Book Review - Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

Title: Say You’ll Remember Me (Say You’ll Remember Me # 1)
Author: Abby Jimenez
Genre: Romance/ Contemporary
Published: 2025
 
Description: There might be no such a thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes – all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong…
 
… unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date – possibly the best in living history – Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moments, as crushins as that may be.
 
Only no amount of distance or time is enarly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing than one single perfect memory is to make a life – and even a love – worth remembering.
 
Review: “Say You’ll Remember Me” is an emotionally charged romantic novel. I stated before that I’m not much of a romance reader, but somehow these romance books, with a lot of emotional topics by Abby Jimenez have worked for me.
 
This book tells the story of Samantha and Xavier, who have one amazing date. But when Samantha is leaving, to take care of her mother miles away from Xavier, it makes an actual romance impossible. You might say….
 
Reviews for this book were mixed, so I was a bit skeptical. But I really enjoyed it. It has depth, humor and warmth. And I love the emotional load, especially from Samantha’s storyline. Dealing with her mom, who suffers from dementia and Samantha trying to take care of her. The harsh reality of life really touched me, since I had a grandmother who suffered from this. It hits close to home.
 
The hopeful love story really made me smile. I was really rooting for Xavier and Samantha. I liked both characters. Their romance had a rather rapid development, I’m not a fan of those “insta-love” type stories, which felt a bit implausible at times.  This is the only criticism I have. But I loved how they  tried to make it work, while life wasn’t really helping them. And the fact that is was not a pure romcom, made it better for me. This last point might be the reason why many readers don’t like is as much of Jimenez’s other books.  
 
“Say You’ll Remember Me” really moved me, but if you like Abby Jimenez’s previous books you won’t automatically love this one. It’s a romantic story with a heavy theme and emotional depth. And that’s what I loved about it.
 
Rating: 4/ 5

Book Review - Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Title: Just for the Summer (Part of Your World # 3)
Author: Abby Jimenez
Genre: Romance/ Contemporary
Published: 2024
 
Description: Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the  second they break up. When a woman slides into his DM’s with the same problem, they come up with a plan: they’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their live. It’s a bonkers idea… and it might just work.
 
Emma hadn’t planned that het next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass yp, especially when they get to rent and adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.
 
It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected – including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?
 
Review: “Just for the Summer” is the third and final book in the “Part of Your World” trilogy. You can easily read these three books separate from each other, because they all follow different people. But characters from previous books appear in this as well. And it probably makes a bigger impact when you have read the others first.
 
Here we follow Justin, who suffers from a curse, where every girl he dates ends up with the love of her life after she breaks up with him. He comes in contact with Emma, who happens to suffer from the same problem. And they think of the perfect plan: date each other, break up and then find the one. But life has other plans.
 
“Just for the Summer” is a funny, emotional and heartwarming contemporary romance. It has layered characters. What I’ve loved most about Abby Jimenez’s book is that it’s not just a cheesy romance. It deals with realistic characters and has some emotional layers as well. This books deals with themes such as mental health, trauma and parental issues.
 
For both “Part of Your World” and “Yours Truly” I felt a strong connection with the characters. Although I did like Justin and Emma and they had good character development, I never connected with them on the same level as I did with Daniel and Alexis or with Jacob and Brianna.
 
I praise Jimenez for also showing the less glamorous sides of life. Dealing with mental health issues such as anxiety and trauma. For Emma, the relationship with her mother, has always been a struggle. And Jimenez manages to portray this in a very realistic way. It’s heartbreaking.
 
I feel like I wanted more time with the characters at the end, the ending felt a bit rushed. It left me wanting more. This could be a good thing, but in this case it wasn’t.
 
I really liked “Just for the Summer”, but it never lived up to the other two books in this series.
 
Rating: 3,5/ 5

Book Review - Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Title: Yours Truly (Part of Your World # 2)
Author: Abby Jimenez
Genre: Romance/ Contemporary
Published: 2023
 
Description: Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to fins a kidney donor, and the promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor. But when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game… by sending Briana a letter.
 
And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet”, and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable – a kidney for her brother – she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy ne doctor… especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.
 
