The Book Goddess Reads

The Happy Ever After Playlist

Ever fall for a book while falling apart inside it?

I committed a cardinal sin among book lovers when it came to this book. I judged it by it’s cover. Looking at that cover, wouldn’t you expect a breezy rom-com? I ended up scribblings notes through tears, arguing with characters and underlining like my life depended on it.

📖 Summary:

Two years after losing her husband in a tragic accident, Sloan Monroe is still stuck in the thick of grief – ghosting friends, pausing her career as an artist, and moving through the world like a shadow of her self. Then a dog literally jumps into her life. Tucker, a goofy, stubborn Golden retriever with a penchant for bacon, becomes Sloan’s unexpected companion and emotional support… Until his own finally texts back.

That owner turns out to be Jason, a charming, persistent muscian on tour overseas. Their flirty text banter quickly grows into something deeper. When Jason finally returns to the States, he forces Sloan to re-engage with the world, via a flurry of hilarious texts, shared playlists and stubborn charm.

But falling for a touring musician is terrifying. Still, Jason is gentle, patient and so much more than Sloan expected. As their connection deepens, Sloan must decide is she ready to start again – and can she trust a happy ending when she’s been burned by fate before?

💬My thoughts

☑️ Made me cry in public

☑️Swoon worthy banter and vulnerable story telling

☑️ Dog Lovers and music lovers, this is your book.

☑️ Not totally perfect – but very very healing.

This was my first Abby Jimenez book, and wow—it hit me right in the annotated feels. Sloan’s grief was so raw and realistically messy, but what I appreciated most was how it was honoured throughout the story. It didn’t magically disappear when a hot guy and his dog showed up. Her pain stayed real, but so did her capacity to heal.

I annotated nearly every chapter—Jason’s texts had me smiling, Sloan’s flashbacks made me cry, and there were several moments where I just wrote “💔” in the margin and stared into space. This is that kind of book.

Don’t get me wrong, there were some frustrating parts that I wrote in the margins “WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!” But what Rom com would it be if I didn’t do that.

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✍️ Marginalia Musings

📌 Best Moments:

The early banter and text flirtation (“You stole my dog.” “He stole me.”) Sloan rediscovering music after a long silence—the playlist is part of the story Jason seeing all of Sloan—grief and all—and loving her because of it

• The early banter and text flirtation (“You stole my dog.” “He stole me.”
• Sloan rediscovering music after a long silence – the playlist mirrors the story which I loved.
• Jason seeing all of Sloan – grief and all – and loving her because of it.
• The fact that even though he’d passed say before the start of the novel, Brandon was still a huge character.

📌 Rough Moments:

• Sloans spiral back into fear and self-protection (realistic, but hard to read)
• The media/fame tension was a little underbaked.
• I wanted slightly more from Jason’s emotional backstory.
• The romance was more on again off again than Ross and Rachel.

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📖 Favourite Quotes

“Tucker got me moving. He gave my days purpose. And now he would be leaving me in a few weeks, and I felt panic at the thought of being alone again.”

Isn’t it strange how when you love a pet, you know them all of five minutes and you would die for them. You love them that much!

*marginalia note: Now X: formerly known as Twitter. Or would Jason be a blue sky guy now?

“Sometimes the hardest place is to live the one in between”

Oof! I felt this hard. You’re grieving the loss of a loved one, the loss of the life you thought you’d live. The person you were.

And just so you know, there is no greater show of love than someone bringing you food without being told

Ultimately it’s the person who shows up for you in the quiet moments who put your important dates in their calendar so they know to support you.

🎧 Themes & Ideas

Grief & Recovery: Sloan’s loss is never minimized. The book shows grief as nonlinear, messy, and full of guilt and longing.

Love After Loss: A deeply romantic and tender exploration of what it means to open your heart again. Art as Healing: Music, playlists, and creativity run through this book like veins. It’s how these characters connect—to each other and to themselves.

The Small Things That Save Us: Dogs. Coffee. A shared song. A good friend. A kind word. This book is full of them.

Final Verdict:

Rating: 3.5/5 (Dog Tags and Emotional Damage Included)

This book broke my heart a little—but in the softest, gentlest way. If you’ve ever tried to rebuild after loss, this story will feel like a hand reaching out through the page. Plus, it’s funny. And sweet. And swoony. And filled with excellent text flirting. Highly recommend—with tissues.

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