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I fell in love with Abby Jimenez’s writing when I read Part of your World, so I immediately went to Libby and requested the audiobooks to listen to. I definitely wasn’t disappointed, and now she’s definitely on my list of auto-buy authors.
Series Title: The Friend Zone
Author: Abby Jimenez
Publisher: Forever
Intended Audience: Adult
Genre: Romance
The Friend Zone
“You know what I think the trick to dealing with family is? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.”
The Friend Zone
“What?” I said, spreading strawberry jam on my toast.
“Marrying your best friend.”
Title: The Friend Zone (#1)
Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton and Erin Mallon
Published: June 11, 2019
Pages: 367
Sub-Genre/Tropes: Friends with Benefits, Ex-military Hero, Firefighter Hero, Mutual Pining, Wedding Planning
Representation: OCD, Chronic Illness, Infertility
Pacing: Fast
Moods: Emotional, Funny, Lighthearted
Content Warnings: Mental Illness, OCD, Coma, Car/motorcycle Accident, Death, Infertility, Toxic Parent
Spice Scale: 🌶🌶
Kristen Petersen 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.
The Friend Zone was so cute! I loved the writing style; it was casual and fun, and the audiobook narrators did an amazing job at bringing the characters to life. Jimenez did a great job mixing humor with real-life struggles and pain that are often swept under the rug. Kristen and Josh were a cute couple, with friendly banter and amazing chemistry and tension, and Kristen and Sloan’s friendship was a joy to read. Also, any book that has a sarcastic heroine, pets, and mutual pining is bound to be something I’ll enjoy.
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The Happy Ever After Playlist
“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 Happily Ever After Playlist
Title: The Happy Ever After Playlist (#2)
Narrated by: Zachary Webber and Erin Mallon
Published: April 14, 2020
Pages: 400
Sub-Genre/Tropes: Celebrity (Musician), Found Family, Love After Loss
Pacing: Medium
Moods: Emotional, Hopeful, Lighthearted
Content Warnings: Death, Grief
Spice Scale: 🌶🌶
Two years after losing her fiancé, Sloan Monroe still can’t seem to get her life back on track. But one trouble-making pup with a “take me home” look in his eyes is about to change everything. With her new pet by her side, Sloan finally starts to feel more like herself. Then, after weeks of unanswered texts, Tucker’s owner reaches out. He’s a musician on tour in Australia. And bottom line: He wants Tucker back.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Friend Zone, but The Happily Ever After Playlist totally stole my heart. It was a deeply emotional novel that tackled topics like loss, death, and grief with grace. But it also struck a nice balance between Sloan’s healing journey and her lighthearted romance with Jason. Jimenez also did a great job of balancing the external and internal conflicts of the book.
Life’s Too Short
“If you spend your life dwelling on the worst possible thing, when it finally happens, you’ve lived it twice.”
Life’s Too Short
Title: Life’s Too Short (#3)
Narrated by: Christine Lakin and Zachary Webber
Published: April 6, 2021
Pages: 384
Sub-Genre/Tropes: Single Parent, Neighbors, Opposites Attract, Cinnamon Roll Hero, Celebrity (YouTuber), Lawyer
Representation: Mental Health, Potential Chronic Illness
Pacing: Medium
Moods: Emotional, Lighthearted
Content Warnings: (From Abby Jimenez herself) ALS, mental health (OCD/hoarding), parental abandonment, addiction, grief and loss
Spice Scale: 🌶🌶
When Vanessa Price quit her job to pursue her dream of traveling the globe, she wasn’t expecting to gain millions of YouTube followers who shared her joy of seizing every moment. For her, living each day to its fullest isn’t just a motto. Her mother and sister never saw the age of 30, and Vanessa doesn’t want to take anything for granted.
Like in all of her books, Jimenez perfectly blends real-life emotion with humor, creates wonderfully complex characters, and includes a dog (which isn’t a major selling point for me but is a pretty good bonus). Adrian was a great cinnamon roll hero. He was supportive, attentive, and a little bit grumpy, and how quickly he became enamored with Grace was totally swoon-worthy. Vanessa and Adrian had amazing chemistry, and I loved the slow burn developing friendship into lovers between them. I especially loved how much Vanessa got Adrian to loosen up.
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