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A review by thequeengeek
The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
3.5
This is one of those books that I am glad we have half stars for. It was very readable. In fact I read the last 200 pages in one sitting, which is pretty rare for me. The lovestory was enjoyable and all-consuming even if I felt like the characters were something being extremely headstrong (okay, one character). I think because it's a romance it feels okay that one character keeps holding out hope for the other, especially since they respect boundaries most of the time and are very interested in consent, but I imagine other readers will critique this.
The end of the book had a real turn in tone and I actually didn't mind it. It worked well for the story. I knew what was eventually going to happen because my book club is reading the sequel (why I read tis one, actually), and so I had read that book blurb which spoiled this book (*shakes fist in air). So maybe I was primed not to be surprised, but I thought the depiction of how friendship and romantic love would work in that situation were very realistic and I enjoyed reading it.
It's weird that I liked a book so much and the review is mostly critique, but I went into this one primed to be mad because of other reviews I read. I can see why people are upset at the very end, but it's a romance novel, ya'll. The HEA is not a surprise.
Overall, 3.5 stars. I read most of it in one sitting, the characters are fun, the pining was satisfying, and it was a touch steamy but not hide under the covers STEAMY. I'm not mad I have to read the second one next.
The end of the book had a real turn in tone and I actually didn't mind it. It worked well for the story. I knew what was eventually going to happen because my book club is reading the sequel (why I read tis one, actually), and so I had read that book blurb which spoiled this book (*shakes fist in air). So maybe I was primed not to be surprised, but I thought the depiction of how friendship and romantic love would work in that situation were very realistic and I enjoyed reading it.
It's weird that I liked a book so much and the review is mostly critique, but I went into this one primed to be mad because of other reviews I read. I can see why people are upset at the very end, but it's a romance novel, ya'll. The HEA is not a surprise.
Overall, 3.5 stars. I read most of it in one sitting, the characters are fun, the pining was satisfying, and it was a touch steamy but not hide under the covers STEAMY. I'm not mad I have to read the second one next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Death, and Injury/Injury detail