just as good as the other book!

I don’t think I could have asked for anything more in this book. It was sweet, it was funny, and it navigated delicate topics with such care.

I was so emotionally invested in Emma and Justin’s journey. It’s a beautiful thing when people can work through their trauma and allow love to grow in its place.

Also the Reddit thread as a plot device was GENIUS, and I loved it.

✨“Well, then I went to Target for nail polish remover—” “And you went to Starbucks.” “Yes, I went to Starbucks. I had to, it was right there.”

✨The moment Emma came into view, my entire world slipped into slow motion. My brain took a screenshot. I felt the moment freeze and save. She was beautiful.

✨“Why not forgive? In a world where you can choose anger or empathy, always choose empathy, Justin. I

✨“You know how when something bad happens to someone you love, and you wish you could take it from them instead?” “Yeah.” “What if the universe listened? What if you or your mom or the kids were supposed to die in a car crash and your dad said ‘Take me instead’—and the universe did. And nobody remembers the way it was supposed to be because that’s the deal. You never get to know that he’s a hero. The fates are reversed and the tribute takes the thing he asked for to save someone he loves. If you think of it that way, instead of being sad that he’s gone, be happy that he got what he wanted. And that somebody loved you enough to take your place.” I think sometimes the key to happiness is framing those things in a different way.”

✨“Wow. We’re checking each other for lice. I guess you could say things are gettin’ pretty serious.”

✨Not everything that comes out of crisis is bad. Sometimes your traumas are the reason you know how to help.

✨Justin was on the island. Not the real one. The one in my soul.

✨He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head. And for the first time maybe ever, I felt like I belonged somewhere.

✨“Sometimes I feel like the seasons could come and go and come and go, a hundred years could pass, a thousand, the ground could collapse under us, this house could crumble and go back to the earth, and we would still be standing here frozen in time, because every second I’m with you is eternal. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

✨“You deserve to be appreciated, Emma.” “I think I’m just used to feeling like I’m asking too much when I need something. Unless it’s Maddy. My mom—” “You’re not asking too much,” he said. “You were just asking the wrong person. Ask me instead.”

✨I chose to believe that she didn’t want to be the villain in my life—even if she was. I didn’t lose my beautiful empathy, as Maddy called it once. I still believed what I always had, that people are complex and nothing is black and white. I believed that now more than ever.

✨And there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t feel her absence like a void in my soul. I missed her like I missed the sun in the winter. I’d realized something after being with her. A valuable lesson that I think all the best and most enduring romances have figured out. The love stories sold us the wrong thing.

The best kind of love doesn’t happen on moonlit walks and romantic vacations. It happens in between the folds of everyday life. It’s not grand gestures that show how you feel, it’s all the little secret things you do to make her life better that you never tell her about.

Taking the end piece of the bread at breakfast so she can have the last middle piece for her sandwich when you pack her lunch. Making sure her car always has gas so she never has to stop at the pump. Telling her you’re not cold and to take your jacket when you are in fact, very, very cold. It’s watching TV on a rainy Sunday while you’re doing laundry and turning her light off when she’s fallen asleep reading. Sharing pizza crusts and laughing about something the kids did and taking care of each other when you’re sick.

It isn’t glamorous, it isn’t all butterflies and stars in your eyes. It’s real. This is the kind of love that forever is made of. Because if it’s this good when life is draining and mundane and hard, think of how wonderful it will be when the love songs are playing and the moon is out.

✨“I know it probably doesn’t matter, but I could meet you where you are now. I can meet all of you. I’ve filled my cracks. I don’t want to be an island. I want a village. I want lots of friends and lots of love in my life.

✨“Don’t walk out on me again.” It took me a moment to comprehend what he was saying. It was such a change from the moment before. “Please,” he begged. “I would stay forever if you asked me,” I whispered. “Then stay.”

✨“You know,” he said, “if the curse is true, the next person you date is going to be your soulmate.” I smiled. “The next person you date’s going to be yours too.” He cupped my face in his palms. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me sometime,” he whispered. “Four dates. A kiss. No breakup.” I laughed, the tears starting to well again. “Not just for the summer?” “No. Forever this time.”

3.75 ⭐️ I relate so much to Emma. My upbringing wasn’t at the level hers was but my first instinct when dealing with hurt is the shrink, close off & run away. The way this was described in the book was so spot on to the point of wondering if Abby is okay & working on her own healing journey through this! I loved the depth of the characters on both sides but some of it felt a bit forced. Well actually only one part felt forced which was her birthday. Like MADDY! GIRL! How are you going to prep Justin & say you want her to have a good birthday then walk in with a gift card & be like hey remember all your teams? Yeah let’s dive into that right now lol Other than that though it was brought full circle which I was concerned about for a second 💁🏻‍♀️

I don’t know how Abby Jimenez does it but every book I read of hers becomes my new favorite.

cute!!!

In the beginning, I will say I was completely hooked. I got super into it and bought it almost immediately. What started to fall off for me was there was a specific part where I thought that Emma was so far fetched I almost had to put it down. Towards the end, I understood the hype that came with this book, but could not see myself recommending it to anyone.

Love Abby’s writing and sense of humor. There was a good bit of anticipation building in the relationship between Emma and Justin. I liked all three books in this series just the same. Happy reading friends!!

how do i give a book more than a 5 star rating. this might’ve been the best book ive EVER read. it’s so emotional yet comforting. ive waited months for this book to come out and im very happy to say it didn’t disappoint at all. it’s a beautiful piece of art and im glad i got a chance to experience this. i can’t wait to reread it in a couple of weeks to fall in love all over again.

absolutely amazing and emotional only downside is i learned that there’s a connection to another one of her books so now i need to go read the other one to find all the easter eggs but u can def read this without reading the other book cuz i didn’t know till the extra pages where the author mentions the connections

Adorable, but in an emotional, realistic way. I love the MMC’s antics and his easygoing nature.

This was cute, but not my fav Abby Jimenez novel in this world. The romance felt a bit too instant and there was a lot of repetition and trauma laced throughout the story. I do like my contemporary romances to feel fleshed out, which this one definitely was, but there didn’t need to be this much serious trauma for the 2 main characters… It felt to me like they didn’t really get a chance to be in a relationship before the whole thing went south.

4.5/5⭐️ • 2/5🌶️

As usual Abby Jimenez writes yet another amazing book. I liked this one a lot but part of me thinks I like Yours Truly and Part of Your World a little bit more. But this one felt the most emotional out of all of the books. And I really loved the tie-ins this book had that at first I didn’t realize but once I did I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to read more of Abby’s books and will for sure be on top of her releases going forward!

cute 🤭

• - SOOOOO GOODD. JUSTIN THE GREENEST GREEN GREEN FLAG EVERRR. To the point, I feel like he’s sacrificing so much.

• - The gform thing was the reason why I read this in the first place and IT WAS FROM REAL LIFE MOMENTS?!!!

• - Read it on an e-book. Going to buy the (actual) book now. And re-read it🙃

• - There were a few times this book was hard to read since the topic was quite heavy. Ok i’m not just gonna hype up justin, but emma’s the kindest person EVER. I couldn’t get to INTO IT about her illness(?) so i could only stand on justin’s. But it’s an eye-opener.

• - I’ll not shut up about this book.

Definitely not a chill summer rom-com book, really emotional at times but definitely an excellent read!

I LOVED IT. I loved ALL of it, even the Q&A with Abby Jimenez.

This book is not just about romance; it also addresses many things realistically especially the situation with Amber. I love what Abby Jimenez wrote in the Q&A part of the book, “But in the real world we don’t always get answers for why people are the way they are. Even when we do get answers, they’re often wrong or only part of the truth. No two people are made the same. We all have different experiences and brain chemistry and abilities. Amber is complex and can’t be summarized by a mental health condition or personality disorder. Nobody can. These things can overlap and evolve, wane and wax. They can be exacerbated by a multitude of factors, stress, and changing situations.” This is true enough. In today’s world, where mental health is acknowledged, there are still things that cannot be fully explained because they are too complex.

Nevertheless, I loved that this book gave me a happy ending because I looove happy endings. 😌❤️

4.75 <3

my god... abby jimenez did it again. the way she writes her characters with so much depth & care amazes me. she has a very deep understanding for and connection with her characters that she’s able to make the writing so meaningful & sincere. emma grant has one of the most well-written character development arcs i’ve seen. all her life, she’s been carrying the burden that is her mother, who consciously made the choice to control & pattern her daughter’s life to her own messed up one. this has instilled great fear in emma – the fear to stay, to take root, to love and be loved. it was so heartbreaking to read her story, how deep the trauma has manifested in her life, and how it shattered her when she found out her mother’s lies. emma’s journey to healing was difficult – it entailed filling in cracks made for 29 years, and letting go of the one person who got in the island of her soul other than maddy, the person who made her feel she deserves to be loved and cared for. justin... the man that u are! his love for emma was full and unwavering. it’s the kind that helped emma filled her cracks, and embraced her when she was feeling small.

this world abby jimenez built was so magical and lovely. i loved reading her little Q&As & author’s notes at the end of each book bc it revealed so much context & details that made me love the books even more. i love how each character in this trilogy found themselves experiencing the magic of wakan. in a way, i felt like i was touched by it too.

you know when you have to cover the rest of the page with your hand because you’re scared of what’s gonna happen next? yeah that for the last three chapters

Just not for me :(

Very cutsie

can i stay a bit long? stay forever.

after letting it marinate for a second, i think it deserves the 4.5 rating. 0_=

wasn’t a big fan of part of your world (dnf’d at 60%! i will try to pick it up again soon tho) and i had little expectations going into this one but i loved it :( the way it started with an AITA post already had me hooked lol!!! and emma is so relatable and seeing myself in a main character that’s so ready to run for the hills all the time… crazy! but justin and emma’s love story was so comforting to read. all of the dates, surveys, little acts of service things.. i loved it. plus i am a big fan of found family so!!! ok maybe ill rate it 5 stars… i will think.