One thing about Abby Jimenez’s books is that they’re always filled with humor while also tugging at your heartstrings.  Say You’ll Remember Me was no different. This book focuses on Samantha and Xavier as they navigate life’s challenges, both individually and as a couple.

While I enjoyed the book overall, about halfway through, I started to notice a repetitive theme. I also felt like some of the efforts in the relationship were a bit one-sided. Xavier truly embodied the definition of “If he wanted to, he would.” I understood the circumstances—whew, these two could never seem to catch a break—but it felt like he was giving his all, and it wasn’t quite fully reciprocated. That said, Abby did a good job exploring the topics of dementia, the struggles of full-time caregiving, and how family members support one another through tough times.

In the end, this was a cute and easy read that I’d recommend, especially if you enjoy the insta-love trope.
Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for the digital ARC.

Say You’ll Remember Me
Rating: 3.75⭐️
Pub Date: Apr 1, 2025

Thank you Forever Publishing for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: long distance relationships, unlikely romance
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Xavier and Samantha go out on one perfect date, but then Samantha moves to California to help take care of her mom and they struggle to forget each other. But the distance proves to be more difficult then they thought.
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I loved this one. I thought the instant connection between Xavier and Samantha felt real, and I love how they fought to be together despite all the challenges they faced. Xavier was an amazing MMC, and I love how hard he was willing to work to be with Samantha. Overall, a really cute romance.

In true Abby Jimenez fashion, Say You’ll Remember Me is a lovely romcom with some real life horrors thrown in for fun. I love that Abby deals with the hard stuff as well as all things romance. In this summertime read, sexy veterinarian Xavier meets Samantha and her urinary-challenged cat on a bad day for the vet. He’s rude, and she’s mad. When she returns to his office, he has had a change of heart and the insta-love begins.

Except, Samantha is moving.

Due to her mother’s heath, Samantha moves across the country to care for her. Our love story becomes a long distance romance, and it is not smooth sailing.

Things I liked:
The strength of Samantha’s family bond
Xavier’s good heart
The fast-paced nature of the book

Things I didn’t love:
Insta-love isn’t my favorite trope
The “f*cked off to his motherland” bit

Part of Your World still reigns as my fav Abby read, but this one will not disappoint fans!

Thank you to @netgalley for the advance read!

Pub date: 4/1/25

I loved these two characters and their romance really was the beating heart of the story. Jimenez made their chemistry so apparent and effective from the very beginning so that I was rooting for them through everything. I think it was necessary in order to make the reader feel the frustration and bittersweetness of a long distance relationship even when the characters had only just met. The characters on their own felt fully realized, making their individual journeys so engaging, and every moment that they did have together felt like a breath of fresh air.

Thank you for approving this arc 🙏🏻 abby never fails. I loved how fast paced the book was. Kept me entertained from start to finish. The title? UM GENIUS! but i think it wouldve been sooo much better the cover if she had been wearing a red dress 😉 i cant wait to stock up on copies when it comes out

Say You’ll Remember Me
Abby Jimenez

okay so right off the bat miss Abby STAYS writing the most perfect men okay ty more pls 🙇‍♀️

hello ch1, the dog being asked for euthanasia, the mom with dementia okay tears are at the ready 😭

🗣️ dual pov
📍 Abby if you love Minnesota I WILL LOVE MINNESOTA, but all these SoCal references have me swooooning
🐾 lots of pet love (with content warning at the beginning)
🥲 many misty moments that will catch you in the feels

so many pieces of me reflected in the story and it definitely hit home for me 🥹 I will always love and appreciate how much the author pours real life medical issues as well as real life superheroes (caregivers, family, friends) into her books. I was savoring every chapter of this arc!

one small thing - dual pov but their inner monologues sounded so similar at times, it helped that they lived in different states with different jobs

IF I COULD GIVE IT 1000 STARS I WOULD!!!

My god I LOVE Abby Jimenez's books so much but Say You'll Remember Me came and freaking bulldozed all the other books and took the number one spot in my heart forever. I loved this dang book so much Im going to buy the freaking hardcover when it comes out because I simply can't wait a whole year before I get my hands on a paperback. That's how much I loved this book. 😭 😭 😭

Xavier is literally the book boyfriend to end all book boyfriends. He's perfect and I will hear no slander about him. His compassion and need to take care of everyone and everything around him despite his abusive upbringing was only one of my favorite things about him. The way Jimenez wrote his character, I could almost feel like I was experiencing him in real life. Like he was jumping out of the pages and I was witnessing how kind and soft he was. Like I could feel his contemplating gazes, his attention to detail, how he was noticing EVERYTHING and memorizing absolutely every little thing about everyone. I don't know how I'll ever be able to read a romance book again and not compare every mmc to him.

Samantha, my girl. Gosh everything about her made me smile. She's such a kind soul and I hated everything about the distance between them. How much it affected her. How it was pulling her away from Xavier. I truly loved how dedicated she was to just about everything. Her job, her mom and family, to Xavier. The way she took in Potter without giving it a second and made sure to get it the care it needed. The fact that a missing butthole and an asshole(if you've read it you'll understand lol) brought her and Xavier together is the funniest thing the author could have done.

