by Abby Jimenez

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

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Synopsis:

Even though they barely know each other, Xavier and Samantha can’t forget each other, and they can’t move on. And even though they know it seems like a terrible idea, they start a long-distance relationship that wears on them both financially and emotionally.

With Xavier financially bound to his new veterinary practice and Samantha determined to be there for her family, they don’t see how they’ll ever be able to live in the same state for the foreseeable future. As hard as it is, not being together feels a thousand times worse. Can they figure out a way to make it work?

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Review:

This was such delightful, sweet story that warmed my heart. I flew through this book in two days, which is really fast for me. There was so much I loved:

–That Xavier is a veterinarian who’s extremely passionate about animal welfare. I have such a soft spot for fellow animal lovers and so appreciate that they recur throughout Abby Jimenez’s books. 

–The idea of two people with such strong chemistry that they couldn’t stay away from each other, even though they’d only met once, lived 2,000 miles apart, and a romantic relationship didn’t make logical sense. That’s what strong love will do: push you to do things that make no sense to anyone else.

–Samantha’s family dynamic and seeing the challenges they faced dealing with her mother Lisa’s dementia. It felt so real and heart-wrenching, but also moving. I loved the way they all banded together and supported one another through the hardest, scariest moments of this disease.

And even as Lisa’s condition worsened, they were still so determined to care for her, form their own new memories of her, and do everything in their power to give her the best quality of life they possibly could.

–The way Samantha unlocks something in Xavier and draws him out of his shell. When they first meet, he’s so closed off and even curmudgeonly as a direct result of his terrible childhood. But she gives him someone he feels like he can truly trust for the first time in a long time. He feels safe to let his guard down, be vulnerable, and experience real joy.

It’s so sweet and hopeful: No matter what we’re going through now or what awful things we’ve experienced in the past, we can still have these magical moments with people who allow us to appreciate the beauty life can have.

Small Quibbles:

Say You’ll Remember Me seems like it’s been pretty divisive, with readers either loving or hating it. I’ve seen some criticize the book because they didn’t understand the connection between Xavier and Samantha.

That wasn’t my experience, but there were times I thought Abby moved too quickly through their dates, summarizing big sections where I wish she’d slowed down and given us more fleshed-out scenes. I think more scenes would’ve gone a long to helping more readers feel Samantha and Xavier’s connection, and those of us who already did to feel it even more strongly.

I’ve also seen at least a few readers criticize the language for using too much contemporary slang. I admit that did bug me a little. Especially early on, there were a lot of Gen z phrases (e.g. pick me, out of pocket), that didn’t necessarily feel natural to the characters. To me, it felt more like an author in their 40s trying a little too hard to relate to readers in their late teens and early 20s.

Similarly, there were several references to the character Rhysand from Sarah J. Maas’s ACOTAR series. I love this character and I love ACOTAR, but the reference felt forced rather than organic. It would’ve been different if the characters were big readers and talked about books a lot, but they weren’t and they didn’t.

Lastly, I felt like Samantha and especially Xavier should’ve been a little bit older. They’re 28 and 29, respectively. But Xavier has owned his own vet clinic for two years, which means he opened it at roughly age 27. Yet, vet school—according to my Google search—lasts 4 years, which means Xavier most likely would’ve finished school at about 26.

I find it hard to believe that a year out of school, with no money to his name, he was able to secure a loan and open his own brick-and-mortar business. He should really be at least in his early 30s for his situation to feel plausible.

But this is all just me being nitpicky. Criticisms aside, the book made me so happy and pulled me in so much, and that’s what matters most.

I’m still working through Abby Jimenez’s books (I need to read the Part of Your World series), but so far Say You’ll Remember ranks pretty high. It’s above the Friend Zone series, and right below Just for the Summer—my current favorite.  

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Favorite Quotes:

“You think it’s the big memories you should be chasing … But the small memories are the fabric of your life, the ones so inconsequential that you don’t even remember them. You just remember how you felt when you were making them.” (243)

“I was willing to work harder for her than I’d ever worked for anything or anyone including myself. Loving her gave me purpose. It made me feel like I knew what my life was supposed to be about. I felt focused and calm and like a frantic search I hadn’t known I was on was over. This was what I was here to do, this was who I was here to be with.” (279)

“I wanted the luxury of mundane cohabitation. I wanted to get sick of him. I wanted to see him so much, his bad habits exasperated me. I wanted to be so tired of his shit, I looked forward to him going out on his boy’s weekends just so I could get some alone time, and then once he’s gone, I’d miss him so much I can’t stand it and I’m miserable the whole time because he’s my best friend.” (309-310)