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Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

About the Book

A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match from "a true talent" (Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author).

Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.

And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.

Yours Truly has two mentions of my all-time favorite television show; that makes this book an automatic five stars from me. In all seriousness, this book was excellent for other reasons as well. This was an incredible follow-up to Part of Your World. Abby Jimenez really knows how to write a captivating, beautiful romance. There’s so much love, great friendship, and character moments in this story.

Briana and Jacob are well fleshed-out characters. Their fears felt real, and they felt written with care. It felt clear the author really understood her characters and understood their romance because they were just perfect. Both main characters worked hard to make each other feel comfortable and show them the love they deserved. They really deserved each other, and it was a beautiful romance.

Final Thoughts

I’m starting to learn that Abby Jimenez knows how to write real and raw characters who come together and have a beautiful romance. Yours Truly is no exception. It’s an excellent book.

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YOURS TRULY

by Abby Jimenez ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2023

A solid contemporary with a balance of humor and lasting emotional beats.

In this contemporary romance, two emergency room doctors, both recovering from messy breakups, form a close, comforting friendship and perhaps something more.

Dr. Briana Ortiz has enough on her plate. She’s in the midst of finalizing her divorce, and her brother’s on a deadline to find a kidney donor. Now she has to worry that the new doctor, Jacob Maddox, is there to nab her promotion to chief of emergency medicine. Admittedly, Jacob—who has social anxiety—doesn't make the best first impression on Bri, telling her off for bumping into him in the hall. To make amends, he writes her a letter to explain himself and apologize, and the tension between them softens as their letters to each other keep coming. Bri realizes Jacob isn’t there to undermine her, and Jacob gets to see Bri’s more vulnerable side. When Jacob offers to be Bri’s brother’s kidney donor and Bri agrees to be Jacob’s pretend girlfriend for a wedding, it's easy to wonder what kept these two apart in the first place. The answer: not much. Of course, the two are carrying some heavy baggage from prior relationships, but it seems like a minor obstacle when compared to the genuine connection Jacob and Bri share. This is a cute, slow-burn romance with plenty of funny moments and emotional challenges, though the focus seems to be on the leads finally realizing what’s been in front of them all along through grand and sometimes unnecessary machinations. Did this need a fake dating subplot? Or epistolary flirting? Not really, but Jimenez manages to pepper these adorable tropes throughout without making them feel too gimmicky.

Pub Date: April 11, 2023

ISBN: 9781538704394

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Forever

Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023

ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | GENERAL ROMANCE

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Our Verdict

New York Times Bestseller

IT STARTS WITH US

by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 18, 2022

Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.

The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.

Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.

Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022

ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | GENERAL ROMANCE | GENERAL FICTION

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by Colleen Hoover

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IT ENDS WITH US

by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 2, 2016

Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...

Hoover’s ( November 9 , 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.

At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.

Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8

Page Count: 320

Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016

GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

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Books , Reviews · April 10, 2023

Book Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

A huge thank-you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy of Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez is a stand-out fake dating romance novel. Since this is one of my very favorite tropes, it was a blast to read and review the newest book from one of my favorite authors.

I’m quite a picky romance reader. A lot of the most popular tropes aren’t my cup of tea and I sometimes get frustrated by the lack of substance and depth. However, the books that Abby Jimenez writes are always the perfect blend of sweet and meaningful. Every time I read one of her books, I feel valued and understood, and no matter how much I may cry while reading (which is often quite a lot) I walk away from it with lightness in my heart.

Her previous two releases, Life’s Too Short and Part of Your World , are some of my favorite romance books of all time. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would absolutely love Yours Truly — and I was right. This book is everything I wanted in a romance novel. It was so relatable, sincere, and precious.

Keep on reading to see my spoiler-free review of Yours Truly and make sure to pick up your copy!

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My honest review of Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez.

ER doctor Brianna Ortiz has had it up to here with men. She just finalized a divorce from her cheating husband, and the new guy at work has been nicknamed Dr. Death for losing seven patients on his first day. Yet when she tries to console him about it, his abrupt rudeness totally takes her aback. With a brother who desperately needs a kidney transplant, Bri has enough to worry about without work drama on top of it. Then she gets the sweetest letter from Dr. Death—er, Dr. Jacob Maddox—himself, and suddenly everything becomes clearer.

Bri does the only thing she can think of. She writes him back. And he writes her. And soon Jacob’s little notes are the highlight of her day. Both are shocked when it turns out Jacob is a donor match for Bri’s brother’s transplant. Willing to do anything to express her gratitude at his sacrifice, Bri agrees to go as Jacob’s date to his brother’s wedding. They’re not dating for real, of course. But Jacob’s boisterous family doesn’t know that. And when they get the wrong impression, there’s nothing to do but go along with the charade…

Content Warnings: (major) Injury/injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Sexual content, (moderate) Medical content, Cursing, Vomit, and Miscarriage | Author’s content warnings: Chronic kidney disease, divorced main character whose ex husband cheated, depression, clinical anxiety, and mention of pregnancy loss and suicide.

Alright, it’s official. Abby Jimenez must have some kind of romance-writer magic in her. There’s no other way to explain how she manages to write this kind of perfection time and again. I’m completely in awe–for the fifth time, mind you. Every single one of her books is filled to the brim with a level of heartfelt substance that you just won’t find anywhere else. Unsurprisingly, Yours Truly completely blew me away.

Let’s start with the fact that the book opens with a note from the author that includes content warnings and directs readers to her book’s webpage where you can learn more. This is huge for me as a sensitive reader. I felt like I was going into the story with my eyes wide open, prepared for the topics covered, rather than blindsided by something that may have negatively affected me. Each and every challenging element was handled with a kind of delicacy and grace that put me at ease.

Abby has never shied away from difficult material. She dives head-first into the stickiest parts of relationships, the grittiest mental health struggles, the struggles faced by those with chronic or terminal illnesses, and so much more. Each time I read one of her novels, I feel like I learn something new about myself and my personal battles–or I learn about matters that others around me have faced. It gives me a fresh perspective and I’m so thankful for that.

Yours Truly was no different. ER doctor Brianna (Bri) Ortiz is about to have her divorce finalized after learning her husband cheated on her with a friend for several years. She’s also trying to take care of her younger brother, Benny, who desperately needs a kidney transplant and can’t find a donor match no matter what they try. She’s fed up with men and life and wants to throw herself into a higher position at the hospital she’s worked at for years. Then along comes Dr. Jacob Maddox, a new doctor who manages to get on her bad side more times than he should in the first few days on the job. When he writes her a letter (an actual paper and pen letter) to apologize and explain how his social anxiety really gets in the way, things begin to shift.

The story goes quickly from heavy frustration to fake dating to lust to… a heck of a lot of confusion. I don’t mean the story itself is confusing, so much as the characters are confused. The internal monologues begin to drive them both a bit mad. It’s intense and emotional and so, so well written. I can honestly say that it made me tear up on more than one occasion. I had trouble putting the book down because I was desperate to know what would happen next. It surprised me with how unpredictable it was at times. Normally, I feel like I know how a romance novel is going to play out, but Yours Truly was a fresh take.

In the acknowledgments, Abby credits the help of so many healthcare professionals who helped her navigate both the physical and mental aspects of the book. You can really tell how much their insight benefitted the story because it was almost painfully relatable at times. I’m really thankful that she also had sensitivity readers. These seemingly small things make for a winning novel.

There’s not a doubt in my mind that this will be a book I read time and again. It was an immediate favorite–you can tell by how often I was highlighting my eARC! This is definitely a book you’ll want to pick up right away. It’s going to blow you away.

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Wow, I’ve been wanting to read this and I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I’m moving this up on my TBR!

It truly was spectacular! It’s always a bit tough for me to pick favorites when it comes to my top authors, but I think this might very well be my favorite book by Abby!

I have this ARC too Stephanie and I’ve loved all of Abby’s other books! I’m looking forward to starting this a little closer to publication day.

I think you’re going to absolutely love it! I received the ARC a couple of months back but I just couldn’t wait any longer haha. I’m glad I read it when I did. It was wonderful to close out 2022 with it!

I admit I’m not a huge romance reader, but I’ve read a few in the past year and have decided I quite like dabbling in this genre. I haven’t heard of this author or her books before, but consider my interested piqued. I’ve only read one fake dating trope romance (The Love Hypothesis), but I didn’t hate it! Adding this one to my TBR…thanks for introducing me to a “new” author!

I wasn’t a romance reader for years and years, only reading SFF. But a few years back, I read The Flatshare and was HOOKED, grappling to get my hands on every cute romance I could. Abby’s books are phenomenal. They start with The Friend Zone and go from there as companion novels. However, her last three (Life’s Too Short, Part of Your World, and now Yours Truly) are extra phenomenal. I’m insanely picky with my romances, but she blows me away every time!

I appreciate the recs! I’ll definitely remember to come find your blog post again if I want a good contemporary romance book to read. 🙂

This was a great review! I recently read Part of Your World & absolutely adored it so I can’t wait to read more of her work. Extra excited for this one now! 🙂

Yessss! I love hearing that! Part of Your World is one of my faves from her, but they’re all excellent. I hope you enjoy Yours Truly when it comes out 🙂

I just finished Yours Truly and I adored it. I really loved how the author handled the anxiety rep and overall I just loved Bri and Jacob’s relationship.

I’m also loved this book and Part of Your World. Do you have any recommendations for books similar to Yours Truly?

