This was wonderful. I love how she used her platform for good and oh that romance!! This was very sweet with a ton of heart. It made me want to be a better person.

If you’ve read Abby’s other books, you know you expect some sarcasm and humor along with a bumpy ride of romance. This book fits the bill and hits on a variety illnesses (ALS, addiction, hoarding) along the way. Abby has been opening up awareness to hard times in all of her books that others don’t, or can’t, in a loving and caring fictional way that is hitting home for a lot of us making these characters our friends, neighbors, and loved ones instantly.

While I wanted to love this book and rave about it as much as I did with The Friend Zone and Happy Ever After Playlist, I also felt in parts like I had already read bits and pieces of this book before in her first 2, like the characters were the same with different names - the sarcasm, the whirlwind romance, the constant push and pull (there wasn’t a “just say yes” moment, but kind of felt like there was). Some moments are repeated in all of her books and I realize it’s on purpose, but it is already feeling recycled instead of cute and awe to me.

On the other hand, there are some seriously great quotes and life lessons for all of us in the book. Despite the negatives I listened above, I think this is a good book worth reading, but did stop me from giving it the fifth star.

Personally, I hate going into books knowing quotes or too much about it, so I’m not using them or specific plot points in this review. :)

This book gave me all of the feels. So much of this story is incredibly heavy, and honestly, I felt really stressed about Vanessa’s health and family for a ton of it. But the stress didn’t diminish my enjoyment of it. The romance between Adrian and Vanessa complete wrecked me. I loved how it evolved from their mutual need for someone else to lean on without it feeling like they were becoming co-dependent. Normally, I would have felt that this was almost too slow burn for me, but their incredible friendship made me not mind that we had to wait so long for the first kiss. And what a first kiss!

I really wish we had a bonus scene of Adrian when he boards his first flight, because I can just imagine him realizing that nothing is more terrifying to him than losing Vanessa. Gosh, I get misty just thinking about him choosing to adopt Grace. As a nurse who has worked with addict mothers in the NICU and their family member, I felt that the author did a really good job portraying the nuance of these complex situations. The messiness of the father was horrible, but much more common than many people know. And I loved that things with Annabel didn’t resolve neatly because it was realistic.

The beginning of the book was perfect too. I love how we jumped right into Vanessa’s life when she’s desperately trying to figure out how to be a mom without tons of exposition. We got introduced to the characters gradually and the rhythm if their relationship built naturally. The twist about Richard being Adrian’s actual father really surprised me. And I adored that Vanessa made things so simple for him with her particular form of perspective.

Overall, the hook of this book was great. I was really rooting for these two. By the end I was swooning over their sweet life together with Grace. I stayed up way too late at night reading this one and then woke up early to finish. Will be posting a review of this on my instagram and Goodreads closer to publication.

I thought I was going to have to wait until April to read it, so when Life's Too Short by @authorabbyjimenez landed on my Kindle yesterday courtesy of @readforeverpub and @netgalley, I immediately dropped everything I was reading to start this one. Within the first couple of pages, I was cracking up. As a mother who has gone through the newborn stage twice, the first couple of chapters were all too real, from getting a baby at Target to admiring a dad bod and thinking your little baby might need an exorcism. I literally was laughing out loud, and knew I was in for a treat. Vanessa is a YouTuber who has a 50/50 chance of being diagnosed with ALS. She has built much of her brand on being happy and living in the moment. Behind the scenes, she has a lot going on, namely a dad who is a hoarder and a sister who is addicted to drugs. She also happens to have a sexy neighbor Adrian, who is probably one of the best male characters I've ever encountered. Adrian is a lawyer who is married to his job. I cannot even begin to describe how much I loved this book. Not only was it funny, but like Abby's previous books, it dealt with some pretty heavy topics, including drug addiction, hoarding, terminal illness, and more. Abby handles these difficult subjects in a way that is sensitive and humanizing. You can't help help but become emotionally invested in all of the characters' lives. By the end of the story, I was crying, and there were parts that were so heart-wrenching. Abby has the ability to make you laugh your ass off, break your heart, and then put it back together again. This book definitely lived up to my expectations, and now that I've devoured this one in less than 24 hours of it landing on my Kindle, now begins the long process of anxiously awaiting Abby's 4th book. All the stars for Abby's third book, Life's Too Short, which will be out in April 2021.

Oh my goodness! I couldn’t put this down! I read it straight through in 4 hours. Light hearted and fun while also being gut wrenching and thought provoking. DefiniteLy recommend!!!

I’ve been a huge fan of Abby’s ever since I read The Friend Zone at the beginning of this year. It quickly became one of my favorite books of all time. I received an arc of The Happy Ever After Playlist and wasn’t let down. Abby, once again, wrote a beautiful story about loss and healing through grief. When I heard she was writing a third installment in this series, I was so excited. And once again, Abby didn’t fail to write an incredible story.

