Name: lianne 's review of The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez
Item: The Happy Ever After Playlist
Rating: 3.5
Author: lianne

Abby Jimenez

'Sweet and achingly romantic - a truly wonderful love story' Beth O'Leary, author of The Flatshare 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? Praise for Abby Jimenez: 'The Happy Ever After Playlist tackles love after loss with fierce humour and fiercer heart' Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue 'A deliciously hot, sweet debut. This book is an absolute treat.' L. G. Shen, USA Today Bestselling Author 'Harnessing sass, heartfelt struggle, and unapologetic sexuality, Jimenez's debut is as hysterical as it is tear-jerking' Publishers Weekly 'Let's get one thing straight, Abby Jimenez is hilarious' Goodreads reviewer 'I laughed, I teared up, and most importantly, I didn't want to put it down' Goodreads reviewer 'Not only is this book hilarious and heartfelt, it felt real' Goodreads reviewer '5 stars isn't enough for this laugh out loud, beautifully honest, and sometimes heart-breaking novel' Goodreads reviewer

'Full of fierce humour and fiercer heart' Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue

The Happy Ever After Playlist

One trouble-making dog brings together two perfect strangers in this USA Today bestselling romantic comedy full of "fierce humor and fiercer heart." (Casey McQuiston, NYT bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue) 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? 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 2020 Buzzfeed, Best Summer Romances of 2020 BookBub, 20 of the Best Romances of 2020 The Nerd Daily, Most Anticipated 2020 Titles Goodreads, 28 of the Hottest Romances of 2020 Bookpage, Most Anticipated Romance of 2020 Insider, Best Romance Books of 2020 SheReads Best Romances of 2020 Frolic’s Best Books of 2020

Ivory Flores

“It’s just how I feel. I’m yours. All of me. I think I always belonged to you. Even when you belonged to someone else.” 

'Sweet and achingly romantic - a truly wonderful love story' Beth O'Leary, author of The Flatshare 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? Praise for Abby Jimenez: 'The Happy Ever After Playlist tackles love after loss with fierce humour and fiercer heart' Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue 'A deliciously hot, sweet debut. This book is an absolute treat.' L. G. Shen, USA Today Bestselling Author 'Harnessing sass, heartfelt struggle, and unapologetic sexuality, Jimenez's debut is as hysterical as it is tear-jerking' Publishers Weekly 'Let's get one thing straight, Abby Jimenez is hilarious' Goodreads reviewer 'Anyone who thinks they don't like romance needs to read The Friend Zone. It's a game changer' Goodreads reviewer 'In a time when rom-coms can so easily miss the mark, TFZ stands out like a diamond in the rough' Goodreads reviewer 'I laughed, I teared up, and most importantly, I didn't want to put it down' Goodreads reviewer 'It was so refreshing to see a difficult topic like infertility play such a significant role in a romantic comedy' Goodreads reviewer 'Not only is this book hilarious and heartfelt, it felt real' Goodreads reviewer 'Hilarious but also healing' Goodreads reviewer '5 stars isn't enough for this laugh out loud, beautifully honest, and sometimes heart-breaking novel' Goodreads reviewer

The Happily Ever After Playlist

Aubrey Hennig

lianne 

"Sometimes the hardest place to live is the one in-between."

What a great way to start off the new year, I'm glad this was my first book of 2025 because it was just the right vibe. 

 with your favourite rock star fanfic that you read when you were 15 and you were obsessed with a boy band (for me it was Joe Jonas). It was cheesy and overdramatic and it tore my heart out in places and made me cringe like crazy in others. But one thing I have always loved about Abby Jimenez' wrting is that even though her books can often read like stereotypical chick flick style romances, she manages to weave in genuinely heartfelt messages about life and relationships, and in this case grief and losing yourself. I was a little bit worried about reading this book after my disappointment in 

because I didn't really enjoy the way Jimenez handled some of the topics in that book, especially surrounding Sloan and Brandon, but this book managed to reeem itself, even if it still did handle some topics slightly poorly. As always, check your trigger warnings before reading this book, it deals with death, grief and depression, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual assault and self harm.

