This book was so great. I read it all in one day. Way better than the second one. I cannot already wait for the 4th one. This was a nice slow burn.

I've read Abby's two previous books, I loved TFZ and was mad about HEAP. Life's Too Short was firmly in the middle, a meh read for me. Abby writes books that are very "readable" for me. They are fast paced and I am interested in what is happening. I started this book on a Saturday and finished on Sunday. I was very interested in Vanessa and Adrian. I enjoyed their friendship development and then as lovers. They really seemed to balance each other out. I also liked that he stepped in and was a great caregiver to Grace. Those few moments with them on the page together were very sweet.

Jimenez seems to be making a niche for herself with putting characters in tragic situations and putting them back together. And for me, I would love to see her branch out a little. Maybe make it less tragic?


I had a lot of little things that I did not like but didn't necessarily impact my enjoyment of the book.
Adrian is a criminal defense attorney and there is a comment about he spends his time arguing that guilty people are innocent. That is not exactly what criminal defense attorneys do.

There is a chapter/scene where Adrian takes Vanessa to meet Josh, Kristen, Sloan & Jason from the previous books. The women are having a conversation and the size of Josh's penis came up. And then Adrian's. This felt weird and squicky to me.

Here are some bigger things that did impact my enjoyment of the book.

Grace was a plot moppet. She had no purpose other than to bring the couple together. Once they were together, Grace was frequently absent (either not part of the scene until way late or with a sitter.)

For all that Vanessa talks about living, she is obsessed with dying. She spends so much time thinking about how this will be her last whatever. It became tiring.

Vanessa has a pain in her arm and absolutely refuses to go seek treatment. I found this infuriating. Why doesn't Vanessa have any friends? I feel like if she had friends at least one of them would have been like "girl, I respect you wanting to live/die on your terms, but go to the GD doctor and have this checked out."

Vanessa is insistent that Adrian seek counseling to deal with the grief, but why isn't Vanessa on page seeking treatment other than Nar-Anan? She has been through a lot (dead mom, dead sister, neglect as a child)

Speaking of neglect, Vanessa talks openly about her dad's issues and how he was so grief-stricken he didn't always care for the kids properly, why is she so willing to let him care for Grace. This is a big oh heck no for me.

Lastly and one of the most important things is that the forgiveness, aka grovel, was almost non-existent. They have a big disagreement and spend some time apart and then quickly, too quickly for me, resolve it.

Overall, I was invested in the book and their relationship. I wanted to see Vanessa and Adrian get their win. I found some plot points and lack of grovel incredibly disappointing. C-/D+

Thank you Forever Pub and NetGalley for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Pub date - 4/6/2021.

Abby Jimenez is the queen of contemporary romance and can do no wrong in my book. As soon as I received this ARC, I picked it right up because I knew I'd have a blast no matter what. Jimenez has a way of working in a serious topic (in this case ALS and end of life wishes) to her characters and storyline that just tugs at your heartstrings but also lifts you up. The book has laugh out loud moments - I was laughing within the first few pages of the book but will also have you reach for the box of tissues. I am just sad I finished so quickly because I don't know what romance I can pick up next that would compare!

How the hell does Abby Jimenez keep getting better with each book? Seriously - when I first read The Friend Zone, it was one of my favorite romances, then The Happy Ever After Playlist raised the bar even higher. I have no idea how she does it - but she’s gone ahead and topped the amazing The Happy Ever After Playlist with the third entry of the series, Life’s Too Short.

One of Jimenez’s strengths is how she can infuse humor and sass into even the most emotional of scenes. There are very few books that actually make me laugh out loud, but all of her books are all on that list. From a plot point of view, there was plenty going on in Life’s Too Short - it’s impossible to not get glued to the pages of this book. Even the side plots are entertaining and easy to become invested in.

One of the core elements of Jimenez’s books is that the lead is always dealing with a massive struggle of some sort and finds love despite of it all: Kristen in The Friend Zone was dealing with infertility and Sloan from The Happy Ever After Playlist was dealing with the sudden loss of her husband. In Life’s Too Short, Vanessa is struggling with her odds of getting ALS and being forced into raising her sister’s baby.

Naturally, having a lead character facing down a possible terminal illness made this book very emotional - Vanessa assumed with her luck that she had inherited the disease and decided to distance herself from people as a result. She refused to date, and before she was saddled with the responsibility of her niece, she quit her day job and decided to travel around the world before she ran out of time. She also came from a troubled family - she was constantly bailing them out of their messes. A big part of her character growth came from learning to stop coddling and belittling the members of her family and learning to trust them more. She also ended up learning to let people in and stopped treating herself like a disaster in the making. She learned to not only be individually strong, but how to draw strength from those around her.

