The Friend Zone (The Friend Zone, 1)

A slow burn, hilarious and heartwarming romantic comedy that Tessa Bailey calls "a romance for the ages!" from the New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly.

Kristen Peterson 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 bestseller
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

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Published Jun 11, 2019

384 pages

Average rating: 7.78

474 RATINGS

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Readers say *The Friend Zone* by Abby Jimenez is a heartfelt romance that mixes humor with serious themes like infertility, grief, and body image. Mos...

Dhruti

Oct 30, 2025

4/10 stars

Update: Upon further reflection, the subject of infertility was not handled with the care it deserved, so I will be dropping my rating to a 2. Readers who were hoping for a story about infertility that they could relate to will be very disappointed and possibly even (justifiably) upset.

Rounding down to 2.5 stars. I loved that this book tackled difficult subject matters that don't often take place in romance novels, but I really hate when characters have reasons for not wanting to be with someone that are legitimate, but don't share them with the person they're in love with, even if it has been a few months. They know the other person is confused, but they figure eventually everything will work out for the best, not realizing that in order for that to actually work, the other person needs some kind of closure to understand why the first person is pushing them away from an otherwise pretty good situation. Plus I really hate it when people make decisions for other people by withholding information.

MyBookNook

Sep 19, 2025

2/10 stars

I liked the spunk that kristen had, but, some of the thought processes and decision making between them both was really annoying to me. And the ending just "happened".. I think there could have been more build to "trying"... (Wording without spoilers)

kbeers22

Sep 16, 2025

9/10 stars

First of all, I will say that I love this author and her books! They are always pallet cleansers and quick reads for me. I find the characters loveable and can't wait to see who gets together in the end. I enjoyed the main characters of this book but Kristen drove me up a wall. She was leading Josh along the whole time and was a bit of a bitch to him throughout the book. I know it is called the friend zone for a reason but come on! I do appreciate that Abby deals with real life issues in her books and I appreciated this book focusing on women's health. Will I be reading the second book in this trilogy, duh.

Ava Robbins

Sep 14, 2025

8/10 stars

I really ate this up- I finished it in one day. And the fact that this is a DEBUT NOVEL? Abby Jimenez the woman that you are

Pbsokc

May 22, 2025

9/10 stars

Kristen is a complex character with a true heart of gold underneath. Great read and Josh sounds like every girls dream.