This is my second Abby Jimenez book and I have some thoughts.

First, the epistolary element with the letters (and the journal later) were charming and provided the information that allowed Jacob and Briana to finally have a real conversation. When it comes to Jacob's anxiety, the portrayal was thorough and tender. There were so many moments when I saw myself in him for better or worse. I think the book's strength is the emotional depth of it especially how Briana's breakdown reflects on her earlier restraint. For so much of the book, she was white-knuckling through trauma and by 85%, she couldn't hold it anymore. That last 20-25% of the book genuinely delivered for me.

On the other hand, I do think that there is a tonal mismatch with this book for my preferences in romance-centric books. I found the earnestness to be quite cloying and all of the miscommunication was draining. Despite the conflict with Jacob's anxiety, Briana's trauma, Benny's illness, the whole thing with Jacob's brother and ex, I found that there was very little edge present until Nick and Kelly were outside of the elevator. Now on to the main thing: the unexpected pregnancy. Her miscarriage was a major wound for Briana but I do wonder if the pregnancy itself was necessary to catalyze her breakdown. There was already so much tied to Nick and Kelly's relationship that I personally didn't feel the pregnancy was necessary to get that reaction from her. However, the whole Ava jokes were cute throughout the book that led to a real baby named Ava in the epilogue.Overall, I think that Jimenez stuck the landing emotionally. Though I found the journey to the end a bit lopsided, I didn't end the book feeling cheated. I didn't enjoy this as much as Part Of Your World and I'll definitely look into if her books after this one are just as earnest before I pick them up. However, I will take a Jacob for myself and I loved how complex Briana was as a character.