Say You Will Remember Me

I finished Say You’ll Remember Me thinking I'd spent time with people that were funny, messy, overwhelmed, trying hard to love each other, despite the circumstances. I was impressed by the way that Abby Jimenez can turn the weirdest of setups into something that's oddly charming. Samantha bringing in a kitten that is literally missing a butthole should not be the beginning of a love story, but it somehow works because the scene tells you everything simultaneously: Samantha is stubborn and warm-hearted, Xavier is competent, blunt, and so emotionally constipated that even his concern comes out sounding rude. I really liked the chemistry that was present from the beginning; I think it's the transition from that terrible first vet visit to the second one, when he tells her that Pooter has ‘an excellent-looking butthole’ and awkwardly asks her out. That kind of humor kept the book feeling alive.

It was the way Xavier and Samantha felt specific that really worked for me. Xavier isn't merely grumpy in the typical book-boyfriend manner. He's over-wound, very serious, doesn't take praise well, and is more comfortable with animals than humans. He was not polished, and human with little details like secretly saving the dog he was meant to euthanise, getting flustered by his staff saying he's like Rhysand and overthinking the date because he knows he has only one shot. Samantha, on the other hand, has that quick, online-brained energy that could be annoying, but mostly seemed like it could be true to me because it's next to something heavier. Her pet adoption bios, jokes and her running commentary on life are part of her coping mechanism. The first date in particular was lots of fun as it allowed them to be playful together, rather than just attracted to one another.

I was about halfway through when I thought this was solid 4 stars for me, part of which was due to the emotional core being strong, despite the book's sometimes over-reliance on trendy language. The references to Rhysand, ‘core memories,’ and others that are very much in the online phrases, did at times cause me to flinch because they dated the story quickly, and some of the lines seemed to have been written to be recognized. But there was enough heart in the book that I didn't mind most of that. I also loved that the main issue was not something that could be settled in a single conversation that was flimsy. The Samantha's mum dementia, the child locking the doors, the wandering, the family's attempts to keep care at home and Samantha's decision to move back as she is really needed all added weight to the story. Xavier’s life is firmly entrenched in Minnesota, as his clinic, debts, and rescue work keep him tied to where he is. That made the long-distance problem seem more realistic than something manufactured.

However, middle was a bit slow for me. After it turns into a long-distance romance, the emotional beats begin to play: they miss each other, they text and call, one of them visits, they are wonderful together, then reality sets in. I got the message but after a while, I wanted a new development or more intense escalation. I was more engrossed in the family story line in those parts than the romance, which isn't such a bad thing, but it does indicate where the best stuff was. I also felt Xavier's backstory, particularly the hints of his parents and childhood. The book gestures toward those wounds often enough that I expected a more defined emotional resolution there, and it never fully came.

By the end, I really liked this book. I don't like it as much as other Abby Jimenez novels, as I think sometimes the pop-culture jargon gets in its way, and the pacing gets a little slow in the middle, but it does have the one thing she always does well: It's got the romance that matters because the characters' lives matter. I believed Samantha was exhausted, I believed Xavier was steadfast and I believed that caring for someone can be both beautiful and impossible. The rescue animals, the silly meet cute, Xavier's stiffness and Samantha's sweetness, the sadness of her family, all lingered with me. Final score: 4 out of 5 stars. It was more like a romance fantasy in real life, and I liked it.