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laheath's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Another fantastic book from this author! Such a great cast of characters and some laugh out loud moments! The main plotline of the fake dating between Briana and Jacob was so cute and sweet, as they were both dedicated to the ruse and seemed to naturally support each other in the ways that each needed. Both were deeply scarred by their previous partners. Briana being emotionally traumatized by her father leaving when she was young added another layer to her distrust of men. Jacob is just the ideal teddy bear for her, as he is dedicated to his large family and his role as an uncle. Yes, there are some predictable moments in the plot, but they are so well-written that it doesn't matter. It was fun to see how things played out.
As before, the author includes some serious topics so there's a real-life aspect to the plot, not just a sweet romance. In this book, she addresses chronic kidney disease, organ donation, infidelity, abandonment, miscarriage, and panic attacks. Again she addresses each appropriately, using sensitivity readers and mental health advisors, according to her author's note (kudos for this!).
As before, the author includes some serious topics so there's a real-life aspect to the plot, not just a sweet romance. In this book, she addresses chronic kidney disease, organ donation, infidelity, abandonment, miscarriage, and panic attacks. Again she addresses each appropriately, using sensitivity readers and mental health advisors, according to her author's note (kudos for this!).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Chronic illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Grief, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Medical content, Miscarriage, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Gaslighting, Death, and Cursing
cassie_erdman's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, and Cursing
sytaylor's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Grief, Chronic illness, Cursing, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Vomit
raeoflight17's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Miscarriage
roget's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Medical content, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Abandonment
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Blood, and Miscarriage
booksnbrooches's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A very, very emotional and wonderful romance. It easily could’ve turned into a copy of a fake dating story I have read countless times, but this was rich with character development and emotion. Wow.
To be completely honest, I am a little disappointed there weren’t more chili peppers. Only one true chili pepper scene which was very abbreviated.
To be completely honest, I am a little disappointed there weren’t more chili peppers. Only one true chili pepper scene which was very abbreviated.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Miscarriage, and Infidelity
Minor: Grief, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Title: Yours Truly
Author: Abby Jimenez
Series: Part of Your World #2
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: April 11, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Compulsive • Authentic • Redundant
📖 S Y N O P S I S
ER doctor Brianna Ortiz life is flatlining. She just finalized a divorce from her cheating husband, and the new guy at work has been nicknamed Dr. Death for losing seven patients on his first day. Yet when she tries to console him about it, his abrupt rudeness totally takes her aback. With a brother who desperately needs a kidney transplant, Bri has enough to worry about without work drama on top of it. Then she gets the sweetest letter from Dr. Death—er, Dr. Jacob Maddox—himself, and suddenly everything becomes clearer.
Bri does the only thing she can think of. She writes him back. And he writes her. And soon Jacob’s little notes are the highlight of her day. Both are shocked when it turns out Jacob is a donor match for Bri’s brother’s transplant. Willing to do anything to express her gratitude at his sacrifice, Bri agrees to go as Jacob’s date to his brother’s wedding. They’re not dating for real, of course. But Jacob’s boisterous family doesn’t know that...
💭 T H O U G H T S
After absolutely adoring Part of Your World, I was really looking forward to more from Abby Jimenez and eagerly awaiting her 2023 release (and follow up) Yours Truly. While I wanted to love this one just as much, it uses one of my least favourite tropes in the second half and I just couldn't get past that.
The first two-thirds of this book had everything going for it. I was even thinking it could be a five-star read. Unfortunately, the lack of communication and reliance on excuses throughout the last third are something I just couldn't jive with and left me rolling my eyes. I think this book would have been so much better if that aspect has been avoided entirely.
On a character front, Bri was okay. I enjoyed getting beneath her layers to understand why she is the way she is and I felt for her having such a full plate. However, it is Jacob that's an absolute gem! He's an introverted, tender, and vulnerable teddy bear, which just felt so relatable to me. His clinical anxiety was handled with sensitivity and realism. I saw so much of myself in his character, and I just wanted to give him a big ole hug as I too know what it's like to live with anxiety. I am that person that looks up the menu ahead of time so I can be prepared. I am the person who goes places ahead of time to get a feel for what's to come. I am the person who overthinks even the smallest of decisions. I am the person who communicates better in written form than verbally. And I also get easily overwhelmed and over-stimulated in social situations and feel misunderstood. I cannot forget his selfless act as well. So for me, he was perfection.
Additionally, Abby Jimenez has done a wonderful job with the supporting cast. I was grateful to get a chance to get reacquainted with Alexis and Daniel. There is also Jacob's large and boisterous family. She interweaves emotional support animals flawlessly into the narrative, this time in the form of Lieutenant Dan, Jacob's rescue dog. I need only think of the grandpa or animated parrot in order to conjure a laugh. And of course, there's Benny. She does a fantastic job incorporating his chronic illness into the story and shining a light on chronic illness and organ donation. I'm kind of hoping Benny might get his own story next.
Another aspect I loved so much was the letter writing. Call ne an old soul, but I am still a sucker for hand written letters and snail mail. The letters were actually one of my favourite parts because they really allowed their friendship to blossom. Getting dual POVs also allowed me to get into both their heads to see what they were thinking. It also allows for more depth than typical rom-com banter. Both Bri and Jacob have issues their dealing with from past relationships and maybe they needed to continue the letter writing in the last third because they seemed to communicate best this way.
With all of that said, the miscommunication (or lack of communication) trope is my least favourite. It became excessively repetitive in the last third. I was rolling my eyes as their feelings for one another were obvious. I think this novel would have been better if it would have just stuck to the fake dating trope and not tried to incorporate so many tropes.
As the author explains at the end, this was a deeply person novel for her to write, and so I appreciated it that much more. Abby Jimenez has a knack for creating incredible male leads, and Jacob is one of the best. My issues with Yours Truly were more me as a reader issues than issues with the book and/or writing itself. I liked a lot of aspects of this book outside of the romance, which is the reason it doesn't get a higher rating. I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Part of Your World, but at the end of the day, it's just so easy to get into Abby's books that I will continue to explore her backlist and keep my eyes peeled for whatever she writes next.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for mental health rep
• fans of Grey's Anatomy
• lovers of romance with depth
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"I did everything I could."
"I had to remember that not everyone over-thought everything the way I did. Wouldn’t 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."
"You know that it's not your fault that you don't like that stuff, right? There's nothing wrong with you."
"If you're with someone who doesn't speak your language, you'll spend a lifetime having to translate your soul."
Author: Abby Jimenez
Series: Part of Your World #2
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: April 11, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Compulsive • Authentic • Redundant
📖 S Y N O P S I S
ER doctor Brianna Ortiz life is flatlining. She just finalized a divorce from her cheating husband, and the new guy at work has been nicknamed Dr. Death for losing seven patients on his first day. Yet when she tries to console him about it, his abrupt rudeness totally takes her aback. With a brother who desperately needs a kidney transplant, Bri has enough to worry about without work drama on top of it. Then she gets the sweetest letter from Dr. Death—er, Dr. Jacob Maddox—himself, and suddenly everything becomes clearer.
Bri does the only thing she can think of. She writes him back. And he writes her. And soon Jacob’s little notes are the highlight of her day. Both are shocked when it turns out Jacob is a donor match for Bri’s brother’s transplant. Willing to do anything to express her gratitude at his sacrifice, Bri agrees to go as Jacob’s date to his brother’s wedding. They’re not dating for real, of course. But Jacob’s boisterous family doesn’t know that...
💭 T H O U G H T S
After absolutely adoring Part of Your World, I was really looking forward to more from Abby Jimenez and eagerly awaiting her 2023 release (and follow up) Yours Truly. While I wanted to love this one just as much, it uses one of my least favourite tropes in the second half and I just couldn't get past that.
