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nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
My goodness. This book was such a rollercoaster. As a paralegal for a small defense firm and having a family that is pretty self-destructive like Vanessa’s family is, I could relate to this book in so many ways.
The book started out so well. We see Adrian at his law firm, Vanessa navigating the minefields of her toxic family as well as beginning to take care of baby Grace that her 19 year old drug addicted sister just dropped on her door-step.
But around the 60% mark, things started to fall apart for me. You see, Vanessa from the beginning has made it very clear to Adrian that she has no intention of dating anyone because her family carries the ALS gene so she thinks she’s going to die by the time she is 30 because that is when her sister died from ALS. But then she gets all hurt when she kisses him (while intoxicated) and he doesn’t kiss her back. After this awkward situation, Adrian wants to talk to her about it (like any adult would), but when the next day comes and she agrees to talk it him about it but instead she blindsides Adrian into watching Grace for 4-5 hours while she goes off with some guy Adrian has never met before while they go film content for their YouTube channels. She completley disregards his feelings and even though she promised they would
talk, she refuses to address the situation because she’s “hurt” even though SHE IS THE ONE THAT SET THESE BOUNDARIES AND TOLD HIM SHE WOULD NEVER DATE ANY ONE BECAUSE SHE IS AFRAID OF DYING. Like how dense can a person be? Geez Louise. And when Adrian explains this to her and tells her he was just doing what she had said from the get-go, she gets even more mad and projects all over him.
I liked the rep of the ALS subplot story-line as I feel like that illness is one that is not talked about, especially in romance novels. But Vanessa’s crippling doom that she is going to die by the time she is 30 because she MIGHT have this disease kind of drove me crazy. Especially since she refuses to do anything about it, including getting an actual diagnoses from an actual doctor. Her wrist/hand is tingling/ losing feeling so this sends her into a spiral. When Adrian finds out that its hereditary and that she could have the gene, he encourages her to find other ways to possibly live longer but she refuses, yells at him and then hangs up on him, promptly ending their relationship. She then goes off gallivanting for a few months in Europe, trying to find herself, and Adrian has been taking care of Grace this whole time in the states and is actually going through the process of adopting her.
The author tries to paint Vanessa as the one sibling who has their life together and who is not toxic but honestly, she TOTALLY is. She emotionally manipulates Adrian literally all the time. The moment something doesn’t go her way or he disagrees with her/does something she doesn’t want him to do, she freaks out. She also drops Grace like a sack of potatoes (much like her 19 year old sister did that she’s “so much better then”) and Adrian is the one who steps in to take care of Grace.
The whole second half of the book was just absolutely ridiculous. I understand that you would have a lot of emotional baggage with all that these two characters have gone through but my gosh, the way Vanessa treated Adrian was not okay at all nor was it romantic in any way. It was not a healthy relationship, she just used him because he was grounded and an attorney so he could help her with literally all of her family’s criminal drama and as a built in babysitter for Grace.
Not cool, very disappointed in this book.
The book started out so well. We see Adrian at his law firm, Vanessa navigating the minefields of her toxic family as well as beginning to take care of baby Grace that her 19 year old drug addicted sister just dropped on her door-step.
But around the 60% mark, things started to fall apart for me. You see, Vanessa from the beginning has made it very clear to Adrian that she has no intention of dating anyone because her family carries the ALS gene so she thinks she’s going to die by the time she is 30 because that is when her sister died from ALS. But then she gets all hurt when she kisses him (while intoxicated) and he doesn’t kiss her back. After this awkward situation, Adrian wants to talk to her about it (like any adult would), but when the next day comes and she agrees to talk it him about it but instead she blindsides Adrian into watching Grace for 4-5 hours while she goes off with some guy Adrian has never met before while they go film content for their YouTube channels. She completley disregards his feelings and even though she promised they would
talk, she refuses to address the situation because she’s “hurt” even though SHE IS THE ONE THAT SET THESE BOUNDARIES AND TOLD HIM SHE WOULD NEVER DATE ANY ONE BECAUSE SHE IS AFRAID OF DYING. Like how dense can a person be? Geez Louise. And when Adrian explains this to her and tells her he was just doing what she had said from the get-go, she gets even more mad and projects all over him.
I liked the rep of the ALS subplot story-line as I feel like that illness is one that is not talked about, especially in romance novels. But Vanessa’s crippling doom that she is going to die by the time she is 30 because she MIGHT have this disease kind of drove me crazy. Especially since she refuses to do anything about it, including getting an actual diagnoses from an actual doctor. Her wrist/hand is tingling/ losing feeling so this sends her into a spiral. When Adrian finds out that its hereditary and that she could have the gene, he encourages her to find other ways to possibly live longer but she refuses, yells at him and then hangs up on him, promptly ending their relationship. She then goes off gallivanting for a few months in Europe, trying to find herself, and Adrian has been taking care of Grace this whole time in the states and is actually going through the process of adopting her.
The author tries to paint Vanessa as the one sibling who has their life together and who is not toxic but honestly, she TOTALLY is. She emotionally manipulates Adrian literally all the time. The moment something doesn’t go her way or he disagrees with her/does something she doesn’t want him to do, she freaks out. She also drops Grace like a sack of potatoes (much like her 19 year old sister did that she’s “so much better then”) and Adrian is the one who steps in to take care of Grace.
The whole second half of the book was just absolutely ridiculous. I understand that you would have a lot of emotional baggage with all that these two characters have gone through but my gosh, the way Vanessa treated Adrian was not okay at all nor was it romantic in any way. It was not a healthy relationship, she just used him because he was grounded and an attorney so he could help her with literally all of her family’s criminal drama and as a built in babysitter for Grace.
Not cool, very disappointed in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
thebookishexperience's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Drug use
theespressoedition's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
"But make time for other things that aren't work. Find balance. Find joy. You are the kind of man who can't see the shapes in the clouds. And it's not because you lack imagination. It's because you're too busy to look up."
This book, ladies and gents, is a masterpiece. A work of art. I liked The Friend Zone. I enjoyed The Happily Ever After Playlist. But my goodness gracious, Life's Too Short takes the cake in every way, shape, and form.
I instantly related with Vanessa. She's a digital content creator who is dealing with health issues - just like me. Right off the bat, I appreciated how her job was taken seriously and she wasn't portrayed as some kind of airhead or attention-seeker. Her family was chaotic and her life was a bit of a hot mess, but she was real and beautiful in her own way and I loved it.
Then there was Adrian. Our soft, cinnamon roll boy. He was absolutely precious and I related with him in a lot of ways as well. He preferred work and organization like myself, but he also had a huge capacity for love. The way these two characters molded together to create the perfect friends-to-"forbidden"-lovers was just perfect in every way.
The slow burn was done really well and I actually loved how painfully accurate the big relationship "challenge" was. It reminded me so much of my husband and myself when we first met and he was navigating my life with a chronic illness.
Overall, I think this book was so special because of how personal it felt, but I also just think it was a beautifully written love story that I'll want to read again and again!
This book, ladies and gents, is a masterpiece. A work of art. I liked The Friend Zone. I enjoyed The Happily Ever After Playlist. But my goodness gracious, Life's Too Short takes the cake in every way, shape, and form.
I instantly related with Vanessa. She's a digital content creator who is dealing with health issues - just like me. Right off the bat, I appreciated how her job was taken seriously and she wasn't portrayed as some kind of airhead or attention-seeker. Her family was chaotic and her life was a bit of a hot mess, but she was real and beautiful in her own way and I loved it.
Then there was Adrian. Our soft, cinnamon roll boy. He was absolutely precious and I related with him in a lot of ways as well. He preferred work and organization like myself, but he also had a huge capacity for love. The way these two characters molded together to create the perfect friends-to-"forbidden"-lovers was just perfect in every way.
The slow burn was done really well and I actually loved how painfully accurate the big relationship "challenge" was. It reminded me so much of my husband and myself when we first met and he was navigating my life with a chronic illness.
Overall, I think this book was so special because of how personal it felt, but I also just think it was a beautifully written love story that I'll want to read again and again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Gun violence
jenna9870's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment and Drug abuse
Minor: Drug use
There is also hoarding and dirty living.emily_clay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Drug abuse, Dementia, and Abandonment
Minor: Stalking and Car accident
samchase112's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This romance was fine, and I really don't know why I'm not giving it a higher rating. I think it was just because I'm so frustrated by the ending? And by some of Vanessa's choices? Anyway, I don't have much to say about this except that it is a unique romance story with lots of important topics, and I"m sure any fan of romance would enjoy!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Terminal illness, Drug use, and Alcoholism
Minor: Sexual content
miasreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
YES YES YES OMG I LOVED THIS BOOK
ANYTHING ABBY JIMENEZ IS MY FAVORITE
yeah i used to think that…. not anymore. she glorifies thing too much for me to enjoy them anymore
ANYTHING ABBY JIMENEZ IS MY FAVORITE
yeah i used to think that…. not anymore. she glorifies thing too much for me to enjoy them anymore
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death of parent, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
decklededgess's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
trigger/content warnings: sex and nudity, anxiety and panic attacks, terminal illness, OCD and hoarding, drug addiction and relapse, unwanted pregnancy, "abandoned" infant, death of family members, guns and gunshot wound, medical mistreatment
While I liked the romance there are consistently things that imply the author has some really nasty neo liberal opinions that piss me off.
While I liked the romance there are consistently things that imply the author has some really nasty neo liberal opinions that piss me off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Addiction, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Death
100_pages_hr's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This series has been amazing and I really loved this book.
I'm not real big on social media so I'll admit to being a little nervous at first reading about a YouTuber, but the more I learned about Vanessa the more I loved her platform. I really love books that bring awareness to conditions and Jimenez is one of the best at this.
I loved baby whisperer Adrian! At times he came across a little too good to be true, but then Jimenez would throw something in to humanize him.
For me this was a fast read, but it was a slow burn romance for sure. The build up was pretty intense and I loved it.
It was also fun to revisit old friends. After reading this I have a very strong urge to re-read the first two and then this one again.
I love how Jimenez builds her characters. I especially love how the Kirsten and Vanessa have NO filter. It makes for a super fun story!
I hope to see many more books from Jimenez in the future!!!
I'm not real big on social media so I'll admit to being a little nervous at first reading about a YouTuber, but the more I learned about Vanessa the more I loved her platform. I really love books that bring awareness to conditions and Jimenez is one of the best at this.
I loved baby whisperer Adrian! At times he came across a little too good to be true, but then Jimenez would throw something in to humanize him.
For me this was a fast read, but it was a slow burn romance for sure. The build up was pretty intense and I loved it.
It was also fun to revisit old friends. After reading this I have a very strong urge to re-read the first two and then this one again.
I love how Jimenez builds her characters. I especially love how the Kirsten and Vanessa have NO filter. It makes for a super fun story!
I hope to see many more books from Jimenez in the future!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Torture, and Drug use
Moderate: Dementia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Infidelity, Medical content, and Mental illness
sebrittainclark's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a wonderful romance set in the same world as The Friend Zone and Happy Ever After Playlist. Vanessa is a travel vlogger who has unexpectedly taken custody of her newborn niece, but even that isn't as unexpected as her super hot neighbor Adrian showing up to help her out one night when the baby won't stop crying. Their relationship builds really slowly and wonderfully throughout the book.
This does have a HEA, though the book definitely makes you doubt it at times. I do wish the ending had been longer. I would have loved more of the last chapter and epilogue, but it's a wonderful romance that, like all Jimenez's novels, made me laugh and cry.
This does have a HEA, though the book definitely makes you doubt it at times. I do wish the ending had been longer. I would have loved more of the last chapter and epilogue, but it's a wonderful romance that, like all Jimenez's novels, made me laugh and cry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Addiction, Vomit, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence and Car accident
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