What do you think?
Rate this book
Part of Your World #2
Yours Truly
欧宝娱乐 Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Romance (2023)A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.
Dr. Briana Ortiz鈥檚 life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother鈥檚 running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that鈥檚 probably going to the new man-doctor who鈥檚 already registering eighty-friggin鈥�-seven on Briana鈥檚 鈥減ain in my ass鈥� scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.
And it鈥檚 a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn鈥檛 actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who鈥檚 terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her 鈥渟ob closet,鈥� and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable鈥攁 kidney for her brother鈥攕he wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she 肠补苍鈥檛 refuse.
Dr. Briana Ortiz鈥檚 life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother鈥檚 running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that鈥檚 probably going to the new man-doctor who鈥檚 already registering eighty-friggin鈥�-seven on Briana鈥檚 鈥減ain in my ass鈥� scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.
And it鈥檚 a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn鈥檛 actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who鈥檚 terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her 鈥渟ob closet,鈥� and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable鈥攁 kidney for her brother鈥攕he wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she 肠补苍鈥檛 refuse.
416 pages, Paperback
First published April 11, 2023
22.6k people are currently reading
556k people want to read
About the author
Abby Jimenez
14听books70.9k听followersAbby 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.
Abby loves a good romance, coffee, doglets, and not leaving the house.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80,524 reviews
January 23, 2024
3 猸愶笍 Loved the first half, but the second half lost me
"I'm broken." The hopeless way she said it made tears pinch from my eyes.
"We're all a little broken, Briana. We are a mosaic. We're made up of all those we've met and all the things we've been through. there are parts of us that are colorful and dark and jagged and beautiful. And I love every piece of you. Even the ones you wish didn't exist."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
鉁� fake dating romance
鉁� co-workers / doctors
鉁� anxious, cinnamon roll hero
鉁� depressed, kind heroine
鉁� both are recovering from a recent breakup/divorce
鉁� exchanging letters
鉁� miscommunication
鉁� so much angst
鉁� dual POV
鉁╰opics addressed: anxiety, depression, infidelity (cheating ex), divorce, miscarriage, family member with kidney failure
This review is hard for me to write because the things I loved about the story make me want to give it a higher rating. But the things I disliked are what's making me leave it as is. I was full-on in love with this story for probably the first 50% to the point I was sure I'd be giving it 5-stars. But around the 50% and onward mark, I noticed things I didn't quite like.
What I liked:
Jacob. I loved everything about this man. He's so sweet, understanding, considerate, and caring. He's also incredibly self-aware and manages his anxiety in a healthy way. Jacob isn't perfect, but he tries his best to be. If he does something wrong, he'll try to fix it. If he's hurt someone, he'll apologize. He's so selfless he even donates his kidney to a stranger! He's also got a beautiful home, a sunroom filled with plants, and a three-legged dog! Where do they make men like him??? Jacob is one of the most loveable male characters I've ever come across while reading, and I want him to be happy in this fictional world. 馃挄
Brianna. What a firecracker! She is smart, fierce, fun, loyal, and kind. But she also has a secret crazy side where if you mess with her or the people she loves, she'll come for you! She cares so much for those around her (like Benny), even at her own expense. I absolutely adored Bri and laughed so hard when we found out exactly how she responded to her cheating husband.
The letter exchanges at the beginning were so adorable! It's not something I've seen done very often in books, but it's such an interesting way for the characters to open up and be vulnerable with one another in a short amount of time. While Bri's letters tended to be more fun and entertaining, Jacob's letters were reflective and sincere. The exchanges were a sweet way for the characters to get to know one another while establishing trust.
Bri and Jacob's romance. The love these two have is the soulmate kind. They were drawn to each other and perfectly fit in a way most people can only dream of. There was so much respect, understanding, patience, love, and passion way before things even progressed physically, so you know what they have is the real deal. I really enjoyed watching them grow together and help each other work through their own issues.
The depth of this story. I was expecting more of a fun, sexy vibe like in Part Of Your World, and while this did have light-hearted, entertaining moments, it was a lot more serious and dealt with some heavy topics. Anxiety is the main focus since Jacob struggles with this, and I think Abby Jimenez did a great job showcasing what it's like to have anxiety and the challenges of managing it. The book also talks about depression, infidelity, divorce, miscarriage, and a family member with kidney failure. None of these topics are easy to discuss, but I think Abby Jimenez did a fairly decent job with them. I do think there may have been so much going on that certain topics were overlooked and quickly wrapped up in the end, but it did work with the story.
What I didn't like:
How Jacob's anxiety somehow isn't as present once he starts spending time with Bri. As someone who struggles with anxiety, it is true that there are some people who can help calm the anxiety. However, the fact Jacob claims to basically have little to no anxiety around Bri (at least when he's not stressing about liking her) is so ridiculous and far-fetched. I think it feeds into the unhealthy belief that being with someone can 'fix your problems'.
There are too many tropes. You've got workplace romance, rivals to lovers, recovering from a breakup, fake dating, stuck together, one-bed, MISCOMMUNICATION, soul mates and I can't even say the last one without spoiling something major. But as you can see, there are quite a few. And while they all worked together, it just made the story unnecessarily complicated.
The slow-burn romance was soooooo slow and was sprinkled with so much MISCOMMUNICATION that it caused too much unnecessary angst. Throughout the story, Brianna and Jacob do things for each other that are obviously actions of love, and both have inner monologues about how they are falling in love with the other, but because of miscommunication, they can't fathom the other person could reciprocate their feelings. These two were a ticking time bomb that finally exploded at the 85% mark when they FINALLY showed romantic feelings for each other by having sex. But soon after, Brianna withdraws, and the angst resumes. While I love their love for one another, watching their relationship evolve was not an enjoyable experience.
PS: There's one sex scene, and it's very abrupt. After making us wait so long for them to get together, I wanted this moment to be drawn out, but it wasn't. So if you are looking for a spicy read, this ain't it.
The inner monologues became incredibly repetitive. I noticed this a little in Part OF Your World and I'd found myself skimming a few sentences. But this happened so frequently in Yours Truly, that I skimmed paragraphs. There were a lot of deep thoughts, which are obviously important, but it felt like the characters were beating a dead horse by talking about the same things over and over again.
No matter what, Amy is and will always be an unlikeable character. From how she's described, she seems to have narcissistic tendencies and needs to learn empathy. At first, we're supposed to dislike Amy and who wouldn't? From how Jacob describes her (based on how she treated him during their relationship), she is self-centered, selfish, and unaware of how her actions affect others. But halfway through the story, the author tries to shift our perspective of her and justify why she left Jacob and ended up dating his brother. Look, I don't really enjoy stories where the ex ends up dating the main character's friend or sibling. It just creates drama that makes me feel extremely icky. But she treated Jacob so poorly and never really apologized for how she overlooked his anxiety during the relationship or for dating his brother 3 months after the breakup. I just can't forgive that. Even Jacob tells Bri that Amy is a 'my way or the highway' type of person while his brother is so 'go with the flow' that they will be a good match. I just . . . no. Amy is inconsiderate of others and is in no way ready to be in a relationship - even if his brother is fine with a partner who will walk all over him. By the end of the book, we're supposed to understand and accept Amy but I just couldn't.
Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
"I'm broken." The hopeless way she said it made tears pinch from my eyes.
"We're all a little broken, Briana. We are a mosaic. We're made up of all those we've met and all the things we've been through. there are parts of us that are colorful and dark and jagged and beautiful. And I love every piece of you. Even the ones you wish didn't exist."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
鉁� fake dating romance
鉁� co-workers / doctors
鉁� anxious, cinnamon roll hero
鉁� depressed, kind heroine
鉁� both are recovering from a recent breakup/divorce
鉁� exchanging letters
鉁� miscommunication
鉁� so much angst
鉁� dual POV
鉁╰opics addressed: anxiety, depression, infidelity (cheating ex), divorce, miscarriage, family member with kidney failure
This review is hard for me to write because the things I loved about the story make me want to give it a higher rating. But the things I disliked are what's making me leave it as is. I was full-on in love with this story for probably the first 50% to the point I was sure I'd be giving it 5-stars. But around the 50% and onward mark, I noticed things I didn't quite like.
What I liked:
Jacob. I loved everything about this man. He's so sweet, understanding, considerate, and caring. He's also incredibly self-aware and manages his anxiety in a healthy way. Jacob isn't perfect, but he tries his best to be. If he does something wrong, he'll try to fix it. If he's hurt someone, he'll apologize. He's so selfless he even donates his kidney to a stranger! He's also got a beautiful home, a sunroom filled with plants, and a three-legged dog! Where do they make men like him??? Jacob is one of the most loveable male characters I've ever come across while reading, and I want him to be happy in this fictional world. 馃挄
Brianna. What a firecracker! She is smart, fierce, fun, loyal, and kind. But she also has a secret crazy side where if you mess with her or the people she loves, she'll come for you! She cares so much for those around her (like Benny), even at her own expense. I absolutely adored Bri and laughed so hard when we found out exactly how she responded to her cheating husband.
The letter exchanges at the beginning were so adorable! It's not something I've seen done very often in books, but it's such an interesting way for the characters to open up and be vulnerable with one another in a short amount of time. While Bri's letters tended to be more fun and entertaining, Jacob's letters were reflective and sincere. The exchanges were a sweet way for the characters to get to know one another while establishing trust.
Bri and Jacob's romance. The love these two have is the soulmate kind. They were drawn to each other and perfectly fit in a way most people can only dream of. There was so much respect, understanding, patience, love, and passion way before things even progressed physically, so you know what they have is the real deal. I really enjoyed watching them grow together and help each other work through their own issues.
The depth of this story. I was expecting more of a fun, sexy vibe like in Part Of Your World, and while this did have light-hearted, entertaining moments, it was a lot more serious and dealt with some heavy topics. Anxiety is the main focus since Jacob struggles with this, and I think Abby Jimenez did a great job showcasing what it's like to have anxiety and the challenges of managing it. The book also talks about depression, infidelity, divorce, miscarriage, and a family member with kidney failure. None of these topics are easy to discuss, but I think Abby Jimenez did a fairly decent job with them. I do think there may have been so much going on that certain topics were overlooked and quickly wrapped up in the end, but it did work with the story.
What I didn't like:
How Jacob's anxiety somehow isn't as present once he starts spending time with Bri. As someone who struggles with anxiety, it is true that there are some people who can help calm the anxiety. However, the fact Jacob claims to basically have little to no anxiety around Bri (at least when he's not stressing about liking her) is so ridiculous and far-fetched. I think it feeds into the unhealthy belief that being with someone can 'fix your problems'.
There are too many tropes. You've got workplace romance, rivals to lovers, recovering from a breakup, fake dating, stuck together, one-bed, MISCOMMUNICATION, soul mates and I can't even say the last one without spoiling something major. But as you can see, there are quite a few. And while they all worked together, it just made the story unnecessarily complicated.
The slow-burn romance was soooooo slow and was sprinkled with so much MISCOMMUNICATION that it caused too much unnecessary angst. Throughout the story, Brianna and Jacob do things for each other that are obviously actions of love, and both have inner monologues about how they are falling in love with the other, but because of miscommunication, they can't fathom the other person could reciprocate their feelings. These two were a ticking time bomb that finally exploded at the 85% mark when they FINALLY showed romantic feelings for each other by having sex. But soon after, Brianna withdraws, and the angst resumes. While I love their love for one another, watching their relationship evolve was not an enjoyable experience.
PS: There's one sex scene, and it's very abrupt. After making us wait so long for them to get together, I wanted this moment to be drawn out, but it wasn't. So if you are looking for a spicy read, this ain't it.
The inner monologues became incredibly repetitive. I noticed this a little in Part OF Your World and I'd found myself skimming a few sentences. But this happened so frequently in Yours Truly, that I skimmed paragraphs. There were a lot of deep thoughts, which are obviously important, but it felt like the characters were beating a dead horse by talking about the same things over and over again.
No matter what, Amy is and will always be an unlikeable character. From how she's described, she seems to have narcissistic tendencies and needs to learn empathy. At first, we're supposed to dislike Amy and who wouldn't? From how Jacob describes her (based on how she treated him during their relationship), she is self-centered, selfish, and unaware of how her actions affect others. But halfway through the story, the author tries to shift our perspective of her and justify why she left Jacob and ended up dating his brother. Look, I don't really enjoy stories where the ex ends up dating the main character's friend or sibling. It just creates drama that makes me feel extremely icky. But she treated Jacob so poorly and never really apologized for how she overlooked his anxiety during the relationship or for dating his brother 3 months after the breakup. I just can't forgive that. Even Jacob tells Bri that Amy is a 'my way or the highway' type of person while his brother is so 'go with the flow' that they will be a good match. I just . . . no. Amy is inconsiderate of others and is in no way ready to be in a relationship - even if his brother is fine with a partner who will walk all over him. By the end of the book, we're supposed to understand and accept Amy but I just couldn't.
Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
November 8, 2024
4.25 stars! I loved the characters in this book so so much. They're both doctors which is fun! And both have their own tough relationship histories - Briana is going through a divorce & Jacob's ex is marrying his brother馃槼. Also Jacob is SO SO sweet. Sweetest most wholesome book boyfriend I've ever read about. Jacob also has anxiety and I thought Abby Jiminez wrote about his anxiety in a very realistic way which I enjoyed reading about.
The only thing stopping this from being a 5-star read is that the conflict was quite frustrating for me for a good chunk of the book. It's a very miscommunication, both characters make assumptions kind of conflict that could've been solved with better communication. However, I do think the conflict fit the characters & their backstories. So I felt very mixed on that plot point.
Overall, Abby Jimenez is such a beautiful writer & I'm excited to read Just For The Summer by her!
The only thing stopping this from being a 5-star read is that the conflict was quite frustrating for me for a good chunk of the book. It's a very miscommunication, both characters make assumptions kind of conflict that could've been solved with better communication. However, I do think the conflict fit the characters & their backstories. So I felt very mixed on that plot point.
Overall, Abby Jimenez is such a beautiful writer & I'm excited to read Just For The Summer by her!
Want to read
September 11, 2022Bri's book!!! And I'm so excited for you to finally meet Jacob鈥攎y best cinnamon roll yet and by far my favorite hero of all time.
A couple of trigger warnings for you before you read:
Chronic kidney disease, divorced main character whose ex husband cheated, depression, clinical anxiety, and mention of pregnancy loss and suicide.
As always I've used sensitivity readers and mental health advisors to help me depict these delicate subjects with care and accuracy. Thank you for loving my books and making it possible for me to keep writing these stories I adore. Don't forget to pre-order! Signed copies available through Magers and Quinn 鉂�
A couple of trigger warnings for you before you read:
Chronic kidney disease, divorced main character whose ex husband cheated, depression, clinical anxiety, and mention of pregnancy loss and suicide.
As always I've used sensitivity readers and mental health advisors to help me depict these delicate subjects with care and accuracy. Thank you for loving my books and making it possible for me to keep writing these stories I adore. Don't forget to pre-order! Signed copies available through Magers and Quinn 鉂�
April 25, 2023
i just think more heroes should be willing to hate themselves a little 馃ス鉂わ笍
this obviously ticked all my damn boxes, especially my downstairs one. love seeing people who have been hurt find their perfect match. bonus points for angsty miscommunication.
this obviously ticked all my damn boxes, especially my downstairs one. love seeing people who have been hurt find their perfect match. bonus points for angsty miscommunication.
March 17, 2024
protect Jacob at all costs
March 1, 2024
4.5猸愶笍 I was gonna give it 4 but I really thinks it鈥檚 more 4.5 馃槶馃槶馃槶 this book was so tender and had me in my FEELINGS FR
February 15, 2024
at any given time, i feel like i'm reading romance as a cry for help.
when i find a romance novel i love, it's my favorite kind of genre to enjoy. just so comforting and fun and feelings-y.
but the vast, vast majority of the time, i am way too picky to bear it.
and in this case, well...this book is just bad.
sorry.
i really wanted to like this book, insistent product placement of the author's weird side quest cupcake wars-appearing bakery and all.
but it was too quirky and too much for me. there were CLIFFHANGERS in this book. like, chapters that ended with ellipses. "until he saw who was in the room..." and "she wasn't ready for what happened next..."-ass sentences. it feels silly.
this was unfortunately a not-good book on a sentence level (lots of weirdly constructed ones), on a plot level (clich茅d confessions, an undue level of love interest-on-love interest obsession), or on a character level (we have a quirky gal and a boring guy, much like every romance of the last 5 years seems doomed to contain).
on top of that, this was arduous to get through. we're talking 320+ pages of miscommunication followed by 10 pages of happiness followed by, you guessed it, MORE miscommunication.
and for two people who tell each other 1100 times they'll be harmless (maybe "be harmless to each other" can be our always), they never tried to talk at all.
sheesh.
bottom line: i don't know what i did in a past life to deserve it, but this was a punishing read.
when i find a romance novel i love, it's my favorite kind of genre to enjoy. just so comforting and fun and feelings-y.
but the vast, vast majority of the time, i am way too picky to bear it.
and in this case, well...this book is just bad.
sorry.
i really wanted to like this book, insistent product placement of the author's weird side quest cupcake wars-appearing bakery and all.
but it was too quirky and too much for me. there were CLIFFHANGERS in this book. like, chapters that ended with ellipses. "until he saw who was in the room..." and "she wasn't ready for what happened next..."-ass sentences. it feels silly.
this was unfortunately a not-good book on a sentence level (lots of weirdly constructed ones), on a plot level (clich茅d confessions, an undue level of love interest-on-love interest obsession), or on a character level (we have a quirky gal and a boring guy, much like every romance of the last 5 years seems doomed to contain).
on top of that, this was arduous to get through. we're talking 320+ pages of miscommunication followed by 10 pages of happiness followed by, you guessed it, MORE miscommunication.
and for two people who tell each other 1100 times they'll be harmless (maybe "be harmless to each other" can be our always), they never tried to talk at all.
sheesh.
bottom line: i don't know what i did in a past life to deserve it, but this was a punishing read.
July 17, 2023
Abby Jimenez books like chicken soup for soul with a little extra spice that refers the angsty parts! They actually have healing powers, embracing both of your heart and soul and whispering your ear; 鈥� everything is gonna be okay鈥�
As soon as I read the plot about two broken hearted souls鈥� second chances story that started with enemies to lovers trope mixes with fake dating, I knew I would love this book so much!
Part of your world鈥檚 Alexis鈥� best friend ER doctor Brianna Ortiz finally got her own book.
Brianna is dealing with the shittiest year of hers: her baby brother suffers from autoimmune disease and he urgently needs a kidney transplant. Their father who left them 3 decades ago rejects to help him. None of the family members are the ideal match!
Poor Brianna also finalized her divorce with her cheating husband she鈥檚 spent 10 years of her life. The worst part is he鈥檚 having a longtime relationship with one of her best friends behind his back!
Speaking about the a.holes ; new charming ER doctor Jacob Maddox who also has another worst kind of relationship experience. His self absorbed, extra energetic girlfriend starts dating with his brother after only three months passed from their breakup! Oh this is not the worst part: she also said yes to marry with him!
Jacob already deals with anxiety issues and he is forced to work this new hospital to stay away from her ex ( ironically she鈥檚 going to be part of his family so there鈥檚 no way to get rid of her. They鈥檙e stuck with each other forever)
The first day at job is truly disastrous for Jacob: he loses 7 patients in one day, earning the grudge of nurses who find him socially awkward. They called him 鈥� Doctor Death鈥� even though he doesn鈥檛 have any resemblance with Joshua Jackson!
And a few days later he accidentally achieves to alienate Brianna by making an abrupt comment about her brother鈥檚 condition.
Because of his anxiety issues he has hard time to express his true feelings so he decides to pour his feelings into writing, leaving a letter to Brianna.
As soon as Brianna reads it, she realizes she wasn鈥檛 fair with him so they continue to write letters for each other and a genuine friendship starts blooming around them.
When Brianna finds out her brother has an anonymous donor for transplant, she cannot be happier! She accidentally finds out the donor is Jacob! She feels extra ashamed to treat him so rude in the beginning of the relationship and for compensation of her mistreat she accepts to fake date him throughout the family gatherings till his ex and his brother鈥檚 wedding.
But as they start to spend more time and know each other, both of them realize they cannot fake anymore. But the emotional baggages they have been carrying may be the biggest obstacles against their happily ever after!
I was so close to give five stars to this book! I loved Jacob, her eccentric family, her nosy sisters and his cigarette addict grandfather a lot!
But Brianna made me so pissed off. It was understandable that she had trust issues but she just kept thinking worst of Jacob and compare him with her ex! She took her entire frustration out on him. And this was extremely unfair for sweet Jacob who made so many sacrifices for her! He was so adorable, sweetest human being.
So I cut one star because of extra annoying heroine and giving my four sweet- swoon- angsty-tear jerker- lighthearted stars!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever( Grand Central Publishing) for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
As soon as I read the plot about two broken hearted souls鈥� second chances story that started with enemies to lovers trope mixes with fake dating, I knew I would love this book so much!
Part of your world鈥檚 Alexis鈥� best friend ER doctor Brianna Ortiz finally got her own book.
Brianna is dealing with the shittiest year of hers: her baby brother suffers from autoimmune disease and he urgently needs a kidney transplant. Their father who left them 3 decades ago rejects to help him. None of the family members are the ideal match!
Poor Brianna also finalized her divorce with her cheating husband she鈥檚 spent 10 years of her life. The worst part is he鈥檚 having a longtime relationship with one of her best friends behind his back!
Speaking about the a.holes ; new charming ER doctor Jacob Maddox who also has another worst kind of relationship experience. His self absorbed, extra energetic girlfriend starts dating with his brother after only three months passed from their breakup! Oh this is not the worst part: she also said yes to marry with him!
Jacob already deals with anxiety issues and he is forced to work this new hospital to stay away from her ex ( ironically she鈥檚 going to be part of his family so there鈥檚 no way to get rid of her. They鈥檙e stuck with each other forever)
The first day at job is truly disastrous for Jacob: he loses 7 patients in one day, earning the grudge of nurses who find him socially awkward. They called him 鈥� Doctor Death鈥� even though he doesn鈥檛 have any resemblance with Joshua Jackson!
And a few days later he accidentally achieves to alienate Brianna by making an abrupt comment about her brother鈥檚 condition.
Because of his anxiety issues he has hard time to express his true feelings so he decides to pour his feelings into writing, leaving a letter to Brianna.
As soon as Brianna reads it, she realizes she wasn鈥檛 fair with him so they continue to write letters for each other and a genuine friendship starts blooming around them.
When Brianna finds out her brother has an anonymous donor for transplant, she cannot be happier! She accidentally finds out the donor is Jacob! She feels extra ashamed to treat him so rude in the beginning of the relationship and for compensation of her mistreat she accepts to fake date him throughout the family gatherings till his ex and his brother鈥檚 wedding.
But as they start to spend more time and know each other, both of them realize they cannot fake anymore. But the emotional baggages they have been carrying may be the biggest obstacles against their happily ever after!
I was so close to give five stars to this book! I loved Jacob, her eccentric family, her nosy sisters and his cigarette addict grandfather a lot!
But Brianna made me so pissed off. It was understandable that she had trust issues but she just kept thinking worst of Jacob and compare him with her ex! She took her entire frustration out on him. And this was extremely unfair for sweet Jacob who made so many sacrifices for her! He was so adorable, sweetest human being.
So I cut one star because of extra annoying heroine and giving my four sweet- swoon- angsty-tear jerker- lighthearted stars!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever( Grand Central Publishing) for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2024
This was kind of precious. I was a little put off at first because I find humor in romance novels cringey, but I got used to it. I hope that I find my Brianna and that I can be someone鈥檚 Jacob one day. Have any of you experienced this type of love? Is it real? Let me know in the comments.
October 30, 2023
Jacob is a stunningly amazing protagonist.
first half of this story rocked my world 10/10 amazing no notes. the letters were phenomenal, their banter made me smile, the representation of jacob鈥檚 anxiety and briana鈥檚 sweetness toward him brought a tear to my eye and everything was perfect until we got into cyclical internal monologuing for hundreds of pages 鈥渢here鈥檚 no way she likes me it鈥檚 fake鈥� 鈥渢here鈥檚 no way he likes me it鈥檚 a rebound鈥�. then the miscommunication dragged鈥nd then a new conflict was introduced/new parts of a tragic backstory were unlocked with only 40 pages left in the novel. the pacing was severely off, and things got repetitive, but the characters were lovable and it was compulsively readable with many heartwarming moments so I鈥檇 read another from the author in the future. Just very frustrated with the overall execution of this romance because I was so sure it would be my next five star read but it is what it is.
some characters need therapy more than they need a fake dating plotline but what do I know.
first half of this story rocked my world 10/10 amazing no notes. the letters were phenomenal, their banter made me smile, the representation of jacob鈥檚 anxiety and briana鈥檚 sweetness toward him brought a tear to my eye and everything was perfect until we got into cyclical internal monologuing for hundreds of pages 鈥渢here鈥檚 no way she likes me it鈥檚 fake鈥� 鈥渢here鈥檚 no way he likes me it鈥檚 a rebound鈥�. then the miscommunication dragged鈥nd then a new conflict was introduced/new parts of a tragic backstory were unlocked with only 40 pages left in the novel. the pacing was severely off, and things got repetitive, but the characters were lovable and it was compulsively readable with many heartwarming moments so I鈥檇 read another from the author in the future. Just very frustrated with the overall execution of this romance because I was so sure it would be my next five star read but it is what it is.
some characters need therapy more than they need a fake dating plotline but what do I know.
August 13, 2024
3.65!
鈥淲e鈥檙e all a little broken, Briana. We are a mosaic. We鈥檙e made up of all those we鈥檝e met and all the things we鈥檝e been through. There are parts of us that are colorful and dark and jagged and beautiful. And I love every piece of you. Even the ones you wish didn鈥檛 exist.鈥�
After the success that part of your world was (for me) I thought that this would be an amazing read as well, especially with the way it was shaping out to be. the first half was so strong and so sweet and cute. It was honestly looking like it was gonna be a five star read, sure it was slow at the start but i I was having a good time with this one but then came the second half and it frustrated the fuck outta me. I would still say that this was a fun read and not at all bad- it just could've been so much more than it was. One thing for certain is that Abby Jimenez is actually very talented and has the ability to write the best summery rom-coms and I will read her grocery list if I have to.
Jacob was easily the highlight of the story! He actually saved this book. This man was a walking, talking green flag and one so adorable. I actually saw so much of myself in him- well....he was a lot more selfless than I could ever be but I related to his reactions to social anxiety and the way he dealt with them because reading his arc felt so real, I go through the stages that he goes through and I loved the way it was depicted because I could see myself through it and I loved it! it was like I was screaming at the book "SEE?!?" because everything that Jacob did felt so relatable. I feel like Jimenez did everything for his character and made it feel so perfectly done. I loved how he did not shy away from confessing his feeling to us in his point of views and the effort that he put in for Bri spoke louder than anything. Jacob was truly the star of this book.
