I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

I loved reading this book...and then got to the epilogue, where it turns out she wasn't sick at all throughout? That felt like such a let-down. I kept wondering how on Earth the author would give us a happy ending in this book, but brushing away the whole medical issue like it was a pesky fly? It just felt like too much. Also, how is her following gonna accept that Vanessa was not sick the whole time? We don't get to see that, and it all feels so bubble-wrapped, it was a shame to get to the end after such an exhilarating ride and be met with this ending... Sadly, it killed the whole enjoyment of the book

Abby Jimenez is one of my favourite authors, having read the previous two books in this series I was excited to read Life’s Too Short and it delivered! I loved that the romance was also blended with some family drama. The writing is great as sometimes romance books can be cringey but Life’s Too Short was the perfect girl next door trope for me! Harry Puppins was an added bonus too, I loved it!

I adored this. I liked how it touched on the real life issues that come with ALS but also had humour and hope. Slightly more than I bargained for but in a positive way.

I absolutely ADORE this book. I have never read a book on ALS before, and this was so fascinating and also eye opening on the awful disease that it is. I loved all the characters but especially Vanessa and her attitude to life. She was so brave, and her outlook on trying to live life to the fullest because she doesn’t know how long she has left was just so inspiring. I also loved Adrian and how he reacted in a. Not so perfect way but learned to love her for who she is rather than wanting to change her. I just adored this book so much.

This was an absolutely adored book and not just because this cover is the most sweetest! The characters were really loveable and the slow burn was enjoyable.

I adore Abby’s books so much, . Loved the fact we saw some familiar friends here too. I skipped into this book expecting to love it, and I wasn’t disappointed at all, the characters are just so wonderful , completely well fleshed out and three dimensional and obsessed with the slow burn friendship to lovers, 100% recommended reading

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I have such an up and down relationship with Abby Jimenez. I wasn’t keen on her debut, The Friend Zone but her second novel, The Happy Ever After Playlist is probably one of my favourite romance books of all time. I consider the hero, Jason, to be in my top 5 book boyfriends 😂

I fully went into this one expecting to love it, and I definitely enjoyed most of Life’s Too Short. The characters are wonderful and relatable, they both had real problems to overcome and I adored how they formed a friendship-first, lovers-later kind of relationship, it showed true organic growth as their feelings for each other developed. I really felt for Vanessa right from the start, her fears and worries, and her determination to overcome it all and just live her life were inspiring. It was so satisfying to see how her world view started influencing Adrian, opening him up to more than just work and letting him have fun too.

Speaking of Adrian, our hero is definite swoon-material. He’s kind, funny and very caring, always helping Vanessa whenever she needs it. I loved the scenes where he and Vanessa cared for baby Grace, although I did have some issues with how Grace was treated. Essentially she gets side-lined for a lot of the book and treated more as a prop than an actual character. I understand that it’s hard to properly integrate a baby into a romance story but it still felt a bit lazy to just keep saying ‘oh Grace is with a babysitter’.

The other thing I had a problem with is that there were far too many serious issues crammed into one book. Each of the previous novels dealt with one main problem, The Friend Zone was about infertility, The Happy Ever After Playlist was about overcoming grief. This was one has the ALS plot, drug abuse, child abandonment, mental health and a couple of others and it all just felt like too much. And then the ending pulled another Friend Zone which I’m not a fan of.

Even with those few problems regarding the plot and the epilogue though I can honestly say that I really enjoyed Life’s too Short. The romance and friendship was perfect, the characters were wonderful and I would highly recommend this to fans of romantic comedies, particularly those who like a more serious, deeper storyline.

I've loved Abby Jimenez' previous two books in this series.

And this one didn't disappoint either. I loved the dynamic between Vanessa and Adrian and how a baby girl brought them together. And as always, the hard hitting element was really well done as well. I do wish it had been a little bit smuttier (quite fade to black on the sex scenes) but otherwise, I really loved this. The writing style was fantastic and the story was amazing.

Life’s Too Short is a playful slow-burn with lovable characters and a friends-to-lovers romance. While its love story is sweet, this book dives into familial ALS, addiction, grief, and mental health.

