From the publisher:
A refreshingly modern fairy tale and instant New York Times bestseller that Love Hypothesis author Ali Hazelwood hails as “an uplifting, feel-good, romantic read.”
After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.
While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.
Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?
“The perfect embodiment of romantic joy… This book is an emotional experience that will tick all the boxes for passionate romance fans. A must-read.”―Kirkus, Starred Review
A “layered, soul-stirring romance… Jimenez dexterously tackles class difference and shades her endearing side characters with as much care as her lovable leads. The result is an emotional roller coaster centered on love as a source of empowerment.”―Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
This “flawlessly written contemporary romance is another perfectly calibrated synthesis of richly nuanced characters, blazing sexual chemistry, and sizzling wit deftly infused into an empowering story line …while also offering a subtle wink and nod to the enduring charm of Disney fairy tales.”―Booklist, Starred Reviewhttps://amzn.to/4dckAag
- Book of the Month Club Best Book of the Year finalist
- Goodreads Choice Awards finalist
- BookPage Magazine Best Books of the Year
- Booklist Best Romances of the Year
- SheReads Romance Book of the Year Award nomination
I cannot believe I missed this book! I’ve read all of her books, including the second book in this series, Yours Truly, and loved it so I’m not sure why I didn’t go back and find this one. It was on my Kindle – I wouldn’t have had to look too hard. The third book in the series, Just for the Summer, just came out (review to follow) and that was the impetus that led me here, to Part of Your World. Better late than never – this is one terrific read.
Alexis is on her way home from a funeral when she swerves to miss a raccoon and ends up in a ditch. She is in the middle of nowhere, a small, rural town two hours from her home in Minneapolis. Luckily, a guy in a truck stops to help, and he tows her out of the ditch. She decides to stop and get something to eat, but this is a seasonal town, and season is over. Nothing is open except a bar featuring lots of golden brown fried food, which she is not in the mood for. Her hero, Daniel, offers to make her something to eat, so she follows him home, where he has a rescue dog in desperate need of training and a baby goat wearing pajamas. Alexis is charmed, and his grilled cheese is delicious.
Alexis is not the type to have a one night stand, as in she’s never had one. But she is coming out of a bad breakup; Daniel is sweet and kind and so good-looking and the complete opposite of her ex. They end up in bed, and she finds out why people do crazy things for great sex, but panics and takes off in the middle of the night.
Daniel is a carpenter and an innkeeper. Alexis is the progeny of Minneapolis’s power couple – both her parents are world-renowned surgeons, as is her twin brother. While Alexis graduated top of her class from Stanford, she is merely an ER doctor, which makes her a failure in her parents’ eyes. The only thing that redeems her is her chief of surgery boyfriend, Neil. Turns out he has been emotionally abusive for most of the seven years they’ve been together, and when he cheats on her, that is the final straw, and she breaks up with him. Her father is incensed and insists they go to couples therapy, but Alexis is done. Her twin will take up the mantle of the latest generation of world-class doctors, and she will do what she loves – help people.
But then her brother informs the family that he has married a pop star and they are living in Cambodia and creating a nonprofit there. That leaves Alexis in charge of the family legacy at the hospital, and her parents think she is failing. Meanwhile, she can’t stop thinking about Daniel.
Alexis escapes her life and goes back to visit Daniel. One thing leads to another and they are seeing each other regularly, talking on the phone daily, and really enjoying one another. Except she always goes to see him, he never gets to visit her world. Alexis decides this is a fling – if her parents wouldn’t accept a rock star daughter-in-law, they certainly will never accept a carpenter. Not to mention that he is ten years younger than she is. But every time she tried to end it, she can’t help but go back to him. They are in love, and she is fighting it every step of the way.
It all comes to a head when she is named chief of the ER, slightly redeeming her to her parents. Daniel shows up with flowers to congratulate her, and her family is aghast by this young, tattooed man in a t-shirt. He leaves, and that is the end. Or is it?
This was a one day read for me, I really loved it. Can’t wait to start Just for the Summer!
On a more personal note, I really related to this relationship. My father was a very wealthy businessman, and he and his wife were snobs of the worst kind. They never approved of my husband, the son of a police officer and a housewife, who came from a different religion, and a very middle-class existence. Except that I did as well; for all his money, I grew up with my single mom who got $100 a month in child support, while my stepbrother and stepsisters reaped the benefits and the money. I cut ties with them more than thirty years ago, and I’ve been very happy and secure in the knowledge that I did what was best for me. Plus I got my happily ever after!
4/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
PART OF YOUR WORLD by Abby Jimenez. Forever (April 19, 2022). ISBN: 978-0593723678. 368p.
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 