Review: The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

The Friend Zone
by Abby Jimenez
Publisher: Forever
Publication date: June 11, 2019
Genre: Romance
Rating:

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 feelings on this book are so conflicted. I really liked that the author gave these characters real-life problems. However, with that being said, this book suffered from lack of communication, and a ton of drama. You see, Kristen can’t have kids, and Josh wants a huge family of his own. Instead of talking about it like adults, Kristen beats around the bush asking him about what he sees in his future, and when the answer is kids, she immediately puts him in a box. I mean, why tell the guy you’re falling in love with, who is also clearly in love with you, that the future he sees, is not the same future you’d be able to have together. No, instead she makes him her friends-with-benefits and anytime he shows an ounce of affection, she gives him the boot. It was a little hard to witness to be honest. Josh just kept letting himself be kicked to the curb or treated in such a crappy way, and it was sad to see it.

While I didn’t really care for the crazy relationship going back and forth, I did really like them when they were together. They were sweet, they complimented the other, and knew each other inside and out. They made a great couple when Kristen wasn’t freaking out. I think a lot of my like for this story was because of Josh. He was just a genuinely nice guy. He was there for those around him, he treated his friends like family, and he even respected Kristen’s bounds when she would fall off the deep end. I think having the story be half in his POV is what made this book more enjoyable for me.

I think a lot in this story could have been done away with and the author still could have told a really good story. I mean, I honestly can’t say if I’ve ever read a romance novel where the heroine was unable to have children. The way the author wrote Kristen’s struggles was real and deep and I respected that. However, there was so much filler, so much nonsense, and just unnecessary drama or plot twists that didn’t need to be there in order to tell Josh and Kristen’s story. I might read another book by this author, but I don’t think it will be the next book in the series. I just don’t see myself enjoying a story about Kristen’s bff after the author twisted the story the way she did.