Honest Book Review of Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez
Check out my honest review of my latest Abby Jimenez book, Say You’ll Remember Me, including everything I liked, didn’t like, and couldn’t stop thinking about. I also have some more recommendations to check out after this book!
Here’s a short synopsis of the book:
“There’s no such thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediate yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong . . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake.
But after one incredible and seemingly endless date, Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be. Only no amount of distance or time is enough to forget what’s between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.“
Full Book Review Without Spoilers
My strong opinion of this book is that if you’ve never read any of Abby Jimenez’s books, read a different one first. This is not a good first book to really show off her skills as an author, even though it’s not a bad romance novel in itself.
Abby Jimenez’s Say You’ll Remember Me was definitely a read with a lot of emotional depth. I liked the story overall, but I didn’t love it the way I’ve loved some of her other books. This one was heavier than I expected, with lots of family issues, past child abuse, mention of a cheating spouse, and even an off-page death of a side character. While those layers made it feel more like women’s fiction than a straightforward romance, at times it just felt a little too sad for me personally.
But, honestly, I was more invested in the family issues and those relationships than the romance between Xavier and Samantha. The romance also didn’t hook me right away. Xavier Rush, the gorgeous veterinarian with total Greek god vibes, is the kind of “perfect guy” love interest a lot of readers dream about, but it took me some time to feel invested in his relationship with Samantha.
Jimenez has a talent for creating characters who feel incredibly real. Their emotions, struggles, and conflicts all came across as genuine, and that authenticity made the story resonate more deeply. As someone who has been in a long-distance relationship myself, I also appreciated how realistic certain elements of the book felt.
Characters
While I did like the main characters, they weren’t my favorite from an Abby Jimenez book. I really enjoyed the array of side characters, and especially the family drama that surrounded Samantha. Her dynamic with her family felt raw and complicated in a way that made sense, and watching her navigate those relationships gave the book an extra layer beyond just romance.
Plot
As for the plot, I’d describe it as good but not necessarily great. It wasn’t the most gripping storyline I’ve ever read, but it was still engaging enough to keep me turning the pages.
Writing
What elevated the book for me was Jimenez’s writing style, which brought depth even to the quieter moments. Overall, while Say You’ll Remember Me wasn’t my favorite of hers, it still had enough strong qualities that made me glad I picked it up.
Full Book Review With Spoilers
You’ve been warned that from here on out there will be spoilers.
I recently picked up Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez, and while I’ve adored many of her books, this one left me with mixed feelings. It’s definitely a story full of emotional depth, realistic struggles, and characters who feel very true to life. But for me, it leaned a little too heavy on the sad side, which made it harder to love fully as a romance.
As for the plot, I’d call it good but not great. There were sweet touches—the escape room scene, the idea of an “endless date,” and those perfect moment memories that end up being the only thing worth remembering—but overall it didn’t grip me the way I hoped. I needed more romance!!
What really worked for me was the writing style. Jimenez has such a gift for detailed descriptions and creating main characters who feel incredibly real. I appreciated the way Jimenez captured the struggles of a long-distance relationship—something I’ve experienced myself.
After the emotional journey, I just wanted something good to happen for the main characters, but it didn’t happen until literally the last chapters. I’m very glad they finally end up together, but I wish it hadn’t taken that long.
Pros of the Book
The biggest pro of this book was how real it felt. The characters, the situations, the relationships…you can really see all of that happening in real life. The whole story pulls you in with the realness.
Cons of the Book
One of the biggest cons for me personally was that I don’t love the long distance or wrong time tropes in romance books. Their love story had the “wrong time” kind of relationship feel, with the amount of distance between them adding a realistic but sometimes frustrating barrier. If that is a favorite trope of yours, you’d probably enjoy this book a lot more than me.
Another con for me was that I thought I could handle pretty emotional, sad stories, but I really can’t. When the characters keep taking blow after blow, it just makes it hard to continue reading for me.
Conclusion
Overall, I don’t think this was Abby Jimenez’s best book, but it was still a good read. If you like her other ones you should try this one as well. She has such a way of writing real relationships and struggles, especially as someone who has been in a serious long distance relationship.
I have a full summary of the book here if you need a refresher on any of the main points.
Rating-3.5 Stars Out of 5
Because of the writing style and the characters, I still enjoyed this book enough to recommend it to a specific type of romance reader. It’s definitely one of the more sad books I’ve read this year which I wasn’t looking for in a romance.
Who Would Enjoy Reading?
If you’re a fan of Jimenez, you should definitely give this book a try. This might not be my favorite Abby Jimenez book, but it’s one I’d still recommend to readers looking for book recommendations in emotional, realistic romances with a lot of depth and important trigger warnings noted. If you’re looking for a sweet or fun romance without a ton of heavy issues, this is not the book for you.
What to Read After
If you liked this book as much as I did, either because of the characters or the writing style, check out more of my book recommendations below.
Just for Summer by Abby Jimenez
If you like the way Abby Jimenez writes, give this one a try! Still very realistic and emotional, but more romance-y and not suite as sad.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
If you liked the dynamics between Xavier and Samantha in this book, but, want something not quite to heavy, try this one. This one also has some great characters and real world problems.
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
If you liked this book because it was so emotional or you really like the ‘wrong time’ trope, give this book a read. Equally heavy, this one also pulls on the heartstrings.
