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kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Title: Life's Too Short
Author: Abby Jimenez
Series: The Friend Zone #3
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: April 6, 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Witty • Tender • Wholesome
📖 S Y N O P S I S
When Vanessa Price quit her job to pursue her dream of traveling the globe, she wasn't expecting to gain millions of YouTube followers who shared her joy of seizing every moment. For her, living each day to its fullest isn't just a motto. Her mother and sister never saw the age of 30, and Vanessa doesn't want to take anything for granted.
But after her half sister suddenly leaves Vanessa in custody of her baby daughter, life goes from "daily adventure" to "next-level bad". The last person Vanessa expects to show up offering help is the hot lawyer next door, Adrian Copeland. After all, she barely knows him. No one warned her that he was the Secret Baby Tamer or that she'd be spending a whole lot of time with him and his geriatric Chihuahua.
Now she's feeling things she's vowed not to feel. Because the only thing worse than falling for Adrian is finding a little hope for a future she may never see.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Life's Too Short was the final book of Abby's repertoire on my TBR. The third installment in The Friend Zone companion series, I knew the major plot centered around ALS, and that there was a social media aspect as well. I knew very little more than that, which is exactly how I like to go into her books.
Another signature Abby tale with witty banter, complex characters and mental health representation. I really liked both Vanessa and Adrian, they each felt so wholesome. Getting both of their POVs allows for a more in depth look into their thoughts and actions. Their connection was believable very early on and felt genuine. Their ability to co-parent was organic and simply beautiful. Additionally, I loved getting to see Vanessa's relationship with her family and how each one dealt with the tragic losses in a different way. This really shows how grief is deeply personal.
For me, the first half was definitely stronger. The manner in which the whole medical aspect was handled didn't sit well with me. It became harder and harder to believe as the story progresses and at times felt dragged out. I understand Abby wanted to add depth, yet I think it could have easily been done in a different way and it would have worked better.
Life's Too Short was an enjoyable story with realistic and flawed characters, yet it was easily my least favourite of Abby's books (even though there were aspects I adored). Regardless, I have come to the end of Abby's backlist and will be impatiently waiting for her next release.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• modern families
• furry companions
• Abby Jimenez
⚠️ CW: mental illness, addiction, drug use, drug abuse, overdose, death, death of parent, sibling death, grief, car accident, terminal illness, chronic illness, abandonment, dementia, panic attacks/disorders, sexual content, cursing, medical content, pregnancy, hoarding, toxic relationship, infidelity
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"'Life is no excuse,' she said. "You should always have an adventure lined up. Having something to look forward to is tantamount to happiness.'"
"There are people you can know for a lifetime and they never get your heart. And then there are those who are already inside it, before you ever lay eyes on them."
Author: Abby Jimenez
Series: The Friend Zone #3
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: April 6, 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Witty • Tender • Wholesome
📖 S Y N O P S I S
When Vanessa Price quit her job to pursue her dream of traveling the globe, she wasn't expecting to gain millions of YouTube followers who shared her joy of seizing every moment. For her, living each day to its fullest isn't just a motto. Her mother and sister never saw the age of 30, and Vanessa doesn't want to take anything for granted.
But after her half sister suddenly leaves Vanessa in custody of her baby daughter, life goes from "daily adventure" to "next-level bad". The last person Vanessa expects to show up offering help is the hot lawyer next door, Adrian Copeland. After all, she barely knows him. No one warned her that he was the Secret Baby Tamer or that she'd be spending a whole lot of time with him and his geriatric Chihuahua.
Now she's feeling things she's vowed not to feel. Because the only thing worse than falling for Adrian is finding a little hope for a future she may never see.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Life's Too Short was the final book of Abby's repertoire on my TBR. The third installment in The Friend Zone companion series, I knew the major plot centered around ALS, and that there was a social media aspect as well. I knew very little more than that, which is exactly how I like to go into her books.
Another signature Abby tale with witty banter, complex characters and mental health representation. I really liked both Vanessa and Adrian, they each felt so wholesome. Getting both of their POVs allows for a more in depth look into their thoughts and actions. Their connection was believable very early on and felt genuine. Their ability to co-parent was organic and simply beautiful. Additionally, I loved getting to see Vanessa's relationship with her family and how each one dealt with the tragic losses in a different way. This really shows how grief is deeply personal.
For me, the first half was definitely stronger. The manner in which the whole medical aspect was handled didn't sit well with me. It became harder and harder to believe as the story progresses and at times felt dragged out. I understand Abby wanted to add depth, yet I think it could have easily been done in a different way and it would have worked better.
Life's Too Short was an enjoyable story with realistic and flawed characters, yet it was easily my least favourite of Abby's books (even though there were aspects I adored). Regardless, I have come to the end of Abby's backlist and will be impatiently waiting for her next release.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• modern families
• furry companions
• Abby Jimenez
⚠️ CW: mental illness, addiction, drug use, drug abuse, overdose, death, death of parent, sibling death, grief, car accident, terminal illness, chronic illness, abandonment, dementia, panic attacks/disorders, sexual content, cursing, medical content, pregnancy, hoarding, toxic relationship, infidelity
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"'Life is no excuse,' she said. "You should always have an adventure lined up. Having something to look forward to is tantamount to happiness.'"
"There are people you can know for a lifetime and they never get your heart. And then there are those who are already inside it, before you ever lay eyes on them."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Mental illness, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Addiction, Grief, Sexual content, Drug use, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Death, and Car accident
Minor: Dementia, Cursing, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity
overdose, sibling death, hoardingkyleethecatlady's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
So emotional. I love the characters. This was a really unique book. I haven’t read another book like it, and I really enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and Drug abuse
Minor: Pregnancy, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Dementia
sistatv's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Abby Jimenez writes excellent book boyfriends. Like A 1, perfect fucking book boyfriends. I loved this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Grief, Terminal illness, Drug use, and Addiction
juanat77's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Addiction, Car accident, Chronic illness, Cursing, Excrement, Medical content, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Death of parent, Infidelity, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
kelliepalmer's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse and Abandonment
natalie_the_reader's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Death
Moderate: Drug abuse
erin_knor's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was definitely cute. Not as good as her others in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Chronic illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
libellumartinae's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I am not going to lie: I am very disappointed.
As of lately, I have been getting back into romances as they provide a cozy mean of escape, but I have noticed that oftentimes many books suggested by booktok or similar, although furnished with good concepts, in the actual writing lack much. In this case, specifically, I felt like there were so many things that made little sense (e.g.: him misunderstanding the state of her situation or her first saying that she is unsure who passed the genre and then confirming it runs through her mother). Although I appreciate what the author has tried to do on the SLA side, I felt like there were so many more themes that could be further developed and discussed, instead of being brushed to the end and magically resolved with a magical wand.
The chemistry between the two characters, to me, lacked; it felt very forced and although I know that there's certainly a level of escapism also in this, I felt like it made little sense for them to act so cozy after barely a few pages. I don't know whether, still, that's more my preference or something else. Either way if you are into a slow burn, this isn't the book for you.
Also another thing I didn't fully understand was the fact that this woman clearly doesn't have a clue how YouTube and influencers work and on the long run it just added to the ridiculousness and absence of sense all rooted around the whole situation.
A cute book, but certainly one of the worst romances that I read since getting back in the genre.
As of lately, I have been getting back into romances as they provide a cozy mean of escape, but I have noticed that oftentimes many books suggested by booktok or similar, although furnished with good concepts, in the actual writing lack much. In this case, specifically, I felt like there were so many things that made little sense (e.g.: him misunderstanding the state of her situation or her first saying that she is unsure who passed the genre and then confirming it runs through her mother). Although I appreciate what the author has tried to do on the SLA side, I felt like there were so many more themes that could be further developed and discussed, instead of being brushed to the end and magically resolved with a magical wand.
The chemistry between the two characters, to me, lacked; it felt very forced and although I know that there's certainly a level of escapism also in this, I felt like it made little sense for them to act so cozy after barely a few pages. I don't know whether, still, that's more my preference or something else. Either way if you are into a slow burn, this isn't the book for you.
Also another thing I didn't fully understand was the fact that this woman clearly doesn't have a clue how YouTube and influencers work and on the long run it just added to the ridiculousness and absence of sense all rooted around the whole situation.
A cute book, but certainly one of the worst romances that I read since getting back in the genre.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Drug use
mels_reading_log's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
She’s a vacation blogger showing the world her life with possible ALS whose drug addict sister just dropped off her newborn and disappeared. Of course the super hot, rich, lawyer that lives next door wants to hold the baby to her at 4 am so she can shower. Like, that’s totally something that happens in real life. But there he was helping and that’s what started an epic friendship, and maybe a little something more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Dementia, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
amateur_bookworm's review
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Genre: Contemporary romance, fiction
My summary: Vanessa is a popular travel YouTuber and has found herself unexpectedly thrust into motherhood when she has to step in and take her half-sister’s newborn daughter, Grace. When Grace’s wailing brings Vanessa’s next door neighbor over—at 4am—Adrian and Vanessa are immediately drawn to each other. Adrian, a successful criminal defense attorney, soon finds himself spending less time at the office because he wants to be with Vanessa and Grace. But Vanessa’s days are numbered, as an aggressive genetic disorder has killed every female in her family before the age of 30. Adrian and Vanessa soon find that love is hard, especially with a clock ticking.
My thoughts: This one was a little tough to get through. Actually, almost this entire series was tough to get through. This book was funny, as in, I actually laughed a real laugh several times. Vanessa’s personality sparkled on the page and I enjoyed the unfolding of them falling in love with each other. But, it was also heartbreaking and a downer. I wasn’t even a third of the way through the book yet, and was absolutely terrified that Abby Jimenez was going to thoroughly wreck me before it was over. I didn’t shed as many tears as I thought I might, but it was sad at times. I appreciate this series and Abby taking on some tough real-life themes in the first and third book that I thought she handled well. But I also read as an escape and this sure did not leave me with warm and fuzzy feelings. I think this is a great series, but I caution that it is not as light-hearted as I expected a witty romance series to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Terminal illness, Drug abuse, Death, Medical content, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy