- Abby Jimenez
- Author of “The Friend Zone”
- Small Town
- Doctor Protagonist
- Romance/Love Story
- Fast Paced Read
- Elements of Magical Realism
“Love follows you. It goes where you go. It doesn’t know the social divides or distance or common sense. It doesn’t even stop when the person you love dies. It does what it wants. Even if what you want is not to be in love.”
Abby Jimenez, part of your world (304)
SYNOPSIS
Alexis Montgomery is next in line to her family’s throne—the medical throne that is. Coming from 125 years of Montgomery’s, Alexis is the first to take up Emergency Medicine, but not surgery. With the pressure of her narcissistic father, her emotionally abusive ex-partner (and surgeon), and her enabling mother and friends, Alexis feels she has no way out of the life she was meant to inherit—until she hits a racoon on the side of the road in a small town.
Daniel Grant is an heir in his own right. Wakan has been run by the Grants for as long as anyone can remember, and a Grant has always been the town mayor. Daniel’s never questioned his lineage until he rescues a red-headed beauty from the side of the road. Struggling to make ends meet, Daniel’s not sure how he can keep Alexis, a woman with 10 times his income and 10 years older than him—yet, he knows, he can’t live without her.
Together, Daniel and Alexis are unstoppable. But, the two cease to exist outside of Wakan town limits. Can the magic of Wakan keep them together? Or will Alexis and Daniel be destined to follow the path that has already been laid out for them since birth—separately?
REVIEW
- 4.5/5 Stars
Let me start off by saying this—if men like Jimenez writes existed in real life, a whole lot of us would be less single. Let’s be real here—Jimenez has completely obliterated my expectations of men knowing that characters like Daniel exist.
That being said, I loved Part of Your World. At first, I was getting some serious Schitt’s Creek meets Grey’s Anatomy vibes…David and Alexis anyone?? Once I started getting into this book further, and the character’s developed more, I can definitely see some of the characters being inspired by some pop culture references, including maybe Disney characters (which Jiminez does admit to in the bonus Q&A section at the end of the book). Daniel is definitely a prince in his own right and Alexis gives off Little Mermaid vibes with that red hair.
One of the things I admired most about Part of Your World was the side characters. Jimenez has already announced that she will be releasing Alexis’s best friend Bri’s story in Spring 2023, but I can honestly see many of these characters having stories of their own. I loved getting to see Daniel’s friend Doug and his struggle with PTSD. Jimenez writes him as the comedic relief of the story, which is what he truly needed with such a heavy diagnosis. I also loved hearing Daniel’s cousin Liz’s story and how important she is to the plot of Alexis’s storyline. Truly there were so many characters that it would be hard to mention them all here, but it’s easy to follow them throughout the plotline—this is NOT an easy thing to do as a writer. It can be very difficult to make small characters memorable to a reader that is invested in the Protagonist, but Jimenez does just that, and she does it incredibly well.
Speaking of things this author does well, we need to talk about her ability to write Neil’s character and abuse. As Alexis’s ex, there’s a lot of backstory with Neil that becomes important to the central plotline of this romance. I think it’s so interesting how all of the minor characters view Neil vs how Alexis views him. It really illustrates to the reader that abuse is not black and white—there are so many gray areas that sometimes it’s extremely difficult for someone to be brave enough to get out of a relationship like Alexis and Neil’s. Alexis doesn’t even realize that Neil is a problem in her life until she relies on a capable therapist, and I do think that most abuse stories go this way in real life, as it often takes an outside perspective to make it real.
As far as the plotline and the ending of this romance go, I won’t spoil it for you, but I have high hopes for Daniel and Alexis. Even though there are some serious differences between the two of them, their ability to compromise and meet in the middle is what is going to carry them through. I’ve read all of Jimenez’s other books and there are definitely a few romances she’s written where I wonder whether the characters would have survived their conflicts, but I know that Daniel and Alexis will for sure be #endgoals.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This book was a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars for me—and let me tell you why.
I’d love to see Jimenez write some characters that are more physically realistic. While I love the strife that she puts each of her characters through (think Sloan’s grief, Alexis’s spousal abuse, Kristen and Vanessa’s health issues), I would also love to see a character that struggles with realistic body issues. Each character that this author writes about is stunningly gorgeous, thin, and meets some aspect of a beauty standard. I’d love to see a character that maybe doesn’t meet those things—let’s see a girl with some cellulite, or a man without biceps! I definitely think it’s within the scope of Jimenez’s writing to be able to do this.
The other reason I’d rate this story at 4.5 instead of 5? I sometimes feel like Jimenez’s books are TOO quick of a read. It’s easy to devour them fast, and I think that is because there can be a lot of fluff in sections, especially when it comes to the romance scenes. I’d like to see a little bit more development in our protagonist’s point of view. I think Life’s Too Short definitely had more of this development aspect than The Happy Ever After Playlist or Part of Your World.
All of this being said, Jimenez is my favorite romance writer. I absolutely devour her books and I had this one on pre-order as soon as news of it released. I will continue to be a major supporter of Abby Jimenez for good reason—she’s an excellent writer and I love her stories. It always baffles me that she got her start with Nadia Cakes, as she clearly was meant to be a writer—though, I’ll admit I haven’t tasted her cupcakes yet, and I’m sure I’d be proven wrong given the way she describes them!
If you get a chance, go ahead to Amazon to get this book for spring/summer. I can see Part of Your World being an excellent book to travel with or take to the beach. You can also check out my review on Abby Jimenez’s other novel, The Happy Ever After Playlist by clicking on this link.
If you loved this book, let us know in the comments! I would love to hear your thoughts on Daniel and Alexis. Do you think their love story would have made it? Do you think Alexis would have gotten back together with Neil given her circumstances? Leave a comment below and let me know!