3.5/5
This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 & am so thankful to have received this as an e-arc from the publisher. I love all of Abby's books because of the ability to balance happiness, romance and harder life issues. Unfortunately, Say You'll Remember Me was heavier on the harder issues than expected. Definitely read the authors note before getting into this one.

4.25
"That there is nothing more beautiful than being a witness to someone's life.
To know them inside and out and be with them through everything, share the same memories.
The way Samantha and Rhysand, I mean Xavier meet is so
funny. You have to experience it. Although I felt like it was a bit too insta lovey, it worked and I fell in love with their characters. Unfortunately, they had a situation of right person wrong time.
This book felt a bit more heavier on the emotional trauma and current dementia situation of Samantha's mom rather than on the romance. Don't get me wrong, it emotionally pulled on my heartstrings and I felt for her family. Xavier could do no wrong, he was perfect, the way he stepped up the plate when things went south! He also makes her playlists which is the best gift
The end it really got me and I even shed some tears. The emotional rollercoaster at the end I never saw coming. If you love Abby Jimenez books you'll love this book.
Thank you net galley and readforeverpub for gifting me this e-ARC. I can't wait to read more of this series.

I loved the connection between Samantha and Xavier-- lots of chemistry and adoration. Samantha's job cracked me to, and Xavier seemed like an amazing vet. The romance was secondary to the bigger things happening in Samantha's life, namely the care of her mother with early onset dementia. It was pretty heavy content, not gonna lie. I would have liked it to be spicier-- everything was off-scene, so it really wasn't spicy at all. With that being said, I still gobbled it up because the writing is so consumable.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my thoughts!

3.5 star, 1 spice


<I>Say You’ll Remember Me</I> follows Xavier, a veterinarian, and Samantha, a social media manager, who meet in Minnesota thanks to a kitten born without a butthole. (Seriously, it’s funny but also sad!) Their instant connection leads to a hilarious first date, only for them to realize it's also their last, as Samantha is moving to LA the next day to help care for her mom, who has early-onset (advanced) dementia.

This may be the first Long-distance trope I have read? It is also insta-love, which normally isn’t my favorite, but in this case I think it was necessary since the romance needs to still happen while real-life obstacles keep them apart. Samantha is adjusting to a full house with her family while navigating the emotional toll of caregiving. Xavier, struggling financially after opening his own vet practice, can’t just pick up and leave. Their relationship is strained by their distance, but the small and big ways they show up for each other are beautiful.

Their contrasting family dynamics play a huge role. Samantha grew up in a loving household, now bound even tighter by the demands of caregiving. In contrast, Xavier is estranged from his narcissistic, abusive parents. His emotional journey includes learning to differentiate between proving himself to toxic people vs. supporting those who truly care. He’s the king of ‘acts-of-service’ (where can I find one in real life?!?), always stepping up in ways that made me love him even more. That said, the book also highlights the emotional and physical toll of constantly putting others first.

There is a good amount of humor in the beginning which I loved, but missed a bit in the middle and end - the book actually becomes quite heavy. I think the romance does become more of a subplot to the caregiving, family dynamics and individual growth, so don’t go in expecting a romcom.

This book was well written and emotionally rich. The romance was lovely, though somewhat minimal, and the depiction of long-term caregiving was powerful. Just please review the triggers to make sure this is right for you.

Thank you to Forever Publishing for the E-arc


The triggers are spoilery, see below
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Triggers:
- Dementia
- Narcissistic/abusive parents
- Child neglect & estrangement
- Animal abuse (mention of past puppy drowning)
- Death of a grandparent
- Parent with early-onset dementia
- Alcoholism (Xavier’s father)
- Cheating (main character’s parent)

For me, Abby Jimenez peaked at Part of Your World, started sliding with Yours Truly, and now, with her latest, SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME, has dropped to her lowest.

There has been something rather… low-effort about Jimenez’s last few books, and SYRM is no different. Little to no energy has been spent on building up the setting: readers are supposed to simply fill in the gaps with their own assumptions about Minnesota and Los Angeles, as if that is knowledge that all readers have.

Secondary characters receive little to no development or fleshing out: even secondary characters that carry the bulk of the emotional weight of the main conflict in SYRM receive little more than passing mention on the pages.

Worst of all, the two main characters themselves are developed very little, or not at all. Jimenez’s male romantic leads all tend to be perfect Book Boyfriends, and Xavier the Hot Vet is no different… except it’s worse, because his greatest characterizations are comparisons with other fictional characters (apparently he looks like some Sarah J Maas faerie dude? I dunno) and inspired by viral social media ideas. Yawn.

The lack of effort with Samantha is even more cringe. She is your generic Gen X/Millennial woman with a quippy social media manager job, and there are only two things I remember about the way in which Jimenez characterizes her: first, that she is Latina (I think???), and second, that she is curvy. Which, ick. I am all for bestselling white romance authors adding more diversity to their romantic leads, but not like this, when there is absolutely nothing that indicates that Samantha is Latina except that her grandmother occasionally makes some tamales for the family. There is a difference between writing a character of color, and writing an essentially white character but giving them a few stereotypical descriptors and calling that “diverse,” and I’m afraid Jimenez has fallen on the wrong side of this.

Okay, I lied. This is the worst thing about SYRM: the fact that there is absolutely no conflict worthy of sustaining a book of this length. The challenges that Xavier and Samantha face in their relationship is entirely external, the result of them living far apart. When they’re together, their lives are apparently perfect; even if some troubles occur, notably with Samantha’s family, Xavier comes to the heroic rescue and everything works out. When they’re apart, they’re just working until the next time they can be together. There are some awkward attempts on Samantha’s behalf to go all “romantic drama TV show” on Xavier, telling him it’s for his own good that he stops contacting her, but these protests are half-hearted and quickly go away.

There is an eleventh-hour “realization” on Xavier’s part about the way in which his terrible parents have influenced the way in which he operates, but this feels very much shoehorned in at the last minute, and I am not totally convinced it’s authentic, because it doesn’t show up anywhere else in the book.

In short, neither Xavier nor Samantha are forced to undergo much, if any, growth in order to end up together… and it’s boring.

I can’t believe it has gotten to the point where I might be taking Abby Jimenez off my list of romance authors that I love… but if SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME is a sign of where she wants to take her writing career (ie nowhere)... then I think I’ll need to get off the AJ fan train now.

Abby Jimenez just knows how to get to your heart. This book is about 2 characters trying to make a couple of impossible things work. I was giggling, crying, sad, and happy throughout this book. I loved these 2 characters and connected to them and their struggles through.

I really did enjoy the book and cannot wait to get the physical copy to add to my book collection.

The chemistry between Xavier and Sam was so sweet and realistic. The plot felt real and not cheesy at all. The addition of other issues and themes in the book was perfectly balanced with the romance in the book.

Xavier Rush is a charming vet with a heart of gold, seems perfect, that’s until his words reveal he's not quite the flawless guy Samantha imagined. After a wild night together, Samantha pushes him away due to her family’s crisis, only to realize that their connection is too strong to forget, and now she’s determined to make something lasting out of it.

Absolutely swoon worthy! No one writes contemporary romance better than Abby Jimenez!

You will root for the long distance romance between Samantha and Xavier all while falling in love with Samantha’s tight knit family. You’ll laugh one minute and cry the next. I can’t imagine a better beach read! I loved it!

I always love Abby Jimenez books and this one was no different. I’m grateful to the publisher for allowing me an ARC version so I could experience this touching love story a little early. This book isn’t a cheesy romance. It deals with real, challenging subjects with dignity and grace, while also adding in some humor and a lot of heart. For a book about remembering, I will be remembering this one for a long time. Characters are witty and moving. The banter is bantering. The love story not only from the main characters but their families too is beautiful. No notes!

Abby Jimenez always succeeds in creating deeply developed characters. Samantha’s strength and Xavier’s steadfast support build a relationship that’s impossible to not root for. Their love is tested by real-world challenges, but the connection between them feels both authentic and inspiring. The emotional weight of the story is pretty well balanced with lighter, humorous moments, which I think added a much needed reprieve.

I've read everything written by Abby Jimenez and couldn't recommend her work more!!

Abby Jimenez never disappoints. This story was funny and emotional and I continued to think about the characters after finishing the book. It was absolute perfection.

Abby Jimenez can literally do no wrong. This was literal perfection. Xavier and Samantha might be my favorite character yet. I love how the humor was perfectly balanced with the more serious topics. Plus, I feel like those serious topics were handled with such care and that is something that I appreciate so much about her writing.

Was expecting more. Will be going back to thrillers and suspense novels now, thanks. Super annoying characters, sappy story - at least there were dogs.

