Abby Jimenez, a breath of fresh air in the world of contemporary romance, is making waves with her heartfelt storytelling and endearing characters. Born and raised in Minnesota, Jimenez's journey to becoming a bestselling author is a testament to her passion for writing and her unwavering dedication to her craft.
Before making her mark in the literary world, Jimenez pursued a career in the corporate sector, working in various roles while nurturing her love for storytelling on the side. In 2019, she burst onto the scene with her debut novel, "The Friend Zone," a charming and poignant romance that quickly captured the hearts of readers everywhere.
"The Friend Zone" tells the story of Kristen and Josh, whose budding romance is complicated by Kristen's desire to remain single due to a heartbreaking secret. Jimenez's ability to blend humor, emotion, and steamy romance struck a chord with readers, earning her widespread acclaim and establishing her as a rising star in the genre.
One of Jimenez's unique strengths lies in her ability to tackle sensitive topics with grace and authenticity. In "The Friend Zone," she explores themes of love, loss, and resilience, crafting a narrative that is both poignant and uplifting. Her writing style is marked by witty banter, relatable characters, and emotional depth, making her books a joy to read from start to finish.
Readers are drawn to Jimenez's authentic portrayal of relationships and her knack for creating characters that feel like old friends. Her stories are filled with heart, humor, and humanity, resonating with readers of all ages and backgrounds.
While "The Friend Zone" remains Jimenez's most well-known work to date, she has continued to delight readers with subsequent releases. Her follow-up novel, "The Happy Ever After Playlist," further solidified her status as a rising star in the romance genre, receiving rave reviews and garnering a dedicated fanbase.
In addition to her literary accomplishments, Jimenez has received recognition for her contributions to the genre, including nominations for prestigious awards such as the Goodreads Choice Awards. Her books have also been featured on numerous bestseller lists, cementing her status as a powerhouse in contemporary romance.
For those seeking heartfelt stories that tug at the heartstrings and leave a lasting impression, Abby Jimenez's books are a must-read. With her relatable characters, witty dialogue, and emotionally resonant narratives, she offers readers a welcome escape into the world of romance and possibility.
Looking ahead, fans eagerly anticipate Jimenez's upcoming release, "Life's Too Short," slated to hit shelves in the coming months. This highly anticipated novel promises to deliver another dose of Jimenez's trademark blend of humor, heart, and romance, further solidifying her reputation as one of the most exciting voices in contemporary fiction.
In conclusion, Abby Jimenez is a rising star in the world of contemporary romance, captivating readers with her heartfelt storytelling and unforgettable characters. With an impressive body of work and an upcoming release on the horizon, she continues to enchant readers and leave a lasting impact on the genre.
Abby Jimenez Best Quotes
“Grace costs you nothing.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“We’re all a little broken, Briana. We are a mosaic. We’re made up of all those we’ve met and all the things we’ve been through. There are parts of us that are colorful and dark and jagged and beautiful. And I love every piece of you. Even the ones you wish didn’t exist.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“Love follows you. It goes where you go. It doesn’t know about social divides or distance or common sense. It doesn’t even stop when the person you love dies. It does what it wants.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“You can’t control the bad things that happen to you. All you can do is decide how much of you you’re going to let them take.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Happy Ever After Playlist“There’s something more final than forever. It’s never. Never is infinite.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“Sometimes the hardest place to live is the one in- between.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Happy Ever After Playlist“I always think that when we’re quiet, we’re agreeing to be harmless to each other. That we’re just sharing the same space and letting each other exist exactly as we are, and neither of us would hurt or upset the other one.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“Look at that mantrum. Eight thousand nerves in the clitoris and still not as sensitive as a white man not getting his way.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“I had to remember that not everyone over-thought everything the way I did. Wouldn’t it be amazing to live like that? To not carry that burden around with you. To not feel constantly overwhelmed and overstimulated and second-guess every little thing.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“I am not drunk. I’m just talking in cursive”
― Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone“It’s like I always say,” Mom said, wiping under her eyes. “Love shows up. That’s how you know when it’s real.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“It’s amazing how someone can touch you, even if you only know them for a moment in time. How they can change you, alter you indelibly.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“Have you ever heard of penguin love stones?” “What?” “A penguin love stone. When a male likes a female, he finds a perfect stone and he brings it to her. If she likes it, she puts it in her nest and that’s it. They’re paired for life.” Brian watched Liz taking an order at another table but talked to us. “And your point?” “My point is, the penguin’s not picking her mate because he’s the one who has the best rock. It might look that way, but she’s not. She’s taking the rock because the male she wants the most is offering it. Sometimes what you have to give is enough. Even if it’s a rock instead of a diamond.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“I’d found my person.She was the foundation. She was the thing that all other things are built on. Everything was secondary to being with her. It didn’t matter where I worked or if I liked my job, where I lived or how many kids I had. My happiness, my sanity, my well-being – it all started with her. And now that I knew that, I didn’t want to just be her boyfriend – I wanted everything.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone“If you spend your life dwelling on the worst possible thing, when it finally happens, you’ve lived it twice.”
― Abby Jimenez, Life's Too Short“This was just a season, and there's beauty in all seasons. Even if you are looking forward to the next one.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Happy Ever After Playlist“Have you ever heard the saying that if you’re with someone who doesn’t speak your language, you’ll spend a lifetime having to translate your soul? Amy never spoke your language. […] Briana’s different. She understands you, even when you don’t say anything at all.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“When you don't care, everything's on your terms. They can take it or leave it. It doesn't matter to you, so ask for whatever the hell you want.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“Do you ever see yourself acting crazy, but you can’t stop because you’re not a quitter?”
― Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone“Sometimes family isn't what you're born into. Sometimes family is found.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“I’m sorry someone made you feel like it’s hard to love you,’ she said.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“Love me. Just love me instead. I’d take care of you. I’d protect you and shield you and be anything you needed. I’d be harmless to you…”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“Jacob made me feel safe. He was like a living lullaby. A softly spoken word. The smell of coffee and toast in the morning or a cozy fleece blanket. The rain pattering on the roof on a day where you don’t have to go anywhere or do anything.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“Just keep her laughing,” Doug said. “When a woman laughs, her eyes are closed more. She won’t notice how ugly you are.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“Just because you don’t recognize the fight they choose doesn’t mean they’re not fighting.”
― Abby Jimenez, Life’s Too Short“I know it hurts, but just think, now you know what it feels like for a man with a cold”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“The only problem with anger is that it burns hot and fast. It doesn’t tend to burn long. Sadness burns long. Grief. Disappointment.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“I’m a woman. I can go into a bar penniless wearing sweats and a questionable rash and come out with leftovers and a buzz.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone“I was a ghost, wandering the rooms of a museum of the person I used to be, and Jason was like one of the living who could somehow see me and decided to wander the place with me.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Happy Ever After Playlist“It’s just that you’re perfect, and my heart hurts.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone“I already know how I'm going to die"..."How?" I asked. "Spider bite. Or being sarcastic at the wrong time.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone“You're my soulmate. I'll find you in the next life. Life I found you in this one.”
― Abby Jimenez, Life’s Too Short“But my job is to help you with your crazy. Make you the best, most magnificent crazy you can be.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Happy Ever After Playlist“Have you ever heard the saying that if you’re with someone who doesn’t speak your language, you’ll spend a lifetime having to translate your soul?”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“My "happiness" wasn't always the real thing. Most of the time it was a fabricated, forced version that cracked around the edges if examined closely enough. But it was the choice that was the accomplishment.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Happy Ever After Playlist“I’m beginning to think men are not sending us their best people.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“There’s a special peace in sleeping next to someone you love.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“But remember, you can’t spell disappointment without men, ”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“I know all of your quiets. I know when you’re alone with me and you’re quiet, it’s because your brain is still. And when you’re in public and you’re quiet, it’s because your brain is loud. But I don’t know this one. What’s this one?”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“I'd follow a clown into a storm drain if he had a baby goat in pajamas.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“I slipped my arms around his waist, hooking my fingers behind his back, and he held me to him, smiling down at me. I put my chin to his chest. “I’m only hugging you because those cougars over there have their eye on you,” I lied. “It’s my duty as your friend to protect you from impending cougar attacks.” He chuckled. “Thanks for clearing that up. I was afraid for a second there you were hugging me for real.” I would do everything with you. For real.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone“I'll orbit around you and be your universe, because you've always been my sun.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone“Well, you don't steal a hoodie and not wear it. Otherwise it's just another senseless crime.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“Apparently dogs are the answer to all life’s problems.”
