Thursday, July 9, 2020

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

13 comments:

  1. I haven't read a romance in SO long and this one sounds cute besides the dramatic thing at the end. I hate it when unnecessary conflict is thrown in like that but I'd read it anyway :)

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    1. I really enjoyed it and flew through it in a day which was good because it was close to 400 pages. Most romances I read barely clock in at 300. I think you'd enjoy it and yes, the dog lives!

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  2. I never read romance anymore, but every time I see someone review one, I want to drop all my heavy reads and pick it up! This sounds good, and bonus, cute dog😁

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    1. Sometimes I just get in the mood and I do think they break up some of the heavier stuff I love to read most of the time.

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  3. This does sound like a good one:) I've been reading several romance books lately and enjoying them too.

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  4. I never expect more than just a fun, fast read from most romances I read...but sometimes, that's just what you need. :D

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  5. Fantastic review! I've seen good things about this. I had it from the library but didn't get to it. But I want to read this and it sounds like the next one also

    Anne - Books of My Heart

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    1. I grabbed this one from the library after catching the second one on sale for Kindle a few weeks back. Glad I snagged it when I could.

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  6. Aww this sounds so fun! I agree, fun romance is a great cleanser!!

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    1. It was fun but still had a serious side which made it that much more enjoyable.

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  7. This premise is interesting -- having children or not is such a hot button topic for me, so I am eager to see how this is resolved.

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