She has a boyfriend, Joe, who works in the grocery with her, but she keeps their relationship hidden from her children and others. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read. Brianna is dealing with the shittiest year of hers: her baby brother suffers from autoimmune disease and he urgently needs a kidney transplant. Being in this hellhole of a restaurant would suck the last of the energy from my already-depleted soul. there were a few moments where briana's personal insecurities and behaviour had me ready to take her by the hand to the doorsteps of a therapist.

Mentions of Alexis and Daniel from "Part of Your World" in the book were a treat, but even Alexis and Daniel could not save this book.

It's not something I've seen done very often in books, but it's such an interesting way for the characters to open up and be vulnerable with one another in a short amount of time. Knowing she spoke with ER doctors and RNs makes the worlds she creates realistic and the situations plausible. Abby Jimenez books like chicken soup for soul with a little extra spice that refers the angsty parts! I found that I really enjoyed reading Briana and Jacob’s comical letters and the edition of Jacob’s journal entries—which Jacob uses as a coping mechanism for his mental health—towards the end of the book were very sweet and tearjerking.

I'm not sure anything will EVER top the Light Ring scene, however there were still plenty of moments that had me cackling. With a brother who desperately needs a kidney transplant, Bri has enough to worry about without work drama on top of it. And not to give spoilers but when he asked that final question about what he could do to earn her trust, I didn’t think he’d be able to figure out how to give her what she needed but boy did he deliver and it just made so much sense and tied into the book so perfectly! in summary: this book fed me, held my hand, told me everything was gonna be alright and then tucked me into bed after with a kiss on the forehead.

As different as each of their respective mothers, who all somehow managed to have a child with their very eccentric father, Augustus North. Eventually, everything is tied up with a bow, but the easy resolutions for so many long-standing feuds and family dramas feel pat and unearned. A lot of the most popular tropes aren’t my cup of tea and I sometimes get frustrated by the lack of substance and depth.

Willing to do anything to express her gratitude at his sacrifice, Bri agrees to go as Jacob’s date to his brother’s wedding. The characters were spiralling and seeing their thoughts on page… I couldn’t necessarily separate my mind from it. Oh, that's probably going to the new man-doctor who's already registering eighty-friggin'-seven on Briana's "pain in my ass" scale.As soon as I read the plot about two broken hearted souls’ second chances story that started with enemies to lovers trope mixes with fake dating, I knew I would love this book so much! everyone that loves jacob accepts and accommodates his needs and it made me so emotional to see him be successful, but still stumble from time to time and still be loved so dearly. Abby Jimenez is a Food Network winner, New York Times best selling author, and recipient of the 2022 Minnesota Book Award for her novel Life's Too Short. You can’t save them all, and it’s naïve to think you have any control over what comes through those sliding doors. It was definitely a realistic miscommunication and they just had to take their time to find their way to each other.