Another amazing contemporary romance from Abby Jimenez! Her story telling just keeps getting better and better. In an effort to stay spoiler-free, I will say I’ve never read a romance where location plays this kind of factor. And I’ve never read a book with such a strong sub plot of a character with dementia. Both aspects were so thought out and well-written. I laughed, cried, and truly loved the whole thing!

Only a book by Abby Jimenez can have you laughing so hard. One second, you have to put your kindle down to crying a few seconds later from what happens next.
Samantha and Xavier have insta-attraction, but being separated by thousands of miles proves to be problematic for their relationship.
The amount of effort Xavier puts into them is beyond book boyfriend material. He is the definition of perfect, and the number of times I smiled is insane. Samantha moved back home with her family to help care for her mother, who has severe dementia. Personally, having lost a loved one due to dementia, this book representing it touched my heart in the best way.
Samantha's slogans and witty comments for the mustard company had me hysterical. I couldn't wait to read more.
Xavier met the man as an adult who influenced him to become a Veteranarian despite his parents ultimately failing him. The scene that had him ending up in a viral video caused Samantha's grandmother to bust on him, genius, and hilarious!
This book couldn't be any more perfect with the amount of laughter, sweet moments, touching yet sad moments, and real topics being discussed. Love, love, loved it!
A few touchy subjects, so check your triggers, but all in all, 15/5 🌟
Thank you so much for the ARC read!

Abby Jimenez crafts interesting characters that you can’t help but root for. For me, this book felt a bit more serious and the romance more protracted than her other books, but it was still a cute read.

Read This If You Like:
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Slow Burn Romance
- Cinnamon Roll MMC
- Complicated Family Dynamics
- Dual Point of View
- Long-Distance Relationships
- Deeply Emotional Storylines
- Meet-Cute Scenarios

Abby Jimenez does it again with Say You'll Remember Me ! This book truly is a love letter to those of us with complicated family dynamics or those that have had to take on a caretaker role for someone you love with significant health challenges.

The story of Xavier and Samantha masterfully blends humor and heartache throughout the entire story and gives moments of light with emotions and darkness that comes from challenging circumstances you don’t know how to navigate because life is hard, and harder when you can’t figure out how to work past all the barriers and roadblocks that life throws at you when all you want is to be with someone you love, yet the rational side and life barriers make having that happiness feel impossible, especially with the vibes of right person, wrong time weaved throughout the story. .

Jimenez excels in character development; Samantha's resilience and Xavier's unwavering support create a realtionship that you can’t help but to root for, even with the reality of life, work, finances, distance, and timing all impacting their relationship.

The exploration of complex family issues for both Samantha with being a caregiver for her mother, and Xavier’s no contact with his abusive parents adds depth, making their journey toward love both believable and emotionally driven. The instant connection between the two, while not my favorite trope, is one that makes sense because when you click with someone sometimes it just happens, for me who fell in love with my husband who was my first true safe space, I also see how their connection hit the ground running, because sometimes your body just knows it found its home with someone else.

Also, as someone who is no contact with their parents, Abby wrote Xavier and his hold ups so well! I truly felt so immersed within Xavier’s pov as I have been there and felt all the feels that he expressed from loneliness, anger, and needing to not let your parents feel like they were right, when all they have done is tear you down.

The novel's emotional depth is balanced with lighthearted moments truly was part of why I loved it so much. Are the cat butthole jokes immature, sure… but who of us isn’t a little immature when we need lightness to balance the darkness and I thought was so important as someone married to a Samantha type who brings lightness to my grump.

Thank you so much to Forever for my gifted ARC!

When you meet your perfect match only for them to move away right away - lots of angst in this one as the couple in question takes on a long distance relationship after the perfect first date.

Abby Jimenez books are always amazing! This book is lighthearted, kind, and gives you all of the feels. Her books are always my favorites to read and I look forward to new releases from her.

This book was absolutely incredible. From my first Abby Jimenez book I knew she would become one of my favorite authors, and some how I become more obsessed with her work every single time. This book had me enamored with the characters and their lives in the best way. Yes, it’s a romance story, but it’s also a story of remembering loved ones, family grief and families working together to overcome it, surviving child abuse and becoming stronger because of it. These characters show what it’s like to love and how we should be loved, in the best and loudest way possible.

Thank you net galley for the advanced copy of this book!