I received this book for free (hey, thanks!) in exchange for an honest review. I promise that this does NOT affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. For real.
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez Genres: Adult, Contemporary
Published by Forever on April 11, 2023
Also by this author: The Friend Zone, The Happy Ever After Playlist, Life's Too Short , Part of Your World, Just for the Summer
Format: eARC (411 pages) • Source: Publisher
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A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.
Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.
And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that I think Abby Jimenez writes the BEST romance out there right now. I’ve enjoyed (even loved!) all of her books and truthfully, I think each one is better than the last. THE FRIEND ZONE was a book I really loved when I read it but those feelings faded a bit over time for a few reasons. And her books have only gone up from there (for the most part). In order of release, they went 3.5 stars, 4 stars, 5 stars, 4.5 stars, and 5 stars again for me.
I’ll backtrack and chat about the plot and then get into the gushing. The story follows PART OF YOUR WORLD’s heroine’s best friend Briana. She’s hitting her divorce finalization date after her husband cheated on her and feels like she’s just going through the motions. A new ER doctor, Jacob, joins the hospital she works at and the two do NOT get off on the right foot. Jacob secretly finds out he is a match for her brother as a kidney donor, they start writing letters (which started as an apology letter), and the rest is history. I would categorize this as enemies-to-fake-dating-to-lovers, which was very fun. It’s light on the enemies part but still. I loved watching them fake date (Jacob needed a girlfriend for his brother’s wedding festivities… did I mention his brother was marrying Jacob’s ex? And they got together three months after she and Jacob broke up?) and see their relationship grow.
As usual, this book had utterly perfect banter and chemistry. I stayed up WAY past my bedtime reading and laughing, hoping I wouldn’t wake up my husband. I really don’t know how Abby Jimenez does it haha. The characters felt so real and everything in their lives was incredibly well-rounded – so many family and friendship feels on top of the romance. I loved watching the two of them fall for each other throughout the book without realizing it.
I’m rating this five-stars purely for the feels, humor, chemistry, and banter, of course. I saw my friend Lindsey mention in her review that Jimenez manages to use miscommunication (everyone’s least favorite romance trope, including mine) NOT be completely terrible. That doesn’t mean that I enjoyed it though. Briana’s actions and assumptions were beyond frustrating and part of the reason I couldn’t stop reading was because I needed to get through all that and enjoy a happy romantic ending. I couldn’t wait to get past it. There were obviously more serious things going on that caused issues and the romance black moment, but a certain miscommunication element drove me super nuts. It says a lot that Jimenez’s writing, characters, and (I’ll say for the millionth time) banter overcame that annoyance for this to be a five-star read. I just adored this couple and everyone in their lives.
If you haven’t read a book by her yet, genuinely no idea what you’re waiting for!
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