Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

Review by: April Corwin Lincoln County Library

The main characters Samantha and Xavier, meet when she takes her new kitten in for a checkup.  Xavier, a Veterinarian, tells her that the kitten has a rare disorder and a special surgery is required to fix the defect for $5,000.  Samantha says she can’t afford that and Xavier gruffly states that the best thing to do is to put the cat to sleep.  She will not have that, and tells him thanks for being a rude jerk and that she will raise the money to pay for the surgery.

Samantha is a social media specialist for a national mustard company and has extensive marketing experience.  She is able to start a GoFundMe and gets the needed money for the surgery.  Xavier feels bad about being so awful to Samantha and donates $500 to help with the cost as well as apologizing for his behavior.  This endears Samantha to him and she agrees to go on a date with him.  They have an incredible date that lasts all night, but Samantha has to leave the next morning to move to California.  She has committed to help take care of her mother.  While Xavier has to stay in Minnesota to keep his newly opened Veterinarian practice afloat. It seems impossible that this relationship will work long distance and Samantha tells him to forget about her as she boards the plane.

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That sounds logical to Samantha, but the problem is she can’t stop thinking about him.  She is trying to adjust to her new life as a caregiver to her mother who has dementia.  When Xavier calls and says he would like to come visit her and take her on a date, she can’t tell him no. They decide to try to make the long distance relationship work.  It does in the beginning, but it is very costly for them to fly to see each other and they both have limited time and money to get away because of work and Samantha’s family obligations.

This is a beautiful story about resistance and a love for family.  It puts into perspective that relationships are not perfect and it takes work to make them last. The story had realistic aspects and day-to-day challenges that many of us face.  This is a good read that will leave you feeling content with a little love inside.