Another good one from Abby Jiminez! To be honest, this wasn't my favorite *romance* from this author, but the representation of anxiety alone pulled this book up to four stars. Briana and Jacob are both ER doctors; Jacob newly transferred into Briana's ER. Jacob suffers from major anxiety disorder and as a result just can't seem to get off on the right foot. Briana and Jacob are both coming off of traumatic breakups - Briana's husband cheated on her for two years and Jacob's girlfriend left him and almost immediately started dating his brother, who she's now engaged to. Briana's life is further complicated by serving as a caretaker for her younger brother who is in end stage renal failure and waiting for a kidney donor. After a series of mishaps, Jacob writes Briana a letter explaining his anxiety and apologizing for getting off on the wrong foot. The two forge a friendship and become close. Jacob decides to anonymously donate his kidney, but through a slip up Briana finds out. Briana agrees to act as Jacob's girlfriend until the wedding of his brother and ex girlfriend so Jacob's family will get off his back about moving on. The two both quickly fall in love with each other but Briana believes that Jacob is still in love with his ex, so rejects him at every turn.

Things I loved: The romance in this book was good, I really liked the characters and the chemistry, but what really really grabbed me was the amazing, spot on anxiety representation. I have never felt so seen as when I was reading Jacob's POV about overthinking, ruminating, and needing to prepare for events.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars. This book had me so locked in! Jacob and Briana’s story was such a pleasure to read!

I loved that they were broken but healing.
I loved watching them become friends.
I loved the progression and pacing of their relationship.
I ADORED the letters they exchange.
I loved the care they took to be ‘harmless’ to one another.
I love the care that tough topics were handled with.
I loved the side characters, especially the families.
I loved seeing Alexis & Daniel from Part of Your World again.
I loved the hospital setting for some of the book- slight Greys Anatomy vibes.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to review an advance copy.

Abby Jimenez has yet again proven that she is an auto-buy author. I generally do not like epistolary contemporary romance, but Abby floored me with how well she handled this trope. The "letters" read like passing notes between friends in school and not overly flower-y love language. The relationship between Bri and Jacob flowed naturally from enemies to friends to lovers. The characters fell in love slowly by just showing up for each other and without realizing the other was just as enamored as the other. The scene where they FINALLY admitted they are actually in love with each other had me in tears.

ARC REVIEW

Forever Yours
by Abby Jimenez

Publishing Date: 4/11/2023

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

* im not sure what is considered " spoilers" with this one, so instead of my own summary, I'm going to use the Goodreads Blub-

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

Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.

And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.:

My review time!
I really really enjoyed it! First of all I LOVED the cross over with " part of your world'." they obviously weren't a HUGE part of the book, but we definitley meet them again!

The first half of the book, was a little bit slow for me, personally. And I think its because this particular trope isnt my favorite ( even though romance is my fave!) But once I hit 50% it was so so good and I loved it! I think the characters really emerged in the second half and we got a real sense of who they were!

And the ending? *chefs kiss* Add Jacob to the list of book boyfriends you need!

Such a cute read and DEF recommend you pick this one up next month!

Thank you @netgalley and

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Grand Central Publishing for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My first Abby read that was not five stars. Any guesses as to why? Ding, ding, ding!!! It’s… miscommunication trope! Whomp, whomp, whompppppp. 🔔🚨🚫

I have to admit, Jacob and Briana are perfect together. But the execution of this novel? My gosh. The two ER physicians begin fake dating so Jacob can prove to his family that he is okay with the fact his ex-girlfriend is marrying his brother. Yeah, you read that right. When I got to 75%, though, and Briana STILL thought all of his romantic gestures were just for show??? I wanted to throw up all over my Kindle. Come on, bro. I DREADED reading Briana’s chapters. “Jacob sent me flowers. I know it was just for Instagram, but still.” AHHHHHHHHHH! The author explains that Briana has a lot of trauma due to a past relationship, but in my opinion, the execution of this novel was inexcusable and made this reader hope the ending would come quicker.

One positive I will give is Jacob’s relatability. He shared so many elements of his social anxiety that I think we all struggle with to some degree, and he always wore his heart on his sleeve despite the internal wars he had with himself on a regular basis. The book shows just how hard it can be to manage the expectations society has for us. I’m still giving it three stars because Briana sucked. #JacobDeservesBetter

I have loved all of Abby Jimenez’ books. This one is also excellent. Jacobs anxiety was written so well. I loved them writing letters back and forth, I wish that part would have lasted longer into the book. Briana was such a great character. She went through so much.

Another heartbreaker from Abby again. If you liked her previous books you will probably like this too!

Abby is one of my favourite authors. I love how she writes. When I got my hands on this ARC I was so excited! I knew it was the perfect book to read on the beach or poolside while on vacation.

I loved that the two MCs were in the medical field. Jacob was the absolute sweetest. He gets all the stars in this book. I also appreciated the mental health representation, very well done. I loved so many of the secondary characters and animals too. Fake dating is one of my fave tropes and pair it with a friends to lovers and you can’t go wrong.

My only critique would be that it was a bit repetitive with Bri thinking the absolute worst of Jacob again and again. I can understand why but it just felt a bit much.

I did get a little bit of The Friend Zone vibes from this one so if you loved that one you will love this one too! I think my heart still lies with Part of your World but I really enjoyed this one too.

At this point, I should never be surprised that I want to give Abby Jimenez one hundred stars for her wonderful books! She has truly done it again with Yours Truly. I loved this book so much. I fell in love with the two main characters and everything else is perfection. When this book comes out, it is a MUST read!

Just when you think Abby Jimenez has written the most brilliant and heartwarming story, she truly outdoes herself each time.

Yours Truly was wonderful in so many ways. A story filled with the best tropes. Friends to lovers, fake relationship, ONE BED FORCED PROXIMITY, and then some. Abby writes about traumatizing situations and conflicted characters with such grace.

The story follows Briana and Jacob. Briana’s husband left her, taking her heart and all of her trust. Jacobs girlfriend left him, for his brother. These two have gone through it, and Briana especially vows to never love again. So when the most perfect, too good to be true, Jacob starts working at her hospital, Briana starts to question everything. Jacob has social anxiety that’s hindered him his whole life, and Briana is the complete opposite. Yet, Briana knows exactly how to care for Jacob and make him feel seen. It’s hard to not give the book away because there are so many beautiful moments I want to write about, but you MUST read for yourself. There were little moments that the way Abby writes gave me goosebumps and basically I can rave about this book all day. Thank you so much to Netgalley for an ARC of Yours Truly in exchange for an honest review, and I can’t wait for everyone to read it when it comes out on 4/11/23. 💕

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I had a lot of fun. I had so much fun with this until the last 10% of the book. It’s Enemies (ish) to Friends to Lovers with Fake Dating - SO perfect!! Literally a fun book that was going to be 4.5 stars without the last 10% of the book. Will still recommend this to certain people, but it’s not my type of book. Jacob is an almost perfect man though - just wish his characterization hadn’t been forgotten during a split moment before the end.

"I always think that when we're quiet, we're agreeing to be harmless to each other." What a powerful line from a powerful story. Thank you Netgalley for this arc of Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez, this is a magnificent story about love, being loved the way you need to be loved, traumatic relationships, getting over said traumatic relationships, fake dating, boy down bad, and a man who is worth every page written about him. You are bound to fall in love with Jacob who is a ER doctor with immense social anxiety and has a run in with Briana who is trying her best to keep it all together with her brother dealing with a serious illness, her recent divorce of a man who cheated on her, and an all too well deserved next step in her career. In this story, Jacob and Briana start fake dating to attend Jacob's younger brother's wedding TO HIS FORMER GIRLFRIEND! Like what! But Jacob and Briana find a space where they develop a deep love that brought me to tears! After reading, Part of Your World I didn't think Abby could do it to me again...but alas she has! This book definitely can be a stand alone but I highly recommend reading Part of Your World. This book comes out April 11th and you must read this when it comes out! Thank you NetGalley and Thank you Abby for this amazing book!

Part of Your World was definitely one of my favorite books of last year, so I was beyond excited to read the next book in the series. While it didn't quite live up to the first book for me, I still had a great time reading it and would definitely recommend it!
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WHAT I LIKED
❤️ Jacob is serious book boyfriend material
📚 I love that we get to see a male MC that struggles with anxiety.
👫🏻 Fake dating
✉️ I thought the way Jacob & Briana got to know each other better was really cute
🔥 Loved that it was a little steamier than Part of Your World (my only gripe with that book)
🏚 It was fun to get to see Alexis and Daniel a little bit
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
👫🏻 I just don't feel like it got quite as deep at Part of Your World, which made me feel less connected to the characters and their relationship
❤️ I like that we are following older (as in just not in their 20s) characters, however I think I get more annoyed with miscommunication when the characters are older because it feels like they should be more mature.

Thank you so much Forever Pub for a physical ARC of Yours Truly!

Overall, I really really loved this story. I connected to Brianna and Jacob deeply and found myself tearing up one second and giggling the next. I loved watching them become such good friends after such a bad first impression. I also loved their friends to lovers storyline. I didn't love the fake dating plot line. I felt it became very repetitive and I wish more of the characters inner monologues was focused on healing and less on thoughts on the fake part of their relationship.

I loved what lessons and discussions came out of the 3rd act conflict but I felt Brianna having a miscarriage previously and abruptly breaking up with Jacob was used as shock factor. I wish we got more glimpses and discussions revolving her trust issues throughout the book. We had two characters who had great communication skills but also one of the most infuriating miscommunication plot lines I've seen.

This EASILY could have been a new all time favorite of mine but unfortunately I kept getting pulled out of the story by the things I disliked.

Abby Jimenez is a forever favorite author of mine. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez is something truly special. These two co-workers, who initially get off on the wrong foot, get to know each other through letters and sticky notes, and to me, that was everything. There’s so much more to the story, but their letters are the beating heart of it all.

Brianna has trust issues. Jacob has his own personal hurts. Jacob volunteers to donate a kidney to Brianna’s brother, who is in renal failure. They begin fake-dating. It’s complicated and messy, but their fake relationship gets realer than they ever expected.

My husband and I dated long distance and writing letters was one of the ways we got to know each other. So this book holds an extra special place in my heart.

A huge thank you to the teams at Forever Publishing and Netgalley for my advance review copy.

Yours Truly is more than your typical enemies to lovers trope. Abby Jimenez expertly weaves in intense subjects like organ transplants, divorce and anxiety into a fast paced and witty novel.

The characters in her latest novel are complex, likable and believable. I found her descriptions of Jacob’s anxiety issues to be realistic and informative. Briana’s trust and commitment issues were expertly explored. I enjoyed the hospital setting and immersing myself in the author’s world. Jimenez clearly did her homework with the detailed medical descriptions creating an authentic background for the characters budding romance.

Their love story is hopeful and Yours Truly is perfect for an upbeat, fun read. You will be rooting for these characters to find happiness. Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title before its release.

The good parts of this book were REALLY good. I loved Briana in Part of Your World and was so excited to read her story. Unfortunately I found myself liking her less and less the more I read. On the other hand, Jacob was an incredible MC.

A few of the things I didn't like:
- Jacob has pretty severe anxiety but it magically disappears whenever he's around Bri. It didn't feel like an accurate portrayal of anxiety, at least in my experience.
- I was confused about Jacob and Briana's ages, because while they were in their mid 30s, they sometimes acted and spoke like they were in their 20s, and other times it felt like they were supposed to be in their 50s. Any time they talked about social media, it felt like an older person trying to relate to the young kids.
- There are SO MANY romance tropes that were squeezed into ~400 pages that it started to feel like Jimenez had a checklist and wanted to see how far she could take it.

What I did like:
- Jimenez's writing is always very readable, I think I finished this book in two sittings.
- I hate the term "cinnamon roll" to describe a character, but Jacob fits the bill. I adored him, even if it's obvious he was written by a woman.
- I really liked the author's note and how it explained the motivation for the plot and character choices.

Overall, Yours Truly is my second favorite book by Jimenez and would recommend it for anyone who likes romances.

I'm a huge fan of Abby Jimenez's novels. Every year, I get super excited for her new release and this year was no exception. Getting my hands on an early digital copy was so fun! Yours Truly starts strong. I will be on Team Jacob for all time. He's a swoon-worthy hero in all the best ways. Jimenez handles heavy subject matter quite delicately and I have much respect for her ability to balance intense circumstances with a delightful amount of lighthearted moments.
As always, the characters are unique, well-developed, and feel real to me.
Here's where the novel fell short, in my opinion: Briana. She's insufferable. It isn't until nearly the end of the book that we're granted further explanation as to why she behaves the way she does. Also, miscommunication as a plot device does not work. If Briana and Jacob would've had a meaningful conversation instead of making assumptions, their relationship would've been much healthier and the middle of the book would've been more enjoyable for readers. I appreciate that the author wanted to tackle issues that she is passionate about. Unfortunately, the shortcomings of the plot and structure of the novel overshadowed the content.
I look forward to reading more of this author's work in the future.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions shared here are my own.

An absolute 5-start stunner!

I knew when I read Part of Your World I NEEDED Bri's story. This is the perfect rom com. I absolutely adore Briana and Jacob and all of the twists and turns of their story. Briana is so relatable and awesome and Jacob is just a precious gem of a man. As someone who works in healthcare and has worked ER, I appreciated the realistic description of life in the ER. I could not put it down! Abby Jimenez is a master story teller. Thank you to the Netgalley and Read Forever teams for granting me early access. I cannot recommend Yours Truly enough!

jimenez never disappoints! what a lovely story, written in dual POV per usual. one bed, work place romance, fake dating, and more. what i love most about abby’s books is how REAL they are. thank you for discussing topics that people are fearful to touch upon

Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter. And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.

Abby, Abby, ABBY! she get's me every time. I have the BIGGEST book hangover! We've got ourselves an enemies to friends to lovers trope with a fake dating subplot. Jacob is just the most precious main character I've ever met and the way Briana was with him was so heartfelt. I loved this story so much. It is definitely one of my top reads of the year. This book is full of substance and real life scenarios without it being unrealistic. We have a strong focus on mental health which was written so realistically. I saw a lot of characteristics of Jacob in myself. Briana has a lot of unprocessed trauma and we see a lot of it unfold and the way Jacob handles it all was just perfection. We also get a couple cameos from Alexis and Dan from Part Of Your World. It is always fun to see past characters show up again. Anyways, I don't wanna say too much because you just need to read it for yourself!

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.