User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Wooooooww! I’m truly deeply and madly in love with this book! Can a person smile from ear to ear and cry like mad woman who was at the edge of ugly nervous breakdown!
This book is not only the best book of Friend Zone series or the most perfectly written Abby Jimenez book, this also deserves a place at my all time favorite romance books list : a book which should be read more than once, a book which makes you feel everything: making you laugh so hard, pushing you think more about incurable diseases with its social awareness passages about ALS, making your tears drop faster than the speed of the light: you smile, you laugh, you cry, you ache, you care, you sigh, you shout and at the end smile spreads wider on your face.
You feel like somebody gently touched your heart, taking away your pain, unnecessary worries, sadness. That’s the power of great books which gives you hope, motivation and proves there’s always another options in your life so be brave, take risk and try again to get your second chances!
Vanessa Price is one of the most adorable heroines you want to give long hugs and wish to be your real life friend. Even though life dealt real shitty hand to her, she is strong enough to deal each curveballs life throws at her. She’s inherited health conditions of her mother side of the family. Every women at the family died before they’re getting thirty. Her mother and her sister were already gone. She’s a ticking bomb. She rejects to get testing and spending the rest of her days in the hospital. She has only one year to become 30 so she wants to spend her probable last days by traveling around the world , drinking more wines, experiencing new things. Actually she’s already doing them: She’s a celebrity with her popular YouTube Vlogs, millions of admirers and followers. She’s honest about herself from the beginning, talking about her illness, raising awareness, conducting fund raising campaigns.
And she spends her money to take care of her damaged family: a hoarder father who has never been getting through the loss of his wife, two step siblings: 19 years old drug addict sister and a jobless young brother who rejects to take responsibility. She financially, mentally support them even though she’s the one who is at the risk to die from fatal illness.
But now her step sister left her baby to her, rejecting to go to rehab. So she’s all alone in her studio apartment, taking care of an infant, losing her last marbles. That’s where she meets his Jesus’s Abs neighbor Adrian Copeland, ultra hot, corporate lawyer who bangs on her door at 4 a.m. and offers her help for putting baby on sleep.
Adrian already has his own family issues, breaking up from his not so loyal girlfriend, living a boring, work oriented, dull life till Vanessa brighten everything with her vivid, joyful, enthusiastic character and change him to be a better person!
I loved Adrian so much: he was dependable, honest, caring, a real good man you can count on! I want to give him millions of hugs as well.
I loved their friendship. I loved their genuine, intimate love! I loved their bittersweet, ultra romantic, tear jerking story!
Overall: I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!
If I could give entire galaxy stars or name a planet with the title of the book, I would do it without thinking any further!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Forever/ Grand Central Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
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Rating: really liked it
This booooooooooook. Right off the bat, I was hooked. Jimenez's sense of humor, her way with language, and the nuance of her characters were clear from page one. The book just SPARKLES. I will be honest, I'm a person who generally avoids books with strong plotlines about terminal illness, and Vanessa, one of LTS's main characters, has spent most of her life reckoning with the 50% chance that she will develop hereditary ALS.
I'm not sure anyone but Jimenez could have guided me through a book with that possibility as a major component--but there was so much humor, so much sweetness, and excitement, and FUN that I couldn't stop reading, and I'm so glad I didn't. It's a hard read at times, but it's also a powerful one, about living your life in the now, instead of the what if. As Vanessa points out, debilitating worry about the future can rob you of your present, by making you live out the worst possible outcome before it's even happened. It's such a timely read, as we're all hanging in the balance of Covid, wondering what comes after, trying to understand how to be happy now, and I'm so, so grateful I got to read it, because I really needed the catharsis and hope this story gave me.
I laughed, I cried, and I fell in love with these characters--side characters included. I am very much hoping for a Becky book.
Rating: really liked it
Trigger/CW warnings for Life's Too Short: ALS, mental health (OCD/hoarding), parental abandonment, addiction, grief and loss
Now a New York Times Best Seller!!!!