The first two-thirds of this book had everything going for it. I was even thinking it could be a five-star read. Unfortunately, the lack of communication and reliance on excuses throughout the last third are something I just couldn't jive with and left me rolling my eyes. I think this book would have been so much better if that aspect has been avoided entirely.
On a character front, Bri was okay. I enjoyed getting beneath her layers to understand why she is the way she is and I felt for her having such a full plate. However, it is Jacob that's an absolute gem! He's an introverted, tender, and vulnerable teddy bear, which just felt so relatable to me. His clinical anxiety was handled with sensitivity and realism. I saw so much of myself in his character, and I just wanted to give him a big ole hug as I too know what it's like to live with anxiety. I am that person that looks up the menu ahead of time so I can be prepared. I am the person who goes places ahead of time to get a feel for what's to come. I am the person who overthinks even the smallest of decisions. I am the person who communicates better in written form than verbally. And I also get easily overwhelmed and over-stimulated in social situations and feel misunderstood. I cannot forget his selfless act as well. So for me, he was perfection.
Additionally, Abby Jimenez has done a wonderful job with the supporting cast. I was grateful to get a chance to get reacquainted with Alexis and Daniel. There is also Jacob's large and boisterous family. She interweaves emotional support animals flawlessly into the narrative, this time in the form of Lieutenant Dan, Jacob's rescue dog. I need only think of the grandpa or animated parrot in order to conjure a laugh. And of course, there's Benny. She does a fantastic job incorporating his chronic illness into the story and shining a light on chronic illness and organ donation. I'm kind of hoping Benny might get his own story next.
Another aspect I loved so much was the letter writing. Call ne an old soul, but I am still a sucker for hand written letters and snail mail. The letters were actually one of my favourite parts because they really allowed their friendship to blossom. Getting dual POVs also allowed me to get into both their heads to see what they were thinking. It also allows for more depth than typical rom-com banter. Both Bri and Jacob have issues their dealing with from past relationships and maybe they needed to continue the letter writing in the last third because they seemed to communicate best this way.
With all of that said, the miscommunication (or lack of communication) trope is my least favourite. It became excessively repetitive in the last third. I was rolling my eyes as their feelings for one another were obvious. I think this novel would have been better if it would have just stuck to the fake dating trope and not tried to incorporate so many tropes.
As the author explains at the end, this was a deeply person novel for her to write, and so I appreciated it that much more. Abby Jimenez has a knack for creating incredible male leads, and Jacob is one of the best. My issues with Yours Truly were more me as a reader issues than issues with the book and/or writing itself. I liked a lot of aspects of this book outside of the romance, which is the reason it doesn't get a higher rating. I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Part of Your World, but at the end of the day, it's just so easy to get into Abby's books that I will continue to explore her backlist and keep my eyes peeled for whatever she writes next.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for mental health rep
• fans of Grey's Anatomy
• lovers of romance with depth
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"I did everything I could."
"I had to remember that not everyone over-thought everything the way I did. Wouldn’t 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."
"You know that it's not your fault that you don't like that stuff, right? There's nothing wrong with you."
"If you're with someone who doesn't speak your language, you'll spend a lifetime having to translate your soul."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Infertility, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cursing, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Vomit
depression, anxiety, divorce, organ donationreadingwithmeredith's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual content, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Cursing
cady_sass's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Abby Jimenez has me in a CHOKEHOLD and I’m not mad about at all. Fake dating, forced proximity, mental & physical health issue representation. What else can a girl ask for?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Animal death, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Cursing, Sexism, Gaslighting, Infertility, Misogyny, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
purplepenning's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
My favorite by Abby Jimenez so far! Genuinely laugh-out-loud funny but anchored with realistic struggles, touching sincerity, and heartfelt pining. Oh, the pining!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Mental illness
Moderate: Cursing, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Vomit, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, and Medical content