Vanessa is a free-spirited travel vlogger, flying around the world while raising awareness for ALS. But her life of adventure is quickly switched to motherhood after she takes custody of her sister’s baby. Adrian is a workaholic defence lawyer who finds comfort in control. His apartment shares a wall with Vanessa’s, and one night when the baby won’t stop crying, he heads over to complain. Quickly, a friendship develops between the two, they grow closer with each day, and the story begins.

So far, The Friend Zone series has been quite hit and miss for me. The Friend Zone was a miss, The Happy Ever After Playlist was a hit, and Life's Too Short is just in between. The story started well, but dipped, and then picked up, but became frustrating, and then charming. I struggled with my enthusiasm for the story as it lacked the kind of engaging structure that pushes me to keep reading.

Still, there are a lot of elements of this book I really loved. At the top of the list, the characters. They’re bursting with vigour and personality, which I think is testament to Jimenez’s lively writing. Adrian is my favourite of the roster. He’s rigidly organized, focused, and guarded on the surface. But very kind, modest, and considerate underneath. Vanessa is a tolerable, supportive, and good-natured. She carries heavy burdens, not just with the threat of developing ALS, but with her family and niece, baby Grace. Yet she’s quick-witted, flirtatious, and creative. Adrian and Vanessa have opposing personality types and lifestyles, but fit together perfectly. So it’s easy to root for them.

I loved the dynamic between the primary and secondary characters, from Adrian and his assistant to Vanessa and her brother. The dialogue in the book is where the entertainment lies, and I actually wish the author had taken advantage of this more. Conversation between the characters drives the narrative well in this story, but then it sadly slows as pages are dedicated to standstill thoughts or too much description.

I’m not sure how I feel about the way ALS is featured in this book. I had a similar issue to the subject of infertility in The Friend Zone. There’s a level of sensitivity in the book, but it wasn’t treated like the life-altering, fatal disease it is. Vanessa has already experienced loss, but a lot of her choices and expressions around diagnosis and the future seems fleeting and insincere. I felt for her character, but like Kristen’s struggle in The Friend Zone, the use of ALS (and some of the other heavier subjects) felt like a plot tool that was thrown around to add depth when it could have been used to develop the characters while raising awareness.

Despite this, Life’s Too Short easily has the best characters of the entire book series, and for that reason it was worth the read. I liked the way the slow-burn romance was executed and the chemistry change from friendship to more is satisfying to read. Sadly, the ending did sped up like a summary, but I like that the author took the time to include an epilogue. Above all, I’m an Adrian and Vanessa fan, so earned all the stars!

Life’s Too Short is a friends to lovers romance which also takes on heavy topics through its heroine Vanessa. I don’t mind it if it’s executed right. Here I struggled with Vanessa and her actions regarding her situation/diagnosis. In my opinion It took too much focus and affected my enjoyment.
Luckily Vanessa and Adrian and their blooming friendship and romance made up for it a little. I don’t mind fade to black scenes if the chemistry is palpable but here it wasn’t strong enough to feel much between them.
I can appreciate the author for writing a story that deals with such tough topics but my overall feeling while reading was just sad. I had expected some laugh out moments or just scenes to make me smile since it’s in the synopsis but I didn’t get that.
The ending was wrapped up too easy and left me a little underwhelmed.
I’ve read the other books from the author and enjoyed those especially book 2 The Happy Ever After Playlist. This book missed the mark for me. Maybe my expectations got the better of me.

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Life’s Too Short by @authorabbyjimenez from the publisher via @netgalley.

I have seen this author for so long all over booktube and bookstagram so I was quite hyped going into this one! The story follows famous lifestyle and travel vlogger Vanessa and her neighbour Adrian. The pair meet when neither of them can sleep on account of Vanessa’s screaming baby niece. The story goes from there following through the trials and tribulations of family and careers.

This is a touching story, which reminds us that life is short and for many it can be shorter than expected. It reminds the reader to appreciate the present and to take opportunities.

I would have preferred Adrian to be a bit less Mr Nice Guy but if you love a sweet hero then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this.