― Abby Jimenez, Life’s Too Short“I don’t pretend to be happy. I just refuse to be sad.”
― Abby Jimenez, Life’s Too Short“Life is no excuse," she said. "You should always have an adventure lined up. Having something to look forward to is tantamount to happiness.”
― Abby Jimenez, Life’s Too Short“Ali, men are two things. Disappointing and consistent. I believe you.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“My whole life I’d always felt a little fractured and scattered. Probably because it was always someone else trying to decide what I needed to be. I was a mosaic of someone else’s design where none of the fragments were put in the right place. And now I had finally put myself together and I recognized myself for the very first time.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all, I still know quite certainly, that just to be alive, is a grand thing.”
― Abby Jimenez, Life's Too Short“It was just the two of us, alone together, showing up. Because that’s what love does. It shows up.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“I’d never met a woman like you before. You told me to go to hell and made me look forward to the trip.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone“Take responsibility for your own unhappiness. If you don’t love your life, change it.”
― Abby Jimenez, Worst Wingman Ever“Eight thousand nerves in the clitoris and still not as sensitive as a white man not getting his way.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“Hate is exhausting. Life is too short to hate. Let it go. And while you’re at it, it might help you to try to see him as a whole person who isn’t all black or white.”
― Abby Jimenez, Life's Too Short“Drunk me had no business putting that out there for sober me. She was such a gossip.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Happy Ever After Playlist“You realize that repeatedly bringing me my favorite coffee is comparable to feeding a stray cat, right? You might never get rid of me now.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Happy Ever After Playlist“You know what I think the trick to dealing with family is? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.”
“What?” I said, spreading strawberry jam on my toast.
“Marrying your best friend.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “You marry your best friend, and at family gatherings you deal with your shitty relatives together. You laugh about it and have each other’s backs. Share looks and text each other from across the room when everyone else is being an asshole. And nobody else really matters because you have your own universe.” He held my eyes for a moment. “That’s what I want. I want someone to be my universe.” He’d have no problem finding that. No problem at all. Josh could have any woman he wanted. After all, he was the sun. Warm and vital. He would be the center of a big family one day, just like he wanted, and they’d all adore him. And I was just some passing comet. Momentarily distracting. Useless and unimportant. I was nice to look at, fun to observe, but I’d never give life or be the center of anything. I’d streak through and be gone, and Josh would forget me before we knew it.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone“I love you,” he whispered. “We are together. This isn’t over. And even if you leave, it won’t be over because you’ll take the love with you and it’ll bring you back.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“I'm not an asshole. It's my favorite thing about myself.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“I wasn't ready to give up my love for life. And I wasn't going to spend one more day looking at the sun. I'd never do it again. I chose living- because anything else was just waiting to die.”
― Abby Jimenez, Life’s Too Short“I didn’t usually watch new shows. I just rewatched the same ones over and over. I liked the familiarity, the predictability. If I rewatched a show, there were never any surprises. No emotional jump scares. I didn’t have to process new feelings or stress over cliffhangers. I knew where it was going and how it would end.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“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.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Happy Ever After Playlist“Jacob was who he said he was. All the time. And to me, men were never who they said they were. But this one, by all accounts, sort of was. And it scared the absolute shit out of me.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“One Day Syndrome. You live your life like there’ll always be one day to do all the things you put off. One day you’ll take the trip. One day you’ll have the family. One day you’ll try the thing. You’re all work and not enough play. Money can’t make you happy unless you know what you want,”
― Abby Jimenez, Life's Too Short“This was the best date I’d ever been on. And it wasn’t even a date.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone“Why won’t you let me love you?”
― Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone“Sometimes what you have to give is enough. Even if it’s a rock instead of a diamond.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“-and I got my period. I get to bleed for a week without the sweet release of death.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“I refuse to have sex with someone who doesn’t have a headboard. I’m not that desperate—yet. My vagina has officially been closed for so long I’m afraid a Spirit Halloween is going to move in.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“That’s the thing about kindness. You never know how big the ripple is. How one little selfless gesture can make all the difference for the person who receives it.”
― Abby Jimenez, Worst Wingman Ever“This isn’t your life, Bri. This is just a shitty chapter in your story.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“A cell phone rang from the end table to my right and Kristen bolted up straight. She put her beer on the coffee table and dove across my lap for her phone, sprawling over me. My eyes flew wide. I’d never been that close to her before. I’d only ever touched her hand. If I pushed her down across my knees, I could spank her ass. She grabbed her phone and whirled off my lap. “It’s Sloan. I’ve been waiting for this call all day.” She put a finger to her lips for me to be quiet, hit the Talk button, and put her on speaker. “Hey, Sloan, what’s up?”
“Did you send me a potato?” Kristen covered her mouth with her hand and I had to stifle a snort. “Why? Did you get an anonymous potato in the mail?”
“Something is seriously wrong with you,” Sloan said. “Congratulations, he put a ring on it. PotatoParcel.com.” She seemed to be reading a message. “You found a company that mails potatoes with messages on them? Where do you find this stuff?” Kristen’s eyes danced. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Do you have the other thing though?”
“Yeeeess. The note says to call you before I open it. Why am I afraid?” Kristen giggled. “Open it now. Is Brandon with you?”
“Yes, he’s with me. He’s shaking his head.” I could picture his face, that easy smile on his lips.
“Okay, I’m opening it. It looks like a paper towel tube. There’s tape on the—AHHHHHH! Are you kidding me, Kristen?! What the hell!” Kristen rolled forward, putting her forehead to my shoulder in laughter.
“I’m covered in glitter! You sent me a glitter bomb? Brandon has it all over him! It’s all over the sofa!” Now I was dying. I covered my mouth, trying to keep quiet, and I leaned into Kristen, who was howling, our bodies shaking with laughter. I must not have been quiet enough though.
“Wait, who’s with you?” Sloan asked. Kristen wiped at her eyes. “Josh is here.”
“Didn’t he have a date tonight? Brandon told me he had a date.”
“He did, but he came back over after.”
“He came back over?” Her voice changed instantly. “And what are you two doing? Remember what we talked about, Kristen…” Her tone was taunting. Kristen glanced at me. Sloan didn’t seem to realize she was on speaker. Kristen hit the Talk button and pressed the phone to her ear. “I’ll call you tomorrow. I love you!” She hung up on her and set her phone down on the coffee table, still tittering.
“And what did you two talk about?” I asked, arching an eyebrow. I liked that she’d talked about me. Liked it a lot.
“Just sexually objectifying you. The usual,” she said, shrugging. “Nothing a hot fireman like you can’t handle.” A hot fireman like you.I did my best to hide my smirk.
“So do you do this to Sloan a lot?” I asked.
“All the time. I love messing with her. She’s so easily worked up.” She reached for her beer. I chuckled. “How do you sleep at night knowing she’ll be finding glitter in her couch for the next month?” She took a swig of her beer. “With the fan on medium.” My laugh came so hard Stuntman Mike looked up and cocked his head at me. She changed the channel and stopped on HBO. Some show. There was a scene with rose petals down a hallway into a bedroom full of candles. She shook her head at the TV. “See, I just don’t get why that’s romantic. You want flower petals stuck to your ass? And who’s gonna clean all that shit up? Me? Like, thanks for the flower sex, let’s spend the next half an hour sweeping?”
“Those candles are a huge fire hazard.” I tipped my beer toward the screen.
“Right? And try getting wax out of the carpet. Good luck with that.” I looked at the side of her face. “So what do you think is romantic?”
“Common sense,” she answered without thinking about it. “My wedding wouldn’t be romantic. It would be entertaining. You know what I want at my wedding?” she said, looking at me. “I want the priest from The Princess Bride. The mawage guy.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone“I forced myself to stop thinking about it. To do what I always did—find gratitude in what I’d gotten instead of dwelling on what I’d lost.”
