PART OF YOUR WORLD by Abby Jimenez
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I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review.
Alexis is the last in a long line of doctors in the Montgomery family, and she’s somewhat of a disappointment. She’s only an ER doctor rather than a surgeon like her brother and parents, and she has refused to take back her cheating, abusive ex who is for some reason still her father’s best friend and golf-buddy. But now that her brother has run off to Cambodia with a wife their parents do not approve of, the responsibility of carrying on the Montgomery legacy falls squarely on Alexis’s shoulders.
Which is why Daniel is such a problem.
It was coincidence that he was the one who saw her car stuck in the mud when she was driving through his small town, but the attraction between them feels more like fate. After only a few visits to his world–so unlike her own–Alexis is falling not only for him, but for the whole community that he helps to care for. He is everything her ex wasn’t: compassionate, respectful, humble–despite his immense talent as a woodworker and cook (and, it needs to be said, lover). But Alexis knew the relationship was doomed from the first time she set foot in that town. Because how could she ever find a home in a world so different from her own?
Although abuse survivors should proceed with caution due to possible triggers, this story depicts verbal and emotional abuse and generational abuse with depth and compassion. A large part of the clash between the hero and heroine’s worlds comes from the different ways that family, community, and tradition have affected who they have grown up to be. In the hero’s small town, everyone lifts one another up as part of a respectful, communal family with deep roots that allow the characters to feel grounded, safe, and part of something larger. In the heroine’s world, however, traditions are used by abusers to control her, to keep her trapped within the structures they have created, and to take away her agency. The two settings become a powerful illustration of this dichotomy and it is not only the relationship but the uplifting community which finally gives the heroine the foundation she needs to begin forging her own path and rebuilding her self-worth. Thematically powerful with a swoony love story, this novel is a must-read for fans of contemporary romance or women’s fiction and would be a great pick for book clubs.
Susan the Librarian 