Abby Jimenez has done it again! She can do no wrong! From the very first page, you care about her characters, the banter and dialogue are top-notch and I know she'll make me cry multiple times, but there is always the promise of a HEA. Say You'll Remember Me might be her best yet!

No surprise here- I absolutely adored Say You’ll Remember Me! I completely fell in love with Samantha and Xavier. Their contrasting personalities added such richness to the story: serious, grounded Xavier paired with quirky, free-spirited Samantha made for the perfect dynamic. The banter between them was sharp and heartwarming, and the emotional depth (plus a slew of real obstacles) kept me hooked from start to finish. I was rooting for them every step of the way and was so satisfied with their well-earned happy ending. I’ll be recommending this one to anyone who’ll listen!

For the most part, I loved this book. I love that Abby continues to add such real hurdles to character’s relationships yet allows the hope to overcome them and this one may just include the biggest hurdle yet.

For the things I loved, Xavier is a big one. I loved how attentive he was to everyone around him, not just Samantha but her family, and stepped in when he knew extra help was needed without hesitation. And while sad, I loved how relatable it was for both characters to have problems that required some flexibility on both sides.

I also loved the care taken in writing about a family member with dementia and other topics - grief, past child abuse, etc. (it’s a heavy book) The meet cute was also original and hilarious. 🐱

I know some people have criticized the romance for being “insta-love” but as someone who is happily married to the man I had my own insta-love with, I can’t complain. I have lived that moment of instant connection of finding the one - the one who you just know. So I totally understand them bending themselves over backwards for the person who made them feel that.

My criticism with this book is mostly with the many, many modernisms - comparisons of Xavier to Rhysand, “if I was a worm”, etc. Just isn’t my thing. I also feel like the ending was rushed with the intense buildup you got with how the hell is this going to work out, even if you know it has to.

Anyways, I’d still recommend this one but just know going in that it’s on the heavy side and I feel like the romance isn’t at the forefront exactly?? It more so feels like two people at a pivotal moment in their life trying to make space for the other and for love - with a big focus on Samantha and her family caring for her mother.

I didn't love the insta-love of this book, I think that's just not a trope that really resonates with me. Because of that, I just couldn't get behind the couple fully and that kind of ruined it for me. I still love Abby and will read anything she writes, and I still had a good time and finished the book, it just wasn't my favorite by a long shot. It felt monotonous with them going back and forth visiting each other. Not being in a relationship and then being in a relationship. Beating around the bush. I also felt like there was just too much trauma going on for both of them. Like, just pick one thing and add it in the book, I don't need soooooo much drama especially in a book that's supposed to be a rom-com.

Say You'll Remember Me
Abby Jimenez
4.5⭐️

Pub Date: 4/1/2025

This was just such an amazing and heartwarming romance to read. But also extremely frustrating. First of all, so many random quotes and modern, relatable references included that I truly hear daily (thanks to my reference machine husband). So it was very easy to get sucked into the story. Also, Pooter and Jake from State Farm just had my heart in a hold. Now, I am usually not a fan of instant attraction but this was done so well that I actually craved more of it. MMC was so grumpy but also had a ginormous heart underneath all that trauma. FMC is just such a sunshine that I didn't have to question MMC's attraction to her. The expedited first superdate just made me so giddy and yet it also broke my heart (I won't say more because spoilers). Now I expected trauma and all since that seems to be a common trend for romcom books (which I love because life is messy). But this one was hard to swallow. It was so painful to read about the struggles of both parties, and how when it rains, it pours situations. They're clearly marks but life and circumstances kept them apart. It was actually refreshing that the couple themselves weren't problematic. There were no miscommunication and they weren't acting irrationally despite their struggles. They just held on. It showed the HARDwork people can and will do if they love the other enough. I also loved that the people around them showed them the tiniest bits of kindness here and there that made the couple's lives just easier, gave them some reprieve. I love that this was practical and messy and difficult, just like life. But the love story was also so sooo charming. I felt a much deeper connection to he characters.

The trigger warnings at the beginning are great and appropriate. Please go through them before you read. Even for me, as someone who works with dementia patients a lot, this was hard to read about. This aspect of the story was well researched and accurate.

💜 instant attraction
💜 opposites attract, grumpy x sunshine
💜 family

Thank you @netgalley and Forever for a gifted e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Abby Jimenez never fails her readers! Say You'll Rememer Me begins with two people, Samantha and Xavier, meeting and going on their first date the day before Sam is moving back home to California to help her family care for her mother. The problem is that Samantha and Xavier have an instant connection, but are about to be across the country. They agree to forget each other, but sometimes the connections between two people are just two strong.

This book is about the strong bonds of a family and the challenges/sacrifices of a long distance relationship. This book will take you on a roller coaster of emotions, laughing hysterically, then crying. Abby Jimenez has again written a beautiful piece of romance fiction and she remains to be one of my top authors.

I would be lying if I said this was one of my favorites by this author because it certainly wasn't. I tried really hard to love this book but couldn't. The storyline was overly drawn out and left me bored at times. I appreciate the "will they or won't they" subgenre but it was drawn out to the point of me not caring about what was going to happen. What I did like were the ,characters, especially Jake from State Farm...hilarious name. The beginning was very strong and I felt myself being drawn into the plot and enjoying the characters. I had high hopes for the plot, but it fell short of my expectations. I also felt like there was too much emphasis on the pressure that Stephanie felt to help out her family. Dementia is horrible for anyone to witness but I think it was overly discussed and left me depressed while trying to read a romance book. In the end, I am glad that everything worked out, but I feel like the book could have been 100 pages shorter and I would have enjoyed it even more.

In true Abby Jimenez fashion I loved this book SO much. Long distance relationships are hard and she portrayed it so well in this book! I swooned, I cried, I laughed - I felt all the emotions!

Now this book is definitely quirkier than I was expecting. I could have done with less of cat anatomy references…BUT the emotional and romantic aspects are just what I’ve come to love from Abby Jimenez. The single trope I would use to describe this book would be ‘right person, wrong time’. That quite literally sums up this whole book. Like the romance between Xavier and Samantha was quite a shit show from the start, and honestly they just couldn’t catch a break. That being said, the struggles that they went through were just so authentic to the human experience. As someone who has very recently experienced caring for an elderly family member and the grief that comes with it both when they’re here, and when they’re gone, I felt like this book was ripped straight from my soul. Mind you, I didn’t have a steamy, 6 foot man who worshipped at my feet to help me get through it… but I digress. Overall I get why this book may not have been everyone’s fave- it’s definitely a heavy read and the lighthearted parts seemed kinda out there…but for me it was at its core a great emotional romance (that may or may not have had me in my feels🥹).

3/5
Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

I love Abby’s books because of how emotional they are and this hit the mark in how we see Samantha struggle just trying to balance life in general and being there for her mom, it’s touching and real.
I could not enjoy the book with all the ACOTAR references and although there are moments between Xavier and Samantha I did feel like the romance was lacking as insta-love as it was.

This was probably my favorite of Abby Jiminez’s books! The characters had me from the very start and I was rooting for them the whole way through. I honestly didn’t know how they were going to make it work, which is so refreshing since a lot of romances are predictable. I loved this one so much!

I enjoyed this in the sense that it’s beautifully written with a very authentic and dreamy romance.

But not in the sense of plot and set up. I really struggled with the premise of long distance relationship - it was brutal on top of a brutal emotional life for both MCs.

This is another story with so much emotional turmoil that idk if it’s truly a romance? Not to me anyway.

Emotionally wrenching but bright spots of humor and (fade to black) swoony moments.

(Not rated on goodreads)

Abby is the queen of evoking every emotion from you while simultaneously making you swoon and pine over her characters. Samantha and Xavier’s paths cross in the most hilariously unexpected way and what ensues after? Passion, perseverance, and determination.

It's incredible watching Abby write so many incredible love stories and I am forever thankful she shares them with us.

Abby Jimenez is an auto-buy author for me—she is one of my absolute favorites. Say You’ll Remember Me does not disappoint! It’s both hilarious and heartbreaking. There are adorable animals, a hot vet, cute dates, and so much yearning. I was rooting so hard for Samantha and Xavier, as the odds seemingly insurmountable. I would only say that if Alzheimer’s disease is a trigger for you (as it is for me) it is a pretty big part of the story.

Thanks so much to Forever and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez should be on your beach reads list this summer! A fast-paced read about the right person at the complete worst time. Xavier and Samantha are both unique characters dealing with their own family issues and trying to keep up their long distance relationship since Samantha moved shortly after their first unforgettable night.


Click here to check out the book today.

I have generally really liked Abby Jimenez's work... I just didn't really vibe with this one. I felt like there was less nuance and interesting details than her other work. But I'm still an Abby fan and I'll check out what she creates in the future!

As usual with Abby Jimenez's novels I had such a fantastic time devouring this story. It leans a little sadder in terms of tone, but it's just as poignant and beautifully written as all her other novels. I loved it.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. I will read every book she writes. Her pacing and writing are gorgeous, and you never want her stories to end. There were quite a few humorous and silly situations and moments mixed in with the serious, as the two main characters try to figure out a way to stay together when their lives and responsibilities are pulling them apart. I was worried that we wouldn't get a HEA, but the ending was wonderful and I can't wait for the next book in this series.

Oh wow. Okay I will not be accepting any slander on this book in the foreseeable future. I went into reading this KNOWING that this wasn’t exactly everyone’s favorite Abby Jimenez and that’s okay. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I am here to say that their opinion is wrong. This story was tough. It was REAL and I think that’s what turned off a lot of people. People pick up books to turn their real life off and maybe that’s what it was, this book was too “real life” for them.

I love a good romance, 100%. But when I can relate to the story too? That’s a chefs kiss moment. As someone who started her relationship with her now husband as a long distance relationship… wow was that a blast from the past. They are HARD and it brought me back to those times and I was rooting for them the whole story through. Sprinkle in more real life situations with family, careers, relationships on top of that, and you get this story. But it wasn’t always heavy. It was also light in the way that only Jimenez knows how to do.

I’d fight over this one. 100% hands down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc in exchange for an honest review!

✨Review ⬇️✨

🐶 Say You’ll Remember Me 🐶
By Abby Jimenez

When life doesn’t send you a knight in shinning armor, you get a veterinarian. Same thing, right?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 An immediate must read book!

☀️ Mark this down as another summer 2025 read, but please keep a few tissues nearby.

🐱 Not a spoiler but important before you read- no animals die in this book. Take a deep breath now. I was in a panic a few times, thinking to myself “there’s no way Abby would do this to us…” She doesn’t. It’ll be ok. BUT she does crush our hearts and play with our emotions in many other ways, so I guess that’s the trade off.

💕 I absolutely loved this, and even though it’s considered “romance” it’s not a “rom-com”. This is real life romance! Filled with choices, decisions, and hurdles to overcome. People face real challenges in life and romance in real life is rarely a knight in shinning armor. No rainbows and butterflies. But that’s what makes this book so perfect, because it’s as close to reality as one can get.

💬 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…


Read this if you like:
🏡 Family
💕 Romance
🐱 🐶 Animals
☀️ Summer