Bri's part was where Abby messed up. I felt particularly nothing towards her- I feel like her trauma and past wasn't explored more and she wasn't given the dept Jacob was given which made her actions rather more erratic. I did understand why she had trust issues but I did not feel that strongly for her despite her heavy losses because they barely get talked about in the book. One thing that I absolutely hated about her was her constant need to assume everything which messed everything up and caused so much miscommunication, both of them struggled to express their feeling but when Jacob actually asked her out, she denied and assumed that he was seeing her as a booty call and I was like yk that man for 6 months, you work with him everyday, he donated his fucking KIDNEY for your brother and hid it to avoid any recognition and you still assumed that?? the back forth that bri caused was not fun to read and when it got all resolved Bri (Jimenez) slaps us with a third act and I was furious.
The romance was cute, I enjoyed it a lot. The letter and the fake dating + the kind gestures and all the domestic moments, it was so fun to read but I feel like the miscommunication was done for the sake of more angst and tension and it failed miserably there :(
All in all, I had my share of enjoyable and frustrating moments!
___
"Jimenez is a true talent" is what Emily Henry said and she's not the one to lie 馃き + the first book was amazing!
鈥uddy reading with the one and only Roxy
鈥淲e鈥檙e all a little broken, Briana. We are a mosaic. We鈥檙e made up of all those we鈥檝e met and all the things we鈥檝e been through. There are parts of us that are colorful and dark and jagged and beautiful. And I love every piece of you. Even the ones you wish didn鈥檛 exist.鈥�
After the success that part of your world was (for me) I thought that this would be an amazing read as well, especially with the way it was shaping out to be. the first half was so strong and so sweet and cute. It was honestly looking like it was gonna be a five star read, sure it was slow at the start but i I was having a good time with this one but then came the second half and it frustrated the fuck outta me. I would still say that this was a fun read and not at all bad- it just could've been so much more than it was. One thing for certain is that Abby Jimenez is actually very talented and has the ability to write the best summery rom-coms and I will read her grocery list if I have to.
Jacob was easily the highlight of the story! He actually saved this book. This man was a walking, talking green flag and one so adorable. I actually saw so much of myself in him- well....he was a lot more selfless than I could ever be but I related to his reactions to social anxiety and the way he dealt with them because reading his arc felt so real, I go through the stages that he goes through and I loved the way it was depicted because I could see myself through it and I loved it! it was like I was screaming at the book "SEE?!?" because everything that Jacob did felt so relatable. I feel like Jimenez did everything for his character and made it feel so perfectly done. I loved how he did not shy away from confessing his feeling to us in his point of views and the effort that he put in for Bri spoke louder than anything. Jacob was truly the star of this book.
Bri's part was where Abby messed up. I felt particularly nothing towards her- I feel like her trauma and past wasn't explored more and she wasn't given the dept Jacob was given which made her actions rather more erratic. I did understand why she had trust issues but I did not feel that strongly for her despite her heavy losses because they barely get talked about in the book. One thing that I absolutely hated about her was her constant need to assume everything which messed everything up and caused so much miscommunication, both of them struggled to express their feeling but when Jacob actually asked her out, she denied and assumed that he was seeing her as a booty call and I was like yk that man for 6 months, you work with him everyday, he donated his fucking KIDNEY for your brother and hid it to avoid any recognition and you still assumed that?? the back forth that bri caused was not fun to read and when it got all resolved Bri (Jimenez) slaps us with a third act and I was furious.
The romance was cute, I enjoyed it a lot. The letter and the fake dating + the kind gestures and all the domestic moments, it was so fun to read but I feel like the miscommunication was done for the sake of more angst and tension and it failed miserably there :(
All in all, I had my share of enjoyable and frustrating moments!
___
"Jimenez is a true talent" is what Emily Henry said and she's not the one to lie 馃き + the first book was amazing!
鈥uddy reading with the one and only Roxy
May 31, 2023
MY HEART!!! 馃槶 This was so good. SO GOOD. I laughed, I cried, I swooned and then I cried some more. The rest of her books are now added to my TBR.
September 20, 2022
super cute!
honestly, the whole fake dating trope has been so overdone by this point that i dont feel like these kinds of stories add anything new to the genre, and this plot technically doesnt, but holy smokes. the characters!
i fell head over heels for jacob. i love a man who is sweet and jacob is gentleness and kindness and affection personified. and briana is so fiercely loyal and protective of him. they are seriously a match made in heaven.
so while the plot may not be the most unique thing out there, the genuine characters sure make up for it!
thank you for the ARC, forever/grand central publishing.
鈫� 4 stars
honestly, the whole fake dating trope has been so overdone by this point that i dont feel like these kinds of stories add anything new to the genre, and this plot technically doesnt, but holy smokes. the characters!
i fell head over heels for jacob. i love a man who is sweet and jacob is gentleness and kindness and affection personified. and briana is so fiercely loyal and protective of him. they are seriously a match made in heaven.
so while the plot may not be the most unique thing out there, the genuine characters sure make up for it!
thank you for the ARC, forever/grand central publishing.
鈫� 4 stars
May 12, 2024
I both read this & listened to some parts in the car. The audio version was so good too!
I related to Briana so much - got some Grey鈥檚 Anatomy vibes with the hospital romance plot. I absolutely loved this book.
I related to Briana so much - got some Grey鈥檚 Anatomy vibes with the hospital romance plot. I absolutely loved this book.
May 16, 2024
鉁�. 鈹� 10 / 5 鈽� 鈹� . 鉁�
All I have to say is that, indeed, I fell in love with another perfect man written by Abby (unsurprisingly)馃挊 anddd I definitely found another fav book to add to my list 馃槍馃挅馃洂
鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴馃挏鈰呪媶 鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€
馃拰 mental health rep (social anxiety and depression)
馃拰 dual POV
馃拰 fake dating
馃拰 one bed
馃拰 miscommunication
馃拰 communications through letters
馃拰 cinnamon roll mmc- he would do anything just to talk/be with her
馃拰 fmc that fiercely defends the mmc
馃拰 co-workers (ER doctors)
馃拰 sensitive topics: chronic kidney disease, cheating (ex-husband), divorce, breakup, miscarriage
馃拰 third act breakup/conflict
馃拰 pregnancy
鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴馃挏鈰呪媶 鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€
鉃� thisssss book? *chef kiss* 馃馃徏 absolute perfection馃洂
鉃� I was smiling, crying, frustrated, angry, blushing, screaming, giggling, and kicking my feet. I wanted to shake and punch some characters, and hug, kiss and love some others. It was such a roller coaster of emotions of all kinds.
鉃� I could say so many things about this book and how much I loved it, but besties, I would never finish. So, this review will be a messy one, but done with love馃挆 haha
鉃� I absolutely LOVED Briana and Jacob. They are the sweetest and most supportive couple ever. The way they understood each other, even without words- just knowing and understanding each other was so beautiful鉂わ笍鈥� the fact that Briana could understand what was going on in Jacob鈥檚 mind and how much he struggled with anxiety was so pure and gorgeous. She never pushed him, and she always looked for ways to make him feel comfortable and safe. She wanted to include him in her plans just because she couldn鈥檛 have enough of him, and vice versa. And Jacob? this man is perfect. I know I say this with every mmc I read in a new book, but seriously, HE IS PERFECT. He would do anything just to talk to her and be with her. Like- he spent 3 hours in the rain and was bitten by mosquitoes just to be able to talk to her on a call. Like- what!? Anyway, I love them.
鉃� listen- I鈥檓 not a fan at all of the miscommunication trope, but I forgive it in this book. Was it frustrating and sometimes I wanted to shake them? YES, but I completely understood their situations. Struggling with social anxiety and depression, and all the terms that come with them is not easy. All the rumination, insecurities, "what ifs", negative thoughts/feelings/emotions, etc., can mess up badly with our behavior and prevent us from doing what we really want to do/say. It's easy to be a spectator and think 鈥渨hy don't they just say what they really feel or think?鈥�, but it鈥檚 so hard for that person to actually do it. It鈥檚 not like the person doesn鈥檛 want to do it/ say it. It's just that they can't no matter how much they want to. Those negative thoughts win the battle most of the time, so yeah. This played a big role in the miscommunication between Briana and Jacob.
鉃� I felt so identified with this book, especially with Jacob. I haven't dealt with depression, but I can speak from personal experience about social anxiety, and let me tell you this- it is AWFUL. The constant rumination and overthinking, the fear and excessive anxiety. The shame you feel by just talking to someone, or just trying/wanting to talk to someone but you don't do it for fear of rejection or embarrassment. The discomfort of being surrounded and not feeling safe or wanted, or the feeling of being watched and judged. I鈥檝e always struggled with social anxiety. It made it so hard to make friends while growing up because I just wanted to be alone and avoid social interactions. And those social interactions are SO HARD. Like, you can see me with a 鈥渂itch face鈥�, but in my mind, I鈥檓 just wondering how I would act or what I would say if someone talked to me, or if I would panic and go completely blank. I鈥檓 nice, seriously馃ぃ but the struggle is REAL. It wasand still is so exhausting to just handle a conversation. I鈥檓 the type of person who prefers texts over calls so in that way I can think overthink what I can say without embarrassing myself. I hate spontaneous things, just like Jacob. Also, I need to write down the food I鈥檓 ordering so I can say it correctly when I call the food place (trust me, it鈥檚 necessary. It happened to me once that I LITERALLY ordered the NAME OF THE PLACE instead of the food I wanted馃ぁ馃ぃ so, of course I hung up, almost died of embarrassment and laughter, and made my mom order the food LMAO). Another case was that I even dropped out of one college class because the final evaluation was an oral presentation at a convention- an immediate NOPE on my part. In another class, I did not make the final oral presentation and wrote to the teacher that I was okay with getting a lower grade for it. Same as our baby Jacob, I NEED to know the menu before getting to a restaurant because otherwise, it would take me years to decide what to order. I prefer to spend all my time at home reading books than going out. Anddd it is soooo difficult to express my feelings and thoughts. Like, I can work perfectly with other people's feelings and emotions, but mine? Bye.
鉃� social anxiety has stopped me from doing so many things. I鈥檓 working on it and will probably continue working on it for many years to come. So yeah, I absolutely loved Jacob and his representation of the struggle with social anxiety because it鈥檚 completely accurate. I loved that he went to therapy and had coping skills, like journaling鉁� the letters he sent to Bri and vice versa馃拰馃馃徏鉂わ笍鈥嶐烦� the way Briana understood him馃馃 the way they work together to support each other with their struggles馃洂馃馃洂馃
鉃� I don鈥檛 know what else to say! This book simply consumed my entire mind and heart and left me speechless馃槶
鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴馃挏鈰呪媶 鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€
鉂� Many quotes just because I love them 鉁�
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淢y God, she was beautiful. She was so beautiful it disarmed me. For a second I forgot what I was even doing there.鈥� our man was left speechless馃き
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淵ou never realize you鈥檙e living the best time of your life. It happens and then it ends, and you only see it for what it was after.鈥� it happens馃ズ
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淏riana made me the best version of myself when I was with her somehow.鈥� 鉂わ笍鈥嶐烦�
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淗e was so sweet, and kind, and funny, and self-deprecating, and awkwardly lovable. I had this deep urge to take care of him and baby him and just love all over him.鈥� I wanted to do the same, Briana馃Ц馃挆
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淛acob made me feel safe. He was like a living lullaby. A softly spoken word. The smell of coffee and toast in the morning or a cozy fleece blanket. The rain pattering on the roof on a day where you don鈥檛 have to go anywhere or do anything.鈥� the way she describes it is so beautiful馃
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淏ut with Briana I felt slowly submerged. Gently set down. And then once I was in, I was comfortable. I felt like everyone else probably felt. Calm and easy and normal. It protected the shelf life of my internal battery. And I don鈥檛 even think this was a conscious thing for her most of the time. I think she just inherently knew to do it. it was just one of the many amazing things about her.鈥� the way she makes him feel馃ズ馃挊
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淥kay. I鈥檒l take your last name, then.鈥� AND HE DID IT, OKAY?馃洂
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淚 always think that when we鈥檙e quiet, we鈥檙e agreeing to be harmless to each other. That we鈥檙e just sharing the same space and letting each other exist exactly as we are, and neither of us would hurt or upset the other one.鈥� this is beautiful and so pure馃挅馃尫
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淚鈥檇 let this man turn me inside out. Grind me into dust. Flip me like a pancake. I wanted him to do things to me that I hadn鈥檛 done with anyone. He had me worked up in a way that was making me creative. I鈥檇 eat Pop-Tart naked off his bare chest.鈥� SAME, BESTIE, SAMEEEEE馃馃徎鈥嶁檧锔忦煓�
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淚 loved just being with him. Talking to him, doing things with him. When I was with Jacob, it didn鈥檛 matter where we were, I didn鈥檛 want to be anywhere else. He was like that terrarium in his plant room. A self-sustaining ecosystem. Everything I needed or wanted was wrapped up into one human being.鈥� I love Jacob. I love Briana. I love them so much馃挄
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淪ay it again,鈥� he whispered.
鈥淚鈥檓 in love with 测辞耻,鈥� I gasped.
鈥淎驳补颈苍.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 in love with you.鈥�
He laughed, blinking at me through tears. he just couldn鈥檛 believe it was real馃槶馃挆
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淚 wanted to carry her off and put her where I could keep her safe, pack love around her and insulate her from whatever was eroding her.鈥� okay- can I just put him in a glass box and protect him?
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淵ou know, love shows up, Briana. And even if you keep me away from you, my heart will still be where you are. So just let me be where you are.鈥� thiss man馃挊馃
鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴馃挏鈰呪媶 鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€
Anyways, I will always recommend this book to absolutely everyone馃 it鈥檚 beautiful and realistic, and I love that馃挆 everyone should give it a try馃槶馃挮
鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴馃挏鈰呪媶 鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€
藲藮饟崲执嗷嬸煂� 路藲 pre-read 藲 路 藮 my expectations are so high after Part of Your World, so I hope this one delivers as well because I鈥檓 so ready to fall in love with another perfect man written by Abby馃槍馃挆馃
饟彶 鈧娾櫋饟們鈥淟ove shows up. That鈥檚 how you know when it鈥檚 real.鈥濔煉�鈰嗮搨冎粗吨� 鈯顾�
All I have to say is that, indeed, I fell in love with another perfect man written by Abby (unsurprisingly)馃挊 anddd I definitely found another fav book to add to my list 馃槍馃挅馃洂
鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴馃挏鈰呪媶 鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€
饾摚饾摶饾摳饾摴饾摦饾摷 / 饾摚饾摳饾摴饾摬饾摤饾摷:
馃拰 mental health rep (social anxiety and depression)
馃拰 dual POV
馃拰 fake dating
馃拰 one bed
馃拰 miscommunication
馃拰 communications through letters
馃拰 cinnamon roll mmc- he would do anything just to talk/be with her
馃拰 fmc that fiercely defends the mmc
馃拰 co-workers (ER doctors)
馃拰 sensitive topics: chronic kidney disease, cheating (ex-husband), divorce, breakup, miscarriage
馃拰 third act breakup/conflict
馃拰 pregnancy
鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴馃挏鈰呪媶 鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€
馃鈥淲e鈥檙e all a little broken, Briana. We are a mosaic. We鈥檙e made up of all those we鈥檝e met and all the things we鈥檝e been through. There are parts of us that are colorful and dark and jagged and beautiful. And I love every piece of you. Even the ones you wish didn鈥檛 exist.鈥濔煢�
鉂� 饾摐饾攤 饾摻饾摫饾摳饾摼饾摪饾摫饾摻饾摷馃挱 藮鈦�. 嗉� 鈰喫欌姽
鉃� thisssss book? *chef kiss* 馃馃徏 absolute perfection馃洂
鉃� I was smiling, crying, frustrated, angry, blushing, screaming, giggling, and kicking my feet. I wanted to shake and punch some characters, and hug, kiss and love some others. It was such a roller coaster of emotions of all kinds.
鉃� I could say so many things about this book and how much I loved it, but besties, I would never finish. So, this review will be a messy one, but done with love馃挆 haha
鉃� I absolutely LOVED Briana and Jacob. They are the sweetest and most supportive couple ever. The way they understood each other, even without words- just knowing and understanding each other was so beautiful鉂わ笍鈥� the fact that Briana could understand what was going on in Jacob鈥檚 mind and how much he struggled with anxiety was so pure and gorgeous. She never pushed him, and she always looked for ways to make him feel comfortable and safe. She wanted to include him in her plans just because she couldn鈥檛 have enough of him, and vice versa. And Jacob? this man is perfect. I know I say this with every mmc I read in a new book, but seriously, HE IS PERFECT. He would do anything just to talk to her and be with her. Like- he spent 3 hours in the rain and was bitten by mosquitoes just to be able to talk to her on a call. Like- what!? Anyway, I love them.
鉃� listen- I鈥檓 not a fan at all of the miscommunication trope, but I forgive it in this book. Was it frustrating and sometimes I wanted to shake them? YES, but I completely understood their situations. Struggling with social anxiety and depression, and all the terms that come with them is not easy. All the rumination, insecurities, "what ifs", negative thoughts/feelings/emotions, etc., can mess up badly with our behavior and prevent us from doing what we really want to do/say. It's easy to be a spectator and think 鈥渨hy don't they just say what they really feel or think?鈥�, but it鈥檚 so hard for that person to actually do it. It鈥檚 not like the person doesn鈥檛 want to do it/ say it. It's just that they can't no matter how much they want to. Those negative thoughts win the battle most of the time, so yeah. This played a big role in the miscommunication between Briana and Jacob.
鉃� I felt so identified with this book, especially with Jacob. I haven't dealt with depression, but I can speak from personal experience about social anxiety, and let me tell you this- it is AWFUL. The constant rumination and overthinking, the fear and excessive anxiety. The shame you feel by just talking to someone, or just trying/wanting to talk to someone but you don't do it for fear of rejection or embarrassment. The discomfort of being surrounded and not feeling safe or wanted, or the feeling of being watched and judged. I鈥檝e always struggled with social anxiety. It made it so hard to make friends while growing up because I just wanted to be alone and avoid social interactions. And those social interactions are SO HARD. Like, you can see me with a 鈥渂itch face鈥�, but in my mind, I鈥檓 just wondering how I would act or what I would say if someone talked to me, or if I would panic and go completely blank. I鈥檓 nice, seriously馃ぃ but the struggle is REAL. It was
鉃� social anxiety has stopped me from doing so many things. I鈥檓 working on it and will probably continue working on it for many years to come. So yeah, I absolutely loved Jacob and his representation of the struggle with social anxiety because it鈥檚 completely accurate. I loved that he went to therapy and had coping skills, like journaling鉁� the letters he sent to Bri and vice versa馃拰馃馃徏鉂わ笍鈥嶐烦� the way Briana understood him馃馃 the way they work together to support each other with their struggles馃洂馃馃洂馃
鉃� I don鈥檛 know what else to say! This book simply consumed my entire mind and heart and left me speechless馃槶
鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴馃挏鈰呪媶 鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€
鉂� Many quotes just because I love them 鉁�
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淢y God, she was beautiful. She was so beautiful it disarmed me. For a second I forgot what I was even doing there.鈥� our man was left speechless馃き
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淵ou never realize you鈥檙e living the best time of your life. It happens and then it ends, and you only see it for what it was after.鈥� it happens馃ズ
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淏riana made me the best version of myself when I was with her somehow.鈥� 鉂わ笍鈥嶐烦�
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淗e was so sweet, and kind, and funny, and self-deprecating, and awkwardly lovable. I had this deep urge to take care of him and baby him and just love all over him.鈥� I wanted to do the same, Briana馃Ц馃挆
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淛acob made me feel safe. He was like a living lullaby. A softly spoken word. The smell of coffee and toast in the morning or a cozy fleece blanket. The rain pattering on the roof on a day where you don鈥檛 have to go anywhere or do anything.鈥� the way she describes it is so beautiful馃
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淏ut with Briana I felt slowly submerged. Gently set down. And then once I was in, I was comfortable. I felt like everyone else probably felt. Calm and easy and normal. It protected the shelf life of my internal battery. And I don鈥檛 even think this was a conscious thing for her most of the time. I think she just inherently knew to do it. it was just one of the many amazing things about her.鈥� the way she makes him feel馃ズ馃挊
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淥kay. I鈥檒l take your last name, then.鈥� AND HE DID IT, OKAY?馃洂
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淚 always think that when we鈥檙e quiet, we鈥檙e agreeing to be harmless to each other. That we鈥檙e just sharing the same space and letting each other exist exactly as we are, and neither of us would hurt or upset the other one.鈥� this is beautiful and so pure馃挅馃尫
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淚鈥檇 let this man turn me inside out. Grind me into dust. Flip me like a pancake. I wanted him to do things to me that I hadn鈥檛 done with anyone. He had me worked up in a way that was making me creative. I鈥檇 eat Pop-Tart naked off his bare chest.鈥� SAME, BESTIE, SAMEEEEE馃馃徎鈥嶁檧锔忦煓�
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淚 loved just being with him. Talking to him, doing things with him. When I was with Jacob, it didn鈥檛 matter where we were, I didn鈥檛 want to be anywhere else. He was like that terrarium in his plant room. A self-sustaining ecosystem. Everything I needed or wanted was wrapped up into one human being.鈥� I love Jacob. I love Briana. I love them so much馃挄
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淪ay it again,鈥� he whispered.
鈥淚鈥檓 in love with 测辞耻,鈥� I gasped.
鈥淎驳补颈苍.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 in love with you.鈥�
He laughed, blinking at me through tears. he just couldn鈥檛 believe it was real馃槶馃挆
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淚 wanted to carry her off and put her where I could keep her safe, pack love around her and insulate her from whatever was eroding her.鈥� okay- can I just put him in a glass box and protect him?
鈰喫欌煛 鈥淵ou know, love shows up, Briana. And even if you keep me away from you, my heart will still be where you are. So just let me be where you are.鈥� thiss man馃挊馃
鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴馃挏鈰呪媶 鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€
Anyways, I will always recommend this book to absolutely everyone馃 it鈥檚 beautiful and realistic, and I love that馃挆 everyone should give it a try馃槶馃挮
饟彶 鈧娾櫋饟們鈥淚t was just the two of us, alone together, showing up. Because that鈥檚 what love does. It shows up. And I鈥檇 never stop doing it.鈥�鈰嗮搨冎粗吨� 鈯顾�
鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€ 鈰嗏媴馃挏鈰呪媶 鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€鈹€
藲藮饟崲执嗷嬸煂� 路藲 pre-read 藲 路 藮 my expectations are so high after Part of Your World, so I hope this one delivers as well because I鈥檓 so ready to fall in love with another perfect man written by Abby馃槍馃挆馃
March 16, 2024
4 Stars 鈽�
"The truest sacrifices are the ones no one knows anything about.鈥�
I wasn't sure what mood I was in, but this one hit the spot. It's safe to say that now Abby Jimenez will be an auto buy author for me from now on. There was really only one thing that I didn't like about this that had me making the decision of dropping down a star. I will explain later.
Yours Truly is the second book in the Part of Your World series. That has many alluring tropes that include fake dating, friends to lovers, workplace romance, and the dreaded miscommunication that is filled with tension, banter, lots of laugh out loud moments and some tears. There are some heavy real-life topics, and Abby just has a way of describing mental health issues to make it seem real and depicted in the best of ways.
Briana Ortiz's life seems to be in shambles these days. Her divorce is about to be finalized, her brother is in desperate need of a kidney as his life is fading away before her eyes and to top it off the promotion she wants may go to the new doctor, Jacob Maddox. The thing is, he has no intention of running for the promotion and started to work at Royamue to escape the awkwardness of working with his brother and ex-girlfriend, who had just announced they are getting married. Not knowing why he transferred Briana gives him a tough time until he writes her an apology letter. They begin writing little notes to one another, and from there, a friendship is built. Their friendship takes a turn when Brianna discovers that Jacob volunteered to donate a kidney to her brother and to repay him she agrees to be his fake girlfriend up until his brother and exes wedding.
Jacob Maddox is just so precious and needs to be protected at all costs. He is the sweetest, most caring, selfless, understanding, and strong cinnamon roll man. Aside from all of that, he does struggle with social anxiety and has it handled mostly by managing it in a healthy way. When he feels it becoming high, he journals to calm it down. This man had me feeling all sorts of things for him. I fell in love with him, and to top it off, he has a three-legged dog that be rescued Leuteniant Dan. Oh, my heart.
"I will however accept your invitation to be invited and never come. That sounds like an excellent time. I also enjoy not answering calls, not networking, never leaving the house, and hanging out with my dog."
Brianna Ortiz is smart, strong, fierce, and protective if the ones she cares about are a bit broken with trust issues. Every man that has ever entered her life has done her wrong and left, beginning with her farther. We see her struggle with the depression of going through a divorce of after ten years by a man who cheated on her with her friend. She does get the sweetest revenge, and I was here for it. She waters her house plants with bleach and sprinkled glitter throughout their house. She was so hilarious and had me laughing so hard, I really did love her. Somethings did annoy me with her, but in the end, you can't really blame her with all she's been through. It made me so happy to see her growth develop even if it happened at the end.
"Okay, so Dad left. But this one won鈥檛. I picked right, not all men are like Dad. This one鈥檚 going to carry me. All my broken pieces."
Jacob and Brianna they had chimsry that was palpable once they got past, not really liking one another. My only issue is that even though the chemistry was there, the miscommunication drug on too much for me. I knew that it would be present, but it could have been wrapped up sooner, in my opinion. Outside of that, though, they were each others perfect match. They have a type of quiet love. She gets his different silences and what they mean. They can be completely silent together and understand one another other. I loved that about them because I feel like it's hard to come by.
鈥淟ove shows up. That鈥檚 how you know when it鈥檚 real."
I loved most of the side characters and fell even more in love with Jacob's family. The way that they inserted themselves into his life, always making sure that he was alright and always showed up, had me cracking up every time. I was happy to see Benny Briannas brother getting his happiness and am hoping that he gets a book with Jacob's sister. Last but not least, I loved the appearances we got of Alexis and Daniel.
I adored the ending so much. The tears were flowing the last 10%, and the words were blurred reading the last letter Jacob wrote to Brianna. I had to reread it a couple of times. All in all, I did enjoy this and can't wait to read more works from Abby.
Favorite quotes and moments
鈥淭his is one of the best days of my life, on one of the worst days of my life. And all I鈥檓 going to remember when I think about it is you and what you鈥檝e done. Thank you so much.鈥�
鈥淚 always think that when we鈥檙e quiet, we鈥檙e agreeing to be harmless to each other. That we鈥檙e just sharing the same space and letting each other exist exactly as we are, and neither of us would hurt or upset the other one.鈥�
鈥淭his is what it feels like to be truly loved. I鈥檝e never felt it before. And I didn鈥檛 even realize it until just now.鈥� He smiled at me gently. 鈥淵es. This is what it feels like.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e all a little broken, Briana. We are a mosaic. We鈥檙e made up of all those we鈥檝e met and all the things we鈥檝e been through. There are parts of us that are colorful and dark and jagged and beautiful. And I love every piece of you. Even the ones you wish didn鈥檛 exist.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 trying to manifest the things I want by speaking them into the universe.鈥� 鈥淎nd you want a wife?鈥� 鈥淥nly if it鈥檚 you.鈥�
~~~~~~
Pre-review: I'm not sure what I feel like right now. Mood reader struggles. Let's see if this is 馃馃じ鈥嶁檧锔�
"The truest sacrifices are the ones no one knows anything about.鈥�
I wasn't sure what mood I was in, but this one hit the spot. It's safe to say that now Abby Jimenez will be an auto buy author for me from now on. There was really only one thing that I didn't like about this that had me making the decision of dropping down a star. I will explain later.
Yours Truly is the second book in the Part of Your World series. That has many alluring tropes that include fake dating, friends to lovers, workplace romance, and the dreaded miscommunication that is filled with tension, banter, lots of laugh out loud moments and some tears. There are some heavy real-life topics, and Abby just has a way of describing mental health issues to make it seem real and depicted in the best of ways.
Briana Ortiz's life seems to be in shambles these days. Her divorce is about to be finalized, her brother is in desperate need of a kidney as his life is fading away before her eyes and to top it off the promotion she wants may go to the new doctor, Jacob Maddox. The thing is, he has no intention of running for the promotion and started to work at Royamue to escape the awkwardness of working with his brother and ex-girlfriend, who had just announced they are getting married. Not knowing why he transferred Briana gives him a tough time until he writes her an apology letter. They begin writing little notes to one another, and from there, a friendship is built. Their friendship takes a turn when Brianna discovers that Jacob volunteered to donate a kidney to her brother and to repay him she agrees to be his fake girlfriend up until his brother and exes wedding.
Jacob Maddox is just so precious and needs to be protected at all costs. He is the sweetest, most caring, selfless, understanding, and strong cinnamon roll man. Aside from all of that, he does struggle with social anxiety and has it handled mostly by managing it in a healthy way. When he feels it becoming high, he journals to calm it down. This man had me feeling all sorts of things for him. I fell in love with him, and to top it off, he has a three-legged dog that be rescued Leuteniant Dan. Oh, my heart.
"I will however accept your invitation to be invited and never come. That sounds like an excellent time. I also enjoy not answering calls, not networking, never leaving the house, and hanging out with my dog."
Brianna Ortiz is smart, strong, fierce, and protective if the ones she cares about are a bit broken with trust issues. Every man that has ever entered her life has done her wrong and left, beginning with her farther. We see her struggle with the depression of going through a divorce of after ten years by a man who cheated on her with her friend. She does get the sweetest revenge, and I was here for it. She waters her house plants with bleach and sprinkled glitter throughout their house. She was so hilarious and had me laughing so hard, I really did love her. Somethings did annoy me with her, but in the end, you can't really blame her with all she's been through. It made me so happy to see her growth develop even if it happened at the end.
"Okay, so Dad left. But this one won鈥檛. I picked right, not all men are like Dad. This one鈥檚 going to carry me. All my broken pieces."
Jacob and Brianna they had chimsry that was palpable once they got past, not really liking one another. My only issue is that even though the chemistry was there, the miscommunication drug on too much for me. I knew that it would be present, but it could have been wrapped up sooner, in my opinion. Outside of that, though, they were each others perfect match. They have a type of quiet love. She gets his different silences and what they mean. They can be completely silent together and understand one another other. I loved that about them because I feel like it's hard to come by.
鈥淟ove shows up. That鈥檚 how you know when it鈥檚 real."
I loved most of the side characters and fell even more in love with Jacob's family. The way that they inserted themselves into his life, always making sure that he was alright and always showed up, had me cracking up every time. I was happy to see Benny Briannas brother getting his happiness and am hoping that he gets a book with Jacob's sister. Last but not least, I loved the appearances we got of Alexis and Daniel.
I adored the ending so much. The tears were flowing the last 10%, and the words were blurred reading the last letter Jacob wrote to Brianna. I had to reread it a couple of times. All in all, I did enjoy this and can't wait to read more works from Abby.
Favorite quotes and moments
鈥淭his is one of the best days of my life, on one of the worst days of my life. And all I鈥檓 going to remember when I think about it is you and what you鈥檝e done. Thank you so much.鈥�
鈥淚 always think that when we鈥檙e quiet, we鈥檙e agreeing to be harmless to each other. That we鈥檙e just sharing the same space and letting each other exist exactly as we are, and neither of us would hurt or upset the other one.鈥�
鈥淭his is what it feels like to be truly loved. I鈥檝e never felt it before. And I didn鈥檛 even realize it until just now.鈥� He smiled at me gently. 鈥淵es. This is what it feels like.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e all a little broken, Briana. We are a mosaic. We鈥檙e made up of all those we鈥檝e met and all the things we鈥檝e been through. There are parts of us that are colorful and dark and jagged and beautiful. And I love every piece of you. Even the ones you wish didn鈥檛 exist.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 trying to manifest the things I want by speaking them into the universe.鈥� 鈥淎nd you want a wife?鈥� 鈥淥nly if it鈥檚 you.鈥�
~~~~~~
Pre-review: I'm not sure what I feel like right now. Mood reader struggles. Let's see if this is 馃馃じ鈥嶁檧锔�
July 16, 2024
I liked the first... half?
Then I got angrier and angrier until I threw the book across the room towards the end.
My least favorite book in this series.
Then I got angrier and angrier until I threw the book across the room towards the end.
My least favorite book in this series.
September 26, 2024
Alright, I'm just going to review this really quick before I clock out from work for the day - because I actually deserve to get paid to write this review lol.
The beginning of the story started out well, I really loved that both of our MC's are doctors - it really kinda gave me an old school Grey's Anatomy vibe. The initial dislike of each other and the banter there in the hospital.
After that it really falls flat for me. I feel like I'm out here on Outlier Island again but when it comes to Abby's books, and I know this only the second one I've read but it seems to be trending with me. I feel like I get some of the romance even if it's corny but I don't get the second part - you know the comedy in the Rom-Com. Might just be me but meh.
Around 40-50ish % in the book, the miscommunication trope is coming through real strong. I don't mind it from time to time if it's short lived and well, done right. This miscommunication was so stupid and dragged out beyond reasonable expectations. At 85% of the book both Jacob and Briana are still acting oblivious.
鈺扳揽鉃に椝徦� I really did like Jacob, although he did come across as kind of a doormat to me and I'm not a fan of a pushover MMC.
鈺扳揽鉃に椝徦� And not because of his anxiety - I'm referencing how he was with the FMC. To which he even says, his anxiety goes away.
Walk all over me, use me, abuse me. Um. Sir?
鈺扳揽鉃に椝徦� Brianna though, lord. She was over the top with everything. Questioning every single thing and making the most ridiculous assumptions.
Overall, it just felt like another corny book from AJ - to me, I feel like I might just not vibe with her writing. Undecided if I'm going to move onto the next one in the series yet.
鈺扳揽鉃に椝徦� 饾摚饾摶饾摳饾摴饾摦饾摷 饾摠饾摳饾摼 饾搾饾摢饾摲 饾摂饾攣饾摴饾摦饾摤饾摻
鉂わ笍 Fake Dating
馃┖ Co-Workers / Doctors
鉂わ笍 Cinnamon Roll Hero
馃┖ Exchanging Letters
鉂わ笍 Miscommunication
馃┖ Dual POV
鉂わ笍 Anxiety/Depression Rep
I had Just for the Summer checked out from my library because I thought it was a stand alone, so I returned it and put this one on hold - which I now have. Now, Just for the Summer has like a 7 week hold. I really can't win lol.
Here we go with this one then. 鉂わ笍
The beginning of the story started out well, I really loved that both of our MC's are doctors - it really kinda gave me an old school Grey's Anatomy vibe. The initial dislike of each other and the banter there in the hospital.
After that it really falls flat for me. I feel like I'm out here on Outlier Island again but when it comes to Abby's books, and I know this only the second one I've read but it seems to be trending with me. I feel like I get some of the romance even if it's corny but I don't get the second part - you know the comedy in the Rom-Com. Might just be me but meh.
Around 40-50ish % in the book, the miscommunication trope is coming through real strong. I don't mind it from time to time if it's short lived and well, done right. This miscommunication was so stupid and dragged out beyond reasonable expectations. At 85% of the book both Jacob and Briana are still acting oblivious.
鈺扳揽鉃に椝徦� I really did like Jacob, although he did come across as kind of a doormat to me and I'm not a fan of a pushover MMC.
鈺扳揽鉃に椝徦� And not because of his anxiety - I'm referencing how he was with the FMC. To which he even says, his anxiety goes away.
Walk all over me, use me, abuse me. Um. Sir?
鈺扳揽鉃に椝徦� Brianna though, lord. She was over the top with everything. Questioning every single thing and making the most ridiculous assumptions.
Overall, it just felt like another corny book from AJ - to me, I feel like I might just not vibe with her writing. Undecided if I'm going to move onto the next one in the series yet.
鈺扳揽鉃に椝徦� 饾摚饾摶饾摳饾摴饾摦饾摷 饾摠饾摳饾摼 饾搾饾摢饾摲 饾摂饾攣饾摴饾摦饾摤饾摻
鉂わ笍 Fake Dating
馃┖ Co-Workers / Doctors
鉂わ笍 Cinnamon Roll Hero
馃┖ Exchanging Letters
鉂わ笍 Miscommunication
馃┖ Dual POV
鉂わ笍 Anxiety/Depression Rep
Here we go with this one then.
April 22, 2024
I. love. you. Jacob. This book was simple perfect in every way !
May 9, 2023
Colour me confused and conflicted. 馃槚
Part of Your World was better.
Disclaimer: I was reading this book with an anxious frame of mind. Anxiety and I were spending a ghastly amount of time together.
I might possibly have been triggered, though that鈥檚 not something I ever experience when it comes to books. There鈥檚 always a first for something鈥�
The characters were spiralling and seeing their thoughts on page鈥� I couldn鈥檛 necessarily separate my mind from it.
At the same time, I didn鈥檛 want to put this book down either. It had so many good qualities.
It might be the book, but it could very well be me. So take that rating with a grain of salt.
It鈥檚 me, I鈥檓 the problem.
The miscommunication trope is not a trope that usually bothers me.
There鈥檚 something that鈥檚 innately human about the fact that most people don鈥檛 want to let others know how they are feeling. Talking about your feelings sucks. Occasionally overrated. And being vulnerable and open with someone? Well, fuck that behaviour all together. Who has the emotional capacity for that all the time? Or even half the time?Just let me overthink and leave me alone. In peace.
So because I understand that talking and telling someone about your feelings and what you鈥檙e going through isn鈥檛 what its always cracked up to be, I鈥檓 more lenient when this trope is introduced within a story. I have more patience for it. I empathise massively. It doesn鈥檛 usually bring the story down for me. Except maybe in this case鈥� though there were other factors.
It does depend on how the author explores that aspect and whether I can understand if from the character鈥檚 point of view. I guess this is subjective for everyone.
And even when you do understand it sometimes, you still want to beat the characters over their heads. 鈥淛ust fuckin鈥� talk, will ya?鈥�
鈥淲ould I express myself if I was in their situation? Maybe. Maybe not.鈥�
You have these conversations with yourself.
Now, for context, these two characters are fake-dating. Miscommunication is bound to show up. You made a deal to fake your feelings and by the end, you鈥檙e unsure whether those fake feelings are real or not. Whether they are reciprocated or not.
Cue the anxiety. 馃樀鈥嶐煉�
Jacob鈥檚 brand of anxiety is exactly like mine. Scarily fuckin鈥� accurate.
Briana has a warped perception of men and relationships because she was in a bad one. Her dad leaving when young hasn鈥檛 helped that situation, neither does her mother who just spews a toxic narrative about men. This is what she鈥檚 grown up hearing and it still continued.
Almost the whole story is them battling their feelings. It occasionally read angsty but I also wanted to shout at these characters. It felt drawn out by the author. And I don鈥檛 know whether that was needed.
Not only was the miscommunication drawn out, things really fuckin鈥� exploded towards the end.
I despise it when authors save all of the conflict(s) till the last minute. There wasn鈥檛 enough of a buildup for it. For the characters or the readers. It was such a surprise and not in a good way. It read messy.
The readers know Briana suffered through a disgusting marriage. We know that from the slight things that are mentioned. She felt so unbelievably bleak about life that I wish we had walked through some of those parts with her, to really connect with her.
I wish we had more vulnerable conversations between her and Jacob, where they explored those wounds, because they already had the foundation of a great friendship.
I wish the characters would stop thinking for the other person, to make an assumption and run with it like it鈥檚 final. Like its fact. I mean, we are all guilty of this. We know it comes from fear of rejection. It鈥檚 an aggravating human characteristic.
I wish, I wish, I wish. The last thing I want to be doing whilst reading a book is rewriting the story in my head. 馃槗
This just turned into a fuckin鈥� essay. 馃槵
I understand some of the elements the author chose. But I wasn鈥檛 satisfied with it.
I appreciated massively how Abby Jimenez showcased Jacob鈥檚 anxiety. I adored his family. He was the sweetest of characters. Briana was beautiful and fiery and such a light. Loyal and the type that goes to the ends of the earth for someone she cares about. Their banter was amazing and the way they connected was adorable.
It鈥檚 not that it was a bad book. It really wasn鈥檛. It just wasn鈥檛 my book.
*Please check out the author鈥檚 鈥榬eview鈥� on GR for trigger warnings.*
Part of Your World was better.
Disclaimer: I was reading this book with an anxious frame of mind. Anxiety and I were spending a ghastly amount of time together.
I might possibly have been triggered, though that鈥檚 not something I ever experience when it comes to books. There鈥檚 always a first for something鈥�
The characters were spiralling and seeing their thoughts on page鈥� I couldn鈥檛 necessarily separate my mind from it.
At the same time, I didn鈥檛 want to put this book down either. It had so many good qualities.
It might be the book, but it could very well be me. So take that rating with a grain of salt.
The miscommunication trope is not a trope that usually bothers me.
There鈥檚 something that鈥檚 innately human about the fact that most people don鈥檛 want to let others know how they are feeling. Talking about your feelings sucks. Occasionally overrated. And being vulnerable and open with someone? Well, fuck that behaviour all together. Who has the emotional capacity for that all the time? Or even half the time?
So because I understand that talking and telling someone about your feelings and what you鈥檙e going through isn鈥檛 what its always cracked up to be, I鈥檓 more lenient when this trope is introduced within a story. I have more patience for it. I empathise massively. It doesn鈥檛 usually bring the story down for me. Except maybe in this case鈥� though there were other factors.
It does depend on how the author explores that aspect and whether I can understand if from the character鈥檚 point of view. I guess this is subjective for everyone.
And even when you do understand it sometimes, you still want to beat the characters over their heads. 鈥淛ust fuckin鈥� talk, will ya?鈥�
鈥淲ould I express myself if I was in their situation? Maybe. Maybe not.鈥�
You have these conversations with yourself.
Now, for context, these two characters are fake-dating. Miscommunication is bound to show up. You made a deal to fake your feelings and by the end, you鈥檙e unsure whether those fake feelings are real or not. Whether they are reciprocated or not.
Cue the anxiety. 馃樀鈥嶐煉�
Jacob鈥檚 brand of anxiety is exactly like mine. Scarily fuckin鈥� accurate.
Briana has a warped perception of men and relationships because she was in a bad one. Her dad leaving when young hasn鈥檛 helped that situation, neither does her mother who just spews a toxic narrative about men. This is what she鈥檚 grown up hearing and it still continued.
Almost the whole story is them battling their feelings. It occasionally read angsty but I also wanted to shout at these characters. It felt drawn out by the author. And I don鈥檛 know whether that was needed.
Not only was the miscommunication drawn out, things really fuckin鈥� exploded towards the end.
I despise it when authors save all of the conflict(s) till the last minute. There wasn鈥檛 enough of a buildup for it. For the characters or the readers. It was such a surprise and not in a good way. It read messy.
The readers know Briana suffered through a disgusting marriage. We know that from the slight things that are mentioned. She felt so unbelievably bleak about life that I wish we had walked through some of those parts with her, to really connect with her.
I wish we had more vulnerable conversations between her and Jacob, where they explored those wounds, because they already had the foundation of a great friendship.
I wish the characters would stop thinking for the other person, to make an assumption and run with it like it鈥檚 final. Like its fact. I mean, we are all guilty of this. We know it comes from fear of rejection. It鈥檚 an aggravating human characteristic.
I wish, I wish, I wish. The last thing I want to be doing whilst reading a book is rewriting the story in my head. 馃槗
This just turned into a fuckin鈥� essay. 馃槵
I understand some of the elements the author chose. But I wasn鈥檛 satisfied with it.
I appreciated massively how Abby Jimenez showcased Jacob鈥檚 anxiety. I adored his family. He was the sweetest of characters. Briana was beautiful and fiery and such a light. Loyal and the type that goes to the ends of the earth for someone she cares about. Their banter was amazing and the way they connected was adorable.
It鈥檚 not that it was a bad book. It really wasn鈥檛. It just wasn鈥檛 my book.
*Please check out the author鈥檚 鈥榬eview鈥� on GR for trigger warnings.*
February 7, 2025
鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽� - 6 stars
i鈥檓 so obsessed and in love with this book that no thoughts can express how i feel. it was so unexpectedly beautiful. i made sure to give myself some time to calm down (one night) because if i tried to form any thoughts after finishing, it would be impossible.
where do i start?? at first, this book seems like a cute, heartfelt little romance鈥攁nd it is鈥攂ut it also SO much more. it鈥檚 a story of overcoming past trauma, finding your person, and discovering hope. i laughed, i cried, and literally felt my heart bursting with emotion. i鈥檓 in awe of how well Abby is able to elicit these feelings in me. that鈥檚 when i knew it was a 5 star.
this book starts out with my favorite character of the series, Briana Ortiz鈥攐r Bri. she鈥檚 absolutely hilarious and so caring. the way she helped Alexis in the last book made my adoration for her grow even more. and to read a book from her own perspective, i learned a ton about the person she is. i 肠补苍鈥檛 even explain how much i love her.
in the beginning of this book, she was juggling a lot of heartbreak. first, she was finalizing a divorce, and second, her little brother鈥檚 kidneys were failing. when all seems hopeless, her only goal is to find a donor for her brother, but time is running out. she begins to give up and realize just how tragic her life has become. that鈥檚 when she meets Jacob. her first impression of him is not the best. things quickly change when he sends her a letter.
and when i saw the letters being sent back and forth, i knew i would love this book. there鈥檚 such a deep understanding that is achieved with sending handwritten letters. i鈥檝e only read about this trope a few times, and it鈥檚 never failed to make me obsessed. i could feel Jacob and Bri鈥檚 connection growing stronger with each letter.
i鈥檓 so happy for Bri and the trauma she was able to overcome. she found Jacob, and Jacob found her. they are simply better together. she鈥檚 such a strong and kind woman. the things she went through, she didn鈥檛 deserve, but she deserves all the happiness that came afterward.
Jacob made me feel safe. He was like a living lullaby. A softly spoken word. The smell of coffee and toast in the morning or a cozy fleece blankets. The rain pattering on the roof on a day where you don鈥檛 have to go anywhere or do anything.
Jacob was the sweetest man to ever exist. i know i said Daniel was perfect, but Jacob is PERFECT. his experience with anxiety was written so well. i could feel his thoughts through the pages. i hate that he never felt validated before Bri, because he deserves it more than anything. anxiety is real. and it鈥檚 okay to let yourself feel it. there are no proper words to express how much i love Jacob. none. if i could show you what he鈥檚 done to my heart, i would. thinking about his love for Bri brings actual tears to my eyes. i am so happy he鈥檚 found his person. someone who calms him but also lets him express his emotions. Jacob is among the top romance men for simply being a raw, genuine human being. every single thing he did for Bri was adorable and i enjoyed every moment with them.
I couldn鈥檛 explain the lift I felt in my chest. For the first time in weeks, the electric hum of my anxiety softened. I could breathe again.
Briana made me the best version of myself when I was with her somehow.
I needed my life calm, easy, and static. but I wouldn鈥檛 do that with Briana. I鈥檇 leave my comfort zone. I had to. Because that鈥檚 where she was. And for her I would go anywhere.
Jacob seriously has so many amazing qualities that make him the sweetest human being to ever exist. from his love of animals, to relationship with his family, to his plants, his silly socks, his kind actions, his affirmations, every single thing about him is perfect. i know i keep saying it, but i mean it.
and when Jacob gave Bri his journal to prove to her how much he loves her, that was it. there is truly no man as wonderful as him. the fact that Jacob was willing to give his all and strip himself down completely, especially not knowing whether the other feels the same, is everything. he might not have been sure of how Bri felt, but he knew exactly how he did. Jacob did every possible thing to he deserving of her love and was still prepared to do more. there is nothing that could make me admire him more. Jacob is the standard.
It was a love story. Our love story.
He let me look into his soul. And the only thing in there was us.
鈥淚 will never leave you, Briana. Do you hear me? Never. Every single thing that matters to me in this world is in this bed. I love you.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e all a little broken, Briana. We are a mosaic. We鈥檙e made up of all those we鈥檝e met and all the things we鈥檝e been through. There are parts of us that are colorful and dark and jagged and beautiful. And I love every piece of you. Even the ones you wish didn鈥檛 exist.鈥�
鈥淵ou know, love shows up, Briana. And even if you keep me away from you, my heart will still be where you are. So just let me be where you are.鈥�
their romance developed at the perfect pace. not too fast, but also not too slow. they shared so many tender and honest moments. i knew from the start that they鈥檇 have a healthy relationship. their love for each other is literally the meaning of 鈥渢he light at the end of a tunnel.鈥� this is a book about two people who believe they don鈥檛 deserve love when truly, they deserve all the love in the world.
Alexis looked up at me from her seat. 鈥淏ri? When he tells you he loves you, believe it. Be brave and believe it.鈥�
now, i was fully ready for the book to wrap up with a nice happy ending when Jacob and Bri were at the wedding. but ladies and gentlemen, meet Abby Jimenez. if you think you鈥檙e getting a romance book, you鈥檙e getting SO much more than that. i know the miscommunication bothers a lot of people, and it did made me want to rip my hair out, but i also think it was worth it by the end. maybe it would have been nice for them to communicate a bit sooner, but good things take time. this book showed me just how much past trauma can affect a relationship. i went from all giddy to absolutely shattered and covered in tears. i don鈥檛 know how to accurately describe that in words. books don鈥檛 usually have that effect on me. movies, yes. books? eh. the way i cried at the end of this book鈥擮H MY GOSH. please look up the trigger warnings. the tears would not stop. it sounds dramatic but these characters feel so insanely real. the way Bri鈥檚 emotions were expressed had my heart racking around in my chest.
so now that you can picture me literally breaking down over a book, i want to move on and try to convey how much i appreciate Abby Jimenez鈥檚 books. her writing and her characters and everything. the fact that she puts her all into these, accurately representing anxiety, adding so many emotional themes, creating real conflicts, and making sure to write a full ending. the quotes in this?? i ran out of tabs. like completely. i subconsciously kept reaching for them and i didn鈥檛 even need to look. this book made me FEEL things right off the bat. i really hope my mom isn鈥檛 mad that her book is completely covered in tabs. i might keep this for myself and buy her a new one. this book is precious to me. i know for a fact that days later, i鈥檒l see this on my shelf and admire it. i鈥檒l remember how lovely and beautiful this story was. i鈥檒l think of Bri and Jacob and the incredible life they鈥檒l have (THEY鈥橰E REAL, OKAY?). i haven鈥檛 read book like this in a long time. it鈥檒l be a while before i stop thinking about it.
i will never stop recommending this book to romance lovers. it鈥檚 one of the best.
QUOTES
I was rendered frozen and speechless and completely at her mercy, and I had to wonder with a touch of awe and amusement if she had bewitched me. If I was under some spell. Because I鈥檇 never felt like this before, this compelled to do something for someone I just met, this drawn to anyone.
Damn, he was handsome. It seemed clich茅, but his smile really did light up a room. Bright and dazzlingly gorgeous鈥攁nd he didn鈥檛 do it a lot. You really had to draw him out and earn it. I enjoyed earning it.
I was stupid for this man. He had me all turned over and inside out. Just looking at him made me happy. I wanted to run down the steps and jump on him and kiss his face like an excited puppy.
I adored him. I literally adored him. He was so sweet, and kind, and funny, and self-deprecating, and awkwardly loveable. I had this deep urge to take care of him and baby him and just love all over him.
鈥淒o you need a hug?鈥� I asked.
He drew his brows down. 鈥淲丑补迟?鈥�
鈥淵ou look like you need a hug. Can I hug you?鈥�
He gave me one of his quiet pauses. And then he nodded. 鈥淵es.鈥�
I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around him. 鈥淚 am here for 测辞耻,鈥� I whispered. 鈥淲e鈥檒l get through this together and everything will be okay.鈥�
She gave me a serious look and I couldn鈥檛 help but smile. She was so, so beautiful.
It was weird to say, but she made me feel alone鈥攖he way I felt when I was by myself. Calm and unaffected. Like it was just us here and not a hundred other people. I liked being alone. With her.
Her mouth fell open. 鈥淵ou sat in the rain just to talk to me?鈥�
I looked at my lap for a long moment before looking back up at her. 鈥淚鈥檇 do a lot more than that for you.鈥�
She opened her beautiful eyes and looked at me. 鈥淚 know all of your quiets. I know when you鈥檙e alone with me and you鈥檙e quiet, it鈥檚 because your brain is still. And when you鈥檙e in public and you鈥檙e quiet, it鈥檚 because your brain is loud. But I don鈥檛 know this one. What鈥檚 this one?鈥�
I held her gaze. 鈥淭his one鈥檚 you.鈥�
She snuggled into me and it was everything. My entire universe condensed to a single place and time.
鈥淛acob?鈥� she whispered.
I put my nose to her hair. 鈥淲丑补迟?鈥�
鈥淚 love you.鈥�
Even to tell her that I loved her would be something. It seemed a waste to love her as much as I did without her ever knowing it. To be unaware that her very existence was my reason for smiling, for being happy to wake up in the morning.
I wanted to die, I loved him so much. I wanted to crawl inside of him and live there. I wanted to spend the rest of my life just being with him. Adoring him. Protecting him. Living in all his quiets. A head on his shoulder in a movie theater. A kiss before bed. A cuddle in the dark. Growing old and holding his hand. Anything he wanted. Anything he needed. I wanted to be his anything.
鈥淛acob, I am so in love with you I 肠补苍鈥檛 even stand it.鈥�
鈥淲丑补迟?鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 in love with you too. I thought you鈥斺€�
鈥淪ay it again.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓鈥m in love with you.鈥�
I watched the words hit him like a physical thing, pushing the air from his lungs and filling his eyes with hope.
He closed the space between us in three long strides and gathered me to him.
鈥淪ay it again,鈥� he whispered.
鈥淚鈥檓 in love with 测辞耻,鈥� I gasped.
鈥淎驳补颈苍.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 in love with you.鈥�
He laughed, blinking at me through tears.
鈥淭his is real?鈥� I asked.
He nodded. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always been real.鈥�
There鈥檚 a special peace in sleeping next to someone you love. When you slip into the dark holding them and wake up and they鈥檙e still there and you know that everything that matters is just opening your eyes away.
鈥淪he鈥檚 it, Mom. I think I knew it the moment I laid eyes on her.鈥�
i鈥檓 so obsessed and in love with this book that no thoughts can express how i feel. it was so unexpectedly beautiful. i made sure to give myself some time to calm down (one night) because if i tried to form any thoughts after finishing, it would be impossible.
where do i start?? at first, this book seems like a cute, heartfelt little romance鈥攁nd it is鈥攂ut it also SO much more. it鈥檚 a story of overcoming past trauma, finding your person, and discovering hope. i laughed, i cried, and literally felt my heart bursting with emotion. i鈥檓 in awe of how well Abby is able to elicit these feelings in me. that鈥檚 when i knew it was a 5 star.
this book starts out with my favorite character of the series, Briana Ortiz鈥攐r Bri. she鈥檚 absolutely hilarious and so caring. the way she helped Alexis in the last book made my adoration for her grow even more. and to read a book from her own perspective, i learned a ton about the person she is. i 肠补苍鈥檛 even explain how much i love her.
in the beginning of this book, she was juggling a lot of heartbreak. first, she was finalizing a divorce, and second, her little brother鈥檚 kidneys were failing. when all seems hopeless, her only goal is to find a donor for her brother, but time is running out. she begins to give up and realize just how tragic her life has become. that鈥檚 when she meets Jacob. her first impression of him is not the best. things quickly change when he sends her a letter.
and when i saw the letters being sent back and forth, i knew i would love this book. there鈥檚 such a deep understanding that is achieved with sending handwritten letters. i鈥檝e only read about this trope a few times, and it鈥檚 never failed to make me obsessed. i could feel Jacob and Bri鈥檚 connection growing stronger with each letter.
i鈥檓 so happy for Bri and the trauma she was able to overcome. she found Jacob, and Jacob found her. they are simply better together. she鈥檚 such a strong and kind woman. the things she went through, she didn鈥檛 deserve, but she deserves all the happiness that came afterward.
Jacob made me feel safe. He was like a living lullaby. A softly spoken word. The smell of coffee and toast in the morning or a cozy fleece blankets. The rain pattering on the roof on a day where you don鈥檛 have to go anywhere or do anything.
Jacob was the sweetest man to ever exist. i know i said Daniel was perfect, but Jacob is PERFECT. his experience with anxiety was written so well. i could feel his thoughts through the pages. i hate that he never felt validated before Bri, because he deserves it more than anything. anxiety is real. and it鈥檚 okay to let yourself feel it. there are no proper words to express how much i love Jacob. none. if i could show you what he鈥檚 done to my heart, i would. thinking about his love for Bri brings actual tears to my eyes. i am so happy he鈥檚 found his person. someone who calms him but also lets him express his emotions. Jacob is among the top romance men for simply being a raw, genuine human being. every single thing he did for Bri was adorable and i enjoyed every moment with them.
I couldn鈥檛 explain the lift I felt in my chest. For the first time in weeks, the electric hum of my anxiety softened. I could breathe again.
Briana made me the best version of myself when I was with her somehow.
I needed my life calm, easy, and static. but I wouldn鈥檛 do that with Briana. I鈥檇 leave my comfort zone. I had to. Because that鈥檚 where she was. And for her I would go anywhere.
Jacob seriously has so many amazing qualities that make him the sweetest human being to ever exist. from his love of animals, to relationship with his family, to his plants, his silly socks, his kind actions, his affirmations, every single thing about him is perfect. i know i keep saying it, but i mean it.
and when Jacob gave Bri his journal to prove to her how much he loves her, that was it. there is truly no man as wonderful as him. the fact that Jacob was willing to give his all and strip himself down completely, especially not knowing whether the other feels the same, is everything. he might not have been sure of how Bri felt, but he knew exactly how he did. Jacob did every possible thing to he deserving of her love and was still prepared to do more. there is nothing that could make me admire him more. Jacob is the standard.
It was a love story. Our love story.
He let me look into his soul. And the only thing in there was us.
鈥淚 will never leave you, Briana. Do you hear me? Never. Every single thing that matters to me in this world is in this bed. I love you.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e all a little broken, Briana. We are a mosaic. We鈥檙e made up of all those we鈥檝e met and all the things we鈥檝e been through. There are parts of us that are colorful and dark and jagged and beautiful. And I love every piece of you. Even the ones you wish didn鈥檛 exist.鈥�
鈥淵ou know, love shows up, Briana. And even if you keep me away from you, my heart will still be where you are. So just let me be where you are.鈥�
their romance developed at the perfect pace. not too fast, but also not too slow. they shared so many tender and honest moments. i knew from the start that they鈥檇 have a healthy relationship. their love for each other is literally the meaning of 鈥渢he light at the end of a tunnel.鈥� this is a book about two people who believe they don鈥檛 deserve love when truly, they deserve all the love in the world.
Alexis looked up at me from her seat. 鈥淏ri? When he tells you he loves you, believe it. Be brave and believe it.鈥�
now, i was fully ready for the book to wrap up with a nice happy ending when Jacob and Bri were at the wedding. but ladies and gentlemen, meet Abby Jimenez. if you think you鈥檙e getting a romance book, you鈥檙e getting SO much more than that. i know the miscommunication bothers a lot of people, and it did made me want to rip my hair out, but i also think it was worth it by the end. maybe it would have been nice for them to communicate a bit sooner, but good things take time. this book showed me just how much past trauma can affect a relationship. i went from all giddy to absolutely shattered and covered in tears. i don鈥檛 know how to accurately describe that in words. books don鈥檛 usually have that effect on me. movies, yes. books? eh. the way i cried at the end of this book鈥擮H MY GOSH. please look up the trigger warnings. the tears would not stop. it sounds dramatic but these characters feel so insanely real. the way Bri鈥檚 emotions were expressed had my heart racking around in my chest.
so now that you can picture me literally breaking down over a book, i want to move on and try to convey how much i appreciate Abby Jimenez鈥檚 books. her writing and her characters and everything. the fact that she puts her all into these, accurately representing anxiety, adding so many emotional themes, creating real conflicts, and making sure to write a full ending. the quotes in this?? i ran out of tabs. like completely. i subconsciously kept reaching for them and i didn鈥檛 even need to look. this book made me FEEL things right off the bat. i really hope my mom isn鈥檛 mad that her book is completely covered in tabs. i might keep this for myself and buy her a new one. this book is precious to me. i know for a fact that days later, i鈥檒l see this on my shelf and admire it. i鈥檒l remember how lovely and beautiful this story was. i鈥檒l think of Bri and Jacob and the incredible life they鈥檒l have (THEY鈥橰E REAL, OKAY?). i haven鈥檛 read book like this in a long time. it鈥檒l be a while before i stop thinking about it.
i will never stop recommending this book to romance lovers. it鈥檚 one of the best.
QUOTES
I was rendered frozen and speechless and completely at her mercy, and I had to wonder with a touch of awe and amusement if she had bewitched me. If I was under some spell. Because I鈥檇 never felt like this before, this compelled to do something for someone I just met, this drawn to anyone.
Damn, he was handsome. It seemed clich茅, but his smile really did light up a room. Bright and dazzlingly gorgeous鈥攁nd he didn鈥檛 do it a lot. You really had to draw him out and earn it. I enjoyed earning it.
I was stupid for this man. He had me all turned over and inside out. Just looking at him made me happy. I wanted to run down the steps and jump on him and kiss his face like an excited puppy.
I adored him. I literally adored him. He was so sweet, and kind, and funny, and self-deprecating, and awkwardly loveable. I had this deep urge to take care of him and baby him and just love all over him.
鈥淒o you need a hug?鈥� I asked.
He drew his brows down. 鈥淲丑补迟?鈥�
鈥淵ou look like you need a hug. Can I hug you?鈥�
He gave me one of his quiet pauses. And then he nodded. 鈥淵es.鈥�
I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around him. 鈥淚 am here for 测辞耻,鈥� I whispered. 鈥淲e鈥檒l get through this together and everything will be okay.鈥�
She gave me a serious look and I couldn鈥檛 help but smile. She was so, so beautiful.
It was weird to say, but she made me feel alone鈥攖he way I felt when I was by myself. Calm and unaffected. Like it was just us here and not a hundred other people. I liked being alone. With her.
Her mouth fell open. 鈥淵ou sat in the rain just to talk to me?鈥�
I looked at my lap for a long moment before looking back up at her. 鈥淚鈥檇 do a lot more than that for you.鈥�
She opened her beautiful eyes and looked at me. 鈥淚 know all of your quiets. I know when you鈥檙e alone with me and you鈥檙e quiet, it鈥檚 because your brain is still. And when you鈥檙e in public and you鈥檙e quiet, it鈥檚 because your brain is loud. But I don鈥檛 know this one. What鈥檚 this one?鈥�
I held her gaze. 鈥淭his one鈥檚 you.鈥�
She snuggled into me and it was everything. My entire universe condensed to a single place and time.
鈥淛acob?鈥� she whispered.
I put my nose to her hair. 鈥淲丑补迟?鈥�
鈥淚 love you.鈥�
Even to tell her that I loved her would be something. It seemed a waste to love her as much as I did without her ever knowing it. To be unaware that her very existence was my reason for smiling, for being happy to wake up in the morning.
I wanted to die, I loved him so much. I wanted to crawl inside of him and live there. I wanted to spend the rest of my life just being with him. Adoring him. Protecting him. Living in all his quiets. A head on his shoulder in a movie theater. A kiss before bed. A cuddle in the dark. Growing old and holding his hand. Anything he wanted. Anything he needed. I wanted to be his anything.
鈥淛acob, I am so in love with you I 肠补苍鈥檛 even stand it.鈥�
鈥淲丑补迟?鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 in love with you too. I thought you鈥斺€�
鈥淪ay it again.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓鈥m in love with you.鈥�
I watched the words hit him like a physical thing, pushing the air from his lungs and filling his eyes with hope.
He closed the space between us in three long strides and gathered me to him.
鈥淪ay it again,鈥� he whispered.
鈥淚鈥檓 in love with 测辞耻,鈥� I gasped.
鈥淎驳补颈苍.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 in love with you.鈥�
He laughed, blinking at me through tears.
鈥淭his is real?鈥� I asked.
He nodded. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always been real.鈥�
There鈥檚 a special peace in sleeping next to someone you love. When you slip into the dark holding them and wake up and they鈥檙e still there and you know that everything that matters is just opening your eyes away.
鈥淪he鈥檚 it, Mom. I think I knew it the moment I laid eyes on her.鈥�
April 28, 2023
There were some things I liked about Yours Truly, but overall, the experience was a disappointment. I felt SO betrayed by the fact that this book started off with two of my favorite tropes (fake dating + epistolary) just to slap me in the face with two of my MOST HATED tropes in the second half (tropes, major spoilers): that leads to (plot, major spoilers): 馃槱 By the way, that last trope? (Major spoiler) by the end of the book, we have FOUR characters who are
LOOK, first off, the best thing about this book -- similarly to POFW -- is that I LOVED Jacob as a MMC. I truly do. I felt that Abby definitely explored his anxiety really well here in both Briana and Jacob's POVs. He gets amazing vulnerable moments and is so loveable and loving, just as Briana states multiple times. I loved that Briana understood how to be there for him from the get-go, and that they had a pretty cute initial build up with the initial friendship/romance with the epistolary romance vibes of letter exchanging! The second thing that I loved was that when things went to the fake dating, the progression felt pretty natural. Yes, the circumstances were a bit iffy in terms of the why, but I still believed in Briana's reasonings, and Jacob's made sense to me as well. Things started to take an initial turn when the comfy "this is easy" vibes that I was getting from the couple in first half of the book kind of stayed too singular-noted. By the time we get to the "is this real?" part, I really didn't really feel it.
Which then made everything in the second half go down hill. 馃槶 It makes sense for there to be some miscommunication, particularly in fake dating as there obviously needs to be the "is this real or not?" type of thoughts by the characters. There was just WAY too much here for my tastes. On top of that, both Briana and Jacob describe how things are different with each other compared to their respective exes in their POVs SO OFTEN that it just kind of got really repetitive.
And dear god, the third act??? The third act was such a mess. 馃槶 I could sympathize somewhat with Briana's trajectory because it is realistic to have the kinds of thoughts she had with the history she had, but at the same time it almost quite literally undid EVERYTHING that she had gone through in the whole book that it completely baffled me. Abby also seemed to throw in some plot points for the sake of plot that just made things worse. Major spoilers:
I get that Abby was trying to also have Briana get over her fears, but I felt that it was just too big of a reaction + a HUGE ask as well that felt out of character for both Briana and Jacob. So in the end, first half was great, second half was a hot mess that ruined everything and just pissed me off. 馃槅
LOOK, first off, the best thing about this book -- similarly to POFW -- is that I LOVED Jacob as a MMC. I truly do. I felt that Abby definitely explored his anxiety really well here in both Briana and Jacob's POVs. He gets amazing vulnerable moments and is so loveable and loving, just as Briana states multiple times. I loved that Briana understood how to be there for him from the get-go, and that they had a pretty cute initial build up with the initial friendship/romance with the epistolary romance vibes of letter exchanging! The second thing that I loved was that when things went to the fake dating, the progression felt pretty natural. Yes, the circumstances were a bit iffy in terms of the why, but I still believed in Briana's reasonings, and Jacob's made sense to me as well. Things started to take an initial turn when the comfy "this is easy" vibes that I was getting from the couple in first half of the book kind of stayed too singular-noted. By the time we get to the "is this real?" part, I really didn't really feel it.
Which then made everything in the second half go down hill. 馃槶 It makes sense for there to be some miscommunication, particularly in fake dating as there obviously needs to be the "is this real or not?" type of thoughts by the characters. There was just WAY too much here for my tastes. On top of that, both Briana and Jacob describe how things are different with each other compared to their respective exes in their POVs SO OFTEN that it just kind of got really repetitive.
And dear god, the third act??? The third act was such a mess. 馃槶 I could sympathize somewhat with Briana's trajectory because it is realistic to have the kinds of thoughts she had with the history she had, but at the same time it almost quite literally undid EVERYTHING that she had gone through in the whole book that it completely baffled me. Abby also seemed to throw in some plot points for the sake of plot that just made things worse. Major spoilers:
I get that Abby was trying to also have Briana get over her fears, but I felt that it was just too big of a reaction + a HUGE ask as well that felt out of character for both Briana and Jacob. So in the end, first half was great, second half was a hot mess that ruined everything and just pissed me off. 馃槅
April 16, 2023
As promised, Abby Jimenez has followed up 鈥淧art of your World鈥� with Bri鈥檚 story, and as always, she delivers!
