This book was beautiful once it got its groove. Say You’ll Remember Me is the next book after Just For The summer. It doesn’t quite match it but it does pull at the heart strings a bit with a parental figure with dementia.

Both main characters are likeable and the story is also very cute.

Here are my unfiltered, thoughts while reading this: be warned, if you haven’t read this, they will make no sense.

♥️

Not insta love but insta attraction. Insta like which I’m all for. It’s not in a ew way, more like a ‘hmm, maybe I want this’ kind of way. (Says the commitment phobe).

Not me smiling at the train station rn. I’m not even going to pretend that I’m not smiling at my kindle.

Yo. I love this book. *cries in childhood trauma*

Cool. It’s only chapter 9 and I’m crying on the train and I got a new mascara that’s NOT waterproof.

HAHAHAHAH WTF. IM CRYING.

RELATIONSHIP GOOOOAAALLLSSS.

UM MISS ABBY JIMENEZ?!?!

HANK.

Haha can’t see through my tears. Lololol

OKAY, yes. 5 stars. I’m going to go eat a chocolate lava cake and cry some more.

Unfortunately I didn’t love this in the way I usually love Abby books. I feel like the tone of discussion around care homes really missed the mark.
Loved the main characters but was a little too insta-lovey for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an arc!

Abby Jimenez, please let me read your grocery list. I fear I will never fall in love with a real man because you continue to raise my standards.

“The small memories are the fabric of your life, the ones so inconsequential that you don't even remember them. You just remember how you felt when you were making them.”

Synopsis
While Xavier seems perfect with his veterinarian career and hot bod, he ultimately puts his foot in it when he says the wrong thing to Samantha and there’s nothing Samantha likes more than putting a jerk in his place. Little did they anticipate that the both of them, who seem worlds apart would connect through an authentic bond.

Review
A huge thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Australia & New Zealand and Abby Jimenez for providing me a copy of Say You’ll Remember Me in exchange for an honest review.

There was so much to love about this read. Underneath the humorous banter (which Abby always nails,) was a deeply heartfelt read. The parallels of Samantha's mothers' dementia and Xavier being able to understand signs of distress from working with non-verbal patients (animals) made my heart feel some kind of way.

I'm not usually a fan of the 'insta-love' trope but it seemed to work for these two. The challenges Samantha and Xavier face whilst maintaining a long-distance relationship reminded me of my situation, when my partner and I lived in different countries for three years at the beginning of our relationship. As difficult as it is, the need and want to be with that person ultimately overrules.

Say You'll Remember Me isn't just a rom-com and dives into deeper topics such as:

• Complex relationships
• Dementia
• The hardships and rewarding moments of being a carer/support person
• Family dynamics
• Childhood abuse and neglect
• Trauma and grief

As usual, Abby delivers a sweeping romance with real emotional depth.

Say You’ll Remember Me is a romance that really pulls you in with just the right mix of charm and real emotion. Sure, the whole hot-vet-who-looks-like-a-Greek-god thing might feel familiar, but the story digs deeper than just good looks and banter. It’s more about timing, forgiveness, and how real-life problems can get in the way of something that feels meant to be.

Overall, it’s a memorable, emotionally and beautiful romance that doesn’t shy away from messy feelings and imperfect timing. If you love Abby Jimenez you will love this!

I absolutely loved this book!
I knew from the first chapter that I would love it. The characters were dynamic and so enjoyable. And the animals in it just added so much cuteness.
This book made me laugh and also cry (which never happens, so I was astonished). While it is a fairly light romance, there is depth to the characters in their past traumas and current experiences.
I also loved the grumpy sunshine aspect of this, Xavier was so grumpy, but I loved how he cared so much for animals and for Samantha.
Samantha was so funny and really enjoyed the family dynamic she had. It was complex and well done.
There is the insta love trop in this, but to me, it didn't feel forced. There is a connection, and it builds with great pacing.
I did cry at the end, I loved it.
5 stars.

This was my first foray into Abby Jimenez, and I was not disappointed. I enjoyed both characters and how they fought for the relationship despite everything life was throwing at them. As someone dealing with dementia in the family, this felt very raw and realistic.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the insta love, nor the way Xavier’s problems seemed to be solved for him. Overall a solid romance.

𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐳 ✨☁️

“𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙫𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚.”

This love story messed with my emotions, just like every one of Abby Jimenez’s books I’ve read so far. I went into this one with very little knowledge of what was in store, I was immediately taken by the brooding and handsome veterinarian, Xavier, and the endlessly amusing and strong-willed, Samantha. Their attraction was instant, their first date was bewildering but unforgettable, their chemistry was breathtaking - but their lives were complicated.

