Ep. 44: Lit It or Quit It: Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

Join Kelsey and Amanda as they dive into Abby Jimenez's 'Say You'll Remember Me' — a romance with more trauma than a soap opera and more laughs than a stand-up show. Get ready for grumpy vets, missing cat buttholes, and some very spicy Rhysand references!

00:00 Welcome to Lit Vibes Only!

00:28 Follow Us on Social Media

02:34 Current Reads and Recommendations

08:55 Summary of Say You’ll Remember Me

14:20 Book Discussion

46:18 LITerally the Best or LITerally the Worst

01:04:01 Final Recommendations and Social Media Wrap-Up

Follow us on TikTok & Youtube @litvibesonlypodcast and on Instagram @litvibesonly_podcast. You can also email us at litvibesonlypodcast@gmail.com We'd love to hear from you!

See you on Mondays!

Transcript

Ep. 44: Lit It or Quit It: Say You’ll Remember Me

[00:00:00] Kelsey: Welcome to Lit Vibes Only, where we lit the shit outta books we love and hate. I'm Kelsey, the unhinged, diehard, romantic and fantasy reader. And I'm 

[00:00:15] Amanda: Amanda, the insightful, thrill seeker and historical fiction nerd. Welcome once again. We're so glad. We're so glad you're here, and we've got a great book to discuss today.

[00:00:28] Amanda: But as always, if you haven't yet taken the time to come find us on socials, come find us on socials. We are Do it at Instagram. On Instagram at Lit Vibes Only Podcast. We're also on TikTok. YouTube at Lit Vibes only podcast, so be sure to follow comment, subscribe, all of that good stuff.

[00:00:51] Amanda: If you're somebody who likes to watch your podcast, head over to YouTube. You can watch our full length episodes there. And then most importantly, if you are [00:01:00] still one of those folks who's, especially if you've been listening to this podcast for a minute and you have not yet rated and reviewed. We would so deeply appreciate it.

[00:01:10] Amanda: If you Yes. If you would go do that right now. If you're on Apple Podcast or on Spotify, such a big help to us and especially 'cause it's crazy. We're gonna be, you know, heading into our like one year anniversary and just a handful of months, which is wild. That's so crazy. I know. 

[00:01:28] Kelsey: Oh my God.

[00:01:29] Kelsey: Yeah. Wait, so we're recording right now for July. July. Yeah, this is our first July episode, so we only have two more. One more month I know that we're recording for. Yeah. And then we'll be into our one year, one 

[00:01:43] Amanda: year anniversary and we'll have to do something fun for that. Yeah. But yeah, it's wild. I just, I think back to like when we first had this little baby seed of NID and we're like, oh yeah, we should do a podcast.

[00:01:53] Amanda: What should we do about that would be dope. And here we are, like, what? [00:02:00] 11 months in? Wow. 10 months in, I can't do math. And it's great. We're having such a blast and we're just so grateful. To all of you. Both, you know, folks have been here since day one. 

[00:02:10] Amanda: And folks who have joined along the way.

[00:02:12] Amanda: You're all our OG listeners 'cause this is our first year and we're so grateful for all of you. Oh my 

[00:02:18] Kelsey: gosh, yes. So, yeah, we really need you to do , that two second review. Yes. So that all the other people who want to join us get to join us. Yes, exactly. That'll do it. So Spread the 

[00:02:29] Amanda: love. Spread the love, y'all.

[00:02:31] Amanda: But yeah, we've got a great lit or quitted episode for you guys today. And before we dive into it what are we currently reading? What's, what are we diving into right now? What are you reading? Fuzzy? 

[00:02:41] Kelsey: So a couple things actually. Because Okay. I am. Reading books for the podcast.

[00:02:49] Kelsey: And right now I'm listening to Out on a Limb by, Hannah Bonham Young. Okay. And that's one book I'm gonna be highlighting soon Okay. In one of our [00:03:00] Lit Rex episodes. Okay. But then next week we are recording for Red Rising. We are. And so I have that on audio.

[00:03:08] Kelsey: I'm so exci, I'm so excited for that episode. Okay. Okay. Sorry, go ahead. So, those are the two that I'm in right now in the middle of. 

[00:03:16] Amanda: Okay. And I want to ask you what you think, but I'm not going to because I want to be pleasantly surprised or deeply saddened. We'll see. Let's see. I am currently, you're gonna love this.

[00:03:27] Amanda: And again, folks have been listening to this. Podcast for a minute. You're also gonna be surprised I am listening to an audiobook, y'all. Oh, yes. This is actually, so I've been kind of dipping my toes back into the waters of audiobooks. 'Cause I have listened to them before. It's just been a while.

[00:03:46] Amanda: And I don't know, Kelsey's always talking about audio books as are a lot of folks in our book talk. And I also appreciate the skill, right. That is involved in being a good audiobook narrator. And so I was [00:04:00] like, you know what, I'm gonna try and do this. And the wa the water, the weather is getting nicer here in Seattle too.

[00:04:05] Amanda: So I'm gonna be out on more walks as well. Yeah. So, I am currently listening to Finding Me, which is Viola Davis's memoir. And, Ooh, y'all, her life. Wild. Wild. Like I love memoirs. Yeah. And also oh my gosh, she is an amazing actress and has such a beautiful voice and she of course is reading the memoir.

[00:04:27] Amanda: Oh, fun. So it's just like an extra special treat, but I just had no idea. I. The insanely seemingly insurmountable challenges that she faced in pretty much every aspect growing up poor and black in Rhode Island in an abusive household. Oh gosh, just, I couldn't, I can't fathom the things that she's been through and how she's gotten to where she is.

[00:04:49] Amanda: So highly recommend that. And I'm about to start my second Ru Atu book. She's a historical fiction author and she does [00:05:00] mostly ya fiction. Historical fiction. Loved the first book that I read, which I think was Salt to the Sea, something along those lines.

[00:05:08] Amanda: Okay. So I'm, and I loved it, so I'm really excited to get into this one because her whole thing is that she tries to find. Parts of history that have kind of been forgotten or overshadowed or dismissed, or histories that we just don't know well aren't taught schools. And so she focuses on those events, people, places.

[00:05:26] Amanda: And so I find it particularly enriching and fascinating. So that is absolutely up your alley. Yeah. Oh my gosh. So I'm excited to get into that. But yeah, that's what I am currently reading. Fine. And yeah, we're gonna talk about this book that we both read together. Yeah. 'cause neither of us have read this book before.

[00:05:44] Amanda: So. Yes. Kelsey, do you wanna tell the folks why you had me read, say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez? Yes. 

[00:05:52] Kelsey: So I have, yet, I had yet to read an Abby Jimenez book. And so I really [00:06:00] wanted to dive into one of hers. Because everyone loves her. She is an, oh my gosh. Yeah. Extremely popular.

[00:06:06] Kelsey: Romance writer. Like her and Emily Henry are like the names I constantly hear. Yeah. I'm sure there's like other really famous and well-known romance authors, but. Abby Jimenez and Emily Henry. Like they're the Yeah. The top two. Yeah. And I had yet to read either of their books any of their books. And so , I wanted us to jump into Abby Jimenez partially because say you'll remember me, has had a lot of discourse going around and so I wanted to see what we thought. Yeah. And it was one of those things where, I wasn't positive like that, I would enjoy it.

[00:06:45] Kelsey: Because of the things that were being said. And so, I was curious. Yeah. And so that's why I had us read it. 

[00:06:51] Amanda: Okay. Yeah. It's funny, as you were talking about like Abby Jimenez and Emily Henry, I have the actual book right here next to me. So for folks on YouTube you can see I really 

[00:06:59] Kelsey: like the [00:07:00] cover.

[00:07:00] Amanda: It's a really pretty cover. It's, but it's funny because the quote on the front Uhhuh is from Emily Henry. Right. Basically endorsing Oh, funny. This book for Abby. So I was like, there they are the two like current reigning queens of the romance world. Yes, absolutely. But yeah. So you have a question for me.

[00:07:19] Kelsey: So Amanda, 

[00:07:20] Amanda: yes. Quick. 

[00:07:22] Kelsey: Lit it or quit it. Tell us what you thought of this book. 

[00:07:25] Amanda: I would say that this book was a soft lit it for me. Okay. I know, which I was surprised by. I ended up giving it three stars. 

[00:07:35] Kelsey: Oh. I'm taking it. 

[00:07:36] Amanda: Yeah. And of course we'll get into all of that in a moment, but yeah, it was, yeah, it was.

[00:07:40] Amanda: Because I like it was a soft lit it, it was a soft lit it. Okay. I didn't hate it. Alright. Yeah. Okay. Okay. But for those of you who didn't read the book and are just here to, listen to us chat we're gonna go through the a brief summary. And for those of you who have read it, but maybe it's been a minute and you forgot, we're gonna recap what happened.

[00:07:59] Amanda: Yep. Which is [00:08:00] honestly the nice thing about reading these romance novels that you forced me to read is that they're often much easier to summarize than some of the fantasy books that are like, or historical fiction. Oh, historical is not bad. Oh, are you kidding me? Okay. Okay. The Barry Pickers was bad, but not because it was historical fiction.

[00:08:17] Amanda: It was just because there was a lot of back and forth. I think characters. The frozen river. Oh, frozen River. That one was hard. That was hard. Okay. There was a lot of characters in that. Okay. Horse like, okay. Serious. I think it, because a lot of them have they were all difficult multiple timelines and you're like jumping back and forth between Yeah.

[00:08:35] Amanda: Different times and also different characters. So yeah. Kindred. Okay. You not Kindred. Yeah, you're right. Yes. I do recommend a lot of books that jump back and forth between past and present. But I think I also, sorry, this is a tangible, I think the reason why I do that is 'cause I know historical fiction isn't fully your jam and so I try to find books that are also partially set in the present.

[00:08:55] Amanda: Anyhow, let's get into this summary. So say you'll remember [00:09:00] me, focuses on the FMC Samantha, who is like this marketing social media manager for a mustard brand company. Yes. And Xavier, who is a veterinarian, the book starts off with them both living in Minnesota, so the Midwest. 

[00:09:19] Amanda: And essentially one fine day.

[00:09:23] Amanda: Samantha walks into Xavier's Veterinarian Clinic because she has recently found a kitten and she basically wants to get it, checked out, make sure it's okay. 

Yes. 

[00:09:35] Amanda: As a quick aside, the kitten's name is Pooter, which, you know, take it or leave it. But she takes, you know, this cat, and so that's that's their first meeting, right?

[00:09:44] Amanda: He walks in, he's just like totally smitten. We find out later she totally is too. And it turns out Cooter does not have a butthole and so overhead him. So Xavier's basically like. you need To put this cat down because this is a [00:10:00] really serious condition and unless you spend thousands of dollars having surgery this cat's gonna have a very short, miserable life.

[00:10:06] Amanda: And even if it does have the surgery, you know, the success rates aren't high, but Samantha's stubborn and thinks Xavier's a jerk for saying that. And she's like you know what? Forget you. I'm gonna do a GoFundMe and we're gonna get this cat surgery. Yeah. So she goes off and does that. And several, I think several weeks later perhaps she ends up coming back to the veterinarian clinic and, you know, runs into obviously Xavier again and he asks her out.

[00:10:32] Amanda: So they go out on this date and it ends up being a really great date. They like go on a little cruise around the lake that's nearby. They go to this kind of fun center that's got, you know, laser tag escape rooms, et cetera. And he meets all of his friends. He meets all of his friends.

[00:10:51] Amanda: And they decide to at the very end of the night. 'cause they don't want the night to end. They decide to go to, the escape room. 

[00:10:57] Amanda: And long story short, they get locked in the escape [00:11:00] room. Everybody goes home, they forget they're in there. And so they basically spend the night locked in this escape room together.

Yeah. 

[00:11:05] Amanda: Which is not great because Samantha has a flight. First thing in the morning, she's going home to California. What Xavier doesn't realize, and what Samantha doesn't tell him until kind of the last minute is that she's not just going home to California for a visit. She is moving back to California.

[00:11:22] Amanda: And so this one night was like fun, but she's going home and not coming back. And that's really devastating for Xavier because there was just like this instant connection and now she's gonna be thousands of miles away. So she basically tells him like, you just need to forget about me.

[00:11:39] Amanda: Hints the title of the book. Right. Yeah. We need to forget about me. Let it go. We're gonna go our separate way is this was great. And the reason why Samantha has to go back to California is because her mom has dementia and is, you know, on a decline. And she wants to be there for however long her mom's gonna be around and.

[00:11:56] Amanda: You know, continue to build that relationship and yeah. Yeah. Just be present for her and for [00:12:00] her family. Like they need that support. So, right. Essentially, the bulk of the book, I'm not gonna get into all the details. The bulk of the book is Samantha and Xavier are trying to figure out, can they make a long distance relationship work.

[00:12:12] Amanda: Because even though they are trying their hardest to forget the other person to move on with their lives, they can't. They can't. And so, you know, Xavier comes out to visit her, she goes out to visit him back and forth, and it's this whole will they, won't they, this whole tension of we wanna be together, we have this insane connection, but this is not practical, you know?

[00:12:30] Amanda: He's just opened this veterinarian clinic in Minnesota and he'll be bankrupt essentially if he kind of drops everything and leaves and goes to California. So it's just this is not feasible, but they ultimately decide you know what? Our love is worth it. And even though there's no end date in sight for when we're actually gonna be together we're going to press forward. And so really the book is just kind of that ping ponging back and forth, honestly. And then at the very end of the book, essentially, xavier is able to find some, [00:13:00] essentially retirees, some veterinarians who have retired to basically run his clinic for free, which is kind of wild.

[00:13:06] Amanda: And allow him then the ability and financial stability to leave Minnesota, move to California to fully be with Samantha, set up another veterinarian clinic out there. You know, they end up getting married and it's like happily ever after. There's obviously a lot more in there, which we'll get into.

[00:13:24] Amanda: Yeah. In our discussion. But that's it in a nutshell. How did I get Ssy? Yeah, 

[00:13:28] Kelsey: great. Thank you. I would say the only thing that I would add to, yeah, because it adds the tension of why Xavier doesn't wanna fully leave is that he has a troubled background with his parents Yes. Who are abusive.

[00:13:45] Kelsey: And he has this idea that he has to be successful in order to kind of show them up. And that's like a huge part of his like, his character arc. Yeah. Yeah. 'cause he's working [00:14:00] through that trauma and that idea that he's been holding onto his entire life. 

[00:14:04] Amanda: Right. And it's why he's so hesitant to leave, because if he leaves and he goes bankrupt, he's basically proving his parents Right.

[00:14:10] Amanda: That he's a failure and he can't do anything. Right. Right. And, you know. So, yeah. No that's a really good point to add. Thank you. Yeah. So, so Amanda, that's Sunday Uhhuh. Thank you for the summary. 

[00:14:20] Kelsey: And I'm curious, what is it, we always start on a positive note. What is it you enjoyed about the book and that it made you Yeah.

[00:14:29] Amanda: So, you know, I'm a big fan both in books and in real life relationships. I'm a big fan of banter, like people have just got that really good, funny, witty rapport with each other. And I thought that both the banter between Samantha and Xavier and. Samantha and Tristan, her brother. Yeah. I felt super entertaining like Uhhuh.

[00:14:52] Amanda: It was just my kind of humor. I know everyone has different tastes when it comes to humor, but it was very much my kind of humor. Definitely laughed out [00:15:00] loud multiple times. Oh, love it. Cracking smiles throughout. So I really appreciated that. Like that I found to be very entertaining. I think the other thing that I liked about this book, similar to before I let Go by Kennedy Ryan, is like, this book doesn't shy away from the nitty gritty, hard, yeah.

[00:15:19] Amanda: Difficult parts of just being a human in this. Life and being a human in this world. And as Kelsey mentioned, you know, Xavier had a really troubled upbringing and has a very difficult relationship with his parents. And then we also have Samantha who is going through a really difficult situation with a parent who's suffering from dementia.

[00:15:38] Amanda: And who no longer , recognizes her. And you know, even on the outside, she still looks the same. She's not really there anymore. Just the horrible pain of watching a parent kind of disappear right in front of your eyes in that way. And so I like that because one of the things I don't like a lot about romcoms, at least when I'm reading them 

Is I 

[00:15:58] Amanda: don't like when they feel like really [00:16:00] fluffy, really unrealistic. Yeah. Very like pie in the sky because , you . You know, you grow up watching kind of those Disney type stories. And as you get older, you realize, right, life is not like that.

[00:16:10] Amanda: Right. And you want something, at least for me personally, that Yes. Is cute and sweet and has a good ending, but also feels relatable. And so having people who are struggling with real life issues and real world issues and still working through those together to be together. To me, it just, I don't know, it was so much more meaningful than someone who's oh my gosh, you're cute.

[00:16:30] Amanda: I'm cute. Let's get together. Yay. 

[00:16:32] Kelsey: Yeah.

[00:16:33] Amanda: So

[00:16:33] Kelsey: I did, and then it's just like this miscommunication that happens in the end. Right. And then they break up and then they get back together. 

[00:16:39] Amanda: Yes. Exactly. Exactly. So I really liked that. I think the two other things is I definitely teared up at the end for sure.

[00:16:46] Amanda: Oh. Which I was not expecting to have that strong of an emotional response. And there was this beautiful sentiment like that was repeated throughout the book that just really, I don't know, spoke to me. And it's this idea of [00:17:00] wanting someone to witness your life and to bear witness to your life.

[00:17:03] Amanda: And that just, oh my God, just like. sunk its little hooks into my heart. And I was just like I love that. I love that. It's just so beautiful and romantic and moving. And it's so true. Regardless of who you are, like we all want that connection. We want to be seen. We wanna know that what we're doing has some sort of meaning and someone else is like yes , I see you.

[00:17:24] Amanda: I see what you're doing. I see what your experiences are. And I think like leaning into that theme throughout the book for me was just like, Ooh. And yeah, so those were the highlights for me. I love that. Oh, yeah. And the last thing I'll say is just I love escape rooms. Huge fan of skate.

[00:17:40] Amanda: Oh my gosh, yes. I did my birthday back in January at an escape room. Oh yeah. So I was like, yes I'm here for the escape room. 

[00:17:49] Kelsey: That was so fun. Yeah. I was like, as soon as I started reading that and I was like. How are they gonna do this? Are they gonna talk about the clues? Are they gonna talk about yeah.

[00:17:57] Kelsey: And I thought it was so well done. It [00:18:00] was great. I loved it. Yeah. 

[00:18:02] Amanda: Yeah. And I loved how like that escape room experience then led to that shared kind of inside joke with the song. Come on Eileen. Yes. And that was like weaved in through the story. Like I could see people being like, okay, we get it.

[00:18:12] Amanda: But I'm like, I love that. And I think in relationships you do have those like touch points that you come back to over and over again. Right. And it's really meaningful. Yeah. And it's just the two of you that understand it. So I really like that. 

[00:18:22] Kelsey: Yeah. It was really sweet. Yeah. Some people say that this book doesn't fully represent like Abby Jimenez.

[00:18:30] Kelsey: But if. It does. Like I'm so all in, I'm gonna devour her 

[00:18:34] Amanda: books. Yeah. It's so interesting because even on our social media, especially on BookTok with folks we've been talking with Uhhuh, the people who don't like it are like,, if this is your only experience with Abby JImenez don't base your judgments on this.

[00:18:45] Amanda: Read something else that's better. And I'm like, but I like this one. I really, I like this one. Oh my gosh. So I guess that means I'll just like the other ones even

[00:18:52] Kelsey: more or less. Less. I don't know. 'cause if they're less 

[00:18:55] Amanda: gritty then I'm gonna like them less. Yeah. Yeah. No, 

[00:18:57] Kelsey: and I think that was potentially the [00:19:00] difference between this one and others is that this one had more grit and the real life aspect because people were complaining about, oh, it's too real life.

[00:19:08] Kelsey: I'm like, what? Yeah. I loved that. I love that he was a vet too. And that there were animals all throughout the book. I loved that so much. Yeah. And I was like, this woman is me because I was like, I love PS and the hug thing I was so excited about. I did think about you when I read 

[00:19:27] Amanda: that.

[00:19:27] Amanda: I definitely was like, oh, Kelsey's gonna love this bit. This is fantastic. 

[00:19:31] Kelsey: Yeah. And like you said earlier, this book made me laugh out loud and I love it when romcoms do that. Yeah. And it was like things that were maybe not. Laughable moments, but like the first time that I heard the Reese oh, the Reese Sand Comparisons, the Reese Sand references, which were many.

[00:19:53] Kelsey: I know. I thought it was a bit too many. I agree. Two maybe. Yes, maybe three. But I think it was like five or [00:20:00] six and I was like, okay, we okay. We got it. Could have done without stop. Yeah. But I laughed. So hard when they said the first one and I was like, oh my God. I thought it was so funny. I, well, I was also 

[00:20:10] Amanda: like waiting for it because in a previous episode we talked about this book.

[00:20:14] Amanda: Oh yeah. And you were like, yeah, people didn't like the re hand references, so I was like, where are they? I know they're in here. I know they're coming. But I agree. I think it was like overkill ultimately. Like I do agree. It's kind of like you beat a joke to death and you're like, okay, it's not funny anymore.

[00:20:26] Amanda: It's okay yes. We get it. He is like tall and dark and frowny. Okay. Rudy. Yeah. Well, because that was the other thing that she kept on repeating that actually did drive me crazy. We get it. He's tall, he frown a lot. You don't have to repeat that every five pages. Like trust that your reader got it the first or the second time.

[00:20:46] Amanda: You know, he comes across as like this intimidating guy. But I personally do have a soft spot for the 'cause I know there's like the grumpy sunshine, like uhhuh, I know the trope , but I love [00:21:00] grumpy guys that have their really like kind of hard crusty exterior, but they're just like big softies on the inside.

[00:21:05] Amanda: Yes, that always gets me like, oh, romcom movies. I really like that Uhhuh. And I love that. But I think the thing that I liked is that his kind of guardedness was justified. Like he wasn't just a grum to be a grumpy, he, it was because of, you know, childhood trauma Yeah. That he experienced. And so, yeah, I liked that it made sense.

[00:21:27] Amanda: And wasn't just I'm just gonna make him grumpy 'cause he was grumpy, you know? Right. Yeah. So I thought that was actually really smart on Abby's part. Yeah. 

[00:21:34] Kelsey: It was great as well.

[00:21:35] Amanda: Yeah. Yeah. Because 

[00:21:36] Kelsey: The characters were like fully flushed out. Yeah. Like they were well developed. 

[00:21:41] Amanda: Yeah.

[00:21:41] Kelsey: And yeah. And the heartache that Yeah. Especially, oh my God. Why am I forgetting her name? 

[00:21:48] Amanda: Samantha. 

[00:21:48] Kelsey: Samantha, thank you. There's so many names to remember in general with all the books we read, but Samantha and just like you could feel personally, [00:22:00] I could feel the heartache that was coming from her where she was losing her mom.

[00:22:04] Kelsey: Yeah. That was really hard. 

[00:22:05] Amanda: Yeah. 

[00:22:06] Kelsey: Yeah. 

[00:22:07] Amanda: And I think I'll get my 

[00:22:08] Kelsey: heartstrings. 

[00:22:09] Amanda: The thing with dementia that's so hard is they're there. Oh my gosh. Right? They're physically there. Yeah. And like they might look and sound the same, but they're not, . And I think that ties into that whole idea of someone witnessing your life is that element is gone now.

[00:22:20] Amanda: Like your parent is no longer witnessing your life. They don't understand who you are, what you're doing. Like you wanna share these moments. Mom, you know, I met this great guy. Yeah. Or I just got a promotion at work, or I just wanna sit down and tell you that I had a really hard day. You know?

[00:22:32] Amanda: Yeah. And i, yeah. It's just like this slow, protracted, death of a relationship Uhhuh. 

Yeah. And I 

[00:22:38] Amanda: feel like Abby just handled that topic with so much, tenderness and thoughtfulness, 

Uhhuh. I agree. And

[00:22:46] Amanda: I think she also gave space for the other characters in the family, the dad, the grandma, like Geneva interest in her siblings to see like how it was impacting everyone. Right. And the different ways that they were coping, [00:23:00] because, you know, one of the things that happens in the book again for folks who didn't read it, is that the dad, you know, who loves this woman , she's the love of his life. They've been together for 30 plus years, but you find out that he's been like, kind of sneaking out, you know, at night to see someone else to, you know. To get it on with, and, you know, it's hard because. Especially as like Samantha, you know, that's her dad and her siblings were like, what the heck? You're essentially cheating on mom. But at the same time, you're like, she's not there anymore.

[00:23:29] Amanda: I'll always love her, but I'm still a living a human. Like I, yeah. Like I have needs that I have needs that need to be met. And it's such a difficult. Tricky, delicate situation. I'm glad she didn't shy away from it. 

[00:23:45] Kelsey: Oh my gosh. Yeah. But of course, it's 

[00:23:46] Amanda: a real thing that happens in a situation like that uhhuh, and what is the right thing to do and how do you handle that?

[00:23:51] Amanda: And like all of the conflicting emotions that are gonna come up. And I just I really, oh, I just love that she did that. I've never [00:24:00] read a book that has a patient with a patient a, a gosh, a character with dementia, Uhhuh, and yeah, like what does the spouse do? What is okay and what's not okay.

[00:24:08] Kelsey: Right. 

[00:24:09] Amanda: What oh, I love it. Even 

[00:24:11] Kelsey: I, yeah. I'm like tearing up because it was so impactful. And I just think about. Their relationship with their mom and how much they love her and Yeah. How they end up taking care of her and they, yeah. You know, ultimately, the dad was like, we need to put her in a home.

[00:24:28] Kelsey: Yeah. And the kids were like, fuck no. You know? , And Samantha, like ultimately is the caregiver of her mom. Yeah. Not primary caregiver now. And she sacrifices like everything Yeah. So that she can care for her mom. Yeah. And that is so, yeah. Oh, that's so I don't even know moving. But just to me those are everyday sacrifices that people are like actually making.

