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A review by savvyrosereads
The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez
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