Member Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars!!

I'm so excited to give a book a 5-star rating. It's been sooooo long since I've felt one deserving.

I liked so much about this. I laughed out loud in a few places, I even shed a tear and between all that, I wanted to get back to reading and even took time out of the day to just read--something I used to do more frequently. I liked the characters--genuinely liked them and could see myself hanging out with them. There was a bit of a lull in the middle but it didn't last long.

This is the first of Abby Jimenez's books that I've read, so yes, this can be read as a standalone without the rest of the series. It was pretty obvious that the other characters from previous books in the series made an appearance but my appreciation of the story didn't rely on my knowing about them in the least. I will be adding the rest of the series to my reading list in the hopes that I have stumbled upon a new go-to author.

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As with each of the stories in The Friend Zone series before, I am blown away and left searching for words after finishing. I think Life’s Too Short is now my fave from author Abby Jimenez.

I just loved and devoured this heartwarming book! Vanessa is our strong leading lady, determined not to let the life that she has been dealt bring her down. As a successful lifestyle blogger, things grind to a halt when she is left to care for the newborn baby that her sister left her with.

Sexy neighbor Adrian enters the scene and he is literally the dream book boyfriend. Kind, generous, funny, successful and hot. I mean he had me from the start.

All the swooning heart eyes this new romance and I‘lol just be over here with major book hangover until Abby’s next book.

*many thanks to Forever and Netgalley for the gifted copy

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This was such a cute book - I haven't read any others in the series, but I will defintely be going back now and reading them! They make for a great light and fun read, but not "too" light that it isn't entertaining!

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Thank you so much to Forever Pub for the ARC of Life's Too Short by Abby Jimenez.
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Last year, I read The Friend Zone and it VERY quickly became my most favorite rom-com. I love the humor, the wit, the love story, the steam - you name it, I love it! Life's Too Short is VERY SIMILAR to The Friend Zone and almost seems to follow the same formula. And you know what? I am SO TOTALLY OKAY WITH THAT because it's one of my favorites and I'll take as much TFZ as I can get.
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Where TFZ kept me captivated the entire read, LTS definitely dragged at points. That being said, this is a really decent that book that overall, I enjoyed. It evoked emotion, make me laugh, made me swoon, and had another cute dog with a cute doggo name.
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If you love Abby J., you can't skip this book! After all, life is too short ;)!

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Vanessa is a famous youtuber, travelling the world and enjoying life one day at a time. Knowing that there is a 50% chance that she has a deadly genetic condition, she refuses to waste any time feeling anything but joy. Her world is completely upended when her younger sister suddenly leaves Vanessa in custody of her baby. During a particularly bad night with a screaming baby, her gorgeous neighbor, Adrian Copeland comes to her rescue. The two could not be any more different, yet somehow it works and their friendship begins to turn into something more. The only problem is that Vanessa has sworn off of dating and relationships due to her possible condition.

I loved The Friend Zone, and the The Happy Ever After Playlist is one of my favourite books ever, so I will admit I was nervous about this third book. Lesson learned, do not doubt Abby Jimenez! Jimenez manages to write books with relatable characters and real situations that make you laugh out loud one minute, and then break your heart the next - so keep the tissues ready. This is my favorite book in the series, and now I will be impatiently waiting for the fourth book coming out next year.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever publishing for the advanced copy of this book.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez for an honest review of this book.

Let me begin by saying, there are a lot of triggers in this book. Addiction, hoarding, depression, ALS, while this book seems a bit heavy due to the topics, it was also fluffy, light and fun to read.

I absolutely LOVED this book! The main characters in the book, especially those related to Vanessa, have faced many hardships and are all spiraling out of control. Vanessa has decided to live each day as though it was her last. Enter Adrian, her neighbor, a.k.a Jesus’ abs. He is a major control freak and yet, they click.

Just like in the other 2 books in this series, the book is quirky with hilarious storylines throughout.

There were a few lines I also wanted to comment in the book that i thought were great and worth mentioning/remembering.

“There is no such thing as a perfect family. There are just families that do better PR than you.”

“If you’ve lived your life dwelling on the worst possible thing, when it finally happens, you’ve lived it twice.”

Adrian and Vanessa were a great couple who worked so well together.
#LifesTooShort #AbbyJimenez #NetGalley #ChickLit #Fiction #Vlogging #YouTube #Hoarding #ALS #Death #Illness #Adoption #Abandonment #Drugs

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This book will be so much fun to recommend to readers because it really has so many great things going on. A feel-good romance between two very appealing characters, interesting secondary characters, and very witty and engaging dialog. Some serious themes add depth to the story, and this author handles them with intelligence and sensitivity. There is ALS in the main character's family, as well as mental illness in the form of OCD and hoarding behavior and drug addiction.

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5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My GOSH, this chick just CAN’T write a bad book! I have loved every single minute of every single one of the books in this series!

In Life’s Too Short, we meet Vanessa - A famous traveling YouTuber who has no idea whether or not she shares the same fatal genetic condition ALS as mother and sister. She lives life to the fullest, day by day. When her drug addicted half sister abandons her infant daughter on Vanessa’s doorstep, it throws her life into a tailspin.

Enter Adrian, her gorgeous lawyer neighbor who offers his help with the baby. She barely knows him, but as they get to know each other better, sparks fly. As with the other couples in the previous books, you can’t help but love and root for them! Although this one is a bit darker than the previous books, there are still lots of laughs and heartbreaking moments that make this one another home run of a story.

I’m so looking forward to the next book in the series. I can’t imagine not having these characters in my life. Keep up the great work Abby Jimenez!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever Books (Grand Central Publishing) and Abby Jimenez for my advanced copy to read and review.

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Just in case there was any question (there really wasn't), I can confirm that Abby Jimenez is the best.
The third book in The Friend Zone series is just as lovely as its predecessors.
The relationship between popular blogger Vanessa and workaholic lawyer Adrian is sweet, funny, heart-tugging, and spicy as well. What more could you ask for?

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Reading a book by Abby Jimenez always brings a smile to my face. I wasn’t very far into this novel before I was laughing out loud and sharing passages with my husband. I also wasn’t very many pages along before I knew that this book was going to be a winner, although I never had any doubts. Having read her previous books, I knew that I was in for a witty, romantic romp that would entertain me from start to finish, but in all honesty, I think that this book is my favorite of hers.

This is the ultimate friends-to-lovers romance. From their first introduction, this couple was pure gold. Adrian is a successful lawyer who keeps his life in proper order and in control. Vanessa is a travel vlogger who enjoys adventures and living life to the fullest. With her family’s medical history, life’s too short has become her mantra. These two are an opposites-attract dream come true.

There was no rushing their relationship. Jimenez created the ideal slow-burning romance between Adrian and Vanessa. I didn’t need for anything to move any faster than it did. I enjoyed simply being in their midst and reveling in their interactions. They were neighbors who turned into friends who turned into so much more. The novel progressed perfectly. Their relationship wasn’t forced, it happened slowly, building my anticipation, and making me fall in love with them.

The banter, the back and forth, the chemistry, and the general care and affection between the characters was a beautiful thing. Adrian was the full package (yes, indeed). He wasn’t without a few flaws and his own personal struggles, but holy Hades, the man was on a whole other playing field. He was a man with a softer side. A man who cares for and loves a baby as if it were his own? Yeah, that’s something special to behold. And a man who gives an elderly Chihuahua a home? Sigh.

Jimenez has written a story that is filled with light-hearted moments and plenty of laughter, however, she also always gives her readers a deeper, heartfelt story, too.

Life’s Too Short stole my heart, ran away with it, and I don’t care if I ever get it back!

*5 Stars

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This book is this best in The Friend Zone series and definitely an all time favorite of mine. I was hooked from the first page and devoured this book in record time. Life's Too Short has everything I love about romance; strong female who knows what she wants, humor, and dogs!

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Jimenez gives us another tear-jerking romantic comedy that does not fail to brighten your day. Vanessa, a travel blogger Youtuber who is suddenly left caring for her niece, finally meets the attorney guy next door who then helps to watch the baby so she can shower. Though sparks fly between Vanessa and Adrian, she immediately friend zones him as she fears she may have inherited a terminal illness. That doesn’t stop a beautiful friendship from developing and maybe something more. . . For fans of Alisha Rai and Tessa Bailey.

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Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the advanced copy. I have enjoyed the “Friend Zone” series. Each book, the author has given us an inside look at what it’s like to live with a debilitating illness. Not many authors can make you laugh while also making you cry. I can’t wait to read the author’s next book.

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4.5 stars

I’d say “Abby Jimenez has done it again” but that’s not true - Life’s too Short is even better than her debut and sophomore novels. It combines Abby’s trademark humor with loveable characters and a compelling plot to hit the rom-com trifecta, turning it into a must read for all romance fans.

The characters are hilarious, of course, because Abby’s hilarious, but there’s also so much depth to them. They’re so complex and nuanced that by the end of the novel, I felt deeply connected to them (even if I didn't necessarily relate to them). When I hit the last page, I was grinning because the story was so good, but I was also really sad to say goodbye! Fortunately, Abby writes many of her novels in the same universe, so hopefully there’s more Adrian and Vanessa in my future.

The plot touches on serious topics, but Abby perfectly blends heart and humor to create a compelling story that feels solid rather than heavy. On top of the main storyline, there are fun microplots about The Office (the tv show) and Carmex (the lip balm) that have quickly become inside jokes for Abby’s fans (so fun!).

My only complaint about this book, literally my only one (besides the fact that it ended) was that people snort too much. “He snorted” “she snorted” “Adrian snorted” “I snorted”. There have to be other ways of laughing/giggling/sniggering/guffawing/chuckling than “snorting”. Incredibly minor but wanted to include it so you know this book isn’t perfect but its flaws are really really minor.

LTS has quickly become one of my top romcoms of all time and I HIGHLY recommend it to all fans of the genre. Here’s to hoping Abby writes faster this year so I don’t have to wait until 2022 for her next book!

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Like Act Your Age, Eve Brown (above), this is the third in a romance trilogy. From the author of The Friend Zone and The Happy Ever After Playlist comes her latest, Life’s Too Short, about Vanessa Price, a woman living each day to the fullest as an adventurous world traveler, only to have her life completed upended, first when her sibling leaves her in the custody of a baby, then by the arrival of her hot lawyer neighbor.


https://www.retailmenot.com/blog/best-new-books-2021.html

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My wish was granted, my wish was granted! I’ve never actually wished for a book on Netgalley before, but I adore Abby Jimenez so very much that I decided to take a chance on her Life’s Too Short (Forever, 2021), the latest installment in her The Friend Zone series. I loved the first two books so very much that I wanted to sink my claws into this book as soon as possible, and to my massive surprise, the publisher granted my wish. Thanks, Forever and Netgalley. If you’ve loved Abby Jimenez’s other books in the series, get ready to fall even harder…or, if you’re looking for a new author to swoon over, Abby Jimenez is one you cannot miss. Life’s Too Short is amazing.

Vanessa Price, well-known YouTube travel vlogger, has been sidelined by the unexpected. Her addict sister has abandoned her newborn with her, and Vanessa is struggling (hey, newborns are tough!). Her bedroom wall apartment neighbor, hot workaholic Adrian, steps in to help her out one morning at 4 am, and the rest is history. The two start up a symbiotic friendship: Vanessa gets some help with the baby, Adrian finally gets to experience a life outside of work, and, despite vowing to remain just friends, the two of them inch closer to a five-alarm blaze of a relationship.

But things are complicated. Vanessa might be dying. The women in her family are cursed with a familial gene that triggers early-onset ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Both her mother and her sister died with/from it, and Vanessa’s chances are about 50% of having it, too. It’s why she became a travel vlogger, determined to see as much of the world and squeeze as much out of life as possible before dying young. Adrian doesn’t quite understand how dire things are for her, and when he does learn the truth, it’s nearly too much for him to handle. Can Adrian find a way to live life- however much is left of it- on Vanessa’s terms?

This. Was. Adorable. Despite the heavy subject matter- death and dying are always looming in the background, whether it’s Vanessa’s mother and sister, or Vanessa’s potential demise- Abby Jimenez manages to keep this a light, optimistic read. Her characters are vibrant, brimming with life and energy, bursting off the page in a manner that puts her writing on my list of insta-buy authors. Vanessa is determined, buoyant despite her circumstances, and yet not so optimistic that she seems unbelievable. Her odds of dying from ALS have forced her to define in exact terms what she wants out of life and the direct route to getting it. She doesn’t have time to beat around the bush; her directness and persistence, rather than making her brash, portray her as confident and courageous. She’s someone the reader immediately wants to spend time with- whatever time she has.

Adrian is a fabulous hero. He’s capable and confident, a little gun-shy from having been burned by his recent ex, but not so damaged that his heart isn’t open to Vanessa. But- and this is HUGE- he doesn’t pursue her, because early on, she tells him she doesn’t date, and he respects that. SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON. As if a hot lawyer who takes charge and figures out why your baby is screaming and takes over so you can go shower for the first time in days isn’t already amazing enough! Hello, I’d like to order one of those, please! He’s not without his flaws, big ones that will eventually put him and Vanessa at what initially appears to be insurmountable odds, but…love finds a way. Or at least it does in romance novels like this, and that’s more than enough for me.

I loved this. I love this series, I love this author. Abby Jimenez has a way of creating characters who, for the most part, don’t need to worry about money (because that can bog a story down, so giving characters financially lucrative careers is definitely a nice tactic for an author to get that out of the way) but who don’t seem unrealistic, and who don’t let their financial status define them. Even though her stories often deal with tough subjects (infertility, grief, death), she approaches each topic in a way that breaks it down enough to seem manageable, greeting every theme with a can-do attitude and a supportive cast of characters that make even the unfathomable seem not so bad. If I could have any author pen my life story, I’d want Abby Jimenez on the job.

Huge thanks to Forever and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this book. Life’s Too Short is available on April 6, 2021, and I highly suggest you check it out. While it’s part of a series, it would read just as well as a stand-alone, but really, you want to read the other books in the series as well. They’re just as fabulous.

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Fun, hopeful. This book is second best in the trilogy (to The Friend Zone) and i loved every minute. These two characters have chemistry like no other. Abby Jimenez has done it again <3

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I don't know how Jimenez does it. I care about the characters she writes SO much. I find myself wishing and wanting and needing them to get together- no matter the circumstances. Vanessa's handling of her illness felt realistic and difficult to handle, but beautiful. Adrian is....everything. I loved this one and already can't wait to reread it!

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This is a great book. Lots of great dialogue and some serious life issues at play too. I like when romance books aren't just two hot people struggling to find love when everything is stacked for them. Abby is great at banter and making her female leads more than just a pretty face.

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What I enjoy about this book is real life issues that the characters have to get through to make the relationship work. Vanessa Price feels she cannot have that happily ever after, so she does not have high expectations on love. Her neighbor, Adrian Copeland, is a lawyer who likes predictability and not looking for a romantic relationship. Vanessa and Adrian have significant problems with their families, and the author makes these factors an important part of the storyline. These factors make their relationship more real and honest

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