Such a sweet book. I sobbed through the whole last chapter because I don’t believe I’ll ever find love like Jacob and Briana’s.

“Jacob made me feel safe. He was like a living lullaby. A softly spoken word. The smell of coffee and toast in the morning or a cozy fleece blanket. The rain pattering on the roof on a day where you don’t have to go anywhere or do anything.”

This quote!!! So simple and so beautiful, and these three sentences make a great case for why you should read this book. New top tier book boyfriend in Dr. Jacob Maddox.

In general I am over fake dating and books filled with miscommunication but I’ll let this one slide. Thank you NetGalley and Forever for my ARC.

“I always think that when we’re quiet, we’re agreeing to be harmless to each other. That we’re just sharing the same space and letting each other exist exactly as we are, and neither of us would hurt or upset the other one.”

I AM INSANE OVER THIS BOOK!
Abby Jimenez has taken some very serious topics close to my heart and validated so many feelings, all while injecting literally laugh-out-loud humor around a hair brained scheme with lots of fabulous characters and a lovable 3-legged dog, all the while having a front row seat to two people falling in love….ugh…she sucked me into a world I didn’t want to end!

This is a sweet rom-com with real emotional guts. Brianna and Jacob hatch a plan where they pretend to be dating, and of course the lines between pretending and reality get blurry. Lots of funny scenes, especially with their families. But then the book goes deeper, covering things like a kidney transplant, social anxiety, trust, and depression, which the author handles realistically with a sensitive pen.

This is my first Abby Jimenez book, but if this is any indicator, I plan on devouring the rest of them soon!

“We’re all a little broken….We are a mosaic. We’re made up of all those we’ve met and all the things we’ve been through. There are parts of us that are colorful and dark and jagged and beautiful. And I love every piece of you.”

“That’s what love does…it shows up.”

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!
@AuthorAbbyJimenez @hachettebookgroup

This book was so so good! I loved the doctor element and the kidney transplant aspect. I thought Jacob was the sweetest ever and I loved hearing about his family. I thought Briana was so nice and sweet and understanding of Jacob’s anxiety. I found this book to be so entertaining and thought they had the sweetest relationship. So glad I picked this up!

This book!!! Wow. I have never read an Abby Jimenez book before, and now I can’t wait to go and read everything she’s written. I struggled with light romance because there’s just little substance, but Abby finds a way to keep her storytelling light while incorporating some really challenging topics like anxiety, chronic illness, and even trauma.

I normally don’t cry when I read books, but this one had me weeping by the end. Highly recommend!

Two emergency room doctors have not one and not even just two disastrous encounters so probably not fated to be or even fated to be good working colleagues until a heart-felt letter is given.

Certain buzz words will always get me to sit up and take notice. In a romance, ‘letter writing’ is a biggie. Definitely time to dive into the writing of an author I’ve heard much praise for in the last year or two.

In an alternating chapter change of narrator format, Yours Truly introduces first Briana’s perspective and then Jacob’s.

Briana is on the eve of her divorce to her cheating husband who is with the other woman. It’s been over a year so she should be adjusted and she thinks she is, but no… her best friend has married and moved off to the country (see previous book Part of Your World), she’s forced to compete with some new guy for the soon to be open department chief spot with some new guy, and her baby brother needs a kidney donor and is not doing well in the meantime. Something’s gotta give and she chooses to rain down all her pent-up emotions and frustrations on new guy. He’s a jerk, right? She decides even if a few friends know him and say he’s one of the good guys. And, then he writes her a letter.

Jacob suffers social anxiety and now after starting his first day on a new job where they whisper ‘Dr. Death’ in his wake and he got a rather cold welcome in the emergency ward and managed to rile up one of the other doctors, he has to go sit down in a noisy, crowded bar with his brother who is dating Jacob’s ex who became his ex when she left him for his brother. No surprise, they’re getting married. He manages to get through it, but just barely. His boss who is retiring wants him to take the chief spot and that fellow doctor is up for the spot- oh, and she has a brother needing a kidney transplant- no wonder she let him have it for bad timing and words that came out wrong. Obviously talking just gets him into trouble, so he writes her a letter.

Yours Truly drew me in from the start. Briana was hanging in there by a thread and she came across as raw, vulnerable, and all too real with how she handled her life woes and relationships. I thought for sure I would love her the best and then switching to Jacob’s chapter and making that same electrifying connection with his character, I was reading one of those uncommon romances where I was in love with both characters deeply and equally. Jacob is a sweetheart through and through and Briana is not sweet, but she is good people. They have some bad moments in person, but then the letters where thoughts can be formed and thought through before committing them to writing was perfect for them.

I confess I heard this book was about a romance set around letters and pictured an entirely different scenario- a typical set up which I do love, but this was better for these people and their situation. This ended up a fake date set up when Jacob asked for a big favor. He did a big thing for her, too, but this is also big because she must face his dramatic family and that awk-awk-awkard sitch with his brother and ex’s wedding.

On a side note, I love books seeped in all sorts of diversity that feels organic to the story and Yours Truly has that. I appreciate mostly that the diversity takes several different forms and is just there without it being practically flagged for me as several contemporaries tend to do these days.

Oh my gosh I LOVVVVVVED!!! The letters got me! And the journaling. And the plan room. And the air mattress and the crazy family and my gosh the grandpa and the bird were the BEST!! 10/10!!! BRB going to read everything Abby has ever written!!

Yours Truly 🐾♥️

I realllllllly liked it!! This was my first Abby Jimenez book. I realize that this was the second in the series and will now be backtracking to Part of Your World, which I’ve had on my shelf since it’s release date…

Briana & Jacobs love letters were chefs kiss. The little notes & details to the letters made me swoon. I felt Jacobs social anxiety was accurately portrayed and really liked the way Briana handled it. The writing kept me pulled in the whole story. So many times I caught myself actually laughing out loud. The miscommunication felt authentic and not exhausting.

I did feel like so much of the book was focused on Jacob that I barely knew Briana other than a few funny one liners. A few too many tropes & cringy moments.

Tropes: Enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, fake dating, one bed, miscommunication, forced proximity.

POINTS ADDED for Bernese mountain dog representation 🙌🏼 !!



4⭐️

"Yours Truly" by Abby Jimenez is a heartwarming and emotional romance novel that will tug at your heartstrings from beginning to end. The story follows the journey of Dr. Briana Ortiz, who is currently struggling through life. Her brother needs a new kidney and is running out of time. On top of that, her life was turned upside down by her husband, and she is facing the finality of her divorce. as they navigate through life's challenges and find love in unexpected places. Insert Dr. Jacob Maddox. Recently moved to a new hospital to get away from his past relationship where his ex ended up dating his brother. Ridden with social anxiety, he did not give Briana the best first impression.

The chemistry between Briana and Jacob is palpable, and their banter is both funny and endearing. Jimenez does an excellent job of creating a slow burn romance that feels realistic and authentic. The plot is also well-crafted, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged, but not so many that it feels artificial. Read along to follow how one letter turned into a blossoming friendship with the outcome of falling.

Overall, this book is a beautifully written novel that will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-written romance with heart and depth. Friends to Lovers, Workplace Romance, Fake Dating.

Miscommunication strikes again to knock a potential 5 star read down. Romance authors, please, for the love of my sanity, stop relying on this so much and let your couples communicate.

The first half of this book was perfect. The anxiety representation made me feel instantly connected to Jacob, because some of his struggles were so relatable. At one point he describes how he will think back on something he has said or done ten years down the line and still cringe at it, and oh my God, SAME. He's an absolute cinnamon roll to boot, and really gives his all to Briana.

I really loved Briana as well. She has a lot of justifiable rage because of her situation in life, cares fiercely for her family, but also has enough self-insight to realize when she's in the wrong. The way she and Jacob meet had the potential to be really dragged out into a stubborn hate-to-love situation where Briana can't acknowledge the mistakes she's made. I was surprised that some of the reveals happened as fast as they did, and I definitely think it was good for the story.

The humor is also spot on. I found myself laughing more than once, usually when the author described some kind of shenanigans perpetrated either by or upon one of the main characters. The banter and letter swapping between Jacob and Briana is fun and cute, and I just had such a good time watching their relationship develop from fake dating to something deep and real. I was incredibly invested in them both, and even willing to let the lack of communication about their feelings slide a bit. Briana has been hurt and under the impression that Jacob isn't available emotionally, and his anxiety means that it's hard for him to ask the right questions sometimes. But the problem is that there are instances where they communicate just fine, and it really highlighted the times when they didn't. The way this exploded towards the last 25% of the book was just too much for me. I understand that Briana was in a kind of spiral, and that this can mean that she wasn't able to think rationally, but I just couldn't fully buy into her motivations and the way she was acting.

Can we just take a minute to bow down to Abby Jimenez and her writing abilities?!

Yours Truly is a novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match. This one features a whole bunch of troubles including enemies to lovers and fake dating… It’s sweet, it’s funny, and it’s a great read.

I really liked both Brianna and Jacob… Actually Jacob may be one of my favorite book boyfriends ever. He’s an ER doctor with a large, crazy family and a heap of anxiety. He loves his dog, staying home to journal and has a room dedicated to plants… Don’t tell my husband, but this dude may actually be my soulmate.

I probably would have rated this one five stars, but it went off the rails and got stupid annoying towards the end. Ugh. If you’ve read it, you know exactly what I’m talking about… Anyway, four solid stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for a ARC in return for my honest review.

Thank you Forever Pub and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my first Abby Jimenez and I've heard amazing thing about her books. Really appreciated the mental health rep for both characters, especially Jacob.

This book was romantic crack! There were so many warm fuzzies while reading, I couldn't put it down and finished it in a day.

Abby Jimenez is hilarious in an understated way. I couldn't help but cackle and cry the entire time. These characters truly came to life and were so damn likeable, even though the miscommunication trope can be frustrating, I was rooting for them to figure it out and hanging on to every page. Both Brianna and Jacob had their own trauma to work through in order to come together, from trust issues in failed marriage to extreme anxiety, both of their personal situations were well written and handled perfectly.

Jacob was the ultimate cinnamon roll hero who patiently waited for Brianna, stepping up again and agin, and Brianna was everything Jacob needed in a partner, his perfect match in every way.

I would 100% recommend this to anyone, from my mom to my neighbour.

I love everything Abby writes. I was immediately melting with Jacob and him offering his kidney for Briana.
They were both perfect I loved how she understood him and loved their letters.
I the loonnnnnnggg drawn avoidance of one little topic drove me crazy in the best way lol but by the third act I was over it. Thank goodness for jacobs journal
Abby’s books are my favorite for the way you have to read them in one sitting. This is the first I stretched to three days instead of one and I am so excited for what’s next

I tend to have problems with Abby Jimenez's books. I always try to read any of her latest releases, but somehow I can’t connect with the characters, or they genuinely piss me off so much. So I was trying my best with her newest release, Yours Truly, since everyone raved about it early on.

I have mixed feelings about Yours Truly. I truly enjoyed reading this book. The slow-burn romance was top-tier! But character-wise, I have a problem with. I absolutely love Jacob. He is my new book boyfriend. He was all for female characters, no matter what. Yes, he may have problems with his ex being with his brother, which is kind of silly of them to do that. But the more he becomes close to Bri, the more he wants to be with her.

I have a problem with Bri the most. She is so stuck with her ways that she doesn’t understand that she puts up a wall. It’s going to be hard for anyone to be with her if she never lets anyone in. Jacob is not her ex; it’s something she has to realize. She needs to stop comparing things. All she has to do is ask him, which she never does. I really don’t understand why not when he is completely honest with her all the time.

And the other issue I had with this book was miscommunication. Like why? It’s not necessary to have it in a romance book. We can communicate with each other. Like Bri, she should communicate her fears and questions in order to avoid any missed feelings. It’s completely obvious that he loves her so much.

I didn’t think Part of Your World could be bested, but Yours Truly has officially soared to the top of my Abby Jimenez rankings!

I adored everything about this book. Briana is a real firecracker, with dialogue that had me laughing out loud, but also heart wrenching effects from her past traumas. Jacob is such a sweetheart, and his struggles with social anxiety is so incredibly relatable and well portrayed. I loved seeing how they inherently understood each other and built a truly deep bond.

Because of this, I thought the fake dating trope worked well. There was a real friendship foundation to it, which I thought made the setup much more compelling. The plot was as well developed as the characters.

Yes, there is a miscommunication trope in this book, which I normally don’t like - but it’s not stupid here. Groundwork is laid for why the characters acted like they did, so it feels true to their respective experiences. It’s still frustrating as the reader to see the miscommunication play out, but in the sense that my emotions were screaming and wanting them to get past it - not because I was annoyed by them.

In short - I laughed, I cried, I loved it!

Yours Truly
By: Abby Jimenez

"A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match."

Read if you like:
- Fake dating
- Workplace romance
- One bed trope
- Romcoms
- Mental health representation
- Cinnamon roll heroes
- Cute letters!

With laugh out loud moments, this feel-good romance is sure to make a romcom lover smile. 🥰

What I liked:

I really enjoyed this romcom! The cast of characters, the slow burn romance and the workplace interactions had me smiling, laughing and rooting for Briana and Jacob. There were so many adorable moments, and the true sweetness of Jacob was EVERYTHING. Jacob was the epitome of a Cinnamon roll hero, and his 3 legged dog Lieutenant Dan, added such charm to his character.

What wasn't my favorite:

Although I overall enjoyed this read, I must admit that I found myself a little frustrated within the last segment of the book. This is truly a personal preference, so take this with a grain of salt, but the miscommunication within this novel was quite drawn out for my taste. BUT this is one of my least favorite tropes.

Overall, I enjoyed this romance, and I look forward to what's to come from Abby Jimenez!

Thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

See below for Trigger Warnings! 👇

*This romance incorporated various real-life topics, including several impactful discussions on Mental health, caregiving, renal failure, and further trigger warnings for infidelity and pregnancy loss.*

I think I might have devoured this book a little too quickly because I currently have a book hangover.

This second book in the Part of Your World series was incredible. Briana Ortiz has been going on a downward spiral lately. She has just finalized her messy divorce, moved into her childhood home, and has taken her brother under her medical care. Jacob is starting a new hospital after a break-up and his social anxiety has started to get to him.

These two could not be more perfect for each other. They rely on one another for support and friendship during some of the most difficult times in their lives.

This book has everything you could possibly need:
~Dual Point of view-clear transitions between the two main characters
~Enemies to friends to lovers
~Fake Dating
~Clear communication to miscommunication
~Cinnamon roll male main character
~Characters from the previous book, and where they are now

Trigger Warning:
~Abadonment
~Preganacy loss
~Kidney Disease
~Anxiety
~Cheating

"'I always think that when we're quiet, we're agreeing to be harmless to each other. That we're just sharing the same space and letting each other exist exactly as we are, and neither of us would hurt or upset the other one.' 'Harmless to each other?' I looked at her earnestly. 'I do agree to that.' She smiled a little. 'Good. I agree to that too.'"

Yours Truly is my first Abby Jimenez book, and after finishing it, I immediately asked myself why I hadn't been reading her from the start. Not only was this a beautifully written love story, but it was also such a deep expose on living with anxiety, and all the ways it can appear in people. This was a book I craved reading, and one that made me wish I had ten more subway stops so I could continue my chapter.

Synopsis:
Nothing in Dr. Briana Ortiz's life is going to plan. Not only is her divorce in the process of being finalized, but her brother is in kidney failure, her best friend just moved away, and the promotion she's been vying for is likely going to the new, seemingly incompetent male doctor: Jacob Maddox. Jacob, who none of the nurses seem to like; Jacob who loses every patient his first day; Jacob who storms into her brother's hospital room to chastise her for running. Yes, Jacob may be Briana's tipping point in a series of shitty circumstances. That is, until he writes her a letter. Suddenly the bumbling idiot is a sweet, sensitive, surprisingly funny man whose anxiety is so severe that he doesn't know how to properly act around her. Charmed and slightly chagrined, Briana writes back to Jacob, beginning a series of long letters left in lockers, short notes on computers, and even shared lunches in the dedicated "sob closet."

Until he meets Briana Ortiz, nothing in Dr. Jacob Maddox's life is going to plan either. His long-term girlfriend has left him for his brother, he's moved hospitals, and his overwhelming need for routine and quiet is constantly being interrupted by his too involved family. Plus, his anxiety has led him to make an enemy out of all his new coworkers, including the stunningly beautiful Briana who breaks his phone and leaves him speechless. But after doing what he does best—writing his feelings—a friendship blossoms, filling the hole in Jacob’s life he didn’t know was missing.

Mere weeks into their friendship Jacob gives Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother. While initially tied to keeping the donation anonymous, Briana finds out about Jacob’s selflessness, and vows to do anything he asks. With his ex-girlfriend and brother’s wedding on the horizon, Briana’s offer of a favor is the perfect chance for Jacob to prove to his family that he isn’t angry or upset with the new couple. The answer is simple: Briana will act as Jacob’s fake girlfriend until after the wedding. Of course, love is never simple, and as their friendship grows into a relationship both of them can’t live without, the lines become blurred. Will Jacob and Briana’s messy pasts interfere with their chance at a happy ending? Or will their opposite personalities mold into something able to survive the trials and tests the world throws at them?

Thoughts:
I was pleasantly surprised by how much this novel emotionally affected me. On the surface Yours, Truly is just another fake-dating romantic comedy. Yet each chapter reveals a deeper, thought-provoking, tumultuous element that every relationship deals with. Jimenez rounds out the characters of Briana and Jacob beautifully, providing a depth I didn’t think was possible in 400 pages.

I was particularly taken with Jimenez’s portrayal of Briana and Jacob’s anxieties. Anxiety and depression are a vast spectrum, and it was nice to see Jacob’s more “traditional” anxiety (socially awkward, introverted, perfectly scheduled) foiled with Briana’s more hidden anxiety (past trauma, trust issues, festering depressive thoughts). The way Jacob and Briana took care of each other and learned how to be the best friend and partner for each other’s specific needs was incredibly moving, and their promise to be harmless to each other will stick with me for years.

Overall:
Yours, Truly is my favorite kind of romance—one that makes you feel emotionally impacted. I love being brought to tears by the gentleness of a relationship, yearning for my own version of the story to happen to me. This may have been my first time reading Abby Jimenez, but it certainly won’t be the last! Next up: Part of Your World (yes I read #2 before #1).

For fans of: Happy Place by Emily Henry, Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood, and The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang.

My rating: 5/5
Goodread’s Average: 4.51/5

Brianna and Jacob’s love story is adorable! Brianna is dealing with her recent divorce, and Jacob is dealing with his own past relationship and social anxiety. Jacob is one of the most caring, selfless characters I’ve encountered. loved him so much and there were many times I just wanted to give him a hug!

The romance was a slow burn, which I didn’t mind because there was a lot of other things going on that kept my interest. My one big complaint was the miscommunication. Towards the end of the book, I just wish the two MC’s would have spoke to each about how they really felt. This would have solved a lot of problems and drama. Other than that it was the perfect fake dating romance.

I absolutely could not put this book down- I read it in under 24 hours. Abby Jimenez hit the mark with yet another funny-yet-heart-warming (and sometimes heart-wrenching) hopeful romance - this one a workplace romance set in a busy ER.
I don't know how she did it, but Abby Jimenez managed to put quite a few romance tropes I don't like into a book and I still couldn't turn the pages fast enough and loved the story.
Briana and Jacob's story just captured my heart.
Watching these two doctors and colleagues go from annoyance to letter-writing acquaintances to love for each other was a development I had to read.
Between the sacrifice Jacob made and the way Briana so effortlessly adapted to Jacob's anxiety's needs, these two are admirable. But in a good way - made me reflect and want to be a little more understanding as well. As per her usual the author managed to bring mental health problems to the page in a believable compassionate way, without resorting to instacures in the end. Jacob and his anxiety and the way it was portrayed will hopefully make people feel seen.
Part of what I love about Jimenez's writing is how fully developed the side characters are - in this book
Jacob's family and Briana's as well as their respective exes, there are no two-dimensional villains here, they are all just human beings trying ...
Yours Truly is a book I will recommend to everyone for quite some time.