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ladywestfall's review against another edition
4.5
God, this is beautiful. Abby Jimenez never fails to create beautiful love stories and this one even made me sob. I just love the easy and fun chemistry of Adrian and Vanessa. The way they instantly became a little family was so effortless and organic. Vanessa has always lived her life as if it was the last and Adrian has always been afraid of what's out there and I love how they wormed in each other's lives and gave each other a new perspective in life. Adrian learned how to live more and live each day with purpose. Vanessa have learned to love fully, and not be afraid, and give life one more chance because now she has more reasons to live. It was beautiful how they made each other better, and the people around them better. Adrian focusing on the fight for disability rights was so heartwarming, and them adopting Grace, omg. I just wanna cry. ALS will always be behind them, waiting.. but now, they're ready to tackle each day without fear and not giving this disease another minute to take their happiness away. This book is so special, I am inlove with it.
Aaaaand life's too short, let's live each day with a smile.
Aaaaand life's too short, let's live each day with a smile.
erinmassey23's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Confinement, Cursing, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, and Pregnancy
laurennpperry's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
abbeyroad1410's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Life's Too Short is successful because the characters are dynamic and powerful; the tropes are used effectively; and it deals with heavy topics in a positive and empathetic way. Oh, and did I mention it is secretly a Christmas book?
This is one of the only books where the miscommunication trope works, and that is a HUGE compliment in a romance novel. Outside of cheating, that is one of my least favorite tropes of all time, so it was nice to see it done how it was meant to be. The way Abby Jimenez executes this trope is by having both of the characters know the same information but to have different understandings of that information that fundamentally changes their reactions once they are on the same page. It is clever and gives insight to the different characters' personalities.
Now, this novel does have A LOT going on. It covers topics such as terminal illness, mental illness, drug addiction, broken homes, and cheating. Also, a random fear of planes where you don't know why Adrian is scared of planes and you never see him overcome that fear, but it is very important to the novel. Sometimes, I forgot various plot points because there was so much. The book is nearly 400 pages, so it is enough time to deal with the issues, but not in the depth that makes those issues impactful. For example, why does Adrian just randomly forgive his dad immediately upon seeing him again?
On the bright side, both Vanessa and Adrian are wonderful people. They are fun to read about, and Adrian is another nearly perfect man. I mean one of the first scenes is him holding a baby and figuring out why it is crying. It's adorable.
Overall, this book is a solid read and, dare I say, my favorite in this trilogy.
This is one of the only books where the miscommunication trope works, and that is a HUGE compliment in a romance novel. Outside of cheating, that is one of my least favorite tropes of all time, so it was nice to see it done how it was meant to be. The way Abby Jimenez executes this trope is by having both of the characters know the same information but to have different understandings of that information that fundamentally changes their reactions once they are on the same page. It is clever and gives insight to the different characters' personalities.
Now, this novel does have A LOT going on. It covers topics such as terminal illness, mental illness, drug addiction, broken homes, and cheating. Also, a random fear of planes where you don't know why Adrian is scared of planes and you never see him overcome that fear, but it is very important to the novel. Sometimes, I forgot various plot points because there was so much. The book is nearly 400 pages, so it is enough time to deal with the issues, but not in the depth that makes those issues impactful. For example, why does Adrian just randomly forgive his dad immediately upon seeing him again?
On the bright side, both Vanessa and Adrian are wonderful people. They are fun to read about, and Adrian is another nearly perfect man. I mean one of the first scenes is him holding a baby and figuring out why it is crying. It's adorable.
Overall, this book is a solid read and, dare I say, my favorite in this trilogy.
lilly_springer's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
baileydouglass's review against another edition
3.0
There are always things that bother me about Abby Jimenez books but something about them completely absorbs my attention when I read them. This one followed the pattern, history of trauma for some of the characters, heightened situation with kids, sweet unreasonably lovely hero, and I liked it just like I’ve liked the rest of them.