I was excited to read this as I am very much a fan of Abby Jimenez - I have thoroughly enjoyed her previous books and she has an impressive ability to write fun romance books that also encompass more serious issues. In this case its the tale of an initially unlikely romance between Vanessa, a high profile YouTuber who has built her following showcasing her global travels, and her next door neighbour Adrian, a workaholic lawyer. Despite her apparently charmed life, Vanessa is living in fear of inheriting the genetic condition ALS that has blighted her family and when her drug addicted sister abandons her baby on her doorstep, her life is thrown into turmoil. Somewhat surprisingly Adrian offers to help her with the baby and their friendship gradually develops into something more.

Jimenez's skill lies in combining exceptional characterisation and some tough subjects with a level of humour that takes her books beyond the average romcom - she tugs at your heartstrings but overall she makes you smile and that is what makes her books a must-read for me.

It couldn't be anything but 5🌟 for this.
I don't know how Abby manages to make me smile and rip my heart out on the same page but she does. This book was packed full of emotion yet still managed to make me laugh and smile. I absolutely love Abbys writing. I've enjoyed her 2 previous books and I'm glad we got to see old friends in this one as I wasn't sure how she was going to tie them together.
Vanessa is such a free spirit and Adrian is total book boyfriend material. The friendship and chemistry that evolved between them was *kiss the chef*
If your looking for a story that was effectively gut you but still give you all the laughs and swoony feelings then read this book!

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Sometimes you just need a light hearted read that has a little more too it... LIFE’S TOO SHORT // Abby Jimenez is just that 🙌🏻 The book is centred around taking chances and just living life to the fullest ... it touches on complex issues such as addiction, terminal illnesses, anxiety but there’s also a lot of LOVE - and made me laugh and tear up all at the same time!⁣
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🔎 Quick look at storyline: Vanessa is thrown from the ‘YouTuber Always Travelling blogger’s’ lifestyle into the world of motherhood when she takes guardianship of her newborn niece. Adrian is a hot shot lawyer who lives next door her. After both being kept awake all night from the baby’s cries - super thin walls 🤪, from that moment, their lives won’t be the same again!⁣
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🧪 The chemistry is just amazing in this story, and I loved the unexpectedness of life in it. As per for a Jimenez book, the writing was fab, character development perfect and I just ADORED this book 🥰 Abby Jimenez is now definitely an auto buy author for me!⁣

This is a perfect heartwarming read which has provided a great escape. I love how this has been written and cannot wait to read more by this author.

This was wholesome and a great read. I loved the fact that mc was a youtuber and her experiences felt very realistic and familiar. Adrian couldn’t have been a better love interest. Absolutely loved him.

Life’s too Short
By Abby Jimenez
Pub Date April 20 2021

I was so excited to read this I heard so much good positivity about this book and I loved it myself I loved the chemistry between characters. Such a moving story you love. The cover so pretty can’t wait to read more from this author in the future x

Life’s Too Short moves at a lovely pace and plot wise often felt a little different to a typical romance. With deeper issues at play which helped to give the book a heartfelt edge. The character’s deal with the possibility of serious health issues. Highlighting how devastating genetic conditions are. There are heavy themes throughout including loss. However the author adds a sprinkling of romance that helps to offset the more serious moments. This all combined to make me care about the characters.

I really enjoyed the connection that Vanessa and Adrian shared. Right from the start there was something so engaging about their friendship. From their first meeting to the way a strong chemistry builds with every interaction. Vanessa was a wonderful character and I loved her outlook on life. There is this constant dark cloud hanging over her but she insists on living her best life. What makes Vanessa even more likeable is the way she cares for her family. Even though there is plenty of emotional upheaval between them all. What can I say about Adrian? Well he is definitely a loveable hero. Personality wise it was lovely to see his dependable and caring nature. One that really shined through whenever he was with Vanessa.

Life’s Too Short had a special charm both uplifting and romantic!

I am in a complete book hangover. What a book! Stunning! I couldn’t put it down I have read it in 24hrs! I loved it! Such a moving and wonderful sorry and so very well written. And funny... did I mention how funny it is?! What a read!! It’s what book dreams are made of!