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funny
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So here’s the thing…… this book tugs on the heartstring, and it’s well written. The characters are lovable. The scenarios are heartfelt and funny and sad all at the same time. It was overall a good book.
BUT. I didn’t like the conflict in their relationship. My favorite types of books are the ones where characters go through personal growth to be together, and they make each other BETTER by being together. The female character definitely went through it with her family/had some personal growth there, but I didn’t really get that from the relationship.😒 In the end, it felt like just his sacrifice for their relationship, which in turn made the relationship feel uneven to me. The guy was also too perfect. WHERE ARE THE CHARACTER FLAWS!!!???!??????
Overall, good book. Just not my favorite.
BUT. I didn’t like the conflict in their relationship. My favorite types of books are the ones where characters go through personal growth to be together, and they make each other BETTER by being together. The female character definitely went through it with her family/had some personal growth there, but I didn’t really get that from the relationship.😒 In the end, it felt like just his sacrifice for their relationship, which in turn made the relationship feel uneven to me. The guy was also too perfect. WHERE ARE THE CHARACTER FLAWS!!!???!??????
Overall, good book. Just not my favorite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Dementia
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse
emotional
sad
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:
No
I listened to the audiobook version of Say You’ll Remember Me, and while the narrators were excellent, I found the story exhausting and found myself feeling more emotionally drained than entertained by the end.
I picked this up expecting something closer to a lighthearted rom-com, especially with that bright, playful pink cover. Instead, the story felt overwhelmingly heavy, dwelling on grief, caregiving, childhood trauma, and memory loss. While I appreciate books that tackle real-life issues, this one leaned so hard into the sadness that it often lost sight of the romance and joy I was hoping for. I wasn’t expecting pure fluff, but the emotional weight wasn’t balanced with enough levity or momentum to keep things engaging.
I didn’t have as big an issue with the TikTok or Gen Z slang as some other readers, though I definitely noticed it, but I did feel the middle of the book dragged. Much of the plot felt repetitive: long-distance angst, brief reunions, emotional spirals, repeat. The characters kept insisting their love was worth it, but I struggled to understand why. I wanted to root for Sam and Xavier, but so much of their relationship was told rather than shown, especially given how little time they actually spent together on the page. Maybe I just am not a fan of the insta-love trope, especially when it doesn’t have a chance to grow because the characters spend so little time actually together.
If you’re looking for a heavy contemporary fiction read with some romance in it and have the emotional bandwidth for difficult topics, this might work for you. I don’t know why but it seems like every book I have picked up lately has dealt with parental caregiving or death and grief and I just really could use a break from it. I need to start checking the content warnings!
I picked this up expecting something closer to a lighthearted rom-com, especially with that bright, playful pink cover. Instead, the story felt overwhelmingly heavy, dwelling on grief, caregiving, childhood trauma, and memory loss. While I appreciate books that tackle real-life issues, this one leaned so hard into the sadness that it often lost sight of the romance and joy I was hoping for. I wasn’t expecting pure fluff, but the emotional weight wasn’t balanced with enough levity or momentum to keep things engaging.
I didn’t have as big an issue with the TikTok or Gen Z slang as some other readers, though I definitely noticed it, but I did feel the middle of the book dragged. Much of the plot felt repetitive: long-distance angst, brief reunions, emotional spirals, repeat. The characters kept insisting their love was worth it, but I struggled to understand why. I wanted to root for Sam and Xavier, but so much of their relationship was told rather than shown, especially given how little time they actually spent together on the page. Maybe I just am not a fan of the insta-love trope, especially when it doesn’t have a chance to grow because the characters spend so little time actually together.
If you’re looking for a heavy contemporary fiction read with some romance in it and have the emotional bandwidth for difficult topics, this might work for you. I don’t know why but it seems like every book I have picked up lately has dealt with parental caregiving or death and grief and I just really could use a break from it. I need to start checking the content warnings!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Dementia, Grief
Moderate: Infidelity, Medical content
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Dementia
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness
emotional
funny
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Dementia
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Terminal illness, Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Gaslighting
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book had no right to hit as hard as it did. What started as a meet cute (meet poop?) translated into the lifelong journey to witness the lives of those you love and be witnessed by them. Through it all, through the loss, the trauma, the sick days, and the inside jokes.
I sobbed for the last 150 pages straight and I don't regret a minute.
4.5/5 🌟
- Half a star off because we really didn't need the MMC described like this was an SJM fanfic MULTIPLE times. Tall, dark, and handsome would've been better.
Some people didn't like the mention of modern social media things, like tiktok, but honestly, it's a contemporary romance. I don't mind. It might not keep, but neither did sending letters as the main form of communication.
I sobbed for the last 150 pages straight and I don't regret a minute.
4.5/5 🌟
- Half a star off because we really didn't need the MMC described like this was an SJM fanfic MULTIPLE times. Tall, dark, and handsome would've been better.
Some people didn't like the mention of modern social media things, like tiktok, but honestly, it's a contemporary romance. I don't mind. It might not keep, but neither did sending letters as the main form of communication.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Terminal illness, Grief
Minor: Cancer, Infidelity
Dementia
Death of a grandparent
challenging
lighthearted
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Terminal illness
Minor: Child abuse
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Cursing, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“Love is the brightest color in a gray world.”
One of my most anticipated book release this year and I've seen so many mixed reviews about it and it's a bummer because this is such a realistic story plot. A couple who just met and had instant chemistry but is destined to live far from one another due to certain reasonable situations. Most couple wouldn't even bother trying to make it work given they've only been on a single date but I guess if it's really meant to be, you got to work hard to make it be.
The only downside in this story is how Xavier gave so much compared to Samantha but if you really think about it, it's sort of also reasonable because she is the one with a mother that has dementia and can't really adjust as much. Xavier's backstory for me seems lacking in terms of what's going to happen to his parent but knowing Hank was the vet who made Xavier want to be a vet is a cute plot point. This book is the epitome of insta-love though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexual content
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Grief, Gaslighting