Thank you, NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for early access to this book! It publishes on April 11th.

I know everyone raves about Abby Jimenez, but this was the first book I read by her! I did not know that characters from this one overlapped with Part Of Your World (also on my TBR for the year), but I don’t think it made toooo much of a difference that I read this one first (still a couple slight spoilers possibly, so just FYI).

Anyway, I love Jiminez’s writing style. It’s super engaging and witty. I was smiling and chuckling to myself all throughout - especially at the banter between the love interests (which was 👌👌). I also really loved that this had a hospital/doctor theme (I’m a big Grey’s fan 🤪), but it ended up not being as prevalent as I was expecting/would’ve liked it to be.

I’m not typically all for the major romance tropes, and this one had a lot of them. Work colleagues, fake dating, and only one bed to name a few, but honestly I thought they were all done pretty well. The only thing that really bothered me was the massive miscommunication that could’ve cleared up SO much if the MCs just talked to each other 🤦🏽‍♀️

Setting that and a few other minor things aside, this was a good story and perfect for the month of love! Definitely recommend for romance lovers and I will certainly be reading more of Jimenez’s work in the future.

<b>"Love shows up. That's how you know when it's real." </b>

Briana & Jacob. He is a beautiful, benevolent angel of a man. Precious! TWITTERPATED!! I am stupid for this book. THE most delightful love story. Speechless. Broken can be beautiful. YOURS TRULY is so lovely. <u>A must read.</u>

<b>"I know all of your quiets. I know when you're alone with me and you're quiet, it's because your brain is still. And when you're in public and you're quiet, it's because your brain is loud. But I don't know this one. What's this one?"
I held her gaze. "This one's you."</b>

I mean 🫠🫠🫠... there are a million quotes and scenes I ADORE. I can't wait to annotate a copy.

✨THINGS AND STUFF✨
-dual pov
-workplace romance: emergency medicine
-mental health rep: anxiety, panic attacks, trauma, therapy, medication, journaling. (as always handled with care & sensitivity)
-friends to lovers
-novelty socks
-handwritten letters on nice stationary
-furry friends
-small, invisible gestures of friendship
-the sob closet
-love & gratitude & appreciation
-fake dating
-Taco Bell & jumbo red velvet cupcakes
-#IsThisAKissingBook: open door. slow burn. "Do you need a hug?"

Thank you Read Forever Pub for an advanced copy. I haven't read a book this fast in a very long time. I love it with my whole heart.

🎶Song: falling up by Will Heggadon🎶

Wow. Abby Jimenez has gained a new fan in me. I absolutely adored this book. 5Stars all day!!!!!

(One TINY criticism: as a reader, I do not love any type of pop culture reference. It takes me out of the story immediately. I read romance to escape the real world and for enjoyment and entertainment. As soon as tik tok or a very specific movie/show or social media is mentioned, I cringe. It wasn’t a lot in this book! And surprisingly, it didn’t bother me too much or take away from the experience as a whole. But just a thought!)

This book gripped me from the very beginning and I spent two very sleepless nights plowing through this story. I couldn't get enough. Jacob, quite possibly, is one of the best heroes I've ever read. I have to admit that it was unusual for me to connect with the MMC as much as I did with him... but his POVs were riveting. He was honest, thoughtful, selfless, caring, and insightful. I clutched my chest right over my heart several times while getting to know him. I was incredibly invested in his feelings and decisions like I almost never have been before with a MMC. Needless to say, he stole my heart in every possible way. If Abby's goal was to write a heartbreakingly perfect and pure soul - she accomplished just that with Jacob.

The letters absolutely sent me into another dimension of swooning. Towards the beginning of the book, when Briana and Jacob's friendship first started, they wrote each other handwritten notes and letters. This is so unique. While I love texting in stories, the letters took it to a whole new level of intimacy. Jacob went out of his way to win Briana over in every possible way, and she was helpless to fight against the chemistry between them. The things he remembered about her, the things he said to her, and the things he did for her... all of it was so amazing. I giggled. I cried. I re read whole chapters. I was OBSESSED.

Both Briana and her younger brother were struggling with some life changing issues in both mental and physical health as well as past relationship and family trauma. The way Jacob sacrificed everything he possibly could to take care of them, show them love and support, and bring them back to life brought me to tears multiple times. I appreciated how delicately Abby wrote about this. It was heavy without weighing me down as a reader. I was still able to stay in that "romance book bliss". It gave depth to the characters without turning it into a trauma dump, if that makes sense.

