I was excited to receive an ARC of Abby's newest novel. We met Brianna in the last book, Part of Your World, as the best friend of Alexis and doctor at the same hospital. Brianna is struggling due to her upcoming divorce. Jacob enters the story as a new doctor in the same ER as Brianna. He unfortunately earns the nickname Dr. Death on his first day, and because of his anxiety and difficulty with social situations, he makes no friends in his first days. Jacob is dealing with his own relationship issues as his former girlfriend, who left him, is now engaged to his brother. The two end up agreeing to "fake date" to help Jacob through the pre-wedding parties and gatherings and the wedding.
The two have an instant connection to each other and Brianna helps Jacob with his social anxiety. There are some very funny scenes, and I laughed at the catchphrases that Brianna gave to Jacob to use when he needed to leave a social situation. The road to their happy ever after was littered with their relationship failures, disappointments, anxiety, feelings of shame and not being worthy. It was a hard read because of the issues they were dealing with individually. As with all of Abby's books, the two main characters are always better when they have each other to support and love each other unconditionally.
I really enjoyed the letters they wrote to each other in the beginning of the novel. Of the 5 novels written by Abby, this wasn't my favorite of the five, but still has all the elements that one looks for in an Abby Jimenez novel and I read it in a few days.

I am on my second time reading through this book! The first time, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next and read through the book in a day. This time around, I'm going slow and really paying attention to the details. I love the idea of the main characters writing letters back and forth. I, personally, find it much easier to express myself when I can write out my thoughts. And I love getting written letters. I love how feisty Briana is. And while I identify with some of her spunk, I definitely find myself relating to Jacob. As an introvert, I dislike making small talk, being in loud places, and trying to make new friends. Watching their relationship grow was a fun journey to go on.
This book is definitely a page turner. I found myself going back and forth between reading quickly because I really wanted to see what happened next and wanting to slow way down, so the story wouldn't end- hence me reading it a second time.
I discovered Abby Jimenez when another author I follow had mentioned her book Part of Your World. I loved it and set out to find what else she had written. Part of Your World got me interested in Abby's work, but The Friend Zone had me hooked. I haven't laughed out loud while reading a book that much in a long time! I love that her books have recurring characters and they all get their time to shine.

I read Part of Your World and loved it, so of course I was super thrilled to get an ARC of this one! And its fake dating? Say less.

This book was so cute. I love these characters and their unique, quirky, imperfect and goofy personalities.

When I say I would protect Jacob at all costs, I mean it. I love how he's so open and honest with his anxiety and struggles. He's so loyal, sweet, and wholesome. His inner introvert just speaks to me. I absolutely would read so much of this man.

I also did a happy dance at every mention of Alexis and Daniel. It's food for my soul.

I liked this book a lot! Buuuut I didn't love it because there were some times when I was just frustrated with the MC and the denial. Also a trope that isn't necessarily my fave 🥴 but I definitely recommend and hope everyone reads this!


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Super cute. I'm getting tired of fake dating stories because there are so many out there, but I still really enjoyed this book. Abby Jimenez is a must-read, must-buy author.

I have enjoyed each of this authors that I’ve read. I might have to pick up the ones I haven’t. I loved the amount of research she had to do to complete this book. Sometimes authors who have no real idea how nurses and doctors are treated or how stressful and tiring it can be, stroll right over a lot of the issues us health care workers face. She did not. The anxiety representation in this? 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻 Our H? Such a cinnamon roll!!! He was without a doubt one of the most adorable Hs I’ve read about. And while this is a slow burn, the angst? Oh it was good.

Abby Jimenez has done it again! Another wonderful read about flawed people finding their way to themselves and each other despite real-life obstacles in their way. What a joy it is to enter into the world of Briana and Jacob, learning their idiosyncrasies and loving them because of them. Despite many obstacles in their path including trauma, mental health challenges and complicated family dynamics, Briana and Jacob make their way forward to their best life.

This book is so beautiful. It’s smart. Funny. Honest. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 and its two leads, Briana Ortiz & Jacob Maddox, all feel so very…. Normal. Easy. These characters are such authentic, relatable humans. Like old friends. You understand where they’re coming from – how they got there, really – and it’s so easy to root for them and their “second chances” in life, both as individuals & as a couple. Because it takes lots of courage: starting over.

The anxiety rep here in Jacob is amazing imo, and very relatable to me personally. His different kinds of silence, of loudness— I also know them all too well. Jimenez said herself that Jacob is her “Best Cinnamon Roll™,” and that couldn’t be more true. Jacob is someone you instantly want to protect. Not because he’s weak— but because he’s 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥. Because he’d never ask for or expect it. Because he knows who he is, and he isn’t afraid to show it.

Then there’s Briana. She’s so fiercely loyal to the ones she loves, despite all the hurt & loss she’s endured. I loved seeing so many different sides of her; how she exudes such genuine strength & confidence while also still being deeply vulnerable & withdrawn.

I love how Love is portrayed here as “being harmless” to another person. As choosing to meet each other halfway. 🤍

And while I do enjoy the Fake Dating trope, I can see how it could get stale real quick— esp when the Miscommunication trope is usually hot on its heels (a trope I hate). Thankfully that doesn’t happen here; Jimenez has a way of taking all these familiar beats & creating a story that is fresh and exciting. That’s not to say there isn’t any miscommunication— there is* 🥴 BUT, because it’s very clear where the root of these conflicts come from – Jacob’s anxiety; Briana’s reservations on love after an awful divorce (among other spoiler-y factors I can’t mention) – it didn’t drag on for me and the payoff was worth the wait.

Definitely pick this one up when it comes out next year!

🔖 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: This book features a very cute three-legged Bernese Mountain dog!!! 🥹 And omg Chapter 32! 😭 The glitter!!!! • This is also my first time adding a second-slide summary for a book bc I already knew from the get that I’d have too much to say LOL. And this isn’t even everything?? There are so many wonderful moments/scenes I loved so much, I wish it was #PubDay already so I could share them 🥲 Also, while I haven’t read PoYW yet, I think fans of it will be happy seeing cameos of Alexis/Daniel (I know I thought they were adorable lol), as well as a smaller one with Vanessa/Adrian of Life’s Too Short (which I have read and also loved) 🥰

💌 As always, thank you to @netgalley, @grandcentralpub, and @foreverbooks for the advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Abby does it again! I devoured this book in less than 12 hours. I appreciate all the research she does for each book, specifically this book talking to ER doctors and RNs to make sure she understands all the nuances. Her characters are so relatable as she so tactfully handles relatable issues.

Grandpa was a small character in the book but as a VA nurse, I loved him. There were a few lines from Grandpa that I couldn't stop laughing at while also feeling like it was possibly one of my patients.

I also appreciate she doesn't use ablest phrases such as "that's crazy" or "that's nuts".

Abby does it again! Yours Truly will pull you in and make you finish it in one day. The storyline, the love and the characters are all amazing! I can relate with both Briana and Jacob. Highly recommend!

Abby writes real feel romance books, with real life issues. This book lived up to the hype! Fake dating, enemies to lovers, interesting family dynamics, and an awesome dog, all make this story a win! Don’t miss this one!

Abby Jimenez had written her 5th great book. Yours Truly is a heartwarming story of family, love, and real life. Briana is an ER doctor who is coming off a terrible divorce and has a brother who needs a kidney transplant. Jacob is also coming off a breakup and deals with social anxiety. The characters are very real and the story deals with real life issues. The book does a great job of explaining anxiety and helping with how to notice it and deal with it. The book is a beautiful love story of finding yourself again after heartbreak. As with all Abby’s books, you’ll laugh and cry and won’t want the book to end. There is a dog, a grumpy grandpa, and an inappropriate parrot. What more could you ask for! I can’t wait for Abby’s next book.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read Yours Truly early. I could not put it down. I read the book in about 4 hours and am once again stunned at the amazing Abby Jimenez. I've read all of her previous books and while they aren't necessarily a series the characters are all intertwined and it makes the books that much better. This book touches so much on real life events and situations, I could not put it down.

Is it possible that I loved this book more than Part of Your World? I think it is! Truly, Abby Jimenez has done it again. Fake dating? Check. Bad first impression? Check. Believable and heart-wrenching third act break-up? Check. I loved the MCs in Yours Truly SO MUCH, and I was 1000% rooting for them from moment one. I hope there are more books where this one came from! I'm going to be on the lookout for everything Abby Jimenez writes!

*3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exhange for an honest review.

Another great book from Abby Jimenez! I've read all of the author's previous books, and I think this story fits in well within the world she has created. I loved having the opportunity to learn more about Bri's story since her character intrigued me in Part of Your World. I think Bri and Jacob had great chemistry, and I loved how they really seemed to understand each other. Another fun part about this book were the small Easter egg references to characters in some of her other books, as well as appearances from Alexis and Dan from Part of Your World. I don't think the books need to be read in order, but it does enhance the reading experience overall.

sorry university, I read this ARC in two lectures. It was that or fall asleep lol.
4/5.
light spoilers in the "things I didn't like" section!!

things I loved:
- stereotypical gender roles in romcom? switched! overprotective female character, softer, nice male love interest.
- the family dynamics. i'm here for a short story featuring Jacob's taxidermist dad and sex PhD writer mom. I'll also take scraps of short stories of their childhoods featuring the fun sisters, please and thank you.
- Abby Jimenez always researches her books. you can tell she was thorough, and when in doubt, she thanks those she consulted with in her acknowledgments.
- I liked that the whole 'fake dating' thing felt genuine. some aspects escalated into heavy trope-y territory but honestly this was thee least fake feeling one I've ever read.
- the ex girlfriend wasn't villainized. was she perfect? no, but she felt human. I appreciate this falling outside of the usual avenues for the whole "evil ex girlfriend who dumped soft man" trope. bleh.
- again with the gender role reversal in the epilogue! love it. it made so much sense.
- I loved finally having a male love interest with a personality and story of his own. additionally, we had an introverted character written well, and that’s a huge plus. Often I find that introverted characters end up having one personality trait in books: quiet.

things I didn't like:
- quite frankly I was having such a good time until the 70% mark and then I felt we delved in and escalated through things that didn't get the nuance they deserved. for once I felt like we got way more into the male love interest's past relationships and hardships than we did Briana's. we saw the aspects of her childhood that have affected her, but not so much her ex husband and their marriage past the cheating.
Like, your husband cheated on you with one of your friends, implied to be a best friend. Where was that in the book??
- the pregnancy. so random, so unnecessary to me? I guess I see how it like forced Briana to confront the sh*t in hr marriage, but it comes so suddenly and I feel like we didn't get the real details of what her past relationship was or how it was affected by her previous miscarriage. it clearly has this massive effect on her out of left field and it feels so sudden, and then bam it's all ok...Emma don't like.
- what happened to the race for the chief of the ER or whatever the role was. Loose end!!
- if I read one more book where the girl says "I'm broken" im going to burn it.

Abby Jimenez has done it once again! It took me less than a day to finish this book because I Could. Not. Put. It. Down! Abby created the perfect balance of creating a new story while also updating the readers on the life of a previous book character. This story had so many “laugh out loud” moments and a few that made me want to cry. All aspects of the main characters’ stories were beautifully told and it never felt rushed. This is a must read for all.

I don't normally give romances a 5, but I'm utterly obsessed with this book. It has so much humor and cute fluffy scenes while also addressing some important mental health topics in a way that I felt seen.

This is a fake dating romance between Briana and Jacob. Two doctors who've had extremely disappointing previous relationships to say the least. Jacob transfers to Briana's hospital and makes a poor first impression, and she thinks he's trying to take her promotion. He's just shy and awkward and doesn't know how to make amends. He starts by writing her a letter.

Let me first just say, my man wrote her a LETTER. He sat down at his desk, got out his stationery, and wrote a letter. As an avid pen pal-er and stationery lover, I *absolutely* condone the hell out of this. They start writing back and forth because he's shy and has anxiety! If that isn't the cutest thing ever and not how my own life's romance starts, I don't want it.

I'd also like to address that Jacob's anxiety wasn't written in a way that anxiety is so often written--chaotically and inducing my own anxiety. The way he's was written made me relate so hard and made feel seen and heard which I've never found in any other book. His overthinking wasn't hard to read through as overthinking normally is. I'd like to further point out I loved the fact Jacob, and not the female mc, was the one riddled with social anxiety and wasn't afraid to speak about it and address it with medication, JOURNALING (one of the 3 pillars of my own personality), therapy, plants, and an emotional support animal. Also he does so much cute stuff.

Briana was also going through her own issues. She'd been cheated on, left by every important male figure in her life, and left to fend for herself during a miscarriage. While these are real and important traumas, I couldn't relate to her the way I related to Jacob. Not saying her character left anything to be desired because my girl is a Schitt's Creek fan and funny which automatically makes her a 10.

There are a lot of other things to love about this book as well, but you'll just have to read it for yourself.

In case you wanted any more convincing that this is an exceptionally worthwhile read, here it is:
I'm a go to bed at 9pm and get up at 5am kind of girl. I stayed up until 3am trying to finish this book after I accidentally started it close to my bedtime. I almost called out sick from work because I needed to finish reading this book. I went in with 0 expectations. I thought this was going to be another light read to fill in the space between my heavier fantasy reads, but good god, my socks were knocked off.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for providing me with an eARC of the book for my honest review!

This was such a cute book that made me smile to myself the entire time that I was reading it. While the fake dating trope has been done over and over again, everyone adds their own styles and magic to it. Any truly did a great job with this trope and storyline.

I found myself obsessed with how cute it was and how much I was enjoying it. The characters were definitely one of a kind and unique to this story which was really quite lovely.

Jacob and Brianna's relationship together was super adorable but what was even better was their growth as people and how they dealt with their own mental health issues. Abby does an amazing job with representation and more importantly with showing mental health issues and how they affect people. She did an amazing job showing how the characters would cope and the strategies they used.

Overall this was one of my favourite Abby books to date!

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Abby Jimenez is one of my favourite authors and she has really out done herself with Yours Truly.
The story is about two ER doctors Briana and Jacob. Briana has been hurt by the few men in her life and has vowed to never trust another. Until Jacob comes around. First they started out as enemies and turned into friends (with a side of fake dating) and their chemistry is off the charts.
Now one of my favourite tropes is friends to lovers and boy is this done so well. You fall in love with both Jacob and Briana right from the get go and their friendship is just fantastic. I love how Abby writes about Jacob’s social anxiety, it really makes you understand what he is going through.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Abby Jimenez for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Abby Jimenez and I decided to request her ARC because several booksellers had just suggested her books 'The Friend Zone' and 'The Happy Ever After Playlist' due to the mental health portrayal (I was easily sold on both!) and they did not steer me wrong!

So while this is my first Abby Jimenez book (How??!) it seems she has a history of bringing in some pretty serious topics to her stories and I can say with so much enthusiasm that she handled it SO WELL! The MMC in 'Yours Truly' has GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) which I have had for some time and he was spot on with his portrayal. The number of times that I have had to scope out a restaurant before hand on yelp or panicked about how/where to park are limitless so to read him doing the same was so comforting and also made me want to protect him with my whole life. Jacob was so kind and so thoughtful with Briana and Briana was so aware and protective of Jacob.

Jacob also comes from a large family and I love how unique the family was and how the family itself had a whole personality. The side characters are written so three-dimensional that at first I thought it was breadcrumbs for the next book- and while maybe some of them were- I think Abby just makes all of her characters so real and clear that the brushstrokes used to paint the picture could not be more clear. You feel like you are there, like you know them and like you are a part of the story.

Things don't just magically work out between Bri and Jacob once they decide they love one another, they both come with quite a bit of trauma but they both decide that the other is worth working through that and that's such a moving thing to witness. This book made me sob. It made me want to protect all of the characters even when it was another character 'causing harm' (they agree to simply not do that).

There is a bit of miscommunication in the story but I dislike that as much as I love fake dating (also in the story!) so it was easily worth it. The mutual pining makes you just as frustrated as they were but that makes it all the more satisfying when they do finally start communicating about their feelings.

I cannot overstate how much I loved these characters. This book will absolutely stay in my rotation of comfort reads.

Available April 2023- but preorder now!