In fact, she just MAY have set a new record by getting me to tear up for the FIRST time, at just about a third of the way into this story鈥�
D-day (divorce is final) is rapidly approaching for Dr. Briana Ortiz, her brother, Benny is giving up on life-convinced the kidney donor he needs will never be found, thanks to his absent father giving him a rare blood type, and the new Doctor at her hospital, Jacob Maddox may be getting the promotion she wants.
He isn鈥檛 making the BEST first Impression.
Little does she know that he took the job at Royaume Northwestern to escape the pain of working at Memorial West with his brother, Jeremiah and his ex girlfriend, Amy, who are now engaged. It also doesn鈥檛 help that he suffers from 鈥渟ocial anxiety鈥� in new situations.
NEVER say NEVER鈥�
So, he tries to right his first missteps by writing her a good old fashioned letter, as he is much better at expressing himself when he has time to think about his words-and a friendship is born. 鉁嶐煆火煉�
And, when she discovers that he has a three legged dog named Lieutenant Dan, AND that he has volunteered to be her brother鈥檚 kidney donor, ANONYMOUSLY, she realizes that he may not be the Villain she thought he was.
How can she ever repay him?
Turns out, she can help him out by pretending to be his new girlfriend, at the engagement and wedding events for Jeremiah and Amy-so that his family can celebrate without guilt, assured that he has moved on and is happy again-and that he is happy for them.
Briana and Jacob agree to always be HARMLESS to each other-to never cause the other pain.
MAYBE, just MAYBE-their own happily ever after, will be the result?
Abby Jimenez writes my absolute FAVORITE romances, filled with great loves, great friendships, good humor and dogs! 馃惗
And, she always includes a challenge for at least one of her characters which enlightens us on a more serious subject without taking away from the HAPPY.
This time it鈥檚 kidney failure and organ donation.
I loved her 3 part FRIEND ZONE series (The Friend Zone, The Happy Ever After Playlist and Life鈥檚 Too Short) and I equally love this two part series, 鈥淧art of Your World鈥� and 鈥淵ours Truly鈥�.
Review for Part of Your World: /review/show...
I hope she is hard at work on her next novel-I 肠补苍鈥檛 wait! 鉂わ笍
AVAILABLE NOW!
Thank You to the Chandler Public Library for the loan of this title!
In fact, she just MAY have set a new record by getting me to tear up for the FIRST time, at just about a third of the way into this story鈥�
D-day (divorce is final) is rapidly approaching for Dr. Briana Ortiz, her brother, Benny is giving up on life-convinced the kidney donor he needs will never be found, thanks to his absent father giving him a rare blood type, and the new Doctor at her hospital, Jacob Maddox may be getting the promotion she wants.
He isn鈥檛 making the BEST first Impression.
Little does she know that he took the job at Royaume Northwestern to escape the pain of working at Memorial West with his brother, Jeremiah and his ex girlfriend, Amy, who are now engaged. It also doesn鈥檛 help that he suffers from 鈥渟ocial anxiety鈥� in new situations.
NEVER say NEVER鈥�
So, he tries to right his first missteps by writing her a good old fashioned letter, as he is much better at expressing himself when he has time to think about his words-and a friendship is born. 鉁嶐煆火煉�
And, when she discovers that he has a three legged dog named Lieutenant Dan, AND that he has volunteered to be her brother鈥檚 kidney donor, ANONYMOUSLY, she realizes that he may not be the Villain she thought he was.
How can she ever repay him?
Turns out, she can help him out by pretending to be his new girlfriend, at the engagement and wedding events for Jeremiah and Amy-so that his family can celebrate without guilt, assured that he has moved on and is happy again-and that he is happy for them.
Briana and Jacob agree to always be HARMLESS to each other-to never cause the other pain.
MAYBE, just MAYBE-their own happily ever after, will be the result?
Abby Jimenez writes my absolute FAVORITE romances, filled with great loves, great friendships, good humor and dogs! 馃惗
And, she always includes a challenge for at least one of her characters which enlightens us on a more serious subject without taking away from the HAPPY.
This time it鈥檚 kidney failure and organ donation.
I loved her 3 part FRIEND ZONE series (The Friend Zone, The Happy Ever After Playlist and Life鈥檚 Too Short) and I equally love this two part series, 鈥淧art of Your World鈥� and 鈥淵ours Truly鈥�.
Review for Part of Your World: /review/show...
I hope she is hard at work on her next novel-I 肠补苍鈥檛 wait! 鉂わ笍
AVAILABLE NOW!
Thank You to the Chandler Public Library for the loan of this title!
April 7, 2024
I carried this book around for >2 weeks and I鈥檓 really disappointed to say it didn鈥檛 work for me :(
There were a few things that really bugged me
- Miscommunication
- The ; 芦 I鈥檒l never have a serious relationship again because I got hurt 禄 thing. I know I鈥檓 probably the only one irritated by that trope
- Pregnancy trope
- The fact that they were both very intelligent people and they didn鈥檛 even think about the implications of their fake relationship on their day-to-day life?
Jacob & the anxiety representation in all its forms were amazing though.
芦 I had to remember that not everyone overthought everything they did. Wouldn鈥檛 it be amazing to live like that? To not carry that burden around with you. To not feel constantly overwhelmed and overstimulated and second guess every little thing 禄
PS : please don鈥檛 let this review influence your desire to read this book!!! I鈥檓 a severe mood reader and this is all very subjective
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌�
Pre read ; So since this is AGAIN going to be a big week - I鈥檒l need to read something light. I鈥檒l be going on a complete HIATUS for 8 days starting Wednesday - but I鈥檒l make a little status before I leave 鉂わ笍
Hope everyone has an amazing week!!!馃鉂わ笍
There were a few things that really bugged me
- Miscommunication
- The ; 芦 I鈥檒l never have a serious relationship again because I got hurt 禄 thing. I know I鈥檓 probably the only one irritated by that trope
- Pregnancy trope
- The fact that they were both very intelligent people and they didn鈥檛 even think about the implications of their fake relationship on their day-to-day life?
Jacob & the anxiety representation in all its forms were amazing though.
芦 I had to remember that not everyone overthought everything they did. Wouldn鈥檛 it be amazing to live like that? To not carry that burden around with you. To not feel constantly overwhelmed and overstimulated and second guess every little thing 禄
PS : please don鈥檛 let this review influence your desire to read this book!!! I鈥檓 a severe mood reader and this is all very subjective
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌�
Pre read ; So since this is AGAIN going to be a big week - I鈥檒l need to read something light. I鈥檒l be going on a complete HIATUS for 8 days starting Wednesday - but I鈥檒l make a little status before I leave 鉂わ笍
Hope everyone has an amazing week!!!馃鉂わ笍
June 24, 2024
I really am blown away by how much I loved this book (and the first book in this trilogy). You cannot help but fall absolutely in love with the characters, & it鈥檚 just perfect how well Abby Jimenez works such big & relatable parts of life into these stories in a super digestible and enjoyable way somehow??? Absolutely awesome read 馃憦馃徏馃専
April 15, 2024
4.75猸愶笍 i鈥檓 sobbing my eyes out im actually about to go shower and cry (this is still exactly how i feel)
this had miscommunication. frustrating third act conflict. a *certain trope* people hate (myself included)鈥�
鈥nd they won鈥檛 change my mind on HOW MUCH I ADORED THIS BOOK. i mean like, truly this is one of my favorite romance books. it has the heart, tenderness, and YEARNING that so many romances have been lacking lately. you can feel how much these two people love each other. the palpable adoration and solid writing truly sold this as the best abby book to date in my humble opinion.
also the anxiety rep鈥︷煡� let鈥檚 get so personal: that is ridiculously relatable to me, say five years ago. i was a shell of a person who felt like in a world of normal people i was living wrong, down to every. single. detail. it was draining and humiliating and if i鈥檇 had this book back then, i think i would鈥檝e understood myself a lot more. those days are behind me and i鈥檓 so comfortable with the person i am, but to have that representation in a ROMANCE nonetheless? like yes we actually can nail the relationship thing! i鈥檓 good enough as is and such.
(this is also why just for the summer was such a letdown. how do we go from THIS to THAT 馃挃)
this had miscommunication. frustrating third act conflict. a *certain trope* people hate (myself included)鈥�
鈥nd they won鈥檛 change my mind on HOW MUCH I ADORED THIS BOOK. i mean like, truly this is one of my favorite romance books. it has the heart, tenderness, and YEARNING that so many romances have been lacking lately. you can feel how much these two people love each other. the palpable adoration and solid writing truly sold this as the best abby book to date in my humble opinion.
also the anxiety rep鈥︷煡� let鈥檚 get so personal: that is ridiculously relatable to me, say five years ago. i was a shell of a person who felt like in a world of normal people i was living wrong, down to every. single. detail. it was draining and humiliating and if i鈥檇 had this book back then, i think i would鈥檝e understood myself a lot more. those days are behind me and i鈥檓 so comfortable with the person i am, but to have that representation in a ROMANCE nonetheless? like yes we actually can nail the relationship thing! i鈥檓 good enough as is and such.
(this is also why just for the summer was such a letdown. how do we go from THIS to THAT 馃挃)
May 20, 2023
鈥� 4 stars
Fictional heroes whose love language is acts of service are my favorite kind of heroes. Jacob was the sweetest, shyest, most awkward, and anxiety-ridden golden retriever hero. Everything he did for Briana was so swoonworthy and I love him. Protect him at all costs. 馃ズ馃憠馃憟
The miscommunication trope is usually so annoying, but I didn't mind it in this book because the angst and mutual pining it created were delicious, and I loved it. Since the 'heroine-thinking-hero-is-in-love-with-ow-even-though-he-is-not' hurts so good and it's right up my alley. 馃 who cared that Briana and Jacob could have gotten together way faster if they only sit down and talked about their feelings.. that would be boring wouldn't it. 馃槍
The almost perfect rom-com with a new amazing book boyfriend. 馃鈥嶁檧锔�
Fictional heroes whose love language is acts of service are my favorite kind of heroes. Jacob was the sweetest, shyest, most awkward, and anxiety-ridden golden retriever hero. Everything he did for Briana was so swoonworthy and I love him. Protect him at all costs. 馃ズ馃憠馃憟
鈥淯se me,鈥� he said, his eyes resigned. 鈥淯se me for whatever you want. Just stay.鈥�
The miscommunication trope is usually so annoying, but I didn't mind it in this book because the angst and mutual pining it created were delicious, and I loved it. Since the 'heroine-thinking-hero-is-in-love-with-ow-even-though-he-is-not' hurts so good and it's right up my alley. 馃 who cared that Briana and Jacob could have gotten together way faster if they only sit down and talked about their feelings.. that would be boring wouldn't it. 馃槍
鈥淚鈥檓 afraid I鈥檓 just drugged and none of this is really happening.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 really happening, Jacob.鈥�
I closed my eyes. 鈥淗ow do I know?鈥�
鈥淏ecause love shows up. And here I am.鈥�
The almost perfect rom-com with a new amazing book boyfriend. 馃鈥嶁檧锔�
August 4, 2023
3.5 Jacob is precious 馃馃徎. This book was hilarious and so cute it made me so giddy but then the ending came and my whole opinion changed. I expected more from it and more of them being a couple and I didn鈥檛 get that :(
April 22, 2023
Yours truly was not a fan of "Yours Truly."
While Abby Jimenez's "Part of Your World" sizzled and soared, "Yours Truly, Part of Your World #2" lacked luster and fell flat.
It was a rom-com without the "com".
Missing was Abby Jimenez's signature witty banter, compelling dialogue, and expert pacing.
Overall, the book was a dizzying and exhausting read with waaay too much melodrama.
The male protagonist had an anxiety disorder and the female protagonist had severe abandonment issues.
Both had been blindsided in their previous long-term relationships.
As a result, both kept on vacillating and overthinking their relationship.
And after both protagonists ceased overthinking, they started overthinking their relationship AGAIN. (UGH!)
Mentions of Alexis and Daniel from "Part of Your World" in the book were a treat, but even Alexis and Daniel could not save this book.
I struggled to finish the book but was grateful that I did because my very, very favorite part of the book was the author's heartfelt note that appeared after the last chapter.
To avoid spoilers, I will refrain from commenting on the author's message.
I listened to the full-cast audiobook book and both narrators did a fine job with the narration.
"Part of Your World #1" was a 10-star read.
"Yours Truly", unfortunately, was truly a disappointment.
Perhaps my expectations were set too high?
2.5 stars.
While Abby Jimenez's "Part of Your World" sizzled and soared, "Yours Truly, Part of Your World #2" lacked luster and fell flat.
It was a rom-com without the "com".
Missing was Abby Jimenez's signature witty banter, compelling dialogue, and expert pacing.
Overall, the book was a dizzying and exhausting read with waaay too much melodrama.
The male protagonist had an anxiety disorder and the female protagonist had severe abandonment issues.
Both had been blindsided in their previous long-term relationships.
As a result, both kept on vacillating and overthinking their relationship.
And after both protagonists ceased overthinking, they started overthinking their relationship AGAIN. (UGH!)
Mentions of Alexis and Daniel from "Part of Your World" in the book were a treat, but even Alexis and Daniel could not save this book.
I struggled to finish the book but was grateful that I did because my very, very favorite part of the book was the author's heartfelt note that appeared after the last chapter.
To avoid spoilers, I will refrain from commenting on the author's message.
I listened to the full-cast audiobook book and both narrators did a fine job with the narration.
"Part of Your World #1" was a 10-star read.
"Yours Truly", unfortunately, was truly a disappointment.
Perhaps my expectations were set too high?
2.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80,524 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.