Cori’s Pick: Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez

Welcome to the second installment of Beach Read Season 2021!  Are you sweating?  Yeah, me too, but I’m just happy to be here.  The good news is there are so many great books out right now to distract us from the cruel Florida heat.  Life’s Too Short is book 3 of The Friend Zone book series by Abby Jimenez, but don’t worry, they do not need to be read in order.  However, I DO recommend you go back and read the other two – The Friend Zone and The Happy Ever After Playlist – simply because all three are GREAT reads!

I’m not sure if it’s the theme of this summer’s romantic comedies or if it’s just my current book preference, but similar to People You Meet on Vacation, this is an ‘opposites attract’ story.  Vanessa is a globe-trotting YouTuber with millions of followers.  Adrian is her all-work-no-play, lawyer neighbor.  But things get interesting when Vanessa’s half-sister leaves her daughter with Vanessa…and doesn’t come back.  In addition to putting her YouTube life on hold and learning how to care for a baby, Vanessa also has to deal with the looming threat of a serious (and deadly) disease that has taken the lives of her mother and sister. 

Okay, I know this is sounding like you could end up with a box of tissues, crying in a corner – but you won’t!  The dialogue between Vanessa and Alex is hysterical and swoony and they throw plenty of sarcasm at each other to keep things real and BONUS, there’s a geriatric Chihuahua thrown into the mix!   It’s an emotional roller-coaster but the heavy issues at hand make this so much more than your typical rom-com read.  If you love this one (you will) definitely go read the others in the series!  Stay cool…and I mean that literally, find some shade and stay there with your pile of books.