I was so intrigued with Adrian when he first appeared at the end of The Happy Ever After Playlist. And when I learned this was going to be his book, I flipped out.

This is such a beautiful story that I was so hooked on and binged so quickly. This has Abby’s trademark humor and banter. However, the friendship that developed between Adrian and Vanessa was so mind blowing. I cherished every minute of watching their relationship grow and turn into something more.

Abby beautifully tackles real and traumatic hardships and brings light to these tough situations. She’s able to eloquently balance humor without sacrificing the gut wrenching emotions that come with the heavy topics that are in her books. For the sake of not ruining someone’s experience going into this book, I won’t touch on too much or go into detail.

But we go through both character’s stories. You learn their childhood history, their family issues. It’s not a cookie-cutter romance. There are trials, tribulations, and heartbreak that follow both characters. You get to watch their relationships bloom despite what they’ve both been through. We get to be with them when they make mistakes, when they do the wrong thing and say the wrong thing. These characters are real and flawed and yet your heart can’t not go out to them. They’re beautiful people with incredible hearts and are just trying to figure out their lives as much as the next person. Which means they’re so relatable.

This story was beautiful to read and I can’t wait for others to be able to share the feeling that comes with reading this. That despite everything you may be suffering, you don’t have to bear the brunt of your burdens alone. People will be there to fight for you and with you.


*Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book*

Abby has done it again. I love her books.. Once I start one of her books I can’t put it down, I want to know what is going to happen but I don’t want it to end! This one was great!

There's something amazing about Abby's writing style. Every time I pick up one of her books it plays out like a movie. Life's Too Short was no different and I literally could not stop reading this book once I picked it up.

Vanessa is a famous YouTuber. She has a huge following and lives by one motto - life's too short - so get out there and live your very best life. Vanessa hasn't had an easy life, she lost her mother at a young age and then her sister to ALS. Her younger sister leaves her newborn in Vanessa's care and vanishes - so on top of everything Vanessa is now a caregiver to a little baby girl too. But Vanessa tries not to let anything slow her down and she loves her little niece. She tries to always have a sunny disposition and a positive attitude.

Adrian views most things in black and white. He relies on facts - he is a lawyer after all. When these two meet each other for the first time - I had a huge grin on my face. Abby knows how to write the perfect "meet cutes" and this one was no different. Suddenly Adrian and Vanessa start spending all of their free time together. Both of them state that they're not looking for a romantic relationship - but being in such close proximity to one another that's bound to happen, right?

The thing I loved most about Life's Too Short was that Abby really incorporated mental health into her book in a way that we can all relate. We all process grief, sadness and anger in our own ways, but it's what we decide to do with those feelings that sometimes make or break us. Life's Too Short can sometimes be a bit heavier to read with topics such as ALS, mental health and addiction discussed, but in between those topics is an amazing love story.

I absolutely loved and enjoyed reading Life's Too Short. Overall I would give it 4.5 stars - so many amazing parts of the book highlighted and quotes that resonated with me so deeply!

5 stars for Abby Jimenez! Having read Abby’s last 2 books, I knew this one would bring out all the emotions. I just didn’t realize just how much of them it would. Life’s Too Short was a beautiful story that opened my eyes to the struggles of ALS. The characters were fabulous, it made laugh and brought so many tears. I can’t wait to see what Abby comes up with next.

This book is GOLD! Adrian Copeland can hear a baby screaming in the middle of the night coming from his next door neighbor. At 4 am he's had enough and knocks on the door to see if he can help. Vanessa Price has had her baby niece dumped on her step because her sister is using again. She is struggling because the baby will not stop crying. Then she hears a knock at her door at 4 am with from a guy without a shirt claiming he is her neighbor and offering to help.

As the weeks move on Adrian and Vanessa start getting closer and become friends. Vanessa has put him in the friends zone because of an ALS gene in her family which means she might not live another year. They both start developing feelings for each other and both want to act.

Life’s Too Short did not disappoint! As someone who Loved The Friend Zone and Happy Ever After Playlist, Life’s Too Short stacked up well against them. The story follows Vanessa who has a family history of developing ALS and dying before the age of 30 and Vanessa is 29. She’s a famous Youtube blogger who donates to ALS from every video she puts out. She’s made peace that she will most likely die from ALS therefore when her hot lawyer neighbor Aiden comes into her life, she might just let him in. I love how the author weaves a swoon worthy love story in with real life issues in all of her novels. If you loved the first two books in this series, you’ll love this one too! 5 stars!

I received a copy of this title from NetGalley and I was, and remain, stoked! I love this author and I adore her books. There's no better world to escape to than the sarcastic, sweet, empathetic world that Abby Jimenez creates.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54377375-life-s-too-short