The Friend Zone

The Friend Zone is a light romance that has a bit more depth than you'd expect. It's a cute story filled with flirty banter between the two main characters but it also addresses the serious topics of chronic illness and infertility.

Things start off strong and I enjoyed Kristen's sass and 'take no crap' personality. Josh is a cute guy with a good heart, but his personality was kind of weak and he won't be a leading man I'll remember long. As the book progresses, Kristen loses a lot of her awesome spunkiness and that's where things started to fall flat for me. I initially loved Josh and Kristen's flirty banter - it was cute, playful, and funny but their inability to communicate with each other (where a simple conversation would have cleared things up) dragged on for far too long. Much of the story is spent with these two going around and around in circles and that was exhausting for me. It also bothered me that Kristen's OCD seemed to come out of nowhere and felt like it was used when it was convenient for the plot, instead of being something that consumes most aspects of a person's life.

There are some touching moments and an emotional twist I didn't see coming. It was done with sensitivity and was quite poignant. But some readers, particularly those experiencing infertility, may feel that the issue of infertility was handled insensitively. I admit to being surprised (and a little let down) by Jimenez' choice of ending. Even after reading her rationale at the end of the book, it wasn't a satisfying ending and I thought it portrayed a rare unicorn-type happy ending many do not experience.

The Friend Zone was a quick read with a sweet romance, good banter and felt more emotional (at times) than a typical light romance due to its subject matter. I liked certain parts of it but felt quite lukewarm towards others.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Abby Jimenez

Genre: Romance

Type: eBook

Source: Local Public Library

Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

First Published: June 11, 2019

Opening Line: I glanced down at the text while the light was red.

Book Description from GoodReads: 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.