All of Abby’s books are spectacular, honestly! I recommend the entire series! As far as specifically similar to Yours Truly? Are you looking for fake dating? Anxiety rep? What specific elements about Yours Truly did you love most? Because I have LOTS of wonderful, heartfelt romances I can recommend haha

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A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.

Charming, passionate, and absorbing!

Yours Truly is an uplifting, enchanting tale that takes you into the life of the hardworking, supportive Dr. Briana Ortiz who, after dealing with the stress of a divorce and the ongoing worry for her brother who is desperately in need of a kidney to survive, finds a little relief and lightness in her daily routine by exchanging letters with the unlikeliest of pen pals, the one man, Dr. Jacob Maddox who not only drives her crazy but may actually be the enemy in line to steal the promotion she’s been looking forward to for a very long time.

The writing is heartfelt and engaging. The characters are layered, supportive, and generous. And the plot is a touching tale of family, friendship, self-discovery, happiness, taking chances, growth, healing, tender moments, light drama, selflessness, romance, and new beginnings.

Overall, Yours Truly is another amusing, heart-wrenching, brilliant tale by Jimenez that had everything I look for in a contemporary romance novel and more. I loved the characters, I loved the storyline, and I loved the happy-ever-after ending. It is, without a doubt, one of my favourite reads of the year and should definitely be at the top of everyone’s must-read list for 2023.

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

Thank you to HBG Canada & Forever for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Abby Jimenez

Abby Jimenez is a Food Network champion, motivational speaker, and contemporary romance novelist living in Minnesota. Abby founded Nadia Cakes out of her home kitchen in 2007. The bakery has since gone on to open multiple locations in two states, won numerous Food Network competitions and amassed an international cult following. Abby has since turned her talents to penning novels. She loves a good book, coffee, doglets, and not leaving the house.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez: Book Review

Yours Truly is a story of moving on after loss. It highlights the importance of family, friendships and trust. I loved it!

Acknowledgements:

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

[book-info]

From The Publisher:

My Thoughts:

Abby Jimenez excels in writing moving stories with well-developed characters with interesting backstories. I have thoroughly enjoyed each of her previous books (The Friend Zone, The Happy Ever After Playlist , Life’s Too Short , and Part of Your World ) and looked forward to reading Yours Truly.

The story is told in a dual narrative which worked very well. Dr. Briana Ortiz is an E.R. Physician whose life has been turned upside down. Her decade-long marriage has ended, her brother needs a kidney transplant, and she’s just found out the administrative role she has coveted is no longer part of her near future thanks to the newest physician that has joined the staff, Dr. Jacob Maddox.

Jacob’s long-term relationship has recently ended and he has learned that his ex is now planning on marrying his brother. His family has been divided since the two began dating so he aims to show that he has moved on so that his family becomes unified once again. Deciding to move to this new hospital was a big move for Jacob who suffers from social anxiety.

Briana and Jacob do not hit it off initially. But when Briana gives Jacob some advice to make him more likeable to the ER staff, he writes Briana a letter giving his thanks and explaining his condition. Briana is touched and so begins a series of letters, and eventually meetups.

Jacob learns of Briana’s brother’s need for a transplant, he arranges to be an anonymous donor. Briana inadvertently finds out and the two become closer than ever. She learns from Jacob of his need for a girlfriend to show his family that he is doing well. Briana offers to help and the two begin what each believes to be a fake romance.

The story is filled with family love, deep friendships and overcoming barriers. There are some very funny moments and many very tender ones. It is entertaining and a joy to read. I highly recommend it to those readers who enjoy Women’s Fiction or Romance.

What I Liked:

The well developed characters with interesting backstories
The well-executed dual narrative
The emotion and joy experienced while reading the book

Jonetta | Blue Mood Café

You sold me and I just added it. Wonderful review, Jodie💜

thathappyreader

Thank you Jonetta!

According to Chren

This sounds like a great read. We enjoy the hate to love trope.

I hope that you love it!

Her Digital Coffee

Wow, Abby Jimenez sounds like an incredible writer. I love authors who are able to capture emotion and create great characters. I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Great review Jodie, I hope you have a great week!

Rolé @ Hooked By That Book

Sounds good. I’m definitely adding it to my list. I’ve enjoyed her books before.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did Rolé!

This sounds absolutely wonderful, Jody. It has been on my TBR for a long time, I just need to get my hands on a copy. Fantastic review.

Thank you Carla! I hope you love it as much as I did!

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When I read Abby Jimenez’s PART OF YOUR WORLD, I was not alone in hoping that she would give Briana Ortiz, the cynical best friend and colleague of heroine Alexis Montgomery, her own happily ever after. So I was more than a little excited to crack open YOURS TRULY and see what she had in store for Briana.

When the novel opens, Briana’s divorce from her two-timing husband is about to be finalized. But she can hardly wallow in her own misery. She’s also coping with her younger brother Benny’s rapid-onset autoimmune disease, which has left him without functioning kidneys, depressed, and despairing of ever finding a match. What’s more, the one thing that had been giving Briana any kind of hope --- the prospect of getting a promotion to head of emergency medicine at the Twin Cities hospital where she works --- is now on hold, thanks to a new hotshot doctor her boss has brought in to compete for the position.

"Both Briana and Jacob are appealingly flawed in different ways... Jimenez continues to excel at emotionally resonant love stories with plenty of gentle humor."

Briana is poised to loathe Jacob Maddox from Day 1, especially after he barges into her brother’s hospital room to berate her for running in the corridors. Unlike Briana, he doesn’t even know how to sweet-talk the nurses, who also take their lead from Briana, who’s beloved in the department. And when she confronts Jacob, he…just freezes and runs away. Not exactly the stuff of great first impressions.

But the Twin Cities medical community is small, and Briana has plenty of colleagues who already knew Jacob from his prior position at a neighboring hospital. They assure her that not only is Jacob not evil, he’s actually one of the kindest and most generous and thoughtful people they know. Could this be the same Jacob Maddox?

Briana might have constructed a wall around her heart after her painful divorce, but when Jacob writes her a letter to apologize for their initial confrontation and explain where he’s coming from, her defenses begin to soften somewhat. Soon, they’re confiding things to one another in letters and stealing away for lunches together in the supply closet that both of them use when ER life --- or life in general --- gets to be just a bit too much.

It turns out that Jacob is recovering from his own painful breakup. It was bad enough that it prompted him to switch hospitals so he wouldn’t have to keep working with his ex. When Jacob makes the ultimate gesture of generosity for Briana and her family, she agrees to return the favor (kind of) by helping convince Jacob’s loved ones that he’s moved on. Neither is ready for a new relationship, but the more time they spend together, the harder it is to deny their feelings.

This slow-burn love story might be relatively low-stakes in terms of the obstacles keeping its two love interests apart, but Jimenez’s effective character development more than compensates for any flatness in the plot. Both Briana and Jacob are appealingly flawed in different ways, and their vulnerabilities manifest themselves in ways that both contrast with and complement one another. And, of course, there are glimpses at the next chapter for Alexis and Daniel from PART OF YOUR WORLD. Jimenez continues to excel at emotionally resonant love stories with plenty of gentle humor.

Reviewed by Norah Piehl on April 14, 2023

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Publication Date: April 11, 2023
Genres: Comedy , Fiction , Humor , Romance , Women's Fiction
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Forever
ISBN-10: 1538704390
ISBN-13: 9781538704394

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter. And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse. Goodreads

This post contains affiliate links. You can read more on my disclosures page .

I was so happy that Briana got her book in Yours Truly, especially when we see some of my favorite characters from Part of Your World .

The characters in this story are superb. I loved Brianna in Part of Your World, but Jacob steals this show. Jacob is the kindest charter I think I have ever read. I love how he is so misunderstood at first, but as we get to know him more, we find out that he is just the sweetest!

Of course, both Jacob and Bri have significant baggage. Bri is going through a divorce, and Jacob’s ex leaving him for his brother. The fake dating and other tropes in this book are not the most original, but Abby Jimenez’s writing is, as always, fantastic. She brings humor and heart to this story; these characters are amazing!

Abby Jimenez has done it again. Yours Truly Is another fantastic read!

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Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

“I’ve always wanted to end a letter with regards – oh, and to get one where someone signs it yours truly and calls me ‘dearest’. It’s so Mr. Darcy.”

ER doctor Briana’s life isn’t going so great—her divorce from her cheating husband is almost finalised, her brother’s chances of getting a much-needed kidney transplant are poor, and the new ER doctor, Jacob (or as the nurses call him, Dr. Death), is probably going to steal her upcoming promotion. But Briana realises that first impressions aren’t always correct when Jacob sends her a handwritten letter explaining the misunderstandings and revealing that he has social anxiety. Soon, Briana and Jacob start exchanging letters non-stop and spending lots of time together. The line between like and love starts to blur after Briana discovers that Jacob is going to be her brother’s kidney donor and Jacob enlists Briana to be his fake girlfriend to save face at his ex’s wedding.

Yours Truly is a contemporary workplace romance invoking the forced proximity, fake dating, only one bed, accidental pregnancy, and “enemies to friends to lovers” tropes. It’s perfect for fans of books like Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese, Do You Take This Man by Denise Williams, The Plus One by Mazey Eddings, The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, The Love Wager by Lynn Painter, The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest, or Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez. Yours Truly deals with themes and topics such as mental health, chronic illness, female roles, communication or lack thereof, love and heartbreak, marriage and divorce, family, fear of abandonment, and loneliness and isolation. Trigger warnings include miscarriage, parental abandonment, cheating, social anxiety, and chronic illness.

