Review : The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : The Friend Zone (Game On #2)
Author : Kristen Callihan
Publication Date : May 5th 2015
Publisher : Self Published
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Gray doesn’t make friends with women. He has sex with them. Until Ivy.

The last thing star tight-end Gray Grayson wants to do is drive his agent’s daughter’s bubblegum pink car. But he needs the wheels and she’s studying abroad. Something he explains when she sends him an irate text to let him know exactly how much pain she’ll put him in if he crashes her beloved ride. Before he knows it, Ivy Mackenzie has become his best texting bud. But then Ivy comes home and everything goes haywire. Because the only thing Gray can think of is being with Ivy.

Ivy doesn’t have sex with friends. Especially not with a certain football player. No matter how hot he makes her…

Gray drives Ivy crazy. He’s irreverent, sex on a stick, and completely off limits. Because, Ivy has one golden rule: never get involved with one of her father’s clients. A rule that’s proving harder to keep now that Gray is doing his best to seduce her. Her best friend is fast becoming the most irresistible guy she’s ever met.

Which means Gray is going to have to use all his skills to get himself out of the friend zone and into Ivy’s heart. Game on

Personal Thoughts

Kristen Callihan's The Friend Zone is a book I've been excited about reading ever since I re-read The Hook Up and wound up really enjoying it. I had a feeling that The Friend Zone would appeal more to me because hello? Best friends to lovers romance! It's a trope that constantly has me salivating. In many ways, I think The Friend-Zone was a stronger book than The Hook Up and I'm so glad I decided to give this series a second chat.

The Friend Zone wouldn't have been an amazing book without the characters of Ivy and Gray. These two were so adorable together. I knew that they were meant to me from their first texting session and watching them banter and grow closer over the course of the story was such a delightful experience for me as a reader. Kristen Callihan shines at dialogue writing and the easy flow of conversation between these two characters was proof of that. The texts that Ivy and Gray shared was something I adored in this book and selfishly, I wanted MORE of them. I loved the comfort level surrounding them and I loved the amount of chemistry they had together. So often in NA books, I'm left feeling like the relationship was unrealistic. But not in this case. Ivy and Gray's relationship felt very real to me and it was like watching two friends of mine falling for each other. Also, can I just say how hot these two were together? That was some seriously steamy chemistry they had and when they finally became a couple, the sparks between them exploded. Let me tell you, this is how you do a slow burn relationship. While I was ready for Ivy and Gray to get it on, I was always so happy with their friendship too. Ivy and Gray were also individually great characters. I loved getting to know them through the dual POV. Ivy was at that point in life where she had to make a major career decision and I connected so well with her because of that. I loved that this girl was so sharp and witty. Gray was a manwhore before he met Ivy, and while that's not a personality trait that I enjoy in my heroes, I liked Gray because he was willing to look for a girl to spend the rest of his life with.

Besides the romance, I really liked the secondary characters in The Friend Zone. I loved the banter between Gray and his teammates, particularly with Drew. They are so raunchy, it's hilarious. However, my favorite character in this book was Fiona, Ivy's sister. She was a great character and I loved how tight bond with Ivy. I particularly loved how supportive she was of Ivy, often pushing her to chase after her own happiness. The girl was also completely outspoken and did not have a filter, so it made for some funny scenes. I'm crossing all my fingers that she finds her soul-mate in Dex because my OTP radar was seriously flaring when they were together. The Friend Zone was also unlike any other NA reads in that it was more about the characters and that there was never any overwhelming amount of drama or the generic dark pasts story line or angst. I really enjoyed that fact. While I wasn't as bothered as the major conflict in The Friend Zone, I know it might be frustrating for some readers, especially if it's a pet peeve and I reckon it will be for a few readers. Still though, The Friend Zone is totally a book you should check out because it was absolutely endearing.

The Friend Zone was such a fun book, guys. If you enjoy banter and slow burn romances, then this is the perfect book for you even though you may think you're over the NA genre!

Rating 

Cover : 2/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Thank you to Nina Bocci and Kristen Callihan for the e-ARC of The Friend Zone.