The Happy Ever After Playlist

The Friend Zone #2

by Abby Jimenez

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.

Well, Sloan's not about to give up her dog without a fight. As their flirty texts turn into long calls, Sloan can't deny a connection. There's no telling what could happen when they meet in person. The question is: With his music career on the rise, how long will Jason really stick around? And is it possible for Sloan to survive another heartbreak?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Adult

401 pages, ebook

First published April 14, 2020

About the author

Abby Jimenez is a Food Network winner, New York Times best selling author, and recipient of the 2022 Minnesota Book Award for her novel Life's Too Short. Abby founded Nadia Cakes out of her home kitchen back in 2007. The bakery has since gone on to win numerous Food Network competitions and, like her books, has amassed an international following.

Abby loves a good romance, coffee, doglets, and not leaving the house.

Reviews

[Abby Jimenez]

Hello readers!

This book is very close to my heart. The Happy Ever After Playlist was actually the first book I ever wrote and the book that got me my literary agent. While we were shopping it to publishers, I had the idea to go back in time and write The Friend Zone so we could live through the events that made Sloan who she is in her story. Since The Friend Zone came first on the timeline, we led with that as my debut novel.

Obviously because Sloan's book was already written, certain *ahem* THINGS in The Friend Zone had to happen—because they already did. They happened before I ever wrote one word of Kristen and Josh's love story. The *big thing* in The Friend Zone wasn't done to facilitate Kristen and Josh's HEA or to add drama. It was done because doing it was the whole purpose of writing The Friend Zone in the first place.

On the chance that you're here reading this and you somehow haven't read The Friend Zone or the blurb on this book, I'll sidestep the actual spoiler. Then I'll tell you to stop what you're doing and go read The Friend Zone before you touch this one. Both books are standalone novels, but The Friend Zone will give The Happy Ever After Playlist so much more depth.

Sloan's grief will feel authentic—because it is. I wrote The Happy Ever After Playlist after watching a very close friend struggle following the sudden death of her husband. It wasn't until a beta reader told me I did a good job with the complicated grief that I realized what I'd written had a name. It was based on my own observations and attempts to help a friend trapped in a cycle of sadness that she couldn't seem to escape from. I encourage you to read the Author's Note at the end. Actually, I encourage you to read the Author's Note at the end of The Friend Zone too. Both books are based loosely on real events. The infertility struggle in The Friend Zone is, from start to finish, my best friend's real life experience with severe uterine fibroids.

One more quick note. The songs at the start of each chapter were meticulously selected for tone, title, and lyrics. Listening to them before each chapter really enhances the reading experience. There's a Spotify and Apple Music playlist for the book for easy listening.

I hope you love this read! It's been a long time coming and I can't wait to share Jason and Sloan with the world.

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was SO DRAMATIC but I’d be lying if i didn’t say i got heart-squishy feelings.

Like, first half: four stars. Normal rom com. Pretty good stuff.

Second half: The kind of scandal and constant ups and downs that I have longed for since my days of reading fan fiction in which the slightly older tour costume designer who is definitely just a self insert for the author falls for Justin Bieber. (Yes I am thinking of a specific one and please for the love of god sound off in the comments if you remember what it's called because I've been chasing that high for ten years.)

I can pretend that I’m better than OMG CRAZY CELEBRITY TRYING TO STEAL MY BOYFRIEND plotlines but I’m not and I never have been.

This book is a blast.

And bonus, the titular playlist honestly slaps. Listening as we speak.

Bottom line: I am realizing I have spent my entire life preparing to meet and fall in love with a pop sensation. Universe, give me what I deserve.

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pre-review

this is just justin bieber fanfiction for grownups. turns out that's exactly what i've been looking for my entire life

review to come / 3.5? stars

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tbr review

"an adorable and fresh romantic comedy about one trouble-making dog who brings together two perfect strangers"

why fall in love and live happily ever after when you can just get a dog?

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is proof that authors deserve a second chance. after the problematic fiasco that was ‘the friend zone,’ i was hesitant to give this a shot, but i am surprisingly relieved that i enjoyed this.

the first part is an absolute delight. the adorableness of how sloan and jason meet, how they interact and get to know each other, and how they eventually fall for one another is just too sweet. but then the story takes a turn as jason goes on tour and then it becomes like every other romance story about a musician on tour. im personally a fan of that trope, but i know many readers will be bored with it.

also, i will admit that it took me wayyyyy too long to realise that these are the same characters from ‘the friend zone’ (since when was this a series?!) and its probably because they dont feel like the same characters i met in AJs first book. if anything, sloan is now acting like kristen did and kristen is now written like sloan. its as if she just swapped the name of the two MCs. and that wouldnt have been a bad thing if the books werent part of a series, but since the two stories are connected, it feels like poor characterisation to me.

regardless, this is a fun and lighthearted read. nothing too emotionally compelling or uniquely spectacular, but more like the kind of story that satisfies a reader. im glad i gave AJ another chance because this story is an immense improvement from her debut novel. i have my fingers crossed she proves herself again in the future.

↠ 3.5 stars

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so happy right now because I have to admit, I have so many second thoughts before requesting this book to review!

I can hear you ask me:” Why the hell you requested and stole other romance lovers’ chances, you…” Okay, don’t fill the blanks and I hope you didn’t get angry to me. But I have a good reason: This is the second book of Abby Jimenez and I had so much trouble to like the first one. I didn’t any problem about the witty, sarcastic writing but also angtsy, heart-wrenching story progression. I just hate Kirsten with all my heart. And I felt so sorry for Josh to choose her.

And this second book is about Sloan (We already met her as Kristen’s bestie, so much likeable character, we ugly cried for her when she lost her fiancée! That was the most soul crushing, traumatic part of the first book) and indie rocker Jaxon Waters (that’s his stage name, just call him “Jason”)

Thankfully I loved both of the characters. And I adored Tucker, the dog that brought them together when Jason was in Australia for concerts and movie soundtrack installment. Cute Tucker literally jumps into Sloan’s car at the anniversary of her fiancé’s death (Sloan thinks this might be a sign and her death fiancée sent the dog to rescue her from asocial, restricted life!)
Sloan reaches at Jason and they talk and text on the phone for two weeks nonstop before they meet in person. And as soon as they meet, sparks start to fly around. Especially Jason is so sure he finally found “the one”.