I am actually quite surprised I ended up liking this so much because some of the tropes in this book are not my favourites, such as insta-love, miscommunication (in the form of not communicating at all) and codependency. In the end I do think this book handled those tropes pretty well, but this is partly where I removed a few quarter stars on my rating. I loved the beginning of this book, the way Sloan and Tucker, the dog, find each other was funny and adorable, and the back and forth texts and phone calls between Sloan and Tucker's owner, our love interest, Jason, were so cute. But we dove pretty quickly into intense feelings between the two love interests and then not long after they both became pretty obsessed with each other and started becoming codependent very quickly. SPOILER>>> They'd only been dating three weeks when Jason decided he couldn't live without her and invited her on a 14 month concert tour, and even convinced her to sell her house- these kids were moving FAST! <<<END SPOILER

I did like that the realities of tour life on the road were explored genuinely and that Jason realised he needed to give Sloan some time to recover and do the things that made her happy, but despite Sloan and even Kristen stating Sloan wasn't only doing better because she finally had a white knight man to save her, it still kind of felt like it was.

The subplot involving Lola Simone was an interesting one and not my favourite part of this book; but it could've been. She was kind of the Daisy in this book, if we continue with my 

 comparison. I think this plotline had a really good basis to speak about the issues surrounding the music industry, especially corrupt and insidious labels, and how it often curates rumours and drives people into mental health crises, and it did touch on these slightly but not really enough for it to have a real impact. Thankfully the way this book was resolved with all of these threads mostly made up for it. SPOILER>>>>I think it is one of the few epilogues, where they're married and having a baby and everything is sunshine and roses and they lived happily ever after, that didn't make me want to vom slightly in my mouth 😂 <<<END SPOILER 

In the end I shed a few tears too, which means this book managed to touch me on a deeper level and automatically, usually (not always) makes up for any past transgressions, and this reunion and proclamation of love was a real doozy! I do wish that the characters hadn't been quite so stereotypical, and I also wish we had gotten a bit more of Ernie and Tucker, instead of so much Lola, because they were real highlights in this story.

Overall, I realy enjoyed this book, it had everything I wanted for a first book of the year and for the most part, the vibes were on point. It definitely had a few moments that annoyed me but other than those, this was a really enjoyable read, and Abby Jimenez has restoredmy faith in her and proved that her writing only gets better as she grows. I think I will dive into 

 straight away because I want to stay on this feel good buzz and need that light fluffy flirtatious slightly unrealistic love story right now, and I'm excited to see who book three will be about - my money is on David or Lola, so let's see if I alm on the right track.

“I love your hands.” His instrument. His talented, capable, loving hands.

“My hands, my voice. My back to do your heavy lifting, my arms to carry you to bed when you’ve had too much tequila. My money, my time, my heart. It’s all yours, Sloan.”

Genevieve 

"Sometimes the hardest place to live is the one in-between."

4.25 ⭐️

What a great way to start off the new year, I'm glad this was my first book of 2025 because it was just the right vibe. The Happy Ever After Playlist is like mixing Daisy Jones and The Six with your favourite rock star fanfic that you read when you were 15 and you were obsessed with a boy band (for me it was Joe Jonas). It was cheesy and overdramatic and it tore my heart out in places and made me cringe like crazy in others. But one thing I have always loved about Abby Jimenez' wrting is that even though her books can often read like stereotypical chick flick style romances, she manages to weave in genuinely heartfelt messages about life and relationships, and in this case grief and losing yourself. I was a little bit worried about reading this book after my disappointment in The Friend Zone because I didn't really enjoy the way Jimenez handled some of the topics in that book, especially surrounding Sloan and Brandon, but this book managed to reeem itself, even if it still did handle some topics slightly poorly. As always, check your trigger warnings before reading this book, it deals with death, grief and depression, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual assault and self harm.

I am actually quite surprised I ended up liking this so much because some of the tropes in this book are not my favourites, such as insta-love, miscommunication (in the form of not communicating at all) and codependency. In the end I do think this book handled those tropes pretty well, but this is partly where I removed a few quarter stars on my rating. I loved the beginning of this book, the way Sloan and Tucker, the dog, find each other was funny and adorable, and the back and forth texts and phone calls between Sloan and Tucker's owner, our love interest, Jason, were so cute. But we dove pretty quickly into intense feelings between the two love interests and then not long after they both became pretty obsessed with each other and started becoming codependent very quickly. SPOILER>>> They'd only been dating three weeks when Jason decided he couldn't live without her and invited her on a 14 month concert tour, and even convinced her to sell her house- these kids were moving FAST! <<<END SPOILER

I did like that the realities of tour life on the road were explored genuinely and that Jason realised he needed to give Sloan some time to recover and do the things that made her happy, but despite Sloan and even Kristen stating Sloan wasn't only doing better because she finally had a white knight man to save her, it still kind of felt like it was.

