The Happy Ever After Playlist (The Friend Zone, 2)

From the New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer comes a romantic comedy about how one adorable puppy brings together two perfect strangers.

"The Happy Ever After Playlist tackles love after loss with fierce humor and fiercer heart." --Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue

Artist Sloan Monroe just can't seem to get her life on track. But one troublemaking pup who randomly jumps into her car with a ""take me home"" look in his eyes is about to change everything. With Tucker by her side, Sloan finally starts to feel more like herself. Then, after weeks of unanswered texts, Tucker's owner reaches out. He's a musician on tour in Australia. And bottom line: He wants Tucker back.

Well, Sloan's not about to give up her dog without a fight. But what if this Jason guy really loves Tucker? As their flirty texts turn into long calls, Sloan can't deny a connection. Jason is hot, nice, and funny. There's no telling what could happen when they meet in person. The question is: With his music career on the rise, how long will Jason really stick around? And is it possible for Sloan to survive another heartbreak?

  • USA Today bestseller
  • Publishers Weekly bestseller
  • Featured on NBC, NPR, PopSugar, Entertainment Weekly, Forbes, Business Insider, Bustle, Oprah.com
  • Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for Best Romance
  • SheReads Award Best Romance of the year
  • Frolic's Best Books of the year

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Published Apr 14, 2020

400 pages

Average rating: 8.02

350 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *The Happy Ever After Playlist* delivers a heartfelt mix of romance, grief, and new beginnings with relatable characters and emotional dep...

TheCleverReader
Feb 03, 2023
10/10 stars
I freaking loved this book so much! Definitely top of the list!
West Texas Book Lover
Apr 30, 2026
7/10 stars
I love how this book exposed the idea that nothing is ever exactly what it seems. Grief, trust, friendship, romance and love are never quite as easy or uncomplicated as they seem.
cash3581
Jan 29, 2026
10/10 stars
What can I say but awesome book! I love the way she writes. This is full of romance and just a fun read.
SherylStandifer
Jan 18, 2026
8/10 stars
I just really love the Abby Jimenez books on audio. The talent they hire to do the male and female voices are on-point, with conversational inflection that seems real. In this story, Sloan, the best friend of Kristen in The Friend Zone, gets her own story, after the death of Sloan’s fiancé. This is a couple of years later, when Sloan is still grieving, but gets dragged back into the land of the living by a dog. The dog has jumped into the sunroof of her car, which startles her, and she gets a ticket for impeding traffic. She tries to find the the dog’s owner, who turns out is traveling in Australia, and the dog escaped from a flighty model/old girlfriend who didn’t really make an effort to find the dog. The dog’s owner is a musician, Jason, who goes by the stage name of Jackson Waters. When Jason/Jackson finally arrives stateside to retrieve his dog, sparks ensue. And Sloan begins to think about getting over her fiancé and back to the things she loves to do - creating art and cooking. The only thing that was niggling me a little bit was that Jason seemed to use the f-word way too much. Not necessary, given that circumstances were of his own creation.
KelSpinski
Jan 09, 2026
8/10 stars
Cute love story. And who doesn't love a story with a dog?

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