First off, I liked how this was an easy and relatively quick read, so this book would be ideal to take on a trip or to read on a quiet day off. Briana and Jacob’s cute chemistry and “will they, won’t they” romance was very engaging and hard to put down, plus it was great seeing Alexis and Daniel from Part of Your World who made an unexpected appearances in Yours Truly as Alexis is Briana’s best friend! I found that I really enjoyed reading Briana and Jacob’s comical letters and the edition of Jacob’s journal entries—which Jacob uses as a coping mechanism for his mental health—towards the end of the book were very sweet and tearjerking.

One thing I didn’t really like was all the miscommunication and mixed signals that took place during Briana and Jacob’s fake romance and it felt like it took too long for them to realise their true feelings for each other and get together for real; their relationship was definitely a slowburn.

Overall, Yours Truly was an enjoyable and engaging read, perfect for fans of fake dating, slow burns, and workplace romances!

Yours Truly is available from Amazon , Barnes & Noble , and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up Yours Truly ? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

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Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez || Book Review

As soon as I finished reading Yours Truly for the first time, I knew I had found a new comfort book . Since then, I always read it when I'm sick, in a slump, or just bored. It was one of my best books of 2023 !

With 4 recorded rereads and who knows how many unrecorded partial reads under my belt, it's finally time to write a full review of the book and explain why this is one of my favourites.

about Yours Truly

Chat with me.

A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match from "a true talent" (Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author). Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter. And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.

Content warnings: panic attacks, divorce, chronic illness, mention of miscarriage experience, parental abandonment, medical content, chronic kidney disease.

While I love the book and will talk about its positives at length, I should acknowledge that it's not a perfect book . It has a bunch of flaws and I love it despite them.

Firstly, the miscommunication trope. In short, Jacob and Briana don't say what they're really thinking about and waste time due to assumptions. They don't clear the air, preferring to live with their disappointments and insecurities.

This trope is annoying every time because you want to reach through the book and yell at them to talk to each other. Why are they torturing themselves when they want the same thing? Why not spend all the time loving each other? We readers have to sit through several chapters before they finally confess what's in their minds.

The miscommunication trope, while annoying, was highly believable and relevant in this story. If you put yourself in Briana or Jacob's shoes and think about their pasts, it makes sense. It happens through small instances of wrong words or lack of explanation that allowed the other to fill gaps and the situation became a mess.

The miscommunication dragged on for longer than necessary but I didn't detest it like I usually do. (Maybe it's a sign of me maturing and realizing that I would be worse in their situation?)

You and me? We're different. We agree to be harmless to each other.

In the last 50 pages, the story suddenly turns and throws something that seems entirely random on us. There was very subtle foreshadowing that I didn't pick up during my first read. It completely changed the vibe and the pace of the story. It brought on the dreaded third-act breakup.

I'm particular about the reason for the third-act breakup in romance books. In many books, I can see the reason within the first few chapters. The romance develops with it—secrets, deceits, misunderstandings—looming in the background. I spend the entire book waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's highly predictable and annoying.

Many romance books have debatable reasons for the third-act breakup. The couple will be happy and one of them might misstep or overstep unlike their usual selves and cause a breakup. Or, a popular choice, an external party will force their breakup. This is even more annoying as the third-act breakup was clearly unnecessary.

In Yours Truly , the third-act breakup was relevant and required . We find out something about the characters at the beginning of the book that needs to be resolved for them to be truly happy together. It could have written better, though. The pace change is off-putting.

Thankfully, the third-act breakup is short and things resolve pretty quickly. We (and the characters) get the required assurances and move on to the happy ending.

"You don't have to bring my dad dead things." "But I want to be his favourite," she whined.

Now that we have the negatives out of the way, allow me to gush about Yours Truly because! It's SO GOOD!

The characters get off on the wrong foot with each other and Briana basically hates Jacob on the day he starts working at her hospital's ER department with her. To clear the air, Jacob writes a heartfelt handwritten letter to Briana which she returns and they begin to like each other through more letters.

I absolutely loved the letters that they wrote to each other. I love how they wrote about their pets and family members and random funny incidents at work. I loved how their inside jokes developed quickly. I loved how Briana went out of her way to buy fancy paper to write the letters after a while because Jacob uses fancy paper.

Unfortunately, once they exchange numbers and begin dating, the letters stop. I wish the letters continued throughout the book.

We went swimming off the dock and she made me practice the lift from Dirty Dancing with her, which meant I got to touch her, even though nobody was there to see it. Made my whole day.

When Jacob's family mistakes Briana for his girlfriend, he asks her to keep up the charade so that his family thinks that he's moved on from his ex. Briana agrees since he did her a huge favour. And so, they begin fake dating.

The fake dating trope in Yours Truly is *chef's kiss*. As Briana and Jacob are new friends when they begin the charade, they're excited to hang out with each other and genuinely love each other's company. Slowly, friendship turns into romantic feelings for both of them.

Briana and Jacob's pining is in the peak tier. It's adorable how they take care of each other in small ways and hilarious how they think about each other. They're literal simps for each other and it is clearly visible in their actions. No one guesses that they're not truly dating because they look like a couple in their honeymoon phase.

I highly enjoyed reading their thoughts about each other. Jacob's panic the first time Briana texted him was so funny that I CACKLED. That scene hasn't failed to make me laugh yet. I loved it when they had a silly argument over a Would You Rather question and he got flowers delivered to her at work. I love them .

Jacob made me feel safe. He was like a living lullaby. A softly spoken word. The smell of coffee and toast in the morning or a cozy fleece blanket. The rain pattering on the roof on a day you don't have to go anywhere or do anything.

Briana is a bright and exuberant person. She will do anything to keep her loved ones safe and happy. She is absolutely hilarious and has a great energy. She's been through a lot and her experiences make her sad often but she doesn't let her sadness hurt the people around her. She's quick to admit her faults and apologize, and she's quick to make friends.

Jacob is the sweetest and most thoughtful guy. His anxiety dictates a lot of his life but he has put in the effort to live well despite it. He has caffeine based on his anxiety levels, loves his three-legged dog Lieutenant Dan, has a plant room in his home, and would give the shirt off his back for someone in need. Jacob is seriously a GEM.

For the first time, I read about a character who journals regularly! Jacob journals regularly to work through his emotions and anxiety. I mean! A guy who writes letters AND journals? It's like finding a unicorn. He has faults but he does his best.

Honestly, reading about Jacob made me want a Jacob and BE a Jacob. Imagine being a person who carefully builds a beautiful life for themselves, is surrounded by the things they love, and gives and receives love often.

Briana and Jacob are quite different. Their energies are different and their lives are very different. But they have one important thing in common: the way they care for their loved ones (including being a total SIMP for their lover). They deserve to be loved the way they love so they're perfect for each other.

I've read hundreds of romance books but this is the first one (at least the only one that stuck with me) where the main characters say that they love spending time with each other many times. Usually, characters say it only once or twice before confessing their love for each other. In Yours Truly , it's a consistent thing throughout, whether or not they're actually dating.

After reading some of the scenes, I could picture them as grandparents being madly in love and showing it every day with words and actions. I could picture them carefully building the perfect lives for themselves. It's rare for me to read about a couple who fit so seamlessly that it feels obvious for them to live their lives together.

I was buying a sofa for the living room because that day she came over she said you couldn't Netflix and chill in the recliners. I knew there was less than a one percent chance Briana would ever cuddle with me on a couch—but I wanted to have the couch just in case.

No person is free of baggage and an important aspect of any kind of relationship is comfort and safety to combat our vulnerabilities. Briana and Jacob both come with certain trauma from their previous relationships and don't even consider that they'll find someone perfect for them. Both of them think that their faults break the relationship.

But they meet and slowly bond and agree to be harmless to each other. They take care of each other naturally and don't take the care that they receive for granted. It's a slow and comforting romance. The romance is like slowly and gently going into the water together. Their love and trust build together. The way they carefully treat each other as precious people is heartwarming.

Briana and Jacob are like a warm hug at the end of a long day to each other, and their romance is the same for me. That's why I read the book when I'm not feeling well or I'm very stressed. It's like receiving a gentle and warm hug with no questions asked.

If you're with someone who doesn't speak your language, you'll spend a lifetime having to translate your soul.

I absolutely love the above quote. I told it to a friend during a conversation and she paused our conversation to ask me to explain it and expressed awe. It's such a good line and is something to think about.

Two people can be amazing individually while also being the worst for each other. Sometimes, relationships cannot be made better by compromising or changing oneself. An initial level of compatibility is important.

Jacob's previous relationship became toxic for him because his partner was very different and didn't understand his anxiety. When Briana chose activities to make it easier for him without a doubt, Jacob was stumped. Being in a relationship with Briana felt so easy. That's how relationships (even platonic ones) are supposed to be!

The book emphasizes the importance of showing up. Everyone has vulnerabilities that make them retreat and be wary at times. If you love someone, you have to show up on their good and bad days. Even if you can't fix the problem, you can bring food and blankets and give hugs. Most times, comforting company can be healing.

A book doesn't have to be perfect to be well-loved. All it needs to do is tap a part of the reader's heart that makes it unforgettable.

The comfort in Yours Truly is what made it one of my favourite books. The Friend Zone used to be my favourite Abby Jimenez book and this overtook it easily. I would love to own a paperback copy of Yours Truly but I also love it as an ebook because I can read it anytime and anywhere 🫶

I highly recommend it if you're looking for a comforting book. I recommend it if you want a slow-burn romance with the fake-dating trope.

