I loved this book with my entire heart and soul! Abby Jimenez is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I swear her writing is pure gold.

The characters were fabulous. I loved Briana when I read Part of Your World and I was so excited to get to learn more about her. She is unbelievably strong. Between going through a divorce, dealing with trust issues and taking care of her chronically ill brother, she had so much on her shoulders. I just wanted her to be happy! Then there is Jacob who I absolutely adore! He was so sweet and thoughtful. He has anxiety and I think Abby Jimenez did a wonderful job discussing it. I have never related to a character so much in my life. I do a lot of the same things (overthinking, needing to know exact plans beforehand, doing research on new places) as him so it was nice to have that representation.

Bri & Jacob are goals! I loved seeing their relationship grow from kind of enemies to friends to a romance. It all happened so naturally. Their chemistry is top tier. The banter between them was hilarious. I laughed out loud so many times. Briana was incredible when it came to Jacob’s anxiety. She helped him feel comfortable in high anxiety situations. I love them and I will never stop thinking about the last few lines of the book!

I guarantee this will be one of my favorite books of the year!

There is one problem with starting off my reading year with Abby's newest book. This problem is that it blew me away, I could not put it down and I have compared every other book I have now read this year to it and nothing so far has come close.

Abby has done it again. This might be my favourite book by her. I absolutely devoured this one. I loved both Jacob and Brianna so much. I love a fake dating trope and I think this was done perfectly. There are just so many things to love about this book. Not only did the love story capture me, but the focus on chronic kidney disease, organ donation and the life of ER doctors added even more to the book.

The one thing I always appreciate so much about Abby's books is that you can tell she does a lot of research and makes sure that the information in her book is factually correct and accurate. I also loved the mental health piece that was in this book. As someone who suffers from anxiety, I related to Jacob a lot. if you didn't get it from the rest of my review, READ THIS BOOK. I'll be over here anticipating Abby's next release.

Thank you so much to Forever publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. You are going to want to read this one. It is out April 11.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an advance readers copy of this book!

Jabby Jimenez is one of my favorite romance authors and I was so excited to read Brianna's (from Part of Your World) story. While this is my least favorite book out of the 4 that I have read, I still really enjoyed it. Brianna is an ER doctor close to finalizing her divorce to her cheating husband. Jacob is a ER doctor who recently transferred to Brianna's hospital to get away from his ex. I won't go into too much detail to avoid spoilers.

This book is a very slooooooow burn, which dragged on for quite a while. Jacob suffers from pretty significant anxiety and for someone who also suffers from anxiety, I feel Abby Jimenez did a wonderful job portraying anxiety through Jacob's character.

Yours Truly has the fake dating trope with of course poor communication between the characters which became quite frustrating after 80% of reading the book. The last 15% of the book had me in tears which is why I landed on a 3.5 star rounded up to 4. I also really missed the funny Brianna from Part of Your World, she just didn't have as many good one liners in this book. While not my favorite, still a solid read from this author.

I loved Bri the moment she entered the picture in Abby Jimenez's other book, Part of Your World. Jacob and Bri had a beautiful slow-burn, friends to lovers/fake dating romance sort of story that does not feel overdone or tired. The characters are fleshed out and believable. Everything from dealing with anxiety, to work, to family.... all told a story I had a hard time putting down!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.75/5 (4⭐️ on GR)

Thoughts: 💭
For my very first Abby Jimenez book this one was cute. The storyline was enjoyable but slower at times where it took me a bit longer to finish.

Briana was a strong FMC, but the true winner here was Jacob. If you’re looking for the ultimate nice guy, Jacob Maddox is the one for you 🤍 We must protect all the Jacobs of the world.

Overall I enjoyed it and would definitely pick up another one of her books in the future. I even have a couple I bought already on my kindle 🙂

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦…

👥 𝘋𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘖𝘝
👩‍❤️‍👨 𝘍𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨
🩺 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
💌 𝘗𝘦𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘭-𝘪𝘴𝘩 / 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴
🦮 𝘔𝘔𝘊 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘴
🧠 𝘈𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
👱🏼‍♂️ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘺
🐾 𝘓𝘪𝘦𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘋𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘰𝘨

Thank you Abby, @readforeverpub, @grandcentralpub, and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Make sure to add this one to your preorder list! Publication date 📆 is April 11th, 2023.

Yours Truly x @authorabbyjimenez
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶
Pub Date: April 10th, 2023
>>> Swipe for Blurb
Its so hard to write ARC reviews without wanting to tell you all of my most favorite parts … Where Do We Start 😲 This was my first Abby Jimenez book and I was not disappointed. Briana might be one of my favorite FMC’s this year. Everything about her just felt unapologetic and willing to love even after everything that she had been through. Prioritizing her brother but also herself UGH LOVED IT! This felt like another situation where miscommunication was done “right” (we all know by now how I feel about this troupe) but I think It was just handled so well. Jacob Maddox!!! The epitome of a cinnamon roll lovey! I loved that Briana also allowed him to be unapologetic when it came to his anxiety. Understanding the ways that he needed to be loved. They were truly harmless to each other (btw that is my new favorite phrase.)
Jacob give Archer Hale vibes ladies, and for some of you I know your already sold😂 (especially the cabin/rain scene😉 you’ll see)💕
The LETTERS.🥺 I was crying 70% of this book …
💬”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 use would hurt or upset the other one.”
💬”Harmless to each other? I do agree to that.”
💬”I wanted to talk to you.”
💬”There is nothing about me that I am afraid for you to know.”
🌟Read This if You Like🌟
🧁Cinnamon Roll MMC
🥳Surprise
👩‍❤️‍👨Fake Dating
👓Mental Health Representation
👨‍👩‍👦Elements of Found Family
READ IT READ IT READ IT❣️
Thank You to @Netgalley & @grandcentralpub for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Pub Date: April 10th, 2023
Follow @Camrynslibrary for more!

This was my first Abby Jimenez book and it will not be my last! Loved the concept of letter writing! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Abby does it again and again and again! I have yet to read something by this author that doesn’t carve its way into my heart. This book is beautiful, heartfelt, fun, funny and incredibly honest about the limitations of anxiety and trauma in the midsts of new relationships. If I could give this book 6 stars I would and I will continue to be first in line to purchase Abby’s book as long as she chooses to writes.

3.5 ⭐️ Loved the first half, but the second half lost me


WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ fake dating romance
✨ co-workers / doctors
✨ anxious, cinnamon roll hero
✨ depressed, kind heroine
✨ both are recovering from a recent breakup/divorce
✨ exchanging letters
✨ miscommunication
✨ so much angst
✨ dual POV
✨topics addressed: anxiety, depression, infidelity (cheating ex), divorce, miscarriage, family member with kidney failure


This review is hard for me to write because the things I loved about the story make me want to give it a higher rating. But the things I disliked are what's making me leave it as is. I was full-on in love with this story for probably the first 50% to the point I was sure I'd be giving it 5-stars. But around the 50% and onward mark, I noticed things I didn't quite like.


What I liked:

- Jacob. I loved everything about this man. He's so sweet, understanding, considerate, and caring. He's also incredibly self-aware and manages his anxiety in a healthy way. Jacob isn't perfect, but he tries his best to be. If he does something wrong, he'll try to fix it. If he's hurt someone, he'll apologize. He's so selfless he even donates his kidney to a stranger! He's also got a beautiful home, a sunroom filled with plants, and a three-legged dog! Where do they make men like him??? Jacob is one of the most loveable male characters I've ever come across while reading, and I want him to be happy in this fictional world. 💕

- Brianna. What a firecracker! She is smart, fierce, fun, loyal, and kind. But she also has a secret crazy side where if you mess with her or the people she loves, she'll come for you! She cares so much for those around her (like Benny), even at her own expense. I absolutely adored Bri and laughed so hard when we found out exactly how she responded to her cheating husband.

- The letter exchanges at the beginning were so adorable! It's not something I've seen done very often in books, but it's such an interesting way for the characters to open up and be vulnerable with one another in a short amount of time. While Bri's letters tended to be more fun and entertaining, Jacob's letters were reflective and sincere. The exchanges were a sweet way for the characters to get to know one another while establishing trust.

- Bri and Jacob's romance. The love these two have is the soulmate kind. They were drawn to each other and perfectly fit in a way most people can only dream of. There was so much respect, understanding, patience, love, and passion way before things even progressed physically, so you know what they have is the real deal. I really enjoyed watching them grow together and help each other work through their own issues.

- The depth of this story. I was expecting more of a fun, sexy vibe like in Part Of Your World, and while this did have light-hearted, entertaining moments, it was a lot more serious and dealt with some heavy topics. Anxiety is the main focus since Jacob struggles with this, and I think Abby Jimenez did a great job showcasing what it's like to have anxiety and the challenges of managing it. The book also talks about depression, infidelity, divorce, miscarriage, and a family member with kidney failure. None of these topics are easy to discuss, but I think Abby Jimenez did a fairly decent job with them. I do think there may have been so much going on that certain topics were overlooked and quickly wrapped up in the end, but it did work with the story.


What I didn't like:

- How Jacob's anxiety somehow isn't as present once he starts spending time with Bri. As someone who struggles with anxiety, it is true that there are some people who can help calm the anxiety. However, the fact Jacob claims to basically have little to no anxiety around Bri (at least when he's not stressing about liking her) is so ridiculous and far-fetched. I think it feeds into the unhealthy belief that being with someone can 'fix your problems'.

- There are too many tropes. You've got workplace romance, rivals to lovers, recovering from a breakup, fake dating, stuck together, one-bed, MISCOMMUNICATION, soul mates and I can't even say the last one without spoiling something major. But as you can see, there are quite a few. And while they all worked together, it just made the story unnecessarily complicated.

- The slow-burn romance was soooooo slow and was sprinkled with so much MISCOMMUNICATION that it caused too much unnecessary angst. Throughout the story, Brianna and Jacob do things for each other that are obviously actions of love, and both have inner monologues about how they are falling in love with the other, but because of miscommunication, they can't fathom the other person could reciprocate their feelings. These two were a ticking time bomb that finally exploded at the 85% mark when they FINALLY showed romantic feelings for each other by having sex. But soon after, Brianna withdraws, and the angst resumes. While I love their love for one another, watching their relationship evolve was not an enjoyable experience.

PS: There's one sex scene, and it's very abrupt. After making us wait so long for them to get together, I wanted this moment to be drawn out, but it wasn't. So if you are looking for a spicy read, this ain't it.

- The inner monologues became incredibly repetitive. I noticed this a little in Part OF Your World and I'd found myself skimming a few sentences. But this happened so frequently in Yours Truly, that I skimmed paragraphs. There were a lot of deep thoughts, which are obviously important, but it felt like the characters were beating a dead horse by talking about the same things over and over again.

- No matter what, Amy is and will always be an unlikeable character. From how she's described, she seems to have narcissistic tendencies and needs to learn empathy. And by the end of the book, we're supposed to understand and accept Amy but I just couldn't.


Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.

Fake dating in the universe Abby Jiminez has created? Yes please. Being able to come back and visit more of these characters a fifth go-round was a wonderful gift.

Yours Truly deals with a lot of heavy topics in a delicate manner (anxiety, chronic illness, depression, gaslighting) from both the point of view of having it happen and watching it happen to someone you love. It’s rare a book manages to encapsulate these feelings correctly, and Yours Truly does just that. The introduction of a host of new lovable characters, some terrible first impressions, some shenanigans all large families can relate too, and the chaos of the ER made this book impossible to put down. Loved it.

Oh my goodness, how I LOVED this book! I think this is one of Jimenez’s best books yet. I loved Bri and Jacob and their incredibly slow burn friends-to-lovers/fake dating romance. I especially loved Jacob and how self-aware he was; his coping strategies for his anxiety; and how fully and deeply he loved Briana. The mental health representation was excellent. I found myself so impatient and eager for them to finally communicate their love for one another, but my intense feelings about it were a testament to the writing, which had my heart in a vice grip for 90% of the book. I will reread this book again and again, and will be recommending it to every RomCom reader I know.

Abby Jimenez has a way of adding light, hope, and humor to things like mental healthy & human tragedy - and Yours Truly is no exception! Now, normally with a romance novel, I'd have few qualms about sharing exactly what worked and what didn't work for me because it's almost impossible to spoil the ending.

It's a romance, there's an HEA. The back cover of the book basically tells you the ending.

But with this Jimenez novel, to tell you what I absolutely LOVED, and, unfortunately in this case, what didn't work for me would spoil key events in the novel. So I'll try my best.

First off, I was sold on this book the moment the MCs started writing letters back and forth to each other. If there's a quicker way to show personality and kickstart a romance, I can't think of one.

This was an excellent representation of mental health - both the positive and the negative. As someone who does not offer from anxiety, I always find it interesting to read books from the perspective of someone who does. It gives me a new appreciation for what goes through those people's minds - to be less of an Amy and more of a Brianna.

I loved how in this novel you can clearly see how Brianna and Jacob start to fall for each other and how they make space for each other in their lives. You can see how they become each other's "maybes." Both of these characters had been in relationships that they thought were endgame, only to be dumped and brokenhearted. But after meeting each other, spending time together, and catching feelings - they both realized they had had no idea what love was before. And that was a beautiful realization to watch BOTH MCs come to, and not just one.

I also really enjoyed how Alexis (from Part of Your World - would recommend reading a summary of that book before starting Yours Truly) basically broke the forth wall by pointing out Brianna & Jacob's third act breakup (a cornerstone of the romance genre) and calling it a "flinch." Because if that isn't the MOST ACCURATE word choice for what happens in romance novels, one of the characters flinches away from the HEA, I don't know what is.

Read if you like:
Enemies to Friends to Lovers
Fake Dating
Only One Bed/Forced Proximity
Meddling families

This book had TWO of my least favorite tropes in it, I won't say them to spoil the book - but if you know me, you know what they are. The other thing that really got me in this book was the third act breakup. In my opinion, it didn't make a lot of sense and kind of felt like it was. a wrench being thrown in just for the sake of a wrench. It brought the whole novel to a full stop, just to be somewhat easily resolved quickly thereafter. But that's just one readers opinion.

All in all, would recommend! Jimenez writes beautiful love stories that are hard to put down and that will make you laugh, cry, and restore faith in humanity.

I have no words to truly describe my love for this book. When I finished it, I sat down and cried for around 30 minutes. This book perfectly encapsulates kidney disease and how care takers feel with such a horrible disease. I am such a fan of Abby, and especially for the first book in this series Part of Your World, and this book matches all my expectations. I really really loved it and will be rereading.

Abby Jimenez has the rare talent of writing swoony tales that are equally heartwarming and relatable. She’s an instant-buy author for me and I haven’t even made it through her full repertoire yet.

After reading Part of Your World, I was really excited to read Bri’s story. Strong, independent Bri who’s had a spectacularly shitty year after finding out her husband has been cheating on her for years with her friend. Weeks before her divorce is final, she meets Jacob. Their connection is obvious but their relationship is a bit of a chaotic rollercoaster.

There was so much about this book that had me swooning (the letters! The quiet acts of love!) but the general theme of the miscommunication trope had me frustrated and added unnecessary conflict and made me irritated at so many points. I loved that these two characters were wholly human, a little traumatized in their own ways and learning to trust themselves and others again, but the chaos was too much for me at moments.

I still enjoyed it—Abby is a talent and I actually really loved both of these characters, but this wasn’t her best. I’ll still add it to my shelf though!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶

I love Abby Jimenez so much! I woke up crazy early one morning just to get this advanced reader ebook and it was sooo worth it! Abby never fails to deliver a beautifully written story that will make me laugh, cry and swoon, sometimes all in just one chapter! It's like a rollercoaster and I love it. While I can't say that Bri and Jacob are my favorite Abby Jimenez couple, their love story and development were wonderful. I love the pacing of the story and how Bri and Jacob have so much quality time together to really fall deeply in love. As with any of Abby's books, I very highly recommend this one to all romance readers!

Another phenomenal book from Abby Jimenez!! A great story, fantastic characters, the perfect amount of steam, lots of laugh out loud scenes, and subject matter that you can relate to and yet you can feel for these characters and want the best for them. Loved it!!
4.5 stars!

In this latest installment from Abby Jimenez we meet Briana and Jacob, two E.R. doctors who are recently single following traumatic relationships. While they briefly start off as enemies they are quickly drawn to each other. Jacob has never felt like someone understands his social anxiety quite the way Briana does. Briana has never met such a selfless man before.

I loved the build in chemistry between these two characters. While the attraction is instant I felt like they really get to know and understand one another. The letter writing at the beginning of the book was absolutely adorable and I wish it had continued but understand it wasn't necessary once the two characters were actually talking to each other.

Because of the anxiety there is a lot of miscommunication in this book. While Jacob's social anxiety is introduced early on and handled well, I felt like Briana's anxiety was ignored. It's clear throughout the book that she is dealing with past trauma but no one encourages her to do anything about it until the very end of the book. I felt this was a bit of a missed opportunity. Around the 80% mark I was ready for the miscommunications to end.

That being said, I loved both Jacob and Briana as characters and loved them together. They intend to be harmless safe havens for one another in a truly endearing way. I enjoyed this book as a whole and the romantic tension gave me butterflies. I love the way they look out for each other, stuck up for each other, and also pushed themselves outside of their comfort zones (but not too far) for each other.

This was a hit and I am thankful I had the chance to read it before it comes out in April!

I’m calling it now, this book will be one of my favorites of 2023. Oh my goodness this book gives the perfect cinnamon roll main male character and a very relatable main female. Jacob is so easy to adore and relate to with his anxiety, I loved how Bri takes the time to understand what he needs and he does the same for her.

Seriously this book deserves all the stars. 🌟

Jimenez does it again!⁣
⁣
I've read each of Abby Jimenez's books and they all deliver. I have to call it, she builds tension like no other - the best in the biz.⁣
⁣
Super Brief Summary⁣
Jimenez charms with this poignant and often hilarious romance between ER doctors. Briana Ortiz is initially suspicious that new hire Jacob Maddox is out to steal her promotion, but Jacob surprises her by taking himself out of the running. ⁣
⁣
Read if you love:⁣
🔸Second chances⁣
🔸Fake dating⁣
🔸Real people romance⁣
⁣
I say real people romance because Jimenez seems to always nail this, for example, one character is carrying some unhealed trauma and the other has social anxiety. I think my only tiny issue was from around 60-80% the miscommunication started to wear on me a little but overall it's a solid 4 star read for me!⁣
⁣
Thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for this review copy. Yours Truly is out on April 11th!

Another fantastic book by Abby Jimenez! I have read all of her previous books and "Yours Truly" hit the mark again for me. In this book, we follow the story of ER physicians Briana Ortiz and Jacob Maddox. Briana is finalizing her divorce and coming to a standstill in her life when the arrival of the newly hired doctor, Jacob, threatens her promotion. After the first wrong impression, a tentative friendship blossoms between the two and thus begins their story as they navigate their own personal issues, overcome fears and try to love again.

One of the things I love about her romance books is how mental/physical health issues are incorporated into her stories and help make the characters so much more relatable and tangible. Happy to see some Hispanic representation and some awareness on autoimmune diseases in the book as well! Jacob is a perfect example of how women find vulnerability on a man sexy and his own struggle with anxiety adds depth to his character and his personal struggles. Overall it was a 10/10 read for me and I highly recommend reading the author's note at the very end-- it truly makes you enjoy the book so much more when you learn about the authors inspiration for it.