I was starting to feel myself go into a reading slump before I began this, so I thought picking up one of my favourite authors would stop that happening and it definitely did.

Abby always manages to convince you from the get go, that her characters are perfect soulmates, set to be together. This was definitely a much heavier book, given topis of family violence and dementia but she handled them so well while still managing to keep the book a lighthearted romcom.

Half a star knocked off cause my personal pet peeve is when characters always end up married less than a year later in an epilogue, it's just not realistic. But otherwise I absolutely loved this.

ARC provided for review.

Despite Abby Jimenez being on my TBR, this is the first book of hers I’ve read so I can’t exactly compare to her previous books. However, I loved this! This has a long distance/separated lovers trope, which was at times frustrating (for the characters), emotional and wholesome. Abby has created such a lovely story that makes you root for Samantha and Xavier to work it all out and have their happy life together.

Xavier and Samantha strive to nurture and maintain their blossoming relationship while confronting themes of grief, childhood abuse, familial obligations, and the complexities of long-distance love.

If you’re an Abby Jimenez fan or a fan of a semi-realistic healthy romance with likeable characters, I recommend you pick this up!

Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez (booksreadbyriss)
5 ⭐️ (Infinity Stars!!)

I absolutely LOVED this book! From the very first page, I was hooked. And a special thank you to Abby for the adorable tribute to all the fantasy-loving girls out there—you know exactly which quote I'm talking about!

Let’s start with our MMC, Xavier. First off, he’s a VET (hello, swoon!) and a huge dog lover—immediately YES, I was in love! Then there’s our FMC, Samantha—girl, you are the definition of empowering, loyal, and fun! You bring light to everyone around you, and I couldn’t get enough of her.

When I say that this is a must-read romance, I mean it. No matter who you are, if you enjoy love stories, read this book!!

The book begins with a unique and fun introduction between the characters, followed by an obstacle that truly hit home for me, where you're torn between love and location. Xavier handles it all with such dedication and strength. The devotion and love they both share is so loud and inspiring—it made my heart swell!

The family dynamic was another standout for me. On Samantha’s side, she’s devoted and loyal, constantly putting her family’s needs above her own. On Xavier’s side, we see him create his own version of family and explore what it means to choose who he wants to be. Their individual journeys were so beautifully written, and their love story only added to the magic of it.

I don’t usually tear up while reading, but this book made me cry—yep, I was sniffling on a plane between two people, wiping away tears. I’m so grateful I had the chance to read the ARC of this book, and I’m now and forever a huge Abby Jimenez fan!


Tropes:
💕 Grumpy x Sunshine
💕 Meet cute
💕 complicated families

She has done it again, every book from Abby is a 5 star read for me and this was no different. Be ready to have your heart broken and then put back together.

4.5✩ This beautifully heartfelt love story completely stole my heart. It follows two people deeply drawn to each other, yet constantly kept apart by life’s obstacles. This wasn’t just another romance with an unrealistic plot, it felt raw and real.

Samantha was so fun to read, her sharp sense of humour, unshakable positivity, and ability to find light in even the darkest moments made her such a refreshing and loveable character. And then there’s Xavier, honestly the perfect book boyfriend haha. Despite his painful past, he remains one of the sweetest, most thoughtful male main characters I’ve ever read. His kindness, vulnerability, and unwavering support for Samantha easily makes him a new favourite.

This book brought out all the emotions. I laughed out loud at the witty banter, but I also quite literally sobbed. Samantha’s story, especially her experience caring for a parent with a chronic illness, was incredibly eye opening. It’s a stark reminder of how fragile life is and how important it is to treasure every moment with the people you love. The way Jimenez portrayed the challenges and emotional toll of caring for a loved one was deeply moving. Watching Samantha and her family come together in the face of hardship was one of the most beautiful aspects of the story.

Abby Jimenez has an unmatched ability to craft emotional depth in a romcom. She blends humour, romance, and heartbreak so seamlessly that you’ll find yourself smiling one moment and wiping away tears the next. Few authors can strike that balance as perfectly as she does.

