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

emotional funny tense medium-paced

4.0

This was love at first page for me. I was laughing out loud. The banter between Sloan and Jason, his lost dog and Sloan’s near dognapping as the meet-cute, Jason’s shameless flirting, and the text messaging and calls before the in-person “appointment”-turned-date was all a great opening. I was so happy with the screentime given to Kristen and Josh from The Friend Zone. I was heartbroken with Sloan after her tragic loss, and I was satisfied that the time gap between books was a two full years. I appreciated Jason’s willingness to give Sloan space to sit in her grief and walk through her complicated emotions about reopening her heart to love. The exploration of prolonged grief and the ways that Sloan had completely lost herself, creating a shrine to what she’d lost, was realistic and heart-wrenching. I loved so much about this book, and then…

Then the celebrity romance trope took a turn for the worse for me. I could see hints that it was heading that way throughout the beginning. It was clear Jason’s career was really taking off. It was obvious the past with superstar Lola Simone was going to play a role, (which originally felt like a fun prequel cameo of her small scenes in Part of Your World) but I had no idea how big her storyline would be in this one. The miscommunication and the concealment of information for Sloan’s “protection,” was frustrating as a reader, and it was hard for me to get over some of the choices Jason made even if his intentions were to help Sloan move forward and do what was best for her life. I get that he didn’t want his career and her exhaustion on tour buses to suck the life out of the slowly reawakening Sloan, but the third-act in this one was beyond awful. We skip some of the heartbreak by moving forward three months, and of course, it wouldn’t be romance without a happily ever after. My struggle is whether the extremely satisfying and happy ending make up for the portions that made my stomach turn. I’m not sure. So what might have been five stars turned four two-thirds into this book. 

Overall, I still really liked this story of a songwriter and artist falling for each other with a dog playing matchmaker, but a few changes to the story would have made it hit even better for me.
 
The bottom line: Another solid love story from Jimenez, which takes a look at complicated grief with a balance of humor and heart.

  — NOTES — 
Genres: romantic comedy, romance, side of contemporary fiction
POV: first-person, dual
Content: complicated grief/prolonged complex bereavement disorder, strong language
Romance: one “almost” scene; one open door scene toward the end of chapter 23

 — MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS — 
(all out of 5)

Pace: 4
Enjoyment: 4.25
Craft: 4
My Gut Feeling: 4

Total Stars: 4.125
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