4.25⭐️ this was my first romance novella and I absolutely loved it!!

It’s like reading a romance book in 4x speed, it was the perfect little palette cleaner. I was laughing out loud multiple times especially with the old ladies and Izzy and Gabe’s interactions.

Highly recommend if you want a cute romance to read in like an hour!

- novella
- he talks about trees when he’s nervous
- she has a stalker
- forced proximity

This short story is dedicated “For all the women who choose the bear and all the men who do the work to understand why. May the forest be a little less scary one day.” And I love how this sums up the book.

Charlotte is a woman whose life has been destroyed by a stalker. She’s, understandably, suspicious of men. So when a construction company accidentally removes the stairs to her apartment, trapping her on the second floor with the levels only other resident, Seth, she is hesitant to trust him. Thankfully Seth is a sweetheart who goes out of his way to make sure she is comfortable.

Their chemistry is instant, and I loved watching their story unfold. My favorite part was the visit from the old ladies in Seth’s class at the retirement home. They made me giggle.

Even though the story was short, it packed an emotional punch. I was fully invested. And I liked the tie in to #abbyjimenez other short story, Worst Wingman Ever.

I waited for the audiobook for this one because I heard that the GOAT @justjuliawhelan was narrating. And she did not disappoint. It’s a duet with each narrator doing all their character’s lines. This is one of those cases where listening is better than read.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @amazonpublishing for the chance to review this ARC.

Super cute novella from Abby Jimenez that definitely packs a lot of emotion into such a short story. It had Abby’s signature humor (a fish named Swim Shady?!) and two MCs I really enjoyed. I was also a huge fan of Izzy and Gabe! The content warnings are intense for a novella so check them out (they include stalking, mental illness, among others).

I read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The concept of the stairs being removed was so fun, but I felt like it could have been cozier? The subplot of the stalker made me feel a bit off; While it was the-opening and female empowering, I was expecting a fluffier story. However, I know Jimenez’s other books usually have deeper plots, this one just felt off putting.

I LOVED the tree details. That was so cute.

I enjoyed this novella so much! Abby Jimenez is the expert at weaving real/heavy topics with wit and charm, and also creating characters that you instantly fall in love with/want to be friends with. I found myself laughing out loud and smiling at so many parts. I would totally read a full length novel on Seth/Charlotte OR even Gabe/Izzy.

The Fall Risk is a standalone novella written by Abby Jimenez.

*Neighbors
*Forced proximity
*Stalker

An insanely sweet Valentine’s themed novella!! No OM/OW drama, no third act breakup!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read and review this title!

Format: NetGalley ebook
Genre: Contemporary fiction, Romance
Overall score:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️
Characters: Charlotte (FMC) & Seth (MMC)

Such a cute read! I didn’t want it to end.

I loved every moment of this novella. It was perfect as a novella, but it was so good I wanted a full novel.

All the characters are amazing: Charlotte, Seth, Gabe and Izzy. I love them so much!!!

*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first read by this author and it was nice to start with a short story to see if this author would be a style of Rom-com writing that I would enjoy, and it was ! I am very much looking forward to trying out more books by this author.

This was a creative set up, but Seth and Charlotte’s chemistry made the most of it together with their supportive best friends Izzy and Gabe. Their hallway outings were adorable and the tension of the stalker was a good counter feeling in the story.

Overall, this was a lovely, fast-paced, and heartfelt read. The characters were great and though the story is short they overall seemed realistic, though there was moments I needed to suspend disbelief, it was a great read.


Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for this ARC. This is my honest review.

This was a cute novella but I thought it was pretty cheesy and rushed. Since it’s so short, everything happens extremely fast and the characters don’t have as much depth as I’d hoped!

Abby Jimenez could give me crumbs, and I’d still devour them like a five course meal. And The Fall Risk? Absolutely delicious. This novella was everything I love about her writing—witty, heartfelt, and packed with chemistry that had me grinning like an idiot the entire time.

Charlotte and Seth were the perfect mix of awkward, vulnerable, and so easy to root for. I mean, a girl armed with emotional support bear spray and a newly divorced arborist literally stuck together on Valentine’s Day? Peak rom com perfection. The forced proximity, the banter, the slow unraveling of their walls—it was chef’s kiss.

Even in such a short story, Jimenez gave us depth, humor, and that signature emotional pull that makes her books irresistible. It was sweet, a little chaotic, and just the right amount of swoony. If this were a full length novel, I’d be first in line.

If you love Abby Jimenez (or just need a quick, serotonin-boosting romance), The Fall Risk is a must read. Now excuse me while I go manifest more crumbs from this world!

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. I've ready every book by Abby Jimenez and this short story was so cute and heartwarming. I can't wait for her next book coming out next month.

🔉Thank you to Abby Jimenez and NetGalley for this copy of The Fall Risk, out now!

📜Quick Summary: It’s Valentine’s Day weekend…what could go wrong? For Sam, he’s accepting his fate as a newly divorced man. For Charlotte, she’s trying to cope with a stalker. When a flight of stairs is knocked down, both of them find themselves stranded on this lovey dovey weekend. Which is fine…it’s not like they want to look for love right now anyway. Charlotte carries bear spray around for goodness sake. But will this arborist, handsome man win over her heart and break down some barriers?

❣️Initial Feels: Abby’s books always get ya right from the start and this was no different.

