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Xavier and Samantha have an amazing first date the night before she moves cross country. Can their love last long distance?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent
emotional
lighthearted
sad
tense
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:
No
Xavier the man that you are.
In all seriousness, I don’t understand the criticism this book got, I thought it was a good book. Samantha is a great character, she is a strong woman but has a vulnerable side to her when she opens up more about her mom and her home life.
I recommend this book.
In all seriousness, I don’t understand the criticism this book got, I thought it was a good book. Samantha is a great character, she is a strong woman but has a vulnerable side to her when she opens up more about her mom and her home life.
I recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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
This is a book I would give a 6⭐️ rating if I could (I actually tried to give it a 5.75 on here but it didn’t work lol) This was an immediate new favorite - one l already know I‘ll be hunting for special editions of later. And if you know me with books, you’ll know I rarely feel so strongly about them. I’ll go ahead and say I apologize in advance if I don’t like the next few books I read because this one was so good.
I’ve always enjoyed Abby Jimenez’s books and the way she isn’t afraid to go beyond the romance to deeply explore heavier plot points.
I also loved that this was about a LDR! I’ve been in one for 3 years and it’s nice to have a romance that I can really relate to. The couples in her Part of Your World series were also in LDRs, but they still seemed to get to see each other more often than I do with my SO, so this felt more true to my own experience.
It’s also arguably a love story between family, which really warmed my heart. I was on the verge of tears throughout some parts of this book. My own experiences with both of the major plot points - LDRand family member with dementia - are thankfully not to the same level as in this book, but they were close enough to hit home in more ways than I expected. I do recognize that relating to this book in both aspects likely highly contributed to my feelings about the book too lol
When I finished the book, I immediately started listening to the playlist at the end of the book to reminisce over what I just read 🫣 😂 I mean, I always listen to them, but this time it felt like a must. And I actually liked all of the songs, which was a pleasant surprise. Currently trying not to cry over Remember When by Alan Jackson while writing this review 😅 (if you haven’t seen the “music video” where the song is played over the sad Up movie clip, you definitely should).
I’ve always enjoyed Abby Jimenez’s books and the way she isn’t afraid to go beyond the romance to deeply explore heavier plot points.
I also loved that this was about a LDR! I’ve been in one for 3 years and it’s nice to have a romance that I can really relate to. The couples in her Part of Your World series were also in LDRs, but they still seemed to get to see each other more often than I do with my SO, so this felt more true to my own experience.
It’s also arguably a love story between family, which really warmed my heart. I was on the verge of tears throughout some parts of this book. My own experiences with both of the major plot points - LDR
When I finished the book, I immediately started listening to the playlist at the end of the book to reminisce over what I just read 🫣 😂 I mean, I always listen to them, but this time it felt like a must. And I actually liked all of the songs, which was a pleasant surprise. Currently trying not to cry over Remember When by Alan Jackson while writing this review 😅 (if you haven’t seen the “music video” where the song is played over the sad Up movie clip, you definitely should).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Cursing, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i liked it! a unique set of characters, i don’t think ive ever read anything with a similar dynamic before. reading about dementia was heartbreaking, honestly. i’ve never experienced it firsthand but i think abby did a good job conveying just how hard that would be on a family im just getting tired of authors trying to be culturally relevant by using terms that are really popular in the zeitgeist like “core memory” and “salt baed” because it really takes me out of the book world and i don’t love it but overall i enjoyed the read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Dementia
Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, Medical trauma
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved everything about this book. If you’re going into this looking for a fairytale romance, this is not the book for you. This romance is raw and painful and real, yet so so beautiful. As someone who has very recently gone through the stages of dementia with a loved one, I think Jimenez wrote about this beautifully. I love a good grumpy sunshine where the MMC is only soft for her and this delivers perfectly. The audio book is duel narrated which is a must for romances for me going forward! And, as a much added bonus, for all my 90210 fans, Liam narrates for Xavier <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Dementia, Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Death
Minor: Child abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Grief
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content
Minor: Cancer
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Alcohol
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
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
Wow, this book.
Xavier and Samantha are thrust into each other's orbit when Samantha brings her cat into his vet office. The pair start off on the wrong foot, but soon find themselves in a long distance relationship. The pair are thrown many obstacles and must decide if their love is enough to withhold their struggles.
I was hesitant to read this merely from chatter on booktok that Xavier was constantly compared to Rhysand. While I do agree the reference was done a few too many times, I did not find it overly annoying. The love and respect these characters have for each other sucked me in. There are a lot of relatable topics, ie abusive parents, dealing with a sick parent, overworking, etc. The full circle moment with Hank is one of my favorite parts, and made me cry until I finished the book.
Xavier and Samantha are thrust into each other's orbit when Samantha brings her cat into his vet office. The pair start off on the wrong foot, but soon find themselves in a long distance relationship. The pair are thrown many obstacles and must decide if their love is enough to withhold their struggles.
I was hesitant to read this merely from chatter on booktok that Xavier was constantly compared to Rhysand. While I do agree the reference was done a few too many times, I did not find it overly annoying. The love and respect these characters have for each other sucked me in. There are a lot of relatable topics, ie abusive parents, dealing with a sick parent, overworking, etc. The full circle moment with Hank is one of my favorite parts, and made me cry until I finished the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent