The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

Title: The Friend Zone
Author: Abby Jimenez
Series: The Friend Zone #1
Published by: Hachette Audio
Release Date: June 11, 2019
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Teddy Hamilton, Erin Mallon
Length: 9 hours and 32 minutes
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Potential Triggers: View Spoiler »infertility, accident causing death « Hide Spoiler
Source: Libby
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2023 Audiobook Challenge, Lenoreo's 2023 COYER Chapter 1, Lenoreo's 2023 Diversity Reading Challenge
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My rating:

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.

My Review:

2.5 stars — I’m so glad that this book was not my first book by this author, because I probably would have never gotten back to her.  The thing is, her writing is actually really solid.  There were so many fun moments between Josh and Kristen.  But wow, the things that disappointed me were numerous and violent in the feelings they inspired.

First things first, why the fuck is it not mentioned ANYWHERE in the blurb that the heroine has a freaking BOYFRIEND.  And is it for a short period?  Nope.  Honestly I don’t specifically know how far into the book before they “broke up”, but if emotional cheating is a button issue for you like it is for me, then this book may not be for you.  What’s stupid about this?  It served NO PURPOSE.  The book had enough other things in it, there was NO REASON for her to have a boyfriend.  And the way it was resolved and dragged out a bit and made muddy?  NOT A FAN.  See?  Violent feelings.  I’m getting ragey and need to move on.

I had VERY mixed feelings about Kristen.  She could be absolutely hilarious, blunt and sarcastic.  I appreciated that in some instances she was totally comfortable in herself and didn’t try to mold herself to anyone else’s ideals.  But it was hiding serious damage.  The other major characteristic that stands out (above all others) is her absolute stubbornness.  And that was…not admirable.  It was frustrating as fuck.  Like, seriously, I’m surprised I kept listening.

I need to be honest.  I seriously did really appreciate this look at a woman with significant reproductive issues, and it pulls no punches.  I ached for what she went through on a daily basis, and the choices she had to make for herself and her future.  But as someone who has never wanted children and won’t have children, I struggled MIGHTILY to understand women who think they’re failing at womanhood if they are infertile.  In fact, it inspires violent feelings.  And since this was a HUGE part of this story, it was hard to temper my rage with my empathy.  ESPECIALLY because it takes her 70% of the book to finally tell Josh the truth.  I don’t get it.  Other readers might get it, but I definitely don’t.  I want to get ranty, but I’m going to stop myself.

Josh was actually seriously adorable.  Like seriously adorable.  Not without flaws, he definitely had me confused with his reactions a time or two, and he felt a bit too good to be true at other times.

The crazy thing is that I really loved them together.  Even though I had to set aside my ick factor withboth of them over the emotional cheating issue, I thought they were really fun and connected well with each other.  Which just makes me more and more mad that the author did that to me as a reader, not letting me fully invest because I didn’t like how only token concerned they were about the cheating potential.

And the way that was resolved, the way the miscommunications were resolved, the twists and turns the plots took almost forced Kristen into certain positions instead of her coming to conclusions on her own (which would have been more gratifying).

And then there’s the ending (easy to guess SPOILER ahead).  I will admit, I held out hope, but I knew darned well that we would get this ending.  And I was yet again SOOOOOO disappointed.  If anyone ever comes across a book where we don’t get this ending, please let me know, because that’s the kind of courageous author and story I’d like to read.

So yeah.  Ranty, angry, mixed feelings because there were good moments…I’m feeling too much and this review feels ridiculous and I’m leaving it because that’s how I feel.  I need to take a break from Ms. Jimenez for a bit.