The Friend Zone
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

Kristen Peterson is having the week from hell. It turns out that Josh Copeland, the sexy wiseacre who tapped the bumper of the brand-new truck Kristen borrowed from her best friend's fiancé, is not only playing best man to Kristen's maid of honor at the wedding, but is also the new station manager at the firehouse where she works. While Kristen can't deny the immediate connection she feels with Josh, the fact is that her boyfriend, Tyler, will soon be coming home and moving in with her after being deployed overseas for the last two years. Obviously, fate has placed Josh in Kristen's path as a way of testing her will power. But this is one test Kristen isn't about to fail, even if she has to use every trick in the book to keep Josh squarely in the friend zone. Jimenez's dazzling debut is a brilliantly written romantic comedy that seamlessly toggles back and forth between scenes of laugh-out-loud, snarky wit and serious emotional issues without missing a beat, all the while delivering maximum reading satisfaction.--John Charles Copyright 2019 Booklist

Harnessing sass, heartfelt struggle, and unapologetic sexuality, Jimenez's debut is as hysterical as it is tear-jerking. Kristen Peterson is a woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to speak her mind. She meets every situation with sarcastic humor-except the devastating news that she'll never be able to get pregnant. While Kristen is planning her friend Sloan's wedding, she meets the groom's best friend, Josh Copeland. He's sexy, funny, and always on board for her shenanigans, but he is hoping for a large family. Despite her best efforts to keep Josh at arm's length, Kristen can only fight their attraction (and her unresolved feelings around her infertility) for so long, but questions about their future loom large. Jimenez manages to fulfill all expectations for a romantic comedy while refusing to sacrifice nuance. Biting wit and laugh-out-loud moments take priority, but the novel remains subtle in its sentimentality and sneaks up on the reader with unanticipated depth. Readers who have wrestled with infertility will find Kristen's anxieties and sorrows deeply relatable. Agent: Stacey Graham, Red Sofa Literary. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

DEBUT There's nothing like a fender bender to get a relationship off to a smashing start, but discovering that the guy who rear-ended your borrowed truck (gently, to be honest), firefighter Josh Copeland, is the best man to your maid of honor at your best friend's wedding makes it worse. Snark flies, but the attraction can't be denied--an attraction that Kristen Petersen is determined to keep at bay for a number of reasons. "Friends only" is the order of the day--until it isn't. A hero who wants a big family and a heroine who probably can't have children struggle to understand what love really means and what they both want in a realistic story that cuts to the quick. VERDICT Zingy dialog, laugh-out-loud humor, and plenty of sass temper the heartbreak of infertility in this modern, well-grounded debut that is sure to satisfy readers. Jimenez is a baking expert and former Food Network champion; she lives in Minnesota.

A woman refuses to be with her soul mate, but life intervenes, making her choice harder and more heartbreaking.Josh meets Kristen with a bang, literally, when she slams on her brakes and he runs into her. There's minimal damage, so she disappears. Minutes later they discover that their best friends are engaged to each other and they were slated to meet that day at the fire station where Brandon and Josh work. Josh is immediately smitten, but Kristen has a boyfriend, Tyler, who's deployed overseas. Counting down the days until he gets home for good, Kristen adamantly puts Josh in the friend zone, refusing to acknowledge their growing closeness and her spiking attraction. Then Tyler reenlists, effectively breaking up with her. Kristen and Josh sleep together, but she slams the door on his hope for a real relationship, telling him it will never be more than a friends-with-benefits situation. Josh thinks Kristen is mourning the end of her relationship with Tyler, but really, Kristen realizes Josh is her perfect match. Unfortunately she also knows Josh wants children, which would be nearly impossible for them due to her malfunctioning reproductive system. The two reach a painful impasse, but when tragedy strikes, they find themselves reevaluating their relationship. Josh knows he'll never be happy without Kristen, but he'll have to think outside the box to convince her to take a chance on them. Jimenez tackles a myriad of issues in her debut and hits each one with depth and sensitivity. Kristen's take-no-prisoners attitude is smart and sassy and perfectly balanced by Josh's easygoing resourcefulness, though at times her lack of transparency while jerking him around makes her seem more immature than self-sacrificing.An excellent debut that combines wit, humor, and emotional intensity. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

*Starred Review* Kristen Peterson is having the week from hell. It turns out that Josh Copeland, the sexy wiseacre who tapped the bumper of the brand-new truck Kristen borrowed from her best friend's fiancé, is not only playing best man to Kristen's maid of honor at the wedding, but is also the new station manager at the firehouse where she works. While Kristen can't deny the immediate connection she feels with Josh, the fact is that her boyfriend, Tyler, will soon be coming home and moving in with her after being deployed overseas for the last two years. Obviously, fate has placed Josh in Kristen's path as a way of testing her will power. But this is one test Kristen isn't about to fail, even if she has to use every trick in the book to keep Josh squarely in the friend zone. Jimenez's dazzling debut is a brilliantly written romantic comedy that seamlessly toggles back and forth between scenes of laugh-out-loud, snarky wit and serious emotional issues without missing a beat, all the while delivering maximum reading satisfaction. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

DEBUT There's nothing like a fender bender to get a relationship off to a smashing start, but discovering that the guy who rear-ended your borrowed truck (gently, to be honest), firefighter Josh Copeland, is the best man to your maid of honor at your best friend's wedding makes it worse. Snark flies, but the attraction can't be denied—an attraction that Kristen Petersen is determined to keep at bay for a number of reasons. "Friends only" is the order of the day—until it isn't. A hero who wants a big family and a heroine who probably can't have children struggle to understand what love really means and what they both want in a realistic story that cuts to the quick. VERDICT Zingy dialog, laugh-out-loud humor, and plenty of sass temper the heartbreak of infertility in this modern, well-grounded debut that is sure to satisfy readers. Jimenez is a baking expert and former Food Network champion; she lives in Minnesota.

Harnessing sass, heartfelt struggle, and unapologetic sexuality, Jimenez's debut is as hysterical as it is tear-jerking. Kristen Peterson is a woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to speak her mind. She meets every situation with sarcastic humor—except the devastating news that she'll never be able to get pregnant. While Kristen is planning her friend Sloan's wedding, she meets the groom's best friend, Josh Copeland. He's sexy, funny, and always on board for her shenanigans, but he is hoping for a large family. Despite her best efforts to keep Josh at arm's length, Kristen can only fight their attraction (and her unresolved feelings around her infertility) for so long, but questions about their future loom large. Jimenez manages to fulfill all expectations for a romantic comedy while refusing to sacrifice nuance. Biting wit and laugh-out-loud moments take priority, but the novel remains subtle in its sentimentality and sneaks up on the reader with unanticipated depth. Readers who have wrestled with infertility will find Kristen's anxieties and sorrows deeply relatable. Agent: Stacey Graham, Red Sofa Literary. (July)