From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer comes a new playful yet deeply emotional contemporary romance.

There might be no such a thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong…

. . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date—possibly the best in living history—Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be.

Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.

Who even am I, giving a full five stars to a romance novel? I feel like I need to reevaluate my entire identity here. Typically, I’m a 3-star romance reviewer at best – mostly because so many of them feel like carbon copies of each other. You know the drill: slap on a trope, check off the standard plot points (meet-cute, flirtation, steamy scenes, third-act breakup, last-minute grand gesture), and roll credits. Don’t get me wrong – there’s a comfort in that formula for a lot of people! But for me, it’s rare that one of those books really lands.

But this book? Oh, it landed. It landed like Xavier Rush (the male lead) himself, all tall and hot and emotionally available and somehow still more swoon-worthy than should be allowed. And here I am, stunned and delighted, giving this a glowing five-star review because this book had depth. It had heart. It did not follow the usual rulebook – and that made all the difference.

What really makes this book are the characters. They felt extremely real. Samantha is hilarious, sharp, and relatable in that “she would totally be my best friend if she was an actual person” way. She had real things going on in her life – family struggles, complicated loyalties, and emotional stakes that mattered. I was invested. And then there’s Xavier. Wow. A veterinarian who’s tall, handsome, kind, and emotionally intelligent? Yes, please.

The plot itself had just the right amount of tension and complexity to keep me flipping pages, but the heart of the book was always the characters – their chemistry, their conversations, and their quiet, meaningful moments. The pacing was great, the writing sharp, and the humor hit just right. I laughed out loud more than once and even teared up a couple of times.

But what I appreciated most was that Sam and Xavier weren’t just thrown together for tension or tropes – they had real, grown-up problems to navigate. Family drama. Personal boundaries. Career demands. Distance (2000+ miles of it). And not once did it feel forced or formulaic. There was no dramatic third-act blow-up, no ridiculous misunderstanding that dragged on for 50 pages, and the book wasn’t weighed down by pages and pages of sex scenes. Instead, Jimenez gave us mature communication, moments of genuine vulnerability, and a relationship that felt like it was being built, not just written.

As someone who prefers more substance than spice in my books, I really appreciated how not sex-heavy this book was. I know plenty of readers love the steam (no judgment at all), but I’m the kind of reader who’d much rather have emotional intimacy and smart banter than five chapters of acrobatics in the bedroom. And that’s exactly what I got here. It lets the story shine instead of getting bogged down in the physical stuff.

But really, what elevated this for me was how it made me feel. I cared about these two people. I rooted for them – not because the plot told me to, but because they genuinely made sense together. They supported each other, challenged each other, and respected each other. And in a genre that can sometimes prioritize fantasy over realistic emotional beats, I found this one to be a love story that felt real and aspirational.

So, yeah – I won’t keep gushing about it. An easy five stars. I’m as shocked as anyone. But this one broke the mold in all the best ways, and it made me feel things. Which, for me, is what it’s all about. Another admission? This was my first Abby Jimenez novel, and now I feel like I’ve been missing out. This book has officially converted me into an Abby fan.