Isn't It Romantic?

Life's Too Short
Abby Jimenez
Series: The Friend Zone, #3
Age/Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Forever
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

A brilliant and touching romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of The Friend Zone and The Happy Ever After Playlist.

Vanessa lives life on her own terms — one day at a time, every day to its fullest. She isn’t willing to waste a moment or miss out on an experience when she has no idea whether she shares the same fatal genetic condition as her mother. Besides, she has way too much to do, traveling the globe and showing her millions of YouTube followers the joy in seizing every moment.

But after her half-sister suddenly leaves Vanessa in custody of her infant daughter, she is housebound, on mommy duty for the foreseeable future, and feeling totally out of her element.

The last person she expects to show up offering help is the unbelievably hot lawyer who lives next door, Adrian Copeland. After all, she barely knows him. But as they get closer, Vanessa realizes that her carefree ways and his need for a structured plan could never be compatible for the long term. Then again, she should know better than anyone that life’s too short to fear taking the biggest risk of all. . .

Faced with 50% chance of having inherited ALS from her mother, Vanessa chose to live in the moment and enjoy her life to its fullest, no matter how long or short it ended up being. She embraced her wanderlust and swore off romantic relationships. That was until she became the de facto parent to her sister's new born, and the baby's crying brought her handsome neighbor Adrian to her door. They were supposed to be "just friends", but their hearts didn't seem to receive the message. 

Another hit from Jimenez for me! Every time I pick up one her books, I know to prepare myself for some big emotions, and OH BOY! She had me on emotional overload. Honestly, I am dumbfounded that people in my general area weren't drowning in all the tears I shed. 

After watching her sister die from ALS, Vanessa made a decision for herself. I honestly respected her decision. I even understood it. However, it didn't make it any less painful. The fact that this is a real illness, and there are people out there who have to live with this kind of uncertainty made it even more emotional for me, but I love that Jimenez chose to shine a light on this disease. 

Despite such a serious illness being a big part of this book, the story was still infused with lots of happiness and joy. Vanessa was full of life, and her desire to live her best life was a great reminder for me. Jimenez blended lots of humor and rom-com moments into the story, and it felt quite balanced, regardless of how many tears I told you were shed. 

Adrian was also an incredible character. He was her knight in shining PJs, the baby whisperer. I, personally, was rooting for them from their first meeting. I just knew that they would form a winning combination. Adrian needed to learn to appreciate the now more, and Vanessa was the perfect person to show him how. Though they spent most of the book trying to resist each other, the love and swoons were there. I was totally caught up in these two, and more than anything in this world, I wanted their HEA.  

I can always count on Abby Jimenez to bring the pain, but she also brings love, warmth, and joy. Her books bring awareness to different issues., and this time, ALS was a focus, as well as accessibility for people with disabilities. Jimenez has a talent for attaining the perfect balance of heavy and light, heartbreaking and heartwarming, and I will forever welcome her stories into my life. 

The Intimacy Experiment
Rosie Danan
Series: The Roommate, #2
Age/Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Naomi and Ethan will test the boundaries of love in this provocative romance from the author of the ground-breaking debut, The Roommate.

Naomi Grant has built her life around going against the grain. After the sex-positive start-up she cofounded becomes an international sensation, she wants to extend her educational platform to live lecturing. Unfortunately, despite her long list of qualifications, higher ed won't hire her.

Ethan Cohen has recently received two honors: LA Mag named him one of the city's hottest bachelors and he became rabbi of his own synagogue. Taking a gamble in an effort to attract more millennials to the faith, the executive board hired Ethan because of his nontraditional background. Unfortunately, his shul is low on both funds and congregants. The board gives him three months to turn things around or else they'll close the doors of his synagogue for good.

Naomi and Ethan join forces to host a buzzy seminar series on Modern Intimacy, the perfect solution to their problems--until they discover a new one--their growing attraction to each other. They've built the syllabus for love's latest experiment, but neither of them expected they'd be the ones putting it to the test.

Former sex worker Naomi sits at the helm of a successful online sexual health company and is looking for a way to extend her experience to in-person instruction. Enter Ethan, a rabbi for a struggling synagogue, who invites Naomi to create a modern intimacy series in order to attract new members. This unlikely partnership results in lots of success for the shul and so much more for Naomi and Ethan.  

I have to admit, Danan's debut, The Roommate, surprised me. When I think romance, porn stars don't normally come to mind, but I loved the book and its sequel as well. Once again, Danan made me embrace and root for an unlikely pair, and I adored every second of it. 

After meeting Naomi in the previous book, I knew I had to get to know her better. There was definitely something simmering below the surface that drove her, and I wanted to know what it was. I was glad her past and how it shaped her was explored in this book. I liked that Naomi was not ashamed of her adult film work and was proud of the work she was doing empowering people to seek healthy sex lives, but hearing about the whys was a bit heartbreaking. 

Lucky for us, the universe brought Naomi and Rabbi Ethan together. Being with Ethan dug up parts of Naomi's past she would much rather forget, but it also helped her reconnect with the parts she found comfort in. It was fantastic that Naomi got back in touch with her Jewish roots and sought that spiritual connection. It was something she once felt she had to hide away, and now she was able to reclaim that piece of herself. 

I couldn't have picked a better person than Ethan to walk beside Naomi as she worked though her issues. He was interesting, because he has also gone though a big change in his life and was also a different person than he had been in his youth. I didn't dwell much on past Ethan though, because Rabbi Ethan was the wonderful type of soft boy I adore. Extra points for him being a science geek too. 

I have to mention all the relationship discussions as well. They were really interesting, and I felt so engaged by them. I appreciated the way Danan worked the ideas into the story and really enjoyed those weekly seminars. 

Overall: I fell in love with this couple and was all in on their romance. There were bumps in the road, but so much joy at the end. 

**ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

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