A Rare Romance Review

TITLE: The Friend Zone
AUTHOR: Abby Jimenez
PUBLISHER: Grand Central Publishing
PUBLISHING DATE: June 11, 2019

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.  

MY THOUGHTS: I don't read a lot of romance but I find them great palate cleansers and I can usually get through them pretty quickly.  This is one I wanted to pick up because I heard that the companion novel which was recently released, has a really cute dog in it.  Little did I know this one also has a cute dog and what I thought might be a quick, fun read actually had a deeper substance than I initially anticipated.

Kristen Petersen owns a small business which caters to dogs and spends most of her days working at home with her Yorkie, Stuntman Mike.  Her best friend is getting married and unfortunately for Kristen, prior to meeting the best man, she had a literal run-in with him in a store parking lot.  Kristen and Josh eventually start up a good friendship when he takes some extra work building dog stairs for her business.  They grow closer than they ever thought they would but Josh wants a large family. which Kristen can't deliver.  So she vows not to get too close to Josh, but it may be a vow she can't keep.

I loved Kirsten and Josh both as individuals and as a couple.  Kristen is very witty and very snarky and almost always speaks her mind.  John is a devoted friend who has just moved to town after a bad breakup.  Their banter between each other was so much fun and I enjoyed seeing them play off each other.  I also like the two friends getting married, Sloan and Brandon.  I found Sloan to be a good balance for Kristen as they really weren't much alike considering they were best friends.  And of course, Stuntman Mike was just the cutest!

That isn't to say this is a perfect book.  I found the ending to be slightly problematic because I just knew what was going to happen.  I will also say that Jimenez added a pretty dramatic incident in the last third of the book which I think might have been inserted just so the ENTIRE book didn't end up wrapped up in a nice, red ribbon.  However, I did enjoy this book and it was a pleasant way to detox from the heavier things I'd been reading as well as the current affairs.  I am also very excited to read the companion novel now.  I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys romance or contemporary reads.

RATING: 4 PAWS