I really loved this workplace romance, dislike to lovers, y’all. This is in the Part of Your World universe but focuses on Briana, and Jacob, a new doctor at her hospital. There are so many heavy topics in this one - kidney failure, divorce, infidelity, trust, miscarriage, emotional abuse, and I thought they were all executed in a thoughtful and real way.

Absolutely loved how the relationship unfolded for our MCs, the Pride & Prejudice references, the idea of being harmless to your partner, and seeing a V relatable FMC work through past trauma and learn to be trusting and vulnerable. We love to see it!

First Abby Jimenez!
This is a spin-off book that resurfaces some previous AJ characters in secondary roles, but I didn't know that until after I finished... so I can confirm that it holds up on its own.

Okay... I love this. The emotional complexity, the mental health representation, and the effortless banter are a love story trifecta for me.

This is a trope-heavy read, but I thought everything was grounded enough for it feel unforced.

I will say that I don't love a character referencing a trope that they're experiencing. It's like when you watch a movie, and they say "It's just like a movie!" It totally takes me out of it. It happened once in this book and felt unjustified coming from Briana.

But!! That was a small, small price to pay for everything wonderful contained within.

Beginning to see that I'm a big fan of a cinnamon role love interest. Do I also want to help wounded bird-men? Whose to say!?

Thank you to NetGalley & Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC.

This book was an absolute delight & honestly, one of the highlights of my year in books to date. Jimenez has the gift of being able to balance really serious issues with just the right amount of humour so that the reader doesn't feel like all hope is lost. As someone who has been through some really tough stuff this year, laughter is all the more important. After all, if you don't laugh, you'll cry, & I'd rather laugh.

Here's what I loved: 
The letter-writing I am a massive sucker for handwritten correspondence. There's something so personal & classic about taking the time to write things out rather than sending a text or an email. I was admittedly a bit sad when they moved to more in-person communication. The pacing of their relationship was really well done. It was fairly fast-paced, but it never felt rushed, which is often hard to get right. Jimenez gets an honourable mention for a refreshing "one bed" scene. Bri & Jacob end up in that situation because of a freak accident & I very much enjoyed reading how the scene played out. I loved it when Alexis made a "One Bed Scene" jibe, because rom-coms that can make fun of themselves have a special place in my heart.

On a more serious note, past relationship trauma is often debilitating & incredibly difficult (I speak from personal experience), & it was nice to see both Bri & Jacob working through their traumas together. Again, an easy topic to butcher, but it was handled with grace by Jimenez. Lastly, Yours Truly has probably one of my favourite endings and epilogues. The intimacy in the conflict resolution was heartbreakingly raw, but also tender, loving, & beautiful. As for the epilogue, it was absolutely delightful. I would happily read another book about Bri & Jacob.

Lastly, two random things that don't really fit into the review but are worth mentioning: the mention of Vanessa Price was really fun; and I love a sneaky past book reference. I also nearly died laughing when I read the word "peen" in a published novel, so thanks to Abby for that little gift.

Here's what I did not love: 
For reasons I can't really adequately explain, I was not a fan of the fake dating aspect of this book, which is strange because fake dating is my number one trope. Based solely on personal preference, I think Yours Truly would have been better as a friends-to-lovers narrative without Bri needing to act as Jacob's girlfriend. However, I will allow for the possibility that I've just burnt myself out a bit on fake dating novels. 

Now to my main complaint: THE MISCOMMUNICATION. I know there needs to be conflict, & I know there needs to be strife & turmoil to bring the MCs together. I promise I get that. That said, I hate miscommunication-based conflicts with a burning passion. This is obviously a personal preference, and not really anything to do with Jimenez's writing, other than her over-reliance on this plot device. Without getting too spoiler-y, there was a conversation between Jacob & Amy that Bri overheard, & rather than Bri taking the time to ask Jacob what happened, she pole-vaulted to conclusions, which I found incredibly frustrating. This trend continues throughout the book & it was irksome, to say the least. There were multiple pages where my review notes were just written in all caps because of the ridiculousness of Bri & Jacob.

Despite all my rage, this book was truly a treat & I have already recommended it to several people that I know. I am very much looking forward to Jimenez's next novel!

**Review will be published April 6th, 2023 on my site and socials!**

ALL THE FEELS.

It takes a talented author to make me cool with things I don’t normally love in romance books. Jimenez has accomplished that here (of which I won’t be saying too much more because spoilers).

I loved Briana. I loved Jacob. I JUST LOVED THEM BOTH SO MUCH. For many reasons too. I felt deeply connected to their personal growth stories and the fact that Jacob reminded me of someone in my life really had me going. I adored Jacob and the anxiety representation was raw, real, and emotional. Alongside Briana’s trauma and coping mechanisms that took the strength of love showing up to work through. Jimenez creates stories to make you feel and I love knowing these characters.

With some of the responses that I generally have a hard time enjoying, I thought the way it was handled made me understand why things were happening the way that they were. It’s a testament to the ability to create such a character dynamic you can see and get the why.

There was a bunch of tropes and plot devices that I did absolutely LOVE. And the execution, as always, was top notch for me. I loved the letter writing, soft dates, all the little touches, comforting when the world got heavy and more. Seriously y’all. This is another must read.

**Read the author’s note too!

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: 2ish brief open; low explicit
- Violence: low
- Trigger/Content Warnings: multiple mentions of different ER scenarios (cuts, wounds, vomiting, etc.), cheating spouse (recounted), chronic kidney disease, divorced main character, clinical anxiety, mention of pregnancy loss and suicide

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for this ARC.

Abby Jimenez’s work just keeps getting better and better.

Yours, Truly follows Dr. Briana Ortiz who is best friends with our heroine, Alexis, from Part of Your World. Briana is struggling with an ongoing divorce, trying to care for her brother who is in need of a kidney transplant, and trying to earn a promotion at work. When Dr. Jacob Maddox joins the hospital and has a misunderstanding with Briana, it seems that these two will be enemies. We all know some of the best romances are ones that start out on the wrong foot and this is a fine example of that.

I cannot sing enough praise about this book. The emotional depth paired with hilarious scenes that had me literally laughing out loud is why I will drop whatever I am reading to immediately start a book by Abby Jimenez.

Please make sure to take the time to read the author’s note at the end.

This book absolutely stole my heart and I can only describe it as a TRUE GEM of a story! I read Part of Your World recently so I’m sure that’s why this book stole my heart as quickly. Abby Jimenez you are an amazing writer and you might be my new favorite romance author.

I realized halfway through the book that I related so much with the main character Bri and I loved reading her story. Bri is an ER doctor and best friends with Alexis (the main character from Part of Your World). She is a recent divorcee and has come to terms with never falling in love again. Then she meets the new ER doctor Jacob who just recently moved to her town. He just got out of a long relationship and suffers from severe society anxiety. The banter between these two is so funny and I found myself either smiling or laughing throughout the entire book. When Jacob’s brother decides to marry his ex girlfriend. Bri and him decide to be in a pretend relationship to make his ex and family feel like he is handling this well. However, it ends up with a very different ending than they were expecting. And let me tell ya, I cried several times and simply got all the feels.

This story was very well written and makes you fall in love with each characters. Also quick chapters. Great rom-com, heartwarming, emotional, funny and entertaining. The best part was Jacob’s 3 legged emotional support dog Lieutenant Dan! 👏🏻 I loved every page of this book and would recommend it to anyone who needs a pick-me-up book!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Brianna and Jacob. I don't think I have ever met a book couple that seemed MORE real to me! I want to know them in real life!
I crossed paths with Abby Jimenez a while back - and it led me to her first book. I have been following her ever since, and while it might seem corny - I love each book more than the last! Really!
Brianna and Jacob get to know each other thru hand written letters, and it's such a sweet and personal way to do so. They each have issues, and they work together to overcome them. I just want to hug them both.
It's a great story - I would recommend to all who love their rom-coms!

Thank you for allowing me to read an advance copy.

I can easily say this is my favorite Abby Jimenez novel. Everything about Brianna and Jacob was perfect, including all their insecurities and imperfections. For anyone afraid to try again after heartbreak, this one is for you.

Another beautiful love story from Abby Jimenez!

There were so many aspects of this book that I enjoyed: the fierceness of Briana’s feelings and actions, Jacob’s softness and sensitivity, the brief, magical interlude in Wakan with Alexis and Daniel from _Part of Your World_. Where the novel truly shines, though, is in the author’s thoughtful, detailed, and compassionate depiction of acute anxiety. Jimenez’s main characters often find love while managing a personal hardship (medical, physical, or emotional), and such is the case in _Yours Truly_. The depictions of Jacob’s physical manifestations of his anxiety, as well as his inner dialogue about it, are underscored beautifully by Briana’s coping strategies. The way she anticipates and intuits his emotional needs is the very foundation for the development of their love story. As someone who has lived with anxiety for years, I felt validated and inspired by Jacob’s feelings and Briana’s tender efforts to calm and assure him. (I also learned a few coping strategies for myself!) Furthermore, Briana’s own vulnerability is revealed in small ways throughout the novel. Having suffered her own personal trauma, Briana finds that she must be brave in order to find happiness. She, like Jacob, is vulnerable. Overall, the psychological dimensions of the novel are heartfelt and ring true.

I happily recommend!

No one does a rom-com like Abby Jimenez! I couldn’t put Yours Truly down, and I didn’t want it to end! Fingers crossed she continues with these characters and storyline!!

I can't say enough good things about Abby's books, characters, themes and content. She is a true artist at weaving a mixture of hilarity with soul crushing stories. You need to read all of her books immediately, even if you are not a romance fan I promise you will love it!

Bri and Jacob’s story DID NOT disappoint! Abby truly has a way with words that makes your heart feel all the feels!

Absolutely swooned on Jacob—my new book boyfriend. 🤭😍🥰

I fell in love with these characters
and their beautiful slow-burn, friends to lovers/fake dating
romance.

Have to mention how I enjoyed the big, crazy family and LOL-ed at the potty mouth parrot and the Grandpa.

The magical “One-bed-left” scene was a delightful touch as well!


I can’ recommend this book enough! 5 stars and more!!!

Thank you so very much to Forever via Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, I absolutely loved this! Abby's books always just feel so effortless to read and this one was just so wonderful. It made me giggle and have the biggest grin on my face.

JACOB IS EVERYTHING! Like I can't even. He's literally the perfect book boyfriend! 😍 I really liked how social anxiety was represented in this and it felt so relatable. The hospital setting was super fun too! I kept picturing Grey's Anatomy. Briana and Jacob had the cutest friendship!! I loved all their interactions, supply closet lunches and the passing letters back and forth was just SO FREAKING ADORABLE! It was angsty in the way most friends to lovers usually are but worth it!

I always struggle with the third conflicts in books and at first this one really upset me. BUT I feel like Abby did a good job with it and making me as a reader understand why it was happening. And helping me see why a certain character felt the way they did. Plus I'm so freaking WEAK for Jacob, he can do no wrong. His family was also super sweet.

This was such a heart warming, slowburn, friends to lovers, fake dating story filled with so many beautiful messages! It made me so happy! I LOVED this and can't wait to own a physical copy to reread.

Abbey Jiminez is an auto buy author for me and Yours Truly did not disappoint. This book had it all: amazing characters, comedy that made you laugh out loud, tears of happiness and sadness for the characters, and a storyline written so perfectly you didn’t want to put the book down. I did my best to slowly read the book because I knew I would suffer from major hangover when I was finished and boy was I right. I’m not sure how Abbey creates these masterpieces over and over, but yet here she did it again! I’m so thankful for the opportunity to advance read this book, but so bummed to have to wait for her next great read. Thanks Abbey for sharing early!

bby Jimenez never disappoints. “Yours Truly” will make you laugh and make you cry. It’s the love story of two people, Briana Ortiz and Jacob Maddox, that have been jaded by love in their past. I have read all of Abby’s books, and this fifth book is as engaging and poignant as her other four books.

This book has themes of broken trust, organ failure, and anxiety that are handled with sensitivity. As a nurse, I found the material related to the emergency room and organ transplant to be engaging, funny, and fairly accurate.

The comedy and tragedy of misperception is key to the storyline. As Briana and Jacob navigate their relationship, the questions of honesty and risking your heart are integral to their story. Helping to move the story along are “Part of Your World” power couple Alexis and Daniel, as well as a cast of engaging, poignant, and funny characters. This motley crew includes a three-legged dog and a cursing parrot.

Although I look forward to the happily ever after, I REALLY enjoy the journey. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this advance reader copy- all the opinions in this review are my own.

Abby never fails to amaze me with the ways she can make me feel every single emotion all in a 300 page range.

This book had everything. I laughed so hard I was in tears at some point. My heart broke right along with the characters.

Hands down Abby’s best work yet.

The day I received the link to preview Abby Jimenez's latest book was a "happy dance" kind of day. Yes, I did suspend all other activities and started reading immediately. I may have stopped for food, but in general, that day is a blur of laughter and all the feels that get associated with Abby's books.

Abby's fifth novel is not a continuation of a "series" per se, but is set in the same world of characters and events from her previous novels. There are plenty of references, so if you'd like to catch them all and feel a bit like you're in on a little secret, at minimum read Part of Your World in preparation for Briana's story in Yours Truly.

If you are a fan of Rom Coms, either you love the rom or love the com. If you're an Abby fan, you know that there can be so much more to a rom com than some formulaic romance a humorous misunderstanding and a grand gesture declaration of true love. Yours Truly delivers on all fronts. As in all of Abby's book, the dialogue is on point. Not only can you imagine what Briana might say in response to a situation, you probably already know a Briana. The snark and sass, but a heart of gold, a desire to thrive at work, and to care for all of the people closest to her. Briana has been hurt deeply in the past and struggles with how to move on in her romantic life. Jason is a complex character and actually helped me to understand some of the people in my own world a bit better. Jason struggles with anxiety, and has a plan for everything, including how he can get into his zone as an emergency doctor, and how to deal with his family and an ex-girlfriend. One of my sons is an incredibly anxious person, and I saw so much of him in Jason, though Jason seems to have a better handle on his anxiety. It was very eye opening for me.

I loved that instead of a plot where the couple begin their relationship via 21st century text and IM banter, this couple wrote letters. The rom com trope "please be my fake significant other" is perfectly executed, but with all the twists and snark you'd expect from an Abby Jimenez novel.

With every Abby Jimenez novel I read or listen to, I feel as if I know the characters. I want them to come hang out with me for movie night. I want them to be happy. I become a little too invested, maybe because Abby's gift with characters is that they are us. Most often, I personally get the feels or find a strong connection with a side character or a specific situation that may not be a huge moment for other readers. This book is a gift to those who are trying to figure out if love is still in the cards (it always is. honest), how to connect and support and love a person with anxiety (be harmless), and for those struggling with a health situation for someone they love.

Read Yours Truly - it is a gem,

P.S. If you haven't already joined the "Be the Match" registry or checked the box on your driver's license to be an organ donor, consider this your reminder. It takes a second when you renew your license, and it takes a little swab for Be the Match (visit bethmatch.org). And if you are an angel of a human, contact your local transplant hospital to see if you can be evaluated for kidney or liver donation. YOU don't pay for evaluation or for the transplant costs (the recipient/their insurance does). Should you *ever* have kidney or liver problems, there are processes to ensure you get the help you need. Even if you don't know someone who needs a transplant you may be a link in a chain that helps change the life of someone's someone. If someone called and said YOU are the only one who can help save a life - would you really say no? Instead, say yes.

Abby Jimenez is a must-read author for me, and Yours Truly only reinforces that. Bri and Jacob are such fully formed characters that I feel I know them as real people. Anxiety and mental health is handled with such care, in a relatable way. And the dialogue is snappy, hilarious, tender and real. This is definitely a book I look forward to reading again.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review copy!

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this AMAZING book! Abby Jimenez has out done herself once again! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This book had it all…romance, mental health, organ donation, adorable pets, real life trauma and so many laughs! When I finished this book I immediately wanted to turn back to page one and read it all over again! Bri and Jacob never stop showing us that ‘Love shows up’! Mark your calendar for April 11,2023

Abby Jimenez continues to produce heartfelt, funny, moving, and thought provoking novels and Your Truly is certainly another success! Abby managed to make me laugh out loud and cry in the same chapter. I felt like I knew these characters intimately by the end of the book and I was rooting for them after the first few chapters. The only problem I saw in this book is that it wasn't long enough. I needed so many more pages of these characters because I was so invested in them. I cannot wait for the audiobook to experience the book in another way. GREAT JOB and all the best on another success!