I don't recommend it if you can't stand the miscommunication trope. I don't recommend it if you hate "I love him but he loves someone else".

Have you read any books by Abby Jimenez? Have you read Yours Truly ? What did you think of them/it?

What are your comfort books? What do you read when you're ill or stressed and need to read about a happier life? Tell me in the comments!

Sumedha spends her days reading books, bingeing Kdramas, drawing illustrations, and blogging while listening to Lo-Fi music. Read more ➔

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Yours Truly is one of my absolute favourite books. I also hate the miscommunication trope, but I think it was handled well in this book. Plus it quickly moves on from it. I definitely need to reread this book soon.

that it moved on quickly from the miscommunication helped. it's become one of my best comfort books.

This sounds really good. That miscommunication might be a bit issue but I might ignore it if I enjoy rest of the book. And I already like Jacob. Definitely going to read this. Great review!

hope you enjoy it!

I just finished this book yesterday! I thought it was a good book, nearly giving it a 5 stars but I thought that the ending was a bit rushed and the plot twist (a trope that many dislike) near the end was unnecessary. Still, a 4.5 stars from me!

Erin, herlittleplans.com

i agree, the ending was the only sour part but the rest was great.

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Audiobook Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Title: Yours Truly Author: Abby Jimenez Narrators: Kyla Garcia & Zachary Webber Publisher: Forever Publication date: April 11, 2023 Print length: 416 pages Audio length: 11 hours 23 minutes Genre: Contemporary romance Source: Library Rating:

A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match. Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter. And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.

I loved Abby Jimenez’s previous novel, Part of Your World , and just had to stay in that book’s world a little longer by immediately starting Yours Truly . Great decision on my part! I thoroughly enjoyed this sensitive, romantic audiobook.

But before I explain why, I do need to point out that that is a seriously terrible synopsis above. The synopsis makes Yours Truly sound like a comedic war-of-wills workplace romance… and that’s not how I’d describe this book at all.

So let me put my own spin on this book.

Briana is a highly-skilled ER doctor who’s loved by her coworkers and seems on track for a chief position, just as soon as her current boss finally takes his long-awaited retirement. She’s thrown for a loop when she’s informed that he’s holding off on retirement just a bit longer, and that she may have competition for the chief role — the new ER doctor who just transferred to her hospital.

The new doc doesn’t seem to be lining up fans. On his very first day, the nurses have secretly dubbed him Doctor Death. He’s rubbing everyone the wrong way, and manages to thorougly irritate Briana as well.

What Briana doesn’t know is that Jacob is an introvert with social anxiety, who’s just trying to get through his day without further triggering his anxiety responses. Jacob is dealing with stress in his personal life — his brother announcing his engagement to Jacob’s ex-girlfriend — and learning a whole bunch of social cues in a brand new work setting is not easy for Jacob.

Eventually, Briana clues in to the fact that Jacob is not actually some arrogant, sexist jerk, but is really a deeply sensitive man who’s also a terrific doctor. After Bri extends an olive branch by advising Jacob to win over the ER staff via cupcakes, Jacob writes her a thank-you letter. Yes, writes — as in, by hand — a letter — as in, on paper. Briana can’t help being charmed.

Bri and Jacob start exchanging letters, opening up in writing in a way they haven’t been able to in person. Eventually, letters turn into long conversations, and suddenly, they’re spending more time talking with one another than with anyone else.

When Jacob turns out to be a perfect match as a kidney donor for Briana’s ailing brother, she wants to do a huge favor for him in return. Jacob’s family refuses to embrace his brother’s engagement, fearing that Jacob will be too terribly hurt by the whole thing. He’s not… but to convince his family to get on board and be happy for the couple, Jacob decides he needs a fake girlfriend, and Bri is happy to sign up for the role.

As Jacob and Brianna play-act a relationship, they spent lots and lots of time together, even to the point of fake living together. You get where this is going right? Before long, they’ve both caught feelings — but each is 100% sure that the other is pretending. There’s a lot of tormented self-doubt and longing in store for both of them. Ah, if only people in romance novels knew how to communicate!

Yours Truly has lots of funny scenarios and flirty banter, but it’s also rooted in more serious emotions and complications. Bri is still deeply wounded by her divorce, thanks to her jerky ex-husband who cheated on her for years with a woman she thought was a good friend. Between that and the father who abandoned the family when she was a child, Bri doesn’t believe that love can be counted on, and has serious issues around trust and security. Jacob, meanwhile, has learned to manage his anxiety, but he can be triggered by uncertainty and lacks the confidence to feel that he’s worthy of love. While Briana and Jacob fall madly in love with one another, it takes them a very long time to realize that their feelings are returned, in large part because neither is able to believe that they deserve to be loved by someone so wonderful.

The author does a terrific job of developing these two characters and making them likable even while showing their wounds and their flaws. We readers may feel frustrated enough to want to give them each a good shake, but we also understand why they’re having such a hard time believing in the truth of their relationship.

I did feel that the communication issues dragged on longer than necessary, and wished that these two incredibly intelligent people talked honestly a lot sooner. They each make some pretty significant assumptions based on overheard conversations and mistaken beliefs about the other’s feelings, and while we get where they’re coming from, they really could have worked all this out through a simple conversation.

Another quibble is that they’re a pair of doctors, and yet they have unprotected sex! In this day and age, when most romance novels do such a fantastic job of incorporating condoms into sexytimes, its absence in a key scene between Jacob and Briana is a glaring omission. Yes, it’s dealt with later in the plot, but still, given who they are as people, it was not believable to me that they’d have sex in that moment without protection.

That aside, I really did love the characters, the plot, and the overall story. When Bri and Jacob make bad choices, we understand why. The writing balances the zippy, light-hearted moments with the deeper emotional stakes and traumas, and I loved how sensitively they’re able to connect with one another when they open up and truly communicate.

“We’re all a little broken, Briana. We are a mosaic. We’re made up of all those we’ve met and all the things we’ve been through. There are parts of us that are colorful and dark and jagged and beautiful. And I love every piece of you. Even the ones you wish didn’t exist.”

Yours Truly is set in the same fictional world as Part of Your Wo rld, and it’s nice to get to visit with that book’s main characters, Alexis and Daniel, and see how they’re doing. Zachary Webber, who voices Daniel in Part of Your World , is back in Yours Truly as the narrator for Jacob’s chapters, and he’s got the role of smart, sensitive, sexy boyfriend down to a science. Kyla Garcia is very good as the narrator for Brianna (and gets her lisp just right in a scene where Bri wears her retainer!). The voices work really well together, and the audiobook as a whole is a treat.

Part of Your World was my first book by Abby Jimenez, and after listening to Yours Truly , I’m all in! I need to read EVERYTHING by this author. If you haven’t had the pleasure yet, do yourself a favor and pick up one of her books!

On a related note…

Amazon’s free story collection for February is romance-themed — it’s the Improbable Meet-Cute collection, and includes a very sweet story by Abby Jimenez, so naturally, I read it immediately after finishing Yours Truly . Worst Wingman Ever is a fast, enjoyable read. Check it out!

The rest of the collection looks great too — have you read any of these stories yet?

Yours Truly

Recap, summary & spoilers.

The Full Book Recap and Chapter-by-Chapter Summary for Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez are below.

Quick(-ish) Recap

Three-paragraph version: Briana and Jacob are ER doctors who get off on the wrong foot due to a misunderstanding. Jacob writes Briana a letter to clear the air, and Briana soon writes back and the two become friends. Briana is recently divorced and taking care of her brother who needs a kidney donor. Jacob decides to get tested, is a perfect match, agrees to donate and the surgery is scheduled. Meanwhile, Jacob's ex-girlfriend is about to marry his younger brother. He asks Briana to pretend to be his girlfriend to attend pre-wedding events and the wedding itself so his family will think he's okay.

The two fall for each other as they pretend to be in a relationship and move in together. They both want more but Briana thinks Jacob isn't over his ex, and Jacob thinks Briana is interested in someone else. They eventually work things out and admit their feelings for each other, but Briana gets pregnant and freaks out. Briana's ex cheated on her while she was pregnant (though she miscarried), and her father left her mother when her mother was pregnant. Briana tells Jacob she can't be in a relationship. Jacob's mom tells him that it's a trauma response and advises him to be reassuring, patient and consistent with her and to just keep showing up for her. Meanwhile, Briana's best friend Alexis and mother encourage her to have faith in Jacob and to be brave.

Before Jacob's surgery, he gives Briana his diary to read so she can understand his feelings for her. Afterwards, Briana agrees to move back in with him and to give them a shot. Two years later, they have a daughter, Ava, and get married.

Briana , an ER doctor, is recently divorced and taking care of her brother Benny who needs a kidney transplant. When a new doctor, Jacob , joins their team, there's immediate friction between then, but Jacob quickly clears things up by writing Briana a thoughtful, handwritten letter. Soon, the two are exchanging letters back and forth and having lunch together in the supply closet.

Jacob's ex-girlfriend Amy who broke up with him eight months ago is marrying his brother Jeremiah soon, and in order to mollify his family's concerns, he tells them that he has a girlfriend. When his sister comes to visit, he sees Jacob and Briana together, and his family soon thinks they're together.

Jacob decides to get tested to see if he's a match for Benny , and when he is, he decides to donate his kidney. It's supposed to by anonymous, but the chief of their department, Gibson , lets slip that Jacob is the donor to Briana, who is immeasurably grateful. Benny has been struggling with depression since his diagnosis, and it completely turns things around for him.

Jacob asks Briana to pretend to be his girlfriend to the wedding and other family events leading up to the wedding, and Briana readily agrees. Briana is pretty jaded about men because of her ex-husband cheating on her and from her childhood when her dad left their family. However, they're attending family events together and they're both realizing they want something more. Jacob has a lot of social anxiety but he finds that Briana is good at helping him feel comfortable.

At Amy and Jeremiah's engagement party, Briana and Jacob attend together and manage to have a good time. However, Briana overhears a conversation between Amy and Jacob, and she takes it to mean that Jacob is not over Amy. Meanwhile, Jacob has realized he's over Amy and wants to be with Briana in a real way. Jacob asks Briana on a real date, but she says no, assuming he's just trying to get over Amy.

They continue their charade, and end up moving in together for the time being. Briana gets a visit at the hospital from an old friend, Levi , who has moved back to town because he's seeing a mutual friend of theirs. When Briana starts hanging out with Levi, Jacob thinks that it's potentially romantic in nature and gets jealous. When Briana and Levi start texting a lot, it drives Jacob crazy and he has a panic attack. It happens to be while Amy and Jeremiah announce that they're having a baby. Briana goes to comfort him and they have sex, but Briana gets upset afterwards thinking that she shouldn't have had sex with him while he's in love with someone else.

When they get home, they finally talk and each admit that they're in love with each other and clear up any misunderstandings. Things go great until they run into Briana's ex-husband Nick and his affair partner, Kelly , who is pregnant.

Briana has also realized that she's pregnant. Seeing them and knowing that she's pregnant, Briana pulls away from Jacob. She's reminded of how the two men in her life, Nick and her father, both left during pregnancies. She tells Jacob that she doesn't know how to be in a relationship with him and that she's just going to push him away. Jacob's mom, a relationship expert, explains to him that this is a trauma response, and she tells him that he just needs to be showing up and being consistent and reminding her that he loves her.

When the day of the surgery arrives, Briana's best friend Alexis talks to Briana and tells her to try to be brave. Briana goes to see Jacob beforehand and he offers her his diary. When she reads it, she sees all his thoughts about her as he fell in love with her. Afterwards, Briana realizes she should try to have some courage and tells him that she wants to move in together, and she apologizes for getting scared.

In the Epilogue, Briana and Jacob now have a child, Ava . They have a wedding and are married.

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Chapter-by-Chapter Summary

Briana Ortiz and Jocelyn talk about “Dr. Death”, a doctor whose six patients have all died on his first day at Royaume Northwestern Hospital. Briana defends him, saying his patients were all in poor condition when they arrived. Hector comes in to let them know patient seven has died as well.

Briana’s best friend Alexis calls to ask how she’s doing given that her divorce with Nick is finalized soon. She had found out he had been cheating and had flipped out completely. Now she’s been dating, but the options have been terrible. hid Gibson , Chief of Emergency Medicine, asks to talk to Briana. She hopes it’s about him handing off his job to her since she’s the only candidate, but he tells her instead that he’s delaying retirement for three months. He also tells her that the new doctor, Dr. Jacob Maddox , is also up for the position, and it’ll give people a chance to get to know him.

Afterwards, Briana is upset, but Alexis reminds her it’s not unreasonable and that her brother Benny needs her right now due to his medical issues anyway so it’s better that she’s not as busy in the next three months.

In the parking lot of Bad Axe Grill, Jacob dreads going in, knowing he’s about to receive upsetting news from Amy , his ex of many years, and Jeremiah , his brother. Jacob and Amy broke up eight months ago, and she started dating Jeremiah less than three months afterwards. Amy works at Memorial West , the hospital Jacob just left where he was Head of Emergency Medicine. They tell Jacob that they’re getting married.

Afterwards Jacob hides in the supply closet talks to his family on the phone about the engagement. His older sister Jewel and her wife Gwen are all angry on his behalf. His other older sister Jill says she’s not going, and his sister Jane agrees. His parents tell him it’s ok to not be ok.

However, Jacob says it’s fine and he wants his family to support them. To get his family off his back, Jacob lies and says he’s seeing someone at Royaume.

A doctor rudely runs into Jacob without apologizing, causing his screen to crack, so he follows her to confront her. He sees her, Briana, go into the room a patient, Benny, and chastise him, saying that he should have told her he has an infection. Jacob awkwardly interrupts to tell her that she ran into him. Both Briana and the nurse she’s with glare at Jacob who finally leaves.

Briana is crying in the supply closet when Jacob walks in. He brings her a washcloth and asks if she’s okay. They make introductions and she explains that the patient is her younger brother who had an autoimmune disorder that came up out of nowhere. Jacob tries to comfort her by saving he can live a long time on dialysis, but Briana gets upset, saying that it’s a terrible way for a 27-year-old to live.

She then stalks out, mentioning that she thinks it’s unethical that he and Gibson are conspiring to get Jacob the job.

Jacob doesn’t know what she’s referring to, and doesn’t respond. He soon runs into Dr. Zander Reese was a nephrologist (kidney specialist) who is also Jacob’s best friend and roommate during med school and residency. Zander invites Jacob to grab a drink with him and Gibson at Mafi’s across the street.

Gibson tells Jacob about giving the staff some time to get to know him before they vote on the new Chief of Emergency Surgery. Jacob says he’s actually not interested. Gibson says it wouldn’t matter, she was always going to win since her team loves her. He just didn’t want her to run unchallenged so that there wouldn’t be rumors that she got the job by default. Still, Jacob says he’d prefer to opt out.

Jacob thinks about how some people wear him out, but these people do not. Amy was very high energy and took a lot of the pressure off of him, but he was lonely with her. Zander asks how he’s doing, and Jacob gives him an update. They talk about Lieutenant Dan , Jacob and Amy’s dog which he got custody of during the breakup.

They also talk about Benny and how he needs a kidney transplant but he has the rarest blood type, so it would likely take over seven years to find a donor, if ever. Jacob has type O blood and recalls how his mom’s life was saved when her best friend donated a kidney. He agrees to do the test to see if he’s a match.

At home, Briana breaks down. Benny is eight years younger than her, so she practically helped to raise him while her mom went to nursing school. Benny’s been suffering from depression for a while since his diagnosis, but it’s now become debilitating. He’s being evicted from his apartment, and it’s a mess.

The next morning, Briana has coffee with Jessica , one of the OB-GYNs who is close friends with Alexis too. Briana used to find Jessica to be too bitter, but now kind of gets it. As they chat about how terrible men are, Briana brings up Jacob, but Jessica defends him and says he’s wonderful and that she’s known his whole family for years.

At the ER, they are all talking about how a little girl came in with a dog bite and Jacob is sewing up her doll. When Zander comes by, he talks about how long he’s known Jacob and how great of a person he is. He also mentions that he’s releasing Benny today.

Briana feels bad about being mean to Jacob after so many people she trusts have vouched for him. Finally, she tells him that the nurses have been cold to him, but he should bring them some desserts to win them over. She tells him what types of cupcakes they like. He asks her what she likes, and she tells him Red Velvet, but she says she doesn’t want one.

After work, Jacob’s family continues to bug him about his fake girlfriend. Jacob is feeling unsettled so he uses one of the tools he learned in therapy to transfer his emotions to paper and writes a letter to Brianna.

When Briana leaves with Benny from the hospital, she tells him he needs to move in with her for a while so she can take care of him. She tries to comfort him, saying that he’ll be able to do the dialysis from home for two hours a day as long as she’s around to help. Benny looks a little more positive when she tells him that.

After Benny is settled, Briana thinks about how she’s done with relationships. The Nick fiasco taught her that men simply can’t be trusted. She remembers how her own dad walked out on their mom when she was pregnant with Benny and Briana was eight, leaving them homeless and destitute.

In the next few days, Briana packs up Benny’s apartment with the help of his friends, Justin and Brad , and she gets a home dialysis machine delivered.

Briana lives in her mom’s previous house right now. Even after her mom married her current husband Gil , she still refused to sell it, saying you always need a failsafe when it comes to men. Briana thinks about how her mom was right, since she ended up moving in after everything with Nick.

The next day, Briana receives a red velvet cupcake and a letter from Jacob. He writes to thank her for the advice, but also to clarify that he wasn’t interested in that position and didn’t conspire with Gibson to increase his chances. He also talks about how his mom had kidney failure and tries to explain why he said what he said about her brother.

After reading the letter, Briana feels terrible. To assuage her guilt, she decides to write him back.

Jacob finds Briana’s letter taped to his locker, and he takes it home to read it. She thanks him for his letter and says she feels awful for how she treated him. She is understanding of him being an introvert and she offers to continue inviting him to Mafi’s and to keep the extroverts away from him if so.

The letter makes him smile, and he decides to write her another letter.

Briana finds Jacob’s letter taped onto the supply closet door. She leaves him a post-it note in response, asking about his dog, and he quickly responds.

After work, Briana goes to Target to pick up some stationary.

The next morning, Jacob finds a longer letter on nicer stationary. Briana writes about her cat, Cooter . Jacob then responds in kind, penning a letter about his siblings. He talks about Jewel, who is a tattoo artist and the bet he lost to her.

Back at home, Briana tries to take care of Benny, telling him to get into the shower so they can take a walk and watch a movie.

Jacob and Briana continue to write letters back and forth, now on nicer stationary. Briana brings up to Jacob that she’s only interested in friendship though, since she’s not interested in dating and they work together.

