Are you looking for the most perfect cinnamon roll hero ever written??
Look no further…Yours Truly was such a treat to read. 🥰
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What I loved:
♥️ Fake dating
♥️ Anxiety rep (my favorite part!)
♥️ Forced proximity
♥️ Only one bed
♥️Enemies to friends to lovers
♥️ Lieutenant Dan
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I absolutely loved the anxiety rep in the book. I saw myself in so many ways in Jacob and his struggle with social anxiety.
This book was funny, sweet, and heartwarming. It might be my favorite by this author to date!
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Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the opportunity to read this book! 🫶

A completely enjoyable read that'll make you swoon over and over again!

Jacob was quite the cinnamon roll hero in this book! I adored him from the very start. Maybe it was the detail that Jimenez put into his character, with regards to his neurodiversity that made me really find a soft spot for him. Although it was never addressed, I felt the entire read that Jacob was on the Autism Spectrum because it aligned with many of his behaviors, traits and personality quirks. I was greateful to read a character like Jacob in a mainstream romance novel!

Briana was simply the best. Feisty, indepdendant and not afraid to kick a man where it hurt when he deserved it. Her compassion for her patients but also her family proved what an incredible human being she was. The commitment she made to her brother's care and well being was phenominal.

While the fake dating trope usually doesn't do it for me, somehow this book worked! Both characters were going to get something out of the arrangement and neither one wanted anything serious. We all know how that ends though.... :P

This book was a solid 4 star read. I laughed a lot and I also wanted to punch both MCs in the face for their horrible miscommunication. But, that's what makes a good fictional read, right?

Brianna Ortiz is over men and ready to focus on her ER job. Only there’s one roadblock; the new guy at work, “Dr. Death”. She can’t believe how rude he is, but she can’t worry about it when she has a brother that needs a kidney transplant. When Dr. Death or Jacob Maddox writes her a letter, the only thing she can do is write back. Jacob is a donor match for Bri’s brother’s transplant. To express her thanks, Bri agrees to be his date for a wedding. It’ll be fake, but his family doesn’t have to know!

This is my first read by Abby Jimenez, and I devoured this book in a few hours. I really enjoyed the male MC for this read, and I thought it was beautiful to portray a character that heavily deals with anxiety. Jacob was such a sweet, all around good hearted character; I couldn’t help rooting for him every step of the way.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, and I enjoyed the progression between Jacob and Bri. However, I think it would have been powerful for Bri to really work on her past issues and trauma through therapy. I will say Bri is extremely admirable with how she cares for her family, and I think she has an enormous heart.

I think the miscommunication muddied some of the storyline and made the slow burn turn into almost a snail’s crawl. Overall, I enjoyed most of this story; however, I found some parts to be less believable, including the ending. Strictly, because there was a lot of miscommunication that should have been addressed more thoroughly.

Thank you to Net Galley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC!

This was such an amazing book. This book follows Brianna and Jacob who are both doctors. Jacob needs someone to be his fake girlfriend and Brianna needs to find a donor for her brother so both help each other out. This was my first read from this author and let me say that I wasn’t disappointed at all. Jimenez is an incredible writer and I was hooked on the book from the first page. I really enjoyed the storyline and the character conflicts that were in the book. The pacing was fast which I believe was great for this book but know that there is love miscommunication which delays the romance.

This book is told by Brianna and Jacob's povs. Brianna is a new divorcee doctor who has to take care of her brother and doesn’t trust men anymore. Jacob (who has social anxiety) just moved after his breakup and becomes a doctor at Brianna’s hospital. I loved both of their characters and how they develop throughout the story. Not just romance but also themselves. There were many side characters and I think some might be from the past books the authors but I’m not sure. They were well written though and I enjoyed seeing them involved in the book. The romance in this book has so many tropes but the main ones are fake dating, miscommunication, 2 breakups get together, one bed and more.

The ending was very cute and I loved it. The slow burn of the romance was taking a while (I think around 80% is when they know) but the development was cute. Because of the miscommunication and romance taking a while, it dropped the .5 star but it was still a great book. I absolutely enjoyed this book and recommend it to those who love The Hating Game and Emily Henry.

[ 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 ]

Loved! Loved! Loved! I can't wait for more people to read this one.

Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.

