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erinmassey23's review against another edition
- 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
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
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Author: Abby Jimenez
Series: The Friend Zone #3
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: April 6, 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Witty • Tender • Wholesome
📖 S Y N O P S I S
When Vanessa Price quit her job to pursue her dream of traveling the globe, she wasn't expecting to gain millions of YouTube followers who shared her joy of seizing every moment. For her, living each day to its fullest isn't just a motto. Her mother and sister never saw the age of 30, and Vanessa doesn't want to take anything for granted.
But after her half sister suddenly leaves Vanessa in custody of her baby daughter, life goes from "daily adventure" to "next-level bad". The last person Vanessa expects to show up offering help is the hot lawyer next door, Adrian Copeland. After all, she barely knows him. No one warned her that he was the Secret Baby Tamer or that she'd be spending a whole lot of time with him and his geriatric Chihuahua.
Now she's feeling things she's vowed not to feel. Because the only thing worse than falling for Adrian is finding a little hope for a future she may never see.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Life's Too Short was the final book of Abby's repertoire on my TBR. The third installment in The Friend Zone companion series, I knew the major plot centered around ALS, and that there was a social media aspect as well. I knew very little more than that, which is exactly how I like to go into her books.
Another signature Abby tale with witty banter, complex characters and mental health representation. I really liked both Vanessa and Adrian, they each felt so wholesome. Getting both of their POVs allows for a more in depth look into their thoughts and actions. Their connection was believable very early on and felt genuine. Their ability to co-parent was organic and simply beautiful. Additionally, I loved getting to see Vanessa's relationship with her family and how each one dealt with the tragic losses in a different way. This really shows how grief is deeply personal.
For me, the first half was definitely stronger. The manner in which the whole medical aspect was handled didn't sit well with me. It became harder and harder to believe as the story progresses and at times felt dragged out. I understand Abby wanted to add depth, yet I think it could have easily been done in a different way and it would have worked better.
Life's Too Short was an enjoyable story with realistic and flawed characters, yet it was easily my least favourite of Abby's books (even though there were aspects I adored). Regardless, I have come to the end of Abby's backlist and will be impatiently waiting for her next release.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• modern families
• furry companions
• Abby Jimenez
⚠️ CW: mental illness, addiction, drug use, drug abuse, overdose, death, death of parent, sibling death, grief, car accident, terminal illness, chronic illness, abandonment, dementia, panic attacks/disorders, sexual content, cursing, medical content, pregnancy, hoarding, toxic relationship, infidelity
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"'Life is no excuse,' she said. "You should always have an adventure lined up. Having something to look forward to is tantamount to happiness.'"
"There are people you can know for a lifetime and they never get your heart. And then there are those who are already inside it, before you ever lay eyes on them."
Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Dementia, and Pregnancy
overdose, sibling death, hoardingjuanat77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
cozyteareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction and Death of parent
Minor: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Car accident, and Abandonment
mbichaela's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
i’m truly sorry but this story wasn’t for me. there were few elements i did not click with and they made me want to dnf the book.
1. i know that all book cannot have a perfect family dynamics but i truly hated how this one worked. (and there were too many issues for me and not every one felt solved or truly explored)
2. it seemed from the beginning what will be the end and that made the book less enjoyable for me
3. this romance and connection between mcs just felt messy and not in this quirky way for which i like author’s books
Graphic: Addiction, Terminal illness, and Abandonment
Minor: Infidelity and Car accident
zalouis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Dementia and Alcohol
abbypeekreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The characters in this book are some of my favorites in any book I've ever read. Adrian and Vanessa grabbed my heart from the beginning. I adored how sweet Adrian was and how big his heart was, especially towards Vanessa, and I loved how real Vanessa was from the beginning, no matter how messy she thought her life was.
Their character growth was quite literally top tier. They had a big struggle to overcome, and even though it was so heart-wrenching to read, it was also so beautiful in the end to watch them navigate it (together and separately). It made for some incredible and compelling storytelling and character development, so much so that I couldn't put the book down.
I've always appreciated how Jimenez tackles an important and difficult topic with each of her books. While I don't have any experience with chronic illness, I enjoyed being able to learn more about how chronic illnesses affect and shape people's lives and families. The way Jimenez handled it in this particular book felt very authentic as well.
As with her previous books, I felt the writing was still a bit cheesy at times. But because the story itself was so compelling, it honestly didn't detract from my experience all that much. All in all, this was truly a special read that I'm sure will stick with me for a long time.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Gun violence
karolinaz's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Medical content, Stalking, and Car accident
rachel_sf's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Grief, and Abandonment
Content warning: Hoardingtheespressoedition's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
This book, ladies and gents, is a masterpiece. A work of art. I liked The Friend Zone. I enjoyed The Happily Ever After Playlist. But my goodness gracious, Life's Too Short takes the cake in every way, shape, and form.
I instantly related with Vanessa. She's a digital content creator who is dealing with health issues - just like me. Right off the bat, I appreciated how her job was taken seriously and she wasn't portrayed as some kind of airhead or attention-seeker. Her family was chaotic and her life was a bit of a hot mess, but she was real and beautiful in her own way and I loved it.
Then there was Adrian. Our soft, cinnamon roll boy. He was absolutely precious and I related with him in a lot of ways as well. He preferred work and organization like myself, but he also had a huge capacity for love. The way these two characters molded together to create the perfect friends-to-"forbidden"-lovers was just perfect in every way.
The slow burn was done really well and I actually loved how painfully accurate the big relationship "challenge" was. It reminded me so much of my husband and myself when we first met and he was navigating my life with a chronic illness.
Overall, I think this book was so special because of how personal it felt, but I also just think it was a beautifully written love story that I'll want to read again and again!
Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Gun violence and Forced institutionalization