This book included the most accurate descriptions I've ever read involving anxiety as well. While it was hard to read at some points (because I deal with severe anxiety as well), it was comforting and warm at the same time. Jacob was so mature, self aware, and dedicated to bettering and managing his mental health. In turn, his resilience in combatting his internal struggles gave strength to everyone around him. It was amazing to see Briana support him and be there for him, while learning from him all at once. She had to let go of her fears, and trust her heart - Jacob enabled her to do that and I admired them both so much in the end.

I can't say enough good things about this book. It's one of my top reads already this year and will undoubtedly remain so for a long time.

⭐️: 5/5

After her childhood with a single mother and her recent messy divorce, ER doctor Brianna Ortiz is done with men and drama, so she’s not happy when the new doctor, Jacob, is rude after she tries to console him about losing seven patients on his first day. However, she soon gets a sweet note from him apologizing for his behavior, starting a written letter correspondence she begins to look forward to more than anything else in her life. When it turns out that Jacob is a match for her brother’s kidney donation, and he agrees to be a donor, she agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend at his brother’s wedding festivities. Soon, she’s not sure if she wants to keep pretending…or if she wants the real thing.

I absolutely loved this gender swapped fake dating romance book. Thinking back, is it gender swapped? I certainly have only read romcoms before where the guy is the one who agrees to fake date the girl. I loved this shake up though, and I also loved both Brianna and Jacob. I don’t think I’ve ever related so much to BOTH the main characters. I mean, Jacob is definitely swoon-worthy, but more than that, his anxiety was so so relatable, and relatability is not something that the male main character in romance books usually possesses. I really liked how Brianna is the outgoing, personable one in the relationship and Jacob is the anxious introvert, since I feel like so many romance books fall into the trap of a woman needing to be seen by a man in order to come out of her shell, which, while fun to read sometimes, gets exhausting from a feminism standpoint. I was laughing out loud at this book, and was so in my feels at the end. Yours Truly is everything I didn’t know I needed from a romcom book, and I can’t for this one to come out so everyone can read it! Also, the anxiety that Jacob has about having to see a picture of where he’s going to park is so real and relatable to me, it’s not even funny.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @grandcentralpub for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Abby Jimenez strikes again!!

When I first read Part of Your World, I knew she’d be an author I obsess over. Then I read Life’s Too Short, and that solidified my love for her writing.

I didn’t know what to expect with Yours Truly. But, let me tell you. It was AMAZING.

Now I won’t get into the entire plot but I will say, Abby does such a beautiful job of bringing relatable topics in while still making me laugh. She does Rom-Com SOO WELL!

I have severe anxiety, I have multiple types. Out of every book I've read, this portrays it in the best, least clinical way Ive seen. It portrays the every day reality of severe anxiety incredibly well. It was nice to read little anxious moments that I experience that I don't always realize are an anxious person thing. I am also now going to do the one liner anxiety game when out in public or around people. its genius.

I loved the characters and the plot was so cute but also emotional! I highly recommend this book, and reading the authors note at the end! Abby is so strong and this book becomes even more beautiful when you read her story as well!!

There were moments when I really liked this one and then moments that made me want to pull my hair out. The fake dating lasted too long and got to the point where I was annoyed with the MFC Briana. I really appreciated the care Jimenez took with depicting Jacob’s anxiety. There was one rather large plot point that seemed to be irrelevant to the story and made it feel a bit disjointed for me.

Also it’s 2023 can we not say that some one “looked Hispanic”… come on 🙄. Let’s do better.

Thank you to NetGalley, publisher, and author for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I L O V E D this book!!! Abby cannot do wrong. My stomach tingled, my heart beat a little faster, and my tears did not stop. Must read and my new favorite romance!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for an ARC.

omg I did not expect to love this book as much as I did!!

I loved the fake dating trope, I loved the characters, I loved the plot!! My favourite was Jacob this man was everythingggg!!! I havent read many books with a male character who has social anxiety and I really liked the way the author went around the topic and really glad I was able to read a character struggling through it. I was able to relate so much to Jacob and the way he navigates his day to day interactions.

My favourite books always make me feel so single and this did exactly that! Made me feel like I could find someone like Jacob did, to really be able to understand him.

