I was so looking forward to Say You’ll Remember Me (all links on this page are affiliate links). I usually trust Abby Jimenez to deliver all the feels—great characters, emotional depth, and romance that makes you swoon (and maybe cry a little). But this one didn’t do it for me, and I’m honestly bummed about it. Jimenez could write the phone book, and I would read it. She’s given me great stories like Part of Your World, The Happy Ever After Playlist, and Yours Truly. I may have been naive, but my expectations for Say You’ll Remember Me were extremely high.
From the start, I felt disconnected from the characters. Samantha and Xavier hit it off immediately but were forced into long-distance hours after their first date. Samantha is moving to be closer to her mother, who is suffering from severe dementia. Xavier is stationed in Minnesota, trying to keep his veterinary clinic running to support his community.
I kept reading, waiting for that moment when I’d start rooting for their relationship, but… it never really happened. I didn’t care much if they got together, and I wasn’t developing any deep-rooted connection to the characters. If I don’t care about the couple, it’s hard for the rest of the story to land.
This book was about two different stories that overlapped sometimes. It didn’t feel like a cohesive, emotionally driven love story, and the other elements were hitting either. It was more like, “Here are two people, each going through stuff, and oh yeah—they’re dating.”
The idea of long distance being their story’s “main” conflict didn’t work for me. Yes, I know they had other things going on, like Xavier trying not to seem like a failure to his parents by keeping his vet clinic open, and Samantha dealing with her mom and living near her family. Still, distance was the main reason they weren’t together. And they even had the classic story moment when they ended up at their partner’s home when the other person decided to visit them. It’s a classic missed connection that didn’t work in this story.
It wasn’t a strong enough conflict to anchor the story. It felt low-stakes, especially since both people were mature and had the resources to deal with it. The tension didn’t feel urgent or emotional—it just felt… meh.
I don’t want to be too harsh because I know every book hits people differently, and many readers will still love this one. But this didn’t have the spark or heart I usually love from Abby Jimenez. After reading the book, I felt indifferent and didn’t care about the characters. Usually, when I finish one of her books, I have to let my feelings marinate, but I haven’t experienced that here. I was ready to move on to my next book.
I’ll still read her future books—I’m not giving up!—but this one wasn’t for me.
