The Friend Zone (Game on, #2)

by Kristen Callihan

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 win Ivy’s heart. Game on.

• ISBN10: 1517687853
• ISBN13: 9781517687854
• Publish Date: 1 October 2015 (first published 5 May 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 296
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

When Gray Grayson borrowed that little pink Fiat, he never knew it would lead to a beautiful friendship with Ivy Mackenzie.

I knew from page 1, that I was going to love this book. The opening text messages properly set the tone for this book and the awesome friendship/relationship that would ensue. The texts were witty and adorable, and that pretty much matched my overall impression of The Friend Zone.

You've owned me from 'shenanigans', Ivy Mac.

There is so much to love about this book
I loved the characters - Ivy and Gray were so much fun to get to know. They had great chemistry and banter. Their exchanges kept me smiling and when I was not smiling, I was swooning.

A world without Ivy in it would be like a world without the sun - cold, dark, avoid of gravity. I'm pretty sure I'd drift aimlessly.

Seriously, for a reputed playboy, Gray had a knack for swoony talk.

I'm so lost in you, I don't ever want to find my way back.

Their friendship was a #goals kind of thing. They felt this connection for each other before they even met. It was all based on personality. That concept is quite idealistic, but I love it. This was a real slow burn. It was no secret to the reader how our hero and heroine felt about each other, but it took a LONG time for them to give in and act on their feelings. I actually thought I might explode waiting for this to happen.

I'm so gone on her, I don't know my left from my right anymore. She is my center line. All thoughts run through Ivy Mackenzie.

Not to worry, the only thing exploding was my heart from all the sweet-adorable-wonderfulness.

Callihan did an excellent job constructing these characters for me. She gave me the backstory necessary to understand why they did the things they did, and also, wrote them is such a way that I couldn't help but fall in love with them. Cupcake + Special Sauce = ah-mazing!

The sum of my existence equals you.

Overall: a great addition to this series, and dare I say, my favorite of the three.

[Kait ✨]

i was surprised by how much i liked this book because i was SO wishy washy on the first one, [b:The Hook Up|22611920|The Hook Up (Game On, #1)|Kristen Callihan|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1407891923s/22611920.jpg|42102987]. i love the “meet cute” - and i can’t walk past a fiat anymore without thinking of this book. i really liked both gray and ivy, and i love the friends-to-lovers thing and that they started off by texting each other from an ocean away.

the one thing i didn’t like was the pregnancy scare. i don’t really like the pregnancy trope as a way to force characters together, but i really hated it here. it felt like even more of a cop-out because of the miscarriage. i just feel there are better ways to get characters to come around and realize their feelings.

so, overall - really enjoyed this one until the last couple chapters, which knocked it down a couple pegs for me.

[stacey_is_sassy]

Cupcake pushed his Ivy Mac out of her Zone and it was Game On...

I am again burdened with guilt that I have maligned the genre of NA when books like The Friend Zone are out there. I now admit I'm a fan of NA...well Kristen Callihan NA. So far this series has filled me with emotions. I have laughed out loud at the characters shenanigans, teared up at the pain the characters felt, impressed with the hot and sexy scenes and content that we see this couple connect and communicate in and out of the bedroom.

First off I need to disclose that I know absolutely nothing about American football which is my excuse for not remembering Gray's position. The Friend Zone is the story of Ivy and Gray. They meet because Ivy's Dad lends her car to Gray while she is overseas. Ivy contacts him by text to warn him not to hurt her precious car, which then turns into them texting each other on a regular basis. When they finally meet they are both excited to make their friendship a real one, not just a texting one. We see the journey they take to cement their friendship...but they can't deny their attraction.

Grey is dealing with the pressures of training, choosing an agent and keeping everything moving smoothly. Ivy is at a bit of a crossroads in her life. She has an opportunity to work overseas, but what once was her dreams, no longer has the same appeal. I loved that this couple was not afraid of sharing their feelings or emotions.

Some hard subjects are dealt with and we see why and how the characters are the way they are. Again, we get to meet intelligent and strong men who know they are capable of violence but generally know how to control it. These are not football players who use their ball skills to avoid hard work and study. They put in the time and effort to be the best at what they do whether it's on the field or in the classroom.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ivy and Gray's story and will definitely be reading more in this series.

I've been Hooked...visited the Zone...and now I'm heading to the Game.

[whisperingchapters]

This review was first published on Latte Nights Reviews.

"You are the happiness I never realized I needed."

I'm so glad I gave this one a chance since I didn't really like the first book. This one, though, was great! Right from the start I was hooked with the text conversations that were going on. Those were definitely fun to read about—I had a huge grin on my face while reading their witty banter. The chemistry between Gray and Ivy is palpable as soon as they meet. You would think that since they haven't met face to face things would be awkward. Well, let me put your worries aside and let you know that these two characters have a very strong bond as soon as they meet for the first time. Their friendship is what any girl would look like to have with a guy. The reason being that Gray is always there for Ivy, even when she is sick. He was always there during her time of need, helping her with everything and anything. Ivy is a stubborn woman so Gray had his hands full but he didn't care. He just loved being there for her and loved her company.

I've just officially met Ivy Mackenzie, and I realize I've missed her for what seems like years.

Gray has been a player for a long time. Apparently, it had been for so long that it started to bother Ivy a lot because Gray couldn't see himself as a one woman kind of guy... That is, until he met Ivy. On this book, you get to see the vulnerable side of Gray that we hadn't seen before and it will make you fall for him, if you haven't already. I mean, the guy cooks! Anyways, I believe that Gray made Ivy a better person and made her realize what she really wanted out of life. He showed her the way to self-discovery and Ivy learned to own it.

Make me stop, Ivy. Be the one who makes it all stop.

The plot was interesting and kept me going until the very end. The Friend Zone focuses on friendship, family and the past—one that Gray isn't ready to deal with yet. Sometimes people forget, me included, that these stories have these powerful messages or just powerful stories that one doesn't forget easily. While a story can be fun, like this one, it will also have real life feelings and real life situations that will have it's readers seeing themselves in these characters. These characters were real and got to be fully developed, in my opinion.

The romance was spectacular. It wasn't insta-love! You hear that, guys? It wasn't insta-love!! Let's celebrate! *throws confetti* Anyway, there was an attraction that was built quickly but it was instantaneous. The romance was built very slowly and developed at a very realistic pace that readers will enjoy. When everything clicks into place, you will be so far gone into it [the romance] that will swoon at every detail.

"I'm crazy about you, Ivy. You have to know that. I'm so lost in you, I don't ever want to find my way back."

There were so many funny, laugh-out-loud moments in this story. There are comments that the characters make that will have you bursting with laughter. There's a specific story that is told that will have you full on laughing, rolling on the floor, too. In case you're interested, it is the Cheerio story! I honestly couldn't stop laughing. This book put me in such a good mood while reading. If you are looking for a very funny and romantic story, then you have to read The Friend Zone!

"Seriously, Iv... You could climb him like Everest, make base camp at his cock, and tackle the rest in the morning."

[EBookObsessed]

I absolutely loved this story. The characters were fabulous and the story flowed so well. You could feel the click of their connection from the first text messages and the tight friendship which grows between them. This will be going right next to The Hook Up on my Go-To Book list.

Kristen Callihan's 1st book in the series, The Hook Up, came out last year and it has become one of my Go-To books. By that I mean, it's one of that books that I pick up if I need something to read when I'm between books or I'm too busy to concentrate on starting a new story. I have read The Hook Up several times both from start to finish and just jumping around.

Admittedly, it took me more than one read to come to like Gray Grayson. At first I saw him as a man-whore who was judging Anna poorly for doing exactly what he was doing. Anna wanted to keep things casual and just sexual with Drew and Gray was acting like she was a heartless bitch. Yet Gray only spent enough time with women to get them naked and once the sex was done, he forgot they even had names. After the second or third read, I started to see that Gray didn't hate Anna so much as he hated to see that his friend was suffering because of her. Gray still didn't understand why Drew wanted Anna so badly instead of simply finding another women who wanted him.

At least that is until Ivy MacKensie came into Grey's life, and that is what made The Friend Zone so fabulous. Not only do we have this instant and incredible connection between Ivy and Grey which starts off with simply texting while she is in England and he is here at college, but once they finally meet, we get to sit back and watch their relationship develop from such a strong foundation of friendship. Grey, who never spent time with a woman that didn't involve a bed and being naked, finds himself desperate to spend time with Ivy just sitting around doing mundane things like watching T.V. Grey isn't caught by Ivy so much as happily throws himself into her arms.

At the end of The Hook Up, Grey needed a car and ended up borrowing one from his new agent whose daughter was out of the country. Grey was forced to drive this tiny, pink monstrosity while Drew borrowed his truck. The texting started when Ivy found out Grey was driving her car. Their friendship blossomed quickly and their texting became a mutual highlight of their days. The whole Prologue is just their texting back and forth and making that initial connection.

It is their tight friendship which caused the emotional trouble throughout the story. Once Ivy returned to the U.S., she and Grey were spending all their free time together enjoying each other's company. All the while, there is this simmering sexual tension between them. They both feel it, but their time together means so much to both of them that neither wants to risk losing it all.

Ivy is aware of Grey's past playboy lifestyle with women, both from her father's warnings and basically anytime she it out and about in public with Grey and women are literally sitting in his lap and offering him sexual favors. Ivy has only had one-long term romantic relationship and has never done the one-night-stand. She doesn't want to be a friend with benefit for Grey. Actually Grey doesn't want that either. He wants a girlfriend for the first time in his life but he can feel Ivy pulling away anytime things start moving toward anything more than just buddies hanging out. Grey (former man-whore) would rather have Ivy in his life as his friend than lose her if she doesn't want more from him.

Where normally I would feel frustrated that no one is saying anything while they are dying to progress the relationship, here you can also feel their desperation not to ruin the friendship which has come to mean so much to both of them.

This was such an enjoyable story and definitely one I will be reading again and again. I didn't get a review copy of this one but I picked up a copy on the release day and had it hovering in the background until I finally had a chance to squeeze it in between deadlines. It has thrown off my schedule but it was sooo worth it.

If you haven't started this series, grab both today. You can thank me later. :)

[Cocktails and Books]

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books.



This book was reviewed by a member of the review staff at Cocktails and Books. The name of the reviewer can be found under the post categories.

[leelu92]

I seem to have a love/dislike relationship with NA. The synopsis seems to draw me in and then the POV just kills me. And yet, I'm so into the male MC that I tend just push through the female MCs pov.

I was very excited to read this book because....virgin male MC. Um yeah.

I ended up putting this book down at about 30% because the incessant inner monologue drove me over the edge. BUT, I picked it up after dinner and a margarita and decided to give it another try.

It picked up for me when Ivy & Gray finally got physical and gave in to their more than friends feelings. While I did get to a point of enjoyment with this one, it did not blow my mind like I hoped it would.