Cover Image: The Friend Zone: the most hilarious and heartbreaking romantic comedy of 2020

The Friend Zone: the most hilarious and heartbreaking romantic comedy of 2020

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Member Reviews

Abby Jimenez has a fantastic way of getting you hooked, probably one of my favorites authors in this cathegory!!
Thanks for my copy.

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What an amazing debut!

The Friend Zone tells the story of Kristin and Josh - an unlikely pair, and a cute frenemies to lovers story.
All characters are well portrayed and likeable.
Also explores infertility and other serious issues so don’t be fooled by the light tone of this book!
One of my all time favourites for sure. Can’t wait for more!

Thank you NetGalley and Abby Jimenez for my advanced copy !

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I received this digital arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was my first encounter with this author and I was not disappointed! I loved the main characters and this book had it all - friendship, love, complicated issues to work through, pain and loss. It's not your average 'boy meets girl. Girl plays hard to get until they eventually get together' type book. There's a lot more to get your head around and I loved where the author took this story. I didn't want to put it down and am so pleased I was sent this to read. Highly recommend.

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I expected this read to be funny and romantic, but I didn't expect this story to be moving and make me cry - it achieved all counts! I even had to take a break because it was so emotional at one point. This is an absolute must read for any fans of romantic comedy, just have a pack of tissues handy too!

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The Friend Zone is not your average chick lit. Although it begins as the friends-to-lover trope, it deals with a number of serious issues such as infertility and loss. I loved all the characters, particularly Kristen and her sassiness, and rooted for them to get their HEA. The story makes you feel everything - one minute crying with laughter, the next crying with sadness. Although I guessed the ending, I really enjoyed the book overall.

So excited to read Sloane's book next!

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This book was amazing with a capital A. I read this book in four days and this was fast for me. The friendship between Kirsten and Josh made me have all the feels. I loved when they just hung out and got to know each other. Josh wants to go past the friend zone but Kirsten keeps pushing him away. This broke my heart. I was rooting for them to be a couple. The friendship between Kristen and Sloan was beautiful as well. I shed a few tears along the way as well. I’d recommend adding this to your tbr if you haven’t already!

Thanks goes to net galley and the publishers for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review

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Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

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I loved this. It took me to unexpected places while still being a brilliant romantic comedy. Really looking forward to Abby Jimenez's next book.

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This book had a surprising amount of depth and touching moments that I hadn't anticipated. The sensitive issues were well researched and I thought they have a realistic ending - the 'happiest' ending isn't always the one that people face and I think it stands out in a lovely and unique way for this reason!

Great character building and lots of funny and romantic moments throughout. I will definitely be recommending this!

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I loved the start of this book, but found Kristen was often rather overbearing. The ending really let this book down and soured the book for me.

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Hmmmmmm. Nice book. Great writing style. Relatable, well written characters. Touching, sensitive, highly emotive subject matter. Addictive chemistry between two main characters. Horrible ending.

I will look out for this author’s books in the future, because I liked the writing style. Sometimes readers don’t need a ‘happy ever after’ ending, especially if it’s a highly unlikely scenario.

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This book made me laugh out loud and burst out in tears.
Kristen and Josh are incredible loveable and it was so great to read about their journey together and dealing with a problem that effects thousands of woman every year and is not something incredible unrealistic that can be found in many romance books. So this is definetly a plus point for The Friend Zone.
What i disliked about the book is that there was so much angst. Something that I personally really dislike. Also the ending was not really what i would have wanted for the book.
But considering that it was inspired by real-life-events i really enjoyed it.

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This was a generally enjoyable read that took me from a friends-to-more romance into something of an emotional rollercoaster. I did have some insight into the context before reading but I had no idea where the story was going to go until I got into it.

THE FRIEND ZONE is the kind of read that drags you into its web very easily with characters that are something memorable. Kristen was just a woman I could get behind and identify with some of her characteristics. I loved her honesty (at times), her individuality and loyalty. I was then somewhat bemused to find myself reading a love triangle element, I did not see that coming with this character.

Josh, the main squeeze of this story was also a loyal hunk of fireman who simply fell for Kristen hook, line and sinker; there was no going back but there were so many immovable mountains in the way. This man had to show endurance.

The friendships in this book are crucial and something of a side-blinding storyline. I felt shocked when the twists came and then shocked again. It didn’t make me overtly emotional but it did affect me. Ive seen this book pitched as a romantic comedy but even in the earlier parts of the book, I didn’t find it comedic. It is no less of a book for this however.

Simply put, this is an impressive debut from Abby Jimenez and I will be looking out for whatever she writes next. I slipped into her words and believed the world she created.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the review copy.

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Funny and lovable characters with a great storyline. Cannot wait to see what else this author has to offer. Definitely one to watch out for.

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I enjoyed this book. It had humour and sadness and a whole host of other emotions. Not my usual genre but was good!

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I’m torn about this book. So much deeper than a standard chick lit, with some parts so potent that they’re breathtaking, and yet it lacked a bit of the “oomph” I wanted. It didn’t grip me, or make me want to keep reading...but when I picked it up I always enjoyed it.

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The Friend Zone deals heavily with infertility and with Kristen not wanting to open up about this. While I went in expecting a lighter romance, the serious element dragged me in and got me invested. I personally cant speak to the struggle she went through but it felt genuine and gave me some insight into how that might feel.

I really loved the chemistry between Kristen and Josh, even though they tried to resist it. They were sassy and headstrong which is just the type of romance I like, but it also was such a wonderful friendship. I generally prefer a enemies to lovers, but this has brought me around to friends to lovers.

The only slight issue I had with this book was the ending, but the authors note kind of cleared things up for me and I'm at peace with it.

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There was *so* much I liked about this book. It was smart, well-written, pacy and tackled issues that I've not seen put on the page in romance novels before - all things which usually tick my boxes big time. I am very much here for a sexy fireman-slash-carpenter and a sweary heroine with a tiny adorable dog. I will admit that this book gave me a lot of feels (although I won't reveal why because... spoilers... but, have the tissues ready if you choose to read it!). However, the hero's incessant discussion on how much of a 'unicorn' the heroine was because she was a 'cool girl' who was 'no drama' and ate burgers instead of salad was really off-putting; once, I can ignore but it kept happening and kept pulling me out of what would otherwise have been a truly fantastic rom-com! I'm excited to read the next book in the series, because there was so much potential but it was just marred for me by the hero's attitude to all women except this one!

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An emotional but entertaining and funny read.

Kristen and Josh officially meet when they are introduced by their best friends. The more time they spend together the more they fall for each other, but Kristen has a secret she is keeping from Josh. She knows he wants children, and she can't have them, so as far as she is concerned they have no future together.

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**Warning** May Contain Spoliers
I expected to love The Friend Zone but it was a bit of a let down. It started well but Kirsten’s numerous declarations that she and Josh could only ever be friends was repetitive and in the end, just plain irritating. I thought the issue of someone coping with infertility was interesting but then for Kristin to end up pregnant was just eye-roll worthy. The author, Abby Jimenez, says in her notes that “Kristin’s happy ending was never about getting pregnant. It was about her allowing herself to be loved, despite what she felt were her shortcomings “. I would have preferred the book to have ended with Kristin and Josh looking forward to their future together with or without children. Ending up pregnant is an unrealistic happily ever after.
I was not a fan of the friend dying trope either. Disappointing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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