REVIEW: Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

In Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez, First impressions can be a tricky thing. Especially when you catch someone on a particularly tough day. Samantha Diaz knows better than most people what it’s like to have the weight of the world on your shoulders given everything going on with her family right now. That’s why she wanted to give veterinarian Dr. Xavier Rush the benefit of the doubt when she took a rescued kitten to his clinic and got serious attitude. Turns out that he might not have tons of patience for humans, but he always tries to do right by the animals he treats. So, when Xavier admits he was wrong and then asks her out, Samantha agrees, no questions asked. Too bad she was moving home the next day from Minneapolis to Glendale, California, though, because they had the most wonderful date in the history of forever. Not a fan of long-distance relationships, she has no idea how to keep Xavier in her life. But she knows she has to try.

‘If this was a test to see if we could ever just be friends, I was failing.
I could *not* be his friend. I was too attracted to him. Too impressed by him. Too enamored with him.’

Xavier thought he was happy with his life just the way it was. Until he meets Samantha. Then he realizes she brings light and color to what evidently was a very drab existence without her smile and infectious laughter in it. But he’s thrown for a loop when Samantha moves two thousand miles away just when he found the one person in the world he feels the most comfortable around. Determined to find a way to make it work, Xavier takes on extra shifts so he can travel to California as often as possible. But it’s rough on both of them. The distance, the lack of time and money, the craziness going on in each of their lives. Through it all, though, Xavier knows Samantha is the one. And if that’s not worth sacrifices and rearranging his day to day then he doesn’t know what is.

‘She didn’t think we could have parallel lives. But we were. Even when I couldn’t talk to her and she was two thousand miles away, I was next to her.’

A story I couldn’t help but instantly fall into right from the first scene, SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME layered in a long-distance relationship with a hard-won HEA, a family saga, and a cast both memorable and multifaceted.

‘Love is the brightest color in a gray world.’

CW: View Spoiler »Dementia (detailed), child abuse (historical), gaslighting, animal cruelty, secondary character death « Hide Spoiler

SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME was another phenomenal novel by one of my go-to authors, Abby Jimenez, who put her characters–ALL of them–through the absolute wringer. While there were a lot of threads she wove together, Xavier and Samantha’s romance was the main focus as they fought against the logistics of a relationship when they were two thousand miles apart. The odds were stacked against them. But their love was greater than that distance. And thankfully so, because their bond is what helped Samantha and Xavier cope when real life hit them head on.

I just have to take a moment to say *Thank You* to Abby Jimenez for the gift that is her swoony heroes. Dr. Xavier Rush, veterinarian extraordinaire, was another in a long line of male leads who was the perfect balance of broody but kind, sexy but not arrogant, and talented but humble. (Right? Sigh…) Xavier overcame a past that would have broken most people. And somehow, he turned out to be a protective guy who was a natural caregiver–which came in handy not just in his job as a vet but also with Samantha’s family who was in crisis mode.

Poor Samantha. She and her family were dealing with some huge changes that were rather heartbreaking, to be honest. Jimenez was realistic in what was happening, not leaving out the gritty details, but still showing the love and the good moments that (most days) outweighed the bad. Xavier was Samantha’s rock. Even though she was in California, and he was in Minnesota, they worked hard to stay together. I had no idea how it could possibly all come together. Call it fate, serendipity, whatever you wish, but they had a lovely happy ending including a final scene that will bring tears to your eyes.

QOTD: Xavier & Samantha basically fell in love while in an escape room. Have you ever been in one? If so, how did you do?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: April 1st, 2025 | Forever |

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer comes a playful yet deeply emotional romance where one date is all it takes for two people to know they’re perfect for each other . . . until one of them moves 2,000 miles away the next day.

There’s no such thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediate yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong . . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake.

But after one incredible and seemingly endless date, Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be. Only no amount of distance or time is enough to forget what’s between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.