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kfmcf's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I feel like I read a different book than everyone else.
I liked "Part of Your World". I didn't love it, but I still thought it was sweet and enjoyable. This one *irked* me. For a few reasons:
1) there are slow burns and then there are books that just need a bit of editing to trim the fat. This was the latter. Was it egregious? No. But it was a bit of a slog.
2) Jacob's anxiety was pretty unbelievable. I suffer from pretty terrible anxiety, specially social anxiety and have had my own journey of working through it. Everyone is unique so I don't expect monolithic occurrences, but my issue really lies in the fact that we knew nothing about Jacob OUTSIDE of his anxiety. That was it. And it felt like Briana liked him because she could mold him to what she needed.
3) I remember having a little bit of a problem with Jimenez's writing in POYW (in the first series so much) but I thought she had grown as a writer. This prose felt really immature and also didn't feel natural for people under 40 to use as dialogue. Does anyone under 40 use "u" and "r" while texting?
4) This book was ableist. The dog's name is Lieutenant Dan as an homage to "Forrest Gump". Cute. However, when acknowledging this reference, he is just referred to as "the amputee from Forrest Gump." ??! Excuse me?! There are so many less offensive ways to saw who the character is - Gary Sinise's character, the man who loses his leg in the Vietnam War, Forrest's shipmate. Just...insensitive. And outside of Briana's family the diversity of the characters feels very shoehorned in and ingenuine. Can we stop just referring to characters as Asian? It's an entire continent with a plethora of countries and cultures.
5) This one is a spoiler. this is Jimenez's SECOND BOOK WITH A SURPRISE PREGNANCY. How is she forgiven for this when so many other authors are not? It's not done any better! It's telegraphed super early on when they're talking about naming a kid Xfinity and Briana says she likes the name Ava. And then the first time they have sex, it's unprotected. And why was EVERYONE PREGNANT. Alexis, I get, but Amy AND Kelly AND BRIANA. Oy. I'm exhausted by this. And I don't believe that they would magically be fine and stay together. They barely knew each other.
6) We get it. You own Nadia Cakes. 5 mentions is too many mentions. And even beyond that it was a lot of brand name and pop culture dropping, jeepers.
7) This is one of the most atrocious examples of miscommunication I have ever encountered. Tbh I am a miscommunication apologist BUT i do think that miscommunication has what i consider two paths it can go down: missed communication and withheld communication. Missed communication is par for the course for relationships. It's crossed wires, mistakes, saying the wrong things. Withheld communication is when you DON'T TALK TO EACH OTHER AND FESTER OVER INCORRECT INFORMATION. Briana is a 35-year-old woman. This felt like high school nonsense. It was so so much of the book. It was the ENTIRETY of act 2.
I truly believe there was a solid and lovely idea here that just got muddled by mishandled tropes and overexaggeration. This is the 2nd strike for this author for me (looking at you "The Friend Zone") and I'll give her a 3rd, but oof...begrudgingly. And only because I liked two of her other books.
I liked "Part of Your World". I didn't love it, but I still thought it was sweet and enjoyable. This one *irked* me. For a few reasons:
1) there are slow burns and then there are books that just need a bit of editing to trim the fat. This was the latter. Was it egregious? No. But it was a bit of a slog.
2) Jacob's anxiety was pretty unbelievable. I suffer from pretty terrible anxiety, specially social anxiety and have had my own journey of working through it. Everyone is unique so I don't expect monolithic occurrences, but my issue really lies in the fact that we knew nothing about Jacob OUTSIDE of his anxiety. That was it. And it felt like Briana liked him because she could mold him to what she needed.
3) I remember having a little bit of a problem with Jimenez's writing in POYW (in the first series so much) but I thought she had grown as a writer. This prose felt really immature and also didn't feel natural for people under 40 to use as dialogue. Does anyone under 40 use "u" and "r" while texting?
4) This book was ableist. The dog's name is Lieutenant Dan as an homage to "Forrest Gump". Cute. However, when acknowledging this reference, he is just referred to as "the amputee from Forrest Gump." ??! Excuse me?! There are so many less offensive ways to saw who the character is - Gary Sinise's character, the man who loses his leg in the Vietnam War, Forrest's shipmate. Just...insensitive. And outside of Briana's family the diversity of the characters feels very shoehorned in and ingenuine. Can we stop just referring to characters as Asian? It's an entire continent with a plethora of countries and cultures.
5) This one is a spoiler.
6) We get it. You own Nadia Cakes. 5 mentions is too many mentions. And even beyond that it was a lot of brand name and pop culture dropping, jeepers.
7) This is one of the most atrocious examples of miscommunication I have ever encountered. Tbh I am a miscommunication apologist BUT i do think that miscommunication has what i consider two paths it can go down: missed communication and withheld communication. Missed communication is par for the course for relationships. It's crossed wires, mistakes, saying the wrong things. Withheld communication is when you DON'T TALK TO EACH OTHER AND FESTER OVER INCORRECT INFORMATION. Briana is a 35-year-old woman. This felt like high school nonsense. It was so so much of the book. It was the ENTIRETY of act 2.