This beginning was sweet, entertaining, swoony but that insta love parts were a little flimsy for me. But when we get in the middle and Sloan involves Jason’s over consuming and challenging tour plan, it rocked my heart several times. The story captivated my attention immediately: And I was still happy because one of them didn’t do something to give me a reason for hating them. (At least till the last quarter, everything was better!)

Especially the parts Sloan’s car is vandalized, tires are slashed and all the arrows showed the crazy-ex singer girlfriend Lola who is soul- twin of Britney Spears, I loved Sloan’s determination and I felt so sorry how she sacrificed herself for the well-being of their relationship. There is no sign of happy ending for the couple at least for ten years and she was still okay with it even though her heart was tarnished and broken, she hardly fought with her inner demons and still suffered from the grief, loss of her fiancée.

The angst and unnecessary melodramatic parts at the end made me angry and I want to punch Jason for several times but I gotta admit, he knows how to growl and suffer.

And let’s not forget the coolest playlist that Abby Jimenez presented us at the beginning of each chapter and all those amazing songs serve so well with the chapter’s contents.
So I cut only one star for the over exaggerated angst and heart-tearing parts and foolishness, masochism of our still so much loveable Jason. I’m also giving five stars to playlist. ( From Black Keys, Paramore, Billie Eilish , Artric Monkeys, there were my favorite artists and bands’ songs were on the list which made me cheered up!)

So I’m proudly giving four musical, tear jerking, cute, flirty stars. And I’m so happy this book’s ending was also satisfying (I cannot say the same for the first book, but this is promising and one of my favorite romance reads of this year!)

So much special thanks to NetGalley and Forever( Grand Central Publishing) for sharing this poignant ARC in exchange my honest review.

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[Angelica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guys!! Read this book!! It's so cute! I thought my face was going to cramp up from all the smiling!!! 

 I went into this book completely blind. I didn't see any early reviews, I didn't even read the synopsis. I saw the cover and I went with it.

And I am so glad that I did because I lowkey fell in love with it.

For the first half of the book, I was convinced that it was going to be a full 5-star read. It's still pretty close to five stars, but not quite, and I'll explain why later.

The first half of this book though was absolutely perfect. It was everything I could have ever wanted, and then some. I loved Jason and Sloan. Their chemistry, their humor, their building friendship. I was unabashedly in love with their entire romance. I was grinning from ear to ear and I didn't want to stop!

All the characters were likable and fun to read about. Sloan was great, and Jason was absolutely everything. He was kind, patient, perfect in every way, and I was half in love with him myself. Also, side characters Kristen and Josh were hilarious.

I didn't know that this book was connected to the author's previous novel, The Friend Zone, but now that I do know it, I have to read it. That other story follows Kristen and Josh's story and I can't wait to read it!

The second half of the book is where it started to get less exciting for me. This is where Jason went on tour and Sloan uprooted her life to follow him. To be fair, Sloan's life wasn't all that great so I don't mind that she left it behind. What I do mind is how willing she was to leave her dreams behind as well.

Thankfully, Jason, the most wonderful man ever written, would not allow such things, and I think I fell even more in love with him than before.

Sadly, this tour part was where the book dragged a bit. It's where all the complications arose and where all of the cute interactions at the start of the book started becoming scarce. I didn't love these parts quite as much. But then the ending made up for everything, and then some.

I totally recommend this one for any romance and music fans. I may or may not have stopped reading a couple of times to listen to some of the songs there mentioned.

**I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

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[Sian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally I was going to give this a full 3 stars. On further deliberation, I’ve decided it was really a 2 or a 2.5. While the execution and writing style is there, I couldn’t let go of some of the toxic tropes in this book. As the twitter saying goes, it’s not the inclusion of problematic tropes that’s an issue, it’s the exclusion of illustrating that those tropes are wrong.

Of course there’s the little things that annoyed me. Like the fact that Jason’s stage name is Jaxon Waters. It’s like authors don’t understand that stage names don’t have to have some hidden meaning or have to sound outlandish. I’m not saying no to a stage name - I’m saying just not one that sounds like the kind of name a 14 year old fan fiction writer on wattpad would create as a name for her grimey, emo rockstar love interest in the early 2010’s. Also, setting book in LA? I’m over it. It’s old.

New paragraph for this particular little gripe: the hunting. The main character Jason hunts wild animals with his family in yee old Minnesota and Sloane thinks that’s hot?? And Jason was such a boring, classic manly-man with his camping, and muscles and love of the wilderness. These characters (with maybe the exception of Kristen) were so vanilla it made me cry. They all fell into these neat little, stereotypical boxes that make them sound like they’re from the 1950’s. I mean, the women cooking while the men do all the handiwork and go shoot stuff? What year year is this? What kind of country is America? Killing animals for the joy of the hunt in a time period where you can buy from the store is not attractive and never will be.

I liked the way grief was expressed in this book. I appreciated it even more after reading the authors note at the end describing how this book was written in an attempt to help a friend who was in the same position as the main characters. There were also some moments of real joy that were sweet and some of the jokes made me laugh.

My main problem with this story was the lying and miscommunication tropes which are, like the LA thing, also getting incredibly fucking old.

Jason and Sloane we’re constantly back and forth and back and forth. Their relationship was almost never stable. When they fought it was because Jason was lying to her or because Sloane was sacrificing her whole life to be with him and he was giving up nothing in return. They had almost no balance. The kind of gut wrenchingly annoying miscommunication is exactly what I’d expect from an author who writes insta love into a book despite this being 2020. No shit - Jason’s world was crushed when Sloane said they should break up when they’d only been together for A WEEK. Jason was full of unnecessary dramatics.

The codependency was ripe in this book too. Neither of them could survive without being constantly tied to the hip like the prophecy from Harry Potter (it was a “neither can live while the other survives” kind of emotional attachment). If this was one of my friends, I could not express to you how concerned I would be for them. That’s not healthy in the slightest. There was a grace period at the end during Jason and Sloane’s three month breakup (which was because Jason lies to her about cheating on her to irreparably break her heart and let her have a better, non-groupie life - which was unbelievably shitty of him) where Sloane was relatively happy, independent and healthy... and then Jason came back and professed his love for her on stage at his concert and then BAM they’re married with kids. I really thought they were gonna stay separated and finally have their own lives but nope that was too much to ask.

Lola’s redemption arc didn’t sit well with me. It could’ve been a great way to show how women are mistreated in the media and by their companies but she did still grope Jason in public and show up at his house without underwear with no true consequences for those actions. Being a drug addict doesn’t excuse that. Usually I’m the forgiving type when it comes to these kinds of stories about women but she caused so much relationship damage which made the book even longer than it needed to be which pissed me off.

We need to stop glorifying and praising books that encourage these kinds of tropes. It’s not a good example for younger readers and it’s not great for adult readers either.

Not only are rockstar books not for me, but neither is Adult Romance to be honest. I thought I could learn to love them, but apparently not.

My last criticism is this - for a book marketed about a women who finds a dog, there was definitely not enough dog.

[Kaceey · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stars! Or should I say hearts!
💖💖💖💖💖

When Abby Jimenez released her previous novel The Friend Zone, I opted for the audio version. It became the first audio that I really enjoyed. Let me re-phrase that…I loved it! A solid five-star experience that left me anxious to pick up Ms. Jimenez’s follow up The Happy Ever After Playlist. I had high hopes I’d have the same thrilling experience. And boy did I. Didn’t think it was possible but occasionally lightning does strike twice, and I have to say... I may have enjoyed this one even more!

This second book in the series focuses on Kristens’ best friend Sloan, reeling from profound grief after losing her fiancé. A chance encounter, (and perhaps a bit of divine intervention), a stray dog somehow manages to jump into her car via the sunroof. Which starts Sloan on her road to recovery as she tracks down and meets the man responsible for the wayward pup!

Choose happiness!

Abby Jimenez writes such a touching love story, guaranteed to make even the most hardened of hearts believe in love and new beginnings.

Fortunately, I was listening to the audio version as I probably couldn’t have continued reading a physical copy through my tears. I didn’t want it to end!


This is now my new favorite audio to date! Once again the narration was amazing!
I can’t wait for the next follow-up series to see which character Ms. Jimenez decides to spotlight. (I have a feeling it might be Kristen once again).😉

A buddy audio read with Susanne that we both just loved!

Thank you to libro.fm

[Jayme · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know!

Abby Jimenez really made some of you angry with the direction that Sloane’s life took, when we met her as Kristen’s best friend, in book #1 “The Friend Zone”. (Another 5 ⭐️book for me)

And even though, she promised to “make things right” in this book...you just could NOT imagine how she could!!

Well, let me tell you...she found the PERFECT way...and his name is Tucker. 🐶
Oh, and Tucker’s dog daddy, Jason isn’t bad either.
Even if he is a “soon to be famous” rock star!

Will he be “the one” or just the person to get Sloane through the “in between” time?!

Just like with “ The Friend Zone” you will want to scream at some of the characters in frustration, and you will both laugh and cry as you cheer Sloane on, in her quest to “choose happiness”!

Do read the “author’s note at the end of this book!!

You may forgive Abby, when you do...if you haven’t already!

It explains Sloane's journey and just like with "The Friend Zone", the author navigates another of life's challenges, in the form of a sexy, sweet romantic comedy!

I think Abby knocked this out of the park, and I cannot wait to see what's next!
She has quickly become MY favorite romance author!

Thank You to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Abby Jimenez for allowing me to read a digital ARC in exchange for a candid review!

This title was released on April 14, 2020!
GRAB it, if you need a book which will make you smile! ❤️

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

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.

Last year I read Abby Jimenez's debut novel 'The Friend Zone' and I was blown away. When I saw she had a new book coming out, I jumped on it. The Happy Ever After Playlist can be read as a complete stand alone, but if you've read 'The Friend Zone', you'll recognize the heroine, Sloan. Sloan is Kristen's best friend and suffered a tragic loss. Her fiancé, Brandon passed away, and Sloan hasn't been herself since.

Sloan has been living half a life since Brandon died, and it takes a stray dog named Tucker to bring her back to herself. When she finally gets a hold of Tucker's owner, she doesn't want to give him back. After spending some time talking with Jason, she realizes he's a good doggy dad and they plan to meet up when he gets back in town.

Jason and Sloan haven't met, but they become close by their constant phone calls and texts. For the first time in a long time, Sloan feel something for someone. I loved watching Sloan come back to herself. She suffered an unthinkable loss and naturally it took her time to move on. Jason was perfect for her in so many ways.

This book started off so strong for me. The first half, I couldn't keep the smile off my face. It was truly perfect. The last half had a lot of great parts, but there were some things that I sadly didn't love and tampered my enjoyment of the book. Still, I highly recommend this because there was so much good about this story. I really did love so much of it! Jason and his family were amazing. He was just the kind of man Sloan needed. I also loved Sloan and really loved seeing how much of Kristen and Josh we got in this story!

The Happy Ever After Playlist is a fun, feel good romance with a bit of an emotional punch. It's heartfelt, swoony, and I loved it! Jason is the most lovable type of hero and I recommend this to all my fellow romance lovers!

“I want everything with you.”

[Kat *will catch up soon!* · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you get when a cute little dog jumps into the open sunroof of your car while at a stop? As a reader, you get the start of a truly fun and swoony romance!

Sloan Monroe lost not only her fiancé, but also herself, two years ago and hasn’t coped well since. Her hilariously sarcastic best friend Kristen has been by her side, but no one has been able to pull her out of the sadness and loss she feels.

Enter Tucker. Literally. The aforementioned doggy carjacker. Only he’s not there to steal Sloan’s car - just her heart. If his doggy instincts are correct, he may let his actual owner steal her heart too.

