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A review by meeklovestoread
The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.25
You see now based on looking at the review of this book. I kinda wish I had read them in order. Apparently, what Sloan is going through in this book actually transpired in book 1. It's not a big deal to me, however, I do like reading events in chronological order, so that was a bummer, but I don't think it took much away from the book for me.
Now, this is my fourth Abby book. I read her recent trilogy and decided to go through her backlist. This one had the best reviews, and because I'm not opposed to skipping a book in an interconnected standalone alone, I just went for this one. Now all the books from her current series are 4.75 and above; however, because this was her first series, I made sure not to have the highest expectations.
And that did help my reading experience because I was feeling a bit iffy when I started the book. The writing style did feel mildly different at first. To me, certain paragraph structures didn't flow the way they should have. Especially in the beginning, the sentence felt abrupt, like we were just jumping from one thing to the next. However, I will say I got the hang of it once to the main characters started interacting.
Overall, I loved their connection (should've never doubted my girl, Abby). However, I will admit that this book is very insta-lovey. I usually don't notice tropes like this in books, but it's gotten pretty noticeable once consider I consume a lot of book content. I don't mind this trope when done correctly (and I feel like Abby did it right for me at least), but I do understand how it can be off-putting to others.
In classic Abby fashion. They're dynamic is great. I really enjoyed how comfortable they are with one another and how much they laugh and joke with one another.
As for them individually, I thought Jasonfine at first, but as the story progressed, I really grew to love Jason. I feel like he's the most "confident" out of the Abby men I've read so far. He's a great example of confident but not cooky. I also love the thing about her men is that they're all so considerate, and Jason follows the same boat. He's SO considerate of Sloan, it's crazy. He's also an acts of service king (which i love).🥰
Which is why it hurts that they were having their cutesy date at Goodwill, and Sloan dropped that she didn't feel like the relationship was gonna work. I was tearing up about their premature breakup. 🤧
•Oh, and the whole TMZ thing with Sloan. I was shaking my head. Like girl, use some critical thinking skills. I did understand Sloan's POV, but I was completely on Jason's side. And what she says at the end really hurt. How if she knew about him/"the type of person he was," she would not have fallen in love with him. I didn't know how she could come back from that. However, after a few chapters, I get Sloan's POV more.
Like, Jason is literally the version of BOY OBSESSED that I love! He would literally get so distressed that Sloan isn't talking to me, and he's literally so gutted over the idea of her ever breaking up with him. Bro, find you a man who cares THIS MUCH about his relationship.😩
•Bro, when Sloan was like "I'll do this and that and blah blah blah". I wanted to shake her like GIRL, you're literally willing to move your life around for him. Something he literally didn't want you to do. She was willing to go extreme. So he went extreme and hurt her feelings to break up with her so she'd never speak to him again (i hate this trope). It makes me mildly not on team Jason . There's a trope that happens that initiates their separation, and I hate it. I hate this trope. It's so dumb. Even Abby couldn't save it.
• One thing I love about Abby is that she writes long and heartbreak well. Like, I genuinely feel how much of a wreck Jasom is without her. It's soooo good! Yes, I cried during their reunion (leave me alone). I did feel the ending was a little rushed cuz we just jumped to the epilogue after their reunion, but their reunion was chef's kiss, not gonna lie.I was tearing up when he explained their situation in front of the crowd and sang the song about her, and then literally fought through the crowd just to get to her. My heart! Love that for them!
I noticed I didn't speak much about Sloan, and honestly, I don't have much to say. I liked their text exchanges in the beginning. I love how witty she is. I think she's a well-rounded character, and although some of her actions could be irritating, I did understand where she was coming from. I think we got enough of her grieving for her husband to satisfy the story, but I do wish we got more. I felt like the book was centered more on Jason's career and how it complicates their relationship. I would've liked knowing more about Sloan and her upbringing. Her parents are mentioned a few times, but that's it. I will say that although I didn't read the first book, I LOVED her friendship with Kristen. She's so funny. I felt like she and Josh really added to the book without taking away from the fact that this is Sloan's story.
But, again, I would like to note that I started with book 2. It's rare that I say when it comes to interconnected standalone. But I think I would've benefitted from the story more if I had red it in order (still didn't take away much from the experience, it's just that Sloan's plotline seems to have originates from the first book).
My thoughts are all over the place, but I really did enjoy this book. Abby is really becoming one of my favorite authors. I'll definitely be going back to read the first book and the last one.
Spice Rating:🌶️.5/5
Now, this is my fourth Abby book. I read her recent trilogy and decided to go through her backlist. This one had the best reviews, and because I'm not opposed to skipping a book in an interconnected standalone alone, I just went for this one. Now all the books from her current series are 4.75 and above; however, because this was her first series, I made sure not to have the highest expectations.
And that did help my reading experience because I was feeling a bit iffy when I started the book. The writing style did feel mildly different at first. To me, certain paragraph structures didn't flow the way they should have. Especially in the beginning, the sentence felt abrupt, like we were just jumping from one thing to the next. However, I will say I got the hang of it once to the main characters started interacting.
Overall, I loved their connection (should've never doubted my girl, Abby). However, I will admit that this book is very insta-lovey. I usually don't notice tropes like this in books, but it's gotten pretty noticeable once consider I consume a lot of book content. I don't mind this trope when done correctly (and I feel like Abby did it right for me at least), but I do understand how it can be off-putting to others.
In classic Abby fashion. They're dynamic is great. I really enjoyed how comfortable they are with one another and how much they laugh and joke with one another.
As for them individually, I thought Jasonfine at first, but as the story progressed, I really grew to love Jason. I feel like he's the most "confident" out of the Abby men I've read so far. He's a great example of confident but not cooky. I also love the thing about her men is that they're all so considerate, and Jason follows the same boat. He's SO considerate of Sloan, it's crazy. He's also an acts of service king (which i love).🥰
•
Like, Jason is literally the version of BOY OBSESSED that I love! He would literally get so distressed that Sloan isn't talking to me, and he's literally so gutted over the idea of her ever breaking up with him. Bro, find you a man who cares THIS MUCH about his relationship.😩
•
• One thing I love about Abby is that she writes long and heartbreak well. Like, I genuinely feel how much of a wreck Jasom is without her. It's soooo good! Yes, I cried during their reunion (leave me alone). I did feel the ending was a little rushed cuz we just jumped to the epilogue after their reunion, but their reunion was chef's kiss, not gonna lie.
I noticed I didn't speak much about Sloan, and honestly, I don't have much to say. I liked their text exchanges in the beginning. I love how witty she is. I think she's a well-rounded character, and although some of her actions could be irritating, I did understand where she was coming from. I think we got enough of her grieving for her husband to satisfy the story, but I do wish we got more. I felt like the book was centered more on Jason's career and how it complicates their relationship. I would've liked knowing more about Sloan and her upbringing. Her parents are mentioned a few times, but that's it. I will say that although I didn't read the first book, I LOVED her friendship with Kristen. She's so funny. I felt like she and Josh really added to the book without taking away from the fact that this is Sloan's story.
But, again, I would like to note that I started with book 2. It's rare that I say when it comes to interconnected standalone. But I think I would've benefitted from the story more if I had red it in order (still didn't take away much from the experience, it's just that Sloan's plotline seems to have originates from the first book).
My thoughts are all over the place, but I really did enjoy this book. Abby is really becoming one of my favorite authors. I'll definitely be going back to read the first book and the last one.
Spice Rating:🌶️.5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Car accident, Pregnancy, Alcohol