When they both have four days off, there’s no letters, and Briana thinks about how much it sucks. She also starts to feel like the letters aren’t enough and she wants to actually hang out.

Jacob gets a jolt when he sees that Briana has sent him a friend request. She then messages him and asks to call him. Jacob is mentally panicking but says yes. Soon, they’re chatting on the phone and hours go by.

Back at work, Briana comes to find Jacob to invite him to listen to an opera singer who occasionally shows up drink to the ER and sings for everyone. They also agree to have lunch together in the supply closet. Over lunch, they talk about how Benny is depressed and seems uninterested in living anymore.

While they’re eating, Jewel stops by, saying the family hadn’t heard from Jacob and they were concerned, but when she sees him with Briana, she excuses herself. Jacob and Briana agree to get drinks after work. Afterwards, Jacob sees from his family text chain that Jewel thinks that Briana is his girlfriend amd they’re expecting to meet her at Amy’s wedding. Jacob tells Xander, who encourages him to invite Briana to the wedding and ask her to pretend to be his girlfriend. Jacob is torn between not wanting to ask her to do this and really wanting his family to believe that he’s ok.

Then, Xander tells Jacob that he’s a perfect match to be Benny’s kidney donor. Jacob says he needs to think about it. He says if he did it he’d want to do it anonymously. He soon tells Xander that he’s in and down to donate his kidney.

That night, Alexis shows up at Briana’s place on the eve of her divorce. She feels a wave of sadness. She talks about how the men in her life like her dad and Nick have all left her. As they talk, they suddenly hear screaming. They run into Benny’s room, but everything looks fine. It turns out he’s laughing maniacally and crying because he has a donor.

The next day, there’s palpable excitement on the hospital floor with people talking about Benny getting a kidney. Jacob feels happy to see her so excited and to be able to give her relief.

Briana and Alexis have lunch together, and Briana is surprised to feel so gleeful on the day of her divorce. She goes into Gibson’s office to request time off for the transplant surgery, and Gibson accidentally lets slip that Jacob is the donor. Briana cries after realizing what a wonderful person Jacob is. She finds him and asks him and hugs him when he admits it, promising not to tell anyone.

Briana sobs out a thank you. He tells her about the family thing he had previously mentioned, saying that he needs someone to pretend to be his girlfriend to attend his ex-girlfriend’s wedding and pre-wedding events. Briana agrees, reassuring him that she’d do it regardless of the kidney situation.

That night, Briana arrives at Jacob’s house determined to put on a performance of a lifetime. They agree to say that they met because Benny was in the ER a few months back and that Jacob moved to Royaume in order to be with Briana. On the way over to his parents’ place, Jacob stops and picks up a racoon carcass, saying that he’s bringing it to his dad who is a taxidermist.

At the house, they’re immediately greeted by Jafar the parrot as well as Carter and Katrina , who are Jewell and Gwen’s twins. The rest of the family greets them.

Jacob shows her his childhood room, which his dad now uses to store taxidermy projects, and on the shelf there’s a book by his mother, who is a world-renown relationship expert. When Briana finds out, she freaks out, since she insists his mother is going to figure out really fast that they’re not really together. Briana insists they need to get to know each other better pronto and start hanging out more to really sell it.

The dinner goes well, and afterwards tells Jacob she has a really fun time. The next day, Briana tells Jessica that they’re dating since they’ve decided to keep the facade up for everyone to prevent discrepancies. Only Zander and Alexis know the truth. They make plans for diner the next day, and Jacob drops off some Taco Bell for Briana after she mentions she likes it.

The next night, they have a casual dinner and chat. They talk about their respective exes. Briana talks about how Nick cheated on her with a mutual friend, Kelly . Nick talks about how he and Amy had one therapy session and she just gave up.

Three weeks later, Briana and Jacob are happily ensconced in their fake relationship, and Briana is starting to realize that she really genuinely likes him. She’s happy to have the companionship, though she knows a part of her wants more. She finds herself feeling jealous at the thought of him with anyone else. Meanwhile, Jacob is feeling the same way.

Tonight is Amy and Jeremiah’s engagement party. Before they go, Briana offers him a hug, knowing it’s going to be a difficult night for him. They come up with a escape plan catch phrase before they go in, for Jacob to say if he’s desperate to get out of there.

At the party, Jacob realizes he’s glad things are over between him and Amy and that it was never right between them. He finds that despite the circumstances, he’s still enjoying Briana’s company. During the night, Briana ends up telling his family that they’re moving in together soon.

Jacob is surprised when Amy finds a moment to talk to him alone. She confronts him about what’s going on with Briana, saying that she’s worried about him and knows that he’s donating a kidney to Briana’s brother. However, Jacob tells Amy that he’s fine and things worked out the way they should.

In that moment, Jacob also realizes he’s genuinely falling for Briana and he wants to do something about it.

Briana overhears part of the conversation with Jacob and Amy and reaches the conclusion that Jacob isn’t over Amy. She feels crushed. She’s quiet on the way home, and Jacob is quiet as well.

Back at home, Benny informs her that Jacob is still outside, pacing on their porch. She goes out to talk to him, and Jacob asks her if she wants to go on a real date, not something as part of their fake-dating routine. However, Briana questions why Jacob all of a sudden wants to do this right now. She tells herself that he’s just doing this to try to get over Amy, and she says no, reminding him that she isn’t looking to meet someone right now.

Afterwards, Briana cries to Alexis about it, thinking about how heartbroken she is.

Afterwards, Jacob is upset. His mom notices and asks if he got into a fight with Briana. However, his mom tells him that he and Briana seem to have something real and that he should show up and keep fighting for it. Despite his anxiety, he realizes his desire for her is strong enough for him to keep trying.

The next morning, he calls Briana and asks to come to breakfast. She’s at Alexis’s place in Wakan, but he asks to join her there. Briana is confused since Jacob doesn’t tend to like new places and new people. Knowing how he feels about unfamiliar things, Briana texts him all the details and specifics so that he’ll feel comfortable when he gets there. She tells him that he’ll be meeting her friend Alexis and Alexis’s husband Daniel . She also tells him about Daniel’s best friend, Doug .

Jacob soon arrives, and as they hang out, Briana thinks about how happy she is with him, but how sad it makes her that he doesn’t seem to be over Amy. They’re having a good time and in Jacob’s room where there’s a gust of wind that forces the door shut, and they can’t get it open.

They call Alexis and Daniel, but even with their help the door stays firmly put. They decide to put a humidifier outside to dry out the wood and hopefully loosen it up, but that means they’ll still be stuck overnight. Briana is worried since she knows she’ll be tempted to sleep with Jacob.

With nowhere to go, they end up going through each others’ phone search history and sitting around the fireplace with bourbon. Briana ends up drunkenly telling Jacob that she loves him. When they take up, the door has become unstuck.

Back at home, Briana’s mom has shown up to help nurse Benny back to health. They decide to tell Briana’s family about Jacob being the kidney donor. Briana also tells her mom and brother that she is moving in with Jacob, since she has to keep up with what that she told his family.

Benny is concerned that Briana is dating Jacob for his sake, but Briana reassures him that she is deeply in love with Jacob and only a tiny fraction of that is because of what he’s doing for Benny. As she says this, she realizes it’s true.

Briana soon shows up at Jacob’s door with a bunch of food from her mom and with some bags to move in so they can keep up their facade. The next week Jacob thinks that it’s the happiest he’s ever been.

They’re at the hospital when old friend of Briana’s, Levi , turns up. He is divorced and seeing a mutual friend of theirs, Cindy Baker , and they’re moving in together. Levi suggests that they all grab a drink together. Zander points out to Jacob that someone seems to be hitting on Briana. Jacob interrupts and Briana introduces the two men. Jacob notices when she introduces Jacob as her friend.

Later, Briana introduces Jacob and his family to her mother, Rosa . Afterwards, Rosa talks about how much she liked Jacob.

Back at home Briana talks about going over to Levi’s place, and Jacob gets jealous and goes to bed. Later, he notices that she’s been texting him, and it drives him crazy. Every time he hears her phone ping it bothers him.

They’re at his parents’ house when it goes off again, and Jacob can feel himself having a panic attack. Amy and Jeremiah happen to be in the middle of making an announcement that they’re having a baby, and Jacob walks out.

Briana sees how upset he is and goes after him. They end up in the basement, and he breaks down. She tells him that she loves him. They have sex. Afterwards, Briana feels upset with herself for having sex with someone who is clearly in love with someone else. She runs out into the bathroom.

Jacob wants to talk to her, but Briana doesn’t want to see him. He’s confused by her behavior, but he’s supposed to be leaving for the bachelor party. He goes home instead, leaving the truck keys for Briana so she can get home.

Briana collects herself and goes back to join the other women for the bachelorette party at the house. When one the women, Shannon , makes disparaging comments about Jacob (As Amy’s ex) Briana comes to his defense. She calls Shannon an asshole and storms off.

Amy soon comes to talk to Briana. Briana tells Amy that she’s upset because she’s more in love with Jacob than he is with her. Amy tells her that there’s no way it could be true because she sees how he is with her.

When Briana returns home, she asks Jacob what he wants and he says he wants them to be a real couple. Briana accuses him of being in love with Amy, and Jacob flatly denies it. He says that he was upset today because she was texting Levi. As they talk, they both admit that they are in love with one another.

A short while later, Briana and Jacob are at Amy and Jeremiah’s wedding. They’re surprised to see Jacob’s sister show up with Benny as her date. Jacob tells Briana he could tell the three-months-ago version of him that when today came he wouldn’t even care since he would be madly in love with someone else by then.

The two of them have a delightful time together. At the end of the night, they head up to their hotel room, and Briana sees that Nick and Kelly are there and that Kelly is pregnant. Briana throws up.

They go home in silence and Briana continues to be upset the next day. She tells Jacob that things are over between them because all men are the same and that she just wants to be alone.

Briana tells her mother about being upset and that she’s pregnant. Her mother encourages her to give it a chance, but Briana tells her mother that it will hurt too much when he leaves. Her mother tells her that Nick wasn’t a good man and neither was her father, but Gil is, and she apologizes for making Briana think that all men were bad. Still, Briana feels panicky, like she needs to run away from this.

Briana calls out of work the next two days, and Jacob doesn’t know what to do. He goes over to see her, and Briana tells him that she’s pregnant. He tells her how happy he is, but Briana tells him she miscarried when she was with Nick. Jacob tells her to come back to live with him and that he’ll take care of her. But Briana says she doesn’t know if she knows how to be all-in in a relationship anymore.

Briana says that she doesn’t trust her feelings and that she’s always going to push him away in fear that he’s going to leave her. They have sex again, but Briana is a little disconnected from it.

Jacob’s surgery is the next day, and he tells his mom he plans on coming home with her to recover. He also finally tells his mom the truth about everything that’s happened with Briana. His mother is sympathetic to Briana.

His mother says that she’s having a trauma response. That Briana has seen a pattern of men leaving during pregnancy and she wants to sabotage the relationship so she has control over when it ends. She doesn’t trust herself to choose someone who isn’t going to leave her.

He tells Jacob to move slowly, be reassuring. Be consistent. Make her feel loved and safe, and she says not to give up on her and to let her know that he won’t give up on her.

The day of the surgery, Briana can’t stop crying. Alexis shows up and encourages her to be brave. Briana goes to see Jacob before he goes under, and he reminds her that he loves her and he gives her something.

When she goes out in the waiting room, Briana sees that it’s his diary. She reads through his thoughts about her and his difficulty dealing with her texting Levi. It talks about him falling for her.

When she’s done, Briana realizes that she needs to be brave.

After his surgery, Jacob is groggy. Briana comes to tell him that she wants to move back in. She apologies for how scared she got, and she repeats back his words to him that “love shows up. And here I am.”

Two Years Later

Briana and Jacob now have a child, Ava. They’re about to have their wedding up at the cabin they own. They go to couples counseling once a month.

They have the ceremony and are married and kiss.

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Book Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

About the book:.

Title: Yours Truly

Author: Abby Jimenez

Page Length: 400

Publication Date: April 11, 2023

Publisher: Forever

Synopsis : Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon, and I may earn a small commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through my links.

Abby Jimenez wowed me with Part of Your World, and she continues to amaze with Yours Truly. I adored this heartwarming, humorous, and entertaining story about two people who find love in places they least expect. Briana and Jacob are fantastic protagonists, and their relationship is lovely and awkward and fun and sexy, and it felt so realistic and relatable.

Briana’s view of men has been defined by her mother’s and her own life experiences, many of which were not positive. So, it’s understandable why she is so afraid of giving her heart to Jacob. Being completely vulnerable and sharing one’s life with another is difficult, especially when you fear rejection, abandonment, and more. But Jacob is patient and kind, and he is so deeply in love with Briana. At one point in the story, they talk about finding a partner who speaks your language, someone who gets you, and I think that’s exactly what Briana and Jacob found in each other. They say it happens when you least expect it, and that’s certainly true for this pair. They have amazing chemistry, and I totally rooted for them to find their happily ever after together. Oh my word, some of the things Jacob says about Brian are positively swoon-worthy, and his journaling about her is so romantically beautiful.

Of course, there are obstacles that stand in Jacob and Briana’s way. There’s some family dysfunction, fears and past hurts, and work stress. Plus, Briana’s brother is in desperate need of a kidney transplant, and he lives with and is cared for by Briana. It’s a lot, but it’s so realistic. Who doesn’t feel like their problems are piling up sometimes? Who doesn’t struggle with all of the family, friends, and work, issues that arise? But throughout the story, Briana and Jacob talk about being harmless to each other, and they try hard to live by that rule. They aren’t always successful, but you can tell they are sincere in their regard for each other.

I mentioned earlier that Jacob writes about Briana in his journal, and I enjoyed the importance of writing in the story. Between the journaling and the letters Briana and Jacob write to each other, they really get to know each other on a deeper level. They reveal things on paper that might be difficult to say in person, and they find a real and healthy way to communicate.

I also loved the focus on mental health issues and the wonderful messages about giving back and organ donation. The anxiety rep in the book is fantastic, and I found Jacob’s anxiety so relatable. Like Jacob, I have social anxiety and do many of the things he does to prepare for an event, especially if it or the people attending are unfamiliar. I understood his fears and frustrations, and I sympathized with him when he dealt with people who were not so understanding. Throughout the book, I kept saying to myself, “That’s exactly how I am,” and I could totally understand Jacob’s feelings and frustrations. Anxiety is exhausting, and it can really take its toll. However, the story also includes talk of self-care, including journaling, therapy, being prepared, being attuned to your triggers, and having strategies to help if an attack occurs. Jacob isn’t defeated by his anxiety, and he finds effective ways to cope and live with it.

And I love how, for Briana, anxiety is just a piece of Jacob. She is so supportive, knowledgable, and understanding, and she never treats Jacob like he’s a burden or less than. She is so different from some of the other people in his life who don’t seem to even take the time to understand him. She gets him, and it’s just so refreshing.

I can’t say enough about Yours Truly. It’s a great story – heartwarming and sexy and funny, and the characters are fantastic. The protagonists from Part of Your World even make an appearance, which was fantastic! I would definitely recommend this one to contemporary romance readers, and I’m so thankful to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

Favorite Parts:

The romance.
The anxiety rep.
The characters.

Favorite Lines:

“You never realize you’re living the best time of your life,” I said softly. “It happens and then it ends, and you only see it for what it was after.”

I was rendered frozen and speechless and completely at her mercy, and I had to wonder with a touch of awe and amusement if she had bewitched me. If I was under her spell. Because I’d never felt like this before, this compelled to do something for someone I just met, this drawn to anyone.

If you’re with someone who doesn’t speak your language, you’ll spend a lifetime having to translate your soul?

“We’re all a little broken, Briana. We are a mosaic. We’re made up of all the things we’ve been through. there are parts of us that are colorful and dark and jagged and beautiful. And I love every piece of you.”

enemies-to-friends-to-lovers
only one bed
letter writing
fake dating

6 thoughts on “ Book Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez ”

Fab review, Julie! I still haven’t read anything by this author but I keep hearing amazing things. This synopsis sounds so good and your review only supports how awesome it actually is. On the TBR wish list it goes! 😍 I can’t wait to read it!

I think you’d really enjoy the author, Dini! This is my second book by her, and I adored both.

Great review! I’m excited to read this one. I’m probably going to do the audiobook.

Nice! I hope you love it!!

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Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

The humor is really fun in this one! There’s actual letter writing, a large family, fake dating and a sweet rescue dog named Lieutenant Dan. The whole thing worked for me!

The story opens with Dr. Briana Ortiz finding out the promotion she wants so badly could go to the new doctor, Jacob. Brianna is a well-respected emergency physician and hopes to become Chief of Emergency Medicine but the hospital tells her they want to wait three months before making a decision in case a newer doctor is interested in the job. She is also helping care for her younger brother who is in desperate need of a kidney. Furthermore, Brianna is coming up on the date when her divorce from her cheating ex-husband will be finalized. Thankfully, her best friend, Alexis, from Jimenez’s last book, Part of Your World, is checking in with her to make plans to help her through this stressful time.

Dr. Jacob Maddox–he is the new doctor–has social anxiety and is trying to adjust to his new job at the hospital. He is shy and often says the wrong thing and his team doesn’t really like him. He was Chief of Emergency at his previous hospital but left because he wanted to distance himself from his ex, Amy, a fellow MD he had dated for over two years. When they broke up, she started dating his brother, Jeremiah.

One day, When Jacob needs a break at work, he goes to hide in a supply closet to recharge. He finds Brianna already there. She is in tears due to her brother Ben’s health concerns. Jacob is lovely to her and, in return, Brianna gives him a tip on how to win over his coworkers – cupcakes. Jacob likes her and would like to talk to her but his anxiety makes it hard for him. He decides to write her a letter instead. He does though tell her and his boss that he’s not interested in being Chief of Staff because he wants to simplify his life. I appreciated that this didn’t drag on and he openly communicated about this. Soon he and Brianna are writing letters back and forth and becoming friends. Their letters are funny and one of the best things about this very good book.

But then his family finds out his brother, Jeremiah and his ex, Amy are getting married. The family is upset at Jeremiah and quit inviting him to their family gatherings. They also say they won’t go to the wedding because they think that Jacob has been wronged. Jacob tells them he is happy for his brother and ex and he will be at their wedding. He also, however, lies and says he has a new girlfriend so his family will quit feeling sorry for him. Now he needs to find someone to fake date before the next family gathering and to take to the wedding in July.

Zander, Jacob’s friend and fellow doctor, tells him about Brianna’s brother, Ben and that he has no match for a kidney yet. Ben has the rarest blood type and has dialysis four hours a day every other day. Zander asks Jacob if he would get tested for Ben because Jacob is an O blood type and they discover Jacob is a match. Jacob wants to help because he remembers how much it meant when someone gave his mom a kidney when she needed one.

Brianna finds out that Jacob will be the donor for her brother’s new kidney and when she hears he needs a fake girlfriend for a few months for his brother and ex’s wedding, she offers to do it. She will go to family dinners and all the wedding events but this is no problem for her because she thinks he’s handsome and she likes his big family. I thought his family was a hoot and really enjoyed reading about them. Jacob and Brianna decide to spend more time getting to know each other so they are more convincing to his family. They play games like Would You Rather and Catchphrase (they slip a famous phrase into a conversation) and together, they are really funny.

Brianna had been online dating and it was funny to hear about some of her disastrous dates, like the guy that had a court ordered Breathalyzer in his car and asked her to breathe into it. She shows Jacob her online dating profile and he notices it says she’s looking for someone to date casually, and have fun with, and her date must like tacos. She doesn’t want anything serious, no marriage, no kids. Brianna moved back to her old, run down family home after her ten year marriage broke up last year. Also, her dad left her mom and her when she was 8 years old and she doesn’t trust men. She believes they will hurt her and leave her. This has been reinforced by her ex having an affair, seeing battered woman in the ER and dating jerks on Tinder. She feels like she has no joy in her life until she starts spending time with Jacob. Brianna finds herself excited and happy when she is with him. He has a wonderful three legged rescue dog named Lieutenant Dan and a home with a room full of plants she calls his secret garden. His team at work now sees him as a good guy. Brianna begins to think she might want to try a relationship again, with him.

Jacob thinks Brianna is beautiful and intelligent and she makes him feel calm and normal. Although it takes a while for them to work through Briana’s fear she will be abandoned again, Jacob finds a unique way to comfort her. Really, they are a perfect match and it is gratifying to see them support each other with their challenges. Overall, Yours Truly is a refreshing delight and I highly recommend it.

Kayne Spooner

Just finished reading this and have to say that I really, really enjoyed the first half of the book. Especially those notes and letters! I’d still recommend the book (a B read for me), but I was disappointed by the “miscommunication” between the characters in the second half of the book. Especially given that Brianna was so good at figuring out what Jacob meant/needed when they first met but 1) couldn’t figure out what was happening in the second half and/or 2) wouldn’t have an honest conversation about what was happening once Brianna and Jacob had become friends. I get that she had issues of her own to deal with, but I would have preferred to see her dealing with them in the second half of the book rather than denying herself (and me, as the reader) for having them.

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. I admire Jimenez for incluing mental health issues and agree with you about the miscommunication. I thought it helped their HEA that they went to couple’s counseling at the end! Jimenez has a new book coming out in April, Just for the Summer, that I loved. She also has a short story coming out in a few weeks, Worst Wingman Ever but I haven’t read it yet.

AJ always does a good job!

I need to check out some of her other books:)

The first of her books has something truly horrible happen to supporting characters, and it burned me so badly I never picked her up again. The repeat good reviews are making me feel like I might be able to try her when other people have vetted the plot…

I haven’t read this author yet but I’ve been wanting to. This book sounds adorable actually. And the personality of the main hero and writing the letter because anxious/shy reminds me of my dad! He did that with my mom to ask her out he was so shy! I need to read this one!

That is so sweet that your dad wrote letters to your mom. I would love to hear your thoughts after you’ve had a chance to read it.

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Yours Truly (Part of Your World, #2) by Abby Jimenez
Yours Truly (Part of Your World, #2) by Abby Jimenez
Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Review. Yours Truly has two mentions of my all-time favorite television show; that makes this book an automatic five stars from me. In all seriousness, this book was excellent for other reasons as well. This was an incredible follow-up to Part of Your World. Abby Jimenez really knows how to write a captivating, beautiful romance.
YOURS TRULY
The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author's note at the end that explains Hoover's personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read. Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors. Share your opinion of ...
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez: My Review of this Delightful Romcom
Yours Truly is the latest contemporary romance book by Abby Jimenez and I've got my book review below to tell you what I think of this office romance.. Check out my review of Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez below to see if it should make your TBR list this year! *Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links.As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Book Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Book Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. A huge thank-you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy of Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez is a stand-out fake dating romance novel. Since this is one of my very favorite tropes, it was a blast to read and review the newest book from one of my favorite authors.
Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Synopsis. In Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez, Briana and Jacob are both ER doctors who get off on the wrong foot after Jacob joins Briana's hospital. Briana has a lot on her plate with being recently divorced and taking care of her younger brother with kidney failure. Meanwhile, Jacob is juggling a new job while dealing with the recent engagement ...
Book review of Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Share this Article: Abby Jimenez's Yours Truly is a sweet, simmering and sparkling slow-burn romance that exemplifies everything readers adore about her work: It's one part tropey rom-com, two parts drama. The angst, the laughs and the characters are perfectly balanced as two bighearted doctors rediscover joy with each other despite being ...
Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez — Read & Wright. Thank you Forever Publishing for my early copy! All thoughts are my own. I think this is my first "big feelings" book of 2023 and omg did I love it. I have never read an Abby Jimenez book with my eyes, so I was worried I wouldn't enjoy it as much without the audio, but my goodness was ...
Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. April 11, 2023 , , Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. Published by Forever on April 11, 2023. Pages: 400. Format: ARC. Genres: Romance. Amazon B&N Apple Kobo Audible. A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.
Book Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Review: Charming, passionate, and absorbing! Yours Truly is an uplifting, enchanting tale that takes you into the life of the hardworking, supportive Dr. Briana Ortiz who, after dealing with the stress of a divorce and the ongoing worry for her brother who is desperately in need of a kidney to survive, finds a little relief and lightness in her daily routine by exchanging letters with the ...
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez: Book Review
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez: Book Review. posted by: thathappyreader. April 11, 2023 ... Life's Too Short, and Part of Your World) and looked forward to reading Yours Truly. The story is told in a dual narrative which worked very well. Dr. Briana Ortiz is an E.R. Physician whose life has been turned upside down. Her decade-long marriage has ...
Yours Truly
Yours Truly. by Abby Jimenez. Publication Date: April 11, 2023. Genres: Comedy, Fiction, Humor, Romance, Women's Fiction. Paperback: 416 pages. Publisher: Forever. ISBN-10: 1538704390. ISBN-13: 9781538704394. Dr. Briana Ortiz's divorce is just about finalized, her brother is running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she ...
Book Review
Review. I was so happy that Briana got her book in Yours Truly, especially when we see some of my favorite characters from Part of Your World. The characters in this story are superb. I loved Brianna in Part of Your World, but Jacob steals this show. Jacob is the kindest charter I think I have ever read.
Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
She absolutely loves to read, especially New Adult and Paranormal Romance novels. Andrea is a Book Fairy and a member of Fandom Forward. You can also find Andrea on Goodreads. Yours Truly is a novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez || Book Review
As soon as I finished reading Yours Truly for the first time, I knew I had found a new comfort book.Since then, I always read it when I'm sick, in a slump, or just bored. It was one of my best books of 2023!. With 4 recorded rereads and who knows how many unrecorded partial reads under my belt, it's finally time to write a full review of the book and explain why this is one of my favourites.
Audiobook Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Yours Truly is set in the same fictional world as Part of Your World, and it's nice to get to visit with that book's main characters, ... For all reviews, the source of the book I'm reviewing is identified in the details section at the start of the review. All reviews reflect my honest opinions, regardless of source. ...
Yours Truly: Book Recap, Summary + Spoilers
Chapter 1. Briana Ortiz and Jocelyn talk about "Dr. Death", a doctor whose six patients have all died on his first day at Royaume Northwestern Hospital. Briana defends him, saying his patients were all in poor condition when they arrived. Hector comes in to let them know patient seven has died as well.
Amazon.com: Yours Truly eBook : Jimenez, Abby: Kindle Store
by Abby Jimenez (Author) Format: Kindle Edition. 4.5 57,701 ratings. Part of: Part of Your World (2 books) Editors' pick Best Romance. See all formats and editions. A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match from "a true talent" (Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author).
Book Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Book Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. Book Reviews. May 20. Written By Erin Stewart. Rating: 4.5 stars of 5. I read this series out of order, so this is the last of the three that I read. (I reviewed Part of Your World here and Just for the Summer here.) I loved all three of them! This series is a great, breezy series to read in the summer ...
Book Summary: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez (Review)
Feb 21, 2024. "Yours Truly" by Abby Jimenez. "Yours Truly" is a contemporary romance novel that has garnered praise for its heartwarming story, relatable characters, and humorous moments ...
Book Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
My Review: Abby Jimenez wowed me with Part of Your World, and she continues to amaze with Yours Truly. I adored this heartwarming, humorous, and entertaining story about two people who find love in places they least expect. Briana and Jacob are fantastic protagonists, and their relationship is lovely and awkward and fun and sexy, and it felt so ...
Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Yours Truly
Yours Truly › Customer reviews; Customer reviews. 4.5 out of 5 stars. 4.5 out of 5. 42,515 global ratings. 5 star 60% ... Book reviews & recommendations : IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities: IMDbPro Get Info Entertainment Professionals Need: Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital & Print Publishing
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Brianna finds herself excited and happy when she is with him. He has a wonderful three legged rescue dog named Lieutenant Dan and a home with a room full of plants she calls his secret garden. His team at work now sees him as a good guy. Brianna begins to think she might want to try a relationship again, with him.

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Book Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez is a stand-out fake dating romance novel. Since this is one of my very favorite tropes, it was a blast to read and review the newest book from one of my favorite authors.

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