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A review by noellegrace8
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I read the second companion novel first (Yours Truly), which I adored because of the main characters. This was just as good - Jimenez absolutely knows how to write a legit love story. I liked that it was basically like a Hallmark movie (big city professional woman meets small town rough man) but completely turned on its head with inverted tropes, inappropriate ocurrences, unexpected fallout, and suprising sincerity.
Jimenez does a great job at keeping her romance humorous and enveloping while still maintaining a plot line with character development. Both of these companion novels are about love, but also other huge, important concepts. This one in particular focuses on abuse and its different types, obligation to family/ found family, generation gaps, identity, and purpose. It is lighthearted and tense mixed together, just like life. You feel frustration with Alexis sometimes because it feels obvious what she should choose, but Jimenez, in that way, portrays what it's like to live with the effects of abuse and control.
Fair warning that this book has a higher level of spice than Yours Truly; they are not comparable in that manner.
A couple things that bugged me were how many times people "blinked at one another" and "sucked air through their teeth." I'm surprised an editor didn't point out the overuse of those descriptors. Also, I love The Princess Bride, but somehow I found the use of quotes from it a little cheesy. I don't think it's an actual or valid piece of criticism on my part haha, but I guess it just came off as incongruent to me. Lastly, I'm not a huge fan of the "acts of God/magic" thing. Random things happen in the book that have no explanation other than divine intervention. They're never explained, and it's a bit cheesy.
I don't factor audiobook performance into the star rating of the book itself, but I give both Julia Whelan and Zachary Webber 5⭐️'s.
Jimenez does a great job at keeping her romance humorous and enveloping while still maintaining a plot line with character development. Both of these companion novels are about love, but also other huge, important concepts. This one in particular focuses on abuse and its different types, obligation to family/ found family, generation gaps, identity, and purpose. It is lighthearted and tense mixed together, just like life. You feel frustration with Alexis sometimes because it feels obvious what she should choose, but Jimenez, in that way, portrays what it's like to live with the effects of abuse and control.
Fair warning that this book has a higher level of spice than Yours Truly; they are not comparable in that manner.
A couple things that bugged me were how many times people "blinked at one another" and "sucked air through their teeth." I'm surprised an editor didn't point out the overuse of those descriptors. Also, I love The Princess Bride, but somehow I found the use of quotes from it a little cheesy. I don't think it's an actual or valid piece of criticism on my part haha, but I guess it just came off as incongruent to me. Lastly, I'm not a huge fan of the "acts of God/magic" thing. Random things happen in the book that have no explanation other than divine intervention. They're never explained, and it's a bit cheesy.
I don't factor audiobook performance into the star rating of the book itself, but I give both Julia Whelan and Zachary Webber 5⭐️'s.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Excrement, Abortion, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail