Reviews with content warning for Chronic illness - The Friend Zone

Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

121 reviews

hannahromans's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No

3.0

I really truly loved this book until about 50% in. I got so tired of the back and forth between Josh and Kristen. He was completely insufferable and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Kristen’s lack of honesty and communication throughout the book really bothered me. I’m glad they got their happy ending but this book wasn’t what I hoped it would be

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_maygen's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

4.25

do not be fooled, this book is cute and funny but it will also rip your heart out and make you cry in public on a park bench.

the topic of infertility was really heartbreaking at times and i felt so much empathy for Kristen, I can understand how this could be quite triggering for others going through their own infertility struggles too; however i think it’s important to see representation of themes like this which are rarely talked about in romcoms.

my biggest pet peeve is a miscommunication trope so Kristen drove me insane at times.
and if you have read this you know what i mean when i say ‘was that really necessary?’ concerning one of the plot points.

all in all, i enjoyed this- even if it did make me much sadder than anticipated.

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jax10124's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

Chronic illness rep
Bad assgirl boss fmc
Golden retriever mmc
The dog was my fave character
Major miscommunication trope that was mildly irritation to frustrating… without it half the book wouldn’t t have happened though so…

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laura_crowther's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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purple_dryad's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

This book deals with some very heavy topics and it’s quite depressing at times. Don’t go into this book thinking it’s a typical romcom! Please review the content warnings!

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abidavisf's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I feel seen. I had no idea going into this book that it would represent fertility struggles, lack of self worth, or the fear of opening your heart to someone, particularly when you feel that you are lacking the thing they really want. I understand Kristen so deeply. Her fears are my fears. Her plans for her health are continuously considered in my brain. Thank you, Abby Jimenez, for seeing me.

The Friend Zone is remarkably unique in its warmth & comfort that is paired with gut-wrenching pain. We all know and love Abby Jimenez for the way she can make us laugh and cry in a matter of seconds, and The Friend Zone is a gentle wade into the tragedy that would come in books further down the line. As a debut novel, it establishes Abby Jimenez’s writing style perfectly: you’re going to feel warm and fuzzy, and you’re also going to sob so hard you can’t breathe, and you’ll love every second of it.

Sloane and Brandon’s love story was so beautiful, and I wish they could have had their own book.

Knowing that Sloane’s book is next, that she finds love after unimaginable tragedy, is both humbling and haunting. I am fascinated by the idea of having multiple soulmates, and I’m ready to have my heart ripped out with The Happy Ever After Playlist while also completely terrified. I know this one’s going to hurt.

I’d love to know more about Josh’s family further down the line, how he was raised, what made him decide he wanted NINE children. From the sounds of it, it was a happy childhood so maybe there wasn’t much to go into, but it would have been nice to meet some of his relatives all the same, maybe even Celeste.

Kristen’s decisions so accurately reflect my own, and this book was truly cathartic to read. The acknowledgments and Abby’s note were too. Your life and worth do not end because of infertility, and that’s an important message that I need to believe for myself. I’m working on it.

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thehannahclaire's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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brisievenpiper's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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nyquillll's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Cried so much with this book - I could viscerally feel and was experiencing the grief, longing, and loss. I adore a relationship built on friendship, respect, admiration, and wanting what’s best for the other person.

I identified with the fertility issues and irregular menstrual symptoms Kristen experienced. I appreciated the representation of her condition and difficulties - not only the physical ones but also the psychological ones. A lot of her feelings of unworthiness and disbelief that someone could stay was very relatable.

I think what knocked off a few points in the rating for me was how “insta-love” this book felt to me. They literally fell in LOVE with each other in a matter of weeks. I know spending time with someone, intense time, can cause feelings to develop, but to this extent? And how it began

while she was still in a relationship? And how she pounced on him the minute her bf broke up with her???

. I’ll say, though I had a rough time with some parts, I did mostly like how the author didn’t paint the ex bf as an asshole, but just that the two really didn’t fit. He was in love with a woman who wasn’t in love with him.

I will also say I disliked the (many) misogynistic comments and pounding-on-chest-“She’s-mine” inner dialogues. Really could’ve done without that, especially since she was posited as a very independent, fiercely herself kind of woman.

ALSO WHY DID

BRANDON HAVE TO DIE 😭 WAS THAT REALLY NECESSARY TO MOVE THE PLOT ALONG OR SET UP SLOAN’S STORY??? i’d wager not 😭

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mirandaburel's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This book is an interesting read. In the one hand there were things I really liked (josh, primarily) and other things I really didn’t (the entire existence of Tyler, the purposeful miscommunication). Sometimes this book reached for 4 stars and other times I wanted to rate it a 2.

I think the author’s note gave a lot of insight and empathy toward the fertility plot line. but the pacing of it, the way Kristen refused to have a proper conversation about it with Josh, the late OCD reveal (which makes a lot of sense and makes me think she’s an unreliable narrator and almost want to reread it through that lens)… to me it was just frustrating to read. I feel like a lot of things could have been explored more but were brushed aside to make it a ~romance~.

Speaking of the romance…again I have mixed feelings. I think they had great chemistry, but they also fell for each other ridiculously quickly. I feel like the central conflict being her fertility would have been better than if it was just that. But instead she had this not-exactly-cheating plot line with Tyler and Josh (that led to her eventual pregnancy iirc), and Tyler’s proposal, her “thinking about it” only to immediately refuse. It’s just felt unnecessary when the central conflict could have just been her working through her health issues while grappling with her growing feelings for Josh. (To be clear, a lot of time is still spent in that conflict, but it felt like stonewalling and not actual progress).

Them the thing with alone and Brandon….felt gratuitous. Now that I know it’s a setup for book 2 it makes sense, but it was A Choice for the third act conflict and i just didn’t really like it!

TLDR this book tried to do too much, instead of digging deep with the most interesting bits.

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