"Jimenez masterfully blends heavy issues and humor, lacing the tear-jerking heartache with sass and sarcasm. Series fans and newcomers alike will be moved by this emotional rom-com." —Starred review, Publishers Weekly
Just popping in to remind you that Indie bookstores need your support right now more than ever. Please shop small and order Life's Too Short from your local Indie bookseller. Thank you for reading!!
Rating: really liked it
can't tell if this is a seasonal depression apathy thing or if this is really just meh. gonna go with the latter. i like the
idea of romances with a lot of real life in them, but for some reason authors can't seem to find a good middle ground. we have quirky characters with no true personalities in bubbly rom coms or we have intensely traumatized characters with a LOT of shit to work through.
and there's absolutely a time and a place for both, but i can't help but feel burnt out reading all of these new romance releases that deal so much with death. sometimes i want to escape into someone else's real life without too much heaviness. maybe that's too much to ask for. but as a result this was just kinda ok for me.
Rating: really liked it
I’m sorry.
I know that I ignored a lot of your emails and texts, yesterday...but I FINALLY got my hands on a copy of the latest FRIEND ZONE book by the AMAZING Abby Jimenez and I just couldn’t be disturbed!!
I don’t like many romance books, but I LOVE hers! ❤️
Her romance trope is Friends to Lovers, but in each book, the attraction is always there from the start but our courageous leading ladies won’t let their incredibly hot suitors get close, because they are struggling with SOMETHING and do not feel like they have enough to offer in return.
Of course, they are wrong!
In book one it was infertility.
Book two tackled moving on from incredible loss.
And, in this book, Vanessa Price, a famous YOUTUBER raising money for ALS, is afraid she may not have a long life because she lost both her Mother and her Sister to the hereditary disease, giving her a more than 50% chance of dying from it as well.
I like that these UPLIFTING romances have DEPTH, in addition to playful, witty banter and sexy bedroom scenes that don’t resort to using the three unsexy “C” words!
Oh, and the books have dogs! 🐶
Don’t get me started on Harry Puppins, the geriatric toothless chihuahua that our leading man, Adrian Copeland gets talked into FOSTERING!
Yeah, he is hot, he COOKS, is a partner in his law firm and he’s good with both babies and dogs in diapers!
I mean, C’mon?
DO READ the author’s notes at the end of the book, as EACH book has been inspired by an actual heroine!
This one has a couple of recipes in the back too!
I am already anxiously awaiting her next book, titled “Part of Your World”.
No release date has been set, yet, for that one...but THIS book is available NOW! ❤️
Rating: really liked it
4 stars 
We're now three for three! Abby Jimenez writes the kind of romance I love and she's given me three books I've absolutely adored. Though I'm not sure she'll ever be able to top 'The Friend Zone' for me, I still loved this one a lot!
If Vanessa had a motto, it would be to live life to the fullest. Take the trip. Go for the experience. She's spent years being a travel blogger/youtuber doing just that. Living each day to the fullest and experiencing new things. Now, she's back in her home state and traveling has halted. Her half-sister has an addiction problem and just left her newborn daughter (Vanessa's niece) with her and took off. It's hard to travel or do much of anything with an infant so she's home for the time being.
Adrian Copeland is an attorney and Vanessa's next door neighbor. He works too much and doesn't spend his days living life to the fullest... he spends them in his office. When Adrian meets Vanessa and becomes friends with her, his life changes.
“You suffer from One Day Syndrome.” He wrinkled his brows. “What?”
“One Day Syndrome. You live your life like there’ll always be one day to do all the things you put off. One day you’ll take the trip. One day you’ll have the family. One day you’ll try the thing. You’re all work and not enough play. Money can’t make you happy unless you know what you want, Adrian. So what do you want?”
Adrian realizes there are things much more important than his job. And though Vanessa is just his friend, sparks start to fly. He can't imagine a day without Vanessa or her niece. They become a found family of sorts. The found family troupe is one I adore, but I also loved the complex stories of Adian and Vanessa's real families.
I loved both of the main characters in this story so much. Vanessa was incredible and inspiring and Adrian was so easy to fall for. There were times towards the end I wanted to yell at him, but I could sympathize what he was going through and the shock of it all. The very end left the biggest smile on my face. Vanessa and Adrian's story was so wonderful.
Abby Jimenez has this way of writing that completely draws you in. This is an unputdownable story that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you swoon, and keep a huge smile on your face. I love books that make me look inside and think of my life and of course books that make me feel. This had the feels in spades, but also was lighthearted at the same time. A great balance. This was another stellar romance from Jimenez and I highly recommend checking it out!
“You are the flood, Vanessa. Seeping and then pouring, washing away everything that I used to think mattered and then filling me up to the top until I’m drowned in nothing but you.”
Rating: really liked it
This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year!I absolutely loved the previous two books by this author and had been sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for this newest release by Abby Jimenez.
Maybe my expectations were too high? Maybe when you want something so badly it just never holds up in reality.
Vanessa has fears she has the same terminal condition that claimed the lives of her mother and sister. She knows that due to genetics her chances of contracting the illness and dying are high.
Thus Vanessa spends her time getting her life in order as to leave no loose threads for her family. Only she never expected to meet her hunky neighbor Adrian.
Abby Jimenez always includes tough topics in her books such as infertility and grief so I was ready for it. But, I had a hard time with Vanessa and her actions regarding her diagnosis. I found it frustrating and it ended up taking away my enjoyment of this read. Was it because I’m an RN? Maybe.🤷🏻♀️
There are many outstanding five-star reviews for this book. So I hope that is the experience you have as well.🤩
A buddy read with Susanne that left both of us a bit disappointed.
Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
Thank you to Susanne for gifting me a 🎧 copy.
Rating: really liked it
Review Posted on blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...
Let me be frank: I have a Love/Hate relationship with this book. What I loved: The characters and their relationship.
What I hated: The major plotline (and I have my reasons).
Ok, so let’s get down to it:
I LOVED the characters of Vanessa and Adrian (even though Adrian is my dad’s name and it’s almost impossible for me to find someone with that name attractive (sorry, not sorry!). Truth be told, yes, in this novel, the character of Adrian was delectably swoon-worthy (it almost pains me to say!). Kind, caring, witty, and funny, I was a goner as soon as he spoke. It was clear Vanessa felt the same way! The witty banter these two exchanged had me in stitches! The way Vanessa and Adrian’s relationship grew from a friendship into love, felt wholly realistic. Seeing them care for baby Grace, Vanessa’s niece together, also melted my heart. I laughed, I cried and yes, I was cheering for them the whole way through.
So, on that note, let’s talk about what I HATED: The entire plot involving ALS. Vanessa’s sister and several of her family members have passed away from the disease and Vanessa feels that she may now be exhibiting initial symptoms. I felt this entire storyline to be very poorly researched, poorly written, and poorly executed. Unfortunately, I have had two family members pass away from ALS. As such, I know how the symptoms present themselves and I was very disappointed in the way this storyline was carried out. While I am not an expert on ALS, I know a lot and was discouraged by how this was handled (and knew what was wrong with Vanessa immediately) and discussed this at length with my book buddy Kaceey, who is a nurse, and who happened to agree with me.
On the whole, I loved the friendship, romance, and witty banter in this story and simply adored the characters. I would recommend this book to fans of rom-com, contemporary romance, women’s fiction, and Abby Jimenez. As long as unrealistic medical plots don’t bother you, I think you’ll love this. What I also enjoyed was the fact that we got a tiny glimpse of Kristen, Josh, Sloane, and Jason from “The Friend Zone” and “The Happily Ever After Playlist.”
3.25 stars
A buddy read with Kaceey that gave us much to talk about.
Thank you to NetGalley for granting my wish, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Abby Jimenez for the arc, and to my local library for loaning me a copy of the audiobook.
