Title: The Happy Ever After Playlist
Author: Abby Jimenez
Narrators: Zachary Webber & Erin Mallon
Series: The Friend Zone #2
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Forever
Publication: 4/14/2020
Read: April 2020
Format: Audio
Length: 9 hours & 17 minutes
Rating: 4 Caffeinated Stars
Trigger Warnings: Drugs, Self-destructive behavior of a side character, death of a spouse
Goodreads Summary:
From the USA Today bestselling author of The Friend Zone comes an adorable and fresh romantic comedy about one trouble-making dog who brings together two perfect strangers.
Two years after losing her fiancé, Sloan Monroe still can’t seem to get her life back on track. But one trouble-making pup with a “take me home” look in his eyes is about to change everything. With her new pet 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 and 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?
My Thoughts:
Due to reading this as an audiobook, this review will not contain any quotes.
The Happy Ever After Playlist is the first Abby Jimenez book that I have read. It can be read as a standalone, which made me happy seeing as Libro.fm gave me this one as part of their influencer program. Luckily for me, I didn’t look at the narrators. Look, so many people LOVE Erin Mallon, but I don’t. Her narrations of female characters tend to grate on my nerves. I tend to avoid any of the books she narrates, which makes me sad because she narrates some fantastic books. With all that said, I found that if I speed up her narrations, she isn’t terrible. Zachary Weber, as always, was fantastic.
For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. I loved watching Sloan and Jason’s relationship take shape. I laughed multiple times, and I couldn’t help but smile whenever they talked. I loved the meet-cute and Tucker was by far my favorite character. He was seriously a good boy. With that said, this is an angsty book, and I found myself frustrated at various times with the characters.
Both Sloan and Jason were idiots, and I just wanted to force them to communicate. I was thoroughly annoyed at crucial moments. Fortunately, I had Animal Crossing to keep me calm. Other than the characters being idiots (at times), I loved how Abby Jimenez was able to create two imperfect characters. Each character brought something to the book, and they were all written incredibly well.
All in all, this was a quick read that kept me engaged the entire time. I laughed, I cried, and I enjoyed reading it. I wish the characters were able to communicate better. I recommend this for anyone who likes a little angst mixed in with their romance.
Want to give this book a shot? Here are the buy links!
It sounds like a good book, although I hate the poor communication trope. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
That trope is one of my least favorites too. I just want everyone to communicate.