[00:24:52] Kelsey: Yeah. Actually making, yeah. And it was really great to see that represented in a book like that. 

[00:24:59] Amanda: Yeah, exactly. And I [00:25:00] think one of the things that's was really like hard too is that as they're caring for her, she's having these violent outbursts on top of it. Yeah. You know, Uhhuh, so not only is it like she's your mom, but not your mom anymore, she's causing harm to you physically.

[00:25:12] Amanda: Like she literally injures multiple people in the family at different points. And then I think too, like if that listeners, if that wasn't enough, then the grandma dies. So then she's also oh my God, I know the loss of her grand like this. And again, so I can understand why some criticisms are like, okay, this is just like disaster after disaster.

[00:25:32] Amanda: Can we take a break? It was, but, and it was, but I think there's also like a place in the romance genre for books like this. I think it's important yeah. Do you only wanna read romance books like this? No. Oh my God, this would be like too much. But I think it's important that romance authors are given the space to dive into like these heavier issues without getting pushback from readers Like you're a rom-com author, you can only write like light, fluffy stuff. And it's like no, like there's space within the [00:26:00] genre. To still share love stories, but also share the ways in which, you know, life is lifeing. Like love perseveres ultimately, but it can look so different for different people. Yeah. And I think 

[00:26:14] Kelsey: it, yeah, go ahead. I actually loved the fact that Xavier was so great with her mom. And there was like a reason behind it. Right? Yes. 'cause his patients that he constantly is working with Yeah.

[00:26:26] Kelsey: Cannot speak and cannot express their needs. Yes. He needs to be able to like, see the clues. Yeah. And that makes so much sense because the children are so used to like mom telling them exactly what's going on, but he comes from the outside and he is like well, I mean, clearly she wants to eat. Yeah. You know, and it's yeah.

[00:26:45] Kelsey: Yeah. So that was like also really powerful to me. Yeah. Yeah, 

[00:26:49] Amanda: But I think too is the one thing, because I could see again, another criticism being like, oh my God Xavier's just like too perfect. Like he's just so giving Right. You know, he literally is showing up on zero hours of [00:27:00] sleep and then coming into this family and like taking care of the mother and cooking food for everyone, whatever.

But 

[00:27:04] Amanda: again. Because of the way that Abby kind of laid out his backstory. It makes so much sense for who he is that he, right. Because he feels like kind of this constant need to. Be better than in order to prove his parents wrong. Right. Right. And so he has like this internal drive, like I have to be the best possible version of myself.

[00:27:24] Amanda: So that no one could ever say you're not enough, you're not good enough, you're slacking in this area. And so yes, he does kind of come across as like this. Oh my gosh, perfect guy. But you understand what's driving that and it takes away that I don't know, fantasy aspect. And it's oh, I mean, he is doing good things.

[00:27:42] Amanda: But there's something kind of dark that's driving it that he needs to work through, which he ultimately does. 

[00:27:47] Kelsey: Yeah. And part of that is he ends up extremely ill. And having to face that. He pushes himself too hard. Yeah. Because for others Yeah. Like that. [00:28:00] Yeah. I thought that was a great representation.

[00:28:02] Kelsey: Yeah. And then I loved Who is the retiree that comes in with Oh, Hank his name. Oh my God. I love, he's so 

[00:28:09] Amanda: precious. 

[00:28:10] Kelsey: I can 

[00:28:10] Amanda: See him in my head because it cast this as a movie, I'm like, I can see 

[00:28:14] Kelsey: this. Yeah. And the thing about this book too is it has a variety of different love stories in it.

[00:28:22] Kelsey: Right? Yeah. Like Hank, his wife died, right? Yeah. And he's like I just need to pursue life in this way. Yeah. And where like the dad, yeah. He also is having his own struggles, like. He had a fairytale love life, and then it's ending in this way. And that's tragic. 

Yeah. 

[00:28:39] Kelsey: But then we also see Samantha and Xavier's blossoming relationship and romance. Yeah. And so I loved seeing all the different stories in this book too. Well, '

[00:28:51] Amanda: cause there's also, I mean, there's also Geneva and Tristan, right. Geneva's divorced Right. And has two little boys. So we have that whole Right. That's single mom. That's another way in which like a [00:29:00] relationship

[00:29:00] Amanda: might unfold. And being a single mom with two boys. And then you have Tristan Right. Who's a gay character and he has a very kind of chaotic love life. Right? Yep. And he is very impulsive . And is kind of always with someone new. And so just looking at all of the different ways, right.

[00:29:16] Amanda: In which humans might pursue connection with others and find love. Like I thought that diverse representation. Was really great. Yeah, I love that. I'm glad you brought that up. Yeah. It was great. There's so many good things. And I think this is one book that I like, I'm like, oh, I enjoy this as a book, as like a rom-com book.

[00:29:37] Amanda: And I would enjoy this as like a rom-com movie too, where oh, totally. As you know, there's a lot of romcom movies that I can enjoy, but I would not wanna read them. Right. Yeah. And this is oh, I could, I can enjoy this in both formats. I can see this working in both formats. Yeah. So I did really like that.

[00:29:51] Amanda: I think in terms of things maybe I didn't like or that I had questions about. Sure. So of course, and this is actually similar to my comments about [00:30:00] aar, is that literally. At one point so she meets all of Xavier's friends, or, I don't dunno if you say Xavier or Xavier, I've heard it pronounced both ways.

[00:30:08] Amanda: So on , their very first date, right? They meet up with Xavier's friends and they're literally all Instagram models. I'm pretty sure that's actually that, like the phrase that Samantha uses to describe them. Like, why is everyone in all of these stories drop dead gorgeous?

[00:30:24] Amanda: Like somebody like have some acne scars or a pooch or maybe they're like prematurely balding or something. Come on. Oh my gosh. In terms of representation let's just have some folks who are just like, you know, really working on this mustache that keeps the, I don't know but so that was like, okay, whatever.

[00:30:44] Amanda: And then yes. I like hard eyeroll when, so on their first date they're about to get on this cruise. Right? This little like Lake Uhhuh cruise. Oh, yes. Oh God. And God, Samantha drops her phone in the water, so Of course. But of course, Xavier has to [00:31:00] take off his shirt. Right. And literally like everyone's swooning as this, Greek God dives into the water and it was, I was just like, oh God, this is gonna be so painful.

[00:31:09] Amanda: I'm gonna hate this book so much. Which of course I didn't, but I was like, yeah. I can for 

[00:31:14] Kelsey: sure. There's a few moments 

[00:31:16] Amanda: I can for sure do without this. I was glad those moments were few. Few and far. What is it? Few and far in between? Between far between? What is that 

[00:31:24] Kelsey: it? 

[00:31:24] Amanda: Yeah, few and far between.

[00:31:25] Amanda: Few and far between. That's right. Yeah. I was saying few and far in between. Oh, I 

[00:31:28] Kelsey: see. 

[00:31:29] Amanda: But I guess I had one, I had a question. Well, okay. Okay. I'm trying to think of how I wanna, okay. So first my question is, and then I'll talk more about stuff I didn't like Uhhuh. So do you believe, 'cause this did come up in this book, do you believe in the one?

[00:31:44] Kelsey: I don't know. I don't think so. I used to really, idolize romance. And think it was so much about that feeling of being with someone. But more and more I [00:32:00] realize it's more about compatibility. And the i and the desire to work with someone and have them as your life partner. Yeah. And be able to be resilient with one another. It's less of that like romantic idea but can still be romantic because you constantly choose one another. Yes. So I don't know that translates into the one, Yeah. Like with my husband, like I wouldn't choose anyone else to be with, you know?

[00:32:27] Kelsey: Because I love our relationship and I love who we are together. But I don't know. Like 

[00:32:35] Amanda: it's just, I, well then I get, yeah, I guess I don't believe in the one because I feel similarly to what you said, you kind of took the words right outta my mouth and because of that, I'm like, I think you can find that with, I think you're compatible with more than one person.

[00:32:46] Amanda: I think you could be. Yeah. Yeah. So I think, I don't believe in it. I think Uhhuh, you know, there might be like maybe degrees of compatibility. There might be someone who you're slightly more or less right. But I think because a large part of [00:33:00] a relationship is, yeah. Like you said, like you're choosing, you're making this choice to be with this person. And yes, there has to be a base level of a, like attraction, compatibility, et cetera. Yeah. But I think you can have that with multiple people. I don't think it's oh, there's just the one needle in a haystack you have to find in order to be in a happy relationship.

[00:33:16] Amanda: Uhhuh, because I even think about people, you know. Who've been married for years and like perhaps their spouse dies and they end up, you know, finding someone else and also having a really, a lovely relationship. It might be different. But it's not less than, so. Sure. Yeah. I know. So that came up in this book and I was just curious what you thought, especially, you know, in thinking about even the dad, right.