I truly believe there was a solid and lovely idea here that just got muddled by mishandled tropes and overexaggeration. This is the 2nd strike for this author for me (looking at you "The Friend Zone") and I'll give her a 3rd, but oof...begrudgingly. And only because I liked two of her other books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Abandonment, and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual content, Cursing, Suicide, Ableism, Death, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Blood, Infertility, Suicide attempt, Vomit, and Miscarriage
morethanmylupus's review
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
4.0
Jimenez had me laughing and crying in equal measure, as usual. I loved the anxiety representation in this one as well as the discussion of organ donation and autoimmunity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Medical content
dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
CW: ableism, parental abandonment, infidelity, divorce (recounted), miscarriage (recounted), emesis, sibling with end stage renal failure and autoimmune disease, anxiety & panic attacks (on-page), depression, suicide (mentioned), unplanned pregnancy
Closed Door Modifications: Chapter 39 (some parts)
Following Part of Your World, Briana Ortiz feels like her life is falling all around her. After getting a divorce, her best friend moves away, her brother still doesn't have a kidney donor, and she still can't get the promotion she wants at work, Briana doesn't know how things can get any worse. When she develops a friendship with Jacob Maddox, a new doctor in the ER department, she realizes how great of a guy he is. As their friendship grows and Jacob decides to give her brother a kidney,
I can't decide which book in this series is better. Yours Truly is just as good as Part of Your World and Jimenez delivers in this sequel for a romance with strong characters and moments that will make you feel all the feels.
I loved reading Briana's and Jacob's POVs in this book. Jacob is such a great book boyfriend and I love the fact that Jimenez took the time to explore Jacob's vulnerable side with his social anxiety struggles (which I feel can resonate with readers). Briana was funny and strong lead and I think she complements Jacob really well in Yours Truly. Since I listened to the audiobook version of this book, the dynamics between narrators Zachary Webber and Kyla Garcia really bring the two characters to life.
Now, the miscommunication trope is a huge part of the book and that might be something that can annoy readers (including me). If you are not a fan of the miscommunication trope, you might want to consider if you think Yours Truly is worth reading. Yet, from my experience reading Yours Truly, I think the wait is worth it.
For readers who want a rom-com featuring pen pals and finding your perfect match, you should keep an eye on Yours Truly.
Closed Door Modifications: Chapter 39 (some parts)
Following Part of Your World, Briana Ortiz feels like her life is falling all around her. After getting a divorce, her best friend moves away, her brother still doesn't have a kidney donor, and she still can't get the promotion she wants at work, Briana doesn't know how things can get any worse. When she develops a friendship with Jacob Maddox, a new doctor in the ER department, she realizes how great of a guy he is. As their friendship grows and Jacob decides to give her brother a kidney,
I can't decide which book in this series is better. Yours Truly is just as good as Part of Your World and Jimenez delivers in this sequel for a romance with strong characters and moments that will make you feel all the feels.
I loved reading Briana's and Jacob's POVs in this book. Jacob is such a great book boyfriend and I love the fact that Jimenez took the time to explore Jacob's vulnerable side with his social anxiety struggles (which I feel can resonate with readers). Briana was funny and strong lead and I think she complements Jacob really well in Yours Truly. Since I listened to the audiobook version of this book, the dynamics between narrators Zachary Webber and Kyla Garcia really bring the two characters to life.
Now, the miscommunication trope is a huge part of the book and that might be something that can annoy readers (including me). If you are not a fan of the miscommunication trope, you might want to consider if you think Yours Truly is worth reading. Yet, from my experience reading Yours Truly, I think the wait is worth it.
For readers who want a rom-com featuring pen pals and finding your perfect match, you should keep an eye on Yours Truly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, and Ableism
Moderate: Vomit, Abandonment, Medical content, and Miscarriage
Minor: Suicide
nitya's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
3.0
It was very sweet! Knocked off a star because it took 300+ pages for a kiss (not on the cheek) and anything more to happen, the miscommunication dragged and the last 40-50 pages were angst central. This book was already a bit intense, honestly.
And I really appreciate the author's note at the end. As a registered organ donor I thought she handled the subject with the respect and nuance it deserves.
And I really appreciate the author's note at the end. As a registered organ donor I thought she handled the subject with the respect and nuance it deserves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Sexual content, Abandonment, Miscarriage, and Infidelity
britreadsbooks_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
“Love shows up.”
Welp, this book absolutely had me sobbing like a baby. Once again Abby has managed to put me through the emotional ringer. I always go in mentally prepared now because I just know she’s going to tug at my heartstrings every single time. Jacob is a national treasure. There, I said it. He is absolutely too pure for this world and we need to protect him at all costs. Between the letters and just all the small gestures I was an absolute mess. The best kind of tears happen when I get worked up over something absolutely freaking adorable if we’re being honest. Poor Briana is just stuck in this cycle of people leaving her when she needs them and Jacob thinks he’s not worth it. Did I mention this story turns into a total fake dating disaster? I truly believe this is some of Abby’s best work to date and I look forward to future emotional workouts. Of course, there were the classic Easter eggs throughout and there is crossover from Part of Your World so if you haven’t met them yet I definitely recommend!
“Love shows up.”
Welp, this book absolutely had me sobbing like a baby. Once again Abby has managed to put me through the emotional ringer. I always go in mentally prepared now because I just know she’s going to tug at my heartstrings every single time. Jacob is a national treasure. There, I said it. He is absolutely too pure for this world and we need to protect him at all costs. Between the letters and just all the small gestures I was an absolute mess. The best kind of tears happen when I get worked up over something absolutely freaking adorable if we’re being honest. Poor Briana is just stuck in this cycle of people leaving her when she needs them and Jacob thinks he’s not worth it. Did I mention this story turns into a total fake dating disaster? I truly believe this is some of Abby’s best work to date and I look forward to future emotional workouts. Of course, there were the classic Easter eggs throughout and there is crossover from Part of Your World so if you haven’t met them yet I definitely recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual content and Pregnancy
Minor: Abandonment, Ableism, Infidelity, and Miscarriage
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