Just when I think “surely not every Abby Jimenez book I read will be 5 stars” … I’m proven wrong.

First of all, BIG THANK YOU to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced copy of Say You’ll Remember Me.

Abby Jimenez knows how to write a romance book that is so much deeper than the relationship of the two main characters. Say You’ll Remember Me touches on heavier topics like dementia, abusive parents, and long distance relationships between two people living through the reality of being an adult trying to build a career (and live in an expensive world).

This book made me laugh, cry, and fall in love with every character. Reading this felt so realistic and the ending truly warmed my heart.

Abby Jimenez is truly one of the best authors and I will forever read anything she writes.

any book that makes me cry the way i just did deserves the 5⭐️

this was such a fun read 🥹 i struggled to put this book down every time i had to.

sam and xavier are two characters that cannot stay away from each other no matter how hard they try. it’s sort of a damned if they do, damned if they don’t sort of thing because of their circumstances. sam’s mom has dementia and her condition has deteriorated so sam needs to go back to california to help the rest of her family. sam is hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt from opening his own veterinary clinic in minnesota and he can’t afford to move to california with sam. they’re two thousand miles apart, yet they can’t seem to forget each other. they just clicked, right from the start.

i never thought that pooter’s missing butthole would lead to the story it did. sam and xavier’s first interaction gave off the impression that they’d be at each other’s throats all the time but that wasn’t the case. they’re so disgustingly in love and i fucking loved it. xavier always seemed to know what sam and the rest of her family needed, kind of in the same way maggie and tina are always feeding xavier.

and shout out to hank because he broke me. that cute little grandpa made me cry.

𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢.

say you’ll remember me by abby jimenez
book review

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
spice: 🌶️🌶️

first of all holy fucking shit, i cannot believe i was able to read this book early.

SYRM was a beautiful love and gut wrenching love story. not only is it a love story about a romance, but also about family.

xavier is a vet in minnesota with a point to prove. he comes from a traumatic childhood and he wants to show his parents he was able to become everything they doubted he could be.

samantha works in social media marketing for a mustard company. she is preparing to move from minnesota to california to help her family take care of her mom who is in the throes of early onset dementia.

samantha rescues a kitten with no butthole and takes him to xavier’s office, which is how they initially meet.
.
.
this true grumpy x sunshine, which i looooove. xavier is literally suuuuuch a top tier boyfriend. he will literally do anything for samantha to make her happy.
abby jimenez always knows how to write a great romcom. i found myself loling at so many parts in this book. but don’t be fooled because the end literally hits you right in the gut and had me sobbing by the end. check your triggers because this does talk about some childhood abuse and dealing with a parent that has dementia.

this has been one one of my favorite books by abby, an i strongly recommend this to honestly anyone.

thank you so much authorabbyjimenez, @netgalley, @grandcentralpub for the opportunity to read one of the most anticipated releases this year!

Abby has done it again! Phew, this is a doozy, but in the best way. The emotions are very raw and I felt the two main character's longing as if it were mine.

I think the representation of dementia, even more so what it's like to be someone who takes care of a person with dementia, was beautifully and accurately written. As a caretaker for my grandma who had dementia, this really hit home but paid respect to the complex emotions being a care giver.

I'm not usually a fan of instant love, but Abby knows how to write character who are down bad for each other from the jump and makes it believable.

--
Thank you for NetGalley for an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Ugh i just love any Abby Jimenez book! I really enjoyed that it was so super crazy long but I do wish there was more at the end😭

I was giggling and kicking my feet the first few chapters, like instantly obsessed couldn’t put down!!!

I love that Abby’s books can always make you laugh but also bawl your eyes out in the end too!!


Loved this one! Thank you NetGalley & Forever for the arc!

5 STARS!!!!!!!

I swear each time I read a book by Abby Jimenez, she continues to impress each and every time. This book brought out so many emotions out of me. I laughed, I cried (multiple times), I got angry and I swooned. But most importantly, I fought for Samantha and Xavier the whole time. Abby Jimenez writes her characters so well and it saddens me that these people are fictional. I loved every second of this book and it touched me so much. This is arguably her best book yet and I will not accept any negative criticism at this time..

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the ARC! Say You'll Remember Me is the latest from Abby Jimenez. When Samantha takes a young, rescue kitten to the vet, she's put off by his manner but more by his suggestion to put the kitten down as it needs costly surgery that may not work. She decides to push forward with the care just to spite him, making sure to detail the experience online. Xavier, our curmudgeonly vet, can't get Samantha off his mind. He regrets how he acted. When the two reconnect, they agree to go on a date and have a memorable experience and a deep connection. Xavier is looking forward to meeting again and for the relationship to become serious, but then Samantha drops the news that she is moving across the country to California to care for her mother. Samantha doesn't believe a long-distance relationship can work, but Xavier is determined to prove her wrong. Deeply moving and romantic, showing the difficulties yet value of committing to love in all its forms.

Once again, Abby has written bestseller material. Xavier and Samantha stole my heart from their very first anger-laced interaction. The meet-cute? Hilarious. Had me holding in my chuckles so I wouldn't wake my household. The rest of the book, while peppered with Abby's signature wit, is also poignant and will pluck your heartstrings like a maestro.

Xavier is seen as the stereotypical grump - not approachable, no social skills, not interested in relationships. He owns a veterinary clinic in Minnesota and is more comfortable among the company of animals than people. When Samantha brings a tiny kitten into his practice for a very *unusual* problem, he is immediately smitten...but comes off as a jerk. What ensues can only be described as a whirlwind romance, with both Xavier and Samantha falling hard for each other. When Samantha is called home due to the failing health of her mother, however, things become complicated. Will their relationship survive the distance and the family issues that continue to plague them?

UGH, the way these two fall in love is nothing short of a masterpiece. One of the things that I love most about Abby is that she writes such real, relatable content into her love stories, and the characters face struggles that befall the general population. Xavier grew up with crappy parents who always made him feel less-than, thus he has spent the majority of adulthood trying to prove himself, to a fault. Samantha's mom has a dementia diagnosis, and it begins to take a toll on the whole family. Their relationship is put to the test when they are almost immediately forced to make things long distance. Both stubborn and unwilling to give up their current living situations, it makes things interesting to say the least.

I loved the duality of the title, because Samantha keeps telling Xavier to forget her and move on, all the while she is dealing with the emotions of returning home to a mother with dementia who doesn't remember who she is. Both situations are heart wrenching in their own ways and Abby definitely has a way of making you feel all. of. the. things.

On the flip side, this book was freaking hilarious and had me chuckling out loud on several occasions. Some highlights include a UFO escape room, mustard marketing, and animals named Pooter and Jake from State Farm. Abby's writing is bitingly witty, and this book delivers. The balance between the emotion and humor can feel a bit jarring at times, but it's necessary.

The tension stemming from the long-distance relationship lasted longer than I expected, yet it made the ending that much sweeter. It truly makes one think: How far would you go to keep "The One"?

Every time an Abbey is finished I find it hard to believe she can top her last story but this was 6 star for me.

I loved reading this book and I think that was due in large part to Xavier being a vet, so there were lots of animals involved. I thought the banter and inside jokes between all of the characters were fun and pretty realistic. Samantha also had such a niche job compared to the standard romance novel heroine, so that was funny. I knew there would be some tragic family thing because that seems to be the formula for Jimenez. The only problem I had was that the last quarter of the book seemed to be speeding along. Grandma dies suddenly, then Hank shows up to help out of nowhere, Samantha loses her job, etc.

For readers who:
✨️expect typical Abby Jimenez magic
✨️ love a beautiful love-conquers-all story
✨️ want a heavy reality dose with their romance

Honestly, I got a little nervous at the beginning. The writing felt kind of stilted and weird, and I got realllll concerned this was an Ali Hazelwood situation. Instead, it settled and smoothed, and became the classic Abby Jimenez romance we all know and love.
The characters were lovely - although Xavier does definitely lack flaws. He's literally perfect - just with a terrible childhood - but it works here.
Read it in less than a day. Quick little dopamine hit. Will it stick with me forever? Mmmm, probably not. But did I love it while it happened? Absolutely.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️.5

Wow, this one hurt (in the best way possible).

Samantha and Xavier were SO easy to root for, both individually and as a couple. Sam is funny and warm and loves her family. Xavier is a good man through and through— if not a little grumpy (at first). And he canonically looks like the internet’s favorite book boyfriend! Together, they are very sweet.

As someone who has watched her family have to rally to care for a loved one with dementia, I could feel the stress of trying piece care together and the weight that puts on everyone. It was beautifully handled.

I liked that the obstacle to love wasn’t a miscommunication or third party or so many other things that you see in romance book— but as the characters put it “logistics.” It feIt like a believable, adult reason. Tbh, I kept waiting for the third act break-up shoe to drop and blissfully never happened!

CW: The central plot revolves around the FMC caring for her mother with dementia, which may hit hard if a loved one has suffered from this disease. 🫶 I lost my grandmother to dementia this year and felt cathartic to read, but if the wounds are fresh, you might want to hold off.

Read if you like:
- Long Distance Romance
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Right Person, Wrong Time
- Family Dynamics

Thank you to Forever for the eARC!

Abby Jimenez always does an incredible job blending romance with real-life situations that are hard, messy, emotional, and even gut-wrenching. Her characters are always going through something that makes you feel, and that’s one of the reasons I love her books. The subject matter here was handled with care—Xavier’s trauma was worked through in a really natural way, and Sam’s family dynamics felt so real, complicated, and ultimately satisfying to see resolved.

My main issue, sadly, was the romance. Usually, this is where Abby shines for me—she knows how to do banter, longing, and just great characterization. But I cannot get over insta-love. It’s one of my least favorite tropes, which is probably why this book just didn’t fully work for me. I know the idea of love at first sight is appealing to some, but I like yearning—more build-up, more tension. Here, they’re obsessed with each other from the jump. They’re physically kept apart by circumstances, but emotionally, they’re in a relationship for most of the book. I personally didn’t love that—I wanted more to the romantic story, but this was more about navigating external challenges.

The second half of the book also felt repetitive: they love each other, they can’t be together—over and over. And don’t even get me started on the completely unexplained subplot with the FMC’s dad. Wtf.

That said, I still enjoyed it because, again, it’s Abby Jimenez, and I’ll forever read her books. But this one just didn’t hit the same way her others have for me. If you love insta-love, overcoming hardships, family drama, minimal spice, long-distance relationships, and a romance that leans more into life struggles than relationship development, you’ll probably really enjoy this.

TW: animal abuse, child abuse, child neglect, sudden character death, family member with dementia, anxiety, depression, elder care.

Thank you to NetGalley & Forever Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you @readforeverpub for my #gifted copy of Say You’ll Remember Me! #readforeverpub #ReadForever #abbyjimenez #SayYoullRememberMe

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐒𝐚𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐳
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟓★

A UFO escape room, amazing mustard puns, a VILF, a cat lacking the ability to have a bowel movement named Pooter. This book had your typical Abby Jimenez LOL moments. (If you haven’t yet read an Abby Jimenez book, don’t worry, you can start with this one!) But in typical Abby fashion, this book was SO much more. I knew this book was going to wreck me, and it did. This book was so emotional but I felt like it was authentic. I love how Jimenez does her research, and this book was no exception. This book focuses heavily on the topic of dementia, and family dynamics, and I was very impressed with the portrayal in this book. These were HEAVY topics, but I really appreciated the sensitivity the author took to introduce and carry these topics through the book.

Samantha and Xavier are two incredible characters who I adored with while reading this book. I do not know how Jimenez writes these characters, but I loved everything about them. She has such a talent for character development, and it showed again in this book. From their strengths to their flaws. The side characters (co-workers, friends, family members) were also such an important part of this book and truly made this book what it was. I loved how everything came together with this book. It was the perfect rom-com and I cannot recommend it enough!

🐶Meet Cute
🐱Dual POV
🐶Jake From State Farm x Pooter The Cat
🐱Long Distance Relationship
🐶Complicated Family Dynamics
🐱Cinnamon Roll MMC

“𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚂𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚊. 𝙽𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝.”

Posted on Goodreads on March 26, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around March 26, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on April 1, 2025
**-will post on designated date

Abby Jimenez is an auto-buy author for me. I’ve read every single one of her books as soon as I could and have rated all her other books above 4 stars. So it pains me to rate Say You’ll Remember Me lower than that, especially since I’m such a big fan of the author and was so excited to read it, but I do have mixed feelings about it.

I loved the theme of memories throughout the book, and the characters themselves were very interesting. I was invested in their individual stories, specifically in terms of their families and very different upbringings. But the main thing I struggled with was the romance plot. I am not a fan of the insta-love trope in general, so the way the relationship between Xavier and Samantha developed didn’t feel very natural to me. I also found the numerous comparisons of Xavier’s appearance to Rhysand from ACOTAR to be a bit forced. My issues with the romance are purely based on my personal preferences, so if you’re okay with insta-love or instant attraction, I think you’ll enjoy this book!

I’ll still read every book Abby Jimenez writes because I do love her writing, but this particular story just wasn’t for me.

Reviewing Abby Jimenez books is always so hard for me because she writes such beautiful stories that it's nearly impossible for me to put into words how they affect me. Her newest, "Say You'll Remember Me," is no exception. If you've read and enjoyed any Abby Jimenez in the past, you will absolutely love this one. If you're looking for romcom humor, it's here. If you crave the very real and sometimes heartbreaking way she portrays familial relationships, you'll find it here too. If you read Abby's books for the doctor/medical subplots, you'll have to settle for veterinary medicine but I promise it's worth it. If you want a romance that is so deep and true that you feel like your heart is being ripped out of your chest, Samantha and Xavier are the couple for you. We follow them as they wrestle with a long distance relationship that is further complicated by challenges in their respective personal lives. This book will tug at your heartstrings and make you feel for these two characters so so deeply. My heart physically ached at points while reading. I fell in love with their love and spent 100% of this book rooting for them and playing out every possible scenario in my head for how their story would end. I laughed, I cried, and I gasped out loud at multiple points throughout this book. Everybody say "Thank you, Abby Jimenez!"

I’ve only recently ”discovered” Abby Jiminez and I love her style! She writes about (incredibly attractive) real people and real life but there’s a happy love story just slowly taking its time meandering around and developing into a great story. I can honestly say I will read anything she publishes!
Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the digital ARC.

This book was just WAY too depressing. It cannot be categorized as romance when it's this sad the whole time. Such a trauma dump it didn't even feel authentic. Just one thing after another.

4/5 stars.. to me this fell way into the category of insta-love and wasn’t really believable, so it was hard for to buy into Their love story at the beginning. Also all the siblings and the dad/grandma under one roof..? Maybe. I can see it happening but it just wasn’t it for me.. I guess.
I did buy into the love story later but they definitely frustrated me for more than half the book because they just seemed to let themselves suffer and yearn with no plan to move forward.

Overall though.. I did like the book, it donate me emotional towards the end. I loved the dementia representation and the reality of what it can do to a family. And I liked the reality of how our upbringing can continue to affect us decades later..

Some, I’d recommend it was really good.. just wasn’t perfection for me.

Thank you SO MUCH to Forever Publishing, Abby Jimenez, and Net Galley for this ARC. This was absolutely PHENOMENAL! Abby is an auto-buy author for me, and this book did not disappoint! Dare I say... my favorite by her? I connected so deeply to Samantha and the struggles she went through watching someone so dear to her go through the stages of dementia. I lost my grandfather last year, and one of his complications was post-cardiac arrest dementia. I remember him asking my mother who I was and having my heart fall out of my chest. Abby conveyed these feelings of mourning the shell of a loved one so well. The romance in this UGHHH!! The banter and chemistry were amazing. I am not someone who likes insta-love, but this one just played out so well. The will they, won't they was something that kept me on edge, but was so realistic because of Xavier and Samantha's circumstances. ALSO XAVIER?!?!?! If he isn't my future man, I DON'T WANT HIM! I need a VILF ASAP!! This was Abby's most realistic book yet, which is why I loved it so much. It felt like I truly was living amongst Samantha and Xavier. There is a lot of modern language in this book, but dare I say I was the target audience because I loved it. It was used a lot, but for me, it made it more relatable. Again, Abby is my heart and soul, so I simply cannot hate her books even if I tried. I cannot wait for my pre-order to come in!! 🐚🫧𓇼 ˖°