The only reason its not a 5 stars is because I really dont like pregnancy tropes, and although it wasnt a big trope, it was still there and there just something about them I cant stand,

I absolutely loved this book, I loved the character development, and JACOB is one of my favorite male characters. He was just so sweet and absolutely smitten with Bri. I definitely got frustrated with the lack of communication, but I understand that is how the book was written. It felt as if I was watching a movie, and every time I wasn't reading the book, I was just thinking about what would happen next. I am in the medical field so I LOVED reading about 2 doctors, and I thought the medical information was very well-researched, I am so thankful for getting to read this book early and I can't wait to promote it for everyone to read.

This is a difficult review to write for me because for about 80% of this book, I was really liking it. I didn’t want to put it down, I was staying up late reading, etc etc.

But then there was a scene that felt so completely out of character for both our FMC and MMC. And it really irritated me. It just did not make sense, in my opinion, for these characters to be reckless in the way they were. This story also contained a trope I try to avoid, so I was annoyed when it showed up. The scene and the trope altered how I felt about the entire book.

As someone with anxiety disorder, I did appreciate the depiction of it in Jacob’s character. While there’s not one way those with anxiety disorder experience anxiety/their symptoms etc, there was a lot of how Jacob experienced and processed things that I related to.

There were a lot of inner monologues in this story, which is fine, particularly in Jacob’s case because of his anxiety, but with both characters’s combined it did start to feel like there was a lot.

I do find Jimenez’s books to be compulsively readable. Pretty much every book of hers I haven’t wanted to put down while reading. So even with my hang ups with this one, it still held my attention and made me want to know what happened next.

I’ll definitely continue reading her in the future.

I LOVED Yours Truly! Funny story, I didn’t get the “yours truly” reference until literally the last page, even though I should have put it together much earlier😂🫣

Briana and Jacob were so perfect. Their kind banter, how they took care of each other, plus this book had pretty much every trope (including “only one bed”) and it just worked!!
This was my first book of Abby Jimenez and I will for sure be reading the rest very soon!

Thank you Netgalley and Forever for the ARC! This is a companion to Jimenez's best-seller, Part of Your World. In Yours Truly, ER doctor Briana Ortiz, who's looking to score the position of chief and is dealing with the finalization of her divorce, finds out that the new ER doctor, Jacob Maddox, not so affectionately nicknamed Dr. Death after seven of his patients die on his first day. Just when Briana thinks her promotion is going to be announced, she finds out that she has competition: they hired Jacob to see who'd be the better fit. The only problem is that Jacob has no knowledge of this nor any interest in the job. This one fact leads to a lot of misunderstandings, an apology through a hand-written letter which leads to a no-harm friendship and a complicated fake dating scheme. This book tackles the complications of living with anxiety disorder and the stigma around it, organ failure and donation, and so much more. This is one of my favorite reads so far for 2023. Perfect for fans of the fake dating trope.

I absolutely ADORED Part of Your World and was so happy to get this to read. This can be read as a stand-alone but it’s the same world as Part of Your World. But, now we get to know more about Dr. Briana, Alexis’ best friend. I loved the MCs Briana and Jacob. They’re both ER physicians and awesome in their own ways. Jacob may be one of my favorite MCs ever! He was sensitive, sweet, brave. Ugh I fell in love with him.

The book leans on some classic tropes like fake dating and workplace romance but it also explores deeper topics. I thought Jacob’s dealing with anxiety and mental health was done so well. Also, Briana’s brother dealing with major health issues and the associated impact on his and the life of everyone who loves him was touching and done well.

This book made me laugh, made me sad, made me scream at the characters and in the end I’m so happy for everyone. Briana and Jacob’s families were fun, different but both amazing. I loved Lt Dan, the cutest three legged dog.

The only thing that kept this from a 5/5 for me was that miscommunication was heavy in the second half. I was screaming at them to get it together and just talk to each other because with dual POV you know exactly what they’re both thinking. There was also multiple pregnancy things happening with various characters the last 10% of the book I didn’t totally love.

However, the character development and how amazing as people they were definitely made up for this last bit of the book. I was rooting for them. In the end, everything makes sense. I highly recommend if you like Abby Jimenez or a romance novel with deeper topic. You will fall in love with all the characters in this book!

I can’t wait to buy a physical copy when it’s published to add to my collection ♥️

Abby has a page at the start of the book that discusses TWs and it’s on goodreads. Check it out.

Rating: Absolutely positively without a doubt loved it.

It’s official, Abby Jiminez is queen of the slow burn.

