REVIEW: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

In Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez, With the date her divorce will (finally) be finalized looming in the near future, ER doctor Briana Ortiz should be breathing a sigh of relief. Instead, she’s completely stressed to the breaking point. Between worrying about her younger brother Benny needing a kidney transplant and the fact that her promotion to Chief of the ER has been delayed–again–Bri is white knuckling every minute of the day. Then Dr. Jacob Maddox transfers to her hospital. And word is that he’s gunning for the Chief position too. Let’s just say it doesn’t necessarily make him Briana’s favorite person. Nor does their first couple of interactions unfortunately.

‘It was amazing that Jacob had so many endearing qualities that donating an organ to my brother only represented the smallest reason why I loved him.’

But when Briana gets to know the real Jacob hiding behind all the anxiety and bad luck, through funny and irreverent letters he writes to her, well…her opinion does a one-eighty. And after an incredibly selfless act of kindness on his part, Bri knows she’d do anything for Jacob. Even agree to be his fake girlfriend. Something that Jacob didn’t know if he’d have the nerve to ask her to do as a favor considering they were finally seeing eye to eye after a rough start. Things get complicated fairly fast. At least for Jacob. Because Briana is the only one who makes him feel able to be his true self and who gets his social anxiety. But is she just being nice to him because of how he’s helping her brother and where she’s agreed to “date” Jacob? Or is there something more blossoming between them?

‘She probably had this fun little back-and-forth with everyone in one way or another. But for me it was a lifeline. An outstretched hand while I was falling, an umbrella in a downpour. Friendship in a hostile place.’

A book that every time I had to set it down, I couldn’t wait to dig back in again, Yours Truly took fake dating and coworker romance to the next level. Insightful, funny, at times heartbreaking–but always heartfelt–Abby Jimenez’s writing voice shines bright in this newest novel.

“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.”

Content warning: View Spoiler »Anxiety and depression (detailed), mention of miscarriage, dealing with end stage kidney failure (detailed), cheating. « Hide Spoiler

I had a ridiculously good time with Yours Truly and felt a connection to both main characters right away. Briana and Jacob were meant for each other–and not just because they were both ER doctors, the same age, and were overcoming previous relationships. Nope. They just seemed to *know* what the other needed, whether it was at work or in their personal lives. Although it wasn’t all puppies and rainbows at the start. (lol) They most definitely got off on the wrong foot. Which was comical while at the same time set the stage for how Jacob and Bri’s interactions went forward.

As with all of Jimenez’s books I’ve read so far, there were some fun Easter eggs scattered throughout and previous cast (from Part of Your World) that popped in which was entertaining. But it was Briana and Jacob that stole my heart. This was a tad angsty where both were still dealing with hurt feelings and trust issues from each of their last go-rounds with romance, and there was a big lack of communication between them. But to me, it was when extremely introverted Jacob began writing letters to Bri that it all started to fall into place. And oh my word, but I swooned for Dr. Maddox! He is one of the kindest, most lovely beta heroes I’ve read in some time. Bri herself was a wonderful heroine: compassionate, absolutely hilarious, so very strong, and someone you’d want to befriend in real life. Plus, she totally got Jacob’s boisterous family when they met which was a hoot to watch.

I will caution that there were some heavy subjects that played a prominent role in both Briana and Jacob’s lives, such as severe anxiety and depression. (See the content warning for the rest if you are sensitive to certain subjects) It wasn’t overdone in my opinion but for someone who isn’t personally familiar with it, this might be a bit much. I thought it was explained with a level of detail that seemed very personal and it drew me in to Jacob and Bri’s personal lives even more. After reading the Author Note at the end, it made sense why Jimenez made their stories so convincing–because it *was* personal. I admire her for including bits of her own life with such honesty and grace, helping to make this a much richer, deeper experience for readers.

QOTD: Love Shows Up is a common refrain in Yours Truly, meaning that when you need it most, love will find a way to show up in your life. Do you believe this to be true?

Book Info:

Publication: April 11th 2023 | Forever |

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.