The Friend Zone

Abby Jimenez's The Friend Zone, published in 2019, centres on Kristen Petersen, who keeps herself well clear of drama, stands up for the people she cares about, and has little patience for men who fail to understand her. What almost nobody knows is that an operation she needs for medical reasons will leave her unable to have children. Her best friend is getting married, which makes the wedding a difficult occasion for her, and it grows more complicated still when she is introduced to the best man.

Josh Copeland is funny, never takes offence at her sarcasm, and has won over her dog; when she is hungry he is always a chicken enchilada ahead of her. The obstacle between them is not temperament but the future he wants: Josh has always wanted a large family of his own, and Kristen has decided he would be better off with somebody else rather than with her.

Kristen's dog, Stuntman Mike, adores Josh as well, and the attraction between the two of them grows harder to keep at arm's length as the wedding approaches. The Friend Zone was published in 2019, and its central subject is Kristen's infertility and what it means for the future she had assumed she would have, rather than a workplace setting or a misunderstanding that could be cleared up in a conversation.