Caring for Tucker, while tracking down said doggy owner, Sloan begins a fun and flirty phone and text exchange with Jason, who’s on business in Australia. What she doesn’t realize at that moment is the adventure of the heart that a chance doggy encounter will lead to! There’s much more to Jason’s story and ‘business’ than Sloan realizes …

Highs, lows, thrills, laughter, doubts, tears … it’s an emotional roller-coaster! That said, I loved going on this ride with Jason and Sloan. They’re adorable, Tucker is adorable, Kristen and her husband Josh are hilarious … I loved pretty much every character by the end. Something else I loved is that every chapter started with a song title and music artist, and if you’re so inclined, you can find the playlist on Spotify: The Happy Ever After Playlist

I listened to this on audiobook, narrated by Erin Mallon and Zachary Webber, both of whom did an amazing job. I didn’t know beforehand that this was Book #2 in The Friend Zone series and it completely works as a standalone, but I’ll be curious to go back and read Book #1 which features Kristen’s story. She’s a riot, so I’m looking forward to that! There’s also a Book #3 … yay!

Final thought: read or listen to the author’s note at the end. Jimenez discusses her inspiration for the book and it’s really very touching!

★★★★ ½

[Gabby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t planning on reading this one after being so upset over The Friend Zone, but then I was able to get my hands on the audiobook thanks to Libro.fm, and so I decided why not, and gave it a go.

This book was fine, it actually started off really good. I love reading about the dog Tucker and the way the couple meets in this book because of the dog is really interesting and the way it was setting up, I thought it was gonna be something I was really gonna enjoy. But then I feel like when the couple actually meets it felt a little insta love for me. Jason just kind of seemed too good to be true in some ways? Like he seemed too nice and too eager.. if that’s a thing.

And then there’s the whole celebrity drama of the story because Jason is a famous rockstar, and that is where I really lost interest. The drama was annoying and really took me out of the story.

I did enjoy Sloan as a character though, she’s easily the best part of this book. I just never really felt connected to this couple for some reason and couldn’t get invested in the story because of it.

[Larry H · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been nearly two years since Sloan's fiancé was killed and she has spent the whole time grieving, a shell of her vivacious, creative former self. She hasn't cooked, she hasn't painted creatively, and she barely sees anyone, including her best friends, Kristen and Josh. But she can't fathom moving on with her life since the moment it changed so drastically.

One day, on her way to visit Brandon's grave, she sees a golden blur rush out into the street. She slams on her brakes, hoping against hope that she didn't run over a dog. Not only didn't she run it over, but it jumped into her car through her sun roof, and snuggled up to her, giving her a "take me home" look. She tries reaching the dog's owner, leaving message after message, and then she figures that the best thing she can do is care for him until (or if) she hears from the owner.

Suddenly, having the dog around gives Sloan a purpose. She's actually leaving the house every day, going for walks, and feeling a little bit better about things. After two weeks, she finally hears from Tucker's owner, a musician who has been out of touch while on tour in Australia. Jason is grateful to Sloan for rescuing his dog, but he definitely wants him back, so Sloan agrees to watch Tucker until Jason returns to the U.S., provided Sloan keeps him updated as to how Tucker is doing.

Their conversations via text get flirtier and flirtier, and then turn into long phone calls. Sloan can't deny that Jason is awakening feelings in her that have been dormant since Brandon died. But is she ready to date again, to chance making herself vulnerable once more? For his part, Jason is more intrigued by Sloan than he has been by a woman in some time. But with his music career on the rise, is there room for what could become (he hopes) a serious relationship?

When they finally meet in person, their attraction is immediate and their connection is intense. Jason neglected to mention, however, that he's not just a musician—he's Jaxon Waters, a musician on the verge of fame, whose songs Sloan already loves. The couple tries to navigate the demands of his growing fame, Sloan's uncertainty if she's actually ready for intimacy again, and what the future potential for their relationship actually is, given Jason is about to embark on a world tour for more than a year.

"He'd never met the best version of me, and for some reason he still seemed to want to be here. I was a ghost, wandering the rooms of a museum of the person I used to be, and Jason was like one of the living who could somehow see me and decided to wander the place with me. I liked that he was willing to wander the place with me."

As their relationship intensifies, they have to decide whether Sloan should go on tour with Jason, which means abandoning her family, friends, and art, and possibly dealing with an unstable musician who has feelings for Jason. But if she doesn't go with him, what does that mean for their future? Can they have a life together if they're always on the road, or will they ultimately resent each other? Is their best solution saying goodbye, no matter how much it will hurt?

Abby Jimenez is an amazing storyteller. As she did in her first book, The Friend Zone , which made my list of the best books I read in 2019, she takes a plot with familiar elements and layers it with emotional complexity, and populates her story with fresh and flawed characters you want to root for. This book made me laugh, made me smile, and, I'll admit, made me cry in my office when I was finishing the book during my lunch.

I can't tell you how much I enjoy Jimenez's books and the immense amount of heart she imbues them with. Both The Happy Ever After Playlist and The Friend Zone would make terrific movies—and yes, this one comes with its own playlist, as the title promises. Don't discount these books simply as "chick lit"; these are well-written books which make fantastic reads.

The author and Forever provided me a complimentary advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

The Happy Ever After Playlist publishes April 14, 2020.

Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.

Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.

See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.

Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.

[BernLuvsBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gets all the stars for eliciting all the feels! Run to purchase it & read it!!! ⁣
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While so many people loved The 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘡𝘰𝘯𝘦, the ending just didn’t do it for me but I did love the romance so I knew I had to read 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 and see what became of Sloan. If you’ve read 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘡𝘰𝘯𝘦 you know she deserved her happy ever after. ⁣
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I’m here to say that this book blew me away! It was everything I wanted and more - romantic, emotional, sexy, adorable, funny and yes - steamy. 🔥 ⁣
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I loved Jason & Sloan’s story and their connection to each other. We see Sloan awaken from her grief, grow and really come into her own. Jimenez is not one to shy away from emotion and be sure to read the author’s note at the end - it’s powerful! ⁣
⁣
This book was exactly what I needed this month. We get a swoon worthy romance, an adorable dog (I loved Tucker!), laugh out loud friendship, witty banter via flirty text messages (so fun) well placed angst, emotional drama and some serious steam. ⁣
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This was actually the first book Abby Jimenez wrote and it was an absolute winner for me. I’ll be reading whatever comes next from her. Now, take my advice and go read this book! I dare you to finish it and not have a smile on your face and hearts in your eyes. 😍

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much to think about on this one! I definitely liked this one waaay more than Jimenez's previous book, The Friend Zone (check out my review of that one here), but I still wouldn't call this a new favorite. I really liked the characters and even at times when I normally would have found their interactions to be way too cringe-y, I was completely hooked and rooting for them to succeed. ESPECIALLY that ending scene. Sa-woon. But I think the reason that I didn't enjoy this one as much as I could have was mostly because I wasn't a huge fan of the overall plot? So even though I DID like the characters, I just could not bring myself to be interested in Jason's whole ~rockstar~ world and it kind of just kept taking me out of the story. Overall, even though this wasn't *perfect* for me, I think that if you like romance, chances are pretty high that you'll enjoy this one and I recommend checking it out if you're looking for a new spin on the rockstar romance!

TW: death of a loved one, motorcycle accidents, self harm, drug/alcohol abuse

Thank you to the publisher and Libro.fm for a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Perfect Stars!

“The Happy Ever After Playlist” by Abby Jimenez, Hits All the Right Notes! Cue the Smiles, the Laughter and yes, even the Tears!

What a Gem this novel is. In times like this, each and every one of us needs a book that will make us break into a smile and bring on that hysterical laughter. This, my friends, is that book!

First, there is the friendship between Sloan and her bestie Kristen (from Abby Jimenez’s prior novel “The Friend Zone”). These two will have you laughing so hard, you will be snorting in no time.

Then there’s Tucker. The sweetest dog ever. His appearance in Sloan’s life happens at the absolute perfect moment. Once Sloan finds him, she has no plans to let him go. I don’t blame her one bit!

And hubba, hubba, then there’s Jason. Talk about Swoon Worthy! Wowza. Once Tucker’s owner finally comes a calling, there’s no denying the chemistry. Fun, flirty, sarcastic texts galore! Of course, that’s just the start.

“The Happy Ever After Playlist” is beautifully written, with characters you can’t help but love, dealing with real life situations. At times heartbreaking and poignant, while at other times, amusing, flirty, and filled with witty banter that will have you rolling on the floor laughing. This is a novel that is highly entertaining and is a must read! Abby Jimenez: I will be anxiously awaiting your next novel.

A fabulous buddy read/audiobook with Kaceey!

A huge thank you to Abby Jimenez (you rock!), NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC and Libro.fm for the ALC.

Published on Goodreads on 4.17.20

[JanB · Rating 4 out of 5]

My relationship with rom-coms is complicated but in the early days of the quarantine not many books were working for me. This was recommended so many times I decided to give it a try and I'm so glad I did. A dog brings the characters Sloan and Jason together in a cute way when he jumps into Sloan's car. His name is Tucker. (I have a sweet Tucker of my own so how could I not love him? 💖) The witty banter between the characters was my favorite part of the book. The narrators in the audio version were perfect.

Sloan is grieving the death of her fiancé and Jason is dealing with career changes that takes him away for long stretches of time. We all know how these stories end so you have to set aside realism and enjoy the ride. It's the journey that either works or it doesn't, and in this case it works very well.

This was a fun distraction during a stressful time. Recommended!

[Whitney Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ish stars, idk.

A book with both Abby Jimenez and Casey Mcquiston's on it is one that had me so hyped, I was sure nothing would stop me from giving it 5 stars. But. Here we are. It was good, but it wasn't the greatness of book one, The Friend Zone.

I'm gonna mention this first because in the grand scheme of the book, it didn't matter, but it still rubbed me the wrong way. Jason is a hunter, Sloan runs a blog about cooking game, and in general, their relationship is quite heteronormative. I'm not going to say that this read like a republican romance, but it was really difficult to fall in love with the characters when they're talking about hunting all the time and Sloan is always talking about cooking for him while he's outside working and ~being a man~, and none of it is challenged. It's a very snowflake comment for me to make, but still. It was a huge barrier of why I couldn't fully fall in love with these characters. I wish it focused more on them liking the wilderness because the scene where they went camping was cute. But. The rest of it wasn't.

I did like Sloan as a main character, and as a person who typically doesn't enjoy books about musicians OR celebrities, Jason was actually pretty great too. But this book's conflict with girl on girl drama and miscommunication felt very juvenile. Also, Jason made some really dumb and insensitive comments during their arguments and never took accountability for his words or actions, so it really put him in a negative light from there on out. The first 200 pages were going toward 5 stars, but those aforementioned plot elements made this a bit of an eye-roller by the end. Sloan was so quick to forgive Jason for the shitty things he would say to her, which made the "I love you"s a bit cheapened.

But the last 200 pages aside, Abby has mastered (already by her sophomore novel) writing characters who are realistic but funny but have complexities not evident to the naked eye. She writes people realistically but in a way that still makes you wish you were in their shoes, no matter how dull or normal those shoes are. Her writing just works, even when it doesn't go in my favorite direction. Or when there's only one sex scene. .-.

I was SOOO happy to see Kristen and Josh in this book with Oliver, because I am obsessed. Lowkey at a few points, I wished this was a book about them instead. But that being said, I did NOT like the epilogue of this book because I felt like it ruined a little bit of the first book. The parts about Sloan and Jason going to Minnesota were some of the worst parts of this book for me because I felt it was so lame and gross (see paragraph two), so for Kristen and Josh to move out there to be closer to Sloan and Jason was suuuuuch a bummer. I was like noooo!!!! Run away!!!!! But that's such a minor, minor commentary that it doesn't really matter, I just needed to complain.

[Sheyla ✎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not a secret that The Friend Zone was one of my favorite books of 2019. It was such a good story that I thought how can Abby Jimenez top that? This was the main reason why I had reservations about reading The Happy Ever After Playlist. I was so worried it was not going to meet or surpass my expectations.

It turns out, I didn't need to worry. I ended up loving it. The ending is now on the list of my favorite endings of all time. While I was reading it, I was a mess. I cried, I laughed. I might even have applauded (a little bit).

The Happy Ever After Playlist begins with Sloan, Kristen's friend from The Friend Zone, finding a lost dog by the name of Tucker. During the next few days, Sloan tries to find his owner. She leaves voicemail after voicemail until she gives up and decides to keep the dog. Then, Jason, Tucker's owner who has been in Australia, returns her calls and begs her to give him his dog back. At first, Sloan is not too sure he can be trusted but Jason explains he's a singer and has been away for a while and he left his dog with someone he thought he could count on. This conversation leads to more phone calls and texts between these characters for the next few days which leads to AMAZING banter!

