I've been a fan of the previous installments of Abby's series of these groups of characters. I actually went out and bought this book because I had a feeling I'd love it like I loved the other two. I have funnily enough not read it yet, but Abby Jimenez is a fun writer that I just know hit it again with this book.

I LOVE LOVE LOVED this book! All the characters were so likeable and I could really imagine this book being turned into a movie. I like how she intertwined other characters from her other books and referred back to them. The main character is a blogger who is hiding a big secret from her handsome neighbor who is a lawyer and is constantly helping her and her family out of one pickle and another. This was such a lovely book and I definitely had a tear at the end. 10/10

"Life's Too Short" is the third book in The Friend Zone series, but can be read as a standalone. Characters from the two previous books in the series are involved only tangentially.

Like Abby Jimenez's first two titles, "Life's Too Short" is impossible to put down and filled with emotion. Reading both Vanessa and Adrian's points of view creates even more of an impact. I would consider this a friends-to-lovers romance, and it is a bit of a slow burn. This book also includes complicated family dynamics.

Adrian is absolutely a dream book boyfriend! He is the perfect blend of capable and vulnerable. Vanessa was a little bit more difficult for me to connect to. The portrayal of her health concerns and the influence those concerns have had on her life is very well done. I personally found her profession as a travel blogger a little distracting and out of reach and some of plot points surrounding her job (click bait, content creation) made her character seem a little less sincere to me.

I enjoyed the honesty and maturity between Vanessa and Adrian. They tackled plenty of touch issues together without any petty disagreements or silly misunderstandings.

I would absolutely recommend this title to fans of Jimenez's previous titles and to anyone looking for a contemporary romance with a strong emotion punch.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

4.5 stars!



I think this is my favorite book by the author so far!!! I loved it so much! The development between the couple was so well done, their romance developed so organically and I loved that they became so close and such a pivotal part of one another’s lives before they ever got together. I loved both Vanessa and Adrian separately and enjoyed both of their POVs pretty equally! The development that specially Adrian went through throughout the book was so great too and I really enjoyed that! And I loved the growth Vanessa’s family went through!

I think medically some thinks could’ve been handled better but if you’re capable of ignoring that this book was so enjoyable! I loved it so much and I could not recommend it enough!! Vanessa and Adrian’s relationship was so cute and sweet and they complimented each other perfectly.

Thank you so much @readforeverpub and @netgalley for sending me a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely adored this. I'm so sad that this series is over now. I enjoyed every minute of it! I don't think I have a favorite in the series but it might be between The Friend Zone and Life's Too Short.

Abby really knows how to get you to fall in love with the characters quickly. I learned so many new things from this book (Especially about ALS). And I really loved Vanessa. I fell in love with her within the first chapter. And, of course, no surprise here, Adrian was really hot. Sure, he said some things that really annoyed me, but he made up for it and I appreciated that.

Also, of course, Grace was such a sweetheart. Honestly, I love the 'take care of baby/kid trope' a lot. I just think it's adorable. It can add so many cute and funny scenes!

I also loved Vanessa's family. They were great. Sure, they had their issues, but doesn't everyone? That doesn't make them bad people.

I really liked the pacing in this too. Yall know I love my fast-paced books!

Overall, I am obsessed with this!!

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: Fixing Relationships, Helping Family, Laugh-out-Loud Moments, Taking Care of Child, ALS Representation, Kinda Girl Next Door.

I liked this one more that I thought I would just based on how I felt about the two previous books in the series. While I loved Vanessa from the start and understood why she was doing what she was doing or at least her reasons behind it. It took me longer to warm up to Adrian as in almost till the end of the book. Which is a long time for a reader to like the hero in a romance novel. But it's one of the things that kept me reading so in this case it was a good thing. I love Abby Jimenez writing her style wand since of humor. It's like your reading a rom com in book form and even though all three books in this series dealt with hard topics Abby did so with humor and grace, because sometimes you just need to laugh or you’re going to cry.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

This author just has a knack for writing romances that are as compelling as they are relatable and sweet.

Review to be posted on blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com/

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.

Abby Jimenez does a wonderful job writing characters who are fun, relatable, and are capable of surviving their circumstances. This one definitely made me laugh and cry.

I enjoyed this book, but sadly not as much as the first two. I loved Adrian so much but had a hard time with Vanessa. I do still recommend it though!

I was just really not feeling this book or the characters: This author has a habit of giving her characters really dramatic diagnoses/circumstances and then having a complete 180 where the ending is beyond perfect and the problems disappear. I could go on with all the things I didn’t like about this book but there are other spoiler reviews which say it all. I’m officially breaking up with this author after not loving three of her books, but the ratings speak for themselves so take my review with a grain of salt.

Another amazing read from Abby Jimenez! I thoroughly enjoy her writing style, and I read these books in one sitting! Even though I try to ration them out to make them last, it never works, they are like Reese's Peanut Butter cups, I can't stop until it is done!
Although not a book I would purchase in my professional role, it is one that I will be recommending in my personal life! Thank you so much for allowing me to have access to the digital arc!

Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez

Brief Summary: Vanessa is a famous video travel blogger who lives life to the fullest; traveling the globe and not waiting to drink good wine until a special occasion. This personal philosophy to live life on her own terms stems from not knowing if she has the same genetic terminal diagnosis that killed her mother and sister. Her fast paced lifestyle is significantly altered when her sister leaves her baby to run to the store and doesn’t return. Her next store neighbor, Adrian, is a workaholic defense attorney who sees her struggling as a single caregiver of a newborn and starts to help her out. The two of them live opposite lives with him needing a structured plan and her embarking on an adventure at the spur of the moment. But as they fight growing attraction; won’t Vanessa realize she shouldn’t miss out on the biggest adventure of all? This is my second book by Abby Jimenez and I am a huge fan of hers.

Highlights: This story captivated me from the beginning and I could not put it down. I loved the characters and we have another memorable pup! This time a foster! I am a psychologist who works with ALS patients and Jimenez perfectly captures the difficulty of living with ambiguity of the diagnosis. She also nails the different ways people cope with the diagnosis; some want to let it take its course and make the most of their time and others want to pursue treatment. I love that Vanessa didn’t save anything; fine wine or a candle- even if she’s only celebrating that it’s Tuesday. This book really makes you think about how you live and if you are making the most of all the opportunities you have.

What makes this book unique?

Explanation of Rating: 5/5- would give this more than 5 if I could

Favorite Quotes: “You suffer from One Day Syndrome. 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.”

I will be recommending this to patients for years to come. I already bought a copy for my own personal library.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Read Forever Pub for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Note to Publisher: I’m sorry this review is late. I was recently hospitalized for a GI Bleed.

This book was wonderful and heartfelt. Abby Jimenez always seems to write such great characters that feel very real, and a romance that is touching, sexy, and also emotional. I appreciated the realities of dealing with a young child whose future was in question, and the hard decisions that come with the possibility of living with a disease that would eventually kill you. I'm very glad everyone ended up with their happily ever after, though, and I highly recommend this book to those who enjoyed Jimenez's other books.

Ok... I seriously would read absolutely ANYTHING by Abby Jimenez!!!

I have read all of her books and am literally OBSESSED with her writing. Life's Too Short was nothing but amazing as her last two books.

This woman can't write anything bad haha. I just absolutely loved Vanessa and Adrian both!!

I couldn't get enough of this book and am already hunting down for a new book from Abby!!

Highly highly recommend reading this one!

5 stars!

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 4/6/21
Published to GR: 4/30/21

This is the third book from Abby Jimenez and just like the previous two, I loved it! Vanessa, the main character, was funny and definitely subscribed to the philosophy of life’s too short! Unlike her neighbor Adrian who is a bit of a workaholic. Love how these two came together along with a baby and a very needy dog! This is a must read if you like romcoms!

Not my favorite Abby Jimenez. While I found the story to be perhaps the most romantic, I was missing some of the steam I’ve come to know and love in Jimenez’ rom coms. That being said, though, I thought Vanessa’s family issues were dealt with and approached really well. I liked it, it just wasn’t the book I was expecting it to be.

3 1/2 stars rounded up

ALL THE EMOTIONS ❤️😫😭
I adore Jimenez’ writing and her wit and this book was her best one yet. It was my favorite in the series for so many reasons (scroll way down to see the main reason). So much fantasy life and drama in this story but also so much realness and messiness - a perfect combination! It was great to have a few brief moments with Kristen and Sloan too.

Abby Jimenez's Friend Zone series is a winner. Each of the books has been a great. Readers who enjoyed the first two books will find this one just as appealing.

Abby Jimenez has officially earned (in my mind) the writing QUEEN status on the following:

😭 The last 15% of a book
🥰 Grand gestures
😆 Hilariously candid characters
🗣 Captivating dialogue
😢 Balancing humour with struggle

Thank you so much to @readforeverpub for gifting an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review

Life’s Too Short had some absolutely incredible lessons, that I’ve actually found myself recalling when I need a good reminder. Who needs a self-help book when a hilarious, emotional romance can offer you some helpful advice?!

I honestly hope Abby’s next book is a second chance romance because she always redeems the characters for me with her incredible grand gestures!! She’d absolutely nail the grovelling required in a great second chance romance, just saying! 😉

There were a couple components of this book that I could’ve gone without, but let me tell you, that meet-cute was SO comical and the perfect set-up for their friendship! If you want a book that’s gonna hook you from the first page, add this to your list!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book releases on April 6th, 2021!

TW: loss of a parent, loss of a sibling, neglect of a child, hoarding, addiction, terminal illness