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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
emotional
hopeful
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
This book is a slight rewrite away from being literary or women’s fiction which would’ve worked a lot better with the tone and subject matter. The romance itself was rushed and relied on you getting overwhelmed by the actual adult issues going on outside of the romance. In romance, especially contemporary romance the romance needs to take center stage and it didn’t here. That said it was super well written in it’s exploration of grief, caretaking and familial relationships. I enjoyed all those parts. I just wish the forced rom com writing style of their conversations were edited so that the relationship felt as real as their problems.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This started out great for me and turned into kind of a drag. I love Abby Jimenez (auto-preorder for me) but this one felt slow and repetitive in the pacing, without any real conflict or interest gathering over the course of the book. I loved the meet-cute and all the animal characters! Loved all the bizarre mustard puns, haha. I appreciate, as well, AJ’s willingness to get into some harder subject matters — the male MC’s childhood trauma, and the female MC’s struggles with her parent’s dementia and grandma’s loss. But the basic conflict through the entire book is…that they’re long-distance? Like, that’s it? I just couldn’t. It went on too long for me by a good 30%.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol
emotional
hopeful
sad
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:
Yes
Xavier and Samantha meet when she brings her kitten to his vet office. The kitten has a major issue and Xavier suggest that she have the cat humanly euthanized. She doesn't want to. He assumes she is being selfish and forcing the cat to suffer just to avoid making the hard decision. When she proves him wrong and gets the cats medical needs taken care of, he apologizes. From there sparks are flying.
Sadly Samantha is moving back to California, so a long term relationship between them is impossible. Xavier cannot put her out of his mind and decides that he is going to fly to California and see her. They decide to try and make it work, but they both have their own individual struggles.
Samantha's mom has Alzheimer's and her family is trying to work together to keep her home. Xavier has a vet office that is struggling to make it financially. They have to make tough decisions to make it work.
I think this is a romance, but it's more a contemporary novel. There is a lot of romance, but it's more about the struggle that adults to through on a daily basis and how they make life balance. I do wish that Samantha had made more effect, but I understand her not wanting to miss another moment with her mom. Alzheimer's runs in my family and it's such a degenerative disease and it literally takes a team to take care of them.
Sadly Samantha is moving back to California, so a long term relationship between them is impossible. Xavier cannot put her out of his mind and decides that he is going to fly to California and see her. They decide to try and make it work, but they both have their own individual struggles.
Samantha's mom has Alzheimer's and her family is trying to work together to keep her home. Xavier has a vet office that is struggling to make it financially. They have to make tough decisions to make it work.
I think this is a romance, but it's more a contemporary novel. There is a lot of romance, but it's more about the struggle that adults to through on a daily basis and how they make life balance. I do wish that Samantha had made more effect, but I understand her not wanting to miss another moment with her mom. Alzheimer's runs in my family and it's such a degenerative disease and it literally takes a team to take care of them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence
challenging
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Two incredibly winsome and selfless characters tortured needlessly for 90% of this book almost lost me, but the reflections on grief and devotion kind of redeemed it. Do read content/trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
Thankfully, I was warned that this book treads into darker topics/depictions than what you would normally find in a romcom. Even with this warning, I was surprised by just how sad it became. I don’t mind reading sad books, but for someone looking for a pick-me-up, this isn’t going to be it.
Samantha meets Xavier when she takes her rescue kitten in for veterinary care. He isn’t her perfect vet (and he’s the first to admit it), but he might just be the perfect boyfriend. Unfortunately, even though they shared a perfect first date, it’s obvious to Samantha that she can’t pursue a relationship as she’s bound for home to help take care of her ailing mother. Xavier refuses to let any obstacles get in the way of their happiness, try as he might. He isn’t ready to let go of her just yet.
Although I liked Xavier and Samantha together, I don’t think I’m much of an ‘instalove’ reader (am I even using that trope correctly?). I was more into the family drama and dynamics than I was their relationship, though I did enjoy watching them navigate a complicated long-distance relationship.
I would recommend readers look into the content warnings if they feel they might need them. I don’t always mention this directly in my reviews unless I feel they might be particularly upsetting, and just because of how realistic the situation feels in the book, I wanted to mention it here. Even though I have no personal experience with a familial situation like this, I’ve gone through something similar enough (although minute in comparison) that I was taken aback.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Dementia, Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Infidelity
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-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:
N/A
This book hit home for me in so many ways, I honestly don’t even know what to write.
As someone who is currently navigating the slow loss of two grandparents to dementia and the toll it takes on family when they are the sole providers and care takers, I think this book does a good job of drawing back the curtain and providing readers a glimpse at the struggle many families face. The “she wanted to be home” but “she needs more care than we can provide” conversation, fight, ultimatum, acceptance, sacrifice.. is a real reality and it’s harsh to all involved.
This book is about struggling with living grief and death and future death of a loved one and a life that will look different. But it’s not only about the heavy topics, it is still a love story after all.
Some might argue insta love but I agreed to marry my husband after 3 months because we just worked.
Abby’s writing explores how sometimes you just know when you are done looking because you found the one person in this whole world you want to do life with. They fit you like a missing puzzle piece you didn’t know was gone but now that they are here, it wouldn’t look the same without them.
I loved her writing, the references and nods to other authors and musicians. The playlists!!! To date, this is my favorite book that Abby has written.
Honey, if you ever read this: You are my world. My day begins and ends with you. Everything else - it’s just the stuff in between.
As someone who is currently navigating the slow loss of two grandparents to dementia and the toll it takes on family when they are the sole providers and care takers, I think this book does a good job of drawing back the curtain and providing readers a glimpse at the struggle many families face. The “she wanted to be home” but “she needs more care than we can provide” conversation, fight, ultimatum, acceptance, sacrifice.. is a real reality and it’s harsh to all involved.
This book is about struggling with living grief and death and future death of a loved one and a life that will look different. But it’s not only about the heavy topics, it is still a love story after all.
Some might argue insta love but I agreed to marry my husband after 3 months because we just worked.
Abby’s writing explores how sometimes you just know when you are done looking because you found the one person in this whole world you want to do life with. They fit you like a missing puzzle piece you didn’t know was gone but now that they are here, it wouldn’t look the same without them.
I loved her writing, the references and nods to other authors and musicians. The playlists!!! To date, this is my favorite book that Abby has written.
Honey, if you ever read this: You are my world. My day begins and ends with you. Everything else - it’s just the stuff in between.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Dementia, Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Abandonment
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Sexual content, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
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
Such an incredibly difficult journey that had me guessing until the end!
Samantha and Xavier are basically fated mates, but meeting at the wrong time!
Even though this story has an insta-love trope and I know some are not a fan of that, it wasn’t far-fetched because of how Abby described the thoughts and feelings of each character, in my opinion.
There is a lot of heavy emotional turmoil contained in this story that includes child abuse, a parent with dementia, an unexpected death, and learning to prioritize and to grow from past and current trauma.
I enjoyed the side characters in this story and the depth they brought to the pages. Xavier’s friends and coworkers and Samantha’s family had such a profound impact on how the characters developed.
There’s an ongoing long-distance relationship that Xavier and Samantha are trying to make work, but it’s a seemingly impossible situation that neither can find a way to make work. I think what I loved the most was that neither were willing to give up.
I absolutely loved the pop culture references, including Taylor Swift and ACOTAR!
Oh! And let’s not forget the found fur friends!! Jake, from State Farm, Pooter, & Pugsly absolutely made the story that much more enjoyable.
There are countless references regarding aspects of core memories and just memories in general. The story primarily revolves around Samantha’s mother who is suffering from dementia. Samantha finds herself constantly reflecting on the importance of how memories play such an intricate role in a person’s life.
• Grumpy/Sunshine
• He absolutely falls first and incredibly hard
• Found family
• Grief and resilience
• Hilarious & very witty (not really a trope, but I freakin’ loved it)
• Protective MMC
• Intimate scenes that aren’t overly descriptive
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Grief
Minor: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content