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Valentine's Day #2

The Fall Risk

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Two good neighbors make the best of a bad Valentine’s Day in a funny and improbably romantic short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer.

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much. But when disaster traps them one flight up and no way down, an outrageously precarious predicament forces a tree-loving guy and a rattled girl next door to embrace their captivity. Soon their defenses are breaking away. Considering how close they both are to the edge, Charlotte and Seth could be in danger of falling—in love.

81 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2025

19373 people are currently reading
113001 people want to read

About the author

Abby Jimenez

17 books85.5k followers
Abby Jimenez is a Food Network winner, #1 New York Times best selling author of Just for the Summer, and recipient of the 2022 Minnesota Book Award for her novel Life's Too Short. Her book Yours Truly was the first romance novel in the history of Book of the Month to win the coveted Dolly Award for Book of the Year. Abby founded Nadia Cakes out of her home kitchen back in 2007. The bakery has since gone on to win numerous Food Network competitions and, like her books, has amassed an international following.

Abby loves a good romance, coffee, doglets, and not leaving the house.

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5 stars
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3 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 17,407 reviews
Profile Image for Abby Jimenez.
Author 17 books85.5k followers
Read
July 7, 2025
All my books are romcoms, but I do like to include more serious topics within them that some may find triggering. If you feel trigger warnings are spoilers, feel free to skip the next paragraph. Everyone else, see below.


***CONTENT WARNINGS AHEAD***


This story is about a woman who is being stalked by a mentally ill stranger. There’s mentions of suicide, talks of off page kissing cousins, and discussions about firearms for the purpose of self defense. There's on page violence with a baseball bat (you'll probably be rooting for it though).
Profile Image for Fahmida .
309 reviews46 followers
February 3, 2025
The perfect Valentine's Day book doesn't exi-

No because I don't understand HOW a short story like this held so much meaning and depth in the span of not-so-many pages. Yes it was short but Seth and Charlotte's story felt complete and that's all that matters.
Profile Image for Clace .
841 reviews2,658 followers
February 9, 2025
Live, laugh, love Abby Jimenez<33
Profile Image for maria (catching up).
220 reviews1,411 followers
February 2, 2025
4

Petition for Abby to stop writing novellas and turn them into full-length books.


“You are too, you know.”
“What?”
“Worth waiting for.”


WHEN IS IT GOING TO BE MY TURN?????
I can’t believe a book this short made me feel so single👩🏼‍🦯



This was really cute and funny for a 82 pages novella, for some reason the only book I’ve read by AJ is this one and her other novella but I think this is my sign to read all her full length books.

It’s kinda insta love but you can’t really complain about it when you have just a few pages. I do think that Seth and Charlotte make a great couple and the way Seth cared for her??? spectacular😩🤚🏻 again, I need at least 250 pages more of them. I’m satisfied with the epilogue tho🙂‍↔️

Not going to lie I was kind of confused at the beginning, like what do you mean that your apartment stairs disappeared???😭😭😂 and I had trouble picturing their situation but once I reread the first page I got the hang of it easily.

I liked how she explored and added the topic of stalking and showed the impact that it has on the victim. the side characters made me laugh so much, it was really hilarious imo. and the fact that this had the trope of found family made it just better!!!

Also Izzy and Gabe were so damn cute🥹🥹

“That’s what men do, they run when you need them.”
He shook his head. “I’m not gonna run. Why would I run? I like that you need something, it gives me something to do for you.” He looked at her earnestly. “I like doing things for you.”


⤷ HELLO!!! I need their book too


💌
ᯓᡣ𐭩 I always thought of the famous quote: “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.” I didn’t want her to suffer anymore. She didn’t deserve what had happened to her, and the insult to the injury was the way she was forced to live because of it.

ᯓᡣ𐭩“But why me? I’m not that interesting.”
She was, though.
She really, really was.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 It was Sunday. Valentine’s Day. I’d never cared for this holiday. It always seemed like an excuse to spend money. Today it felt like an excuse to make Charlotte smile, which meant I was now a fan.

ᯓᡣ𐭩“Sometimes the start of something good begins during something bad,” he said. “We don’t get to pick when these things happen.”

ᯓᡣ𐭩 It was like fate conspired to place the perfect woman in the apartment across from mine, and then it knocked out the stairs for good measure,

ᯓᡣ𐭩 She stood on her toes and she kissed me. My heart burst in my chest. This did it. It was officially over for me, I was done for. I think I’d been done for for a while.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 They say it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. I wasn’t sure I agreed. Something told me I’d never get over the loss of this.




