The Friend Zone

By: Abby Jimenez

Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Erin Mallon

Fall in love with this hilarious and heartwarming USA Today best-selling romantic comedy that LJ Shen calls "an absolute treat".

Kristen Petersen doesn't do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don't get her. She's also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.

Planning her best friend's wedding is bittersweet for Kristen - especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He's funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he'd be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it's harder and harder to keep him at arm's length.

The Friend Zone will have you laughing one moment and grabbing for tissues the next as it tackles the realities of infertility and loss with wit, heart, and a lot of sass.

"Your next favorite romantic comedy...The Friend Zone is that rare beach read with tons of heart that will make you laugh and cry in equal parts." (PopSugar)

"Your next rom-com to obsess and cry over." (Cosmopolitan)

Goodreads Choice Awards nominee - Best Romance, Best Debut

O, The Oprah Magazine Best Romance Novels of the year

Audie Award Finalist

USA Today best seller

Bookish Best Books of the year

SheReads Best Romances of the year

Women's Health Best Romance Novels of the year

Good Housekeeping Best New Books for Summer

PopSugar Best Books of Summer

Publishers Weekly Starred Review

Booklist Starred Review

Booklist Top 10 Romance Debuts of 2019

©2019 Abby Jimenez (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Jimenez's dazzling debut is a brilliantly written romantic comedy that seamlessly toggles back and forth between scenes of laugh-out-loud, snarky wit and serious emotional issues without missing a beat, all the while delivering maximum reading satisfaction."—Booklist, Starred Review

"Harnessing sass, heartfelt struggle, and unapologetic sexuality, Jimenez's debut is as hysterical as it is tear-jerking...Jimenez manages to fulfill all expectations for a romantic comedy while refusing to sacrifice nuance. Biting wit and laugh-out-loud moments take priority, but the novel remains subtle in its sentimentality and sneaks up on the reader with unanticipated depth. Readers who have wrestled with infertility will find Kristen's anxieties and sorrows deeply relatable."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"The Friend Zone is a beautiful tale of learning to accept the love you deserve and finding a path to self-acceptance along the way....a zippy, instantly recognizable voice and fresh, funny characters."—Entertainment Weekly

Teddy and Erin

What an awesome story, so full of happiness and heartache. I really enjoyed the narration of course, it was Teddy Hamilton and Erin Mallon. I was surprised how fast this story flowed, I didn't cry but, I laughed a lot. There were definitely a few surprises thrown into the mix, it was a deep and touching audiobook. Well worth the Credit or the money to buy it.... I'll for sure go back to this story for relistening...⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Couldn’t stop listening

It was so easy to read and connect with these characters. Kristen’s struggles aren’t just about infertility, but about accepting true love into her life and believing that she deserves it. I laughed, and cried, and laughed more. I yelled at them and cried with them. My first thought when I finished the book was I want more, when does the next one get released?

The only thing I didn’t enjoy about the experience of listening to this book was Erin Mallon’s over-emphasis of the end of the word at the end of each sentence.

Good book but had a trigger for me.

Spoiler Alert! A solid romantic comedy with flawed characters and witty banter. The one very sad event in the book unfortunately was a trigger for me. The book description or reviews did not mention it so I unfortunately was left to deal with it. My son died of a motorcycle accident and a flood of memories and pain hit me. I was able to finish the book. I hope this review will spare reliving of this sorrow for someone else.

So much in this book - Wow... what a ride

This book has so much. There is a lot here, the story moves from what seems a typical Rom Com, to all sorts of new places.

I love Josh and Kris, they were funny in the beginning, I enjoyed all the movie references and their random banter and exploits.

Kris has a long distance boyfriend so all they can be is friends.

Until She doesn't.

But she has some secrets, and Josh has goals she can't fulfill with him.

There were so many emotions in this story. Like BIG emotions and some twists and turns. Just prepare with some tissues and be prepared. But the payoff is worth it.

And the Narration? Teddy Hamilton and Erin Mallon - mmmmm so wonderful.

Cute, fun story. Female narrator not good

This was a fun, cute story in the Abby Jimenez way of most of her books. I wish Teddy Hamilton had done both Josh and Christine's voices through the entire book though. Erin Mallon's narration in this one is "strange", her syntax stilted and her delivery is off. Which sucks because I was anxious to buy book two in this series,The Happy Ever After Playlist, because Zachary Webber is the male voice (the best!). But Erin is the female's read again! :(

Great story, distracting female narrator

The story was great and I would still highly recommend, but the female narrator was very distracting. She draws out the last letter of her words and is very breathy. The male narrator is great. I have listened to other books he has done and enjoy his voice. Very touching story that kept me wanting more!

Narrator is the WORST

I really should start listening to previews first. I could not stand this female narrator. I’ve heard her before and I couldn’t even get through a quarter of the book because her voice drives me insane could’ve been good but I wouldn’t know because I couldn’t listen to it.

Light & entertaining

A little predictable and sappy, but a good read/listen. It made for a nice summer book.

Great story, awful female voice

Fifteen minutes in and I’m loving the story, but the female voice makes me wish I had bought the printed book instead! When she reads as the male main character she sounds like Kristof from frozen doing the voice of Sven the reindeer!

Made My Heart Melt

This was the perfect sweet, sexy story with some angst. Josh is a paramedic and works with his best friend. Kristen sells adorable dog clothes and furniture. Her best friend is marrying Josh’s best friend. They get to know each other as friends and co-workers. Topics include: Infertility, loss of important people, OCD, and with all of that an HEA. Teddy Hamilton and Erin Mallon melted my heart with their performances.