The Friend Zone ~ Review

Title: The Friend Zone
Series: The Friend Zone #1
Author: Abby Jimenez
Release Date: June 11, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance 
Blurb: 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.

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.

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*****My Review*****

I went in blind with The Friend Zone. The cover said cute rom com, and that’s exactly what it was in the beginning. But it grew to be so much more. And I should start by saying that I really have to give this book its props because it sucked me in while I was going through one of the most stressful moments of my life. Having someone you care about in ICU during COVID just sucks – praise God she’s out of ICU now! But like I said, this book was able to suck me in and keep me distracted for bits of time when I was just struggling to pass some sleepless hours. The beginning had some real laugh out loud moments.

But here’s where I know I’m going to disappoint some of you. There was a bit of a triangle thing happening. Kristen is already in a relationship when Josh comes into her life. They have instant chemistry and Kristen goes to comical lengths to keep Josh at bay while trying her best to remember everything she likes about her boyfriend. She’s struggling because she’s spent very little time with said boyfriend. Most of their relationship has taken place in short conversations over the phone while he’s been deployed overseas. And meanwhile, she’s forming a deep friendship with Josh.

It’s during this friendship that I just truly fell in love with Josh. He is the absolute best as far as book boyfriends go. He’s amazing and just really made this book for me. The triangle thing isn’t the biggest thing keeping them apart either. Kristen has some serious female issues going on and needs a hysterectomy and Josh just got out of a relationship with a women because she didn’t want kids. And honestly the way Kristen behaves concerning Josh and this issue is the only thing that bugged me about this book. But the more stubborn she is, the more you fall for Josh and his awesomeness totally making up for it.

But I also must mention that there’s a bit of devastation that takes place, too, impacting all of the characters involved. And it added another layer of depth to the plot. It was really unexpected and just sad. But it also has me really looking forward to the next book in the series! You can expect this book to take you through a gamut of emotions. But I’m telling you that if you haven’t already picked this book up, you need to…just for Josh!! 4.5 Stars!

Happy Reading,

Alison