[00:33:34] Amanda: As he's just I love this woman so much. And also, you know, maybe there's something else for me out there too. And so yeah, I was just curious. Okay. That answered my question. Yeah. I think we're probably, no, I think 

[00:33:45] Kelsey: honestly I just feel like love is complicated and for, it's not I don't know, I think people idolize it so much in a way.

[00:33:51] Kelsey: Yeah. I don't even know if that's the term I want to use, but or put it on this specific pedestal where it's like it has to feel this way. Yeah. And it has to feel 

[00:33:59] Amanda: Yeah. 

[00:33:59] Kelsey: [00:34:00] Or be and look this way and they can only ever respect you. But people fucking make mistakes. Yeah. And. Whether or not you're going to forgive and continue to choose one another and continue to build a better relationship.

[00:34:14] Amanda: Yeah. 

[00:34:14] Kelsey: Is really the marker of a good relationship, in my opinion. 

[00:34:17] Kelsey: Yeah. 

[00:34:18] Amanda: Because I think too, one of like maybe a small criticism of the book, which it's very small because I know it can happen is, and I know this is often a trope in romcoms especially, is like the instill love, right? It's like you meet, you go on this one date and you're like, oh my gosh, I'm all in.

[00:34:34] Amanda: Like they're the love of my life. I can't like yes, right? Like sure that happens, you know? But that's not the only way and maybe not even the best way, right? To start off a relationship with someone and so I think that is a little criticism of the book because I think that's a very common.

[00:34:50] Amanda: Trope. And I think can lead people, especially to younger folks. Like I know like in your teens and your twenties, you're like, oh, that's the thing. If I don't have that, then I don't have the real thing. And I'm like, no, that's not true. [00:35:00] This is just one possible situation. So yeah.

[00:35:04] Amanda: So that was my one question, but I think one of the things that I didn't like about this book, and I kind of mentioned it a little bit in the summary, is I did find like the middle portion of the book and there was good stuff that happened there. But I think that constant back and forth was just really repetitive and exhausting, right?

[00:35:24] Amanda: There're apart, it sucks, and then they're together and everything's great, and then they're apart again, and everything sucks again. It's like we get it. Like it felt very much like I was on a hamster wheel, and every time they were together it was like, oh my gosh, this is amazing. And then I'm already sad that you're gonna be leaving and then they're apart.

[00:35:37] Amanda: Everything's horrible. So , that did drive me crazy. I mean, again, there were things that were happening that it was still pushing the plot forward. There was continued relationship development. Right. I did find that a little mind numbing at certain points. 

[00:35:53] Kelsey: I feel like a good part of the book in the beginning is like whether or not they're gonna be together.

[00:35:59] Kelsey: So there was a [00:36:00] back and forth there for a while too. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't find an issue with that, but I remember when I was reading, I was like. Is there, are they gonna be together? Is this gonna, are they gonna overcome or is this why people hate it? Yes. That's thought too.

[00:36:15] Kelsey: People don't end up together. Yes. That's what I thought. And I was like, say, you'll remember me. That's intense. It's I don't know. Yeah. And especially that she's like you gotta forget me. Like at the beginning. Yeah. And I was like, oh my God, is this how it's gonna end? Yeah.

[00:36:27] Kelsey: Yeah. I was very concerned. Yeah. So, that was intriguing to me. It was like, yeah. Because Samantha was very much on the edge, like for a long time. Yeah.

[00:36:38] Amanda: Like understandably. Totally. I would've said , I have no interest in having this long distance relationship with no end date.

[00:36:45] Amanda: It's not like oh I'm in school for two years and then we'll be together. It's just well, this isn't definite. I don't know what it's gonna happen. I'm like, I don't know if I could do that. So, yeah, it's hard. I feel like her hesitation made a lot of sense very much like cracked. But yeah, I think those were like really [00:37:00] my only big kind of criticisms, big and small criticisms of the book. I think the only other thing is I have this quote, you know, me and my quotes, and I think I also kind of similar to my question about the one. I'm curious what your thoughts are on this.

[00:37:13] Amanda: Okay. So this is Xavier kind of his internal. Monologue he's thinking about the relationship. I won't read the whole thing, but basically he says, quote, loving her, gave me purpose. It made me feel like I knew what my life was supposed to be about. I felt focused and calm and like a frantic search I hadn't known I was on, was over.

[00:37:35] Amanda: This was what I was here to do. This was who I was here to be with. And now my job was to get here and take care of her. And I guess my question for you is this seems codependent to me. This seems unhealthy, where it's like, loving this person is my soul life's purpose.

[00:37:50] Amanda: I'm like, that doesn't seem healthy. Like I understand it sounds like incredibly romantic, but I'm like, yeah, dude. No, that's not it. I don't know what your response is to that. So. 

[00:37:59] Kelsey: [00:38:00] Well, that's the difference between. A book and fictional life versus like real life. I wouldn't want a man to think that of themselves.

[00:38:09] Kelsey: For me. Yeah. In real life. But I love it in romance novels and romancey novels. Oh yes, I eat it up. Oh my god. Yeah. But there's a difference. But yeah. You know, like I'm an adult, like I can make that distinction. Yeah. I don't try to make that a reality in my life. Yeah. 'cause also, like you said, like I'm trying to have a healthy, stable relationship and Right.

[00:38:34] Kelsey: We need our own things that we do. Like he is not my purpose and I'm not his. Yeah. But together we build a life that we want. Yeah. That is our purpose. But yeah. No, I absolutely agree that it sounds like codependent and also not surprising for his character though, right. Because of what he's been through.

[00:38:55] Kelsey: So that 

[00:38:55] Amanda: makes so much sense. It does To have kinda this unhealthy because it's like [00:39:00] swinging from one end of this spectrum to the other. Like he had no love in affection and care in his childhood. Right. And so now he's like this is the sole focus and purpose of my life.

[00:39:08] Amanda: So, yeah, I do think it tracks. I think I always, and maybe it's just 'cause I am both, you know, an educator, a teacher, and an older sibling, you know, and have lots of younger siblings. Yeah. When I read books like this. I'm like, how would this impact a young person reading the book, who's still forming their sense of self, forming their ideas of the world, forming their ideas of what a relationship should look like.

[00:39:27] Amanda: Because, you know, a lot of my students, a lot of the adolescents I work with, are still figuring out right, the difference between fiction and real life. And that liking can get very blurry for them. And so I could see I can, and again Sure. Obviously, like I did the same thing when I was young , I'd be reading these books.

[00:39:41] Amanda: Oh my gosh, like this is what my future's gonna look like. And it's oh, like slap to the face, wake up call, you know, as an adult. So I always am like wondering what kind of ideas, right? It's giving our young, especially our young women, about what to expect in their relationships and how it might actually be detrimental if they think, oh, I need a guy who's like I [00:40:00] am their sole purpose and they're my sole purpose. And that's, you know, I think about one of my younger cousins who is just, you know, very much obsessed with finding someone because that means their life will finally start. If they just have a person. Like that will, complete them I'm like, Nope, nope.

[00:40:15] Kelsey: A port. A port. 

[00:40:17] Kelsey: But I also think too, in this particular scenario, Abby is like flipping the script. Yeah. Because it's typically women that you would see Yeah. Saying something like that. Right? Yeah. But in this instance, it's a man. Yeah. And also flipping the script on who is the victim, right?

[00:40:36] Kelsey: In an abusive 

[00:40:38] Amanda: Yeah.

[00:40:39] Kelsey: Situation. 

[00:40:40] Amanda: Yeah. And 

[00:40:41] Kelsey: so that also just is interesting, an interesting take. Yeah.

[00:40:44] Amanda: Very good 

[00:40:44] Kelsey: point. But yeah I don't know, I, there's always going to be works of art that portray these types of relationships, right? And whether that's movies or songs or books.

[00:40:57] Amanda: Yeah. 

[00:40:58] Kelsey: And I think [00:41:00] that, you know, as I'm like. Wanting to become a mother. 

[00:41:03] Kelsey: Right. I think about how I want to raise and instill my children with the ideas of, you know, what romance, a variety of things, but like what romance looks like and what love looks like. And being one, a model, but then two, also explicitly talking with them about these Yeah.

[00:41:26] Kelsey: These things. Yeah. So that they don't have to experience that in the world where they're, where of course they're gonna make mistakes, but yeah. I had a really fucking harsh reality, like when I was in my early twenties and I was in an abusive relationship, right? And I eventually learned okay, this is not love.

[00:41:43] Kelsey: Yeah. Right. And I don't want to have my children have to go through that. Right. And so I'm constantly trying to think of like, how do I support their education in this area. But also yeah, you can be entertained by these things. Yes. That's okay. Yeah. And that's legit. Yeah. And [00:42:00] I am as well.

[00:42:01] Kelsey: Yeah. But here's the line of reality and fiction. Yes. Yes. And so, yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. I think about that a lot. Yeah. As a potential mom. 

[00:42:09] Amanda: Yeah.

[00:42:10] Kelsey: Yeah, absolutely. 

[00:42:11] Amanda: Because I think, again, just based on their growth in brain development, like kids, you know, it's hard for them to draw that line, be like, oh, this is fake.

[00:42:18] Amanda: Right. And this is real. And so yeah. Having adults in their lives that can be like, yes, you can enjoy this book, you can enjoy that movie. I know it makes you feel good and smile and it's so sweet. But also, this is not necessarily what happens in the real world, and having that balance is really important, and having those conversations I think is a great way to, to address it and to counter that. Right. 

[00:42:39] Amanda: But yeah, I would, like I said, overall I thought it was a great book. I truly am. I'm kind of. Surprised by the folks who didn't like it. Although I will say, and I know we'll get to the reviews in a moment, so curious, but , I think out of the reviews Uhhuh, it was like 1000 people, like 1600 people.

[00:42:57] Amanda: It was like a, one star Uhhuh, and there was like [00:43:00] 74, was it thousand that were like five stars? Yeah. So it's clearly like in the minority for folks who really didn't like this book. Because this, yeah. This makes me actually perhaps wanna read more Abby Jimenez. Yeah. Or maybe even see what Emily Henry is all about, which is I have a bunch 

[00:43:16] Kelsey: of Emily Henry on Oh, do you upcoming Libby.

[00:43:20] Kelsey: Okay. 

[00:43:21] Amanda: You'll definitely have to read some and let me know what the vibe is if I like it. That's what I was thinking. Yeah. I was like, 

[00:43:26] Kelsey: okay, I'll tell you 

[00:43:27] Amanda: whether 

[00:43:27] Kelsey: or not. It rains. True. 

[00:43:30] Amanda: Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, no, I enjoyed it. There were also, the last thing I'll say too is there were two other quotes that I really loved.

[00:43:38] Amanda: One of them is Okay. One of them is from Samantha. And it just made me feel very seen. I was like, Samantha gets it. So she's talking about, she's talking with Xavier about like heights, like being afraid of, you know. Okay. And so she, she says quote. I'm not scared of heights, I'm scared of falling.

[00:43:55] Amanda: And I was like, finally someone who understands me. 'cause everyone's well, why are you [00:44:00] afraid of heights? Well, I'm like, it's not that I'm afraid of heights. Like I've gone skydiving. I've jumped out of an airplane. Okay. Oh my gosh. It's not that I'm scared of height, it's that I'm afraid of falling off of tall things.

[00:44:08] Amanda: Like when I went skydiving, I was ready to fall. I was prepared. I had the person I was jumping with had a parachute. Yeah. But when I'm on a building right, and I can just fall over the edge like that is terrifying. I'm not secure. So I was like, yes, Samantha gets it. Thank you so much for validating me.

[00:44:23] Amanda: And then the other quote that I loved, so Tina, again, for folks who didn't read the book, Tina is one of Xavier's like veterinary assistants who works at the clinic. Oh 

[00:44:31] Kelsey: yes. 

[00:44:32] Amanda: I loved that dynamic. Great. That was so cute. It's so cute. And they like feed him because he's always busy and doesn't feed himself.

[00:44:38] Amanda: But anyhow, so they're talking about. Tina and the other assistant, I can't remember her name, but they were talking to Xavier about the types of women he normally dates, right? And how he's just dating the wrong type. Yeah. And so she's describing one of his previous, you know, one of the previous women he dated.

[00:44:55] Amanda: And she goes, quote, no, but she had bun energy. And I was like, oh, I [00:45:00] love that. I know exactly. Oh yeah. What kind of woman he's referring to? Like a woman she's referring to a woman who has bun energy, like hair bun energy. I was like, yep. Yes. Say no more. Done. I have the exact image of who that woman is, and I just thought that was just like fun and smart writing.

[00:45:18] Amanda: Yeah. And it was another moment that made me laugh out loud. So good. I was like, I used to wear buns all the time. The sleek 

[00:45:25] Kelsey: back buns. Oh yeah. Like in high 

[00:45:27] Amanda: school, all I wore was buns, so Oh my gosh. I was that girl and I had strong bun energy. And then I chopped all my hair off, so,

[00:45:35] Kelsey: I was a pure ponytail.

[00:45:38] Kelsey: Oh, yes. Yes. 

[00:45:39] Amanda: Oh you definitely have ponytail energy. That makes a lot of sense. You're a ponytail. I'm bun I get it. I totally get it. Oh funny. Okay. Any, did you have any other things you wanted to comment on or reference before we get to our reviews? No, I 

[00:45:52] Kelsey: don't think so. I think this was the first episode I fucking cried in oh, you, this is true.

[00:45:57] Kelsey: I don't think I cited another episode. [00:46:00] I know. And for a 

[00:46:01] Amanda: romance book, what? At Tearing up Like She Allergies again. No. It was like, no, Kelsey's bawling over here, y'all. You gotta watch this on YouTube. Oh my gosh. Okay. Well then let's switch over to our, literally the best. We're literally the worst where Kelsey and I will read one star and five star reviews from Good Reads to enhance our conversation.

[00:46:31] Amanda: Our discussion. Yes. And so I guess I have to go first since I have the one star. Yes. Reviews. So we'll end on a positive note as always. So , these are all pretty short or just like a paragraph. 'cause some of them Okay, I, this keeps happening. I don't know why. I mean, I guess it kind of makes sense, but so many people who leave one star reviews write like these dissertations about everything they needed.

[00:46:52] Amanda: Oh my gosh. And I'm like, the fact that you're taking this much time and energy to tell us just how much you hated it makes me think that maybe you didn't really hate it. 'cause if you [00:47:00] really hated, you'd just be like, don't read this book. This sucks. I'm not even spending any time on it. Right. But yeah.

[00:47:05] Amanda: So it, it took me a while to find some short ones. , This first one is from Shy. Here we go. Okay. As a huge fan of this author, I am genuinely flabbergasted. I don't know what this book wanted to be, but it failed on so many levels. The characters were underdeveloped. The pacing was extremely fast, leaving the romance, feeling shallow and Insta lovey.

[00:47:30] Amanda: The dynamic of this relationship didn't work for me at all, and it honestly just felt unhealthy in my opinion. The literary elements outside of the romance felt like a cheap subplot just to add some type of depth to the characters. The writing felt repetitive, very telling. Without showing, and not at all what I'm used to from this author.

[00:47:50] Amanda: Genuinely disappointed. Wow. Okay. Well, clearly both you and I are on very opposite sides from this person. Yeah. I was like underdeveloped. I don't think so at [00:48:00] all. No, I thought this spent so much time on character development. I think, I mean, there was that, there is that Insta love there. 'cause like it is like this very intense burning passion right from the start.

[00:48:11] Amanda: But it wasn't 

[00:48:11] Kelsey: like they still, like they met Uhhuh. He couldn't stop thinking about her. And then they met again. And he's oh, I'm gonna shoot my shot Uhhuh. It wasn't 

[00:48:20] Amanda: like, yeah. 

[00:48:21] Kelsey: Two minutes and like they were in Love it. It still had some time between Yeah, I 

[00:48:25] Amanda: agree. 

[00:48:26] Kelsey: So like I, and like 

[00:48:27] Amanda: we've all been on first dates too, where there's that, there is that instant spark.

[00:48:31] Amanda: You're like, oh my God. You know, but then it like, I don't know, I felt like it. It still built and developed and it wasn't just like burning passion . Like it had depth to it. Yeah. Yeah. I felt that too. Okay, well, well thank you Shai. We appreciate you. 

[00:48:44] Kelsey: Alright. My first review is from Kale Lowry.

[00:48:49] Kelsey: Every time I finish a book by Amber Jimenez, I think it can never get better than this, and then it does say, you'll remember me, might be my new favorite. By her I laughed out loud and also [00:49:00] sobbed the characters end setting are so relatable. I hope everyone reads this one. I will recommend this book until the end of time.

[00:49:08] Kelsey: Oh, so dramatic romance. End of days, fantasy readers are 

[00:49:14] Amanda: as they are. Yes. All right, thanks. All right, so next one star is from Melissa Lewis. Oof. What? What happened here? I. I remember just for the summer being Insta Lovey. But this really just took it to a new level. Every chapter was the exact same. Sad.

[00:49:32] Amanda: Mom has dementia. Everyone's tired. We miss Xavier. Every eerie last sentence. Yay. We get to spend three days together. Eerie, last sentence. I don't know what Erie's supposed to be, but anyhow sad. Mom has dementia. Everyone's tired. We miss Xavier. Eerie last sentence. My boyfriend was probably said 30 times to reference Xavier, which I think is just a me thing.

[00:49:51] Amanda: I hate when people constantly reference their partner as anything other than their name. Yes, I know you're dating, but they are more than just your boyfriend. [00:50:00] Girlfriend. Banter was not good. Gross reference to Xavier's parents being in a quote, new church now, unquote, and the connotation of them basically acting like Christians, even though they are still awful humans.

[00:50:11] Amanda: And just overall, not a typical Abby Jimenez book. She said, I would laugh and cry and I did neither so deeply disappointed in this like holy moly. Okay. Yeah, there's a lot there. I don't really understand the whole Xavier's parents thing. Yeah, that kind of threw me, 

[00:50:31] Kelsey: I don't know what they were parents saying.

[00:50:32] Kelsey: Wasn't really sure, 

[00:50:34] Amanda: but I, yeah, I, the whole referencing him as her boyfriend, I actually liked because it took them so long to get there, right? And so it was this big deal when they finally were committing to each other and deciding to yeah. You know, stay the course and make this thing work.

[00:50:48] Amanda: Yeah, I mean, I do agree that it was kind of repetitive as we talked about Uhhuh, but yeah, I don't know. I didn't. I don't really agree with a lot of it. Yeah, that's 

[00:50:58] Kelsey: okay. Thank you. [00:51:00] Explosive. Okay. Okay. This is from a very popular and, widely known book Talker. 

[00:51:08] Amanda: Oh, okay. 

[00:51:09] Kelsey: Emmy Rose, a UFO Escape Room, organic Mustard, A vf.

[00:51:14] Kelsey: And come on. Eileen. What more could you want from a romance story? Five stars for Abby Jimenez. Every time I think she can't outdo her last book, she goes and creates something that equally pulls on my heartstrings and makes me giggle so loud. So I've go. VF is a new I yep.

[00:51:34] Kelsey: Term for me. And I dunno that it actually like applies here. So VF is apparently villain. I'd like to 

[00:51:43] Amanda: No. VF is veteran. I'd like to fuck. Veteran. Yeah. A veteran, sorry. Or veterinarian. Veterinarian, sorry. It's not veteran. Yeah, it's because, so again, quick context for folks who didn't read it at one part of the story Xavier saves this dog that is trapped in a hot car.

[00:51:59] Amanda: Oh, that's, and [00:52:00] like they post the video of him doing this on socials, it blows up. And so there's like a new trending hashtag, which is V, which is a veterinarian I'd like to fuck. Right? That's right. Yeah. So it's not villain. But yeah. I thought that was so funny. Yeah, go 

[00:52:14] Kelsey: ahead.

[00:52:14] Kelsey: We didn't even talk about them saving the dog. Yeah, I loved that scene. I loved that scene so much. Scene so much. Yes. And then of course she got the pug and I was like, ah, this is 

[00:52:24] Amanda: the best possible outcome. I just loved the way he blew up on socials and was like so embarrassed about it and all of the comments that people were making.

[00:52:35] Kelsey: Yeah. 

[00:52:36] Amanda: They were very funny. I, and I 

[00:52:38] Kelsey: thought it was gonna go further and support his like veterinarian practice, but it like That'ss what I thought too. 

[00:52:44] Amanda: Well it did in that he ended up with a bunch of five star reviews for his clinic that would've helped bring a new client. But yeah, there weren't people, but they did talk about it.

[00:52:53] Amanda: Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:52:54] Kelsey: Whether or not he did get more clients or not. Yeah. Yeah. It was interesting PE 

[00:52:58] Amanda: people definitely loved the video of [00:53:00] him saving this dog. Yeah. And I mean, one, go ahead. Didn't he have to help 

[00:53:05] Kelsey: not resuscitate it, but

[00:53:06] Amanda: Yes. Get him like kind of conscious or something? Yeah. Yeah. Because they had passed out from the heat, so Yes.

[00:53:11] Amanda: He revived the dog. Everyone caught it on film, went on socials. Yeah, it was great. I mean, one of the criticisms of the book that I saw repeated in a lot of one star reviews was that this book felt too Toy and Pop Culturey with the Resand references. Yeah. With all of the TikTok.

[00:53:29] Amanda: References Uhhuh. So there's a lot of lines in this book that are pulled directly from like TikTok, trends and videos. And like the fact that she's a social media manager and is also constantly sharing her social media posts for the mustard brand. A lot of people didn't like that. Okay. 

[00:53:44] Kelsey: I remember one other line that I laughed out loud too, and I thought it was too much.

When he 

[00:53:49] Kelsey: proposes and she says A thousand times. Yes. And I was like, no, you cannot steal the line from pride and prejudice. I was like, no, I did [00:54:00] not. Yes you can. Apparently I did. I actually did not like it. I was like, no. 

[00:54:05] Amanda: Yeah, I forgot about that. This does not fit. She really was just packing it all in.

[00:54:11] Amanda: She's got ACOTAR pride, and prejudice, random TikTok. 

[00:54:14] Kelsey: No. Yeah. She did all the things, see the, it made sense though to have the connection with social media. Yeah. 'cause that's her job. Yeah. Yes. But no, the pride and prejudice You went too far, Abby. Okay. And I will stand crossed a line on that hill. Die on that hill?

[00:54:30] Kelsey: Yes. Okay. 

[00:54:33] Amanda: Is it 

[00:54:33] Kelsey: my turn? 

[00:54:34] Amanda: No. Yes, it's your turn. Sorry. Yeah, I was like no. I think you just read one. You're on your 

[00:54:38] Kelsey: third one, right? 

[00:54:40] Amanda: I am about to read my third one. So if you, it's your turn. Yeah. Okay. I think you just read. Okay. So this is from Joel. Unfortunately, I would still be able to tell that this was written in three months in the notes app of her cell phone.

[00:54:53] Amanda: Even if Abby Jimenez herself didn't admit to doing it because my God, was it bad? Nobody is more [00:55:00] disappointed or shocked than I am to have DN Apt at 46%. I absolutely hate Insta Love, so I knew pretty quickly that I wasn't gonna like this, but I finally had to give up because I just couldn't take any more of the chronically online language.

[00:55:14] Amanda: I seriously started to wonder if some parts were AI generated. Also, can I just say that I love a pathetic man, but I lost all respect for re sand, or, sorry, Xavier after Bro was fully weighing the pros and cons of uprooting his entire life to move 2000 miles away to be with this girl after literally.

[00:55:34] Amanda: Two dates. I know this is fiction, but do you know how difficult it is to start a business? The fact that he even considered giving it up for a woman he barely even knew was such a weird red flag for me. Obviously he didn't because ugh, she said no, and the bank would never allow it anyways. FML, but still, oh my gosh.

[00:55:56] Amanda: Yeah, 

[00:55:56] Kelsey: she, I mean I, she just had the [00:56:00] ick, she just had the ick, I think

[00:56:01] Amanda: from the beginning. And so that's it just never went away. And then, yeah, everyone each their own. Yeah, each their own. Okay. Thank you Joelle. 

[00:56:09] Kelsey: Okay. This is from Ali L five Star Review. As I've been saying for years, not enough meat cutes involve a cat's non-existent butthole.

[00:56:18] Kelsey: So you can imagine how delighted I was to finally get one. This book is ultimately. About the unpleasant bliss of long distance relationships and how annoying a holier than thou brother can be during times of family crises. But there is also an overheated pug, a tired dad, a terrible dad and mom, and a philosophical question about being a worm I found it delightful myself, but I'm historically easy to please

[00:56:48] Kelsey: i'd like to end this review with a sincere statement that if I am ever in the position of not being able to care for myself, and I am, for all intents and purposes [00:57:00] gone in every way, but physically my husband is caring for me to ensure I am as comfortable and safe as possible.

[00:57:06] Kelsey: He'd sure as hell better be getting some stranger on the side by God. Honey, you've earned some release. Good Lord. 

[00:57:15] Amanda: I actually fully agree. I do and especially at that point, like the mom is like not aware. So it's not actually causing her harm in any way. No. Yeah. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually, you know, like she has her basic needs met, which is really all she needs at that point.

[00:57:30] Amanda: And just knowing that she's lonely environment, like whether or not her husband is, you know, having his other meads met. Elsewhere, I think is not irrelevant, but it's, yeah. It's not actively causing harm to the relationship. If anything, it's gonna help him be more present and like better, honestly, when he's better her.

[00:57:46] Amanda: Yeah. Honestly, I 

[00:57:46] Kelsey: would agree. Come on. And that's takes so much out of you to take care of a loved one like that. Yeah. And then to feel like you're also just sacrificing your life and your time. Yeah. Your happiness on this earth. [00:58:00] Yeah. That's a lot. That's a lot. Well '

[00:58:02] Amanda: cause you have to fill your own cup, right.

[00:58:04] Amanda: In order to take care of others and that's important. And so again, I think he's actually gonna be a better husband and caretaker. Like caregiver. I'm sorry for his wife if he's able to like Yeah. Have that as well. Okay. Last five star review from Stephanie. One star, sorry.

[00:58:21] Amanda: Last Thank you. One star. This is definitely a one star from Stephanie Deo, I think. Okay. My Abby Lovers, please read at your own discretion because this is my first book by this author. I don't know if it's the book that just didn't sit right with me, or maybe just her writing style isn't a match for what I look for in a romance novel.

[00:58:42] Amanda: That being said, I know so many people love her and have loved this book. Reading is objective, so I hope if you do read this book that you love it. That being said, this is one of my least favorite romances and quite honestly, a reminder of everything I don't love about the genre. If you've [00:59:00] read my reviews, you know that in order for me to love a romance, it has to be down to earth, and for me, this was too over the top, either so cheesy or depressing as shit.

[00:59:10] Amanda: The love story and the trauma story both felt so surface level, like she was just trying to complete a checklist that turned into a book. There was no character development and honestly, it was hard to differentiate between POVs. I found both main characters very hard to connect to, and I don't really think any sort of chemistry was shown to make the Insta love believable to me.

[00:59:32] Amanda: Also, those poor people knew almost no joy. This entire book, the absolute trauma spectacle of this book is on another level. She was trying to throw so much in that. Literally none of it worked. I mean, I don't fully disagree in that this book. It. She is very much kind of starting to tip over that line of it being too much trauma.

[00:59:56] Amanda: Especially once the grandma died. I was like, oh my God. Like the grandma's death is [01:00:00] kind of a bit too much for me. I was like, there's enough going on. And I understood it worked within the plot. 'cause then, you know, Samantha became the primary caregiver once her grandma passed. Right. But it was a lot.

[01:00:11] Amanda: It was a lot. Yeah, for sure. But I don't agree that it was shallow. Like I don't think the love story or the trauma story was shallow. So I fully disagree with that. No. 

[01:00:21] Kelsey: Yeah. Yeah. Interesting. Okay. This is my final five star review, but it is a little longer. Okay. 

[01:00:28] Amanda: Okay. 

[01:00:28] Kelsey: So this is from Megan. Love is the brightest color in a gray world.

[01:00:33] Kelsey: That's a quote. So I went into this book totally blind. I saw cute cover in Abby Jimenez and became the embodiment of Salu. Now what I did expect, and probably should have to be honest. It should say. What I did not expect, and probably should have to be honest, was that I was in the trenches almost the entire time.

[01:00:52] Kelsey: This book was so gut-wrenching, realistic, and it hurt my feelings a lot. That said, I loved it with every fiber of [01:01:00] my being. These two are so come back, be here coded. It's borderline cruel, not only to them, but me and my fragile feelings. I'm not going to go into much details in this review because I personally think this would be better experience without knowing every little detail.

[01:01:18] Kelsey: This story was much more, much, much more than just ro another romance. There were so many real life issues that every character in this book dealt and suffered with, and it's very raw and very real. The cover is deceiving as hell. Tears will be shed as a wise Blondie once said, this is falling in love in the cruelest way.

[01:01:41] Kelsey: This is falling for you and your world away. I think that's Taylor Swift. Of course, I don't think these two could have been more perfect for one another. He is quiet and steady, and she is chaos personified. They balanced each other out in [01:02:00] such a lovely way. She brought him back to life and he gave her comfort, care and stability.

[01:02:04] Kelsey: She's never really felt or had before. 

[01:02:08] Amanda: It's so funny that there is that Taylor Swift reference there. God, because literally, so my last criticism of this book, which is just like a silly criticism, it's not really a criticism, is that every time I would reference this book and , say the title, say You'll remember Me.

[01:02:23] Amanda: Yes. It makes me think of that line from wildest Dreams. It's say you remember me standing in a nice dress and then that song would be like stuck in my head for the rest of the day and I was like, curse you book. I never 

[01:02:38] Kelsey: once thought of that. Are you serious? 

[01:02:41] Amanda: Are you kidding? I'm not kidding.

[01:02:43] Amanda: Okay. Well to be fair, 1989 is imprinted in my DNA. I listened to that album like on repeat when I was living in China. Oh, fun. That's hilarious. But I do, I like what this person just said,, the review that you just read. Because again, if you look at this book, and again, for YouTube folks, you can see me holding it up.[01:03:00]

[01:03:00] Amanda: It's this pretty pastel colored, brightly colored, like you're gonna look into Santa Cruz cotton candy and yes, sunset. And then you read it and you're like, this cover should be like dark purple and violet. Like it, it's intense. But if you read the back of it, and I didn't actually look at the back of the book until just now it does say love is easy, life is hard.

[01:03:27] Amanda: And I'm like, okay. And like a lot of comment on the back, talk about like the characters facing real life hardships with grit and grace. So I should have probably looked at the back of this book before I read it. Maybe , 

[01:03:39] Kelsey: i went in blind too. I love doing that with books. Yeah, I know. I just enjoy forming my own opinion.

[01:03:45] Kelsey: Oh, same. 

[01:03:46] Amanda: As long as I'm squared away with the general premise, I'm not completely confused going into, I'm like, don't tell me anything else. Like I, oh no, I 

[01:03:52] Kelsey: don't even know the premise most of the time. 

[01:03:53] Amanda: Oh see I have to do that 'cause I just find it too disorienting, like the first couple of [01:04:00] pages.

[01:04:00] Amanda: I love it. This was good. So I guess Kelsey, what is your final recommendation for this book? Absolute Lit. It. So you would recommend it? Yes. Yeah. I, you know, as a non, you know, as a non romance reader, I think. I would also recommend it because yes, it's a romance and yes, it's a really big part of the story, but it's not the only part.

[01:04:23] Amanda: And so there's something in there to love, even if you're just somebody who likes a really good, you know, contemporary fiction book or a book that just dies into the human experience. Yeah. So I absolutely recommend, especially with the summer upon us, like this is such a great, like travel book, beach read, grabbing on the plane.

[01:04:40] Amanda: Like it's pretty quick to get through and entertaining. And heart wrenching. So yes, this, I would recommend this romance, which is wild that I'm saying that this podcast is doing strange things to me. But the whole 

[01:04:52] Kelsey: point. 

[01:04:52] Amanda: Yeah, the whole point, and I'm loving it. I, it feels kind of like we're doing some sort of social experiment with this podcast.

[01:04:58] Kelsey: For real though. Because [01:05:00] even me, where I've been entertained by like historical fiction, I'm like, what is wrong with me? And I told Amanda, I picked up a historical fiction on my own. It's crazy. Recently what is happening recently? I was 

[01:05:12] Amanda: like, what the 

[01:05:13] Kelsey: fuck?

[01:05:13] Amanda: I know. Like I'm picking up romantic books and wanting to read them, and I'm like, who am I?

[01:05:18] Amanda: If you told me back in September this is where things were going, I'd be like, get me outta here. No. But it's so much fun. And we hope again, like listeners, we're hope, we're hoping you were having a similar experience, especially if you've been Yeah. Tracking with us from the beginning, whether it's through our books that we're recommending and our litre episodes or even these re acquitted episodes. We hope you're expanding. You're reading taste Totally as well. I'm finding you love along with 

[01:05:40] Kelsey: us. 

[01:05:41] Amanda: Yes. Okay. Kelsey, do you wanna do socials to wrap things up? Yeah. 

[01:05:45] Kelsey: So a reminder that it takes two seconds of your life to just two.

[01:05:50] Kelsey: Rate our podcast. Click that five star review. Yes, please. And if you have a minute longer all you need to do is write a couple sentences about how much you love [01:06:00] the podcast. Yay. And that will help us out immensely. So thank you for that. And then you can find us on Instagram where we are very active at Live Vibes Only podcast.

[01:06:11] Kelsey: And on TikTok where we are almost to a thousand Yay followers. You guys hopeful you by the time this 

[01:06:16] Amanda: comes out, we will be there. I think. 

[01:06:18] Kelsey: We'll, oh my gosh. Oh yeah. I think we will like maybe in a week or a week and a half. Yeah. Depending on how many videos we put out. You can find us at Live Vibes Only podcast.

[01:06:28] Kelsey: There. And then you can also find the full length videos on YouTube at Live Vibes only podcast. Yeah. And we check those comments too regularly. So like definitely feel free to interact, have, hang out and have fun with us. So thank you for showing up and being here. 

[01:06:45] Amanda: Yeah, 

[01:06:45] Kelsey: we will see you next Monday.

[01:06:48] Kelsey: Bye. 

Bye.