listened to this in audio format. Since we spent over half of this book in email format, I was so glad I didn’t have to pay close attention to who was emailing who. I could just listen if it was a male or female voice. And when they finally met in person, I was dying! Kindness, thoughtfulness, heart and what-ifs filled the pages! I loved how that unfolded. Plus we were given an epilogue that made my heart soar. This novella was so much fun and I’m so glad I listened to this story!

Worst Wingman Ever (The Improbable Meet-Cute #2)
by Abby Jimenez
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
They’re falling in love, yet they’ve never met. Maybe fate can intervene in a heartwarming “what-if” short story about new beginnings by the New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly.

Holly is dealing with the impending death of her grandmother and still reeling from a bad breakup. One bright spot: a Valentine’s Day card on Holly’s windshield—even if it wasn’t meant for her. An amusing mistake soon turns into a lovely exchange of anonymous notes, little acts of kindness, and a growing affection between two strangers. What happens when one of them has to say goodbye?

Abby Jimenez’s Worst Wingman Ever is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Let’s make a date of it.

Review:

Worst Wingman Ever was an adult, epistolary romance that will tug at your heart. For a novella, this story was so full of life. It’ll make you smile, laugh and I even shed a few tears. I found myself smiling long after that last page, and now I’m excited to binge all of Abby Jimenez’s previous books!

Time is such a precious thing. How you spend it, how you waste it. And it becomes even more valuable as the hourglass runs out, because you will never get more of it. I see it every day. The panic as the last grains of sand fall.

Holly was a hospice nurse whose current job was taking care of her grandma, as she slowly passed. In the midst of her heart shattering each day, she found a funny Valentine’s card on her vehicle. Even though it wasn’t meant for her, it led to her exchanging notes with a stranger. And acts of kindness too that will make your heart soar.

That’s the thing about kindness. You never know how big the ripple is. How one little selfless gesture can make all the difference for the person who receives it.

I loved Holly’s family so much! Her sister Jillian was so kind, positive and made me laugh! And she tied into the first book, The Exception to the Rule. I loved that little easter egg! Plus I adored her mom and aunt too. So thank goodness for these women, because we desperately needed laughter when we were with Holly. Watching her grandma slowly fade away hurt my heart. I felt like I was there with my Grandma and Grandpa all over again, holding their hands during their final moments. So I cried my eyes out. Holly and her families’ pain felt so real to me.

She took my spot in the elevator, and I was still facing her, trying to get my puppy to move in the direction we were going, when her eyes dropped to my tool belt. “Red,” she said, almost to herself. Then the doors closed and she was gone.

This story alternated between Holly and John, and it was so easy to fall in love with John’s huge heart. He was kind, thoughtful, generous and I loved how he helped Jillian out, even though he didn’t know who she was. His rescue also solidified what an amazing man he was! So when we learned about his jaded past, I just wanted to hug him. He desperately needed some happiness in his life too, just like Holly!

“Take responsibility for your own unhappiness.
If you don’t love your life, change it.”

There were so many fun moments within these pages. The red power tools had me screaming. The reason behind a name was so freaking adorable. And when they met in person I gobbled up every single moment they had together. This story was the perfect mix of emotional and heartwarming, and is my favorite so far in this group of novellas!