I already knew I would love Briana, because I adored her in Part of Your World, but I knew I would absolutely love this book when we met Jacob.

Jacob is the ultimate book boyfriend. He’s literally perfection. And I don’t want to say too much because I refuse to give out any type of spoiler for this masterpiece. I related so much to his character and it was the first time where I related more to a MMC than the FMC.

As someone who suffers from anxiety, I was nervous that Yours Truly would be triggering, but Abby handled this topic so incredibly well. At the beginning of the book I honestly thought that Jacob might be more on the spectrum than just suffering from social anxiety and there were a few moments throughout the rest of the book as well, but regardless, Briana handled all these situations so well. I literally texted my husband halfway through this book and told him he should read it so he could learn how to handle my anxiety better 🤣

To be honest, I got a little annoyed/angry with Briana at around 80%. There was too much miscommunication going on and it was even more frustrating that you could see it from both characters since this was written as Dual POV. A lot of it I felt wasn’t necessary and was thrown in just to cause conflict. It wasn't written badly, I just didn’t like what was happening, but not enough that it affected my rating.

I’m also sooooo thankful that we got a few (really good) scenes with Alexis and Daniel as well!

Wow. This book was so incredible, from start to finish. You know that feeling when you read a good book you feel like your life changed once you finish it? Yeah, that's this book for me. I am not the same person as I was before this book.

You can tell how much work and research she put into this because the characters feel so genuine and authentic. Abby infused this rom-com with a deep, emotional plotline. It felt like looking into a mirror on every page. I connected and empathized with the characters so much, whether it was Bri's insecurities after a failed past relationship as well as her distrust in men. (I mean who hasn't been there?) Or Jacob's journey of creating a life that works for him as he copes with his anxiety. Abby Jimenez encapsulates those experiences PERFECTLY. The whole time I was like "THATS EXACTLY HOW THAT FEELS" or "I'VE FELT LIKE THAT BEFORE".

I loved experiencing each characters growth throughout this story as well as the development of their relationship. I felt so moved by the end, I had tears in my eyes.

I also have to say Abby should add comedian to her author bio, because this girl had me CACKLING. Not many books or character dialog makes me laugh out loud but this one did, so I'm giving this girl her flowers.

5 billion stars!!!
I definitely would recommend this book!!

ARC Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Yours Truly, novel by Abby Jimenez, available April 11, 2023!

I requested an ARC of this book after reading Part of Your World earlier this year. I wanted to give another book by Abby Jimenez a try and YOURS TRULY is in the same universe, following the story of Dr. Briana Ortiz (Alexis’ friend) and new emergency room doctor, Jacob Maddox.

I love that Jimenez chooses to write about tough issues, this one including living with significant anxiety and life after divorce, in a way that makes you fall in love with the characters and their flaws. I was so immersed in Briana and Jacob’s story, that I—quite literally—finished this book in ONE SITTING. It was THAT good. I knew I could not leave them on the page and go to bed; it just wasn’t going to happen. I also loved the inner circle/families in this book. They are central to characters development and explaining why they do what they do. A grandpa who flirts with the women to get cigarettes? An obscene parrot and a three-legged dog? A mother who is a sex-therapist who loves to talk about vibrators? It was hilarious!

The depiction of someone suffering with anxiety was spot on and the way the characters help each other was heart-warming and gave me hope that empathy exists in the world. JACOB ROCKED MY WORLD. I wanted to grab him and hold him the entire time! This book hit multiple tropes and I was a little concerned when it turned into fake dating, but it WORKED and Jimenez did this spectacularly compared to other romance novels I have read.

Now a few things:

Check trigger warnings before reading this book!

I was a bit off-put in Part of Your World when Jimenez mentioned her business multiple times. It was cringey. She did it again in this book, three times in the matter of a few pages and then again at the end. I get putting in a shameless plug for a bakery in Minnesota, but it just rubs me the wrong way, especially when it could be just a mention of the bakery and not naming it over and over again.

This is a standalone, but I highly recommend that you read Part of Your World first – it will help explain some things when the main characters go to Wakan for some time away. The magical, Encanto-style house has a personality all its own, and we get another scene in the stained-glass window. Luckily in Yours Truly, it wasn’t overdone. It was just subtle enough for you to say, “Ohh! I know what it’s doing!”

Everything else about this book was near PERFECT! I highly recommend you pick up this book!!!

