Series Name: The Friend Zone, #1
Our gazes met from across the room, and we stared at each other in surprise. Then his eyes dropped down to my- his– shirt, and the corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk.
I stood, putting Stuntman on the chair as the guy set down his groceries and walked toward me. I held my breath, waiting to see how he was going to play this.
Brandon laid his book over the arm of the recliner and got up. “Josh, this is Kristin Peterson, Sloane’s best friend. Kristin, Josh Copeland.”
Kristin is sarcastic, loves food, would fight to the death for her best friend, and doesn’t have time for guys who don’t get her. She is also keeping a big secret; she has chosen to have a medical procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children. While helping her best friend plan her wedding, she meets Josh Copeland, the best man. Josh is everything Kristin loves in a man, funny, sexy, doesn’t get offended by her sarcastic comments, and always makes sure she is fed to keep the hangry at bay. Her dog, Stuntman Mike, also loves him, and he doesn’t like anyone. The only problem is that Josh wants lots of kids, which is something Kirstin can’t give him. So, she decides to keep him firmly in the friend zone. But as the two of them spend more and more time together, it becomes harder and harder for Kristin to think of him as only a friend.
I have seen this book all over Facebook and decided it was high time I read it. I am so glad I did; this book is perfect and deserves all the hype it has been given. Abby did such a great job at writing a rom-com with depth and substance. It had me hooked right from the first chapter, and when I was done, I had to run to Indigo to grab the next two books.
The story follows Kristin, who is wonderfully sarcastic and a little crazy (a good kind of crazy). She has uterine fibroids, which causes her to have very painful and long periods. Tired of not being able to live the life she wants, she makes the heartbreaking decision to have a hysterectomy. Watching Kristin struggle with her health issues and the ups and downs that go along with it was an emotional rollercoaster for me, and my heart broke for Kristin at times. I couldn’t imagine going through what she went through and having to choose between having kids and being in constant pain or not having kids and living a pain-free life. Kristin’s decision also plays a significant role in her romantic relationships. Kristen’s relationship with her boyfriend Tristin seems like a good idea because he doesn’t want kids. Tristin is a nice guy, and in any other rom-com, I would be rooting for him, but he really isn’t a good fit for Kristin. She can’t be herself around him, and one of the main reasons she is with him is because of the kid issue and not because she loves him. If you are a fan of friends to lovers and love triangle tropes, you will love this book.
Now let’s get to the good stuff, the relationship between Josh and Kristin. Oh, I like these two together. They had that instant connection, and the banter between them was on fire. They had me laughing and swooning at the same time. Their relationship had all that steamy goodness, but it also had a lot of depth. I liked Josh; he is kind, considerate, and is constantly feeding Kristin. I definitely need a man in my life that feeds me to keep the hangry at bay, LOL. Josh and Kristin’s relationship also helps to bring light to fertility issues many couples have to deal with in real life. I really liked how Abby dealt with this issue and showed readers the emotional, physical hardships that some women go through. I have to applaud Josh for how he dealt with Kristin’s health issues. His reaction and actions afterwards were so thoughtful and full of love and consideration for Kristin. He was completely fine adjusting his ideas of what his ideal family will look like in the future and never once blamed Kristin for having to do that.
The friendship between Kristin and Sloane was wonderful and almost stole the show from Kristin and Josh. These two stuck by each other through thick and thin. They are each other’s cheerleaders and really show that family is more than just blood. Oh, and there is an adorable dog in this book, which really was like the cherry on top of the romance sundae.
The Friend Zone is a fabulous rom-com with plenty of steam, laughter, and heart.
