Learn how to read contemporary romance author Abby Jimenez’s books in order. Learn about her complete collection from someone who’s read them all, the best reading order, where to start, and more, including character connections and crossovers. If you’re like me, you won’t be able to get enough of these charming love stories, so let’s get literary!
Abby Jimenez Books in Order
Publication Order
- The Friend Zone (2019)
- The Happy Ever After Playlist (2020)
- Life’s Too Short (2021)
- Part of Your World (2022)
- Yours Truly (2023)
- Worst Wingman Ever (2024 short story)
- Just for the Summer (2024)
- The Situationship (2024 short story)
- The Fall Risk (2025 short story)
- Say You’ll Remember Me (2025)
Reading Order
| Series Name | Books in Order |
| The Friend Zone Series | The Friend Zone (2019) The Happy Ever After Playlist (2020) Life’s Too Short (2021) |
| Part of Your World Series | Part of Your World (2022) Yours Truly (2023) Just for the Summer (2024) The Situationship (2024 bonus short story) |
| Standalone Stories/Books | Worst Wingman Ever (2024 short story) The Fall Risk (2025 short story) Say You’ll Remember Me (2025) |
Related Posts: The Friend Zone Series | Part of Your World Series | Abby Jimenez Books Ranked
RECOMMENDED READING ORDER
It is best practice to read the books in each Abby Jimenez series in order of publication date. Reading these books out of order will spoil some plotlines for you.
That being said, you don’t “have to” read them in order, since the main characters and storylines are different in each book. There are just a few book character connections in the books that are part of a series.
Of note, I did not read Abby Jimenez’s books in order, and I didn’t feel like that much was spoiled for me. I also didn’t find anything to be confusing in reading these books out of order.
Otherwise, you can start wherever you want! My top pick is Just For the Summer for a feel good love story with some heat and complexity.
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How Are Abby Jimenez Books Connected?
Below are the main character connections in Abby Jimenez’s books:
Read More: All of Abby Jimenez’s Character Connections
About Author Abby Jimenez
about
Abby Jimenez is a New York Times bestselling author and former Food Network champion who founded Nadia Cakes Bakery.
Her contemporary romance novels are known for the following characteristics:
- cute dogs
- recipes
- alternating male and female perspectives
- complex real-life issues standing in the way of the leading couple
Authors like Abby Jimenez: If you like light yet emotional romance authors like Colleen Hoover, Katherine Center and Sarah Adams, you will probably like Abby Jimenez.
Abby Jimenez’s Books: Quick Summaries & Reviews
NOTE ON SPICE LEVEL
Abby Jimenez’s books are generally slightly spicy. There are some explicit romance scenes, but not many, and they are not focal points.
The Friend Zone (2019; Book 1 of 3 in The Friend Zone series)
The Friend Zone trigger warnings
Infertility, accident, death, grief
Plot: In The Friend Zone, Kristen Peterson begins to fall for the best man at her best friend’s wedding, Josh Copeland, but she’s about to undergo surgery that will leave her unable to have children.
Since Josh wants a large family, she agrees to remain “friends with benefits.” But, this becomes harder. When tragedy strikes, they must cope with how they feel given their new reality.
My Review: While I liked that this novel explored “real-life” infertility issues, it may be triggering to some. Of note, many readers, myself included, also disliked the miscommunications and the ending. I’d recommend it only if you want to start with Jimenez’s debut and/or read the full Friend Zone series.
The Happy Ever After Playlist (2020; Book 2 of 3 in The Friend Zone series)
The Happy Ever After Playlist trigger warnings
Grief
Plot: In The Happy Ever After Playlist, Sloan Monroe finds an adorable dog named Tucker, who belongs to a musician named Jason. They speak via telephone about the dog while he’s on tour, and their calls become increasingly more flirty and romantic.
My Review: This popular love story is overflowing with song recommendations, which is always ful. Also, just when you think you know where the story is headed, it moves in a different direction.
It’s a “happy” read that puts a huge smile on your face and makes for a great beach read.
Life’s Too Short (2021; Book 3 of 3 in The Friend Zone series)
Life’s Too Short trigger warnings
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), terminal illness, grief
Plot: In Life’s Too Short, Vanessa Price is a YouTube star who has taken custody of her troubled half-sister’s baby daughter, Grace, when she meets the lawyer next door, Adrian Copeland. She’s also grieving the loss of her mother and sister, trying to support a difficult father, and worrying about her mortality.
The question is whether her life will be too short for a real future together.
My Review: There’s a lot going on in this one, but it’s a solid ending to The Friend Zone series if you want to read them all.
Part of Your World (2022; Part of Your World Book 1 of 3)
Part of Your World trigger warnings
Domestic abuse, toxic relationship, infidelity, toxic parents
Plot: Part of Your World is one of the best books for Gilmore Girls fans because it has small-town charm and a couple from two different worlds.
When Alexis Montgomery, who’s from a well-to-do family with high expectations, meets Daniel Grant, a small-town family business owner, sparks fly.
But she is reeling from an abusive relationship, and she fears truly allowing him to be “part of her world.”
My Review: What’s unique about this book is the humor and grace with which the story is told, leaving readers’ hearts warmed. It’s an utterly loveable romantic comedy reminiscent of late 90s/early 00s movies. There’s also a decent amount of spice.
