This book... I don't even know where to begin to describe my love for it. It completely swept me off of my feet.

I have read ARC's of Abby's books ever since The Happy Ever After Playlist and so I'm never surprised when I read another book of hers that I adore. Because she is just a talented author and I've loved every single thing she's written. But there was something different in this one. You could just feel it. This story was beautiful, extremely raw, and one of the most incredible stories I've ever read. It's easily my favorite book that Abby has written.

Let's start with Jacob. I have many book boyfriends. So many that I've lost track. But Jacob Maddox... this man is the definition of steady, solid, kind, selfless, and loving. He is the blueprint for what every woman deserves and how deeply someone deserves to be loved. Being inside of his head was just as painful as it was beautiful. I get fairly protective over certain characters and he might've just taken the number one spot on my "protect at all costs" list. Because this man is a literal dream. I long to be loved like this man loves Briana. The way he described his adoration, respect, and love for her... It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. I feel like "love" isn't even a strong enough word to describe how he feels for Briana and I think that's a beautiful thing. His feelings go beyond what can even be described in words and I *felt* that on a visceral level.

On to Briana. This woman had me frustrated beyond words at times but I adored the heck out of her. The way she loved and treated Jacob had my heart exploding with happiness and gratitude. I feel like so often we get books where the love the man has for the woman is emphasized which is amazing. Because that's part of the beauty that is the escapism in romance novels. But it's less common to see the love reciprocated and shown just as deeply from the woman to the man. This book had that and it was beyond beautiful to read about. Her love for him was so evident and lovely. She loved him so much and learned how to show him love in the ways that he needed it. I only hope to eventually show something this deep of a love because it was one of the most incredible things to read about.

The pining in this book had me reeling. I genuinely would have to set my book down and gather myself on so many occasions that I lost track. It was amazing. I wasn't expecting this book to be as much of a slow burn as it was. But the tension that was drawn out was written excellently. I was never bored with this book. It had just as much romance and focus on the main characters as it did the other plots that were happening simultaneously. This book put me through the emotional ringer and I'm still just taking moments even while I write this review to stop and think about this book and what it made me feel.

Abby Jimenez is one of my favorite authors and this book is a testament to her incredible talent. I'm just sitting here staring at my book in awe of what she wrote and how she made me feel. This book made me giggle, smile, laugh out loud, cry (both happy and sad tears)... I don't even know if I am able to put into words properly my love and adoration for this book. You can feel that Abby threw herself into this story. She always has written incredible books that had incredible romantic relationships, a great plot, as well as substance and depth. And this book was the most incredible cumulation of all of these things. She is one of the few authors I read constantly from that have representation for chronic diseases/illnesses/disabilities and considering this one was drawn from personal experience... I'm so amazed by her. And I seriously love this book.

I've had this book on my shelf for months now and just haven't reached for it until yesterday. But I'm so happy I waited. Because I believe that I read a book when I want to and trust that it's going to be the right time and the right moment for me to properly experience that book. And that's how I feel about this one. It was the right time for me to read and love it. Thank you Abby for writing this story. You poured your heart and soul into this story and it shows. It's felt. You are incredible and an inspiration. Thank you for sharing this story with people.

*Thank you Abby Jimenez, Forever Publishing, and Netgalley for both the physical ARC and the e-arc to read in exchange for an honest review.*

This book... I don't even know where to begin to describe my love for it. It completely swept me off of my feet.

I have read ARC's of Abby's books ever since The Happy Ever After Playlist and so I'm never surprised when I read another book of hers that I adore. Because she is just a talented author and I've loved every single thing she's written. But there was something different in this one. You could just feel it. This story was beautiful, extremely raw, and one of the most incredible stories I've ever read. It's easily my favorite book that Abby has written.

Let's start with Jacob. I have many book boyfriends. So many that I've lost track. But Jacob Maddox... this man is the definition of steady, solid, kind, selfless, and loving. He is the blueprint for what every woman deserves and how deeply someone deserves to be loved. Being inside of his head was just as painful as it was beautiful. I get fairly protective over certain characters and he might've just taken the number one spot on my "protect at all costs" list. Because this man is a literal dream. I long to be loved like this man loves Briana. The way he described his adoration, respect, and love for her... It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. I feel like "love" isn't even a strong enough word to describe how he feels for Briana and I think that's a beautiful thing. His feelings go beyond what can even be described in words and I *felt* that on a visceral level.

On to Briana. This woman had me frustrated beyond words at times but I adored the heck out of her. The way she loved and treated Jacob had my heart exploding with happiness and gratitude. I feel like so often we get books where the love the man has for the woman is emphasized which is amazing. Because that's part of the beauty that is the escapism in romance novels. But it's less common to see the love reciprocated and shown just as deeply from the woman to the man. This book had that and it was beyond beautiful to read about. Her love for him was so evident and lovely. She loved him so much and learned how to show him love in the ways that he needed it. I only hope to eventually show something this deep of a love because it was one of the most incredible things to read about.

The pining in this book had me reeling. I genuinely would have to set my book down and gather myself on so many occasions that I lost track. It was amazing. I wasn't expecting this book to be as much of a slow burn as it was. But the tension that was drawn out was written excellently. I was never bored with this book. It had just as much romance and focus on the main characters as it did the other plots that were happening simultaneously. This book put me through the emotional ringer and I'm still just taking moments even while I write this review to stop and think about this book and what it made me feel.

Abby Jimenez is one of my favorite authors and this book is a testament to her incredible talent. I'm just sitting here staring at my book in awe of what she wrote and how she made me feel. This book made me giggle, smile, laugh out loud, cry (both happy and sad tears)... I don't even know if I am able to put into words properly my love and adoration for this book. You can feel that Abby threw herself into this story. She always has written incredible books that had incredible romantic relationships, a great plot, as well as substance and depth. And this book was the most incredible cumulation of all of these things. She is one of the few authors I read constantly from that have representation for chronic diseases/illnesses/disabilities and considering this one was drawn from personal experience... I'm so amazed by her. And I seriously love this book.

I've had this book on my shelf for months now and just haven't reached for it until yesterday. But I'm so happy I waited. Because I believe that I read a book when I want to and trust that it's going to be the right time and the right moment for me to properly experience that book. And that's how I feel about this one. It was the right time for me to read and love it. Thank you Abby for writing this story. You poured your heart and soul into this story and it shows. It's felt. You are incredible and an inspiration. Thank you for sharing this story with people.

*Thank you Abby Jimenez, Forever Publishing, and Netgalley for both the physical ARC and the e-arc to read in exchange for an honest review.*

This novel has a little bit of everything! It’s more than a rom/com as it explores issues of self esteem, surviving mental and physical breakdowns and finding the person who loves you for all that you are!!

This novel is told from two points of view.

Dr. Brianna Ortiz is in a difficult and heartbreaking time in her life. Her divorce from her cheating husband is finally going to be finalized and her younger brother, Benny, is running out of time to find a kidney transplant. He’s so young and it is killing Brianna to see him like this.

Meanwhile the promotion that she was counting on may just not happen.

Dr. Jacob Maddox has just started at the hospital as another ER doctor who will be working alongside Brianna. The staff nurses are “out to get” this newbie if he will be challenging Brianna’s promotion.

Jacob has left his former hospital because he desperately wants to get away, away from his ex-girlfriend and his brother, who are now dating. He has a lot of personal insecurities, anxiety, phobia, etc. He is very shy and to some he comes off as cold – that is until they see him stitching up a little girl’s doll along with the patient– Aww!

The back and forth between these two characters is fun to read but it did get repetitive after a while. I kept on thinking, come on already – just let this happen!

Still it was a lot of fun watching these two writing notes to each other, calling each other and then finally admitting their love.

This novel delivered exactly what is promised and it was a fun diversion with some great characters. I can definitely recommend this one!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

Loved this book. This is my fav for the last 6 months. Can't wait to recommend it to patrons and other librarians.

This book was so good’ I loved every aspect of this book and think it’s her best work so far! Highly recommend!

Yours Truly - Abby Jimenez

Abby Jimenez has done it again; she has broken my heart and then repaired it to be stronger than before.

Abby Jimenez is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors; I read Part Of Your World and The Friend zone by her and fell in love with the way she writes characters; they feel natural and are entirely lovable. Words cannot describe this masterpiece, but I'll try anyways. 

I loved Brianna in POYW and was wishing for a book for her. She is such a bad ass and strong willed; I love it. So, Brianna, also known as B or Bri, is divorcing her husband, who cheated on her multiple times with her friend. She's trying to get a higher position at the hospital where she works, which is the same as in Part Of Your World, but this new guy shows up and interferes with it. Bri feels like her life is falling apart; along with the promotion, her brother is in renal failure and is on dialysis waiting for a new kidney. He has a rare blood type, and the chances of getting one look next to none. Her brother, Benny, isn't Benny anymore; he has no hope or light left in his life. 

Jacob is that new guy. He recently moved hospitals to escape his ex-girlfriend, who happens to be marrying his younger brother. To top that off, his family is looking at him for how to act. Jacobs's selfless personality only wants the best for his brother and his ex, so he says he has a girlfriend to make everyone think he's moved on and isn't bothered by them getting married. But of course, he doesn't have a girlfriend, so that's a problem, especially because "she" is expected to accompany him to their wedding… 

Brianna and Jacob have a rough start but with the help of a cupcake and exchanged letters, they quickly become friends. 

Long story short, Jacob is a universal donor and offers Benny a kidney. He wanted to do the surgery anonymously, but someone didn't get the message, and Bri found out. She was ecstatic. Jacob did not do it for her; he did it for his mom to pay back a kind act her friend did for her. Clearly, he did not do it for selfish reasons and did it out of the kindness in his heart. 

To another long story short, he asks Brianna to be his fake girlfriend, and she says yes. He asks after she finds out about the kidney, so I can see where people would think this is toxic and she feels like she has to do it; however, in one of her inner monologues, she clearly states she would have done it without the kidney because she has been to a wedding by herself before. It was a disaster, and no one should go to a wedding alone, especially their ex-girlfriend and brother's wedding. 

A part I adored was Jacob's anxiety; I struggle with social anxiety myself and felt so understood. Some things aren't the same as mine, but no one works the same way. It made me more cautious of what other people are going through. His social anxiety is something that affects him significantly, and Bri understood that. He didn't have to tell her things; she just knew because she cared enough to make him feel comfortable. Abby Jimenez didn't just mention it once and forget about it; she incorporated it ALL the time. I loved that because most authors skim over it and don't go in-depth about it. I truly felt he had anxiety and not just a moment here and there where he was nervous.
 
The ending was perfect, (spoilers) when he gave her his journal, my heart broke. I felt his love for her in my own heart. I cried tears of joy because at that moment, I knew there would be a HEA. (End of spoilers) This book has become a part of me. Out of the 400+ books I’ve read, this one will PROUDLY sit next to the other 9 I call my favorites, one of those being POYW.

I love Abby Jimenez's writing, and I WILL be reading her whole backlist urgently. 

Thank you to Net Galley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this beautiful piece of literature.

Thank you Net Galley for providing me with an arc of Yours Truly, out April 2023!

Part of Your World was one of my favorite books that I read in 2022. I devoured it and became a huge Abby Jimenez fan. I was so excited when I got this arc and I’m pleased to announce, this did not disappoint.

Yours Truly follows Brianna, an ER doctor who’s silmultaneously going through a divorce and her brother having a rare autoimmune disease that is requiring him to need a kidney. Enter Dr. Jacob Maddox. He’s new to the hospital Brianna works at and starts off on the wrong foot. One thing leads to another and not only is he donating his kidney to her brother but they also enter a fake relationship.

This book is a slooooow burn. I don’t think they kissed until 80% of the way in which I LOVE. The tension! The angst! The sigh of relief when they finally get together. It works because these are two people who’ve been through a lot are trying to heal. It wouldn’t have made sense for them to rush into anything and I appreciated how Abby Jimenez created space for them to work through their pasts.

I loved this book so much. The banter was everything. Jacob is a soft MMC with social anxiety and a heart of pure gold. The BEST book boyfriend. Brianna is a strong FMC who is in her reputation era (for the swifties lol) and I loved her so so much.

From the author that brought us Part of Your World, Yours Truly follows Briana who is an ER physician, who has a divorce looming over her head and a brother in crisis leaving her heart in shambles, and yet can't seem to avoid the cute, new ER doctor causing chaos in her hospital...

As someone who loved Part of Your World, I had HIGH expectations for Yours Truly, especially because Bri steals the show in that book so completely.

Briana and Jacob's story is one that is still LOL funny with really beautiful moments, but is far more grounded in a sometimes daunting reality.

Here's What I Loved:
- The Characters. Both the main and side characters in this book feel fully fleshed out and are so easy to fall in love with. Bri is as funny as she was in Part of Your World and seeing more layers from her was delightful. Jacob is one of the best male love interests I've read in a while. PROTECT JACOB AT ALL COSTS! And the gaggle of family members and pets just added to the story in a fun way. Vulgar pet parrots, sassy grandpas, and cameos from past characters? YES PLEASE!
- The Plot. I found this book to be realistic in how messy life can be. Briana is dealing with really tough things that affect so many people with sick relatives, cheating spouses, and heartbreak after heartbreak. I found the relationship to be relatable. I found the letter writing so cute. And I couldn't help turning page after page.
- Mental Health Inclusion. Jimenez does a great job in describing what it means to deal with anxiety, depression, and other feelings/emotions/etc. I felt extremely seen in Jacob's anxious moments and I know it will resonate with so many, just as Briana's traumas will feel so real to others.

Here's What I Struggled With:
- Tropes. Although I wanted to absolutely love this book, there were a few tropes that stopped me from doing so. First, Briana and Jacob are mid-30 year old doctors, so when the miscommunication trope came in full throttle and stayed for a beat too long, I couldn't help but roll my eyes a bit. And no spoilers, but there is one trope that just always rubs me the wrong way that I don't feel like needed to be included, especially given their maturity and Briana's past trauma.

Overall, I thought this was a great read. It has everything for everyone and I know so many of you will love it!

Thank you Forever and Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Although I don’t reach for romcoms first, Abby Jimenez books are an exception. She writes these amazingly smart stories of women and men that are fun, funny and manage to balance tough topics with grace. I will definitely be recommending Brianna’s story with library patrons!

I was in the mood for a romance featuring two interesting people and Yours Truly was all that and more. The author wrote about someone who had to function in the world despite social anxiety. She made me believe she understood what life would be like living with that kind of anxiety. This romance worked for me because the main characters had unique personalities.

I lovvvved this. It’s heartfelt and funny and super sweet and I already miss these characters. Arguably my favorite Abby Jimenez book to date. The characters were really flushed out and real and wow, I love Jacob and his family so much.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Dr. Briana and Dr. Jacob have gone through the emotional ringer. And it doesn't help that they got off the the VERY wrong foot when Jacob starts working at Briana's hospital and they just about ruin each other's already rough year. Both of their significant others have left them in emotionally traumatizing ways. But when Jacob leaves Briana a letter - an honest to god LETTER - along with a kidney for her sick brother, everything changes. And Briana can't help but say yes to Jacob's one request to get his family off his back about "not having a girlfriend..."

This book excels in its characterization, humour, and relationship building! Briana and Jacob are fully fleshed out people whom you love and believe in, both separately and together. You really root for them and believe that they love each other through their internal monologues and the author taking the time to build their connection up. They absolutely GROW from start to end in such a realistic manner.

Briana is a character with SPUNK, unapologetically herself and standing up for those she loves - her relationship with her lovingly overbearing El Salvadorian mother made me laugh on more than one occasion.
Jacob has anxiety, and it was SO refreshing to see a very realistic anxiety rep in a male character! His family was absolutely hilarious (the parrot who only speaks in profanity? Iconic) and provided most of the humour in this novel. He is such an emotionally mature and sensitive man, which I feel the romance genre is severely lacking in! Their epistolary relationship at the beginning had me giggling and kicking my feet, and the moments of humour were genuinely funny,

You should read this book if you like the following tropes as they are all done brilliantly:
- Fake dating
- Only one bed!
- Workplace romance
- Mutual pining
- Friends to lovers

However, it is important to note that this is by no means a lighthearted romance.

There are some heavy topics addressed which is why tonally I struggled with this book. Maybe that's the point - these two people are finding joy with each other while struggling with mental health and family issues. However, there's parts that gave me some emotional whiplash; for example, we cut from a hilarious letter from Jacob regarding a bet gone wrong to Briana musing about her brother being potentially suicidal.
There is also what I would deem a bit of a trauma-dump at the beginning with Jacob and Briana musing about how their lives suck and everything is going wrong for them. Briana has a very ill brother, she grew up "very poor", her dad left her, her husband cheated on her with her best friend ... it is a LOT. I would check a full list of trigger warnings, (including spoiler ones I have not mentioned) before suggesting this novel. This isn't a light book, but rather an emotionally heavy book with moments of great love and lightness.

My biggest issue unfortunately was with the second half of the novel as it relies HEAVILY on miscommunication to the point where it gets emotionally exhaustive, and takes a sharp turn into straight up soap-opera territory.

Overall, I appreciated the new things this book did for the romance genre with its excellent representation, characters, and fun spin on some classic tropes. I would just caution others to be in the right emotional headspace before picking up such a surprisingly intense novel.

Abby does it again! Bringing the same level of deep and heartfelt romance as always, Yours Truly is such a tender and soft love story. There were moments that had me laughing out loud, moments that made me swoon, moments that made my jaw drop. Abby is truly one of the best romance authors in the biz, and I’m so grateful for every chance to be a part of her ARC team. I already know I’ll be missing Briana and Jacob tomorrow,

I'm sure it comes to no surprise that this is another slam dunk, out of the park, amazing novel from Abby Jimenez. There was so much depth, witty banter, a hint of steam, and moments that utterly ripped your heart out. It was so refreshing to have a main character with an anxiety disorder that it was extremely accurately portrayed. Jacob was such a treat and I found myself falling in love with him from the start. I thought the letter writing between he and Briana was such a breath of fresh air, and really added that next level to the novel. It almost gave the two characters more relatable characteristics to the readers. They felt real and fresh, and like two people that you were just rooting for from the beginning. The book was fast paced and something I felt like I couldn't put down. I loved that Alexis and Daniel made several appearances throughout the book, and would love to see another written about the four of them together. This was an absolute masterpiece and one I devoured in just a few days! I will definitely recommend to all my friends and family!! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this novel.

Abby Jimenez has become an all-time fav author for me now. Yours Truly CAPTURED my heart. 🥹🫶🏽🥹🫶🏽JACOB AND BRIANA 🫶🏽🥹🫶🏽🥹. The plot, the romance, and THE CHARACTERS are all so good. When I tell you this book had me grinning and blushing and almost crying. Jacob was sooooo sweet and he had such a way with words that left me in awe time after time throughout this book. Jacob and Briana were perfect for each other in such a way that even their silence between one another spoke a thousand words. I ate this book up and I need to read every other book Abby Jimenez has put out. I’m obsessed

THIS BOOK! The only thing negative about it is that I’m done and now have no more new Abby books to read. She’s done it again, with a beautiful, raw, emotional and honest book. As someone that deals with anxiety daily, I really appreciated that the main male character navigated life with anxiety. Jimenez did a great job portraying what it’s like, and how the people around us often react or think. I enjoyed Brianna’s story and her emotional growth. 5/5 stars and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

How is it possible that Abby Jimenez continues to write unbelievably amazing book after amazing book? This is her fifth book and every single one of them has been five stars for me. ⁣
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Not only that - her male characters just top each other every single time. I called Daniel from Part of Your World my ULTIMATE ULTIMATE book boyfriend and Abby said “Just wait until you meet Jacob”…..and everyone JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU MEET JACOB. ⁣
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Jacob is tender, vulnerable, open and just so damn loveable. He struggles with social anxiety and I related to so many parts of his inner monologue related to anxiety. He FALLS first, he writes letters, keeps a journal, is just an all around complete package and total dreamboat - top book boyfriend material for sure. ⁣
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I loved Brianna in POYW and she truly deserves her HEA. I felt for her so much over and over in this book. Both main characters are going through so many heavy things and in the author’s true style - she brings you on some majorly emotional journeys along with them. ⁣
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I loved revisiting Alex and DANIEL, getting to know Jacob and Brianna’s families, a glimpse into the life of an ER doctor, the chronic illness and organ donation representation and of course the LOVE story. ⁣
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I could seriously go on and on…but I think you get by now how much I loved it. 😅⁣
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5 massive stars…of course! ⁣thank you @readforeverpub for the ARC! This is out APRIL 11th.

This is one heck of a book! First five star read of the year! Yours Truly is the perfect amount of everything - the perfect amount of emotion, the perfect amount the laughs, the perfect amount of tears, the perfect amount of medical information, angst, frustration, connection, Lieutenant Dan and Cooter. I completely adored it and was mesmerized by it. Did I want to shake Bri towards the end? Yes, but her behaviors was PERFECTLY explained. It also had the perfect amount of Easter Eggs, Alexis and Daniel, and Wakan. The letters, the representation of a variety of medical and mental health issues, a divorced heroine, Jacob..... swoon sigh for all of it. And the author's note brought me to tears, my heart just exploded in so many different directions reading Abby's life experience and the lens in which she explored that in Briana and Jacob's fictional story. While I received an advanced e-copy of this book from the publisher and net galley, I will also be buying a copy for my bookcase for many re-reads.

I've been a fan of Abby Jimenez for a while now and am always wowed by her books. Once again, she's outdone herself. Ms. Jimenez has the amazing ability to take real life events and make them entertaining and relatable. Much more than contemporary romance, her books make you more empathetic. As a single straight woman I dream of meeting a man similar to Jacob—flaws and all—and would love to be friends with Briana. Yours Truly is my new favorite Abby Jimenez book. Be prepared to laugh, cry, and have hope for humankind.

I received a ARC of Yours Truly through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and are not reflective of receiving an ARC.

Quick Synopsis - Briana and Jacob are both ER doctors at a hospital and they start out as enemies but soon morph into friends in a fake relationship. Jacob struggles with anxiety and Briana is going through a divorce and has sworn men off forever. In tricking both of their families for various reasons they discover that they aren't very different from each other and may be the perfect match. They write letters to each other, buy sofas, eat tacos and are great at this fake relationship. Will they act on their feelings and learn to overcome their fears?

My thoughts - I absolutely loved this one. I laughed out loud so many times while reading and even my husband found some of the parts funny. The supporting characters were top notch too...especially Jafar the parrot. Briana and Jacob's witty banter was hilarious and the character development shown in Abby's writing is phenomenal. I loved seeing a man with anxiety portrayed in this novel. Men’s mental health is so important and often times is not shown in books of this type. It's important for women readers to also see that men struggle with anxiety too. Briana is such a great support to Jacob with his anxiety and many lessons could be learned about how best to support loved ones struggling with mental health. The letters made me swoon and I've found a new favorite book couple in Briana and Jacob. I can't wait to read Abby's backlist books!

Read if you like: talking and profane parrots, large and loud families, glitter bombs, great friends