ᝰ🌷 pre-read: ᯓᡣ𐭩୭˚.

right now I’m grateful for having Amazon prime🤭🤭 stopping my current read to binge this🙂‍↕️
Profile Image for Nilufer Ozmekik.
3,040 reviews59.3k followers
June 13, 2025
Another sweet and heartwarming love story—this time in novella form—comes from one of my auto-approved romance authors, Abby Jimenez, delivering a powerful message of women’s empowerment. And of course, what’s better than one perfect book boyfriend? Two! (Even if one belongs to the heroine’s best friend.)

Set over Valentine’s Day weekend, two neighbors find themselves trapped in their apartments when a construction mishap demolishes their stairs. Neither is looking for love—Seth, a kind-hearted arborist with an eight-pack, a charming smile, and a great sense of humor, is fresh off a divorce from a cousin-loving ex (yes, you read that right). Meanwhile, Charlotte has spent two years living in fear of a relentless stalker, forcing her to work from home, change apartments five times, and hone her self-defense and marksmanship skills. She doesn’t trust any man—until she meets Seth and unexpectedly finds solace in his presence. But with danger still lurking, will she keep running, or will she finally stand her ground for a chance at happiness?

Overall, this was a lovely, fast-paced, and heartfelt read. I also adored Charlotte and Seth’s best friends, Izzy and Gabe, who were fiercely supportive throughout. I simply cannot rate an Abby Jimenez book less than five stars—so here are my five blazing stars for women’s empowerment and the perfect man who whispers to trees!

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

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Profile Image for Jayme.
1,498 reviews4,258 followers
February 6, 2025
Charlotte has just moved into a new apartment, AGAIN, trying outrun and outwit her STALKER.

Her new neighbor, Seth, who shares the breezeway with her, is marking this Valentine’s Day weekend as his first after an unexpected divorce just three years after what he thought would be a forever marriage.

So, neither is feeling very optimistic when they find themselves stranded together for the weekend when a renovation project accidentally demolishes the staircase that leads to their front doors instead of the staircase that was scheduled for demolition.

But, their FORCED PROXIMITY may just be a blessing in disguise!

Filled with Abby Jimenez’s trademark humor and witty banter, this 82 page novella was a much better Valentine’s Day treat than a box of chocolates! 🍫

Sure, a BIT of the dialogue this time was corny, and it was rated G, but as always I enjoyed meeting her characters (and their friends!) and I hope we will see them all make a cameo appearance in a future book-as often happens in Abby’s novels! 💘

AVAILABLE NOW as a FIRST READ for FEBRUARY if you have Amazon Prime-or on March 1, 2025 if you don’t!

As always, these are my candid thoughts!
Profile Image for emilybookedup.
573 reviews10.4k followers
February 19, 2025
a perf lil novella binge!!! shocking how much she can develop and build in only 82 pages—now that’s talent!! 👏🏼

this is free for Prime members and out 3/1 💘

low key wanted this to be a long/full story as i was enjoying it… dare i say more than SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME 🫣

if you are in a reading slump or want something quick to read in one sitting, this is the book for you! go in blind and enjoy this fun little ride.
Profile Image for Violet.
462 reviews267 followers
February 8, 2025
Abby never disappoints. The end!

•Meet cute
•Forced proximity
•Neighbors to lovers
•Witty banter
•Valentine's Day
•Novella


Publishing March 1, but if you have Amazon Prime you can read it now...free!
Profile Image for ✨Julie✨.
741 reviews1,379 followers
May 11, 2025
✩ 4.45 stars ✩

What to Expect:
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Insta Love
➼ Neighbors-to-Lovers
➼ He Falls First
➼ Lovable Side Characters
➼ Witty Banter
➼ Valentine’s Day Romance
➼ Novella
➼ Duet Narration
➼ Dual First Person POV

This was absolutely adorable! I can’t bring myself to rate a novella five stars, but I think this is about the closest any novella will ever get! I fell in love with every single character in this story and the banter was so genuinely warm and funny. I would’ve loved to read 400 more pages of Charlotte and Seth, but Abby packed so much heart and depth into the 82 pages she wrote. I will always admire authors like Abby who can write such relatable characters and bring them to life so vividly… and so quickly!! My only real criticism is that it left me wanting more! It feels wrong to criticize a novella for being a novella, but I do wish this had been a full book. Perhaps the concept of a novella just isn’t really my cup of tea…

✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼

Pre-read: Rounding out my monthly reads with a novella! I’ve been meaning to read this for a while now and it will get me to an even 20. 💖

Still need to finish Summer in the City tomorrow when my Spotify minutes renew! Let’s not talk about how many reviews I need to write. 🫠

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

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Profile Image for rei ‧₊˚✩彡.
148 reviews437 followers
Read
September 10, 2025
pre-read:

starting another short story just to put a stop on my slump state, and i just trust abby jimenez with short stories!! i hope this doesn’t disappoint because i will ACTUALLY cry if it does
Profile Image for Lorena ♡ (semi-ia).
459 reviews453 followers
March 5, 2025
abby jimenez, you work so well for me in small doses, i'm gonna need you to keep writing novellas. pleek 🥺🙏

forced proximity and found family in just 82 pages?! the initial situation was kinda silly ngl, but it turned out well!! charlotte, such a strong girl, and seth, the sweetest tree lover, were adorable. loved them 💗

i loved izzy and gabe too, and i wouldn't mind if abby brings them again in another book (just like she did here with john and holly from 'worst wingman ever' 🫂), just saying.
Profile Image for Kezia Duah.
493 reviews589 followers
March 7, 2025
5⭐️—because, well, why the hell not?😤😩

A short review for a short story: Beyond the scary and heartbreaking moments, you get an incredibly sweet and emotionally intelligent man, a best friend who’d love you to death, no-filter older women, and just a little bit more.🥳
Profile Image for Alyssa Nieves.
102 reviews228 followers
March 4, 2025
Abby Jimenez can do no wrong! 🫶🏼
Profile Image for Hoda.
285 reviews1,078 followers
February 3, 2025
Why was this so short and why did it have to end!! I want more give me more please this was funny & adorable and abby i need u to write Gabe and izzy book so bad i adore them!! ugh this was cutee💕🥹

I felt him look at me. “You are too, you know.” “What?” “Worth waiting for.” 🥹

“But why me? I’m not that interesting.”
She was, though. She really, really was”

“I just think I have a very specific type,” he said. “Which is what?” “Heavily armed, slightly weird accountants?”

“She stood on her toes and she kissed me. My heart burst in my chest. This did it. It was officially over for me, I was done for. I think I’d been done for for a while. I slipped my hands over her cheeks and I kissed her back. It was slow and gentle and perfect. The first few moments of us. A blink of an eye for a redwood, but timeless for me.” 💕💕

“Is she cool?” Gabe asked. I tossed my boot next to the bed. “She is beyond cool. Cool doesn’t even cover it.”

“I think you are a bit of a fall risk for me.” I could practically feel the smile through the phone. “You’re a fall risk for me too.”

“It was like fate conspired to place the perfect woman in the apartment across from mine, and then it knocked out the stairs for good measure”

Shout out for buket for falling asleep on me half way reading this 🌚 I thought we left this habit in 2024 ✋🏻
Profile Image for ashlyn.
296 reviews401 followers
February 13, 2025
Ty Amazon for letting me read this early 😏

It’s an Abby Jimenez book of course it’s amazing. Like, was there ever a doubt? This was the perfect little Valentine’s Day treat: cute, quick, and ridiculously easy to devour. Charlotte and Seth’s dynamic had me grinning, and the whole “trapped together” situation? Chef’s kiss. I just wish it was longer because wow, I did NOT want this to end. I was genuinely sad when I saw the world’s “Epilogue”.

Abby, if you’re reading this (which you’re probably not, but still), I would like at least 300 more pages of these two. Thanks in advance🫶🏼
Profile Image for Roxy.
126 reviews74 followers
May 18, 2025
IM DONEEE I actually read a book ( with clace on ft threatening me with British accents)
***
Need a good palette cleanser and ofc im trusting the woman who wrote Emma and Justin
Profile Image for Delaney.
196 reviews12.9k followers
February 6, 2025
So cute 🥰 (& a bit too relatable)
Profile Image for Warda.
1,293 reviews23k followers
March 24, 2025
What in the actual sorcery. This was perfection in 82 pages. I felt so much! 🥹😭

Humour, heart and warmth all rolled into those pages and I had the best time reading it. Abby Jimenez is too talented. 🥰

“I felt like one of those dead plants on my balcony that had been brought back to life.”
Profile Image for cora .
128 reviews214 followers
March 24, 2025
3.5 ★

“You are too, you know.”
“What?”
“Worth waiting for.”

i'd risk the fall for seth too.

this short book made me laugh and aww more than some 300+ page novels ever could.
Profile Image for Snjez.
986 reviews988 followers
May 11, 2025
4.5 stars

My first read by this author and I loved her writing, the characters and the humor. I think it's amazing that a story this short can have so much depth and well-developed characters, and be so sweet, heartwarming, funny and even a bit suspenseful at the same time.