The romance between Adrian and Vanessa was gloriously slow burning and really delivered on the payoff. They were mutually attracted to each other from the get go, but each believed the other was not into them. Part of their love story was also the formation of their tiny family - before they even started dating, Vanessa, her niece, and Adrian were already a family unit. The couple was not without their ups and downs (they had a major fight I wasn’t sure they would recover from) but their chemistry was flawless and they mutually helped each other become better people.

Life’s Too Short is a poignant and fun romance that will definitely make you feel everything from happiness, to swooning, to bawling your eyes out and everything in between. If you haven’t already, you should definitely read the first two books in the series: The Friend Zone and The Happy Ever After Playlist. I seriously cannot wait to read whatever Abby Jimenez writes next (fortunately, she has another three book deal). 5/5

Oh. My. Goodness. Be prepared to stay up late reading this, quietly wiping away your tears so if you're like me you don't wake up your sleeping husband at 1am. "What's wrong?" "Oh nothing, just Adrian and Vanessa!!"

Abby Jimenez has outdone herself with her third novel - I enjoyed her previous two releases immensely, but "Life's Too Short" had even more heart, emotions, and fascinating discussion fodder. Vanessa knows exactly what she is going to do with the remaining time she has before a family illness takes her too, and it does not include falling in love with Adrian, despite how helpful he is as he helps her care for her sister's baby daughter. Adrian loves control, structure, and plans - everything Vanessa eschews thanks to her future. But he can't help loving the impact Vanessa has on his life, even if he doesn't entirely understand the whole YouTuber thing.

I appreciated that there wasn't too much gratuitous steam factor. The small asides about disability rights and activism were so refreshing and did not feel heavy handed. The plot sparked some good conversations about caring for those with life-threatening illness, and I loved the nuance and character growth.

Thank you so much to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. I'm so excited for everyone to read "Life's Too Short" in April '21!

I am continually impressed by Abby Jimenez’s ability to create the perfect balance of emotions in her novels. There are moments in Life’s Too Short that are painful and will have you clutching your heart and then the next minute, you’ll be laughing hysterically until your sides hurt. Readers are introduced to such wonderfully relatable characters that you can’t help but root for them to find their way to happily ever after. This is book 3 in The Friend Zone series, but it can definitely be read as a standalone. The previous two books are amazing though and The Happy Ever After Playlist is where we are first introduced to the hero, so I highly recommend reading them as well.

One of my favorite things in a romance is the meet cute and Abby Jimenez writes them so well! They’re hilariously unique and set things up so wonderfully for the characters. Throw in her trademark witty banter and dialogue and I was sold. Vanessa and Adrian’s story was just the right combination of serious and sweet. I loved how the friendship developed naturally between them and seeing that slow burn build up and up and up until it boiled over was delicious. Adrian Copeland had me swooning left and right and if he isn’t inducted into the book boyfriend hall of fame after this, I will riot. Yes, he makes some mistakes along the way, but I loved that he owns up to them and that his heart was always in the right place. Vanessa's view on life was a great reminder that nothing in this world is guaranteed and that anything besides living is just waiting to die. They were such a great complement to each other.

The secondary characters were awesome as always and Brent and Becky stole the show every time they were on the page. I also loved the cameos from Josh, Kristen, Jason, and Sloan. Those scenes were such a treat and it made me so happy to get a little update on them (and to see that Kristen hadn’t lost her sense of humor). I don’t want to give away too much, but I’ve listed a few CW below just in case. Just know that Kristen’s theory about the Copeland men is right (a 25 pound dumbbell! LOL) and you will laugh, (probably) cry, swoon, have a goofy grin on your face, and be left feeling happy and above all else, hopeful.

CW: ALS, anxiety, death of loved one/family member, infidelity, substance abuse, mental health issues

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

I would like to start this review mentioning that it hits close to home for those dealing with degenerative diseases. However, I felt like it was beautifully handled. It was honest, real and authentic.
The characters are a delight. Adrian is complex and Vanessa has done extensive work on being true to who she is. The book is funny, I found myself chucking out loud and highlighting parts. At the same time in some parts I had to pause for a bit to fully take in what was happening. It was extremely difficult to stop reading it, if I didn’t have other engagements I would have read it cover to cover. It flows without having long boring parts.
I was overjoyed when previous characters from Abby’s book were mentioned.
I’m very impressed with how specific Abby can be about the story. The names of restaurants, places, characters. It gives the story a realistic feel. It always makes me want to go to those places.
I will reread this book several times and listen to the audiobook when it comes out. Highly recommend.

This was another smart and funny read by Abby Jimenez. One of the things I love about her books is that she tackles tough issues (infertility in The Friend Zone, grief in Happy Ever After Playlist) with heart and humor, and it never feels too heavy. I have a tendency to seek out romances that tackle big issues and pack this extra punch, and with Life's Too Short, Jimenez delivers again.

In LTS, the characters deal with a myriad of issues - a potential fatal diagnosis, familial illness, addiction, anxiety, childhood wounds, and general family messiness - and yet, the love story between Vanessa and Adrian rose above it all and really shined. Their relationship was sweet and honest, with smart, clever dialogue propelling their relationship forward and building to an emotional, believable conclusion. The handful of side characters are well-fleshed out, and we got check-ins from our fave characters from TFZ & HEAP, too.

Definitely put this one on your to-read list.

Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez

The third book in The Friend Zone series features Vanessa is a travel vlogger who lives each day like it’s her last. Coming from a long line of women with ALS, she has a fifty percent chance of inheriting the gene. But all of her travel plans are halted when her sister drops off her baby at her doorstep. Luckily she gets a little help from her hot lawyer neighbour, Adrian.

💖Abby’s books always manage to infuse serious, heart wrenching and real life with humour and romance. Both characters had intriguing emotional backstories and issues to overcome, all of which were handled so well.

💖As with TFZ and HEAP, Abby’s heroes are always serious book bf material. Adrian is nurturing, kind and adorable. I love how much he cared for both Vanessa, the baby, and Harry Puppins.

💖Harry Puppins needs his own shout out. He’s an ancient, toothless little grump but I laughed each time he was mentioned.

💖Kristen/Josh and Sloan/Jason cameos made me smile!

Thank you so much to Forever, Netgalley and Abby Jimenez for allowing me early access to one of my most anticipated 2021 reads! 💖

Thank you to Net Galley, Abby Jimenez, and Read Forever Publishing for an early ARC of Life's Too Short. This is hands down the best book Abby Jimenez has written. I could go on and one about my love for this book! I loved all of it! Adrian and Vanessa are well written and realistic characters. I found myself identifying with Adrian's anxiety and need to control things. This book really hit home with me and couldn't be publishing at a better time. In such a hard time, it is such an amazing reminder that life is too short to live in fear and anxiety everyday. We can always choose to find happiness. We just have to choose it and look for it! It is everywhere! I can tell you that this book will create happiness for so many! It's pure joy to read and a beautiful reminder about life!

The only things disappointing about Abby Jimenez' third book "Life's Too Short" is that the book ended and the chances of finding a guy as swoon worthy as Adrian Copeland in real.life are probably pretty low. Once again Jimenez gives us a story of flawed people dealing with imperfect lives with humor and dialog so seemless and realistic that you would swear her characters are real people. Her writing style flows so well you will find it difficult to put the book down because it is so easy to keep reading.

Brought together by a crying baby at 4 am, and despite their different personalities, attorney Adrian and internet travel vlogger Vanessa quickly form a friendship that is strong enough to withstand the train wreck of a family Vanessa is supporting, a newborn baby and a geriatric chihuahua (both of who wear diapers.). It is only when they admit their attraction and their relationship grows closer that that their different approaches to dealing with potentially life alterimg situations causes issues, with Adrian's "all means necessary " approach clashing with Vanessa's "life's to short" to waste or be mad approach. They must learn to respect the other's perspective in order to save the relationship, but that's a tall order.

As in her first two books Jimenez gives the reader a happy, if not a fairy tale, ending, after taking them on a roller-coaster ride of emotions, heavy on the laughter. She does this while once again addressing real life mental and medical issues in a respectful and sensitive manner. She is a talented writer.

I’ve been a fan of the author since her first book came out and had to read the second book as soon as possible. I was lucky to get to read her third book early and it has become my favorite! Life’s Too Short was well written, funny, and kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen. Vanessa, a YouTube star who may have ALS meets her perfect match but doesn’t want to get attached because of her possible condition. Their chemistry is amazing and keeps you rooting for them to end up together. As with all Abby’s books, you’ll laugh and you’ll cry. And you’ll be disappointed you need to wait another year for the next book to come out. I highly recommend Life’s Too Short. It was the perfect book to get me back reading after taking a break for a few months.