👀Trigger Warnings: stalker, divorce, mention of suicide

🌶️Spice Level: I bet it would be in the next one…but not here

📖Read if you want: dual point of views, forced proximity,

🙋🏼‍♀️Moving Character: Sam is a gem of a man! He showed Charlotte how patient, kind, and supportive someone can be who’s going through some tough stuff. He wanted to be her protector and helped break down her walls.

🗨️Thoughtful Words: “Sometimes the start of something good begins during something bad. We don’t get to pick when these things happen.”

💡Final Sentiments: Abby always gets to ya, whether it’s a full novel or this short story. Sam and Charlotte are amazing characters and I would love to see this as a full novel. I can totally see this becoming a series with the side characters as well. This was a quick binge, a great read, and somehow packed with a great story line in such a short novella!

🌟Overall Rating: 4 stars

This novel was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of this novella!!

With short stories and novellas, you have to adjust your expectations when it comes to pacing, story building, character development, etc. There just simply isn't as much time to fully flesh things out the same way you would in a novel. With that in mind, I still could not adjust my expectations enough to enjoy this one. I couldn't suspend enough disbelief to buy into the super rushed timeline, and the jokes were really not my sense of humor.

I found the premise to be interesting, but the execution fell a little flat for me. I think that it simply tried to be too many things at once. I appreciated the conversations surrounding stalkers and keeping yourself safe in dangerous situations, but I think a concept like this would have been better explored in a full-length novel. There could've been deeper exploration of those themes and more sensitivity surrounding the reality of those situations.

I can see why others might like this, but it ended up being really not for me.
 
Also, the cousin thing was a weird choice.

The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez is perfectly adorable, feel good & fascinating forced proximity, neighbors to more romance novella.

It has Abby Jimenez’s trademark humor & wit mixed with their propensity for realistic life struggles, wonderful friends & enough heart to make one feel warm & fuzzy inside. I love her writing style & I am impressed that she was able to fit not just one, but two charming stories in 82 pages. I will read & love anything she writes. I highly recommend giving them a read.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Amazon Original Stories for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

This book begins with one of the most original and memorable meet cutes I’ve ever read. Abby Jimenez fully tells a story in only 82 pages. Charlotte and Seth live across the landing from each other in apartments. With her signature humor I was snorting with laughter as the pair met and got to know each other on Valentine’s weekend. There is some seriousness to the story as Charlotte’s life has been turned upside down for the past two years because of stalker. I’m not going to spoil it with any more detail but treat yourself to a delightful and romantic short story from a master romance story teller. This is available for free if you have Amazon Prime.

Abby Jimenez does it again with this short story, where we follow Charlotte and Seth as they end up stranded in their apartments. With only each other for company, they pass the time together—and totally hit it off.
Even at under 100 pages, this was an incredible read that left me wanting more. Abby has a talent for making every character feel real, even the ones who barely appear on the page. She does in just a few chapters what some authors struggle to do in 400 pages—giving us a clear, deep understanding of the protagonists' fears, struggles, and emotions without needing to spell everything out.
These pages flew by, and I can’t wait to read Abby’s next book

The Fall Risk is a cute and romantic little short. Seth is an arborist who has finally finalized his divorce. Charlotte is an accountant who has been forced into exile by her stalker. The two neighbors discover one Friday afternoon that the stairs to their second floor apartments have been mistakenly removed and they won't be able to leave until Monday. They bond quickly over their ridiculous situation, shared sense of humor, and attraction to each other. The story involves a quirky cast of characters, the two leads as well as their goofy best friends, the hapless maintenance man, and the women from the retirement home who take bonsai classes from Seth. This is a quick read that will be great for anyone looking for a romantic story featuring characters with hearts of gold.

Cute and quick romance! The whole premise is slightly undermined by the fact they are immediately given a ladder and choose to stay 'trapped' despite being able to come and go as they please the whole time.

All the characters (minus the stalker) are very sweet and I really enjoyed this short story!

Thank you NetGalley for the copy!

“𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚.”

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗:
Charlotte has been on the run from a stalker for years. One day she wakes up to find the stairs missing to her apartment complex, stranding her for the weekend with her neighbor Seth. Over the weekend the two spend time together and develop a friendship.

𝙼𝚢 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎:
I know novellas aren’t necessarily a good representation of an author’s work, but for my first Abby Jimenez book I was impressed!

There was a lot packed into only 82 pages and I enjoyed all of it. Both Charlotte & Seth were great characters, the side characters were fun and I loved the way the story played out. Plus the fact that Charlotte saved herself? YES.

“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘺. 𝘈 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢.
𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴.”

Overall this is a cute little story!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁:
🌳forced proximity
🌳neighbors to friends to more
🌳dual POV
🌳empowerment
🌳badass friends
🌳fish named Swim Shady

Abby Jimenez created a cast of wonderfully unique characters, but the 72-ish hour framework within this short story didn't give enough room for natural feeling relationships to develop. Shoehorning in a secondary romance in this little space was unhinged.

What the story does accomplish well is depicting the life-shattering impact of a stalker and giving the female lead a great arc to reclaim her power. I think if this had been given a slightly different timeline in the fiction and was like 20 pages longer, it could have been a really cute story... instead, there are just a few too many "Really?" moments for me to fall for The Fall Risk.