(4.5) As someone who was in a very serious very long distance relationship for several years, I think Abby absolutely nailed it with this one. I spent my early 20s madly in love with a boy who lived 4,000 miles way. We were constantly living in wait. Waiting for the other to wake up so we could talk. Waiting for the chance to make plans and book tickets. Waiting for those visits to come. And then being so devastated when the trip ended and the waiting began. The emotions and the thoughts I had over those years were portrayed exactly in this story and it just felt so great to be seen, even if it's something I no longer relate to. There was so much emotion here, and not even just with the love story. The family story going on, for both characters, was multi level emotional and I was deeply invested. I don't know much about dementia, but Abby made me feel so much while reading about this family's experience. I love Samantha and Xavier so much. She is so witty and funny with such a deep love and strong soul. And he is caring in a way I think a lot of people aren't, with a big heart and so much passion I just adore him. Ugh, this was so good and I can't wait to go pick up a copy at Nadia Cakes.

5 STARS

I never wanted this book to end!

Abby Jimenez has done it again. Say You’ll Remember Me is an emotional journey of a daughter’s love, a family’s resilience, and the trials of finding love at an inopportune time, but also the joy and power that platonic love and romantic love provide.

Sam and Xavier’s instant chemistry was palpable. Abby does a fantastic job of bringing realistic obstacles in a relationship to Sam and Xavier, like long distance struggles, family obligations, financial insecurity, and career aspirations. I appreciate that Sam and Xavier feel tangible as characters because their humanity touches the reader’s emotions. As the couple go through the story, we can’t help but laugh and cry along with them because their love for each other and their respective passions are just so heartwarming.

Thank you Forever for providing an e-arc!

4.75 ⭐️

HE’S A VET. Abby just kills it every single time. It is always so hard to choose my favorite of her books. The real life scenarios that are both heartbreaking and bittersweet she captures so well. I loved loved loved this one and am so incredible grateful to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an early arc to review.

Everyone’s is gonna love this one.

THIS? This was absolutely amazing. The tension? The yearning? It had me in a chokehold. I don’t normally gravitate towards books with love at first sight vibes but the grumpy x sunshine was just so good, I truly believed these opposites attract. The character development was fantastic and all of the side characters played their role well. I’m actually terrified of being left over night in an escape room… other than that i had a great time!!! The mental health discussions surrounding being a family member’s caregiver, long-distance relationships, emotionally/physically abusive parents were all so well written. I was literally screaming at my kindle during the chapter you find out why Xavier became a veterinarian. This book is full circle in every possible way, it was beautiful with moments of sadness, just like life.

Pub Date April 1 2025

ARC provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley. Thank you.

review posted to NetGalley & Goodreads

I love Abby Jimenez's books. So, when I saw she had a new book coming out I jumped at the chance to read it early.

One of my favorite characters is a dog named "Jake from Statefarm" IYKYK

I felt at times it was a bit immature regarding the names and words used.

It is a love story between a man and woman who separated by miles and miles. A love story of a family dealing with a mother who has advanced dementia. The love and loss of all of those moments you thought you'd remember.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchette books for the opportunity to read this book, it really pulled at my heartstrings.

This was a more serious rom com. It started out innocently enough when a woman came into Xavier’s vet practice with a stray kitten. He couldn’t stop thinking about her and decided to ask her on a date. They have a great time, a fun, simple but amazing first date…but there’s a problem. Samantha is moving the next morning from Minnesota to California to help her family care for her mother with early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

They decide to try a distance relationship, try to call it quits and then cannot stay apart. Xavier is a young veterinarian (with childhood emotional baggage) in his own practice carrying a lot of debt, he can’t up and move. Samantha has committed to her family to support their matriarch as mom loses more and more of her memories. They work very hard to try to make it work, it is clear they are in love, but are in a very difficult situation…it is realistic in that they really struggle to try to make it work and it effects them emotionally, physically. They are so good, Xavier has found not only a partner, but a family he wants to be part of…but how? It was a bit of an emotional journey but worth the effort. I found myself really rooting for this couple, this family, to make it.