The setup is quite unusual and unique and it worked perfectly in bringing Seth and Charlotte in close proximity. I absolutely loved their conversations and the time they spent trapped together. They were my favourite part of the story. Their friends were great too, and I was equally invested in their little story. I can see why so many readers love this author's male characters, because both Seth and Gabe are absolutely amazing.
Profile Image for Holly  B ( slowly catching up) .
943 reviews2,805 followers
June 3, 2025
Short story from KU! ❤️

My first from this popular author! I did enjoy her writing and was pulled into the story. I'll have to try a regular length novel someday. I do like rom-coms, but I'm so picky that I rarely give any a chance!

Although this was a rom-com some more serious issues did arise in the plot.

The characters were sweet and there was some meet-cute action going on between two neighbors. All in all a good read for a lazy afternoon!

Came out March 2025
Profile Image for Kaceey.
1,463 reviews4,425 followers
February 13, 2025
Hello there, neighbor!🙋🏻‍♀️

Seth and Charlotte share a landing between their second story apartments. They haven’t met yet. But that’s about to change when a construction mistake demolishes their shared staircase. Leaving the two stranded through the weekend. Well, now might be a good time to get to know each-other!

Abby Jimenez is one of the best, (if not THE best) rom-com writers out there! I love her books and this short story was no exception. Smiles from beginning to end!

Her characters feel real and the banter is always witty!

My only complaint is I wish this would have been a full-size book. But it will just have to tide me over until her newest full sized book is released this summer!
Profile Image for Belle₊˚⊹♡ (semi-hiatus).
149 reviews59 followers
August 28, 2025
5 stars!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

(Spoiler-free) 🐵

જ⁀➴"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬."
"𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩?"
"𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧."

Ok, this short story is literally only 75 pages and how did I manage to LOVE and ADORE these characters??
The audio?? PERFECTION.
The characters? PERFECTION.
The plot? PERFECTION.
The humor? PERFECTION.
Everything? PERFECTION.
I FEAR I NEED A PHYSICAL 300+ PAGE BOOK RNN??
😭😭💳💳💥💥💥💥

🌟Rating: 5/5
🔥Spice: 0/5
📚~Age Rating~15+
Profile Image for mimi (semi-hiatus ‘cause on vacation).
570 reviews495 followers
March 31, 2025
Seth and Charlotte deserve the world (and a whole book about their happily ever after).

4 stars

Thanks to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
Profile Image for emelie &#x1d717;&#x1d71a;⋆₊˚.
156 reviews124 followers
September 7, 2025
જ⁀➴ 𝟑.𝟓𝟎₊˚⊹🩷 𝟘𝟡/𝟘𝟞/𝟚𝟝—𝟘𝟡/𝟘𝟞/𝟚𝟝
this one was so cute and definitely pulled me out of my reading slump!! the meet cute was so unique and i loved the vibes of it 🥺

» [begin again -taylor swift] «
0:00 ─〇───── 0:00
⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

it was very much a drastic insta-love story, but since it is just a short novella (literally set in the time frame of a couple days) i would say it’s acceptable! super cute for a quick read and got me in the mood to read more 🤍!

╰┈➤ tropes to expect!
🪾two mcs trapped in a building
ㅤᥫ᭡ next-door neighbors
🪾short novella
ㅤᥫ᭡ funny “meet-cute”
🪾wounded hero and heroine
ㅤᥫ᭡ dual pov

𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝟑.𝟎𝟎
𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕: 𝟑.𝟓𝟎 🩷

₊˚⊹ ᰔ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝:
am i reading this 81 page novella solely to count to my reading goal? yes, i am!💕 but i’m also hoping this short little novella can yank me out of my reading slump because it’s bad 😭!!

abby jimenez is such a great author so i’m hoping this novella will hit as hard as her novels!
Profile Image for Christy.
4,470 reviews35.8k followers
February 11, 2025
4 stars

This was great. Abby Jimenez does a great job dealing with difficult topics with humor. It was fun and sweet and I truly enjoyed it! I only wish it was a little longer. Seth and Charlotte were wonderful and their best friends were a hoot!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 17,407 reviews

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