Member Reviews
I first fell in love with Abby Jimenez's books last year. The first three books in this series were some of my favorites soon after I got back into reading romance, so much so that I read one of them twice in the same calendar year. This book was no exception and did not disappoint.
[CW: mention of mental abuse/gas lighting/etc. by a domestic partner]
Alexis meets Daniel when he essentially saves her twice in one night. She has recently broken up with her long time partner, who happens to be the head doctor of her department and effectively her boss, because he mentally and emotionally abuses her and she's finally had enough. She hasn't told many people, though, as her parents were well known doctors and she is their legacy at the hospital. Plus, her ex is still living in their house. But then comes Daniel, more rugged and rough and tumble than she's used to, and she can't help but be drawn to him and his simpler life. When they're together everything makes sense, but as things grow serious she worries that he doesn't belong in her world and isn't sure how to face that.
[CW finished]
I really enjoyed this book and will likely read it again, as the entire series is one I think about often and may end up purchasing. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this Advanced Reader Copy!
The book is released on April 19, so you don't have long to wait or you could preorder now.
I adored this book. It’s full of so much heart and love. With a heroine that comes from the world of health care that carries a burdensome legacy on her back, to a hero from a small town that is thoughtful and generous, you can’t help but fall in love with both of them and their story. In this small-town, age-gap, opposites attract romance, Jimenez hits all these things with just the right amount of care and consideration. And again, Jimenez doesn’t shy away from tackling very real and heavy topics within the pages of her stories. The author has a way of encapsulating this world they’ve created and immersing you into it. Another wonderful book from Abby Jimenez.
I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun one! The story follows Alexis and Daniel as they meet and fall in love. Alexis is a wildly privileged doctor and Daniel is a working class small town mayor, innkeeper, and carpenter. They are from two different worlds and have to navigate Alexis’s family’s toxic expectations of her if they want to be together, as well as deal with her emotionally abusive ex. I loved all the characters and the chemistry but was expecting a little more spice from Abby Jimenez.
Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the free ARC in exchange for honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
CW: Emotionally abusive relationship (Past), toxic relationship (past)
This unfortunately is a DNF at 35%. I'm in the minority with this one but where the emphasis was so clearly put on the sex in the relationship and their chemistry but the book is closed door or not showing much, it was difficult to connect with the relationship. I do wish this came with a CW especially where the FMC deals with her ex/abuser on an everyday level and he moves back into their home. Just not a book from me but it's clear so many others are enjoying it
I was saving Abby Jimenez's new book Part of Your World for the perfect moment and after my millionth 3-star book I knew it was time...and it worked, I loved it!
Brief Summary
After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who's ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis.
I have yet to be disappointed by any of Abby Jimenez's books and this one was no exception. It seems like of contemporary romance books struggle with not having the dialogue sound cheesy but Jimenez has zero problem with that, she makes such fun, likable characters.
A smidge repetitive here and there and a little predictable would be my only complaints but neither kept me from enjoying it fully. Alexis's father was extremely triggering for me because it was like seeing my own father on the page and it got me 😭. I recommend Part of Your World for when you are looking for a fun book with a little steam and a little sweetness.
Thank you @netgalley for this free copy in exchange for my honest review. Pub date: April 19th!
Aww this one was so good. Abby really knows how to draw the emotions out of her characters and her readers. And lord did I fall in love with both of these characters. I just wanted the best for Alexis and oh sweet sweet Daniel. And as per usual her side characters shine as well! I will read whatever she writes.
I loved this book. It was a great addition to the Abby Jimenez collection. I love relationships with an successful older woman, instead of an older man. Easy to read and enjoyable to the last page.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
This was my first Abby Jimenez book and it did not disappoint! I was genuinely invested in Alexis and Daniel from the first chapter, and the story had such heart. I loved the cast of characters and the small-town setting. It gripped me and had me feeling alllll the things until the very last page. Fun and romantic and captivating!
A thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!
If I had to describe this book in two words it would be "heartbreakingly hopeful."
Throughout the novel, the two main characters repeatedly tell themselves not to hope for more-- not to hope for what they believe to be impossible, but they still hope none the less. The novel ultimately has a HEA (which isn't much of a spoiler given the genre) but your heart has to hurt to get there. I wouldn't say this book will break your heart, like certain other books might. But it certainly gets your heart clenching in particular ways.
"Part of Your World" was one of those books where you know the shoe is going to drop-- you know the exact shoe that is going to drop and how it will drop, and you dread it the entire time. I both didn't want to put the book down AND couldn't bear to keep reading.
Alexis and Daniel are a really cute couple and it isn't hard to fall in love with the town.
This book deals with narcissistic parents and partners, and abusive relationships. Alexis, after years of having her self esteem chipped away by her fiance and her parents, finally gives herself the space to grow and learn who she really is-- without the expectations of others. She is probably one of my favourite Jimenez heroines.
I was, however, confused about one thing in this novel: Daniel and Lola popped up frequently enough and with the detail of having been characters in their own novel (as many of these connected series do). The way they are spoken about had the tenor and allusion to an existing book. So much so, that I was sure there was a book of Abby Jimenez's that I had missed. When I went back through her body of work, there was no book about Daniel and Lola. Knowing that made the references to their relationships, and Lola's singing career, feel really out of place in the book. Especially because (spoiler) you never actually meet Lola. She is referenced in the novel, but you never see her speak. For someone whose existence plays a not insignificant part in shaping the stories plot, that felt weird to me.
From the first chapter of The Friend Zone, I knew Abby Jimenez would be a forever fave. And she has never once disappointed me!! I seriously LOVED her latest book!!!
Part of Your World has Abby’s classic humor and heart, but this book had a bit more serious vibe to it. Daniel and Alexis are both well developed characters working through individual challenges and I loved seeing their growth throughout the book. I cried at MULTIPLE random times throughout this book and there were moments where my chest literally ached for them - when I have physical pain for fictional people you know you can write!! 😭
DANIEL was a freaking DREAM MAN. OMG. THIS GUY. Loved him so much. The absolute sweetest.
Read it if you love:
•The sweetest small town
•Opposites attract
•Instalove
•Cute dog and baby goat
•Great friends (mean family)
If I want to be picky, I take off a half star because I thought the first half moved a tad slow and there was a bit less steam details than I was hoping for, but it overall another HUGE win from Abby Jimenez! (And now I have a hankering to watch Aladdin….)
I couldn't put this book down and when I did, I picked it up and read it a second time. Abby Jiminez is a master story weaver. She has masterfully told the tale of how two characters from two different worlds collide in a perfect meet cute. I laughed, I cried, sometimes both at the same time. Abby has a way of taking the ROM COM world to a different place touching on serious issues (domestic abuse) and telling it in a way that makes you fall in love with the characters and hang on their every interaction. This was an amazing read!
Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for giving me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks SO much to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!!
📖 Synopsis: Alexis and Daniel couldn’t be more different! Alexis is an ER doctor at a prestigious hospital in Minneapolis where her family has a legacy of being top surgeons. Daniel is the mayor (as well as a carpenter and innkeeper) in a small rural town named Wakan that’s about 2 hours away where his family has a long history of being mayor. Alexis is 37, Daniel is 28 (oh yes)!! She wears fancy clothes and drives a fancy car, he wears dirty boots and drives a nearly broken down truck. So what on earth brings them together… well a raccoon in the middle of the road and a car winding up in a ditch!
📖 Thoughts: It isn’t often I give a rom com 5 stars but man I just loved Part of Your World! It had it all - depth, emotion, charm, wit, an unlikely romance, the perfect amount and style of steam I like 🔥, a baby goat 🐐 😂! Seriously though, this one was a total win for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I only wish I would have read it slower so I could have enjoyed it for longer. Abby Jimenez is so incredibly talented, not to mention hilarious! She is definitely an auto-buy author for me now!
I highly recommend pre-ordering this one or grabbing yourself a copy as soon as it’s out - just a few more weeks!! 🙌🏻
Is it any surprise that this book was amazing? I love Abby Jimenez and this might be her best yet. I don't think I've ever cried with a couple but I for sure did in this book. Everything about it was perfect. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and one my favorites of the year list. Read this if you want The Simple Wild vibes.
I've heard so many great things about Abby Jimenez's books, to the point that I've got her first three books on my TBR shelf. I was excited to be approved for an eARC of Part of Your World, and seeing that it was a stand-alone I decided start with it - and I loved it ! It's a sweet love story that is full of heart & substance. I loved the tender moments & character growth, and that the book was romantic yet also dealt with serious issues. I loved being a part of Ali & Daniel's world and look forward to reading Abby's backlist !
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Driving through a small town, Wakan, and being towed by a complete yet friendly stranger, 37 year-old ER physician Alexis didn’t know what hit her. Same goes for 28 year-old carpenter Daniel. The two spark a connection that turns into a long distance love affair, an escape for Alexis from her regular life. Because her regular life? It’s not average. It comes with emotional baggage, pressure, and so much more. Could this love be what she needed all along?
Jimenez made me ugly cry on a plane ride, folks! I binged the second half of this book in one sitting on a flight to California, and whew. The emotions that both Alexis and Daniel had were so freaking fierce and so freaking real. The abuse, gaslighting, and entrapment were the hardest issues to work through in this story. I loved so many aspects of this contemporary. While the topics were heavy, and the actual love story ran deeper than just your run of the mill age gap slash opposites attract romance, Jimenez did a phenomenal job incorporating details, facts, and of course, hilarious dialogue.
I’d say this had some THE NOTEBOOK vibes, and I recommend if you were a fan of THE FLATSHARE and Abby’s previous books.
I have read all of Abby Jimenez’s books and when I didn’t think things could get any better, she has proved me wrong. This book takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions and it’s well worth the ride. This story is a reverse age gap romance with Alexis being 37 year old accomplished ER physician and Daniel being a 28 year old small-town mayor, carpenter, and runs the town’s B&B. Their meet-cute begins when Daniel helps tow Alexis out of a ditch on a foggy night and ends with her running out of his loft very early the next morning. Without spoiling the story, the romance comes with its own challenges due them being from not only different social classes but entirely different worlds (hence the title of the book). We see Alexis make some decisions that we know she will later regret but in the end their love prevails. The connection between Alexis and Daniel was a little bit true love and a little bit magic (loved the magical realism elements). I loved seeing their character development and Daniel is just incredible to Alexis.
As always, this book touched on deeper topics other than just romance. I think Jimenez has a way with handling hard subjects and presenting them in a realistic way. The emotional abuse Alexis receives not only from ex-boyfriend, but her father was so well written and made the subject palatable for people to learn more on the subject.
I also, loved that she included Easter eggs for fans of The Friend Zone series and has inter-woven the two worlds together. I can’t wait for Bri’s story in 2023, I will definitely be requesting it as soon as it’s available!
5/5 ⭐️s
You know a book’s got you when you have a moment of legitimate heartache because the hero’s fictional and not actually breathing the same air you are. I’m going to spend the rest of my life in love with Daniel Grant, and I’m not even mad about it.
Guys, this book…I was grinning like crazy through all of Alexis and Daniel’s beginning moments. They were CUTE, but they also had this underlying charge that had you anticipating whatever they did next. They’re relationship is going to be the standard I hold all relationships to from now on! And it’s a reverse age gap!
And the HUMOR. The dick pic moment? I was literally laughing out loud! There were so many times in this book that I found myself laughing, but that definitely takes the cake. It’s even more amazing to me because there are so many other emotions Abby wrings out of the reader with this story; it would be easy to leave humor out. She somehow weaves these elements together so seamlessly though. I’m truly in awe of her storytelling.
One thing I love about Abby’s books is her ability to wrap a story of love and healing around a heavy topic. In this book, Alexis is coming out of a relationship in which her ex emotionally abused her, and another character’s husband physically abused her. Neither one of these are graphically portrayed. Instead, Abby focuses on how these women survive and heal. Alexis has gone to therapy to help her grow after her relationship ended, and she’s later able to use that to help the other character. It made for one badass heroine!
Overall, I can’t say enough about how much I loved this book. I laughed, I cried, I swooned over the most perfect man ever written, and I felt a longing to be part of their world too. Such an amazing read!
Spice: 2/5 🌶 (but just a warning, this is mostly FTB)
*TRIGGER WARNING*
This book deals with the topics of emotional and physical abuse. While neither are graphically portrayed, two characters are dealing with the fallout of being survivors. Read safely, friends. ❤️
I Could Not Put This Book Down!
I already know that Abby Jimenez's books are going to be a good time with some emotional damage. I went in expecting it. What I did not expect was a reverse age gap full of absolutely delightful characters and moments.
Alexis is having a bad day, which gets much better when she is rescued by Daniel first in a ditch and later in a bar. Their chemistry and banter is everything. Daniel is younger than Alexis and has the energy to prove it. After a one night stand she goes back to her life as a prestigious doctor and Daniel stays in his small town, but it can't end there and their chemistry draws them back together.
I had a huge smile on my face throughout most of this book. I absolutely adored Alexis, Daniel Bri and most of the people in Daniel's town and the town itself, and I loathed basically everyone else. Sometimes big feelings in books bother me, but in this case it just made me love the book more and more.
This book deals with topics of domestic violence and the cycle of abuse in a very respectful and appropriate way. I think this topic can be sensitive for most people, but it was beautifully addressed and I give Abby Jimenez lots of Kudos for incorporating it the way she did.
Hands down this will be one of my favorite reads of 2022! It even has a baby goat! How can you not love a man with a baby goat.
I received an arc of this book from Netgalley and voluntarily give my review.
Rating: 3.75
Part of Your World was quite an enjoyable and heartfelt read. The writing was absolutely fantastic and there were a few elements, like the hero, the setting of the story and certain side characters that I absolutely loved. However, the storyline was a bit more heavier than I was anticipating and the heroine just really wasn’t my favorite.
I would highly recommend checking the content warnings before reading as topics such as: depression, mental, emotional and physical abuse, are described throughout the story. I will say though, the author wrote these heavy topics in such a realistic and sensitive manner, which I absolutely appreciated.
It is dual POVs of the main characters and does have a small town romance, the opposites attract and age gap trope, with the heroine being older than the hero which I loved.
The development throughout the story with the main characters and their storylines were really well executed. The plot was fast paced and well written as well. Again, the story does have some very heavy topics but the comedic and romantic aspects were perfectly done.
The hero, Daniel Grant was definitely the main highlight of this book for me. His love, commitment and devotion towards his town, his friends and to the heroine was just so perfect.
The heroine, Alexis Montgomery on the other hand did get a bit frustrating with how she kept letting everybody dictate her life, even though she was a successful doctor and in her late 30s. While, I understood the burden and expectations she carried I wanted a bit more fire and inner strength from her as it was just too hard to root for her sometimes.
The romance between Alexis and Daniel was cute even though it was a bit insta-love. I did enjoy their banter, chemistry and overall development. There were a few spicy scenes as well that were quite good.
The ending did feel a bit rushed but was still a nice conclusion to Alexis and Daniel’s story. Overall, just a good read with a charming hero.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I love this author. She is funny and smart and the characters are amazing. I can picture myself there with them. I would read anything by this author. Her books make the world a little better just by them being there. The love, the hope, the humor. I hope she writes a dozen more.