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A review by abby_reads_stuff
Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
I had to take several hours to let this book soak in before reviewing. I enjoyed it so much but I needed a bit to come down from the roller coaster of emotions to make sure my review was coherent.
This story features our main characters Samantha and Xavier. Samantha is a witty, sarcastic social media manager and Xavier is an introverted veterinarian who vastly prefers animals to people. They are so in love but their relationship is geographically challenged, with one living in Minnesota and the other in California. They try their hardest to forget each other but just can’t seem to make the memories go away. Samantha really sums it up when she says, “…there is nothing more beautiful than being a witness to someone’s life. To know them inside and out..” The characters are also faced with a lot of difficulties outside their relationship too which helps make them a stronger couple. Samantha asks Xavier if he would want to erase all his memories of her because of the hardships it brought upon them. Xavier said wouldn’t want that “Because life wouldn’t be worth living if I didn’t remember you.” They have incredible banter that had me kicking my feet and giggling several times.
As always, Abby includes some call backs to previous books in this universe and they do not disappoint, especially not Jafar. There’s definitely a few more connections to add to the ever growing Abby-verse chart.
A lot of the themes in this book are personal to me. My grandmother passed away in 2023 from complications from dementia and so Samantha’s family struggles really resonated with me. I also loved how accurate the long distance relationship was since I lived that life for several months while I was engaged because I lived in Texas and my fiance was working in Ohio. She encapsulated the feelings of distance perfectly.
I appreciate all of the time and thought Abby puts into making her stories realistic. The veterinary aspects were well researched and added to the story.
Abby Jimenez’s books always make me very emotional and this book was no different. I lost count of the amount of times I teared up and cried (and sobbed). Say You’ll Remember Me made me feel a lot of feelings. I was so in love with all of the characters that I felt their pain and joys right along with them.
I would like to thank Abby Jimenez for writing this masterpiece and I would also like the Forever Romance team for the opportunity to review this ARC!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, and Dementia
Moderate: Child abuse