There were so many moments in this book that made me love it I laughed, I smiled, I sobbed hysterically. I gave myself a headache from all crying I did reading this one. Not to mention all the times I had to hold from running outside and screaming in my backyard because they were so damn perfect it seemed like the only solution.

I keep saying ive found my new favorite books in 2025 and this one was no exception. Im so thankful this story exists. I can't wait for the audio to come out so I can relive it and dehydrate myself once again from all the crying.

Thank you Abby Jimenez for writing this beautiful story.

5 stars (infinity stars)

Abby truly outdid herself with this book.

She really highlighted the complexities of long-distance relationships especially while navigating challenging things in their personal lives. Both Xavier and Sam are navigating their own tough situations and their relationship starts out as right person wrong place. But this book also shows how the power of love is one of the strongest forces and prioritizing making memories with the people you love is one of the most important things. Sam talked about many times wanting to have someone to bear witness to her life and live in her parallel, which was such an interesting and valid perspective on the role a partner can play. Not only are they there to make the memories with you, but also to be the person in your corner witnessing all the other aspects of your life that contribute to your accolades.

This book also provided a very raw representation of what it looks like to care for a parent with dementia (or even caring for an ailing parent in general). Caring for an ailing family member really is a team support. Priorities get shifted and it is so easy to lose yourself to caregiver burnout. The readers saw how Sam's mother's health impacted each member of the family in a unique way and everyone dealt with the stress in their own ways. It also shows how dementia evolves and is a rather unpredictable not-so-graceful decline. I did love how Abby talked about the gray vs color analogy when describing dementia and relating it back to love / finding your person. She talked about how in long-distance relationships the few days you spend with your love is the color and the time between is the gray. But also with her mother how her moments of clarity were her color within her life of gray.

Overall, this book had so many layers, and confronted so many tough themes--and truthfully, I am still fully processing. But, I know Sam and Xavier will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you so much for the ARC of this book. I am truly forever grateful.

Abby Jimenez is one of my favorite authors, Part of Your World and Just for The Summer were 5 star reads for me, but unfortunately this one didn’t live up to those (It truly pains me to say this).

The first chapter was quite outlandish, I think from the very beginning I was turned off from both main characters and that made it difficult to enjoy the rest of the book. I think Abby went a little overboard with the comedic aspect and trying to be trendy and it felt like too much. I did care about Samantha’s family and the whole situation with her mom, however it felt like the romantic and familial storylines didn’t really go together. I’d hoped for something more tender with the romance, I think also because it was so instant everything felt a bit jumpy.

Ultimately it was the combination of the insta love, vulgarness, and the romantic relationship in general that brought down the enjoyment for me. I still enjoyed Abby’s typical writing style, and I think this book can still most definitely be for others, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I wish so badly that I had loved it but I will be anticipating her next books regardless!

I enjoyed this book a lot. The overall story was very cute while the undercurrents of the book were emotional. The balance of sweet, sappy, humorous romantic moments with the complicated, emotional experiences gave the story an authentic feel. Not just two people falling in love, but also dealing with real life situations. The writing flowed nicely and the characters were enjoyable to read about.

I really wanted to love this one… but I’m so disappointed. I have loved every single book Abby Jimenez has written and she is one of my top 5 authors, but this one fell short in so many ways. I have always loved Abby’s characters and well-informed writing of difficult topics. She has great banter and I have loved so many of her side characters… all of this was missing from SYRM.

This book was heavy on the pop culture and booktok slang. it got to a point where it felt over done… mentions of ACOTAR/Rhys, silly tiktok trends that are now outdated, etc. I felt tired!!

Our MCs spent so much time trying to figure out how to see one another, traveling, or working crazy hours that when they are together… not much happens?! Their relationship lacked depth and the dialogue felt boring!

Abby Jimenez is known for tackling heavy, real world issues in her books and I have always appreciate that about her. This one is no exception, however, it felt like she was trying to squeeze way too much into one book including (but not limited to): anxiety, infidelity, depression, grief, animal abuse, child abuse, caring for a sick family member… what else did I miss?! This book felt like Samantha and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Life by the end!

I’m hoping this is just a weird fluke and Abby’s next book is just as great as her others because I have truly enjoyed everything else she has written.

thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the e-ARC of this book.

Abby Jimenez is one of my auto buy authors. I will say the first 70% of this book had me hooked to the point where I couldn’t put it down. Say you’ll remember me had the familiar writing style that’s easy to get into. I think the topic of dementia was handled with so much care. This book was emotional from the start with touches of funny/quirky moments. I enjoyed the characters but the story/romance felt rushed and choppy towards the end. While it was an emotionally heavy story due to the FMC life circumstances I didn’t always feel as deeply connected to the MMC, at times some chapters seemed to only focus on the insta-love aspect? The family dynamics for Samantha were really fun and the first 70% one of my favorite parts, personally for me I wish there was a little less time jumping after certain events and even a couple more family conversations. I will say one thing Abby nails is little connections and writing incredible side characters!! That was one of my favorite parts of this book.

Say You'll Remember Me is the story of Xavier and Samantha--who meet briefly and come away with less than stellar impressions of one another. When Xavier attempts to make amends, Samantha agrees to go out with him. After their first date, the best date of their lives, Samantha tells Xavier she is moving to LA to help take care of her mother who is declining due to dementia.

I knew enough about Abby Jimenez to know that her books are not straight rom-coms, there is always some deeper part to the story. I can imagine this is huge for a lot of readers who want their HEA with a little bit more substance. For me, however, I don't exclusively read romance, and I find that when I do, I am looking for more of that traditional rom-com. All of that to say, this may just be a mismatch for me and the book.

I found the instalove between Xavier and Samantha a little bit baffling considering their ages. I LOVED that our protagonists were fully grown people with real lives to deal with so that the romance was not the only thing in the story but I don't guess I found it terribly believable that these two people would go head over heels despite all the obstacles considering their ages and situations. Ultimately, I found the ending kind of unsatisfying and the love a little lacking. I am sure lots of readers who want a bit more heft in their love stories will deeply connect with this one, but I ultimately found it lacking.

Sign me up for the Abby Jimenez book club! This one may have swooped in at the top as a favorites from her so far. I laughed out loud more than once, and then I even cried! The met cute in this can’t be topped, it was hysterical. I couldn’t get enough between these characters! Trigger warning for caring for sick parents and dementia. Abby also has a way of tackling some heavier topics like this in a way that paints a very relatable picture and creates serious depth to her characters, but doesn’t feel overwhelmingly heavy and has resiliency that isn’t unrealistic.

✨ Book Review ✨

Say You’ll Remember Me
By Abby Jimenez
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I knew I would love this one. 😁

Reasons I loved this one:
🩵 It’s finally a well done insta-love.
🩷 Vet, cute animals, funny names
🩵 Same Abby writing that I love
🩷 Good balance of humor and depth
🩵 You get to see them in love throughout the book instead of only at the end and the work it takes to stay in love against all odds.
🩷 Jake from State Farm
🩵 Come on, Eileen
🩷 UFO dates

Thanks so much to Abby, @readforeverpub and @netgalley for the chance to read this advanced ecopy. Overall, very high up my favorite AJ book list. I can’t wait to add my preordered HARDCOVER to my shelf. Hits stores on April 1st!

ABBY NO YOU DID NOT! Ughhhhh she has become one of my favorite authors people. The depth of her plots while keeping the romance there. I eat her books up. I loved this book so much, will definitely be buying a copy for my library!

I didn't enjoy this book very much. I had trouble connecting with the romance. I felt like the author rushed this aspect of the novel in the first few chapters only to focus on the tragedy part for the rest of it. The content note says this book is a romcom, but it very much isn't. I wouldn't recommend.

OH. MY. GOSH. 😭

Abby- you did it again!!! What a wonderful adventure I just went on in this book. I couldn’t keep up with my emotions, was I screaming/crying/giggling? IDK! This story felt different than previous romance books by her but personally, I think in a really good way. This story had so much depth and emotion to it. It really reminded me of how fragile life can be + made me wanna hug everyone I love. The reality of Dementia in this book is heart breaking but so eloquently written.. agh my heart.

Sam and Xavier? Yeah, I love them so much and they’re perfection. The constant tension and conflicts they faced while still being so darn in love regardless made me squeal!! Animal lovers and hopeless romantics will adore the man Xavier is. The ending/twist was soooo good I literally felt like the perfect little bow was tied. It’s hard to put my thoughts on this into words because the book speaks for itself. You should really really pre-order this and thank me later.

I’m between 4 and 4.5 - so I’ll round down to 4🤔 as of now!

He’s a grumpy vet with a secret heart of gold and she’s a sunshiney soul who goes out of her way to rescue a lost cause kitten. Sparks FLY on their first date💥✨but all good things must come to an end…?

It had the typical Abby humor and heart…and heartbreak🥲 it felt heavier than usual given our FMC’s situation (⚠️trigger warning for dementia and caregiving) but I appreciated it.

It’s HEAVY on insta love which at first irked me (coming from someone who proclaimed she was going to marry her now-husband after their first date it is a bit ironic, I know) because it seemed TOO perfect?? but the journey these two go on together was genuinely beautiful and mature so I quickly got over it!!🥹

My qualms come from its repetitive nature and frequent TikTok challenges/trendy language/“he looks like Rhysand” mentions! And there were some things I wanted to delve deeper into! (Her dad, Hank, etc!!)

HOWEVER - I read 60% of it in one sitting on a flight and fully immersed myself and really enjoyed the ride!! I even shed a singular tear which might not sound like much but I NEVER cry when reading which is where it’s extra half star may come from❤️‍🩹🫂

Abby Jimenez has this special gift of writing such deep emotions on the page. I will be laughing and crying within paragraphs of each other.

This book was so much more than a romcom, as we see our FMC, Samantha dealing with her mother’s early onset dementia. The author did such a thoughtful job of presenting the mental and physical load of caring for a loved one.

Though heavy at times, Abby brought us so many moments of levity. Xavier and Samantha’s banter was top notch and equally hilarious. They could be completely opposites, but they fit together in every important way.