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meeklovestoread 's review for:

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

4.5

emotional funny lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

In Abby Jimenez, we STAN!

Now, listen, for some reason, I'm hearing a lot of people weren't a fan of this. I can't say that's me, though, cuz when I was reading, I seriously didn't get. This is my 5th from Abby, and she has YET to disappoint me! Let's start with the pros:

Pros:

Xavier - I usually don't care for grumpy men, I don't! But it seems like Abby can write any man, and I will eat it up every time. This man was SO DOWN BAD! It's disgusting! The things he does for her! Another acts of service king, and I love it! He stepped up in every which way he could to the point where it drove him ill, like WHAT! Get you a man willing to do that for you! My man was DEVOTED, and I wouldn't ask for anything less. There's literally doing long distance and it's stressing him out to mo end, but not once, not ONCE did he ever suggest breaking up. This man was literally rather die than lose her! I can't! I seriously can't! Abby did her big one with him. Never thought I'd feel this way about doctor romance, but here we are. Also, I found myself deeply relating to his storyline. I honestly wish we got more of him dealing with his toxic parents because that's something people heavily relate to, and it's rarely talked about how an upbringing like that can shape you as an adult and how you view the world.
Samantha - I liked Samantha. I like her personality. She was very headstrong and completely devoted to her family. There wasn't much to her as a character now that I think about it. But like I said before, she had a likable personality, and I think she was a great counterpart to Xavier
Xavier x Samantha - Beautiful, just BEAUTIFUL! Their love is honestly so sweet to read. Their both so heavily devoted to each other, and it's so sweet and kinda heart-wrenching to see what they go through in this book. Cuz the chemistry is there and there's seriously "the ones" for each other. Their dates are the cutest and funniest dates I've ever read about. I seriously don't know how she comes up with them. Uggghhhh! I love them! They were great!
[I'm sorry if this is a spoiler] - The talk about dementia here broke my heart. I have no insight or firsthand knowledge of the subject, so I can't really speak on the accuracy of Abby's research, but you can tell she handled the subject matter with the utmost care that she could deliver. Reading about this really hit me, and it's hurt me so much that so many people go through this with a loved one. And I know it can be repetitive and cringe at times, but I really like how she incorporated how valuable memory is and tied those themes with the couple; it was so cute!
Samantha's family - I don't know if I'm alone on this stance, but I really enjoyed Samantha's family. They all had various personalities that were so enjoyable to read about, and just watching what they go through as a family was very moving to read about. Lowkey, I hope they get books. We talked a lot about Jeneva's situation with being a single mom with kids and a low-life baby father. I honestly wouldn't mind a Tristian book either. He was very interesting to read about.
Oh also, shout to Dr. Hank and Maggie and Tina especially Hank. He was amazing1

Now onto the cons (there aren't that many for me):

Cons:

The Gen-Z lingo - Yeah, I understand why one would dislike; however, that stuff doesn't bother me as much as it does other people. Honestly, besides the Rhysand stuff (which only appears 4x in the book in the beginning and then never again), none of the other lingo bothered me. I thought it was a little funny.
- Now onto an actual con. This seems to be a lot of people's grievance with this book, and I understand. I wasn't a fan of how much Xavier was sacrificing. It felt like the scale was completely unbalanced. I kid you not, for the first half of this book, it's him doing all the heavy lifting and traveling back and forth. She sees him TWICE, and both times were paid for (not by her). She does try. It's not like she doesn't, and she does acknowledge that he does a lot for her, but STILL. This man literally was wrecking his HEALTH for her. And although I find it swoonworthy (like I said before, we love a devoted man), I also find it concerning because I don't like it when the effort isn't equal. She was dealing with a lot, and I get it, but it still doesn't change the fact that the pendulum was severely unbalanced between them.
- I wish we got to see more of his (Xavier's) friends and his life outside of his job and Samantha. Especially considering that the next book is Chris's book (the pharmacist). I feel like we didn't get enough of his friends to gauge their personality enough for me to be excited for a book about them. Like Chris, Mike, and Jesse all get mixed up to me cuz they have no distinguishing characteristics.
- I'm iffy on what the father did. Grieving and being the primary caregiver for your wife who's basically deteriorating right before your eyes, is probably one of the toughest challenges a human has to face. I couldn't imagine how heartbreaking it was for him.
  But cheating on his wife is a weird way to cope. Like I get it, I do. He deserves to be happy, but the way he's doing it is a bit questionable.

Overall, loved this book! Abby Jimenez has literally become my favorite rom-com author. No one does it like her, and I'm excited to read more from her. Also, I don't know about anyone else, but for some reason, this book has a high chance of re-readability for me.

Spice Rating:🌶️.5/5

Content Warnings