Say You’ll Remember Me (arc) - Abby Jimenez

Absolutely 5 ⭐️. No Notes.

I don’t really know how to express how much I loved this book, but here’s a start;

Xavier & Samantha - you can absolutely tell that these two had been together in another lifetime. 🖤

There were multiple moments in the book where I could feel my heart audibly crack. It was so beautiful and soul-crushing at once. Xavier and Samantha’s love was so deep and infinite - it really was the universe hand picking them for each other. They were each others person. It was beyond cosmic. When they were together, everything else became white noise and it was their own little bubble.

This book was not a fun rom-com. It was a very excruciating, emotional, frustrating, EXHAUSTING roller coaster of a love story and journey of Xavier and Samantha’s relationship that unpacked all the ‘not so rainbow and sunshine’ moments of life. Abby covered some extremely complex and traumatic topics in this book and she did so beautifully.

Another reason why this book lodged itself in my heart was Xavier. The black cat (albeit, cinnamon roll) mmc. He was so misunderstood. Just because he didn’t like people and was guarded, it didn’t mean he was a horrible person. He was reserved. He didn’t always smile. He wasn’t prone to outward displays of affection and emotion …and Samantha understood all of it and completed him as his other half. It really was so personal to read about a character that feels like your personality has been cut, copy and pasted onto the page. ✨

If I could summarise this book in a few simple phrases/words, it would be; Mustard, ‘Come on Eileen’, VILF, trauma, UFO escape rooms, family, kittens without buttholes and infinite, cosmic love.

(Also I’m absolutely not one to cry in books but damn…. Abby got me good with this one! Don’t let her cute covers fool you !!)

Thankyou to @netgalley for this arc!! I am already counting down the days until April 2025 to get my physical copy and transfer all my annotations and re-read (and have my heart shattered all over again!!)

(P.s - check the trigger warnings before reading this book !! Look after yourselves <3)

I have mixed feelings about this book. It started off really strong but about half way through it started feeling like the romance was more of a subplot. This book had a large focus on Samantha’s family dynamic and dealt with heavy topics including dementia and abusive parents.

I really enjoyed the beginning and the meet cute was perfect. I loved Samantha and Xavier’s first date, he took her to a puppy adoption cruise and literally jumped into a lake to save her phone (are you kidding me?!) I adored all the ACOTAR references and couldn’t stop picturing him as Rhysand in scrubs. Once Samantha moved across the country, Xavier worked relentlessly to make his way back to her. 8 weeks later, the man flies to California because he has a “veterinary conference” to attend but really it’s an excuse to spend 2 days with Samantha - and they aren’t even dating yet. Bless him!

The main disappointment for me was how little time our main characters spent together. Most of their communication was via phone call or text message. I think I would have loved the story a lot more if the FMC and MMC weren’t apart 99% of the time and wasn’t expecting it to be a long distance relationship for the entirety of the book. It felt like the ending was a little rushed and I was really hoping to glimpse more of their life together after Xavier moved to California. The epilogue didn’t give me the closure I was seeking either.

Abby Jimenez never misses. Samantha and Xavier had a an emotional roller coaster of a relationship. They had so much chemistry and care for one another. Samantha was dealing with a lot in her life and I loved seeing Xavier not give up on being with her and doing everything he could to make things work. I couldn’t put this down, another smash hit from Abby.

I love Abby Jimenez and her other books, her writing is always really easy to read and her plots are solid. I’m not sure what it was about this book but I’m not a fan of the insta love trip and this was very much that. That’s the main reason I believe for why I didn’t enjoy this one as much as her other books

I’ve never read a romance book quite like this. I need some time. I’m crying like a baby.

Five strong and well deserved stars!!

This book held my heart in the palm of its hands, and repeatedly smashed it into a thousand tiny pieces. It is beautiful and raw and real. I don’t know how Abby does it. It is so much more than a love story. A big part of the story follows Samantha’s mum (Lisa) as she lives with dementia. You get to see how Samantha’s family comes together to create a safe and loving environment for Lisa. On the opposite side of the country from Xavier.

Xavier and Samantha meet when her cats need to be checked and from the moment they met, honestly I think they knew they were soulmates. There was no point searching for anyone else. They were it for each other. But they couldn’t be together, couldn’t live parallel lives.

Xavier is the definition of, “if he wanted to, he would”. This man put Samantha before his next breath. He did everything in his power to exist in her world. When he knew she couldn’t go to him because of her mum, he went to her. Every. Single. Time. Without hesitation. And a vet? Who prefers animals over people? Animal lover. Immediately soft spot.

This book was heartbreaking beautiful. At times I laughed, at times a cried. My heart goes to everyone whose family deals with dementia.