(This review contains spoilers from the first book in the series, The Friend Zone.)

After reading The Friend Zone, I suspected book two would focus on Sloan (I didn't look ahead), which I had mixed feelings about. I wanted her to have another chance at happiness, but I knew it would have to be handled delicately.

It's been two years since Sloan lost her fiancé and life looks as bleak as it did when he died. Her friends are worried about her, and no matter what she tries, Sloan can't pull herself out of her grief-fueled funk. Her first ray of sunshine comes by way of a dog who jumps into her car (and wins her a ticket). When Tucker's owner is unreachable, Sloan decides to keep the dog. He's the first thing that's been able to consistently get her out of the house and feeling alive again. She sees a future with this dog, that is, until the owner finally returns her calls. He claims that he's been on a work trip to Australia and out of contact, and though Sloan's initial reaction is to hang up on him, she isn't about to steal someone's dog if he truly loves him.

Sloan agrees to watch Tucker for the remainder of Jason's trip, and the two build a rapport over the phone and texts during that time. By the time Jason returns home, he insists on taking Sloan out on a date, though she's reluctant to call it as such. Although she's afraid of being hurt again, she can't deny her immense feelings for Jason.

The first half of this book was a lot of fun, and it was nice to see Sloan slowly open up to the idea of a second chance, but the last third or fourth of the book took a massive turn in tone. Although the drama worked well, it felt like too much in comparison to the rest of it. And while I've come to expect the miscommunication tropes in Abby Jimenez's books, this time it was way over the top. I couldn't even root for these characters to get together by the end because they were so bad for each other.

I did enjoy this book more than The Friend Zone, because that book was incredibly heavy for a romcom. This one had its moments, but it felt more resolved by the end. I also preferred Sloan as a protagonist over Kristen. I plan on finishing out the series.

One of my dream road trips is to visit notable churches across America, so this book immediately caught my eye. I didn't even realize that there are multiple basilicas in my state!

Basilicas is a beautiful guide to the basilicas located in the United States. Organized alphabetically by state, information about each church includes its history, breathtaking images of the interior and exterior, dedication and elevation dates, and other general information. Also included are major basilicas located in Rome. The book begins with a wonderful introduction, explaining the significance of visiting a basilica as well as the spiritual benefits in doing so prayerfully.

So far, I've only been to two of the basilicas mentioned in this book (the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome). I love that this book leaves space for readers to log their visits to each church. I do wish that the locations covered North America as a whole, especially given that it includes a few locations in Rome. I would have loved to have seen the basilicas of Canada featured, particularly the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Beaupré, which is dear to my heart. A follow-up book, perhaps?!

A huge thanks to Ave Maria Press and NetGalley for providing a free digital ARC!