Published on Goodreads, Twitter, and Instagram.
Rating: really liked it
Okay, so I just finished this one late last night instead of sleeping, because that’s what Abby’s books do to me.
Her books have this way of melting together the heavy and the humor, and Life’s Too Short is no exception. It has all the classic Abby sass and sarcasm I crave in her stories, while also tackling real and serious issues that people face every single day.
Heavy topics are dealt with in here (ALS, addiction, mental health), but the laughs are woven in exactly when you need them, and not in a way that makes light of any of the issues at hand. I mean, how many of us use humor to cope, am I right??
We briefly met Adrian in The Happy Ever After Playlist, and I was so excited to learn he was getting his own book, because while the poor guy never stood a chance with lovesick Sloan, I definitely wanted to see him get his HEA.
You know that feeling you get when a man rolls up the sleeves of his collared button-up to just below his elbows, exposing toned forearms with well-hydrated veins? Adrian is the bearded embodiment of that feeling.He radiates this sexy alpha-in-charge vibe, while also being an incredibly caring, loyal, and loving human being. He’s a fixer, and we get to experience both the benefits and the drawbacks of him possessing that trait when it comes to those he loves.
Vanessa is someone I hope I would be like if I were dealt the cards she was in life. She’s lived through a lot of loss and had many curve-balls thrown her way, and even though she has this dark cloud looming just above, she doesn’t let it engulf who she is. While she does choose to live her life a specific way because of it, she’s also living the way she does in spite of it, because as we all know to some degree or another, life IS too short, right? She, like Adrian, is the fixer in her family, the responsible one. As Adrian puts it,
“We were the rocks in our families, always putting the needs of everyone else before our own, so I knew what it meant that she let me be there for her.”I am hesitant to go into too much detail as even the tiniest things can feel spoilery when a book hasn’t yet released, but I thoroughly loved seeing their journey unfold. We learn a good amount about each of their pasts/backstory, and how those events have formed them into who they are now. Neither of them are perfect, but who is? They screw up. They
say the wrong things sometimes. They
assume the wrong things sometimes. They even
DO the wrong thing sometimes. It’s part of what makes them not perfect people, but two human beings who have been chipped, bent, and broken in several places that serve to help them fit perfectly together:
“Vanessa made me different. Better. She made me see the world through a new lens-or a lens that I’d forgotten existed.”
“Sometimes I feel like I’m spinning. Like I’m a tornado and I can’t ever stop moving and the only time I feel still is when I’m with you.”There are a lot of family dynamics at play for both our MCs, and I think the relationships and struggles within the pages are relatable on many levels.
All in all, this is a story where you’ll see that while love is not the magic fix or cure for everything, it definitely makes carrying the heavy stuff less of a burden, because you have someone else to share the weight of it with. ♥️
PS The Big Gesture™️ in this is *chefs kiss*
Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars Good things first:• I liked the writing (this is a new author to me). I read this in record time because it just flowed very well, both the story and the way it was told.
• I liked the humour, it wasn’t extremely funny but the banter between the characters was smart and entertaining.
• The plot itself was simple and to be honest there wasn’t very much there, but that wasn’t a bad thing necessarily, I expected maybe a bit more but again, it was okay the way it was in the end.
• I loved how the people in Vanessa’s life were portrayed. Her family was described as deeply flawed and yet that wasn’t written as being a bad thing necessarily, but as a learning curve. Everyone has their own battles and their own way of being there for their loved ones. I loved the uniqueness of those characters and the fact that they were humanised, not demonised. I particularly loved her dad and her brother. They were awesome and her brother cracked me up whenever he had any dialogue.
• I definitely liked the overall message that the book tried to convey. It was all about living in the now, forgiving and letting go of grudges because they only weight you down, enjoying the little things if you can’t afford the bigger ones. Understanding and listening to those around us even if we think we know better because one experience does not fit all.
The bad:• I think Adrian and Vanessa had a lot of chemistry but I feel like they should have had more build up to the kind of love they professed to have. I was left feeling indifferent to their love story by the end.