Between Tucker and Jason's presence, Sloan begins to awaken from her two-year grief. A grief so deep she had become a shell of the woman she used to be. As Sloan starts feeling better and maybe thinking a relationship with Jason could work, his fame explodes and in order to stay together, hard choices have to be taken or even harder ones to stay apart.

I love so much the banter Sloan and Jason had. They had chemistry out the wazoo. Both characters were likable and I was rooting for their happy ever after (playlist). Yes, there was a part I wasn't too happy about but I understand why it happened. It did lead to the resolution of the conflict which was a pure MAGICAL moment (this is probably where I started clapping).

In regards to Sloan's interaction with Kristen, it was absolutely refreshing. Two best friends who lift each other up (and not down for a change). Their antics had me in stitches. Also, getting a glimpse of Kristen and Josh's happiness was a fantastic treat for this reader.

I hope Abby Jimenez brings a third book as amazing as this one soon.

Cliffhanger: No

5/5 Fangs

MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This light hearted, entertaining and warm offering from Abby Jimenez is likely to appeal to many readers looking to alleviate the stress and anxiety of our current global pandemic. Sloan Monroe is a Los Angeles artist whose life descended into utter misery and never ending grief on the loss of her fiance, Brandon, almost two years ago. Nothing and no-one has managed to lift her out of the despair, not her best friend, Kristen, and her husband, Josh, she has been unable to produce her original art, making do with producing the more commercial astronaut cats. She has given up on cooking, and has let everything slide, including her appearance, living in her too expensive dilapidated home that she and her Brandon were going to do up but is now too much for her.

She is on her way to the cemetery to visit Brandon's grave when life takes a turn for the weird when she almost runs over a dog that leaps through her sun roof and into her car. In a state of shock, she discovers her new pal is Tucker, and the dog belongs to Jason, whom she is unable to get hold of as she leaves messages on his voicemail. In the meantime, she takes care of Tucker, taking him to the vet and finds herself beginning to engage in everyday normal activities for the first time in two years, as she takes him for walks, and falls in love with him as he gives her a reason to start living. Tucker's owner, Jason, is a musician on the cusp of rock superstardom, having recently signing a contract with a big recording company. He is overseas, off the grid, without his phone, missing all of Sloan's messages, astounded to discover that he has to prove to Sloan that Tucker means everything to him. Before he knows it, Sloan becomes increasingly important to him as the two of them flirt with each other through a two week period of texts and phone calls before he can come home.

Jimenez writes with wit and humour of the life love that develops between Jason and Sloan, but which is strewn with challenges and obstacles, such as the life of touring on the road that leads to their deteriorating mental and physical health. Then there are the limitations Jason's future places on their life choices, a recording contract that threatens their love, not to mention the presence of a famous singer, Lola, a batshit crazy psycho, who looks as if she going to tour with Jason. One of the highlights of the novel is the authentic depiction of how grief can be so difficult to emerge from for many people, like Sloan. A wonderful read that I can see bringing a window of joy and comfort for many readers at the moment. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

[Corina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m happy to say that I LOVED The Happy Ever After Playlist!!!

The book was almost entirely divided into two entirely different tropes, a rom-com and a rockstar romance.

I LOVED THE ROM-COM PART…

The first half of the book was AMAZING. It had the most wonderful rom-com feel, and I’m not even a fan of that particular genre, but let me tell you, the author did a FABULOUS job. Great flirty and funny banter, witty and smart dialogues – the book had it all. I was smiling throughout the entire first half. True fact, there were actual sticky notes throughout the books, with comments from the other bloggers that have read it before me, and when I reached page 93 one said: Have you stopped smiling yet? I’ve had a perma grin since page one. I couldn’t stop laughing, because that’s exactly what I did until then, I smiled non-stop.

NOW ABOUT THE ROCKSTAR ROMANCE…

The second half was more like a rockstar romance and I must be honest, rockstar romances always reach a point, especially when the couple goes on road, that NEVER works out for the lovers. Unfortunately this became a rather predictable twist/outcome which took some of the joy out of the book. BUT even though it dragged and was predictable at times, the anguish and feelings were REAL!! This book is not just fluffy, it deals with real grief. And the author did a excellent job bringing it to life on page.

THE COUPLE WAS GOLD!!!

The connection between Jason and Sloan was fabulous from start to finish. The way Jason supported Sloan throughout the entire book was just wonderful. He never pressured her or made her feel bad for how she felt. He was the most wonderful, patient and understanding hero. Truly magnificent in every way. Perfection!

Sloan was lovely, the opposite in many ways to her best friend Kristen from The Friend Zone. She was shy at times, got flustered when Jason turned on the flirting, and oh how he loved to make her blush – in a sweet way. And their Meet Cute was one of the cutes I ever read about. I could feel the heat between them, the moment when time stood still for a second or two. It all was just so adorable.

THE EPILOGUE

The way the author wrapped it all up was perfection. She didn’t just wrap up Sloan and Jason’s story but also Kristen and Josh’s and it felt like the two story came to a completion. The two books are supposed to be read as a duet, since Sloan and Kristen’s stories are so tightly connected. All in all, very well done!

OVERALL

The first half was a definite 5 star for me, the second half slipped to a 4 star since it was just too predictable at times, but the epilogue wrapped it all up so beautiful that overall I really, really loved this book.

___________________________________
*Received the advanced readers copy from a fellow Bookstagrammer, via a traveling book exchange

Find more reviews and book recommendations on my blog.

Find me on Bookstagram.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Romance, and this is the second book in the Friend Zone series. I cannot put into words how much I loved this book. In fact I think this is my favorite romance book I have read this year. I am so glad I read this book. I could not put this book down. The characters where cute and funny, and the storyline/plot was so much more then the normal romance.

[book bruin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abby Jimenez has done it again! She continues to amaze me by writing the most wonderfully relatable characters and stories that are not only heartfelt and emotional, but also laugh out loud hilarious. After reading The Friend Zone (which is one of my top reads ever!) I could not wait to get back to this world. The Happy Ever After Playlist can definitely be read as a standalone, but it would probably be best enjoyed after reading The Friend Zone, since characters from that book appear and that is where our heroine, Sloan, was originally introduced.