Yours Truly (2023; Part of Your World Book 2 of 3)
Yours Truly trigger warnings
Anxiety, panic attacks, renal disease, infertility, infidelity, organ donation
Plot: Yours Truly is the second book in the Part of Your World series, but it can be read as a standalone novel, as the main characters and storylines are different in each book. There are just a few crossovers.
In Yours Truly, ER doctor Briana is recently divorced after suffering a miscarriage and worried about her sick brother. She meets the new doctor who has unaffectionately been nicknamed “Dr. Death.”
But, when she gets a sweet letter from Dr. Death, otherwise known as Jacob, she learns he’s a donor match for the transplant her brother needs.
She’s so grateful that she agrees to “fake date” him at a family wedding. This is when things heat up between them.
My Review: Read it if you like a satisfying slow burn with only mild spice. It also represents social anxiety very well and is great for fans of letter-writing in novels.
Reading Tip: Don’t skip the author’s emotional note at the end.
Worst Wingman Ever (2024)
Worst Wingman Ever trigger warnings
Terminal illness, grief
Plot: Worst Wingman Ever is part of Amazon’s Improbable Meet-Cute series of short stories by popular romance authors.
It’s about a nurse named Holly caring for her dying grandmother. Curiously, she finds a Valentine’s Day card on her car. She discovers it was mistakenly placed on the wrong car by someone’s “wingman.” From there, banter and small acts of kindness ensue.
My Review: It’s hard to write a good short story, yet Abby Jimenez succeeds with this cutie. Read it if you’re looking for something quick yet satisfying in the romance genre.
Just for the Summer (2024; Part of Your World Book 3 of 3)
Just For the Summer trigger warnings
Toxic parent
Plot: In Just For the Summer, Justin feels cursed. Every woman he dates finds her soulmate just after breaking up with him. Emma is similarly “cursed.” Together, they plan to date each other and break up so they can live happily ever after with someone else.
Emma and Justin connect deeper than expected over their “mommy” issues, but, the chaos left by Emma’s mom seems to be too complicated to make the plan work.
My Review: This summer romance novel features a couple that’s quirky, loveable, has great chemistry, and support each other through difficult life issues. There is also one spicy scene for steamy romance lovers!
It’s great for those who like realistic drama in their escape reads. It’s one quick and very enjoyable summer-themed read.
Related Post: Just For the Summer Review
The Situationship (2024)
The Situationship trigger warnings
depression
Plot: Emma is a traveling nurse in Minnesota who runs into an acquaintance named Doug. He’s a rugged farmer with a pig (the town mascot) named Kevin Bacon and a chicken named Russell Crow. Did I mention he cooks, plays the guitar, and is emotionally open? These are all “green flags” for Maddy, but she’s not sure the relationship timing is right.
Review: With incredible ease, this short story fully invests the reader in Maddy and Doug. Who wouldn’t want a man who makes a mean grilled cheese and communicates his emotions?!
The problem? Their story ends so abruptly that it leaves the reader stunned and confused. I still recommend it because the writing is as delightful as ever.
The Fall Risk (2025)
The Fall Risk trigger warnings
captivity, stalking, violence, infidelity
Plot: On Valentine’s Day weekend, Charlotte, wary of men, and Seth, a recently divorced arborist, are forced into close quarters when disaster traps them in their building. As they navigate their emotional barriers, their growing connection challenges them, leading them to confront the possibility of falling in love.
Review: This was one of the cutest of all meet-cutes by any author! I just loved the tree humor! My only complaint is that the relationship moved fast for such a short tale and, thus, felt unrealistic.
Say You’ll Remember Me (2025)
Say You’ll Remember Me trigger warnings
dementia, infidelity, child abuse (both physical and emotional), animal abuse, death, grief
Plot: In Say You’ll Remember Me, Xavier Rush is a handsome veterinarian who falls hard for the spitfire Samantha Diaz on their epic first date. The problem? Samantha is moving thousands of miles away to live with her family and help care for her mother, who has dementia. She just wants Xavier to forget her, but he can’t.
Review: This is a very heavy, yet very realistic, romance book. At times, the couple’s story feels almost too much to bear, but then you realize, as a reader, that such is the nature of true love. One minute, it’s laughing in an escape room; the next, it’s tragedy, trauma, and struggles like job loss, debt, and family drama. True love like this sees color in the darkness. For this reason, Xavier and Samantha are one of the most memorable couples about who I’ve read.
Related Post: Say You’ll Remember Me Book Review
Printable PDF Reading List
ABBY JIMENEZ BOOK LIST
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Recap
Abby Jimenez’s contemporary romance novels are known for dogs, recipes, alternating male and female perspectives, and complex real-life issues standing in the way of the leading couple.
To recap, it is best practice to read these books in order of publication date so as not to spoil any plotlines. However, you don’t “have to” since each book has different main characters and storylines.
Otherwise, you can start wherever you want and continue however you want. My top pick is Just For the Summer for a feel-good love story with some heat and complexity.
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
Hello,
Thank you for your insight! I have all of the books and have read them in order of publication. I did notice that in your description of each book that the female leads in POYW and YT were reversed and should be Alexis in Part of Your World and Brianna in Yours Truly.
Thank you SO MUCH for picking up on that! I have fixed it and added a few more character connections after going back to take another look at Yours Truly. Hope you enjoy the newest book as much as I did.
Yes! I agree with you! Read all of them and enjoyed each one, but definitely liked Part of your world and Yours Truly is the best. I also love the way all the stories intertwine with each other. All the stories reference another book character in one way or another creating an amazing AJ universe that is always filled with Nadia Cakes.