The humor and heart readers expect from Abby Jimenez are all throughout this novel in which a young woman falls in love with a man who lives halfway across the country just as her family needs her most. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. I loved it!

Say You’ll Remember Me is so much more than just a rom-com—it’s a heartfelt, deeply emotional story that balances humor, romance, and heavier themes beautifully. 🥹💐🌭🎡🩷🌞🐕

Abby’s storytelling is so immersive, making it impossible to put the book down. The characters feel incredibly real, making it easy to connect with them on a personal level. She has a gift for writing not only swoon-worthy romance but also authentic relationships—whether it’s romantic, platonic, or familial love. 🫂

It made me feel everything—I laughed, I cried, and I adored every second of it.

Thank you to Hachette Canada and NetGalley for this arc. 💌

I honestly don’t know how Abby Jimenez does it, but she’s truly amazing, and her books are so good that they literally make my brain ache—in the best way. At this point, I’d probably read her grocery lists and still love them.

When I tell you I SCREAMED upon receiving an ARC of *Say You’ll Remember Me*, I’m not exaggerating. I had a pile of books to get through first, but I knew this one would be a total hit, and waiting was pure torture.
(I mean, even the title — a Taylor Swift reference? I see what you did there.)

And of course, it was a win. An easy five-star read.

Once again, Abby has created two incredibly real, flawed, and lovable characters. Samantha and Xavier are just wonderful, and their story was everything.

This book felt especially sentimental to me because Xavier reminded me so much of my husband. Their journey reflected ours in so many ways. Jimenez has this incredible talent for writing characters so vividly that you feel like you're living their story with them. I became so deeply connected to these characters.

There were tears, endless laughter, and so much joy.

It’s a truly phenomenal read, and I can’t wait for everyone to experience it!

Aw, I loved this book so much! It's a sweet and satisfying love story, but also so much more. Wrapped up in the romance, the main characters are dealing with complex family dynamics - working through the trauma of past child abuse for one partner and caring for a parent with dementia for the other. Thankfully, there are plenty of funny moments that take the edge off the sad ones, but you may still shed some tears.

Abby knocks it out of the park again. This is another great romance book by Abby. The pacing is perfect, the vibes are exactly right for each scene and felt so many things while reading this. Great story and will definitely be recommending to others.

This was a sugary sweet story that bordered on diabetic-coma-inducing. I was a little annoyed with our two mains being so frivolously stupid with their money, but I understand the decisions and the plot necessities and it was still a fun read. The mains are couple goals and adorably fun to read. I don't find nearly enough stories about vets and animal rescuers, so I definitely appreciated that.

This is unfortunately a miss for me. Way too insta-lovey, and the extreme use of pop culture references (tiktok, ACOTAR, etc.) was overbearing and will age this book terribly.

Prefacing this with the fact that I violently SOBBED my way through the last 3 chapters. This story had such raw emotional depth to it, that I don’t think I’ll ever recover.

The dementia rep, the taboo of what the dad was up to, & the tactful way it was approached. Something tells me we will get more of him in future Abby stories.

This story was everything. So many quotable moments. So much love. So many laughs. It truly is everything I want in a romance book.

The “insta love” trope tends to be a huge ICK for readers, but you can’t help but fall in love alongside Samantha & Xavier’s story.

5/5 ⭐️

I’d say “no notes”, but I quite literally have a mile-long note in my phone of all the swoon-worthy things Xavier did + memorable moments.

Say You’ll Remember Me, I WILL REMEMBER YOU.

This book has all the very best elements of an Abby Jimenez story: heart, humor, *yearning*, and cute animals!

The nature of Samantha and Xavier’s long-distance relationship also sets SYRM apart from other Abby books in a poignant and beautiful way. It raises the question: How far would you go to hold on to love? And the way the question is answered throughout is both beautiful and heartbreaking.

The question could also apply to Samantha and her family as they struggle to care for her mother amid dementia. Abby handled the topic with both hard truths and care.

And of course, throughout it all are so many laughs to break up the tears. Abby never disappoints when it comes to the comedy part of the rom-com!

Absolutely five stars!

Thank you to Forever for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.
Comment

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would given the author’s note at the beginning and some of the reviews here. It’s a tough read at times. Things get bleak. Please read the author’s note, and if anything in the book sounds like something you can’t handle, do not read further.

The book starts out with a great meet-cute, followed by one of the biggest cases of instalove I’ve ever seen. While initially the instalove felt kind of eyeroll-inducing, it develops into a real emotional connection through a long-distance relationship. I absolutely believed in the characters’ connection and enjoyed watching their relationship develop. The book gets a bit relentless in what it throws at them, though. It’s like Abby Jimenez thought to herself, “Okay, what’s the worst trauma I can inflict upon these people now?” and did it. The serious topics were handled with care, but whew. It was a lot.

I felt so bad for Samantha and Xavier! They’re two genuinely good people in a messed up situation, dealing with family and professional issues that keep escalating. But as heavy as the story was at times, I also found this book addictive. I had to know how they were going to work things out in the end, and I was rooting for them to make it.

The progression of their relationship is well-paced, although the romance often takes a backseat to the family and work issues the characters experience. These two have to *work* to earn their HEA. It’s been a while since I’ve read a romance where I’m wondering how the characters can ever be together. It had me hooked, even if the ups and downs wore me out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

This book had so many beautiful and hopeful aspects but there were also some very heartbreaking and sad topics (such as abuse and the very real hardships with being a caregiver for a loved one with dementia). The FMC is a funny, fun-loving and fiery woman and I enjoyed her banter and romance with the MMC. Xavier, the MMC, is a character I fell in love with from the first page. Not to mention I love that he is referenced to look like Rhys by ACOTAR.

I enjoyed the delicate balance that this book had when it came to being lighthearted/funny and serious. I was crying from the beauty but also the sadness and pain that the characters felt throughout the book. Lastly, I truly thought the representation of dementia and childhood trauma and abuse was well-done. I could understand what the main characters were experiencing and I felt for them. The book ending on a hopeful yet realistic note was the perfect ending. I loved this book and will be recommending it.

**Thank you Forever Romance and NetGalley for the free book in exchange for my honest review**

“Love is the brightest color in a gray world.” 🥹💖

Abby Jimenez is the QUEEN of emotional, raw, real-life experiences and beautiful love stories. This book was nothing short of that. I rotated between swooning, laughing out loud, feeling angry, crying, and I gasped a couple of times. She puts me through all of the emotions EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

Samantha & Xavier….*sigh* they are true soulmates, and their love story was SO real and believable to me. I rooted for them hard from the initial meet cute to the very end. Their relationship was so healthy, and all of the drama in the story came from other parts of their lives. It was refreshing. And the *yearning* omg I could feel it through the pages!

I felt awful for both Samantha and Xavier for both of their sets of trauma. One that Xavier experienced as a child, and the one that Samantha lives and breathes currently in the story. I wanted to fight a couple of people, and hug many of the others. What an absolute rollercoaster, and I enjoyed the ride. I can’t wait for everyone to read this!

Thank you thank you thank you Forever Pub and NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own

Wow. Just wow.

I don’t even think I could try to sum up this book because it was that good.

It’s extremely emotional, with the abuse from parents and seeing a loved one go through dementia (on top of losing a grandparent), to being sad for Samantha because her time with Xavier is limited to whenever they can afford to visit, but also hopeful. Hope that their family unit will come out okay.

Samantha and Xavier were made for each other and you could clearly see that from the very beginning, when she brought Pooter to the vet. A butthole fixed and lots of trials later, I’m so glad they got their happy ending.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks to #Netgalley and #foreverpress for a free review copy.

This is the best book I've read in a while! Abby Jimenez does it again.