Twenty-eight hours.

That's all it took for me to read this book, and I have one serious book hangover.

But was it beyond worth it?

Hell yes.

Friends, if you haven't been introduced to the fabulousness that is Abby Jimenez writing, grab The Friend Zone IMMEDIATELY (and while you're at it, get the Happy Ever After Playlist too because you'll need more Abby in your life!). If, on the other hand, you're an Abby fangirl like me, buckle up because her writing just keeps getting better and better.

I don't know that I have adequate words to describe this reading experience, but I'm going to try. In my humble opinion, Life's Too Short is Abby Jimenez at her finest. This third book focuses on Minnesota attorney Adrian Copeland (whom you meet for a hot second in The Happy Ever After Playlist), and Vanessa Price, the famous vlogger-next-door who finds herself in the throes of motherhood after her younger sister drops off her three-week-old baby and doesn't return.

I could not love Vanessa more. Sarcastic, effortlessly funny, loyal, and caring, I would absolutely want her as my best friend. Happy-go-lucky and optimistic to a fault, Vanessa looks at life through a glass-half-full perspective simply because she doesn't have the luxury not to. ALS, a genetically-debilitating disease, runs in her family and has already claimed the lives of her grandmother, mother, and older sister, and with tingling and numbness setting into one of her hands, Vanessa fears she may have it, as well.

In the midst of a rough night, complete with an inconsolable baby, spit-up in her hair, and sanity that is hanging on by a thread, Vanessa meets her baby-whisperer of a neighbor, Adrian, and they become instant friends. Gorgeous, kind, hard-working, and adept with a baby, Adrian is my top contender for book boyfriend, and he would be a boyfriend contender for Vanessa too, if she didn't think she might be dying, and he wasn't grappling with some serious trust issues. As the two bond and begin spending more time together, their "just friends" relationship threatens to evolve, pulling on your heartstrings the entire way.

Like every Abby Jimenez book, this one tackles some very deep topics (ALS, addiction, mortality) with the sensitivity, grace, and laugh-out-loud humor readers have come to know and love. From laughing one paragraph to crying just a couple pages later, this book took me on an emotional rollercoaster in the best possible way. I fell in love not only with Vanessa, Adrian, and Grace, but also with the gang of secondary characters (I'm looking at you, Becky, Drake and Brent!) and some Abby fan favorites that accompanied them.

I feel like I could gush about this one for days, but simply put: Please pre-order this book (a pre-order would make an incredible Christmas or Valentine's Day gift, AND Abby has some amazing book merch to accompany her books, so definitely check that out, too!!), and if you want to support an indie bookstore plus get a signed or personalized copy, hit up one of the bookstores Abby is supporting (check out her page and posts for more details!).

Life's Too Short doesn't hit shelves until April 6, but trust me, you will binge it, adore it, and have a massive book hangover, just like me. Every time I think I've found my favorite Abby book, she goes and one-ups herself, and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for her and her characters.

Life's Too Short is the third book in The Friend Zone series and it was INCREDIBLE!!! Abby Jimenez is the only author who has written a series in which each and every book was a five star read for me so far. I loved The Friend Zone. I loved Happy Ever After Playlist even more. And I loved Life's Too Short for reasons that are completely different from the other two. What masterpieces this series has been so far!

Life's Too Short tells a story of a woman who is aspiring to live her life to the fullest. There is a chance that Vanessa has inherited a fatal condition and life's too short to live life any other way than how you want to live it. When Vanessa's sister drops off her baby for Vanessa to babysit and doesn't return, Vanessa unexpectedly has to put her life on hold to care for the baby. Her neighbor, Adrian, enters her life at a time when she needed him most.

There is so much to unpack from this book that I want to rave about. First and foremost, the development of Vanessa and Adrian's relationship is *chef's kiss* PERFECT. I loved the ease with which they slipped into an unassuming supportive friendship. I loved how their friendship turned into a slow-burn romance. I loved that their relationship had depth, substance, and that they became each other's person.

This book speaks to other topics that shook me to my core - feelings of abandonment, addiction, mental health, resiliency, and forgiveness. Even though there were some really heartbreaking elements in this book, there were inspirational messages that I took away from it.

I love Abby Jimenez's writing - she has a special way with words and a sense of humor that is delightful. The story had a flawless balance of giving me all the feels but also making me laugh and leaving me feel uplifted. I felt like I was holding my breath for the last 15% of the book and I had tears streaming down my face for the last 10%.

You need to add this book to your 2021 TBR list!!! And make sure you have tissues handy when you read it.

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.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Christmas came early for me! Life's Too Short is book #3 in The Friend Zone series by Abby Jimenez and I honestly have never been more excited to read a book. I adored The Friend Zone and loved The Happy Ever After Playlist, and if you haven't read them you are majorly missing out. I have recommended them to so many people, I don't even know who has my copy of HEAP at this point. 🤷‍♀️

This one follows Vanessa and Adrian, next door neighbors who couldn't be more opposite. Vanessa is a YouTube travel star who lives life like it's her last day on Earth, and Adrian is a workaholic lawyer who needs to loosen up. They both have a ton of baggage with their family and relationship avoidance issues, so when sparks fly between them they both try their hardest to ignore it and be strictly friends. They end up bringing out the best in each other and changing each other's lives. I don't want to give too much away, but I fell in love with both of these characters. Adrian is my new book boyfriend. 😍🔥

There are cameos by Kristen, Josh, Sloan and Jason and it was everything. This book had the same hilarious banter and commentary that the others have and I LOL'D so many times! I also cried. Like, a lot. Abby does a perfect job of tackling serious issues while still keeping the humor. I didn't want this to end. I can't wait for everyone to read this! Abby once again smashed it out of the park.

Jimenez never fails to tap into emotions that I thought were buried. Is there a word for a book that sucker punches you into feeling? Someone let me know.
I was already a fan. But this might be my new favorite.
Vanessa’s sunny outlook on things, even in the midst of drama. Adrian’s black and white approach to the world. From their very first meeting(swoon), I knew it was going to be a good time. And it was. Filled with laughter, and humor, and pages of highlighted quotes. But it was also a little heavy, dealing with grief and terminal issues.
Overall, Jimenez penned another rom cry hit, sure to grab ahold of you in all the right ways.

Another great book in the series! It’s been entertaining and solid story with romance and heartbreak mixed it. My only issue was how often the baby was put at the back of the story. There were a couple times where I wondered where she was in this big moment just to find out she was hanging out at the side or with the sitters, seriously not a big deal but with a kid at a similar age it felt off.
Abby Jimenez really does have a gift for stories!

Well, Abby Jiminez does it again-- Life’s Too Short is an absolute masterpiece. If you haven’t read any of Jiminez’s previous works (The Friend Zone and The Happy Ever After Playlist) you are missing out. Here is what you can expect from everything Jiminez writes: absolute heartbreak (I am talking tissues required--not optional), swoony love stories that will have you walking around with heart eyes, and hilarious side characters that will crack you up. Life’s Too Short delivers all of this and more. This book follows Vanessa, a travel blogger who takes life one day at a time-- and enjoys each one. Vanessa potentially has a life threatening disease with no test to prove she has (or doesn’t have) it and no cure. Vanessa knows she may die by 30 so she lives her life to the absolute fullest-- she travels the world and raises money for research. Adrian Copeland (Josh from the Friend Zone’s cousin!) is her next door neighbor and polar opposite. Stuck in a rut, he works out and works at his law firm. The two form an unlikely friendship that helps them both see life in a new way. There are so many reasons Adrian and Vanessa would be terrible together, but that doesn’t stop them from falling in love. The only question is… is that enough? Life’s Too Short is the perfect blend of realism and sadness and absolutely dream worthy romance. Every now and then you read a book that changes your outlook on life & love-- this is that book. It is perfect for all fans of romance-- go pick up your copy now-- you will not regret it.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for an advanced copy of Life's Too Short by Abby Jimenez.

I absolutely loved The Friend Zone and The Happy Ever After Playlist. There is something about how Abby Jimenez writes such absolutely amazing, hilarious and real romances. While you know there will be a happy ending, she touches on real issues and has you fall in love with the characters and want to be friends with them.

In Life's Too Short we meet Vanessa, who is a famous YouTuber who has decided not to find out if she has the same fatal genetic condition (ALS) as her female relatives. She wants to live her life on her terms and has decided to travel and take advantage of every days she has while using her status to raise money for ALS research. When she takes custody of her infant niece the last thing she expects is help from her neighbor who she has dubbed Jesus's Abs.

Like her previous books there is the best meet cute in the beginning and can we just laugh about the chapter titles for second too. Plus our favorites make a wonderful appearance too!

This book comes out April 6th -- so PRE ORDER IT NOW!