Thank you so much to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced (e-)reader copy and a chance to rate and review this book!

4.5 ⭐️ 1 🌶

TikTok: Video is in draft, will release within 2 weeks of book release!
Amazon: (will post when book released)

“Yours Truly” by Abby Jimenez might take the place as my top Rom Com of all time. This book actually had me laughing out loud and giggling into my pillow on the same page. Abby set the bar for my future romcom expectations, and they are going to be hard to beat.

Briana is a skilled doctor, highly respected in her hospital and is expected to get a promotion, but her private and personal life isn’t so perfect. Her ten year marriage is ending and her little brother is sick and a transplant donor seems so far out of reach.

Jacob starts work at Briana’s hospital, running from his own personal life problems. His ex-girlfriend is dating his brother and announced their engagement. His family is ready to disown them, and while Jacob is hurt, he doesn’t want his brother to also hurt so he lies and says he has a girlfriend so they can see he has moved on. No big deal, he’ll just say they broke up later.

Unfortunately at work, Jacob and Briana start off on the wrong foot, Jacob’s anxiety doesn’t allow him to respond how he wants so he writes her a letter. Briana responds, starting a back and forth “penpal” situation that blossoms into a friendship. Jacob even gets tested to see if he is a match for Brianna’s brother, which he is. After getting caught having a quiet lunch together by his sister, Briana agrees to “fake date” Jacob so they can convince his family he has moved on.

Briana and Jacob quickly fall for each other, but Briana needs to overcome her fear of abandonment by her father and her ex.

I gave this book an EASY 5/5 stars. Everything Abby touches turns into gold and I can’t wait to read more of her work.

Abby Jimenez is an auto-buy for me and this is no exception. I love how she writes her characters, how they aren't perfect but are always perfect for each other. I love fake dating, love a good animal side kick, love flirting through the written word. There is one big reason why this particular story didn't get the usual 5 star rating from me, and that is because my least favourite romance trope is "problems could be solved quickly and easily if the star-crossed lovers just had a conversation" and that was basically the entire second half of the book. I also didn't love that there were 4 babies between 4 couples by the end of the book; I just don't think everyone needed to have a baby for their HEA. Still, I was charmed by Briana and Jacob and highly enjoyed their story!

REVIEW: Yours Truly

SUMMARY: Dr. Brianna Ortiz has had a hard year. She’s recently divorced from her cheating ex-husband, her best friend moved away, her brother needs a kidney transplant, and the chief resident role that should be hers now seems up in the air. But when enters into a fake dating-ship with Jacob, the ward’s quiet new doctor, things seem to be turning around for her.

This was another great read from Abby Jimenez! It brought back everything she does really well: well developed relationships between complex characters who have to overcome personal challenges before getting together. For Brianna, it’s the ability to trust after being betrayed by her husband of 10 years. For Jacob, it’s anxiety coupled with feelings of inadequacy due to past relationships.

It was interesting and entertaining, and I definitely recommend it if you like thoughtful romances. My biggest hangup was the miscommunication between characters, but it honestly made sense in context.

Read it if you’re here for:

💖Fake dating
💖Friends to lovers
💖One bed at the inn!

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Thank you to @netgalley @grandcentralpub and the author for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Abby Jimenez is back again, revisiting some old characters we fell in love with in PART OF YOUR WORLD. This time, it's Briana's turn to find love.

Here is what I loved:
- Great characters!! Bri is someone I would legitimately be friends with and Dr. Jacob is a swoon-worthy love interest
- More great animal representation! Jimenez always writes the most hilarious animals into her stories
- Familiar faces; I love that we got a glimpse of Daniel and Alexis in Wakan and even Kevin Bacon
- Great mental health rep on Jacob's part- you don't often get books where they address it on the male MCs side
- The letter writing- this is a superior form of communication BY FAR

Here is what didn't work for me:
- It seemed like A LOT was rolled in at the last section, most of which seemed unnecessary. Also Jimenez has a trope she uses in a lot of her books which I am not super keen on and it makes another appearance here...
- I wanted more letter writing tbh. I wish there had been more of it continued through the story

Overall, Bri and Jacob are characters you are going to fall in love with and this story does have a special place in my heart. It was a little bit different than I expected it to be, but I am a die-hard Jimenez fan. I also appreciated the personal author's note at the end!!

Thank you Forever Grand Central Pub for an egalley in exchange for my honest review.. This one pubs April 11.