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My Review:Title: Yours Truly
Author: Abby Jimenez
Series: Part of Your World #2
Published by: Hachette Audio
Release Date: April 11, 2023
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Kyla Garcia, Zachary Webber
Length: 11 hours and 23 minutes
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Potential Triggers: View Spoiler »
Source: Libby
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2023 Audiobook Challenge, Lenoreo's 2023 COYER Chapter 2, Lenoreo's 2023 Diversity Reading Challenge
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My rating:
Blurb:A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.
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.
4 stars — This book could have been a rounded up to 4.5 or even full 5 stars if it was trimmed by at least 25%. Honestly, I just got frustrated. Miscommunication is one of my least favourite tropes, but for a time I actually got it with Jacob and Briana — it made sense because of who they were. But at a certain point I just got annoyed, and it just wasn’t as fun to read anymore. And then there was the conflict at the end that felt kind of unnecessary, though if I’m being real was actually really necessary, but I was just so tired at that point I didn’t have as much empathy as I should have.
So with saying all that, how in the world did I still get to 4 stars? See, that’s the thing, I think I’m heartbroken over that missing half a star, because I loved SO MUCH of the story and the characters, and I *wanted* it to get all the way there.
Jacob is an absolute dream hero for me. I ADORE beta heroes, I adore heroes with vulnerabilities, I ADORE kind heroes. Jacob just encapsulated so much of that. And while he had his own side of the miscommunication coin, I think I got it a bit more because his social anxiety was really fleshed out and well represented — I could see how he would misread certain situations, and I could see how he could miss saying important things because he either didn’t notice and was wrapped up in something else, or he was afraid of rejection. (and rightly so frankly, for all I loved Bri, she was harsh when she was protecting herself). I honestly could wax poetic about Jacob, but let’s just say he was book boyfriend awesomeness for me.
Briana was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I absolutely ADORED her sass and spunk, and her absolute KINDNESS and empathy for others. She SAW Jacob, and she took the time to understand him and love him for who he was. She cared for her family, was passionate about her work, there was just so much there to love. But, in her own words, she is BROKEN. Like really really broken. And I did empathize with her on that — what she went through and how it shaped her was no joke. I honestly even got how her side of the miscommunication coin happened given all that she was. But when her walls came up, they grew spikes…and those spikes hurt me FOR Jacob on the other side. And it just drew out longer than I wanted. So it wasn’t unreasonable, by any means, and I thought it tackled some interesting topics (and had a good ending in the epilogue wrap up). But for a romance book? It was too long. It was too much. It dulled my love just a teensy bit.
For the most part they were absolute fire together. This is definitely a slow burn, but I don’t mind those at all. I felt all the crush feelings, had so many moments of happy smiles and giggling along with their banter. I really *FELT* their connection.
Lt. Dan was absolute amazeballs. Nothing further needed.
Lots of fun secondary characters, from friends we’d already met, family, co-workers…they just all added.
I think this author and I are tuned just SLIGHTLY off…like she’s almost an OMG fave author, but not quite. I’ll definitely still read more from her, but I think it’s hard when they’re so close but just have those one or two things that they enjoy writing that you don’t prioritize in reading, you know?
I totally get what you’re saying about the miscommunication in this one. I got irritating for me at times as well. Great review!