Review by bananathebookbestie - Part of Your World

bananathebookbestie 's review for:

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I don't think I could ever say enough good things about this book. It was absolutely perfect. What The Notebook thinks it does, Part of Your World *actually* does.

In short, this is a "big city doctor meets small town carpenter/B&B host and they fall in love." The longer version, however, is much more beautiful and has more depth than that.

Alexis stumbles upon the small town of Wakan, Minnesota, when she ends up needing a tow after landing in a ditch. (She was swerving to save a raccoon, okay?) Daniel Grant comes to her rescue, and they end up spending a perfect, magical night together — even though one night stands are not their thing.

However, Alexis and Daniel couldn't be more different.

Alexis Montgomery is the youngest daughter in a famous and successful medical family with 125 year legacy in the hospital where she works. When her brother basically 'abdicates' his role in the family business to work as a doctor in Cambodia with his wife, pop star Lyla Simone, Alexis is forced to represent her family as the next successful Dr. Montgomery.

Daniel serves his family legacy in a different way. He's the mayor of Wakan and the Grant family founded, has lived in and lead the town for generations. He's responsible for keeping everything running but is genuinely interested in the lives of the people in his community. When he meets Alexis, his whole world flips upside down.

Being together doesn't make sense for them. They're from two different classes/worlds and each have their own responsibilities to their families. But they are perfect for each other — and they spend the whole book fighting that until they can't anymore. Alexis falls in love with Wakan as much as she does with Daniel, and Daniel shows Alexis that another life is possible. She doesn't have to do what her parents expect her to — whether it's earning a chief position at the hospital or getting back together with her emotionally abusive ex after he cheated on her.

Alexis's character grew a lot in this book. She learned to recognize patterns of emotional and psychological abuse, and she recognized how her privileged upbringing kept her from learning how to be a self-sufficient human and worked to fix that. All of this growth was crucial for her and Daniel's relationship to succeed.

This was easily one of the most romantic books I've ever read. (I cried, twice — and I don't typically cry from books.) The pining, the chemistry, the star-crossed lovers element, the magical small town, the symbolism, I could go on and on. There were moments that my heart was filled with butterflies, and moments where my heart broke into a million pieces. I could literally feel how much Daniel and Alexis loved each other throughout the whole novel. Please do yourself a favor and read this book.

Content Warnings