Yours Truly
Ratings242
Average rating4.2
When this book started it was looking like 5 stars, but the third act has me knocking it down to a 4.
The premise was cute enough. I liked that the MMC had anxiety, and both the FMC and MMC came from hurt pasts. But as the book went on, the FMC got a little too annoying, and the MMC had basically no flaws. The miscommunication trope drug on way too long and the slowest of burns suddenly came to a halt when they had their first kiss and then immediately had impromptu sex?. This is where it all fell downhill from me, and the whole surprise pregnancy trope was annoying too, and will definitely blindside folks (it definitely blindsided me). At the end it was a little unbelievable that the MMC would fight this hard for the FMC when she kept pushing him away.
This would have been 5 stars if we let the relationship progress at a more logical pace and didn't rely so much on miscommunication to drive the plot. Also apparently everyone in the main character's lives have all the answers but these two are still miscommunicating?
I am so happy I finally picked this up. This book has been in physical tbr for it feels like forever and just wow. The representation of anxiety was so incredibly real, I didn't think I'd like it given I have generalized anxiety disorder and I like to be taken away from my problems. It just reminded me so heavily of my own relationship and how people fix together so perfectly. And that was this love story.
Two ER doctors with a slew of miscommunication leading them to a fake dating situation. Jacob is desperately trying to convince everyone that he is fine that his brother is taking his ex girlfriend of almost three years while dealing with the daily struggle of crippling anxiety. His POV just showed his entire heart, I would protect him with my last breath. Brianna divorcee and car taker for her brother who desperately needs a new kidney finds herself completely misunderstanding the new doctor and building a friendship turned fake boyfriend. But everyone knows, it doesn't stay fake for very long.
The ONLY reason this was not a five stars was because the miscommunication got old for me. I desperately wanted something else and then the third act conflict was more miscommunication, that's what put the four star nail in the coffin.
“Yours Truly” by Abby Jimenez was a total hit for me, capturing the essence of a realistic and heartwarming love story. The banter between the characters is hilarious and spot-on, making the book an absolute page-turner. I appreciated how the romance unfolded naturally, steering clear of those frustrating miscommunication clichés (it was very minimal when it did happen and resolved fairly quickly). The characters are incredibly likable and relatable, adding depth to the story. There's nothing I'd change about this novel! If you're looking for a romance that feels genuine, fun, and heartwarming, with a MMC who is LOVELY, this is the book for you.
I'm revising the rating. I had given it a 4.5, but I can't stop thinking about this book and I want to re-read it. This is a 5 star and I was just being stingy with it.
I adored this. I saw so much of myself in Jacob and Briana. Reading this truly felt like therapy. I spent the last few chapters sobbing, but I love it when a story hits me this hard. I still liked Part of Your World a bit more, but this was excellent. I will read everything Abby writes from now on.
this is beyond a doubt the best romance book ive ever read... not that ive read a lot...
jacob maddox has ruined men for me and yours truly has ruined romance books for me. nothing. will. ever. compete.
5 stars. no. 6 stars. no no!! TEN stars!!
This book was EVERYTHING! My favorite romance of the year for sure.
Obsessed with these characters... I loved them so much!
FRTC
I don't normally read romance, but I took a chance on this one. I am so glad I did! Briana and Jacob are fantastic characters and their relationship is not overly dramatic. They are each dealing with things and there are misunderstandings, but they aren't trying to actively keep things from one another. They grow as people and as a couple in realistic ways.
The side characters are amazing. And really add a layer of fun and support to the story.
I just loved living in this world with them!
I don't think I can read anymore Abby Jimenez books. Every one of her main female characters ends up pregnant by the end of the book. That's not the end all be all of a woman's life.
I didn't love this one. The lack of communication was annoying - Briana can totally understand Jacob's anxiety but she can't understand that he's in love with her? Eh.
I also wasn't a fan of them being “harmless” to each other. It was weird.
Oh my god I loved this book. I'm not going to lie, I pre-rated it at 5 stars after the taco bell note. I love Briana and her humor. I want to date her. lol I feel like a lot of romances become meh for me because of a lack of humor in the leads. I loved the way Jacob's anxiety was written. I loved how Briana paid attention to his anxiety the whole time. Ughhhhh. I loved the letters so much. The perfect amount of tension. This is the first book in almost 5 years that I actually deprived myself of sleep for. So good.
This book is a warm cozy blanket for my brain. As someone who likes to read fake dating, it's almost always unrealistic but this didn't feel forced. Cute banter, a little insta-love despite the rocky start, and some deep feelings towards the end.
This can be read as a standalone but as someone who started with this one, I wish I would have read Part of Your World first.
Additionally, I don't generally enjoy books with letters between the characters but it was minimal in this. More like little love notes getting passed back and forth. So if that's stopping you (like it almost did for me) then give it a try!