One of my favorite things about Abby Jimenez’s writing is her phenomenal dialogue and banter. It is brilliantly witty and so perfectly placed to bring levity to the more difficult scenes and moments. Not every author can grab your heart in a vise one moment and then have you gasping for breath from laughing so hard the next, but Jimenez does it with ease. I don’t want to be too spoilery, but The Happy Ever After Playlist starts off with one of the most epic meet-cutes. It sets in motion a story that will have you swooning, laughing, shedding a few tears, and will leave you with a huge smile on your face.

A fun feature of the book is that each chapter lists a song to set the tone and mood for what’s to come. It really enhanced the emotions and experience for me and certain songs will forever be tied to those moments now. (You can find the full book playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.) I really enjoyed getting to know this new cast of characters, but also seeing some old favorites as well. Fans of The Friend Zone will love catching up with Josh and Kristen (Gah! I love them so much!) and new readers will get to experience the magic that is uniquely Kristen. One character that stole the show every time he was on the page though was Tucker. Honestly, if you aren’t in love with him by the end, I’m pretty sure you’re a monster.

The Happy Ever After Playlist is more than a romance. It’s a story about choosing happiness and being true to yourself. Even if you haven't read The Friend Zone (Seriously, if you haven't, WHY??? Do it! It's amazing!) you will still love Sloan's emotional and heartwarming story! My heart is so incredibly full after finishing this book!



*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

*****
So excited! 2020 can't come soon enough!

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well well well! I've got my second "Holy Shooty Balls" read of the year!

Endearing, heartwarming, and irresistible!

THE HAPPY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST by ABBY JIMENEZ is an outstanding, adorable, engaging, enchanting and fun rom-com so beautifully written that it gave me all the feels. I was smiling, laughing, teary eyed and totally mesmerized with what I was listening to.

After finishing this book I discovered that Sloan’s best friend Kristen was the main character in Abby Jimenez’s previous novel, THE FRIEND ZONE. Now without reading the prior novel I can totally say that you don’t need to read it in order to fully enjoy this one. But with that being said though I am definitely going to be reading it sooner than later. It has drastically moved up my TBR list.

The friendship between these two best friends, Sloan and Kristen had me chuckling to myself and laughing so hard that I was snorting. Yup, I’m a snorter. LOL I absolutely loved how entertaining the dynamics was between these two then…..

There is this lost dog that Sloan finds named Tucker which leads us to the sexy and swoon-worthy Jason, Tucker’s owner. Now I was already taken and entertained with this storyline as it was and falling in love with the idea of Jason and Sloan before they even met. The chemistry between these two is on fire and it definitely bounced right off the pages onto me. I absolutely loved their back and forth text messages! I loved the dynamics between all three of them and was totally invested in Sloan and Tucker’s relationship.

I highly recommend this highly entertaining and enjoyable novel! Everyone needs this book in their life.

The audiobook is appealingly and engagingly performed by Zachary Webber and Erin Mallon.

Thanks so much to Libro.fm, Hachette Audio, and Abby Jimenez for the ALC! It is stories like this that is making audiobooks way more appealing and enjoyable for me!

[Berit Talks Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO darn fun! Abby Jimenez stole my heart with this adorable romcom.Sloane and Jason had the most perfect meet cute ever (not sure if technically this was a meet cute, but I’m calling it that because it was super cute). The beginning of their relationship was pure magic, so sweet and authentic. They of course had some bumps in the road when they were literally on the road traveling while Jason’s band was on tour. It was all resolved almost as adorably as they met. The audiobook was narrated by Erin Mallon and Zachary Weber who are two of my all-time favorite narrator’s and they did an outstanding job as always! There is just so much to love about this book: the friendship between Sloan and Kristin, Jason’s amazing family, and Best of all tucker the dog! The perfect romance that will make you swoon, smile, and side.

This book in emojis 🐶 🎸 🎨 🛶

*** Big thank you to Forever and libro.fm for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

[Ceecee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, if you want something for right now that’s entertaining, fun and well written then this one is ‘just the ticket’, ‘fits the bill’ and totally ‘cuts the mustard’. Sloan Monroe is stuck and has been for two years since the tragic death of her fiancé Brandon. She’s in a state of inertia and cannot move on. Then Tucker most unexpectedly enters her life as does his musician owner Jason a few weeks later. Tucker is the star of the show, he’s a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever. Yes, I didn’t know about them either but they are utterly adorable like most retriever breeds and I want one. I don’t want to say much more as it will spoil the pleasure of reading this story which is told alternately by Sloan and Jason. Each chapter has a song and I did play quite a few of those as I read along except the Smiths as I didn’t want to be depressed!

I love this book. I love everything about it, it’s funny at times ( a few lol’s), flirty, occasionally hot and steamy (😳) has great repartee and some really good characters who are so, so likeable. I cheered the developing relationship between Sloan and Jason which starts, stops, starts and how and then seems to go into reverse and makes you laugh and cry. At one point a snivelling mess is an apt description of how I’d describe myself until it reaches the joyous conclusion you hope for all along. Oh and did I mention the dog???

Overall, I lapped this up and revelled in it. The afterword by Abby Jimenez is well worth reading as it explains the reason why she wrote it.

Special thanks to NetGalley and particularly to Little, Brown Book Group for this wonderful ARC.

[Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Abby Jimenez, thank you for creating these characters! I simply ADORED this book! If I could give it 10 stars, I would!

I loved The Friend Zone. It was a solid 5 star read for me. When I finished it and found out that Sloan’s story was coming up in a sequel I could barely contain my excitement! Little did I know that The Happily Ever After Playlist would be even better!

Sloan is still reeling from the death of her fiancé. While out and about, she meets Tucker - the cutest pup with the sweetest eyes. Not wanting to leave him behind, she takes Tucker home. She begins texting his owner in hopes of reuniting him with the pup. After weeks of unanswered texts, Sloan has fallen for her new furry friend. Then one day, she hears from Jason - Tucker’s owner who has been on tour in Australia with no cell service. Naturally, he wants his dog back, but Sloan won’t give him up what easily.

When their texting turns into flirting and eventually long phone calls, Sloan and Jason are definitely connecting. But is Sloan ready for a relationship? Jason is hot, sweet, funny and he’s an up and coming rock star! What is not to love!? SWOON.

I fell in LOVE with this trio! Reading about how they met, their relationship and all of their ups and downs had me fully immersed. Tucker was definitely the scene (chapter) stealer here! To think that a sweet dog would be the reason that two strangers met and fell in love? DOUBLE SWOON. ❤️🐶

We also get Kristen and Josh back! I love Kristen - she has a zero f*cks given attitude, which I can relate to. 😜

Tip: Read The Friend Zone first! You will be glad you did!

Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Abby Jimenez for granting my wish and allowing me the ARC to read and review.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh thank-you to my Goodreads friend Tina who praised this book so much in her review that it made me read (listen) to it right away!! What an enjoyment it was!

I was mesmerized right from the start. The story of Sloane and Jason is so cute and the way they met just makes your heart melt! This was a fabulous Audiobook. Both narrators were outstanding!

I did not read, "The Friend Zone" but I will for sure pick it up now. I think this book is tied for the best romance of the year for me. Way to go Abby Jimenez!!

[Lama · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m so disappointed right now. This book is nothing like I thought it would be.

I saw rave reviews all over bookstagram so I picked up an extended preview last week and I loved it! It was the most adorable meet cute and I loved the idea of a dog bringing them together and helping the heroine deal with grief.

So I picked up this book on release day and was so excited to dig into it. But the more I read the more I was disappointed. By the end I was skimming through because I couldn’t deal with the MCs anymore. This book has a whopping 4.57 rating on goodreads so clearly everyone else loved it, but unfortunately it was not for me.

Here's why this book didn't work for me:

The style of writing – the writing is way too simple and doesn’t pack any punch. Most of the pages are filled with variations of “I’m so in love with him/ She drives me mad / She is my whole entire life / my very existence tipped in her direction” and clichéd rockstar drama. It reads exactly like fanfiction, and not the good kind! And the author never once succeeded in making me feel what the characters were feeling. I prefer a “show not tell” style of writing. I don’t want the author to tell me MCs are in love. I want ACTIONS that show me. Sadly there was none of that. Even the steamy scenes were cringey. I’m telling you: pure fanfiction. Yikes.

The insta-love – insta-love never makes sense to me personally. I live for the slow build up and the tension. It’s even more illogical in this story considering the h is severely depressed. I couldn’t understand how in the span of a couple of weeks she fell in love, sold her house and risked homelessness, and followed a man across the world .

The portrayal of grief – the author says she based this book on a friend of hers so who knows maybe this is an accurate portrayal of grief, but it didn’t make sense to me. I was looking forward to seeing Sloan slowly deal with her grief. Instead it was almost instant. She starts off as severely depressed and instead of talking to a therapist or discussing her emotions with friends or Jason, it seemed to happen over night. One day she could barely get through the day, and the next she rediscovered her love of cooking and painting, all because she fell in love.

The crazy ex girlfriend trope – can we please get rid of this trope once and for all?

The lying – one of my least favorite tropes is lying by omission to “protect” someone, like Jason repeatedly did. This completely robs Sloan of her own agency. She’s a grown woman; let her make her own decisions regarding what’s best for her!

The pointless drama – I genuinely couldn’t believe all the ex girlfriend clichéd drama and the fact that Sloan was floored to realize that her rockstar boyfriend is going to be on tour for every album cycle, forever. It’s literally his job. And let me just say that if they did sit and talk about the problems in their relationship, we never saw it. There was an on-stage declaration of love, and then bam fast forward 3 years later to the HEA .

That’s 4 hours of my week and 12$ that could’ve been spent on something more entertaining.

[Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I would notice you in a crowd of a million.”

I've been dying for Sloan's story ever since the end of The Friend Zone made me cry my eyes out. I loved her and Brandon so much, it was difficult to imagine the man that would make Sloan's heart beat again. But man, oh man, never in a million years could I have imagined the perfection that was Jason.

Sloan has been a shell of herself for two years since the tragic loss of her fiancé. Her love for Brandon was one of a kind. But sometimes, life gives you a second chance that you never see coming. For Sloan, this comes in the form of a dog that literally jumps through her sunroof and into her car after she almost hits him while driving. She takes the dog in while trying to get in touch with the owner, and quickly falls hard for the adorable mutt. When the owner finally calls looking for his dog, she's not ready to let go.

Now, admittedly, I'm a little over the rockstar element in books. But Jason was so different. He's a rising talent on the music scene and one of the most down to earth men I've read in a while. He's charming, sweet, and incredibly patient. Their relationship starts through a series of funny texts and phone calls that I couldn't get enough of. I love that they get to know each other before they even know what the other looks like. Jason falls hard and fast for the mysterious woman that refuses to share what she looks like or give his dog bag. He's determined to woo her for a date. And woo her he does. The man woos her so hard. It was DELICIOUS.

Now I will say, I loved the sweet undercurrent of the book. I really did. I loved the slow build of a relationship between Sloan and Jason. I loved that Jason was a genuinely nice guy. I loved that he was so patient when it comes to Sloan and didn't try to replace her dead fiancé or felt threatened by his memory. I loved that he treated her right.

What I didn't love is a lot of the drama around the industry part of Jason. I wished that the time spent on the drama was spent more on seeing Sloan come out of her shell. It was just a touch too much for me, especially at the end. This is entirely personal preference, so take this with a grain of salt. I'm just not a fan of OTT drama, and this felt like OTT for me. It did drive the plot forward, so it certainly wasn't aimless, but it did nothing for me either. I think I was just so invested in Sloan's HEA after the events of The Friend Zone, that I wished more time was spent on her personal growth and moving on rather than Jason's industry drama. I think this is why I'm over the whole rockstar thing in my books, because the industry drama sort of comes along with the territory.

Now don't get me wrong, I still loved the romance here. SO MUCH. And the ending? Absolute perfection. It wasn't the laugh out loud hilarious sort of romance that Friend Zone was, but it was a sweet and emotional one that was just as satisfying.

ARC courtesy of publisher in exchange for an honest review

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[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Romance. I cannot put into words how much I loved this book. In fact I think this is my favorite romance book I have read this year. I am so glad I read this book. I could not put this book down. The characters where cute and funny, and the storyline/plot was so much more then the normal romance. (*)