Abby Jimenez always delivers! Even in this short story she made me fall in love with these characters and now I need a 5 book series on their lives.

How do you write just 82 pages of a romance book and still make me fall (pun intended) completely in love with the characters? Abby Jimenez nailed everything I want in a romance—meet-cute with a problem, forced proximity, emotional vulnerability, love, conflict resolution, and a perfect happily ever after. And somehow, in so few pages, she made me care so much.

My only complaint? I need more. This deserves to be a full-length novel!

⚠️Trigger: Stalking; mental health

Seth Gonzalez is a charming arborist with a six—no, make that an eight—pack of abs, thanks to his physically demanding job. He’s Charlotte’s neighbor, and although they hadn't officially met, their first interaction came when their building's staircase was accidentally removed, leaving them both stranded in their respective apartments. This unexpected situation finally brought them together, and from there, sparks began to fly!

This lighthearted rom-com pulls you in as you learn why Charlotte is hesitant about being in the open, yet perfectly fine with being confined to her apartment for the next three days. As Seth and Charlotte get to know each other during this forced confinement, they open up about their lives, their love for their best friends, and what has shaped their views of the world. Throughout this time, they bond and fall for each other.

While the main focus is on Seth and Charlotte, their best friends—Gabe and Izzy—are also a key part of the story. Hilarious and fiercely loyal, they add a lot of charm to the plot and certainly deserve their own book.

This novella is a quick, enjoyable read, but it still packs a punch. The author thoughtful touches on themes like stalking, the emotional toll it takes on victims, and the flaws in the legal system.

Overall, it’s a fantastic novella, and I’m hoping to see a full-length novel featuring Gabe and Izzy in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing a digital reviewer copy of this wonderful novella in exchange for my honest review.

Short and sweet, precious, clean romance. Loved the banter and the anticipation for the beginning of a relationship. It made me excited for the future for these 4 and the fun they will have!

I loved that Charlotte is trained to defend herself and was able to take back her life on her own, without the help of Seth or anyone else.

I always wish that novellas were longer, but Jimenez did a great job of giving us a story with a complete ending.

This was SO good! The cutest short story that was so emotional with some suspense. I’m always nervous about short stories, if I will be left wanting more, or won’t feel the chemistry that quickly, but I ate this one up! The main characters had so much depth right from the start, and the side characters in this were some of the best – chef’s kiss. It had me laughing, swooning, and anxious, while the ending was perfect. Highly recommend this short story!

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for this ARC!

📚 The Fall Risk
✍ Abby Jimenez
📖 Romance Novella
⭐3.5
🌶️
➡ They're neighbors who have never met but when a construction project goes wrong and they're stuck together for a weekend, they'll be remedying that quickly.
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🙏 Thank you to Amazon Original Stories, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy of The Fall Risk. All opinions are my own.
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🎯 What I loved: The meet0cute in this story was adorable. It had some fabulous one-liners and puns that cracked me up and both characters were genuinely likeable. Though it made sense that their story would be short, I honestly wanted more from this and could have seen these characters making a great full novel.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: For a novella, this really leaned into heavier content. Like all Jimenez stories, the characters had pasts with depth but I think the story needed a little more time to really build into the character arcs and I would have liked more closure from this one.
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Read if you love:
*forced proximity
*funny meet-cutes
*characters who have had rough romantic pasts
*no/low spice
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See also: The Improbable Meet-Cute Collection, Love at First, Lease on Love

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

This novella follows Charlotte and Seth, two neighbors who end of getting stuck in their apartments over the weekend after builders mistakenly tear down their stairs. They spend the weekend together getting to know each other and we find out Charlotte is dealing with a stalker who she has a restraining order against.

I really enjoyed this novella. It has a satisfying ending and did not feel rushed. Would definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook. This is the first time I have read a book by her but I have seen her book everywhere. This is a nice one sitting, cozy, romcom novella I would recommend as a palette cleanser or if you’re wanting something short and no spice. I give it a 3.75 as it is a cute fast paced story.

4 Stars – A Short but Sweet Read!

The novella kicks off with forced proximity at its finest—Charlotte, a woman on the run from a stalker, and Seth, newly divorced and not looking for love, find themselves stuck together for the weekend after a construction mishap removes their only exit. What follows is a charming, funny, and heartfelt story filled with Abby Jimenez’s signature humor and banter.

I absolutely loved the beginning—it had me intrigued and laughing more than once. The dynamic between Charlotte and Seth was adorable, and the found family element with their best friends, Izzy and Gabe, added so much warmth. Seth’s protective nature, combined with his kind heart and tree-whispering skills, made him an instant book boyfriend.

That said, the novella felt too short and a bit rushed in the second half. I found myself wishing for at least 200 more pages to fully flesh out the romance and let the story breathe. I realize this means I just need to pick up a full-length Abby Jimenez book ASAP, because from this short novella alone, I can tell I’m going to love her writing!