This one started out so well: Briana and Jacob, two ER doctors start off on the wrong foot but end up falling in love through letters and lunch dates in a closet. And, yes, in the beginning, it's fun, heart-warming and a very nice read.»I don't have any tattoos. I've always been too afraid to commit to something so permanent. But Jewel is amazing at what she does, so I thought she'd give me something profoundly beautiful, an everlasting imprint that I'd cherish. Something I never knew I needed to carry with me through life.She gave me a tiny lawn mower on my chest next to a small patch of shaved chest hair.«I was congratulating myself on choosing such a great light read and was thinking how nice it is to read about plausible adults (both are in their thirties and “feel” like that) and how easily Jimenez seems to pull that off. »When I knocked at almost eight o'clock, my anxiety was at a low hum. But when she opened the door, it quieted down and then disappeared with a blip.«Ok, the ever-present topics of (fasten your seatbelt!) divorce, organ failure and donation, anxiety, loss of an unborn child, infidelity, depression, suicide, and even more, could have been a bit of a red flag (hey, this is a light romcom!) but for the most part, I was reading enthusiastically.For about two thirds of the book, it would have earned five stars from me. Potentially even an un-manly squeal on top.I liked the chemistry and banter between Briana and Jacob, and I appreciated how they supported each other through their personal challenges. I also liked the secondary characters, especially Jacob's sister and the parrot. They added some humour and warmth to the story.After many pages of fake-dating, though, I was starting to get impatient. Both Briana and Jacob had completely and undeniably fallen in love and the happily-ever-after was easily within reach - if only they had talked to each other. Miscommunication is one thing but not talking about the elephant in the room at all can only work for some time. Especially when it's a bright red, heart-shaped elephant that has “I love you!” written all over it.Even the “one bed only” scene doesn't move the story forward...Down we were to four stars.Jimenez doesn't find a good breaking point for making things real, though. When she finally does, drama immediately follows. Our protagonists barely get a minute to enjoy themselves. I was hoping for a short, relatively harmless drama, though, even though I should have known better because there were still about 20% of the book left...I was about to DNF and at three stars.When the first drama was resolved, I turned the page to the next chapter and the most idiotic thing happened that caused yet another - and much more severe - drama. The two “ingredients” to said drama were also so much over-the-top that my remaining satisfaction turned into annoyance and I was seriously considering to DNF once again. Especially so since Jimenez made Briana pull out the most cliché “argument” ever:»Jacob was a man. And men do what men do.«That left me with two remaining stars. Thankfully, there was not enough book left for Jimenez to disappoint me any more and the ending was passable.All in all, this started out great, embarked on a long dry (sic) spell and died from drama.Two out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam
I am genuinely disappointed that this book had to end. What a perfect combination of humor, emotions, lovable characters and growth. ♡
I didn't love this as much as everyone else–I'm sure it's a me thing. The audiobook narration was great, I just got kind of tired of the story when the characters just made assumptions about the others' behavior. I stopped listening at that point and speed-read the rest. I loved Jacob though.
This was so enjoyable!
Jacob and Briana are he perfect match!!!! Quite literally. Ugh.
Jacob is my heart and soul. He's so sweet, and so honest with himself and his struggles.
Briana is amazing for recognizing this, and how she strives to be “harmless” to him. IYKYK.
During the fake dating process, I just wanted to shake them and say talk to each other!!! They both were so I love but didn't admit it to the other for fear of rejection.
I loved this book so much!!
My only gripes are:
1. The third act conflict was awful. I hated it.
2. The ending was not long enough (as usual). I would have loved to see more of their relationship after.
this book. THIS BOOOOKKKK. i absolutely loved it. jacob made me feel so comfortable and seen as someone with extremely bad anxiety like him. i cried so many times while reading this book which i was 100% okay with because i needed a good cry! to me, this book was perfect and i will for sure be reading it again so i can annotate it physically! it really reminded me a bit of my current relationship except i'm the one with anxiety and he was the one who helped me realize that i am capable of being loved.
pls read this book.
This book follows the story of Briana, Alexis Best friend from “Part of your world”, and Jacob. Both characters are ER doctors and both are great at what they do - Briana is waiting to be promoted to Chief of emergency, position that Jacob occupied in a different hospital. They both are experiencing some very difficult times in their lives and find in each other the joy they were needing.
I'm truly disappointed with this book. This is definitely a “me” problem as most of the reviews state wonders about the book. I was loving it during the first half but at some point I just couldn't enjoy it anymore.
What was great about the book:
- Jacob is amazing and deserves 5 stars. He is beautifully written and a perfect portrait of how it is to live with anxiety. I loved to read his POV and learn his coping mechanisms.
- Abby, as expected, does a wonderful job writing about the serious topics - anxiety, critical renal failure, depression etc..
- the letters between them were adorable
What I think it could have been done better:
- in my opinion, this book just had too much of everything:
- too many tropes - enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, workplace romance, fake dating, forced proximity, one bed, miscommunication, and it doesn't even end here but I won't spoiler further than this
- MAJOR miscommunication issues. I'm not sure I have read a book with this much miscommunication.
- The slowest of slow burns: they kiss (and have everything else) at 81% mark of the book. This could work well, but because of the way it was written it wasn't even satisfactory. It just left me anxious, annoyed and mad about what was happening.
- After all the angst, we still have a 3rd act break up (more like a 5th act? Almost an epilogue break up to be honest) that I don't think it added anything to the story. I liked the way the break up was resolved, it made sense with the storyline, but it could have been used earlier in the book, avoiding the last conflict.
- It's perfectly ok to have characters that are not nice and that people don't like. Every family has at least one black sheep. Briana becoming best friends with Amy is just nonsense.
The book is not bad, it just wasn't right for me. I still think most romance readers will love it.