I usually enjoy Abby Jimenez's writing, so I couldn't resist adding her newest short story to my shelves. I was in the mood for a light read, so I decided to pick it up straight away... And The Fall Risk turned out to be exactly the fun and quick romance read I was craving. Sure, it isn't exactly a superlight read with one of the main characters having a stalker, but the story felt well balanced and it was SO easy to warm up to the characters themselves. The story switches between Seth and Charlotte as we get to learn a little about their background and their growing connection... Sure, it was definitely on the insta-love side, but somehow in this short story it worked. Especially with the forced-proximity trope partly explaining things since they are trapped in their building and all. I could appreciate how the story helps showing just how helpless stalking victims feel as they don't receive any support from the authorities until it is already too late... But like I said, the story feels well balanced as there is also focus on the growing connection between the characters and the humor was spot on. It makes me want to get a beta fish and name it Swim Shady! All in all The Fall Risk turned out to be a great little romance story, and it made me wish this would have been longer. I also wouldn't mind a story focusing on their best friends!

Half of a tiny little star !

Acknowledgements to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for an ecopy. This was released Mar 1, 2025.

You know a very short story is complete shite when you just have to stop at 43 percent.

Just stay the fuck away Abby Jimenez !

read if you like:
📚 short stories
💙 meet cutes
💪🏼 strong female leads

summary:
This is a cute short story that packs a lot of action and romcom into a few chapters! It follows Charlotte, a single girl trying to find peace from a stalker who has been pursuing her for two years. She finds herself living on the second floor of an apartment building, and when the stairs disappear in a construction screwup, she meets her neighbor — a recently divorced arborist named Seth. Trapped on their second floor for the weekend, Charlotte and Seth get to know each other, and realize that they both can find happiness in the most unlikely of places.

This book packs a lot of punch into 68 pages. It covers issues of stalking, physical threats, mental health and female empowerment while exploring the romance between the neighbors. Both characters are endearing and fun to read, and I found myself seriously pulling for their success. The quick meet-cute between their best friends too is adorable, and makes this a great feel good romcom. The ending is the icing on the cake, as I’m pretty sure all women find satisfaction in justice and closure.

Thanks to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for this copy! You can check this book out today on Kindle Unlimited!

Someone tell me how Abby does it?! How does she captivate me in short story?! I was all IN. She covers in all-love, friendship, growth and healing in such a short time! I loved this one so much!!!!

I just want to start with a shout-out to Abby for including content warnings at the beginning of this short story. Not 5 minutes before starting this, I had a conversation with some friends about how this needs to be a more common practice in traditionally published books. Thank you, Abby!

The Fall Risk is a short story about a woman named Charlotte who is living a fairly isolated life due to being stalked for several years. After a silly set of circumstances, she ends up meeting her neighbor, Seth, who was recently divorced after being cheated on. They get to know each other via some forced proximity and tree puns. Seth is a walking green flag, and even though we only get snippets of their friends, I loved them, too. Everything is resolved by the end, and we get an HEA. It was a satisfying short read!

Thanks to Amazon Original Series and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

It's Abby Jimenez. Read it. You'll love it.
The End.

A cute, short story about Charlotte and Seth. Charlotte has been on the run from a creepy stalker and carries bear spray with her at all times. One day these neighbors wake up on the second story of their apartment complex with the stairs missing and friendship (and maybe more) slowly ensues. Seth helps Charlotte learn how to work through her fears.

There is cute and witty banter and such a cute little story in less than 100 pages. Highly recommend if you are looking for a cute but heart-warming read! Just know there’s some trauma involved and it’s not all rainbows and butterflies.

“I liked that little old ladies baked him cookies and he had a rescue fish and he talked about trees.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc. All opinions are my own.

Neighbors Charlotte and Seth find themselves stranded in their respective apartments for a weekend, both coping with personal problems of varying degrees. Spending time together during Valentine's Day weekend helps them both to start healing, but will it turn into something more? Quick and sweet read with a unique meet-cute and an HEA. Seth and Charlotte were very cute together (and so were Izzy and Gabe!). Dual 1st-person POVs. I have read the author before and I don't always click with her books but this one hit the spot! Pay attention to the author's trigger warnings as there are some darker themes. Despite that, there's a nice amount of humor in this forced-proximity romance. I love short stories like this that are a sweet vignette, like a glimpse into a bigger story but nicely encapsulated. I wouldn't have minded a longer story about these four! I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

This was my first Abby Jimenez book and I really enjoyed it. I loved Seth and his tree facts and puns. I loved the growth we saw in such a short time with Charlotte and I adored Gabe and Izzy. The one thing I wish is that it was a full novel.
Will definitely be reading more AJ.

Short, tooth-rottingly sweet, and absolutely adorable. Who knew arborists were so sexy?

Charlotte and Seth are trapped in their respective apartments over Valentine's Day weekend, with only a share landing between them and the rest of the world. What starts as a renovation mistake turns into a 48-hour long first date.

It should be the start to just another weekend—but then Charlotte and Seth step out of their respective apartments to find that the stairs are gone, and they're trapped (after a fashion) with only each other for extended company.

I've only read one of Jiminez's novels, but it was enough to know I'd be in for something lively here, even with the locked-room aspect. And that held true—in a few dozen pages, we get not one but two romances, a bevy of nosy senior citizens, a lot of context for Charlotte and Seth's respective perspectives, and some action to boot. I probably could have used a hair less evil ex plotline, though to be fair it was written to be quite over the top, so it bothered me less than it might have. (What did bother me: the neighbors repeating their transgression—vague to avoid spoilers—and Charlotte not minding the second time because circumstances had changed; if anything, their second overstep could trigger legal trouble for Charlotte, so...terrible neighbors all round, there.)

It's so short a story that I don't want to say much, but the characterization is nice—especially Seth's—and this made for a very speedy read on a day when I was very tired!

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

This was a great read. Short stories can be tough, but this one didn't feel cut short, though it was over too fast! Revolving around the serious issue of a stalker, it touched on both light and heavy issues with grace and humor while still focusing a light on the issue. Wonderful characters and dialogue made for a great story..

«Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.»


Abby Jimenez has me in a chokehold—and for good reason, too.

I swear I screamed a little seeing a new release by Abby before April? And let me tell ya, it did not disappoint.

The Fall Risk gave me little pandemic flashbacks, with the MCs trying to find fun things to do while stuck together. But the reason they’re stuck? Literally the most hilarious thing I’ve read in a while—repairmen took their ladder away for the weekend?

As if that wasn’t enough, Abby threw in the suspense.
A freaking stalker? Not gonna lie, that was scary—and, unfortunately, way too realistic in today’s world.

«Please, let me. An apology on behalf of a member of my gender for making you weird.»

This was a fun and quick read. I really liked how it touched on topics like stalking and even included some unique tree facts, which added an interesting touch. However, I do wish there had been a deeper discussion about Charlotte’s trauma and mental health. The romance between Seth and Charlotte also seemed rushed, likely due to the shorter length of the story, which made their relationship feel somewhat underdeveloped. While some parts fell flat for me, I still found moments I enjoyed and overall found it to be an entertaining read.

This was cute. And it is Abby so her characters are top notch. I do think this packs a punch with the serious topic it is covering. Will I remember this forever? No. Am I glad to have read it? Yes.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for an ARC.

The fall risk is a small but impactful read.
Would have loved a full length book with this story! Loved all the characters, Seth the dream book boyfriend, Charlotte’s character progression. Gabe and Izzy could have a book of their own!
The only thing i found weird was the cousin thing.. but all in all a quick little powerful read.

Two neighbors with bad Valentines trapped in the same apartment building when their stairs are removed find a new chance at romance. It's Valentines weekend and for Charlotte and Seth, it's not going to be a great one. Charlotte is hiding from a stalker, living in self-imposed isolation while Seth is newly divorced and finds that plants make him happier than his cheating ex. Two people who haven't really talked much despite living in the same building find themselves getting to know each other for the first time and possibly opening themselves up to love... while trying to also watch out for Charlotte's stalker! This was such a fun read and an absolutely fun time! I always adore reading an Abby Jiminez story and this one is perfect for Valentines! I love the slight thriller aspect but also the cute rom com moments.

Release Date: March 1, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I don't use kindle/ereaders so i'm sooo so grateful that I had the opportunity to read this short story by Abby via NetGalley. god bless read nows!!
This was fun, I genuinely love Abby's ability to connect you to characters in just a matter of chapters. 🩷

Jimenez is my go-to for comfort romance novels, so I grabbed this so quickly I didn't even see it was a short story! I'll need to read some thicker tomes in the next few months to make up for this and all the poetry padding by Goodreads challenge so far this year...

I found this short story to be a fun, quick read with a unique meet cute and a relationship that blossoms (almost immediately) from forced proximity. Seth, the main male love interest, doesn't just have a six pack; he has an EIGHT pack. He is gainfully employed, sensitive, and protective despite his recent divorce. Charlotte, however, is in the midst of restarting her life for the fifth time to avoid her stalker. Beyond that and the anxiety surrounding her situation, I wasn't able to get much more about her personality. That didn't prevent me from liking the little we got to see of their growing connection, which was adorable and mildly swoonworthy.

I thought the structure of the plot was overall good, but I found it wrapped up too tidily. How could four single adults find their soulmates in the course of one weekend, and how likely is it that it would be within their very small circle? How likely would it be that her stalker is waiting nearby? How quickly would he return to her life if this were real life and stalking wasn't seen as harsh a crime in most states?

Predictable? Yes. Will it make you forget the real world for a little bit? Yes.

Quick little novella. I’ve enjoyed Abby Jimenez’ other books and this was no different. This was very cute - I only wish it was longer!

This would be great to get out of a reading slump. Read this in one sitting and wanted more.