― Abby Jimenez, Life's Too Short“Un hombre que puede mantener viva una planta tiene la paciencia de aguantar tus mierdas. It means ‘A man who can keep a plant alive has the patience to put up with your shit.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“...well, we're all strong-ass women until a smoke alarm starts chirping at three an.m. on a high ceiling and there's no one to hit it with a broom but you.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“My granddad used to always say, ‘Even duct tape can’t fix stupid,’” I said, putting my straw in my mouth.
“Hmm. No. But it can muffle the sound.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Friend Zone“I knew from experience that sometimes when the wake-up call is big enough, you do, in fact, wake up.”
― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World“This was me making space for her, even though she would never know it. My way of saying thank you for her friendship, even if it was too quiet to hear.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it’s stupid?”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“In a world where you can choose anger or empathy, always choose empathy,”
― Abby Jimenez, Just for the Summer“Don’t get a cat,” she went on. “It’ll walk around pushing your drinks off the coffee table. You’re not emotionally strong enough for that.”
― Abby Jimenez, Life's Too Short“You know how when you ask someone what they'd do if the sun was headed for Earth and they had twenty-four hours left to live? And everyone always says they'd be with family, eat their favorite food, go someplace they've always wanted to go? Nobody ever says they'd spend the last day curled up in bed crying- because they wouldn't. That's not what anyone wants to do with their final hours. I mean, yeah, you'd cry. And you'd be scared because you're gonna die. And you'd find yourself looking at the sky throughout the day, knowing what's coming because that's just human nature. But for the most part, you'd just enjoy the time you had left. Especially because there's nothing you can do about it. There's no escape, nowhere to hide. So why bother? Obsessing over the end is pointless. If you spend your life dwelling on the worst possible thing, when it finally happens, you've lived it twice. I don't want to live the worst things twice. I try really hard not to think about the bad stuff. But every once in a while I'm human and I look up. Yesterday was just one of those days that I looked at the sun.”
― Abby Jimenez, Life’s Too Short“The love stories sold us the wrong thing. The best kind of love doesn’t happen on moonlit walks and romantic vacations. It happens in between the folds of everyday life. It’s not grand gestures that show how you feel, it’s all the little secret things you do to make her life better that you never tell her about. Taking the end piece of the bread at breakfast so she can have the last middle piece for her sandwich when you pack her lunch. Making sure her car always has gas so she never has to stop at the pump. Telling her you’re not cold and to take your jacket when you are in fact, very, very cold. It’s watching TV on a rainy Sunday while you’re doing laundry and turning her light off when she’s fallen asleep reading. Sharing pizza crusts and laughing about something the kids did and taking care of each other when you’re sick. It isn’t glamorous, it isn’t all butterflies and stars in your eyes. It’s real. This is the kind of love that forever is made of. Because if it’s this good when life is draining and mundane and hard, think of how wonderful it will be when the love songs are playing and the moon is out.”
― Abby Jimenez, Just for the Summer“You know what these silences make me think of?” she said. I looked over at her. “What?” “I always think that when we’re quiet, we’re agreeing to be harmless to each other. That we’re just sharing the same space and letting each other exist exactly as we are, and neither of us would hurt or upset the other one.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“You and me? We're different. We agree to be harmless to each other.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“I was so sick and tired of platitudes. God has a plan. Everything happens for a reason. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. No, it doesn’t, and fuck all of it.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“You can start over again. Start now.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Happy Ever After Playlist“I don’t think anyone had ever written me a letter before. It was shockingly effective. Way better than text or email, like it had a different weight to it or something. There’s something about holding the paper in your hand, seeing the ink on the page, the press of the pen. He made this. It took effort. It was a physical act. He couldn’t erase it if he made a mistake, he had to think about what he was going to say before he said it—or he said exactly what he wanted to and didn’t need to change it.”
― Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly“I want everything with you.”
― Abby Jimenez, The Happy Ever After Playlist“Time is such a precious thing. How you spend it, how you waste it. And it becomes even more valuable as the hourglass runs out, because you will never get more of it. I see it every day.”
― Abby Jimenez, Worst Wingman Ever