The subplot involving Lola Simone was an interesting one and not my favourite part of this book; but it could've been. She was kind of the Daisy in this book, if we continue with my Daisy Jones and The Six comparison. I think this plotline had a really good basis to speak about the issues surrounding the music industry, especially corrupt and insidious labels, and how it often curates rumours and drives people into mental health crises, and it did touch on these slightly but not really enough for it to have a real impact. Thankfully the way this book was resolved with all of these threads mostly made up for it. SPOILER>>>>I think it is one of the few epilogues, where they're married and having a baby and everything is sunshine and roses and they lived happily ever after, that didn't make me want to vom slightly in my mouth 😂 <<<END SPOILER 

In the end I shed a few tears too, which means this book managed to touch me on a deeper level and automatically, usually (not always) makes up for any past transgressions, and this reunion and proclamation of love was a real doozy! I do wish that the characters hadn't been quite so stereotypical, and I also wish we had gotten a bit more of Ernie and Tucker, instead of so much Lola, because they were real highlights in this story.

Overall, I realy enjoyed this book, it had everything I wanted for a first book of the year and for the most part, the vibes were on point. It definitely had a few moments that annoyed me but other than those, this was a really enjoyable read, and Abby Jimenez has restoredmy faith in her and proved that her writing only gets better as she grows. I think I will dive into Life's Too Short straight away because I want to stay on this feel good buzz and need that light fluffy flirtatious slightly unrealistic love story right now, and I'm excited to see who book three will be about - my money is on David or Lola, so let's see if I alm on the right track.

“I love your hands.” His instrument. His talented, capable, loving hands.
“Have them. They’re yours.”
“You’re giving me your hands?”
“My hands, my voice. My back to do your heavy lifting, my arms to carry you to bed when you’ve had too much tequila. My money, my time, my heart. It’s all yours, Sloan.”

I really liked this in the beginning and there was a solid flow but DAMN the arguments that sloan and jason had were kind of ridiculous 😭 like how are we full blown adults who can’t communicate!!!

I did really enjoy how abby jimenez tackled sloan’s grief and her relationship with jason when they started getting together though. that was sweet.

Tara Bounkeovisane

I really liked this in the beginning and there was a solid flow but DAMN the arguments that sloan and jason had were kind of ridiculous 😭 like how are we full blown adults who can’t communicate!!!

I did really enjoy how abby jimenez tackled sloan’s grief and her relationship with jason when they started getting together though. that was sweet.

I liked better then the first one, maybe cause I’ve always dreamt have having my own bf as a musical artist so this was me living my dreams through Sloan. 😅

Edna Aviles

Still a great book, just not my favorite out of all her other books.

Camille Mounce

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?

Something about Abby Jimenez’s writing just makes me fall so deeply in love with the stories. I love interconnected stand-alones and she thrives at making everyone’s love stories feel uniquely theirs. 

Syrina

lexie

Arianna

This book was pretty great. Some parts felt a little cringe to read or a little too much but other than that I enjoyed it a lot. It was a quick read, and I definitely enjoyed this one more than the first book of the series.

Julie Burszan 

Mia Caven

This book started off seemingly fast and like a lot of other romances but by the time it ended I think it was perfectly structured and I loved it. The characters were so perfect and it was just a page turning book

screaming, crying, throwing up!!! 😭😭

kels

Jenna

Petaco

Well it started out strong. I liked their banter in the beginning. Maybe that's where the book should have ended. After they actually got together it just went downhill. Too much drama. Too much angst. The relationship is too hot and cold. It's not healthy and maybe they are better as pen pals? Having this angle of a famous person was just too much. Yet another book I hated that focused on "famous people". It's a shame because up until all of the drama, I was rather enjoying the book. It made sense that the editor requested she write the first book to explain this one. I thought she did a great job at showing her struggle with grief. Unfortunately, the author, for some reason, felt like there was not enough angst and drama so she piled it on. 