This was such a beautiful read. Even though it was a novella and everything was fast paced, it didn’t feel rushed. This was well rounded.

The MMC , Seth is such a green flag. He’s so caring and sweet and thoughtful.
I like how Abby Jimenez managed to still let us feel the weight of everything Charlotte went through in so few pages.
I also love how Charlotte was handled the situation on her own and wasn’t written as a damsel in distress.
It covered such a serious topic while still remaining lighthearted. It shows the importance of community and letting yourself lean on others.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and I recommend if you’re looking for something short, sweet and impactful.

Also, check your trigger warnings before you proceed.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another wonderful story from Abby Jimenez! This is a short one, so easy read in one sitting. Seth and Charlotte have apartments across from each other, but haven't met. When workers accidentally remove the stairs leading up to their second floor, they're stuck making the best of a tricky situation for a few days until the stairs can be rebuilt. Sweet and oh so funny.

Loved it!

I said it once and I'll say it again; ABBY 👏🏻 STOP 👏🏻 WRITING 👏🏻 SHORT 👏🏻 STORIES 👏🏻 AND 👏🏻 GIVE 👏🏻 ME 👏🏻 A FREAKING 👏🏻 COMPLETED 👏🏻 BOOK. Thank you so much

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

I'm a little late to the party 🫣
Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the free eARC 🩷

Being trapped with your neighbor during valentines isn’t ideal. Neither Charlotte or Seth are looking for romance, his divorce went through today and dating while having a stalker isn’t exactly appealing. They decide to make the best of a bad situation spending the weekend together.

The fall story is a funny romantic short story with an emotional twist. Charlotte has a stalker (TW) and there is talk of suicide and violence.

The side characters are fun editions, both the best friends and grandmas.

It’s a VERY short read. More character building and time building up toward the twist would make for an excellent book. I would’ve loved that but considering this is a short story it’s really good.

Read this if you like
💫Forced proximity
📖Short story
🫶🏼Neighbors to lovers
🩷Valentine’s Day

Such a cute and fun little novella!! I really liked both characters and would have honestly enjoyed a longer story, but the premise here was super cute.

Imagine being stranded with a hot neighbor? Ideal.

I must say, the Abby Jimenez hype is real!

She absolutely killed it in this short story under 100 pages that has it all: emotion, banter, humour chemistry, strong memorable characters with backstory and just as likeable sidekicks, insight into living with trauma, etc, all of which were so well-written and authentic.

I was taken with the book since the author's note on the first page. Somehow she manages to strike a perfect balance when exploring darker topics in a rom-com, doing justice to the story, cast and difficult subjects all at once.

Loved this book so much! Consider me a new fan and I can't wait to check out the rest of Abby's work.

OMG I laughed out loud so many times reading this. The story was cute, the characters were great. A definite funny cute story.

The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez is a short romance novella that was released on March 1st.

Any fan of Abby Jimenez knows that the romances are emotional and deal with some difficult subject matter. This short novella is no exception. As it is so short, all readers should know going in is that Seth and Charlotte live up to the characters that the author has created in the past and despite the length this story does pack an emotional punch. I would like to read a longer story involving these characters because there are many places a story like this could go.

Thank you to Amazon Original Studios and the author for making this story available to read via NetGalley for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I loved this novella. It was faced paced yet still had enough time to develop the romance between the characters. Both characters were fleshed out and dimensional. I only wish that this was a full length novel!

I was lucky enough to receive as an ARC 🥰

Abby Jimenez delivers a short but utterly charming romance with The Fall Risk, blending humour, heart, and just the right amount of ridiculousness to make this a perfect, feel-good read.

Charlotte and Seth are two people who definitely aren’t looking for love. Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation thanks to a stalker, armed with emotional-support bear spray and an ironclad wariness of men. Meanwhile, Seth—an arborist fresh off a same-day divorce—isn’t exactly in the mood to trust anyone. But when fate (or just some really bad luck) leaves them stuck together on Valentine’s Day weekend, sparks start to fly in the most unexpected way.

This short story is packed with witty banter, laugh-out-loud moments, and undeniable chemistry. The forced proximity trope is executed brilliantly, making their connection feel organic despite the quick pacing. Jimenez does what she does best—delivering relatable, loveable characters and weaving in just enough emotional depth to balance the humour.

If you’re looking for a quick, cozy, and hilarious romance that’ll leave you grinning, The Fall Risk is a must-read. It’s the perfect bite-sized love story that proves sometimes, love finds you when you least expect it—even in the most inconvenient situations.

I got this from Amazon first reads for March first and I really adore Abby's writing! I wish this had come out on Valentine's Day but it's such a good spring feel! This is a novella so i's short and sweet for anyone needing to meet their book goal and it hits all the love points of a romance start to finish. There's wit, good/bad luck, good/bad circumstances! I can't wait for the author to release more! Thank you, Abby Jimenez, the publisher, and Netgalley for this digital arc!