YVO’S SHORTIES #215 – The Friend Zone & Hidden Figures

Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time a contemporary romance and a non fiction TBR jar pick I have both been anticipating, but sadly didn’t really live up to expectations for me.

Title: The Friend Zone
(The Friend Zone #1)
Author: Abby Jimenez
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
First published: June 11th 2019
Publisher: Forever
Finished reading: February 4th 2021
Pages: 384

“Love is not a checklist of pros versus cons. It’s a feeling.”

I was going in expecting a fun romcom, but I ended up feeling considerably underwhelmed by The Friend Zone. When I first started reading it, I thought I had found another winner as I loved her writing style, the dynamics between the characters and the blunt banter. I had really high hopes for this story, especially with the infertility angle… But in the end this story let me down considerably. Why? I’m going to keep this short, but the first thing that stands out is just how unbelievably frustrating and annoying Kirsten becomes. Her constant ‘I can’t be with him because he wants kids and I’m infertil‘ without even considering asking his opinion first turned my initial frustration into anger; not only was it repetitive but the way she keeps treating poor Josh is despicable. Things started going downhill from there, and the whole tragic accident as a plot twist really didn’t sit right with me. On top of this, the ending was a total let down for me. It is so SO disappointing to see the few books out there with a main character trying to make peace with her fertility problems having that little ‘miracle ending’ to completely ruin the day… Why not show women they can be happy even if they are not able to have children?! I can imagine The Friend Zone being trigger warning worthy for those who face the same struggles… It’s such a shame this story decided to take the direction it took, as I really loved the beginning and the tone and writing were a perfect fit at first. I still want to give the sequel a chance, hoping a focus on Sloan will do the trick… Although I might need a little break so I can overcome the disappointment after reading book one first.

Title: Hidden Figures
Author: Margot Lee Shetterly
Genre: Non Fiction, Science
First published: September 6th 2016
Publisher: William Morrow
Finished reading: February 8th 2021
Pages: 370

“Women, on the other hand, had to wield their intellects like a scythe, hacking away against the stubborn underbrush of low expectations.”

I absolutely love the movie adaptation, and I’ve been wanting to read the original book ever since… The role of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians in America’s space program is simply fascinating to read about, and Hidden Figures not only gives us that, but also shines a light on the years leading up to the program as well as how African-American female mathematicians were first incorporated as ‘computers’ during WWII. It’s an absolutely intriguing and powerful topic and I enjoyed learning more about the women and their past as well as the historical development in Langley and the program. I do have to say that it can get considerably dense as it’s a true non fiction account with an overdose of facts and technical terms, which slowed down the pace considerably and made it less enjoyable to read as a whole. The tone and writing were quite dry, almost like a bored history teacher reciting facts in points, and especially where there are lots of technical details are involved. I was expecting a bigger focus on the women themselves too, but as a whole this was still an interesting read.