Samantha has to leave Xavier behind, despite finally finding a man she can truly see a future with. But, she needs to help her family - her mother has Alzheimer’s, and they’re all pitching in to care for her as her memories disappear. The rest of the book is full of heartbreaking moments of a family struggling to come to terms with an awful disease that is stealing their loved one from them. It’s devastating to read, and the pain is visceral.

“𝙄’𝙙 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙪𝙥, 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢.”

The moments of grey and sadness are dotted with humour, it’s a balance that is very familiar in Jimenez’s writing. And, the long distance relationship moments between Xavier and Samantha are so colourful. Their love for one another was perfectly described on the page, and I adored every moment with them.

“𝙄'𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩, 𝙄 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

Overall, this is a story of heartbreak, sadness, joy, love - just life, really - it was emotive and beautiful. A real, honest love story that I simply adored.

Thank you Hachette Australia and NetGalley for the ARC of this beautiful book!

idn’t sign up for crying today

omg i’m so relieved but also not surprised at all that i loved this as much as every other book abby has ever written 😭😭 she’s got a way of writing the most real and heartbreaking but also most beautiful love stories and i am not okay

the first half of this book was so much fun and abdkdjdjdj literally the best vibes & the second half was HARD and abskdjdj this will be sticking with me for a bit i think

and abby has a way of putting messages in her books that just, make sense?? like i obviously won’t spoil what happened, but the decisions that the characters make also make me look back onto my life and go, oh wait, am i doing this all wrong??

like who needs self help when you can just read one of these?

also xavier is the biggest green flag ever again & he deserves so many hugs

thank you sm hachette for the review copy!

3 stars to Say You'll Remember Me!

While Abby Jimenez consistently delivers cute relationships, a quick & engaging writing style, and writes very well on heavier topics (all of which were present in this book!), I do find that I struggled to connect to our characters and consequently, their romance.

The romance was the main issue for me here, and felt too insta-lovey for my tastes—although the first few chapters gave me the five star feeling!

Unfortunately just not the book for me, but I’ll be ready and waiting for her next book.

Some of my favourite books are those that have ripped my heart in two, so is it any surprise that a read so many have described as depressing, was a stand-out for me? Not even slightly!

‘Say You’ll Remember Me’ is Abby Jimenez’s latest release, and while I would agree - it’s a very unusual (read: heavy) romance - it’s also, in my opinion, a very, very good one, and I’m so thankful to the author and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy.

Xavier and Samantha cross paths through a funny kind of fate. They don’t exactly hit it off at first, but they more than make up for it with an unforgettable first date. However, just as things are starting to spark, they’re separated by hundreds of miles, when Samantha moves interstate the very next day.

Unfortunately, as time goes on, distance isn’t the only thing getting in the way of their feelings. Samantha is helping care for her mother, who has dementia, and Xavier is in the early stages of building a business - so money is tight, time is short, and stress levels are high for both of them.

Real and raw, this isn’t an easy read, but it provides a beautiful reminder of what’s truly important in life, and I’ll never not recommend a book that does that!

Just make sure you read the triggers first.

I LOVE me an Abby Jimenez book. I don’t know what she puts in her books but I’m addicted. I start her books and can’t stop and put them down until I’ve finished them!!

I loved this and found it super cute. I did find that there was a little depth / connection missing to the characters but maybe that was just me feeling a disconnect

But I loved the story overall, the plot, the characters, the side characters, the humour (I was giggling the whole time) there’s something about a book with great banter that just gets me every damn time.

This was my first Abby Jimenez book and I can completely see why she is so dearly loved! Her writing feels so smooth and magical. I felt like I was being wrapped in a blanket of her words providing me comfort and warmth on a winter night.

The story itself was extremely engaging as it dealt with very difficult topics in such a respectful and mindful manner while also allowing you to be so wrapped up in the story and in the characters own experiences.

My only problem with this story was the insta-love. I am just not a fan on that trope when done in such an immediate way. I don’t mind immediate attraction and being honest about that, but the immediately feelings of being in a serious relationship just felt so unrealistic for me I found it really hard to get into in the beginning. And with that Insta-love, it made the story feel like it was moving so fast but not a lot was happening. They had the same conflict the whole story about money and not being able to move across the world, and while I understand those are real problems couples face I don’t read romance novels to see real life. I read it for the fiction.

Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I actually really liked this one! The romance felt super natural and the chemistry between Samantha and Xavier was there from the start. I loved their banter and how their relationship built up—some of the moments had me kicking my feet. It’s definitely heavier than I expected though; there’s a lot about family struggles, past trauma, and the reality of long distance, which made it feel really grounded but also kind of sad in places. Some of the pop culture stuff (like TikTok) made me cringe a little, but it also made the story feel current. I also LOVEEE the fact that ACOTAR was mentioned. Overall, it’s a really emotional, solid read with a good mix of swoon and substance. I’d recommend it if you’re into romance books that have a bit more depth.

My first instinct once I’d finished this book was to give it a full five stars, but I fear I was blinded by the wonderful way it ended.

This book is absolutely stunning in its ability to unpack grief and the way we deal with it - sometimes messy, often judged for the way one try’s to heal. And it was all wrapped up in this beautiful bubble of memories and the impact they have on us and what we have left in the end.

It was so SAD for most of the book. It felt like a constant gut punch and more than that, it felt repetitive. Like Groundhog Day, we have to leave this perpetual sadness in a parallel line to the MC’s. All very real, very valid and very hard.

But I have three main issues with this book that really dropped the star rating for me.
1. ‘He fucked off back to his motherland’, was a really far out way of saying that Omar moved back to… his country of birth? Or perhaps the country of where his family are from? Entirely unnecessary and racist, no?
2. Comparing the MMC to Rhysand (from acotar) is:
- lazy writing
- really shit way to support authors who are problematic for the sake of not having to explain how handsome someone is??
3. The constant repetition of lines and internal dialogue. By the end, the attempts to get an emotional response out of me (the reader) was monotonous and really pulled me out of the story.

Without these three main issues, this would’ve been an incredible book. Unfortunately they were issues that were far too bag to ignore.

Incase you were wondering… Abby Jimenez books just get better and better, 5 stars. what a beautifully heart wrenching book,
Abby is the queen of writing green flag men. Xavier is so perfect, the love and devotion this family has for one another is also just perfect. The found family, the long distance relationship, the humour, the love, the heart break. Please please read this book .

thank you to netgalley and piatkus for allowing me early access to ‘say you’ll remember me’.

Abby Jimenez is absolutely masterful at creating characters with real life flaws who you genuinely root for, not just with the romance, but for themselves too. This book focuses heavily on long-term relationships, mental health, dementia, grief, abuse, and trauma. I believe she did an excellent job in delving into these topics with such care and understanding, her research really shows and works so so well in this book.

Our characters Xavier and Samantha are so so lovely and you just keep rooting for them, even when it seems the universe is not. Their chemistry is off the charts I absolutely loved them. Whilst I will say this definitely isn’t my favourite Abby Jimenez novel, I still had such a fun time with this and I loved having Xavier work as a Veterinarian.

This was a beautiful novel with very heavy topics so please check trigger warnings before you go into this book.

I think this might be my favourite Abby Jimenez book so far.

The chemistry between Samatha and Xavier was top tier right from the start and the way they just fitted together instantly 😍 Like all of Jimenez’s characters, they were so relatable, but with the right person, wrong time trope, you really feel for each character and the circumstances that keep them apart.

I felt so many feelings while reading this book, from laughing out loud to the heartfelt heavy moments that make you want to cry.

I’ll also never be able to listen to Come On Eileen without thinking about Sam and Xavier!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this one!

Another swoon-worthy romance from one of my favourite romance authors. At this point I will read anything written by Abby Jimenez.

Sparks fly immediately when Samantha takes her tiny kitten to the vet and meets grumpy, but gorgeous, veterinarian Xavier. What begins as a meet cute turns into a long distance romance between the two that you can’t help but be captivated by.

Told in dual POV, I loved seeing how committed Samantha and Xavier were to each other’s happiness. Alternating between letting go and holding on to each other, I was drawn in by the inner turmoil of both characters as they tried to do what they thought was ‘right’ rather what they needed/wanted.

Easily read in one sitting, Say You’ll Remember Me is more than just a romance novel. Samantha and Xavier feel like real people dealing with real issues – caring for a parent with advanced dementia, family trauma, past physical and emotional abuse and neglect. They are highly relatable with well fleshed out backstories supported by a host of secondary characters.

With the humour and heart that I have come to expect from Abby Jimenez, this novel was emotional without dragging the reader into a funk, light enough to overcome some of the more difficult issues covered. The romance was perfect, Samantha and Xavier’s chemistry evident from the beginning. And as ever from this author, I gained a dreamy, new book boyfriend.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.