Part Of Your World by Abby Jimenez

After finishing Seven Summers by Paige Toon - click to read my review; the next book I read whilst on holiday was Part Of Your World by Abby Jimenez. I had actually read Just for The Summer by the same author first (a complete accident), and loved it so much that I knew I wanted to still read the first two books anyway. I had heard incredible things about books 2 and 3, but not much about this first one. With that being said, I knew I needed to write my own review of the book. 

Genre: Romance

Tropes: Hook up, Small Town, Opposites Attract, Toxic Ex, Toxic Parents

Page Count: 400

Spice Level: 2/5 

Synopsis: 

After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.

While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.

Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?

My Review 

I really enjoyed this book! I used to be such a romance girly (in fact I pretty much only read books that included romance), but after setting myself the goal at the start of 2024 to branch out genres, I don't enjoy them nearly as much as I used to. I feel like there needs to be something special about the plot for me to be fully hooked to a romance book now. My younger self would be SHOOK. I'm happy to say that this one definitely kept me locked in. 

Straight away in chapter 1 we are given the meet cute - which I loved. There was no unnecessary build up - Jimenez got right into it. I really liked the way they met actually, and although it's nothing original, it was still sweet. It also made me think about how God can use the most unfortunate situations and days to deliver your person. 

As you can gather from the synopsis, Alexis and Daniel share nothing but a no-strings attached situationship/hook up to begin with, until it eventually develops into something much greater. I can't say I was the biggest fan of this aspect, but that's just personal preference. What I really liked though was how both Alexis and Daniel are constantly considering the reality of their situation and their lives. It was quite refreshing as I've read so many books and watched movies where the couple get together just because of how they feel, and don't acknowledge how their relationship is going to work when it comes to aligning values, blending their lifestyles, the compromises they are going to make etc. These are  fundamental things to consider and talk about when going into romantic relationships, which many authors don't include. It's not your typical story of settling for a casual relationship out of fear of commitment. Rather, it follows two people who are falling for one another but are in two very contrasting worlds, with completely different, yet equally huge responsibilities. It's them questioning whether reality will allow them to have their happily ever after. Alexis is a doctor, carrying the legacy of her incredibly successful family in a big city; whilst Daniel is the mayor of a tiny town. Not only do they need to consider their individual responsibilities within their respective roles, but also their financial differences and family backgrounds. It dives into the question "is love truly enough?". 

Besides the romance between the protagonists, there's so much more going on too. I won't go into that, as I don't want to spoil anything, but I thought I would mention that in case there are people who are non-romance readers who are still intrigued by this book. 

Although for the vast majority of this book, Alexis and Daniel are merely hook up buddies, I liked that it wasn't too spicy (I'm not a big spice fan). It's not overly detailed to make you uncomfortable, but it does give a little description here and there. It's also not overly done, which means you can skip those bits and it not feel like you've got gaps in your reading experience. 

I devoured this book and thoroughly enjoyed both the plot and character development. The side characters were also fantastic. And just like Just For The Summer, it had me giggling. Abby Jimenez's humour managed to keep me entertained and was perfectly placed throughout the book. I LOVED Bri and her witty comments. It makes me look forward to her book so much, which I am sure I will also review here once I've gotten to it.

I would highly recommend this book. I rated the novel 4.5 out of 5 stars ★★★★

Have you read Part of Your World? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.