Review: I say it every time I start a romance: I’m not much of a contemporary romance reader. But last year, after reading “Part of Your World”, I believed that author Abby Jimenez might be my kind of romance author. But was it just that one book? “Yours Truly” is the second book in this series, following different characters. And Jimenez did it again, she made me swoon.
 
Briana is the character we’re following in this, and we had already met her in “Part of Your World”. Her divorce is about to be finalized and her brother’s health is not improving, since he needs a kidney donor. Bri doesn’t really see an upside. Especially when the promotion she thought she was getting after her friend Alexis left, might not even be hers anymore. The new Doctor, Jacob Maddox, is also in the running. And Bri already hates him. But when Jacob writes her a letter, she thinks she might have been wrong about him.
 
My problem with most romcoms is that I always dislike one of the people that we’re following. I loved both characters in “Part of You World” and the same goes for “Yours Truly”. Both characters are very relatable and are dealing with struggles. Bri has trust issues, since her marriage of ten years ended because her husband Nick cheated on her with a friend. And because of her father who left his family. Jacob is an introvert and suffers from anxiety, which makes it very hard for him to be in social situation. I could especially relate to Jacob, I felt like I was reading about myself. I understood his feelings so well. And I love these two characters together.
 
“Yours Truly” made me laugh, Brianna is such a funny character. And it’s heartwarming, Jacob really stole my heart. When I read “Part of Your World” I said you should never settle for less than someone like Daniel, but the same goes for Jacob. For now, I don’t know which of the two is my favorite, but I do know that both books are favorites in general.
 
Rating: 5/ 5

Book Review - Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

Title: Part of Your World (Part of Your World # 1)
Author: Abby Jimenez
Genre: Romance/ Contemporary
Published: 2022
 
Description: After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come – the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.
 
While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of worl renowed surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.
 
Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?
 
Review: The praise that Abby Jimenez got for “Part of Your World” got me curious enough to check it out. I’m not a contemporary romance reader and was weirdly skeptical about it. But I was so surprised with how much I ended up loving this book. So much, that I really want to read more of her books.
 
I seriously can’t think of anything I didn’t like about “Part of Your World”. We meet Alexis, a successful doctor carrying on a legacy from a long line of talented doctors. She meets small-town carpenter Daniel when her car breaks down and eventually ends up at his house, spending the night together. He is ten years younger and their lives couldn’t be more different. But they can’t deny the chemistry that they have between them. It does not sound like anything new in the rom-com universe. But Jimenez somehow made it so heartfelt.
 
Most characters in contemporary romance stories are a bit superficial. I liked both Alexis and Daniel from the start and they have depth. Alexis has been dealing with a lot of pressure in her life. As coming from a family of successful doctors, who expect a lot from her, she feels constant pressure and a fear of failing. Her brother, who was actually the golden child of the family, has turned his back on the legacy by marrying the woman he loves. But a woman their parents, especially the father, does not approve of. Now all eyes are on Alexis. Her breaking up with long-time boyfriend Neil, doesn’t make it any better. Neil, who is also a successful doctor, is very loved by her parents. They still keep meeting up with him. Even though he cheated on Alexis and he was mentally abusive to her.
 
A man like Daniel is perfect. He lives in a small town, is a hardworking man, always thinking about others, putting himself second at all times. Daniel is kind, handsome and handy. But Alexis could not bring Daniel into her world, because he wouldn’t fit in. Not with her life as a doctor in a big city, but also with her family. Who would disapprove of him instantly, because he doesn’t come from money and hasn’t, in their eyes, accomplished anything noteworthy.
 
Even with Alexis and Daniel being so different, there is something in both characters that you can relate to. You can understand both. You get Daniel, for wanting to give up everything to be with her even though the little town of Wakan is where he belongs. And Alexis, who really thrives when she is with Daniel, but she is also scared of disappointing her parents. Especially since her brother did the same and her parents turned their back on him.
 
“Part of Your World” deals with light themes, but also manages to touch upon some heavier themes like abuse. It’s interwoven in the story and never gets too heavy, but it was beautifully done. This book made me laugh out loud, but also made me cry a couple of times. I’m a happy single, but I know I will never settle for anyone less than a man like Daniel. Thank you Abby Jimenez, for making me love this book so much as a non-romance reader.  
 
Rating: 5/ 5