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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
hopelessromanticbookworm'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? No
5.0
Just WOW! I picked this book up hoping to get out of my reading slump and it was such an emotional rollercoaster.
This book follows a young woman called Vanessa who has the gene of ALS and has been passed down through the women of her family. She basically was living life to the fullest, travelling the world and filling up her travel vlog on YouTube…until a baby literally was left with her and halted all the plans. What’s even more annoying for Vanessa is she has a grumpy, sexy, ‘Jesus abs’ neighbour who wanted her to shut the baby up at 4am…it’s not like that’s what she had been trying to do 😅 before he started knocking on her door.
When reading this book (and unable to put it down), it had humour , moments that was so cute!, times I just wanted to bang the main characters heads together, heartbreak that left me calling them both idiots and of course an emotional and sweet ending.
I loved the emotional storyline that was beautifully represented. The characters were so diverse and had a mixture of real life problems, relationships & families
This book is a Grumpy/Sunshine & Friends to Lovers romance. It shows representation of the struggles with ALS, Drug Addict, Grief, Mental Health Issues & LGBTQ+ x
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Car accident, and Death of parent
mels_reading_log'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: Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
amateur_bookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, and Pregnancy
sierra_liv's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
quaye'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? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Terminal illness
Minor: Death, Car accident, Death of parent, and Abandonment
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
bookwormingh'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
5.0
Ugh I’m experiencing all the feels after reading this
Minor: Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
ang3lina_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Drug abuse and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual content, Car accident, and Death of parent