• I think I loved the first part of this book more than the second half because I felt there was more potential in the beginning but I didn’t end up feeling the things I thought I’d feel.
• I don’t think some of Vanessa’s accomplishments in regards to her job made sense. The logistics felt a bit off to me. I also didn’t particularly like the name dropping of everywhere she’s been and what she’s done and who she’s seen. I think it took away from the genuineness of why she’s doing what she’s doing. And she gave me a lot of the “I’m different than other women” vibes.
• I don’t like how ALS was used as the instigator for most of the action in this book only to pull away at the end and give her a magical pass on the family genes - (
it was left kind of open ended but with hints that she won’t develop the disease, since she already reached 30- an age by which she should have died according to her family history) I get her fears and struggles with her possible diagnosis, I think that was well done but the way it ended, it felt off. I’m not saying I wish she would have gotten ALS and a death sentence, I don’t really know what would have worked better, but I know I didn’t like the false alarm angle when they discovered it was something else causing her symptoms.
Rating: really liked it
Well, Abby Jimenez, has done it again. I have fallen in love with this couple in the most charming way.Life's Too Short is full of humor, sweet moments, and awareness. We only have one life to live and you have to make a decision on how you want to live it.
For Vanessa Price, the answer is simple. She wants to live in the now and in the fullest way possible. She wants to travel and do things that make her happy. She has lost loved ones and with her sister's death, she knew she had to make a change.
Vanessa quits her job, cashes in her savings, began a Youtube channel, and went on living. Now, she has loyal followers in the millions who support her (for the most part). Then, her traveling ceases completely when her half-sister falls into drugs again and Vanessa must take care of her niece until she is clean again.
Adrian Copeland is a lawyer. He owns the building where Vanessa lives and he's her neighbor. When a child's constant crying interferes with his night, he will knock on Vanessa's door for the first time. Vanessa looks overwhelmed with a crying child in her arms, and Adrian will offer to help her while she cleans up. After this exchange, a friendship will blossom until they realize they want more from each other.
Can they take the next step? I love how Abby Jimenez introduced these two characters. Everything that they did together that included the baby and the dog was wonderful. I laughed so much reading it but I also shed a few tears.
Life is Too Short is wonderful in all the ways that matter and Abby Jimenez has become one of my must-read authors.Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Forever via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Rating: really liked it
4.5⭐
WOW... I was totally not expecting this!! I think I was judging the book by its cover, cutesy and maybe cheesy romance? NOT at all. This is a wonderful love story with so much chemistry and great characters and overall a very delightful read.
Set in St. Paul, MN, this is a romance between Adrian, a lawyer and Venessa, a travel vlogger with a high risk of ALS. She plans to be single without children as she believes her life is short like her mother and sister. Women in her family die by the age of thirty. This story brings awareness to ALS and I'm glad it's not all fluff. Be prepared to fall in love with these two, you'll smile, laugh and may shed a few tears. I love my first book by the author and there's no question I'll be reading more books by her.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars
This one is so hard for me to rate. I really enjoyed book one and LOVED book two, so I had high hopes for book three. Vanessa is a travel vlogger, but she just got custody of her half-sister's baby, so she's taking care of her and is stuck at home. When Grace, the baby, can't stop crying one night, her lawyer neighbor Adrien stops by and ends up helping. And he and Vanessa grow closer while helping take care of Grace together. I do want to preface this review by saying this book deals heavily with ALS and Vanessa being sure she has the genetic disease and will die before she's 30. The back of the book does not mention ALS, but this is mentioned quite early on and is heavily addressed throughout the entire book. This made the book so much heavier and more emotional than I thought it was going to be. Vanessa doesn't want to make any attachments and is trying to make sure her family is okay before she dies. Because of this, this book read a lot more of the women's fiction side of the spectrum. Sure Vanessa and Adrien are falling for each other, but it's SOOOOOOO slow burn and Vanessa is adamant that Adrien doesn't think of her that way until things romantically happen between them well into the book. This book more so takes a look at Vanessa living life to the fullest and trying to fix her family. Her sister is a drug addict and her dad is a hoarder going through severe mental and emotional distress. Not to mention Vanessa is trying to raise a baby all on her own. I did enjoy the book as a whole, but I wasn't expecting something so serious and focused on her life rather than the romance.
