Seth, a recent divorcee with a love of trees, and Charlotte, in hiding because of a stalker, find themselves stranded together on Valentine's Day weekend.

This may be a short story, but GOOD GRIEF it is deep. The way the author uses so few pages to tell this story and give such depth to the main and even supporting characters is incredible. I won't ever skip an Abby Jimenez novel!

Thank you Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was such an enjoyable short story. Abby Jimenez has a way of creating fleshed out characters and an engaging plot that you wish you had a full-length novel to keep the story going. The banter between Charlotte and Seth was great, and you really feel connected to the characters as they deal with Charlotte’s stalker. Would recommend if you want another taste of Abby’s writing and are looking for a quick but still emotional read.

<b><i>“Sometimes the start of something good begins during something bad.
We don’t get to pick when these things happen.” </b></i>

If you're looking for a quick and heart-warming romance, The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez is a perfect choice!
In just 82 pages, the author crafts a charming and sweet story of two neighbors who discover love and friendship in the most unexpected way!

Despite the short length, the chemistry between Charlotte and Seth is unmistakable and their playful tree puns add a delightful touch to the story.
Seth's unwavering support and encouragement for Charlotte as she faces her stalker problem make him a very endearing character, he’s a total sweetheart!

The secondary characters, Gabe and Izzy, with their grumpy x sunshine dynamic, are equally captivating and add depth to this short story.

Overall, this is a delightful read that kept me smiling and laughing throughout.
It’s my first book by Abby Jimenez, and it certainly won’t be my last. I can’t wait to explore her other full-length novels in the future!

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: stalking, violence, brief mention of infidelity, mental lillness. Mentions of suicide, kissing cousins, discussion of firearms for the purpose of self-defense

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Abby always gives great stories. Her shorts are no exception. It takes a good story teller to capture you and make you fall in love with the characters in just a few pages of a novella.
First I love that she centered it around Valentine's Day weekend, with two characters who had zero reason to celebrate. Of course you knew the outcome of this story would be some kind of attraction between the main characters but it's not about that knowing. It was about how Abby got us there. Insert an event where the main characters are forced to be in the same space and you have the kindling for some love to grow!
Seth is recovering from an injury and a recent divorce. I fell in love with his character right away. I connected with his trust issues and his grieving process.
Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation. Her past has caused her to keep to herself in order to feel safe. She doesn't trust men and she certainly can't trust her new next door neighbor. I could feel her fear and it gave me great empathy for her.
Abby has a way of treating heavy situations with such care. You can see the research she puts into her stories. I knew the ending would have conflict resolution and it was done with kindness and grace. And she inserts a the perfect amount of humor and swoon to keep you connected with the characters and story.
As a side note, the friends, Izzy and Gabe, really need their story! I hope we get that one.
Overall, I wish this story was longer! In just a few short pages, Abby has these characters opening up to each other and becoming friends. If you're looking for a meet cute, forced proximity read with witty banter and great side characters, check this one out!

another absolute banger form abby!!! i honestly dont know how she does it but abby jimenez is one of the few authors who can convincingly bring so much emotion to a less than hundred page story in a way that feels full length novel-esque.
i already read her upcoming novel, Say You'll Remember Me, so I’m honestly devastated that i'll have to wait quite a while for the next abby masterpiece but that what rereads are for 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

Thank you Amazon Original Stories for the gifted copy.

The Fall Risk
Abby Jimenz
Publishing Date: March 1, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As far as short stories go, this was perfection. Abby managed to get depth in there despite not having a lot of pages to do so. The side characters were purposeful and I loved them. The romance was swoon worthy, just the right about of buildup, and the banter was on point. Add in strong female characters and sensitive/caring male characters and I am sold. I don’t know how it’s possible that I haven’t read any of Abby’s full length novels yet but it’s about time I do something to fix that!

"The Fall Risk" by Abby Jimenez is a short story that takes place during Valentine's day week-end.

Thank you Amazon Original Stories for the digital copy via Netgalley. I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan and Connor Crais.
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

Charlotte and Seth are neighbors and they are stuck together for the week-end because an accidental demolition of the staircase.
I think that it is hard to write a romance novella that doesn't seem rushed and too short, but Abby did it.
Both characters are funny and well written, there is romance, funny and serios moments and there is even another love story happening between the main characters friends.
There were many funny things that I liked:
- he has a fish named Swim Shady
- tree puns
- old ladies from bonsai class
- teasing about plants
- sweet banter

If you liked any of Abby's other books, you will definitely enjoy this one.

The perfect short story! Sometimes I find it hard to connect with short stories because of the limited length the author has to connect the reader to the story. This one did just that!

