Book Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

“I had to remember that not everyone overthought everything the way I did. Wouldn’t it be amazing to live like that? To not carry that burden around with you. To not feel constantly overwhelmed and overstimulated and second-guess every little thing.”

Abby Jimenez, Yours Truly

Review:

I didn’t know how I was going to like this book given how much I loved Just for the Summer, but also how indifferent I felt to Part of Your World. Happily, I ended up enjoying this one so much! 

Reeling from her recent divorce and trying to find a living kidney donor for her brother, Briana is not her best self. This becomes screamingly apparent upon the arrival of Dr. Jacob Maddox at the hospital. Unintentionally, she makes his first days on the job miserable. When she realizes this and sees that Jacob really is as nice as others seem to think he is, they begin leaving letters for each other, and a friendship forms. 

Having watched his mother go through something similar growing up, Jacob tests to see if he’s a match for Benny. The situation hits close to home. He tries to keep this from Briana, especially when he realizes he needs a favor for her regarding his brother’s upcoming wedding. However, the secret doesn’t stay secret for long, and Briana is willing to do anything for the person who will be saving her brother’s life. Jacob wonders if Briana could ever like him regardless. 

Jacob melted my heart. I loved him so much. I liked Briana, too, and I enjoyed reading how she confronted herself in the beginning when she realized how awful she was being to Jacob. The plot was good, too, but the miscommunication throughout the book wore thin. So much of it was needless, which got more frustrating the longer it went on. That definitely hurt my overall enjoyment. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• Jacob!!!!
• I loved how respectful Briana was when it came to Jacob’s anxiety and his needs in any given situation.
• Benny!
• Jacob’s family was hilarious.

What I didn’t like:

• The miscommunication was ridiculous and went on for way too long.
• The last few chapters of the book caught me way off guard. It certainly added to this story, but I felt reader’s whiplash.

Afterthoughts:

I’m so happy I got to buddy read this with my friend Hanna! It made the reading experience so much more fun.

Where to buy the book: