Dünyanın En Kötü Ekürisi

Valentine's Day #1

by Abby Jimenez, Meryem Bülbül (Translator)

New York Times çoksatan yazarı Abby Jimenez’den yeni başlangıçlar üzerine içinizi ısıtacak bir ‘’ya olursa’’ öyküsü. Beklenmedik Karşılaşmalar serisinin bir parçası olan Dünyanın En Kötü Ekürisi’nde en karanlık anlarda karşınıza çıkabilecek umut ışıklarına tutunmanın önemine şahit olacaksınız. İki insan hiç yüz yüze görüşmeden birbirlerine aşık olabilirler mi? Peki kader devreye girerse?
Holly, bir yandan büyükannesinin yaklaşan ölümüyle başa çıkmaya çalışırken diğer yandan da hala yaşadığı kötü ayrılığın acısını çekmektedir. Sonra beklenmedik bir sürpriz yaşanır; ve arabasının ön camında bir Sevgililer Günü kartı bulur. Gerçi sonradan anlar ki bu kart ona yazılmamıştır. Yine de bu gülümseten hata kısa süre sonra isimsiz notlarla, küçük iyiliklerle iki yabancı arasında filizlenen bir sevgiye ve tatlı bir iletişime dönüşür.
Peki ya içlerinden biri diğerine veda etmek zorunda kaldığında ne olacak?

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Novella, Short Stories, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Fiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 23, 2024

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Lilyya ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

can read anything by AJ even her grocery list🫡

[Brady Lockerby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Abby + the Net Galley team for an early sneak peek at this adorable series. Short, sweet, and to the point romance that will be the PERFECT palette cleanser when you need a romance in your life. 👏🏼👏🏼 for that last chapter!

[shanayaa · Rating 2 out of 5]

➳ 2.5/5 stars

The story had its sweetness, but alas, I failed to forge a connection with the characters. The brevity left me yearning for more, making it fall short of my expectations.

°˖➴ Overall, if you're in mood for a cutesy rom com this might be your perfect catch 💌

[Clace · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.50!

Cute!

(Will definitely be trying out her other works)
____
Buddy reading with the one and only Roxy. We were supposed to read this right after with any luck but its was sooo bad that we had to wait two months. Hopefully this is better!

[DIVINITY🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝚃𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜. 𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎, 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚒𝚝.”

4.5 ⭐️

This book had no business being this cute and getting me emotional in 60 pages

If you’re debating read this it is so worth it. Do it!!

What to Expect
💕cute letters
💕dialogue of self care
💕FMC is a hospice nurse and she’s a book girlie
💕 Valentine’s Day
💕the sweetest MMC
💕someone mentioned he looks like Brendan Frazier..I wonder Tarzan or Mummy Brendan?
💕all the feels 🥹

I also learned the phrase is “it’s hard as hail” not “hard as hell” 🤭🤭

My only regret is we NEEDED more to the story.

[Vivian Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not expect this little 60 page novella to make me tear up the way it did. It hit really close to home for me but I loved it. It was short, sweet, and beautiful! I really enjoyed it!

I would have easily read a full length novel about this couple 🥹❤️

[len ❀ · Rating 1 out of 5]

maybe it’s because my dad does construction, but ignoring the issues of the “tool colors” and finding men at home depot is difficult when it’s absolute bullshit. it’s not the colors of the tools, it’s the brands, like kobalt or dewalt. none of that “red means expensive” bs when a yellow dewalt hammer drill can be way more expensive than a red craftsman hammer drill. y’all i beg you, please don’t go into home depot and look for men with red tools thinking that means it’s a green flag and green tools means red flag. i’ve seen videos of people who post about this and it’s hilarious but also concerning. 😭

also, stating the men in the garden and paint sections are most likely gay or married is such a gross stereotype. its obvious what the author was implying here. it’s 2024, do better. skills, careers, and hobbies have nothing to do with gender, sexuality, or relationship status. no one cares about this, obviously, but it bothers me.

that said, this was boring and i felt absolutely nothing for the characters and ‘romance.’ y’all won’t ever see me reading this author again.

[Jayme · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m never approved for this author’s books, so as I eagerly await publication day for “Just For the Summer” on April 2nd, it was nice to be able to read this Amazon Original, which is part of “The Improbable Meet-Cute” series which was released just in time for Valentine’s Day.

These short stories are about finding love when and where you least expect it, and the collection was penned by some of your favorite romance authors. Each can be read or listened to in one sitting.

Abby is a favorite of mine because she ALWAYS manages to make me laugh, and cry-even when she only has 61 pages to work with! Oh, and did I mention-there are always dogs! 🐶

In this story, Holly, a hospice nurse, is caring for her beloved grandmother during her last weeks of life (the tears part). On Valentine’s Day, she receives a note on her windshield-meant for someone else. When “the worst wingman ever!” realizes his mistake-he leaves an apology note which begins a witty exchange which brightens each of their days.

