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jillkaarlela's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Taylor Swift songs: “peace”!!!!!!!!
Age rating: 16+ (1 steamy scene, 0.5/5🌶️)
Ok, being famous sounds absolutely terrible. But this book was good! Please please please check trigger warnings (I listed them at the end).
Jason is absolutely down BAD for her!! And he is so good at flirting!! This was insta-love, but in a good way. Their chemistry was electric, and I love how they started to fall for each other before they even saw each other in person! The whole concept of the dog bringing them together was absolutely adorable! And Jason defined intentional pursuit of a partner!! He put her first from the beginning.
I did not realize how absolutely horrifying being famous was, because dang!! That sounds miserable!! It made for some really heartbreaking drama and conflict though!
I appreciate how this book and the last book in this series (“the Friend Zone”) were inspired by people that Jimenez knew and sought advice and expertise from (according to authors note). She really did the research when covering these very difficult topics (infertility and loss of partner). I also appreciated the focus on Sloan rediscovering her “spark” and identity in herself, apart from Jason. This book shows that the journey may be really rough, but it will get better.
Overall, I liked this better than “the Friend Zone”, however “part of your world” and “yours truly” are elite for me!
TW: sexual harassment, grief, death of past partner, self harm, depression, panic attacks, alcoholism and drug abuse (side character)
Age rating: 16+ (1 steamy scene, 0.5/5🌶️)
Ok, being famous sounds absolutely terrible. But this book was good! Please please please check trigger warnings (I listed them at the end).
Jason is absolutely down BAD for her!! And he is so good at flirting!! This was insta-love, but in a good way. Their chemistry was electric, and I love how they started to fall for each other before they even saw each other in person! The whole concept of the dog bringing them together was absolutely adorable! And Jason defined intentional pursuit of a partner!! He put her first from the beginning.
I did not realize how absolutely horrifying being famous was, because dang!! That sounds miserable!! It made for some really heartbreaking drama and conflict though!
I appreciate how this book and the last book in this series (“the Friend Zone”) were inspired by people that Jimenez knew and sought advice and expertise from (according to authors note). She really did the research when covering these very difficult topics (infertility and loss of partner). I also appreciated the focus on Sloan rediscovering her “spark” and identity in herself, apart from Jason. This book shows that the journey may be really rough, but it will get better.
Overall, I liked this better than “the Friend Zone”, however “part of your world” and “yours truly” are elite for me!
TW: sexual harassment, grief, death of past partner, self harm, depression, panic attacks, alcoholism and drug abuse (side character)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism, Self harm, Sexual harassment, and Drug use
thaliareads's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really appreciated that this book didn't make Sloan and Jason's budding relationship easy. They were coming from very different situations, points in life, and circumstances. It was nice to see their bond grow and develop as they faced different milestones in their relationship - and I think it was appropriate to see that it wasn't always easy and required a lot of compromise on both sides. Overall this book was full of lots of entertaining twists and turns.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Drug use, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Death, Car accident, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Infidelity
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Stalking, Violence, and Animal cruelty
Sloan's fiancé had died prior to the book in a motorcycle accident. Drug and alcohol use and abuse related to a side character that fell victim to the entertainment industry. Some minor animal neglect leading to Sloan finding Tucker at the start of the novel.nicolesbookreviews's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Death
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Drug use
cady_sass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Will Abby Jimenez ever write a book that doesn’t make me cry like a baby? All signs point to no!
Side note: you do not have to read the friend zone in order to enjoy this, it reads fine as a stand alone. HOWEVER the love and appreciation for Sloane is amplified x100000 if you do.
Side note 2: it really, really bothers me that they chose to name him “Jackson Waters” when there’s already a band by that name, it did mess me up at the beginning but I cannot detract a star for it.
Side note: you do not have to read the friend zone in order to enjoy this, it reads fine as a stand alone. HOWEVER the love and appreciation for Sloane is amplified x100000 if you do.
Side note 2: it really, really bothers me that they chose to name him “Jackson Waters” when there’s already a band by that name, it did mess me up at the beginning but I cannot detract a star for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Vomit, Gaslighting, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Medical content, and Mental illness
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Rating: 4/5 stars
The Happy Ever After Playlist features a young woman (also a character in The Friend Zone—redacting her name here so as not to spoil that one!) learning to move on from a traumatic life event and falling in love with a famous musician (and his adorable dog).
I had mixed feelings about The Friend Zone, but everyone told me the sequels were better and BOY were they right! I devoured the first half of this book, which was adorable perfection—Jason instantly became one of my top leading men ever, and the FMC’s journey was so raw and real but also touching and inspiring.
If the book had ended around the mid-way point it would probably have been a five star read for me. As it was, I thought the back half felt a bit contrived and repetitive, and really doubled down on the miscommunication trope (which I rarely enjoy). It also really emphasized the insta-love aspect of the plot, which made it all feel a bit too cheesy and unrealistic.
That said, the ending, while over-the-top, was ADORABLE, and my feelings about this book lean WAY more to positive than negative! So many reviews I’ve read and people I’ve spoken to say Abby Jimenez is a writer where each book is a little bit better than the one before, and if that’s the case, I cannot WAIT to read the third book in this trilogy.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: music/playlists in books; cute dog characters; cheesy cinematic endings
CW: Grief; stalking/threats; drug abuse/use; self-harm
The Happy Ever After Playlist features a young woman (also a character in The Friend Zone—redacting her name here so as not to spoil that one!) learning to move on from a traumatic life event and falling in love with a famous musician (and his adorable dog).
I had mixed feelings about The Friend Zone, but everyone told me the sequels were better and BOY were they right! I devoured the first half of this book, which was adorable perfection—Jason instantly became one of my top leading men ever, and the FMC’s journey was so raw and real but also touching and inspiring.
If the book had ended around the mid-way point it would probably have been a five star read for me. As it was, I thought the back half felt a bit contrived and repetitive, and really doubled down on the miscommunication trope (which I rarely enjoy). It also really emphasized the insta-love aspect of the plot, which made it all feel a bit too cheesy and unrealistic.
That said, the ending, while over-the-top, was ADORABLE, and my feelings about this book lean WAY more to positive than negative! So many reviews I’ve read and people I’ve spoken to say Abby Jimenez is a writer where each book is a little bit better than the one before, and if that’s the case, I cannot WAIT to read the third book in this trilogy.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: music/playlists in books; cute dog characters; cheesy cinematic endings
CW: Grief; stalking/threats; drug abuse/use; self-harm
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Death, Drug abuse, Self harm, and Stalking
jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A wonderful book where two creatives are brought together by a crazy doggo.
Strangers to lovers, second chance after strains on a relationship. This book is so well written. The romance itself so wholesome.
Dealing with themes of grief and also lying to protect others are dealt with alongside developing communication to be good together as a couple. I love this book and would definitely reccomend
Strangers to lovers, second chance after strains on a relationship. This book is so well written. The romance itself so wholesome.
Dealing with themes of grief and also lying to protect others are dealt with alongside developing communication to be good together as a couple. I love this book and would definitely reccomend
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Stalking, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Addiction, Death, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
annahamburger's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Another poignant story! This one balances the light the and heavy that comes with life. A hopeful story that unfolds about our FMC finding love after loss.
In this book we get to see Sloan's character be fleshed out as well as meet Jason. Kristen continues to be a central character and I was happy to see her and peak into her life after her "happily ever after". Josh unfortunately sort of faded to a side character, I was hoping to get to know him better from the outside since their book really focused on Kristen.
I enjoyed Sloan and Jason's character development and complicated and nuanced reactions to real relationship barriers (not everyone is a rockstar but jobs have been known to transfer people or require travel).
This book got emotional reactions out of me such as- smiling, laughing, and crying.
In this book we get to see Sloan's character be fleshed out as well as meet Jason. Kristen continues to be a central character and I was happy to see her and peak into her life after her "happily ever after". Josh unfortunately sort of faded to a side character, I was hoping to get to know him better from the outside since their book really focused on Kristen.
I enjoyed Sloan and Jason's character development and complicated and nuanced reactions to real relationship barriers (not everyone is a rockstar but jobs have been known to transfer people or require travel).
This book got emotional reactions out of me such as- smiling, laughing, and crying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Cursing, and Self harm
Minor: Addiction, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Drug use, Pregnancy, Car accident, Drug abuse, and Sexual assault
samanderson24's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Grief, and Mental illness
hayleyw's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Death, Sexual content, Grief, and Self harm
Moderate: Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Car accident, Addiction, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Drug use, and Vomit
zabeishumanish's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
4.25
This book was hard. Really hard. Emotionally catastrophic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Stalking
Minor: Eating disorder