I have no idea how to write this review, so I'm going to begin with what I loved. This book made me feel truly seen and understood. Jacob's anxiety was so relatable for me. The overthinking, the ruminating, the replaying every social interaction... everything. I could feel it in my bones and I loved how gentle Briana was with him. The way Jacob feels like he can just be around her made me so soft. I have a few books that are my go-to recommendation when someone asks for well written anxiety rep, and this one is going to the list. I loved the fake dating and I loved the yearning Jacob and Briana felt for each other. This is a BIG slowburn, but I loved every second of it.

I was convinced this was going to be 5 stars because everything was perfect for me, but I couldn't believe the last few chapters. I can't explain what I felt because it wouldn't be fair. The book was great, and the story is beautiful, and Jacob and Briana deserved a happy ending more than anything. But this third act (well, not even third act, because it was a matter of a 10%)... I did not like it at all. Especially taking the slowburn into account. I am very sad this happened.

TW: Divorce, cheating, renal failure, panic attacks, miscarriage

Rating: 3/5
Steam level: Open door, 1-2 scenes, low level of detail

ARC provided by Forever and NetGalley. Opinions are my own!

Love all things Abby Jimenez and now love her new novel Yours Truly as well! I have read Ms. Jimenez's other novels and enjoyed all of those! Yours Truly does not disappoint. This book is a rom-com at its best. I literally laughed out loud while reading this book. Yes, it did deal with some serious topics such as depression, social anxiety disorder, and chronic kidney disease, but Jimenez handled these topics well and sensitively and still managed to make me laugh. The two main characters have great chemistry. The banter and wit are great. I love how Jimenez is able to grow their relationship through letters, and thoughtful gestures. Show rather than tell!
Another great book by Abby Jimenez, and I look forward to reading whatever she writes next!

This book was so good! This is my first book by this author and I am immediately going to read all her other ones because WOW!

This is the story of Brianna and Jacob, who pretend they are dating to convince Jacob’s family that he is over his ex and is happy she is marrying his brother.

I love a fake dating trope with dual POV. The two main characters were so sweet and lovable, I had a big smile on my face every time they interacted. I particularly loved Jacob’s POV and his inner monologue because I could really relate to his introverted personality and his social anxiety. Every little thing Brianna did to make him feel more comfortable had me tear up.

Also, I appreciated that the doubt Jacob had regarding Brianna’s feelings was believable. In every fake dating book, there’s always that moment when the characters think the other one feels the same but brushes it off saying “nah they don’t like me like that” with no reasoning. He really had a reason so it made it more believable and enjoyable.

This is a book I will recommend to anyone who wants to feel good and smile.

This was another super cute romance book by Abby Jimenez. No one writes book boyfriends like her, and I think Jacob might be my favourite one she has ever written. I have never related more to a character with anxiety in a book before this one, I felt completely seen. The only marks against this book I had were that it heavily featured the miscommunication troupe and had a frustrating third act break-up.

I love any and all Abby books and this one definitely did not let me down. Such a feel good romance with the right amount of spice and such great characters.

This was a great read. I have already hyped this up and recommended it to so many. While I have read every Abby Jimenez book this felt like some of her best work. All her books are consistently good and have a similar tone, but this was certainly a favorite along with her previous Happy Ever After Playlist. I think her fans will enjoy this and I think it will bring in new fans who will be happy to continue with her backlist. Check for content warnings before reading!

This book was very heart warming. I was so invested in all of the characters and loved the ending! This may have been my favorite book by Abby yet!

Another amazing book from Abby Jimenez! Abby has a way of talking about serious topics in such a sensitive yet real way and she does it again in this book by describing the real struggles of anxiety/depression. The characters are well-developed and I immediately fell in love with Briana and Jacob. This book made me laugh several times while reading and had so much heart and soul. ❤️ Definitely my favorite Abby Jimenez book yet!

Thank you to NetGalley, Abby Jimenez, and Forever - Grand Central Publishing for providing this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely LOVE Abby Jimenez!! She writes with heart and soul. I was super excited to be granted this ARC. This was my favorite read of 2022. I love how she makes the characters so vivid. They are super relatable. The plot is well written, there is strong character development. It is overall a very well written story. I will be rereading this one again soon!

This review will be posted to my Goodreads and Amazon accounts immediately and also to my instagram account (@ginganinja333), and to my newly created bookstagram (@paulas.book.nook).

I loved Part of Your World so much and was so excited to read this one, but it just didn't do it for me. Clearly I'm not in the majority here, but I found a lot of this to just be a little uncomfortable.

First - what I loved:
-the letter writing at the beginning - sweet, funny, LOVED.
-their witty rapport through these letters and their softening toward each other in person
-Briana's fierce take-no-prisoners approach to life and Jacob's plant-loving anxious sweet self
-the kidney disease representation

I even mostly liked their relationship...

But what I hated:
-Mixing up fake dating, real feelings, and the obligation of donating an organ to Briana's brother made it feel all so muddled and confusing. I get that it provided tension among Jacob's family but it just made me kind of uncomfortable at the layers of transactions happening here.
-Some of the things that happen around Jacob's anxiety and mental health in general. Instead of being a steamy getting together, their first hook up seemed not great for anyone's mental wellbeing and it made me so uncomfortable how they handled it.

These things were just hard to get over for me, and I left feeling a little icky. I appreciate what Jimenez was trying to do here, especially her personal connections to the kidney disease topic, but this just didn't do it for me.

I DEVOURED this. Abby managed to even include tropes that I usually hate, and a slow burn, and I still loved it?! The story is heavy at times and I absolutely cried my way through, but the banter is precious - and the LETTERS! I love this couple. They come together with their complex histories and families and I adore them all. I adore this whole book.

Abby Jimenez has a way of making a book feel so personal and emotional. I loved getting to see Bri's happy ending and I loved the rep of a divorced woman as a protagonist. Romance very easily skews towards younger protagonists with no marriages. Abby's book shows that true happiness can always find you, no matter what you've been through!

I get it we're only a few days into the new year, but Brianna Ortiz and Jacob Maddox are my fave book couple of 2023.

In Yours Truly, our main characters are ER doctors Brianna Ortiz and Jacob Maddox. Brianna is finalizing a divorce from a husband that cheated on her and dealing with a family member’s very serious health issue. Jacob, our cinnamon roll, struggles with anxiety and is dealing with his own relationship issues - his ex is now dating his brother!

Read if you like:
*enemies-to-friends-to-lovers
*fake dating
*slow burns
*forced proximity
*workplace romance
*neurodivergent representation

Abby Jimenez flawlessly made all the tropes work without it feeling heavy-handed.

There were so many times I cackled aloud reading this book. The humor is so masterfully woven into this depiction of chronic illness and anxiety. Jacob Maddox is the best book boyfriend (argue with your mama, not me). He has a three-legged dog named Lt. Dan and a room full of plants!!! The details Abby weaves into the book makes you really feel like you know every single character. I, too, am prepared to buy Grandpa cigarettes.

“I always think that when we're quiet we're agreeing to be harmless to each other". May we all find harmless love!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Available April 11, 2023!

CW: divorce, chronic illness, kidney failure, organ donation, infidelity, miscarriage, anxiety, depression

5/5 Stars

I love the way Abby Jimenez loosely ties in characters from a previous story in a way that is like a treat to those who have read them, and not at all prohibitive to those who haven't. I really enjoyed Yours Truly, especially the element of handwritten notes and letters to each other.

I loved the complicated relationships on every level - friendships, family, exes, and romantic interests.

I can always count on Abby for a fun and mildly steamy read.

4 stars

I mean, you can never go wrong with an Abby Jimenez book. Always except a good time, emotion, and the best characters 😍😍 I was saving this book for a special occasion and I think “first book of 2023” is pretty special 🤩

This was a slowwwww burn but in a good way because you’re in love with these characters already so when they acknowledge feeling you get a sense of rightness and a sense of meant to be 🥰

So good!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Pub for the earc in return for an honest review.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
4.75/5 Stars

Yours Truly was a joy. This was my first Abby Jimenez book and it certainly won't be my last.

I think that Abby does a fantastic job of making a reader laugh, while also bringing important physical and mental health discussions to the fore front. When I was reading the author's note as I finished the novel today, I was extremely touched at the impact kidney disease had on her life and the way she eloquently educates her audience on it throughout the novel.

Education and empathy are the perfect words in describing this novel and these characters. Both Briana and Jacob were fully fleshed out characters with relatable flaws that had you rooting for them throughout the novel. I kept screaming at my Ipad "Just Tell Them You Love Them Already" to the respective parties.

Despite the heavy topics that are discussed, there is a perfect amount of wit within the dialog and sweetness within the letters exchanged between the lovers that balances the story out, alike life. I found myself laughing almost the entire book from the interactions between Jacob, Briana, and their respective families.

The miscommunication trope is not one of my favorites, so that is the only reason I didn't give this book a perfect 5/5. I know that real life is complicated and that this is a realistic representation of difficult relationships; however, I felt that the conflict dragged a little bit towards the end of the novel and it could have been a little bit shorter.

Yours Truly is the perfect balance of wit, sweetness, and real life all sprinkled into a lovely contemporary romance.

Thank you Abby Jimenez, NetGalley, and Forever Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Abby Jimenez WE STAN!

She writes the best men and they are never the same from one book to the next aside from they appreciate a good woman and let her stand on her own.

This was another swoony read and this time the side cast was such an enjoyable and addictive edition, I loved the MMC family they were so reminiscent of the family from the movie The Family Stone.

There was also great mental health representation on both sides, both from the male and female MC’s and I love how real these representations feel, they are not soapy or dramatized.

Laughs, tears and all the good stuff that makes Jimenez’s romances so dang good.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a great story with a lot of heart. Briana + Jacob were literally perfect; I loved how they deeply understood each other. Don’t get me started on the letter writing portion of the story - I am a sucker for that!!

what to expect:
🩺dual pov
🩺ER doctors (workplace romance)
🩺fake dating
🩺enemies to friends to lovers
🩺anxiety + medical condition rep

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Wow. What does one even say about this book. I've been ruminating on it for a few months and yet I still cannot put into words how perfect this book was. Does it say anything that I plan to read it again just a mere 2 months after reading it the first time? 5 stars is not enough.

When I say I LOVE Abby Jimenez I am not exaggerating. Every time I read one of her books I find myself worrying that she won't be able to top it off. She has definitely proven me wrong time and time again.
Yours Truly is full of HEART. Gosh, did this book met and blew all of my expectations away.
Jacob is just perfect, swoons and loving like no other and him and Brianna made my heart swell in more ways that one.
Besides all the fun and romance, this book also does a tremendous job at shinning a light into mental health and anxiety disorders and in such a tasteful way.
Abby Jimenez has definitely done it again!