Editorial note: I received a copy of Say You’ll Remember Me in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez is an impactful and heartfelt read about two people, who despite all odds, do everything they can to stay together.
Abby Jimenez is such a popular author! I feel she’s right up there with Emily Henry—they have huge fans who read everything they write. Both are in the romance genre, but always offer up something unique to the genre. While their writing styles are distinct and quite different, I find both authors produce such quality content.
I haven’t kept up with Abby’s work as much as Emily’s—the only book I’ve read by Abby is her first one, The Friend Zone. So it was lovely to take time to read her latest, Say You’ll Remember Me. And wow, she’s really grown as an author. Friend Zone is entertaining and all, but I didn’t feel as enthusiastic about it like others. For instance, I didn’t quite love the main male lead in that one.
But Say You’ll Remember Me is great. The romantic leads are complex, and layered. And while they are a great match, outside circumstances are forcing them apart. I found the discussion of real-life issues and topics to be quite impactful.
What’s the Story About
Xavier is a veterinarian who is much better with pets than people. When he meets easygoing Samantha, they butt heads immediately. However, they eventually reconnect, and have an amazing first date.
But Samantha is heading to California the next day—to move there for good. Her family is in crisis, and she must be there. While Samantha begs to Xavier to forget her, he can’t. And she can’t forget him either.
The Romance
The success of romance books obviously lie in how well the romance is executed. And sometimes it doesn’t quite gel, or is too forced. If I just heard the recap of Say You’ll Remember Me—two people with only one date do everything they can to stay together despite long distance, and family struggles—I would say no one would force that in any circumstance in real life.
But it shows Abby’s strength as a writer and for developing characters because it works in this story. While yes, the easy way would have been for Xavier and Samantha to stop seeing each other, I also saw why they couldn’t. It was an interesting choice to have them be a perfect match, but outside forces are in the way.
While ‘insta love’ isn’t usually my favorite trope, I thought it worked fine here. And even though it features some steam, spice, what have you—I didn’t think it went over the top like some romances do.
Full of Depth
I’ve seen reviews say this is more women’s fiction, or straight up contemporary fiction compared to a romance. And I can see that. It very much starts off like a romance with the emphasis on people’s looks, and the more laid-back dialogue approach. But this one really does venture into heavier topics.
Samantha’s mother is suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s, and her family has stopped everything to help their mother so she can stay home and not go to a facility. It was quite heart wrenching to read about this, and I felt that Abby did her research on how hard it is to have a loved one suffer from this disease. While Samantha was happy in Minnesota, she has to be there for her mom, despite sacrificing her own happiness.
And Xavier comes from abusive parents who he no longer speaks too. But it created lifelong trauma for him, and also is a reason why he’s determined to be a success and doesn’t want to sell his clinic. He wants to prove them wrong.
Verdict
Say You’ll Remember Me is a well-done romance that also highlights real problems that people experience. Despite the cutesy cover, this is a heavy read at times. But it’s also quite hopeful too.
If your book club is looking for a romance with depth, this is a great choice.
For book clubs, check out my discussion questions here.
