If someone asked me what word I would use to describe this book, the first thing that comes to mind is “Beautiful”. This book was absolutely beautiful. To say I am a fan of Abby’s writing is a gross understatement. She is one the reasons why fell in love with romantic comedies. Her books are a canvas of emotions. They make you laugh, they make you cry, and boy do they make you feel. She tackles subject matter that either exposes pieces of her inner world to her readers (I read her notes in this one about her health issues and how they relate to Bri’s brother) or helps us better understand the the struggles of those around us. It’s no surprise why Yours Truly has become a fan favorite, I don’t think I could have fallen any deeper in love with two characters if I tried. 

“How did I end up here?” One minute Briana was happily married, working with her best friend, doing what she loved, planning for the future, and living her best life. Now? Now her best friend is happily married and expecting two hours away, her divorce is almost finalized after finding her husband had been cheating on her for YEARS, her brother is in end stage renal failure with hope of a kidney donor dwindling every day, and she just found out that the promotion that was as good as hers, is now being pushed out so some new hot shot doctor (that so happens to be buddies with the Chief) can also have a chance. So again, how did she end up here? Barely hanging on as it is, add an unexpected emergency room visit by her brother Benny and she snaps. Finding herself in the sob closet, her latest meltdown is interrupted by Dr. Death himself – the newbie gunning for her job. Can things get any worse?

Jacob has battled anxiety his entire life. Through therapy and medication, he has been able to find a regimen that works. What doesn’t work – having your girlfriend dump you because of who you are. Having that same girlfriend turn around a few months later and start dating your brother, only to be engaged to him five month later! Now add having to change hospitals so you don’t have to see them everyday, a rift in the family caused by betrayal, and a new staff that absolutely hates you. With his anxiety at an all time high, Jacob finds himself retreating to a nearby closet to seek refuge, only to run into the stunningly beautiful doctor he “reprimanded” previously. In an attempt to reframe their initial encounter, his poor choice of words only makes matters worse, resulting in a now ticked off Dr. Ortiz storming out of the janitorial closet. At a lost and spiraling, Jacob decides to craft a letter to Briana as he finds his word on paper are better articulated with his anxiety. What starts as a simply apology turns into note passing and a blossoming friendship. When Briana accidentally finds out Jacob has volunteered to be Benny’s donor, she offers to do anything to thank you, including pretending to be his girlfriend to mend the rift in his family. As they get to know each other so they can be convincing to his family, they find that they have more in common than they realized and may be the missing pieces needed to put their shattered lives back together. 

I loved everything about this book! Briana was as strong as she was fragile. A life full of disappointment from the men who committed to love her only to choose to walk away would destroy anyone’s foundation of trust. How could she believe any man was different. Her own father chose to walk away – not just from her mother, but from her – as if love just wasn’t enough – she wasn’t enough. She may have been able to recover if the man she choose to spend her life with didn’t betray her in the most selfish ways – once again driving home that love wasn’t enough – she just wasn’t enough. I completely understand why the safest way to protect herself was to trust no one! I did agree with Joy that Briana never fully processed the trauma she experienced and her mother only exasperated the situation by warning her against all men – projecting her pain onto her daughter. Both characters saw themselves as broken because of the narratives that were being placed in their heads by others. For Jacob, Amy constantly made him feel less than – like something was defective with him and he wasn’t good enough and never would be – for anyone. She literally chose his brother over him, driving home that another version of him was sufficient – he just wasn’t. 

While the depth of this book knew no bounds, the humor (as always) was front and center. I swear the number of times It was mentioned that someone threw up on Jacob could have doubled as a drinking game! I loved how Briana didn’t apologize for being who she was and how quickly she was protective of Jacob. It helped that she saw so much of Benny in him. I will say the one thing that irked me was that Briana never clarified who she was texting when Jacob explained that it was the reason for his panic attack. Yes, she was not required or obligated to tell him that she was texting Alexis, not Levi but knowing what it feels like to be the placeholder for someone else, it would have been a nice courtesy.

Never missing from a Jimenez book, the spice delivered but the character vulnerability and intimate moments were more intense. I found that I favored the almost moments more so than the actually connections. The tender touch of a hand, the close proximity, the possibilities – Abby nailed them all. When Briana and Jacob finally crossed the line, the moment was hot and heated but the connection didn’t even compare to her reading his journal.

There was so much in this book that could have spoken to a variety of readers. Abandonment, divorce, anxiety, expectations, and life altering health issues are just a few that may be triggering. Abby kind of glossed over the miscarriage which I completely understand because why make a reader who may experienced the same thing relive it but the pain was felt in what was not said. We didn’t need the specifics to know Briana’s world shattered. Same with Benny – we didn’t need to be in his mind to know what he was experiencing, Briana mirrored his physical and mental decline through her fears. Watching someone you love be a shell of their former self and to give up because hope had finally run its course. While none of these moments brought me to tears (close though – tissue was in hand!), I felt them all the way to the bottom of my heart.

The scene that haunts me the most is when Briana ran into Nick and Kelly. For her two worlds to come crashing together – what should have been versus the fallout and what life was now. To look at the face of the person who took your life, your love, your husband, your baby. It was eternity within a quick blip of time. I had to take a moment to just allow myself to absorb and release that scene.

It always saddens me when I reach the end of Abby’s books, mainly because I am impatient and don’t want to wait a long time for the next one! With that being said, the care and talent that goes into each one of these crafted masterpieces makes it worth it. I applaud Abby on another job well done and can’t wait to see what else she has in store.