(view spoiler)[ That break up was so stupid! Why even lie? You pressured her this whole time and now you decide to lie just so she would leave? Bye. So childish. Just talk things out.  (hide spoiler)]

julie reads

my favorite book of the year , i cried so hard, literally bought another copy because mine had water damage

Meghan Thompson 

4.25⭐️

let me just say that i think sloan was done dirty in the friend zone. my heart broke for her. 

with that being said…fuck Brandon HELLO JASON 

now this book had me at the beginning i was ready to give it five stars. the flirting and overall easy and funny relationship UGH!! was it a bit insta lovey? yeah but i eat that shit up. what fell flat for for me was the ending y’all were just doing too much. 

what i really appreciated in this book was the whole “yeah my husband is died but I’m not going to completely cut myself off from love” there was no comparing the two and i loved that Sloan could separate them. also i am just so proud of her in general and the resilience and strength she found in herself bcs in the first book I was WORRIED. 

overall this book gave me all the romcom feels and i enjoyed basically every second.

I am absolutely loving this series!!! These characters and storylines would make an amazing tv series!! 

Brittany Peterson

I just loved this book. Every chapter starts with a song which I think really helps sets the mood. The characters were so fun and I think you really feel it between them because of the constant banter. It makes them feel like a real, authentic couple. I didn’t love the third act breakup because it gave me such bad emotional whiplash, but the story is so adorable and the HEA is just 

This is in a series, but I read it as a stand-alone and didn’t think I was missing anything. 

Not too many scenes and doesn’t take up the whole book, but it’s still there and it’s still hot 

Tropes: love after loss, instalove 

I just loved this book. Every chapter starts with a song which I think really helps sets the mood. The characters were so fun and I think you really feel it between them because of the constant banter. It makes them feel like a real, authentic couple. I didn’t love the third act breakup because it gave me such bad emotional whiplash, but the story is so adorable and the HEA is just chefs kiss 

Gives me total classic romcom vibes. 

This is in a series, but I read it as a stand-alone and didn’t think I was missing anything. 

🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Not too many scenes and doesn’t take up the whole book, but it’s still there and it’s still hot 

celene

3.5 omg,,, the last chapter and the epilogue tho,,, gaaah i cri,,,

Jess Griffin

i really loved this book. reading ‘the friend zone’ knowing sloan was the main character in this book made me so excited for this series of interconnected standalones.

although the drama in the last half of the book became slightly repetitive/overwhelming towards the end, i am so happy jason and sloan got their happy ending.

sloan’s journey of grief from the end of ‘the friend zone’ to the progress she made in her own book was truly insightful and inspiring. it was great to see this portrayed in a contemporary romcom.

abby jiminez has a running theme of “happy happy happy BOOM SADNESS” in her books & i only have ‘part of your world’ left to read from her works so i can’t wait to see how she breaks my heart in that one :)

Jennifer mitchell

I can’t remember the last time a book made me actually sob. Form tears? Sure. But this book had me bawling like a baby. The characters felt so real. You could feel the grief, pain, and love through every word.

I really enjoyed this one and find Abby Jimenez’s books to be sooo bingeable. BUT the conflict in this one is not great. This is not something I would personally ever forgive so I had trouble buying into the resolution sadly. A great story and fun couple but not my favorite by this author!

Kerry Kalinoski

Lyric Hooey

3.5 ⭐️

Very cute, of course. Only docked marks for 1) many moments of wanting to yell into the book "why can't you just communicate this! it would solve everything!" and 2) I hate when things get good right at the epilogue and then you're left with wanting more happiness and less drama. Would recommend this book though if you are into this sorta thing!

Kathleen Tom

OH GOOD LORD HELP ME!! 

Abby Jimenez, BIG FAT THANK YOU FOR THIS BOOK! You don’t know what this book do to me, hours of laughing my ass off in the beginning of the books, half of it was swooning over Jason & Sloan flirtship to relationships to on-tourship and crying my heart out when something happened between them (not going to reveal about what) and so happy it hurts at the end. I’m happy with the ending of it but it hurts because it ends. 

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH!! ❤️❤️

5 Stars ⭐️

Steffi J

Abby Jimenez is REALLY good at creating book boyfriends :) first half of the book is a very cute, run-of-the-mill romcom. Second half of the book is dramatic and full of feels, with just the right amount of pining. The story is not only about romance. It’s about loss, grief, acceptance, moving on. This is the second book I’ve read written by Abby Jimenez, and there’s just something about her writing style that sucks you in and keeps you wanting for more. She makes you feel what the characters are feeling. Magical. Love it.

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The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

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May &
The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez