Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is going up in flames. Her divorce is about to be finalized, her younger brother needs a kidney donor but has a super rare blood type, and she is back living in the house she grew up in which hasn’t been updated since her childhood. To top it all off, she thought she was going to be promoted but a new prospective male doctor enters the building and the running. Could things get any worse?
It turns out the new Doc, Jacob’s life hasn’t been the greatest recently as well. When he realizes he’s pissed off the one person everyone in the department loves, he decides to write her a letter explaining how things have been misconstrued. As it turns out, Dr. Jacob Maddox is actually a nice guy with some bad social anxiety. As Briana and Jacob get to know each other through passed notes, they begin to realize they would do anything for the other. The problem is they have both just experienced terrible breakups and aren’t ready to get back out there. When Jacob’s family mistakes Briana for his “fictional” girlfriend, the two of them start a fake romance to appease them. If it is fake, why does it feel so right?

I loved this book! This was my first Abby Jimenez read and I am immediately a fan. Jacob was so easy to fall for. I think a lot of people including myself have social anxiety these days and to see that in a character just makes you like them all the more. I also had some things in common with Briana as well, so to see these things written out on the page really made me feel all the feels. Even though the enemies to lovers and fake dating tropes are highly predictable, I think that’s what fans love about them. We all want our happily ever after and Abby Jimenez definitely didn’t disappoint! Thank you Netgalley and Forever Pub for the gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Briana was one of my favorite characters from A Part of Your World, so I was thrilled to get her romance. She meets Jacob when he starts as the new ER doctor where she works. They immediately have a bad start with their boss pitting then against each other for promotion to chief.

Their awkward interactions don't make for a better relationship. Jacob has social anxiety, and I was so pleased to see it represented so well. Briana's ultimate understanding and support were so powerful and a huge part of what made me love them together.

This book has so much to love. There's one of my favorite tropes, fake dating. And the letters for which this is named are so fantastic and moving; I adore epistolary content. Plus there's great fun with his mother who loves to talk about sex toys and hers who shows her love by cooking in abundance. And I really appreciated the spotlight on organ donation.

I loved the book from the start and was confident this would be my new favorite Abby Jimenez. But then I was disappointed in the ending. It left some loose ends and felt a bit too contrived. So this comes in as a solid book that I definitely recommend but doesn't knock her previous books off the pedestal for me.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up

Five huge stars for Abby Jimenez who has become an auto buy author for me. She keeps coming out with amazing stories and I can't get enough! Read this in less than 24 hours because I couldn't put it down. The writing was excellent and the characters were great.

If I had one tiny critique it would be that the miscommunication between the characters was frustrating. But I didn't dislike it enough to drop the star rating. In fact, the more I read, the more I understood why they just couldn't communicate with each other the way I wanted them to. Even though I wanted to shout through the pages for them to just talk already, I completely understood the way they were protecting their hearts. The vulnerability and mental health representation was great and that's why I'm still giving this book all the stars!

Abby knows how to write the ultimate book boyfriends. Jacob was everything. Truly. He was so incredibly loveable. He journaled, he had an adorable rescue dog, he was into plants and he wanted the best for everyone around him, even when it was difficult. He struggled with social anxiety but he showed up for Briana. He tried so hard for her and his love for her was so big. And Briana was so good for him. She was dealing with her own heavy things and could often self sabotage. But you could feel her love for Jacob through the pages. The way she also tried hard for him, made an effort to understand him and what made him anxious. The way she constantly looked out for him and tried to make things easier for him without needing to be asked. Couple perfection!

I feel like we went on an emotional journey in this book. It has tearful moments, funny moments and truly heartfelt moments as well. The secondary characters including friends and family were awesome and a vital part of the story. I loved watching the relationship grow through difficult moments. I also really appreciated the author's note at the end of the book - don't skip it! Overall, a wonderful book that is deserving of all the praise! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy. Look for this one in April and add to your shelves immediately!

Thanks to the above and @netgalley for this #giftedcopy #giftedecopy
in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023! It will be available on April 10, 2023! Pre-order now!

This book was just as good as Part of Your World, the first book in the series. With appearances from Alexis and Daniel, this novel focuses on Alexis's best friend, Brianna Ortiz, an ER Doctor. This book, like all Abby Jimenez books, have witty banter and authentic characters that make me laugh out loud (I literally called my sister because I was laughing so hard at one part) and feel their agony when they have a crisis. This book deals with difficult topics such as: major illness, social anxiety, and marital trauma. Well done, Abby Jimenez! I have read all 5 of your books, and have loved them all!

Oh I absolutely loved Abby Jimenez’s Yours Truly! Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life has been a roller coaster—she’s going through a divorce, her brother needs a kidney transplant, and the promotion she’s been hoping for is now on hold and she’s worried it’s going to the new male doctor who just started. Jacob Maddox feels like he started off on the wrong foot at his hospital, so he sends Briana a letter. There’s fake dating, forced proximity, and just so much love. This story is romantic and emotional and beautiful. It’s a “one more chapter” kind of book that ends up with staying up way too late because these characters are beautiful and the alternating perspective makes it so hard to put down. Jacob’s anxiety journey is so well handled and I loved the openness this book has on mental health. He may just be my new favorite book boyfriend. I mean he is so romantic and kind and amazing. And Briana is so brave and loving, her gentleness to Jacob is breathtaking. I loved the blossoming of their love and their friendship together. Their families too are such wonderful supports too. There were some parts I wish they’d communicate a little better cause they both had their insecurities that could’ve been cleared up easily but they were both afraid. There was so much vulnerability and heart though in this book and I just absolutely loved it.

3.5/4 stars, still debating! i wanted a fun romcom binge on the beach and Abby Jimenez delivered 🙌🏼

i have no doubt this will be another reader favorite!! get excited for April ❤️❤️❤️

the MCs in this one are really dealing with difficult situations—one has extreme situational/social anxiety and is coming off a bad breakup and the other is coming off a divorce and some other trauma. the author handled these topics and emotions with such care and tenderness and it was really beautiful to see them help each other throughout the story. them saying “be harmless to me” 🥹🥹🥲🥲😭😭🫶🏼🫶🏼

i enjoyed this book and really don’t have too much negative to say about it, but the reason it’s not higher rated is because fake dating and miscommunication tropes are some of my least favorites, so it was a bit harder for me to LOVE the plot because i just wanted the MCs to talk to each other but i know some of you like these tropes so you’ll be pleased/won’t harp on that as much as me. i also think the characters did a few immature things for their older age and there were a few random analogies that had me scratching my head, but again some of you might not mind that.

to be honest, it’s going to be nearly impossible for Jimenez to beat THE FRIEND ZONE for me. i devoured that series and the debut is one of my fave romances EVERRR so it’s still sitting pretty at the top spot. this falls somewhere in the middle—i’ll have to update my author ranking 😏

the author’s note was probably one of my favorites to date and tells you a lot more about the subject matter and why Jimenez wrote this book. i wanted to give her the biggest hug after reading, she is just the purest soul and i wish her all the success and happiness 🥹❤️

On his first day of work in the ER, Jacob Maddox is dubbed “Doctor Death” by the nursing staff after he loses 7 patients. If that isn’t bad enough, his severe social anxiety leads to some faux pas that give everyone, especially Dr. Briana Ortiz, the impression that he’s rude as well. In Briana’s eyes, his bad reputation is cemented when she’s told by her superior that her presumed promotion to Head of Emergency Medicine isn’t a guarantee since the new guy is now in the running. So, imagine her confusion when more than one friend tells her she’s misjudged him and that he’s one of the good ones. Who would have thought Jacob’s letter of apology would be the start of a beautiful friendship?

In less talented and superficial hands, this might have been just another simple enemies-to-lovers workplace romance. However, Jimenez gives us LAYERS. Although Jacob struggles to be understood and to navigate social situations, he is one of the most empathetic and altruistic characters ever written, and it’s this care and concern for others that leads him to donate a kidney to Briana’s younger brother. In return, she offers to be his fake girlfriend through the minefield created when his ex-girlfriend and younger brother decide to marry, his family withholding their acceptance of the new relationship until they’re sure Jacob is past his heartbreak. As the weeks pass leading up to the wedding and the transplant surgery, feelings between them begin to grow, but the inevitable misunderstanding gets in the way. Briana doesn’t trust men or her own judgment after being abandoned by her father as a child and her ex-husband in the worst possible way, so is there any chance that they’ll ever have a future together?

In one of the most poignant scenes in this touching romance, Briana says of Jacob, “He let me look into his soul.” Jimenez, with her gift for crafting complex characters navigating some of life’s hardest challenges, has given her readers that same glimpse into the souls of both main characters. In so doing, she has left us with an indelible impression of the power of selfless, harmless, enduring love. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Forever Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start off by saying, I love Abby’s books. I have read and bought all of them and even own multiple copies of Part of Your World. I set my alarm early the day the e-arc came out so that I could get one of the coveted “Read Now” spots on NetGalley. And, on top of all that, I was looking forward to getting a love story about someone like me- someone who has anxiety and struggles with panic attacks.

I had to read this book twice. Once when the book first came out and a second time to give it another chance- because I did not enjoy it the first time. When I read this in late August, my struggle with anxiety and panic attacks was at an all-time high. I was also about to start a new medication, which I was terrified about because I had a really bad experience with the last one.

Reading about a character who struggles so deeply with his anxiety, despite being on medication and taking care of his mental health, nearly crushed me. It was so incredibly hard to be in his head when he deals with a lot of the same struggles and cyclical thinking that I do. I cried for days. This book made me not even want to try medication again.

To make it worse, I felt like his anxiety overshadowed a lot of his personality and his actual feelings towards Brianna in the first half of the book. And though I appreciated how accepting she was of him and how she never made him feel like he was less than or too much for his anxiety, I also felt like the way she supported him was maybe a little over-the-top. At times, it felt more like she was his caretaker than his friend or his girlfriend.

All that said, I decided to give this book another read when my mental health was in better shape. But it took me months because I never wanted to pick it back up, despite the fact that I do love to reread her books. And even after putting it off for nearly seven months, I had to force myself to pick it back up. I wanted to give it a fair chance, though; to read it when I was in a better headspace. But even on my second read, I still didn’t enjoy it all that much. In fact, I think I enjoyed it less.

There was just too much going on in this book: too many tropes, too many conflicts, too many storylines. There was also too much telling and not enough showing when it came to Brianna and Jacob’s feelings for one another. And I still struggled with being in Jacob’s head.

All that said, I do want to end this review on a positive note because it wasn’t all bad. In fact, there are things I loved about it, including:
-The letters
-Inclusion of therapy
-How accepting she was of him, how she never made him feel like he was less than for his anxiety
-Sitting in the rain for hours talking on the phone
-The entertaining side characters (including the parrot)

Even though this book was mostly a miss for me, I am still looking forward to reading more by her. Abby Jimenez will still be my auto-buy author.

Yours Truly ARC Review 💌

I was so excited to snag this ARC from Netgally. I have never been disappointed with Abby Jimenez and this one is now definitely one of my faves!

With the fake dating in the workplace and the emotional side of the hero donating a kidney to her brother, I was unable to put this book down. The letters they sent back and forth had me giddy. You know you’re going to laugh when you get into one of Abby’s books but I almost forget how heart wrenching they can be. I haven’t read many heroes like Jacob Maddox. He was the sweetest cinnamon roll who struggles with serious anxiety which nowadays is so relatable and important to talk about. Believe me when I say you will protect Dr. Maddox at all costs!

The love between the main characters was so profound and beautiful, I just didn’t expect it to be so deep but I loved every minute of it.

Yes, that's right, I'm being picky with this rating. But lemme explain.

First of all, though we do start off a bit awkwardly -- it felt like I was missing a chapter or had jumped in mid-chapter when this book kicked off -- I was pretty invested by, oh, chapter three. Rocky start or no, Jimenez hooks you and once she's got her claws in you, she doesn't let go. And Yours Truly was no exception.

I'll admit, I do feel like she made Bri go too hard on the dislike button for Jacob with the initial anti-meet-cute but thankfully we don't spend too long in that phase. We get into the good stuff pretty soon. And the good stuff? Letter writing. Be still my heart!

But not because they were ooey gooey emosh word vomits, oh no. They were sweet, observational, anecdotal, and funny. Which should come as no surprise because this author knows how to turn a phrase. There were multiple times, even in the non-epistolary portion of the story, where I found myself laughing. Which wasn't even the best part.

The best part? The yearning. The pining. The slowburn. But oh was it slooOoOoOw. Which leads me into the bit I disliked. It was too long. The misunderstandings which veered into miscommunications (due to lack of communications) definitely started to harsh my buzz. I was worried we were going to have an MZ situation on our hands and we'd get the resolution and kiss at 98%. It wasn't quite that dire but we got close! And honestly it dragged too long. Especially considering what came after. Buzz. Kill.

Truthfully, the last 15%, emotional as it was, took some of the wind out of my sails and I couldn't quite recover. There was some important emotional dialogue, specifically I'm thinking of one scene between Jacob and his mother, but it all crashed together too soon and too quickly amongst other things happening and it made the third act conflict even harder to push through. But of course we get our HEA and everything is great so I'm really complaining for no reason, I guess. Everything up until this point though? Pretty rock solid.

Because these characters? Felt so real. Jacob really came off the page for me with his anxieties and his quiet moments but in contrast Briana really grounded things; not Jacob, in her ability to calm him, in advocating for him, but she also felt like a grounding presence for the story. Jacob was much in his head but Bri had mostly external conflicts. Her struggles with her brother, her divorce, they felt very real-world and tangible. And so the way these two complemented each other was just beautifully done and I know that's mostly the point of this pairing, and the romance, but it's easy to try and convince a reader the sky is blue but for the reader to actually believe it? That's a whole other talent.

So, yes, I'll be rounding up in all the non-blog places that count, and I think I had a better time with these characters than I did with the ones in the book before, but it's definitely got a few bumps that did throw me out of the story a bit. However, it's still a Jimenez, which means it's funny, sweet, emotional, tackling a variety of issues, and giving you a romance you want to root for. Even if the characters are occasionally their own worst enemies and being a pile of dumb dumbs. It's all that. Which is why I definitely think you should pick this one up.

3.75 stars

God I loved this book.

Fake dating, disastrous first impressions, social anxiety, horrible ex’s, plant rooms, organ donors, you name it. But the story of Briana and Jacob has so much more depth than I was anticipating. It’s a slow, slow burn folks.

Briana and Jacob are ER doctors. Briana just about to hit the one year mark of her divorce where her ex was cheating for most of it and she never saw it coming. Jacob has to put on a brave face around his massive family because his brother just got engaged to his ex. And in the middle of all of this Briana’s younger brother Benny is waiting patiently for a kidney donor.

The most interesting part of this book for me was Jacob and his anxiety. He manages it very, very well and I loved reading intricately what he does to do so. How it affects him, how he combats it. And love truly shows up when Briana meets him where he is. At a party she gave him a catch-phrase. She told him to work it into a conversation and he could earn 10 min on the stairs with his dog Lt. Dan he brings with him everywhere. I LOVED that. It made it a game for the two of them.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I hope that I can put into words how much I loved this book because it was incredible. The only problem I have with Abby’s books is that she has raised my standards for book boyfriends because Jacob was EVERY 👏🏻 THING 👏🏻! I’ve read and loved all of her backlist, but this one was my favorite and absolutely making it on my top reads list! The characters were so special, I loved Briana & Jacob. The anxiety representation, the fake dating, the love these two had for each other, the LETTERS! 🥹 Truly one of the best books. I’m obsessed. I didn’t want it to end.

Thank you to Abby & Netgalley for the ARC!

So, my first book by Jimenez was last years, Part of Your World. 5 star all the way! So, once I saw this title, I knew I had to request and read immediately! I did, and gah wish she could release a new book every month! this woman can write!

This book grabbed ahold of my heart and immersed me in Briana's and Jacob's lives. At times I had to put it down because I was so invested in their choices, Briana and Jacob are doctors that are working in the same ER. Their first encounter is a disaster and Jacob sends her a letter to explain. This begins an exchange of letters that they each begins to wait for. As they grow closer they make a deal but will the deal keep them from seeing the truth? A story of friendship, family, communication and love.

Abby Jimenez comes through again with a great romcom. I've enjoyed every book that I've read of Abby's. It was so fun to be back in the "Part of Your World" world again with Briana. I always love when we get to stay in the same world and interact with characters from the previous books (Alexis and the other Doctors).

This story pulled me out of my most recent reading slump - it was really hard to stop reading so I could sleep! Fake dating, wild exes, family relationships, and career drama make this story a real gem. I instantly loved these two characters, and was celebrating their friendship from the first letter Jacob sent. Did I mention that I LOVE when characters write letters to each other?

On a more personal note, I really loved the depiction of Jacob's anxiety. It was one of the best written portrayals of the anxiety mind, and how they navigate the world, that I've ever read/seen. I got emotional every time Briana just accepted Jacob's anxiety, and even did her best to accommodate him with no fuss or issue at all. She just accepted him like a real friend should.

I loved this book, and it is the best book I've read so far in 2023. I can't say enough good things about this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book as an advanced reader’s copy.

Dr. Briana Ortiz is a successful emergency medicine doctor and is looking forward to an upcoming promotion but before she gets that promotion a new doctor shows up on the scene, Dr. Jacob Maddox. Despite a terrible first impression the two end up in a fake dating situation and eventually find they are truly each other’s perfect match.

I loved both of the main characters. Briana is laid-back, fun and understanding and Jacob is loving and humble. I liked that despite the well-used fake dating troupe, that there were some elements that were far from cliche. Jacob has pretty serious anxiety and it permeates every aspect of his life and yet we get to see this other side of him as well where he is a handsome, successful doctor that can be relied on. Readers don’t often get presented with male characters that present with anxiety that are also aware and accepting of mental illness. I really appreciated that the author crafted Jacob as a strong male role model in that sense.

I would say that there wasn’t anything especially surprising about the plot of the novel. As a reader, I knew they would fake-date and fall in love but it was fun and heart-warming with enough conflict to keep me interested as they got to that point. Side note: I also love how Abby Jimenez manages to work her bakery Nadia Cakes into her novels. I watch for those little details from her.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a read that is romantic, warm and fun.

*giggles and kicks feet like a child*

I loved this SO MUCH. The main characters have my whole entire heart.

I enjoyed this book, but I don’t think Abby Jimenez is the author for me. I thought the book was good, but the miscommunication throughout and rushed ending really brought it down for me. Overall, I liked this, but I don’t think I’ll be picking up anymore Jimenez books in the future.

There is absolutely no way any review I write could do this book justice. This is, quite honestly, the BEST romance book I've ever read. I loved all the characters - Briana and her recovering heart, Jacob and his anxiety-ridden self, the families, the friends. It all just worked so seamlessly. One thing that I absolutely adored was the representation of anxiety in Jacob. I also suffer from anxiety and related to so many of his thoughts and feelings. I read Part of Your World last year and thought that was amazing (which it was!), but this one surpassed even that. I will literally recommend Yours Truly to everyone. I have to take a break from romance novels because I know nothing will come close to this for a while.

Thank you to the author, netgalley, and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book.

Oh my heart….this book, this story, and especially these characters tangled themselves up into my heart in such a way that felt intimate and personal. Jacob and Briana, two people who have been hurt by love in the past, harmed in ways that were buried deep. Is it possible that they might have finally, after all the pain, found the one person they could trust to keep them safe, and loved….the person who will stay with them, both in spite of and because of who they were? Their story made my heart ache, with its highs and lows, the love and doubt, the complicated way both of their hearts dealt with it all. But like they provided for each other, the special moments they shared stilled my own emotions as it did theirs. There are so many tender scenes in this book that made me smile and even cry, and I’ll always remember them. There are also raw emotions and tough-to-read scenes that made my cry sad tears as I hoped and hoped for them to make it. This is a beautifully-written story about love, about trust, about showing up, about letting someone see into your soul, and about never doing harm to the love of your life.