Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Life's Too Short

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.

Content Warnings

mels_reading_log's review against another edition

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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.

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amateur_bookworm's review against another edition

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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.

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sierra_liv's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

contemporary fictional romcom & final installment
first-person dual POV of love interests
Friends-to-lovers, nextdoor-neighbor, opposites-attract, & mega strong messaging of be-grateful-for-your-life story set in Minnesota
FMC travel YouTube blogger/influencer Vanessa
MMC lawyer Adrian (went on a date with Sloan in the last book) // Vanessa is fostering her younger sister’s baby, since her younger sister Annabel is struggling with addiction
Adrian knocks on her door to ask her to quiet the baby down but they end up becoming friends
Adrian is dumped by his girlfriend of eight months, after telling him she was married
Cameos from previous series characters, much to my chagrin because FOUR KIDS?! REALLY, FOUR KIDS?! WITH THAT MEDICAL HISTORY?! LITERALLY FORK OFF
Really dislike the making fun of “micro penises” & “nothing is that deep” mentality in here 😭
cw: terminal illness, chronic illness (ALS), addiction, drug abuse, abandonment, mental illness, panic attacks/disorders, hoarding
steam 1/5

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