Wow, this one really hit close to home…. I absolutely loved everything about this novel and can’t wait to dive in and review it with you guys. The main thing that shocks me, though, is that there is hardly ANY conflict in this novel and yet, it’s SO FREAKING GOOD. I’ll talk about the plot, what I loved about the characters, and obviously how amazing Abby Jimenez is at writing. 

The first thing I want to talk about with you guys is obviously the plot. So, don’t expect crazy twists and turns throughout this novel. This is a strictly romance novel and honestly not spicy at all (I don’t mind this one bit, but some people do). It’s built around Samantha and Xavier as they try to navigate their feelings for each other being thousands of miles apart. That’s it. You would think that it would get boring, but nope. Abby Jimenez is obviously the queen of writing romance and it was just so beautiful. Samantha’s mom has dementia, which is why she moves from Minnesota to California. I would’ve liked a little more on why Samantha went to Minnesota in the first place, but that’s okay. Xavier is from an abusive family and opens his own vet clinic in Minnesota to prove to them that he’s successful. This is about the most conflict you get besides them trying to find creative ways to be together being so far apart. Like I said though, even though not a lot goes on, Say You’ll Remember Me is still totally worth it!! There were a few things towards the end that made me go, “hmm this is way too convenient”, but I’ll talk more on that in the spoilers.

As far as the characters go, I loved Samantha. There were times that she acted like a scared girly-girl and I absolutely loved that realism. She was the perfect middle child for her siblings in her personality (I can say that because I’m a middle child, too!!). Her relationships with her family and Xavier were so emotional at times that I found myself thinking, “Hey, I remember what that feels like, too.” She has definitely become one of my favorite female main characters. Xavier is a typical brooding, emotionally-insecure, man who honestly needs a lot more love in his life. I found some of his actions to be a little over-the-top (I mean, this guy was romantic AF). A lot of times I could tell he was written by a woman, so I think I would’ve liked a better perspective from the guy’s POV, but it wasn’t terrible, so it’s a small gripe. As a character as a whole, he was honestly charming and perfect, but like I said, sometimes it was a little too perfect. 

So, the main reason I’m in love with this book is because my husband (before he was my husband) and I did long distance for what felt like decades (and was probably only three years). Everything that Samantha and Xavier felt was so true to how I felt that whole time we were apart. Finding creative ways to make the other person happy and make sure that you never lose sight of the relationship was always so difficult to navigate. This book reminded me all about that and the little things that my husband and I did to make sure our relationship worked. Long distance is HARD. This book honestly makes it kind of seem semi-easy. It won’t be like a romance novel, but you can always make it work if you’re both willing to do that. 

Spoilers ahead.

Alright, my main complaints with this novel have to do with convenience. Like Hank for instance. This dude just wants to work for free??? Has anyone ever had experience with this and finding MULTIPLE retirees who just want to work to work and they eventually end up saving your business?? Yeah, it felt too perfect even for me. Everything else in the novel was just beautiful, so that’s my main thing.

Overall, I loved this novel so much. Say You’ll Remember Me was so much fun to read and review and honestly ended up being one of my top reads this year. 5/5 well-deserved stars and I can’t recommend it enough! If you love love like I do, you’ll adore this new romance novel by Abby Jimenez (a literal novel-writing magic-worker when it comes to romance). 

Source: Personal Copy

(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Everand, which gives you three free audiobooks or ebooks of your choice!)