Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

34 reviews

ericathieret's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

amandadelbrocco's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I was not expecting to love this as much as I did. I really appreciated the realistic portrayal of anxiety and the fact that it was the MMC with the diagnosis. I don't think that is as common as it should be in the media/novels. I also really liked the MMC's family and hope that there will be additional books in this series with these characters. They were just a lot of fun. v
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

dblue236's review

Go to review page

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

4.0

I cannot stress enough that romance is not my genre of choice and never will be. If I'm honest, I only picked this book at all because I was offered a free copy. Turns out I'm glad I gave it a chance, though. I really loved the characters, and the author's depictions of anxiety and abandonment issues were spot-on. I was irritated with the complete lack of communication by the last third of the book, because "miscommunication but let's not ever talk about it and just keep spiraling" is maybe my least favorite trope after "he's an asshole but I love him anyway." Overall, though, the book was really cute and sweet and hopeful and I loved that about it. I definitely enjoyed this much more than I expected to. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

meeklovestoread's review

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I should've never waited so long to read this book. Like I knew I was going to like it, but I didn't expect to LOVE it as much as I did. This book dragged so many emotions out of me. I laughed out loud so many times, I cried, I smiled, I was sad, I was frustrated, etc. I enjoy sooooo many things about this book. This is the first Abby Jimenez book I've ever read and it most definitely wont be my last.

Things I love:
  • Jacob Maddox!!!!!😍 Oh my gosh! I love him! I love him! I love him! He's literally the standard and the ultimate book boyfriend! I can't even count the amount of times I was smiled and cried over the things that he did for Briana in this book. Ugh, it makes me teary-eyed just thinking about it. He's the embodiment of comfort. He feels like home! I hope everyone finds themselves a Jacob!🥰

  • Briana Ortiz! I love her too! Her spunk, her attitude, her charisma, her just overall care for her loved ones! 

  • Jacob x Briana!❤️ The chemistry was off the charts. Every scene they had, they delivered! The inside jokes, the letters, their little phrases to each other, etc. I loved how attentive BOTH characters are to each other's needs. Usually, it's always the man going out of his way to shower the girl so it's nice to see that both characters go out of their way to go above and beyond for one another. It was really nice to see! I love how Briana always went out of her way to defend Jacob even when he isn't around and I love how Jacob always prioritizes Briana's feelings and I love how they promise not to be "harmless" to one another.
    This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think the third act conflict made sense. I love seeing Briana's reluctance to commit to Jacob because it honestly makes sense considering what she went through. I've never related to a situation more than when Briana broke down because she couldn't believe that Jacob could love her unconditionally and with good intentions. When going through the trauma that Briana went through you internalize not trusting your heart and ergo the decisions you make with it. And in turn, it may cause you to sabotage the one good thing you have in fear that it won't be true.😔 Reading those scenes made me realize just how traumatic my own experiences are and how feelings like this shouldn't go unmanaged because they really do leave a lasting imprint on you whether you notice it or not. I really admired how Jacob legit goes out of his way day in and day out to make sure Briana never has to question his love for her. I hope someone will do that for me one day!😟💕

  • the anxiety representation; Now, I don't have anxiety, however, in stressful situations, I do tend to get very anxious so, although I couldn't relate to everything that Jacob was going through, I did relate to a lot of things that he said and thought about and it just felt so great to be seen! 🤧😢Becuase I check the routes of places before I drive too as well as parking. I like to check the menus before I order too (not due to anxiety though). And I tend to overthink every bad interaction I have too! Just soo many other things. The representation in this book was sooo good!

  • I liked how towards the end they're not pinning the two girls (Amy and Briana) against each other.

Things I didn't like:
  • the miscommunication (but I hear that's common in all of Abby Jimenez's books so I guess I'll have to deal with it)
  • I thought it was sooo weird how the book was encouraging the siblings of Briana and Jacob to get together and that they actually did. That's so weird. They're literally brother and sister-in-law. lt contributed nothing to the story. We could've done without it. It was one of the few reasons why this book wasn't a five-star for me. That redundant addition to the story was so weird and literally did nothing for the story. Gave me the ick!😖🤮

Spice Rating: 🌶️.5/5
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

withreveling's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted slow-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

2.75

First of all, for those of you who don't know (like myself), read Part of Your World first. Yours Truly is the sequel.

Onto my thoughts:
This slow burn was far too slow for my taste. I was riveted by the characters and their love story at the beginning, but I found that
their lack of communication and their wilful ignorance was painful. It was so ridiculous to me that it soured me to Briana—even though her running away may very well be a common trauma response. It also bothered me how much Jacob needed to reveal to the point of losing normal privacy. I mean, he shouldn't need to have her name be the only name on the house! That doesn't seem like it would be the solution. Yes, Jacob needs to help her to trust again, as someone who wants to be Briana's partner, but that's not trust. I needed to see Briana's growth, her taking steps forward as well.
Also, a little more spice wouldn't have hurt (hehe).
But let it be known that Jacob is a prince, I would marry the shit out of him and the voice performers were impeccable.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

abiigrl's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.5

 Finished reading: January 15th 2024


“I always think that when we’re quiet, we’re agreeing to be harmless to each other. That we’re 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.”

I tend to enjoy Abby Jimenez' writing, and I have been looking forward to this sequel ever since I read Part Of Your World a little over a year ago. There was something about Briana's character that made me want to spend more time with her, and I fully expected this story to be another winner... And I have to say that I enjoyed Yours Truly even more than the first book! This has a lot to do with both Jacob and the epistolary element; I ADORED the letters and messages between the two main characters. The story is told with a dual POV structure, which is a great way to get both sides of the story. I loved Jacob so much more than Briana, and his social anxiety is very well described. Briana could get a bit frustrating at times, and I can't say that I was a big fan of the whole miscommunication trope. Especially when it was SO obvious how the two felt about each other... This was probably the only reason I didn't give Yours Truly the full five stars, because there was just too much unnecessary conflict. I still loved the book in general though, and even the sexy scenes towards the ending couldn't change my feelings. Make sure to have some tissues at hand, because the final part will make it hard to keep it dry! This story has once again shown to me why Abby Jimenez is on my list of favorite romance authors, and I already can't wait for her next book. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

emilyreadstoomuch's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

unlike anything else i’ve ever read before like how the fuck did she take some of the worst tropes imaginable, tie a little bow around them, and make them so fucking perfect that i didn’t even want to gag ONCE!!!!!!!! truly magical and emotional and so so sweet
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sierra_liv's review

Go to review page

emotional funny 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? Yes

4.5

Alright first book of 2024☑️

Finished this at like 2am because I couldn’t put it down! 

4.5⭐️
I swear I would read Abby Jimenez’s grocery list. I love everything she writes. She has a way of drawing you in and really connecting with her characters. This book was no exception! It gave me all the Grey’s Anatomy vibes 😍I have social anxiety and the way that Jimenez portrayed the MMC’s social anxiety was spot on. She handled it with such care, and for me personally, it was authentic and so relatable. I can tell a lot of thought and research went into it. 

Only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is because the miscommunication and fake dating trope is my least favorite. Otherwise, this book was *chefs kiss*. I was even laughing out loud at some of the banter. Just super realistic dialogue and too not over-the-top. Seriously every rom com lovers dream. BRB while I wait patiently for Jimenez’s newest book to be released! 

Also, there are crossovers from book #1 in the series, Part of Your World. While Yours Truly coulddd be a stand alone, in order to avoid “spoilers”, I would suggest reading these in order. Book #1 is great too 😍
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

marinajonesreads's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

4.25

Briana and Jacob are two of my favorite people. Abby brought me in, fully. Anxiety felt real. Their slow burn love felt real.

I hated the miscommunication trope, though. It always frustrates me. But the resolution was so sweet that it made up for it. 

May Ava and Victoria be as best of friends as their mothers.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings