Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

114 reviews

brisievenpiper's review

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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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ruronisai's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Kristen is a pick me which I didn't like and I just really wish she communicated with Josh. I appreciate such a real character though. Even if she's a bit annoying, she feels real and flawed. 
I enjoyed the double prescpetive. The banter between the 2 MCs is well written. It's what kept me interested. 

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aj_langley's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad 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? Yes

4.25


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sharkyray's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

I found Kristen to be a bit annoying at times, I wanted to shake her and have her tell Josh the full reasons behind her actions. Miscommunication isn’t really my jam as a plot point, but I did appreciate the story point of infertility. Also, I accidentally read the second book first, not realizing the stories were connected, and I have to say that Abby Jimenez really did Sloane and Brandon dirty. There was no need for her to
kill him off to set up the next book. His crash would have been just as impactful without a death. She could have picked a tangentially related character and still set it in the same world. I read romances for a happy story, not a heartbreaking death, even if it is more realistic.
It brought down my enjoyment

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taylorlizsauce's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

4.25


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ms_read's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

3.0

I loved the representation of women’s health issues but I was bothered by unrealistic physical descriptions of the main characters, some overused tropes, and some background characters that felt like caricatures. 

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sjurkiewicz's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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on_bries_shelf's review against another edition

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challenging emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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