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!

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!

This is the third book by Abby Jimenez and she is really a special author. Her characters are modern and authentic and her books contain many unexpected details and themes, particularly as it relates to disability and illness.
Vanessa is a successful youtuber who has a 50/50 chance of having inherited her family's ALS gene. This affects everything about the way she lives her life- always looking for adventure, never looking for a relationship. She unexpectely builds a platonic family with her uptight attorney neighbor Adrian, her drug addicted sister's newborn and an elderly toothless chihuahua.
The whole story is lovely and heartbreaking and of course they fall in love, but how can they reconcile their very different world views and priorities?
Gorgeous. All the stars.

Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez had everything I love about a romance. It was adorable, fun and enjoyable. Especially the first three quarters of the book were wonderfully romantic, passionate, and heartwarming. The last quarter struck deep and was much more emotional than I was prepared for.

All the things I loved:

Vanessa was without a doubt an amazing character, strong, brave, and full of life and joy.

Adrian was a dreamboat of a hero. Supportive, attentive, and utterly in love with Vanessa – his feelings were palpable.

Single parent trope – it’s one of my favorite tropes and seeing Adrian handle an itty bitty baby made my heart all gooey. He was perfection!!!

Chemistry – they had bucketloads of chemistry, and it was fun seeing them go from friends to more.

Friendship – Vanessa and Adrian had an amazing friendship, and I loved how well they were matched and how easy they made it look. They were a true match – soulmates if you like.


So, if you are a fan of friends to lovers romances, this is your book. The novel is well written, has wonderful characters, a great story, and an amazing couple to root for.


POSSIBLE SPOILER

The topic of ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is at the center of this book, and although it was very well handled, it’s not without emotional and heartbreaking moments.

Also, the topic of hoarding and drug abuse is being mentioned in this novel.

What I Loved?
- Adrian. He was so sweet and I loved that he stepped up with Grace. I feel like there are few things more attractive than a man stepping in and taking care of a baby that is not theirs.
- The little visit from Sloane, Jason, Kristen, and Josh. It was hard saying goodbye to them when their books were over so I liked our little glimpse!
- Vanessa bringing Adrian out of his shell. She broke his workaholic nature and helped him see more of what life was really about!
- The awareness that Abby brings to ALS. This is such a horrific and scary disease. So many people don’t know much about it at all so I like that this book will encourage people to learn more about it!

What I Didn’t Love?
This is hard to actually explain but I was really anxious the entire time I was reading the book. Vanessa was preparing for what would happen after her battle with ALS ended and it just made it hard to read for me.

Abby's other two novels in this series are my all time favorites in the romance genre so I was both excited and nervous to read a third. I wasn't sure she could do it again but she absolutely did!

This story hit close to home for me, as I also have a genetic degenerative neurologic disease in my family history. Initially I wasn't sure I could handle the subject matter, but it was addressed with honesty, love, and humor. Abby weaves together joy and sadness in her novels unlike any other author I've read (except maybe Penny Reid.) This is a book about a young woman determined to live life on her own terms. Then family issues intrude on her plans and she has to decide if she's willing to take a different path.

This book made me laugh out loud and also had me near tears a few times. I read the entire thing in one day, which is a rarity for me. I highly recommend it for readers of romance, and it would work well as a standalone if you haven't read the first two yet, although you should!

I don’t know how the author manages every single time to weave a romcom along with bringing in awareness about a very serious/important topic. And Adrian is simply the perfect book boyfriend ever!! This one is as heartwarming as all her previous books and has both cute and funny moments throughout the book. It is a hattrick without a doubt as I have loved all the three books equally!

Vanessa is a successful and famous lifestyle youtuber and is loaded with grit. Her mantra is to enjoy life which she really reveled in. Even though she is dealt with a bad hand in life, she doesn't waste a single moment in enjoying it to the fullest which truly inspires us to follow that and take chances in life. Adrian is a handsome criminal lawyer with type-A personality and has his own family issues to deal with. When these two end up as neighbors, there is definitely a rollercoaster ride waiting for them. Add in a cute baby into the mix, it just can’t get better.

Trigger warning: : ALS, mental health , addiction, grief

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

WE ARE THREE FOR THREE HERE, PEOPLE. every book authorabbyjimenez has written has been a five star fave for me!!! gahhh i just love her storytelling, her characters (such realness! such heart! such warmth! so swoon worthy!), her way of totally sucking me in and melting my heart.

i said it with books 1 and 2 and i’ll say it again, WHERE ARE THE REAL LIFE MEN LIKE THE ONES IN THESE STORIES bc hellooooo i’m single and would totally date a guy like adrian 😍

okay anyway read these!!! (you don’t HAVE to read them in order, the characters just all loosely connect and are mentioned in the other books so you’ll get some spoilers if you don’t go in order but nbd).

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read Abby's newest book in the series. This may have been her best one yet and I loved the series as a whole!

I’ve been enamoured with Abby Jimenez’s books ever since discovering her unique brand of storytelling in The Friend Zone, and her newest Romantic Comedy is another perfect marriage of humour and heart-wrenching emotion. It’s the story of a famous YouTuber whose family’s tragic health history has taught her to live each day to its fullest, and never dare to hope for a future she might never get to see. But then the hot lawyer living next door walks into her life and shakes her resolve to never fall in love… A joyful story full of heart and hope and truth and everything I always hope to find in a book. A triumph!