I cannot wait for this stunning story to be out in the world. It’s a powerful reminder of love, family, and resilience and I know it’s going to stay with me for a long time.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for the opportunity to read an early copy of one of my favourite author’s newest releases 🩷

Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez 🐾🎡🐱✈️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♾️

This was my first Abby Jimenez book & I can finally say I understand the hype 100%
This was a long distance, grumpy x sunshine, with an amazing meet cute - & a storyline that addressed heavier subjects.

I was absolutely obsessed with both MCs, flaws and all, who proved that one moment makes everything worth it even with intense family dynamics.

I found Abby’s writing so relatable and managed to address the topics in this novel in a respectful and impactful way. I still can’t stop thinking about all of the characters, and I definitely will be diving into her backlist this year!!

If you love:
🐾 Grumpy x Sunshine
🎡 He Falls First
🐾 Long Distance Relationship
🎡 Opposites Attract
🐾 If he wanted to, he would
Then definitely pick this one up!!

What’s your favorite Abby Jimenez book? 🫶

Thank you so much Hachette for the eARC ✨ I’ve found another autobuy author 🫶

this book has:
- long distance relationship
- dual pov
- meet cute
- complicated family dynamics

after a less than perfect meeting where he acts like an asshole, xavier apologises and redeems himself to samantha with an unforgettable date. shortly after, he finds out that samantha is moving to another city due to a family crisis and the two are forced apart.

actual rating: 4.5 ☆

i've loved every single book of abby's that i've read and this one was no exception. she always bring so much depth and emotion to her characters, making it impossible not to love and feel for them. i would never want to be in a ldr but samantha and xavier definitely make it seem worth the effort.

tw: mentions of child abuse & neglect, mentions of animal abuse & neglect, loss of family, dementia & cheating (side character).

thank you to netgalley and the author for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Abby Jimenez’s writing will do it for me every time. The way she writes her characters and stories with so much emotional depth, layers, and relatable struggles, while simultaneously making me laugh out loud multiple times will never cease to amaze me. This was a beautiful story and had me crying both tears of heartache and happiness. This book explored very real struggles people go through everyday or things they may encounter at some point in their life, while keeping it all very tasteful and the reader hopeful they will overcome these obstacles. I’ve never read an Abby Jimenez book I didn’t like!

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez 🐈‍⬛

☆☆☆☆.5/☆☆☆☆☆

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

Description:
There might be no such a thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes-all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there's nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong...

. . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date-possibly the best in living history-Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be.

Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life-and even a love-worth remembering.

Review:
When a book starts with an asshole talking about assholes you know it's going to be a good one. Xavier (MMC) was determined to change his past and make something of himself. Samantha (FMC) was determined to have a bit of fun before her life changed forever. Both Xavier and Samantha had complex feelings that they were working through throughout this book that I found to be relatable. In classic Abby fashion these books dealt with real life issues and real life love. The kind of love that you want. The 'would you still love me if I was a worm' but instead of just a yes immediately it's a 'yes I'd learn to love you as a worm'. This book broke my heart in many ways because it was so REAL. The love between Xavier and Sam was real but the family love was there too. This is one I'd recommend checking the trigger warnings for as it does deal with some heavy topics. I loved this book and am so grateful I got to read it.

“You are my favourite person. Did you know that?”

I just finished my first ever book by Abby Jimenez and i am absolutely speechless. This book was both heartbreaking and heart warming - reading this book gave me a roller coaster of emotions. The love both characters had for each other was so beautiful. The way both of them would do absolutely anything for each other and faced the difficulties together showed the importance of communication and understanding in a relationship. As someone who has had a family member with a terminal illness, reading this book really highlighted the difficulties it can cause to a persons physical and mental health.

I really do recommend this book to everyone. It is beautifully written and highlights important factors that relationships face, family issues as well as a beautiful love story. I need an Xavier in my life

This book is full of Abby Jimenez's signature dreamy banter and electric chemistry, but lacked the sparkle of her Part of Your World series. I liked the romance overall, but the back-and-forth of them trying to make long distance work became a bit exhausting. I would still recommend this to lovers of Abby Jimenez and romance books in general!

Massive thank you to NetGalley and Hatchette Aus for the ARC.

This book is PURE love in all its forms. Love for your family, love for your animals, love for the simple things in life and most of all, love for that special person some of us are lucky enough to find. And despite being filled with love, this book also shows us the challenges we face within it, the lengths we go to for it and the fuel it gives us to keep going. There will never be a man more perfect than Xavier Rush and we are ruined for all non fictional men.

This book delves in to difficult issues too - early onset dementia, animal cruelty, emotional and physical abuse, long distance relationships - and with the utmost care, we have been delivered a beautiful read that simultaneously will make your heart ache and squeal with happiness.

Dare I say it? My new favorite Jimenez (until she writes the next one - autobuy!).

Abby is such a unique and talented voice in contemporary romance. This book had me feeling lol the feels! I laughed, and cried through the whole thing! Her characters are multidimensional, relatable, and likeable. I truly hope that everyone reads this book because I think everyone could get something out of it! I will never stop recommending this book!

Take a bow Abby Jimenez!
Say You'll Remember Me, follows Xavier (hot veterinarian) and Samantha (mustard banter anyone?) as they hit it off instantaneously! They have to figure out how to make things work long distance...stat, and throw in their own family woes into the mix!
I'm usually a slow burn type of gal, but this book had me giggle and kicking my feet at every encounter.
Not only is this a love story, but it's also a story about being a family unit and what in life is important.
The only downfall for me was that a few things in the plot line were over explained, however this is a great love story with a HEA!
4 stars!!

Anyone who knows me knows I am the #1 member of the Abby Jimenez fan club - I adore her books and will recommend them to everyone and anyone to read, so it makes me incredibly sad to say how much this book didn't hit the mark for me ☹️

Did I find that I couldn't put this book down and read it in 48 hours? Yes. Did I find it one of the most depressing romance books I've ever read? Also yes. I felt like there was not a happy moment in this book, even the happy ever after at the ending felt tainted by the pain and heartbreak throughout the entire rest of the book.

The main theme in this story hits very close to home for me personally. Maybe that's why I found it so difficult to read. The whole situation was heartbreaking. Maybe if it wasn't something so close for me I wouldn't have found this book so miserable. But I also found that not a lot really happened in the book. A meet cute (which I didn't love tbh) and then some dates, between constant repetition about how the two main characters wanted to be together so badly but timing and circumstances wouldn't let them. We were told over and over.. and over. Like ok. I get it. Is anything else going to happen or are we going in depressing circles?

When we weren't talking about these topics I enjoyed what was happening in the story - but these parts were so few and far between.

Am I already awaiting the release of Abby's next book before this one has officially been released? Absolutely. She is the Romance Queen to me, so we'll just be remembering this one is a little blip in the perfection.

Abby is a total queen of my heart! Her writing absolutely just tickles that sweet spot for me which is why I was so excited to read Say You’ll Remember Me!

I absolutely inhaled this book! From page 1 I was hooked by our VILF Xavier and then quickly by Samantha. These two had that immediate electric spark, for two people so different, they’re so perfect together.

Throughout the book, they are just chucked hurdle after hurdle and my heart was aching for them to pull through and overcome everything.
This was for sure an emotional roller coaster that had me tearing up for probably the last 20%! There was so much relatable about these characters which made me connect that much deeper and fall so in love with them.

So much fun, so touching, heartwarming and heart breaking, I am forever in awe of Abby’s writing and the emotions she pulls out of me. I would also recommend checking trigger warnings as there are some sensitive topics.

This book will stay on my mind for sure and would recommend anyone to put this on their tbr for 2025!
I can’t thank NetGalley and Hachette au/nz for the eARC

For those who love Rhysand from ACOTAR but if he was working a normal job with real life circumstances!! ASDFGHJK!!

The way Samantha and Xavier met was like love at first fight hahaha. For all the funny parts and cute small connections to the previous books - which I LOVED - this story had so much hardship, I felt for everyone! The circumstances are true to real life with glimpses of sunshine, laughter and love throughout.

Samantha is such a beautiful soul. Inside and out! Her quirky fun marketing ideas for her job! She’s sociable, compassionate, funny, intelligent, supportive and selfless! These are the types of women that make the world go round! You can’t tell me any different!

Abby Jimenez does it again with this MMC! She had me sold with this story because RHYSAND FROM ACOTAR?!! Immediate YES! Working as a vet, Xavier is a true sweetheart kind of gentleman masked behind a grumpy exterior. His story broke me! The way he broke out of that and made something of himself made me so proud! I love his patience, support, love and protectiveness of Sam and that ending! Not to mention his acts of service and gifts love language!! He gave me goosebumps at the end 🥹

If you’re sensitive to pets being exposed to rough treatment - PLEASE READ TW!! Not from the main characters but from side characters and one is past tense.

Special mention to Tristan because I was laughing so hard my tummy hurt. Gotta love brothers! And also Hank, you amazing man!!

The ending was perfect and realistic! I had goosebumps and was smiling so much!
Abby wrote such a sweet love story that shows how love can conquer all and how much family truly matters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Hachette Australia & New Zealand for the eARC.

4.5 ⭐️ a playlist + meet cute + charming characters + a hot vet (“like if Rhysand from the ACOTAR series were a real person”), it’s as if Abby Jimenez put all my favourite things in a book!! I loved just for the summer but this book topped it for me as it was such a perfect romance. this book made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me smile so much. I also definitely now have a new book bf 😘

My favourite thing about Abby Jimenez’s books is how she weaves a beautiful but complex storyline with realistic characters that make you root for them. Say you’ll remember me is no exception. This book may be triggering as jt deals with a character with advanced dementia and speaks of the impact this has on her family around her. It also includes themes of child and animal abuse.

I don’t want to say to much more cause I think it is better without knowing much but all these layers add a rawness to the characters, which creates this gorgeous but touching romance.

My only criticisms of this book were:
- there was quite a bit of miscommunication (and I HATE that trope)
- it is a long distance romance, which worked but the characters are mostly not together and I would have liked to see more of them both.
- some parts felt a bit rushed (particularly with supporting characters) and I would have like certain storyline’s to have been developed more.
- All the problems in their relationship were due to external factors, so I feel that there wasn’t much of a arc in their relationship which I would have liked to see, although to be fair they were perfect together.

thank you so much NetGalley and Hachette Australia for an early copy of this book!! I loved it and I definitely will be recommending it to all my friends <3

Abby never misses! Do you enjoy books where it’s right person wrong time?
This book had be sobbing, giggling and in awe of both of our main characters. Our story follows Samantha who works for a mustard company doing social media & her mum is fading to dementia. Our MMC Xavier is a vet who owns his own clinic and has the most beautiful heart. The two of them meet with instant chemistry but Samantha is moving across the country to be there for her mother.. can these two stand to forget about each other or will their chemistry stand the test of time and distance?
Samantha and Xavier’s chemistry was incredible, Xavier’s back story about his family life broke me, but I enjoyed watching these two grow 😭
Well done Abby.. I was already a huge fan but this book is an easy 5 ⭐️ read!!! I will never forget about this book nor will I stop recommending it, can’t wait to see what else you bring out!! ❤️

What a solid grumpy/sunshine read!

Honestly, Xavier makes this book what it is, a man who loves animals, his partner and has a presence that calms people and makes them feel safe? Perfect man. The things he does to be able to see Samantha is the ultimate if he wanted to, he would, and I'm here for it.

Say You'll Remember Me is easy to read, emotionally laden and heart warming. It touches on some heavy themes of loss and death, but they are done with authenticity and respect.

I did feel that, perhaps this was a little long winded, I found myself skimming pages to get to the point, which is more a me problem than anything to do with this well written novel.

All in all, this was a lovely read, thought provoking, slow burn, fun and emotional. A beautiful romance that shows distance can make the heart grow fonder.

Thankyou to Hachette and NetGalley for the review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.