Such a simple concept; two people get trapped on their apartment floor, and form a bond with each other. With that simple concept, Abby Jimenez seemed to be able to elicit so many emotions from me! It made me laugh, fall in love with each of the characters (even the side character friends), and feel emotional at times with the hardships that the FMC was going through and how the MMC supported her.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: 0

"The Fall Risk" is an absolutely adorable romantic comedy. This short story was so much fun. If you're looking for a quick, lighthearted read or something to get you out of a reading slump, then I highly recommend this book. Charlotte and Seth were such lovable main characters, and Izzy and Gabe NEED their own story! I wish it had been a full-length novel, but even in just 82 pages, Abby managed to create a terrific love story.

"The Fall Risk" is available now on Amazon!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

⭐️4,5/5

My friend read this book first and told me I needed to read it, so when she shared it from NetGalley, I started reading right away!

It's such a sweet, enjoyable, and comforting story.

I found myself smiling and giggling, while also feeling for the FMC!

Despite its length, even the secondary characters captured my attention!

Yes, it all seems fast, but this isn't just a book; it's a story, so the pace is just how it should be.

Plus, there are 2 POV

I had read one book by the author before, which I also enjoyed, so I think I'll try another one 🙌🏻

P.S. Man, be my landscape teacher 🫦

A quick and sweet read! This was an adorable romance and I loved both of our main characters. Always a fan of short stories that deliver and this one was perfect!

this was a quick and fun read! i really liked the premise but i think this would've been a lot better and had much more potential as a full-length novel. as a novella - it was very fast paced, the characters moving on and falling in love so quickly was unrealistic and it didn't emotionally grip me. i think a heavy and serious topic such as stalking and the trauma that comes with it can't be written and resolved in this many pages. still it was an enjoyable read and i loved izzy&gabe and i wish i could read more of them!

Thank you Amazon Original Stories for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

“Sometimes the start of something good begins during something bad”

Another amazing read from Abby! In typical Abby fashion, she was able to deliver some hilarious moments while also touching on some heavier topics. Because it does happen over a short period of time, it did fell very insta-love, but I loved their connection and how they got to know each other. There was so much packed into such a short story, and I wish we could have more.

This Novella was perfect. Something with such a sweet romance but with the depth of some really hard topics. Abby Jimenez is fantastic at writing hard topics in such a beautiful way. The humor was also just right, those tree puns were amazing. For a novella it conveyed everything so well and I can't help but love it.

Abby Jimenez does it again! The Fall Risk is a sweet short story about how Seth and Charlotte, two neighbors that spend the weekend together because their apartment stairs are removed & cannot be fixed until the weekend ends. Both characters deal with the fallout of events (divorce, stalking) & they learn to start fresh to move on with their lives. Both Seth and Charlotte are likable and readers will want them to be happy. Though this is a short story, it is well written plot showcasing events over the weekend.

Novella touches upon the themes of reclaiming your life & female empowerment.

Thank you NetGalley & Amazon Original Stories for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Fall Risk is out now!

I absolutely loved this short story by Jimenez. Charlotte and Seth’s chemistry was instantaneous. When an accident leads to an unfortunate situation, Seth goes out of his way to make the most of it, helping Charlotte learn to trust and eventually, love again.

I've never read anything novella before but this was such a sweet and cute story with some drama that pulled it all together. I loved the little spark. Makes me anxious to read more from Abby Jimenez. I'm such a huge fan and I love her writing and storytelling.

“A little hard to get close to at first, but worth waiting for.” I felt him look at me.
“You are too, you know.”
“What?”
“Worth waiting for.”

Charlotte and Seth. Strangers and next door neighbors that are stuck in their apartments for the weekend after finding out that their stairs got removed on accident.

My heart felt so sad for Charlotte after finding out about her stalker and the fact that he wasn’t locked up. Seth was so adorable for talking about trees whenever he gets nervous. This was a very fast read but still a good story.

🌳READ IF YOU LIKE🌳:
- dual POV
- next door neighbors
- forced proximity
- tree facts & tree puns
- insta like

cw: stalked by mentally ill stranger, mention of suicide, kissing cousins, discussions about firearms, divorce, cheating

5 star
No spice

Stop, because why was this so freaking perfect. I was smiling and giddy reading this. For a short story it had the perfect amount of character depth. I loved how she had me so invested with the side characters as well as oir main couple. Abby can do no wrong.

The Fall Risk was a perfectly fine, cute short story from romance favorite Abby Jimenez. This was a nice quick read for a bit of a reading slump - a sweet couple in Charlotte and Seth, a funny premise in the missing stairs stranding them in their apartments. The premise of Charlotte having a stalker, though, would have benefitted from a longer/deeper exploration. It instead felt surface-level and sometimes too lightly handled, when it's such a serious subject that could have also been better integrated into Charlotte's personal growth and the development of a relationship. I feel like Jimenez could have done this well, too, so it feels like a missed opportunity for a full-length work.