Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Part of Your World

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️.5 / 5

This is my first Abby Jimenez book, and though I knew I'd enjoy it, I had no idea how captivated I would be by the characters, their backstories, and their journeys.

Alexis and Daniel are both defined by their families' legacies. Alexis lives in the city and is set to inherit the monolith that is the Montgomery's medical empire. Though she is a "lowly" ER doctor, she was set up with her chief of surgery boyfriend who was more than happy to keep up the Montgomery name. But when Alexis was finally done with the emotional abuse, her dad won't accept it and wants to see them get back together so Alexis can be "worthy" of the legacy. Daniel lives in the small town of Wakan where everyone takes care of each other and one of the Grants has always been mayor of the town. Since his grandparents have passed, he's been running the Grant House as a B&B, until his mom decides she wants to sell the place. Daniel has to come up with the money to keep the house and his family's legacy alive and continue to take care of Wakan.

One night, Alexis ends up in Wakan and does something very out of the ordinary for her--she has a one night stand, with Daniel no less. Each of them think they can shake off the chemistry, but they can't get the other out of their heads. Soon enough, Alexis is coming over every weekend and wondering how their worlds could ever collide. All she sees is the inevitable end and that their love for each other might not be enough.

On the surface, you wouldn't think Alexis and Daniel would have anything in common. But the two have chemistry unlike what either of them have ever known. Their story is reminiscent of The Prince and the Pauper, but instead of switching places, Alexis and Daniel have to figure out if their worlds can connect or if they're simply too different to make it work.

Though Part of Your World is a contemporary romance novel, it deals with some heavy themes of emotional and domestic abuse and generational trauma. It embodies the question: what do I think I deserve? Both Alexis and Daniel have to question whether they want to simply accept the lives they've been dealt or find a way to pave a new way that can combine their legacies and worlds in a way they're both proud of.

Content Warnings

ashley_mrose530's review against another edition

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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

4.5

This book was so funny and yet so heavy at times and I loved that contrast so much.
There were so many moments where I was fighting for my life not to laugh out loud at work. The two main characters interactions and banter as well as the funny situations just made this book a great rom-com.
But I also loved the heavier material as well. There was a lot of talk about different kinds of abuse throughout the book.

There was domestic violence both physical and emotional as well as parental emotional abuse and I was so glad that our main character and author actually acknowledged that her father was abusive. I feel like talking about parental abuse, particularly emotional abuse, is still so taboo. I've read some books where the parents were clearly emotionally abusive, but it was never outright acknowledged, so I was really happy to see that it was treated so well here.

I also really liked the two main characters together. I thought they balanced each other well and had great chemistry. I enjoyed that their chemistry wasn't based almost exclusively on sex and there was actually very little spice in this book. It was a nice change and I think it worked better with the material that the book was dealing with as well.
I will say that I didn't really enjoy Alexis's character at first. She was almost childish and so privileged it was actually insane, like not knowing what a broom was and never having peeled a potato insane. But I really liked that she grew and changed and that Daniel helped her rather than belittle her. He was so patient with her and she was willing to change. It was good to see.
Overall this was a really great book and I look forward to trying out more books from Jimenez.

Content Warnings

jenniferbbookdragon's review

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emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Jimenez mixes romance and comedy with a deep dive into how parental and intimate partner emotional abuse can impact someone who appears to have it all. Throw in some sweet small town charm, serious class differences, and a bit of magic for a unique spin on common romance tropes.
I appreciated the portrayal of a secondary character with mental illness who struggles while being a full member of his community and not being treated as a burden.
*Cute alert: includes a baby goat in pajamas.

Content Warnings

mj_86's review against another edition

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emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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fkshg8465's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Major domestic violence trigger warning. Otherwise, a nice and neat romance. Not too cloying. A woman learning who she really is and stepping into it. A best friend worthy of the title. A boyfriend every woman wants.

Content Warnings