You cannot help but hope that these two will get together, but Grandma steals the show with her “drop the mic” bedside confession!

Read or listen for free NOW-if you have Amazon Prime!

[rei ‧₊˚✩彡 · Rating 4 out of 5]

╰┈➤ 3.8 stars!

i can genuinely read anything this woman writes, and i mean that with my whole heart. worst wingman ever is a good book, but i definitely enjoyed reading book #1 more!!

in my opinion, the chemistry and connection was there but it's not that strong. i also think that there wasn't anything special with the book, other than the random facts i got to know!

my few takeaways from this book—i'm the one who's in charge of my life, and i get to decide if i want to be happy. the only key to my happiness is myself, and it's up to whether i make my time worth while or not.

all in all, this is a good book to read if you're looking for a quick, cutesy story! i suggest to not expect much from it though, but it was still overall good <3

[Courtney ✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

★4 stars

✎𓂃 “That’s the thing about kindness. You never know how big the ripple is. How one little selfless gesture can make all the difference for the person who receives it.”

Ahhh this one was even better than the first! Though I’m a little biased, Abby Jimenez is one of my absolute favs. She’s from my state and her bakery Nadia Cakes is amaaaaazing 🧁 (might need to make a sweets stop soon 🤭)

Holly and John have the most heartfelt meet-cute. Their short story had me giggling and swooning, but mostly BAWLING my eyes out 😭 Idk how Abby could get that reaction outta me in 60 short pages but here she is ripping my heart out!!! Even crying this much though, I wish it had been a full story! ABBY DO YOU SEE ME??? I NEED MORE NOW.

Friendly trigger warning reminder that this story involves the death of a grandparent in a hospice setting. It was 100% triggering for me, but kind of in a comforting way? ❤️‍🩹 I witnessed the passing of my own Grandma two years ago and it's never something that leaves you. Abby made this very traumatic experience a respectful and peaceful one.



----------------
Pre-Review:
Let's go!!!! Omg I love Abby so much 🩷

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a Nutshell: A romantic short story that is sweet as well as emotional. Loved how intricate it was for its length. Hit just the right spot for my current mood. Worth a read.

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Plot Preview:

Holly, a hospice nurse, is on her toughest assignment: watching her grandmother die. Just coming out of a tough breakup, she is more affected by the emotional intensity of the situation. So when a lovey-dovey card is stuck to her windshield on Valentine’s Day, she is quite amused, even though the note wasn’t meant for her. Thus begins a cute exchange of anonymous notes with the “worst wingman ever”, of some selfless acts, and of some life-changing advice. But all good things have to come to an end, right?
The story comes to us in the first-person perspectives of Holly and her anonymous “wingman.”

This is the second standalone story in the 'The Improbable Meet-Cute’ series, described on Amazon as “irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it.”

I am so grateful I didn’t give up on this series after beginning with two duds. This story was almost perfect. It won't work for those who want steamy scenes or instant attraction or flirtatious banter. But if you are someone like me, someone who would enjoy a love story that’s sweet as well as emotional, slowburn as well as meet-cute, this is for you.


Woohoos:
😍 This is the first story so far (remember that I began the series in reverse order!) that isn’t limited to the twenty-four hours of Valentine’s Day. Instead, it begins on February 14th, but extends to many days ahead. As such, the connection between the two main characters doesn’t feel rushed.

😍 Holly. Such a lovely character! I am so tired of seeing flighty girls in romance stories that seeing someone who has her head on her shoulders and acts her age is a big bonus.

😍 The “wingman.” His name is revealed right at the start through the chapter that contains his first-person POV, but as the blurb has kept him anonymous, so shall I. All I’ll say is, this is the kind of guy whom I would have marked as a book boyfriend had I been of that age. Loved how sensitively he was portrayed.

😍 The emotional content. Didn’t expect it in a meet-cute short, and was quite impressed at how it was handled. The pain of watching a loved one in the last stages of their life is beautifully expressed.

😍 The two first-person perspectives coming in alternate chapters from each character – excellent parallel storytelling, perfectly in sync, never confusing. All the more admirable for a story of just 60 pages.

😍 A love story developing over handwritten notes – swoon! The notes sounded like actual notes instead of fake OTT messages.

😍 Love how the notes were shown written in a handwriting-styled typeface, with a distinct handwriting for the two characters. It made the content seem even more personal. (One thing the editors missed: the first note should have had a third handwriting. Not a major issue, though.)

😍 As the connection begins through notes, there is no insta love, nor any gushing over the physical attractiveness of the other. The characters don’t meet for a long time, and there is no “romance” for almost the entire story. The story ends at the perfect point of a new beginning. This might irritate those looking for more mushy stuff, but to me, everything was bang on.

😍 Both Holly and the wingman have one sibling each, and the close bond between the siblings comes out really well.


IDKs:
🤔 The confession by grandma: I don’t see why that specific confession was required. It felt a bit extreme, even though the lesson that comes out of it is much appreciated and worth remembering by all of us.


Mehs:
😒 Holly’s sister Jillian has some really weird ideas about gauging men based on their shopping habits at the hardware store. Granted, this could have been included just to make her character sound quirky, but her thoughts were somewhat generalised and perhaps, even a bit offensive.


All in all, I expected this to be a fun meet-cute tale, but it turned out to be much more and even better. I loved the combination of emotional family moments, endearing note exchanges, and a slow progression towards love. For the mood I’m in today, the story delivered perfectly.

This was my very first Abby Jimenez work. I have heard much about her romcoms, and based on this experience, I can see why she has so many fans. I am not a huge romance fan these days, but if even I am in the mood to try this genre, I would love to check out one of her works.

Definitely recommended. This is perfect for romance readers who enjoy heart-to-heart connections instead of body-to-body shenanigans.

4.25 stars.


This standalone story is a part of the ‘The Improbable Meet-Cute’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.

Note: There is one sad animal-related scene in the story, but no animal death and the situation does end well.

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Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Threads || X/Twitter || Facebook ||

[⋆˚୨ৎ˚⋆ Kim ⋆˚୨ৎ˚⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

જ⁀➴ 2.75 stars (rounded up to 3)

"That's the thing about kindness. You never know how big the ripple is. How one little selfless gesture can make all the difference for the person who receives it."

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚
This was my first read from Abby Jimenez, and this was such a heartfelt, quick story! It was a fast read, and while it dealt with a lot of heavy topics, there was just the right amount of humor in it to make me laugh and smile.

Holly is a hospice nurse. She's tasked with the hardest patient of all: her own grandmother. One day, she comes to her car and sees an anonymous note left on her windshield for Valentine's Day. Enter John, the new repairman for the apartment complex that Holly's grandmother lives in, who was tasked with leaving the note on his brother's girlfriend's car windshield...and got the wrong car. As Holly and John continue to exchange notes without ever knowing who the other person is, affection starts to grow, even though both are going through a difficult time in their lives.

This review won't be super long, considering this is a novella, but I thought this was such a heartfelt story. As a long-term care pharmacist, I'm no stranger to hospice care and end-of-life care. I fill scripts for morphine, Ativan, and sublingual atropine daily for patients entering their final days. My heart broke for Holly because she knows and can see the signs of her grandmother slipping away before most people can, simply because of her medical background. On the flip side, my heart also broke for John, having gone through a recent breakup and not knowing how to move on after being with someone you thought you'd spend the rest of your life with. I related to both characters in different ways and on a deeper level, and that's not something that I can necessarily say about every character I read about.

The one thing that rubbed me the wrong way about this was the stereotypes that were found in the book. Seriously? Finding men in the gardening section of Home Depot means they're either gay or married? (Yes, this is an actual line in the book.) If they use red tools vs. yellow, it's a green flag? What the hell is that even supposed to mean? They're just tools? I don't know, this just took away from what I thought was a very powerful message about kindness and how much one little thing can affect someone's entire day.

If you're looking for a fast, cute read, you'll like this novella! (It's available on Kindle Unlimited!)

P.S. Holly's grandma? An absolute baddie fr. We stan Holly's grandma here.
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ ✧˚
⋆˙⟡

[Kaceey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, it’s official! I’m jumping back into the rom-com world!💃

This Improbable Meet-Cute series was the perfect collection of novellas to lure me back in.

“Take responsibility for your own unhappiness. If you don’t love your life…change it!”

Our MC is a Hospice nurse, so of course I had a special connection with her. Abby, you did your homework and a wonderful job writing a book realistically representing hospice nurses! Thank you🙌🫶🏼❤️

With two of my favorite narrators, Andi Arndt and Zachary Weber, how could I go wrong!?

Ready for the next in the series! 🎧

[EmBibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Take responsibility for your own unhappiness, Holly. If you don’t love your life, change it.”

This was so sweet and wholesome!! And it’s just a novella?? I’ve never loved reading novellas or given any of them more than three stars, because they just always feel incomplete? And I’m always left wanting more. This one tho!!! It made me feel so much! I mean I definitely was left wanting more, needing more!! But ahhh I loved it so much. The writing was beautiful. Those two main characters were amazing, cute, and I just really need more of them. Their meet-cute was adorable! The author did really pack a lot of emotions within those few pages. I loved this.

[Roxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: ★★★.75 !!!

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

Review: NOoooo this was actually too short I want moreee. Such a cute story about a mistake leading to a love story hehe >ᴗ< Taylor Swift's "invisible string" fits so well with this book. How a small act of kindness can have such a big effect on someone's day is so cute. I loved the grandmother too what a badass sunshine person :') Wish I had a bittt more time to see how Holly's and Johns's relationship bloomed but maybe less is more?

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!

Why are these so freaking cute! Totally hits the spot for Valentines Day! Love is in the air! 💕


Alright. Alright. Alright. Moving on to the next dose of cuteness now! 💘💋🌹

[luna_inthesouth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't want this to be my first Abby Jimenez book since this one was short to make any judgement by it, but I loved this it nonetheless!🥹

The story was cute that i could even read a full story about them🥹

The audiobook was also great!!

[Margaret M - (having a challenging time and on GR as much as I can) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, heartwarming and cutesy short story that works well for this season and now I feel all loved up 😁

[Warda · Rating 4 out of 5]

How was this depressing and adorable at the same time?! 😭

“Take responsibility for your own unhappiness.”

Such a great little novella with a greater performance from Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber.

This would’ve been an incredible full length novel but I loved how much I got out of it with just 60 pages.

Abby Jimenez is a wonderful storyteller!

4.5 ⭐️

CW: loss of a loved one.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't ask for a better Valentine's Day short story! If only it was longer... I love the characters and Grandma's story!🩷🥰 Abby Jimenez doesn't disappoint even for a shorty. Heartwarming, clean, adorable. 9/10~4.5⭐

61 pages/1H 17M
Free with Prime.

[aleksandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Oh wow, it was actually good. I literally cried at one point, and it was sixty pages long. It turned out to be much more than just a short romance novella and I couldn't be more happier about it.

“Take responsibility for your own unhappiness. If you don’t love your life, change it.”

[Reads With Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

ShutUP this is so cute and actually made me tear up a little and also I laughed at the end at the Home Depot joke

4.5 and would definitely recommend if you are looking for something that’s short but a little bit like you’ve got mail

[micky :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay this one was really cute too.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute Valentines Day read! 😍

[Hannah B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Worst Wingman Ever, Abby Jimenez
Narrators: Andi Arndt, Zachary Webber

I’m so sorry but watching a grandparent die on page is just something I’m not into. Like we’ve got so little space in this *romance* novella and we’re going to focus on that??? Now I’m just sad!! That grandma was metal as hell though. I also didn’t realize Abby Jimenez writes her own bakery into her stories lolol. Respect.

This felt SUPER abrupt. It was about a half hour shorter than the Christina Lauren one and definitely felt like it. Yes the anthology is about meet cutes, but literally the story ended just as he asked her out on a date. I needed to see them on the date??? An epilogue would’ve been nice! They were cute but I barely got to know them let alone as a couple. This was not a romcom lmao.

✨Fake Secret Admirer
✨Surprise dog adoption
✨Mini epistolary (leaving notes for each other)
✨Hidden identity
✨Bearded hero
✨Valentine’s Day
✨First hero-could-rival-Brendan-Fraser reference of the anthology

Narrator performance: Mama likey Zachary Webber 🤤 I’ve been a fan of Andi Arndt for a while, and she didn’t disappoint here.

⭐️⭐️.5/5 0🌶️/5

CWs: Heroine is a hospice nurse, Grandparent in hospice, References of dementia, References of death (off page), Animal cruelty, Cheating (neither MC), Funeral


I received an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

[Whitney Erwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is #2 in the Improbable meet cute series of 6 novellas written by popular romance authors. This one was sooo cute! I almost gave up on this series because the last 2 I read were duds but this one was a winner. I knew Abby Jimenez wouldn’t let me down! The storyline was cute and it has more substance to it than the other ones did! This is a perfect, quick read. Would be a good palette cleanser book!

[paula ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 ⭐

That was so sweet!! I would have liked the ending not to have been so hasty but God...I loved the two protagonists so much that I forgive Abby Jimenez everything tbh 🥹💗

I didn't think it was going to have that little sad touch but I think it was what made me love the book the most.

[lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

there’s always something about abby jimenez’s writing that i just love. god i wish this was longer

[✨Julie✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how realistic this meet cute was. I can very easily imagine this exact scenario taking place which almost makes it more romantic? A little spark of hope for all the single gals out there. 💕

[Mikayla Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

All i got to say is I wish there was more of this story! LIKE I WAS INVESTED! It was just so cute are we kidding?!

Thank you Abby for sending this to IRWSR it was so fun listening to this arc audiobook! 🥹🫶🏻