Also, this book takes place in November and December around the holidays (and includes a Christmas scene), which I wasn't expecting. I wish the cover reflected the season inside because that was surprising and I wasn't feeling a winter romance when the cover is so summery.
Another point I'm trying to grapple with is the ending. (view spoiler)
[Something similar to The Friend Zone's ending happened in this book and it kind of made me annoyed. Why did we spend this whole entire book thinking Vanessa actually had ALS only for it to turn into a false self-diagnosis (though still a possibility in her future)? Vanessa spent her whole life coming to terms with her future and Adrien had to really work on himself and their relationship to accept that future they thought for sure was happening because of her decreasing use of her muscles, only for them to be happily ever after and her be healthy and completely fine? I know it's a romance, but just like with the infertility in book one, it kind of feels like all of the work was for nothing when the component causing the most conflict in the relationship is just taken away. They only get their HEA when that component is taken away and isn't a conflict anymore. Can't they have their HEA with that component still a part of their lives like so many people dealing with that in there real world do? Like I said, I really don't know how to feel about the ending and am conflicted with whether I was okay with it or wish it went in another direction. (hide spoiler)]So my rating is at 3.5 right now. I'm interested to see how everyone else feels about this one once it's released!
Rating: really liked it
I loved the first two books in The Friend Zone series, so I'd been looking forward to reading Book 3. Sadly, this one didn't work for me 😟.
Here's why it didn't work:
1. The writing is cheesy and clichéd. This surprised me, since I remembered the writing in the previous books being much different.
2. The plot was unconvincing and based on too many serious topics. The previous books dealt with one serious situation each (Book 1: infertility, Book 2: loss of spouse). In this book there's ALS, mental health, drug addiction, and child abandonment. I wish the story would've been more focused on ALS.
3. The characters are one-dimensional. I wish Vanessa and Adrian had been more developed. Also, they should've each had a friend. That would've balanced out the duo and made the story more interesting. Instead, Vanessa and Adrian were constantly facing one tough situation after another on their own.
4. Vanessa's OTT get-rich-quick celebrity status as a travel YouTuber. Since that's a big part of the story (her wealth, donations to ALS, financial support of family), it made it all too far-fetched.
5. The book description calls this a romantic comedy. Romantic comedy status wasn't achieved here. It's too overwhelmed by the many serious topics jumbled into the story, to be light and funny.
I was expecting to love this story, but it turned out to be such a disappointment. Is this an
it's not you, it's me situation? I suppose it is. This book is getting high ratings on GR, after all.
Rating: really liked it
‼️SPOILERS‼️
Gosh, I got mixed feelings. It shouldn’t be this hard to rate a book, should it?
First I will say that this is funny. It did make me laugh which is one thing I always enjoy from a book. I love Vanessa’s bluntness. Well, I did, until she kept objectifying Josh’s body, especially during their intimate parts. It would probably not be a big deal, but I wondered if it would be funny if Adrian decided to text his friends about Vanessa’s body parts. Other than that, the story was a bit cliche and sometimes even a bit cheesy particularly because I didn’t really feel Vanessa and Adrian’s love. They were still really cute though.
I gave this 4 stars because of Vanessa’s possible illness. I believe that part of the story was done really well. It showed the effects it had on someone’s life and the people all around them. Vanessa choosing to live like she could leave the world tomorrow was honestly really inspiring.
What also made me a bit more confident about giving this more than an average rating was the author’s note. I love when books are inspired by the lives of strong people.
Also, usually, I find epilogues cringy, unnecessary, and just unoriginal, but I actually liked this one.