And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝:
- Abby weaved in mental health so seamlessly into this story. It was refreshing to see open and real conversations about mental health - specifically with one of the characters anxiety and panic attacks. I also liked that it showed how the character practiced self-care.

-JACOB + BRIANA - I loved these two!! The friendship, the banter, the time getting to know one another - they were so perfect! (And Jacob was the most selfless character)

-Workplace romance between doctors gave my Grey’s Anatomy vibes and I was 100% into it!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫:
✔ Sob closet chats
✔ Slow burn romance
✔ Plant + Dog dad
✔️Handwritten letters
✔ Fake dating + workplace romance trope
✔ Mental health representation in male characters
✔ Shared universe with characters from Part of Your World

Trigger Warnings: Social Anxiety/Panic Attacks, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Divorce

My Rating: 5 ✩

Thank you #netgalley Abby Jimenez for the ARC and chance to review. I have read all Abby's books to date and have to say this one fell a bit short for me. I am going to give it 4 stars but it is more of a very generous 3.5 that is being round up. The story starts w the cute witty banter between Jacob and Brianna just like all the others and got me excited to watch the relationship progress. But then something just happened and it got bogged down in the middle w unnecessary dramas and miscommunications that got increasingly frustrating and annoying. I think the topic of anxiety is great to explore but when a character acts one way throughout the novel only to do a 360 just so we can have the 'drama' it did not work for me. There could have been some other way to create a drama/separation in my opinion. But thankfully the romance recipe concluded as expected and attempted small redemption. As usual, some of Abby's side characters were hilarious and I did have some chuckles. And I will definitely want to get my hands on her next book for sure since I loved Part of your World and Friend Zone.

Briana is an ER doctor who also cares for her brother, who is desperately ill and in need of a kidney transplant to save his life. Jacob, the new ER doctor, turns out to be a match, and offers to donate -- he is strongly influenced by the fact that his mother's life was saved by a donor, and he always vowed to pay it forward. So, some serious stuff going on here, but it turns out to be also very lighthearted, romantic and funny, as Briana offers to be Jacob's "fake girlfriend" for awhile to satisfy his large, loving, meddling family. I look forward to recommending this title.

This book is SO GOOD. Characters are beautiful. The storyline is excellent. I would not change anything. I only wish it was longer! Abby did it again.

Abby Jimenez is an always recommend for me - she has an amazing style of wordsmithing that brings me to out-loud laughter and ugly cry tears in every book I've read from her. I love the way she tackled anxiety in this story - in the underrepresented areas of high-powered professionals and men. The tactic of letter writing in the development of the love story made it a beautifully retro vibe, bringing to mind the slow care of romance from days gone by. Another win from this author!

how Abby can get me to fall in love with a man that isn’t park jimin is beyond me. witchcraft! i somehow loved jacob even more than daniel. it's lowkey weirding me out that she can make me root for a dude.

This is my first Abby Jimenez book and wow, it did not disappoint. I fell in love with Jacob almost immediately.
He is the epitome of a cinnamon roll bf! As someone who deals with high anxiety, seeing a character have similar experiences as I do was very comforting. I've truly never read a book with a character like Jacob.
For me, the characters are what really compelled me to keep reading. I think fake dating tropes are a little over done now. also groaned as soon as Bianca said she wasn't on birth control. Like, we all know what's going to come next. Even though I really hate pregnancy plots, see why Abby decided to incorporate that into the story.
Usually I will shut a book immediately after finding that out, however still wanted to finish this book!
Overall, I think this was a great introduction into Abby Jimenez's work and i'm excited to read her next book!

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 🌶🌶/5

💙 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲:
🩺 Workplace rivals to friends to lovers
🦜 Anxiety rep and acceptance
🩺 Fake dating
🦜 Slow burn
🩺 Laugh out loud humor/banter

💭 𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: If you enjoyed ‘Part of Your World’, (the author’s first book in this standalone series) then you will love ‘Yours Truly’. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning reading because I couldn’t put it down. It’s the first book of Abby Jimenez’s that I’ve read and she quickly became an auto-buy author at 30%.

𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙨: This story had me teary-eyed and LAUGHING so many times throughout. It’s a poignant story of two people who have experienced heartbreak and find each other, but the banter is top notch. Jacob and Briana are IT! 👌🏻😍

𝙇𝙤𝙬𝙨: it took until well over 80% of the book for the two to actually get together, making it one of THE slowest burns I’ve read in a while. There is a slight miscommunication trope aspect to the storyline, but it wasn’t too over the top as to be detracting from the book. This also could have easily been a 4.5 or 5 star read if it wasn’t for the unnecessary happenings of the last few chapters in the book. 🙃

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this book in advance in exchange for my honest review!

5/5 ⭐️

Abby Jimenez automatic 5 ⭐️ she could literally write the MF dictionary and I would be ENTHRALLED. I’m constantly in amazement at how Abby can create a story with characters that you have no choice but to love and care about ❤️

She can take commonly used tropes (like fake dating in this case) and make it unique again and its all because of the characters she crafts! Imma just tell you there has no been Abby Jimenez book in which I did not shed a tear 🥲

Thank you to forever/grand central publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Abby Jimenez has some serious talent that makes me easily fall in love with every single book. Another go-getter female lead and swoon-worthy male lead paired with banter, a fabulous side cast, and the absolute best growth.

Briana was so easily lovable and through the heartbreak of a divorce and fighting for a promotion her humor and grace really shines. Jacob was a male lead that shook me to my core. I’m absolutely in love with the depiction that Jimenez curated of his struggles with anxiety. It’s a delicate balance for me with mental health representation because sometimes it can feel like the characters use it as an excuse for their own shortcomings and bad behavior. This was beautifully done and I loved seeing the perspective of male mental health rep.

Let’s not forget the letters, broom closet cry-fests and lunch breaks, and falling for each other and trying to shelter their own hearts. I sped through this because I just couldn’t help falling hopelessly in love with them. Featuring some fake dating, crappy exs, and bucketloads of personal growth this is a must read

Here is a romance title with heart. It offers a warm and involving story about people who are both appealing and struggling at times. It has moments of comedy, drama and makes readers care.

The main characters are Brianna and Jacob. Both are ER doctors at the same hospital. Brianna has been there for a while and is expecting a promotion. Jacob’s arrival may spoil that prospect while for Jacob, himself, entry into this new hospital is not easy. Will these two follow the usual romance fiction trope? Readers will happily turn the pages to find out.

In addition to offering an engaging story, Ms. Jimenez takes on some bigger issues. One involves a character who is young and in need of a kidney donor; the impact of the condition on his emotional state is well described. Another was that Jacob suffered from anxiety. Ms. J did a good job of toggling between the serious and less so.

The title of this novel reflects that the protagonists got to know each other better through letter writing. Their anticipation of receiving written correspondence, not texts, made me want to go check my mail box.

Recommended for romance and fiction readers. I would definitely read other books by this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGallery, Forever (grand central publishing) and Abby Jimenez for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. I love Abby Jimenez she is funny and you feel her heart in her books. This is Bri’s story I adore that she tells each characters stories and gives them their own book and own voices. I can agree that the “fake” boyfriend/girlfriend plot is overused… I actually do not care one bit I loved this book.

★★★★/5 & 🌶/5 - Such a cute follow-up to Part of Your World! If you've read that one, you'll love this one too!

SHORT PREVIEW: ER doctor - Dr. Briana Ortiz is in a rough time of her life. Finalizing her divorce, her brother is waiting on a kidney donor, and now she's seemingly getting pushed out of the Chief of Emergency Medicine position she's rightly earned? Jacob - running from the ex whos making his emotional well-being basically impossible, learns he's a perfect kidney match for Briana's brother. With both of their pasts pushing in - can they possibly find a way forward through all of their insecurities?

MUSINGS:
- Really love that throughout this book - trauma isn't portrayed as something fixed by a happy-ever-after ending with the person/people you love. Whether it's found-family or finding a person who promises to be harmless - the author does a great job realistically creating a romance that we can all learn a little something from.
- Another thing about Abby Jimenez's writing style, none of her characters are overly dramatic or make dramatic decisions! It's not the virginal young maidens making stupid reactionary emotional decisions because their brain's pre-frontal cortex is fully formed!?
- So refreshing to read romances about women in their 30's. As I approach 30 myself, I find that I definitely relate to these characters and their motivations so much more. (Especially when they have thriving careers etc. Sometimes those stories when someone throws everything away to follow the person they love are fun to read - but not real life? Loving her story-telling style!

FAVORITE QUOTE:
'Imagine being the woman he picked to join him here. Having a gentle man like this one choose you to be a part of his private, insular world. To be as special as each thing he carefully surrounded himself with. How lucky that woman would be.' - Such a sweet thing to say about someone!

ABBY JIMENEZ'S WRITING STYLE: I'm loving how both books that I've read of hers are basically about workaholics finding love! Her writing also constantly reminds me of things about myself and other important life lessons we should all pay attention to. So many great quotes - I can't even list all my favorites!

SHOULD YOU READ 'PART OF YOUR WORLD' FIRST? - In my opinion, you should definitely read the other book first, or it'll ruin a few of the surprises in the end! I think both are great reads and can be read out of order if you so choose, but you'll enjoy her first book more if you read them in order. The stories have recurring characters that you'll remember from the first book!

Notes:
- Immigrant families, poverty struggles, etc.
- LGBTQ+ themes, nontraditional families
- #womeninstem
- HEA ending
- TWs: cheating, miscarriage & parental abandonment at a young age.
- Accidental pregnancy
- 🌶/5 Definitely less spicy than the last book IMO? A lot of emotional/mental foreplay without excessive dirty talk.

Abby Jimenez is an auto-buy auto-read author for me. The fact that I was lucky enough to get a ARC for Yours Truly is still unbelievable for me.
The book follows Briana and Jacob. If you read Part of Your World, you'll remember Briana, because she is a close friend with Alexis.
Briana and Jacobs characters evolve and grow within the book. They bring each other challenges and makes them get out of their comfort zones. Eventually their relationship grows in a beautiful way that I've only seen in Abby Jimenez books.
Abby doesn't create scenarios or problems for the sake of the plot. She creates characters with realistic expectations, goals and situations that organically helps the plot of the book come to life. Each book just gets better and better.
Here we explore how hard is to take care of a love one when their health is deteriorating and no hope seems to be in the near feature. The book deals with despair, depression and anxiety but overall positivity and a great will to live life at its fullest.
I don't want to give much out, but the title of the book comes from how the main 2 characters interact as a solution to social anxiety. Let me tell you is genius and so sweet.
I hope my review gets you to read this book that I'm sure will become one of your favorites.

It’s official. Abby Jimenez is becoming one of my romance authors of all time and I’m not afraid to admit it. I have read all of Jimenez’s bibliography, from her first novel, The Friend Zone, to her 2022 release of Part of Your World. I didn’t quite connected with The Friend Zone, but as I continued to read her other books in order and comparing them to each other, it’s extraordinary to see how she has grown as a storyteller.
I didn’t think anything was going to top Part of Your World, but Yours Truly blew my expectations and I could say confidently that this book is by far Jimenez’s best work.
The romance is absolutely great. The slow burn between Jacob and Briana was fantastic. I loved that they became friends first and had to slowly learn to trust each other, which makes their relationship way better.
I would also add that this book also has much more angst and yearning in comparison to her previous books, but it is handled exquisitely. There is miscommunication, and while I do dislike this trope, I think it makes sense in this context especially when reading about Jacob’s and Briana’s individual history.
There is a nuance to Jimenez’s characters and their growth. Her characters experience real-life hardships that makes them feel real and relatable to readers, including myself. The representation of anxiety felt personal to me, and I praise Jimenez’s way of writing it perfectly.
Briana and Jacob’s character development was outstanding. I grew to love them individually and I was rooting for them to the end. The portrayal of trauma and anxiety was done really well and explained in a way that many who suffer from anxiety can relate to.
The story does have some heavy topics such as infidelity, miscarriage, and anxiety, so please be aware of the warnings.
Overall, I do believe this is Abby Jimenez’s best book and I highly recommend it to romance readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange of my honest opinions.

I wasn’t expecting such a beautiful and accurate depiction of social anxiety when I picked up this book. It was at times so painful to read (forcing me to look in the mirror) but the way Bri helped Jacob was so beautifully shown.

If you don’t like the miscommunication JUST TALK DAMNIT trope this might be frustrating for you.

Abby knows how to perfectly combine humor with gut punching topics. One minute you’re crying and the next you’re laughing hysterically at a bird named Jafar with a potty mouth. I’ve loved all of her books so far and this was no exception.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for proving me with an ARC.