The bestselling author of Say You'll Remember Me talks about her favorite books, what's next and more!
Exclusive: Bestselling Author Abby Jimenez Shares Her Favorite Summer Reads—And the Sweet Partnership She’s Cooking Up
Published on May 27, 2025
Abby Jimenez is used to sweet questions from her fans. After all, she’s a former Cupcake Wars champion who became a New York Times bestselling romance novelist. And yet she says people regularly press her about one constant in her books: How the heck does she successfully mix the “sour” ingredients into her books? “It’s like you’ll be laughing and then crying from one line to the next,” she explains.
But Jimenez doesn’t exactly know the answer. “I could not teach a MasterClass on it,” she tells Reader’s Digest. “I think my characters just experience the world in the way that I experience it. I have a chronically ill daughter, and sometimes she’s in the hospital. So we’ll make funny TikTok videos in a not-so-funny situation. You’re reading my personality on the pages.”
Jimenez’s first book in her new hit romance series, Say You’ll Remember Me, is the cherry on top. (Don’t worry, we’re done with dessert metaphors now.) It centers on Samantha, a social media manager who meets a cute and charming veterinarian named Xavier just before she departs for California full-time to care for her dementia-addled mom. Despite the distance, the pair try to make the long-distance relationship work. As Jimenez puts it, “It’s a romantic comedy with depth. So there’s going to be a happy ever after or a happy for now.”
At home in Minnesota, Jimenez is happy cooking in her kitchen and listening to her favorite audiobooks. She’s also partnering with Sonic to launch the restaurant chain’s three Sweet Topped Lemonades—each purchased drink helps fund local classrooms through the company’s Limeades for Learning initiative. Here, she talks about her favorite sips, summer reads and more.
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Reader’s Digest: Generally speaking, how does your food background play into your accomplishments as an author?
Abby Jimenez: Baking and writing are both introverted activities, so it’s natural that I fell into both. If you think about it, anybody who works out of their home spends time in the kitchen by themselves. Transitioning into writing also meant I could spend a ton of time alone, creating things for other people. I cook a lot now, and I do try to incorporate recipes as bonus material into my books. That’s really fun for me and for my readers.
Reader’s Digest: Did you put a lot of yourself into Say You’ll Remember Me?
Abby Jimenez: I’ve never been a caregiver or been in a long-distance relationship. But my grandmother did have dementia. I saw her decline, so that was something I wanted to explore. I also did a ton of research. I had a memory care advisor and a veterinary advisor helping me. Hearing [from readers] that everything in the book feels authentic means I did the job that I set out to do.
Reader’s Digest: The romance genre has been having a moment over the past several years. What’s the appeal?
Abby Jimenez: Romance books have been having a moment for a while, actually. But it ratcheted up when Covid hit because I think people were looking for emotional safe spaces. As a writer, I can put these characters through anything I want within the pages. But at the end, readers know that everything is going to be OK. I think people find a lot of peace in that.
Reader’s Digest: Can you talk about the connection between the new Sonic drinks and books?
Abby Jimenez: I was blown away by what Sonic does for the literary community, because each drink sold goes to their nonprofit program that donates books to at-risk schools. They’re going to distribute 100,000 books! You know, I did not go to college. I was not a blogger. I don’t have a degree in English. I had really no formal background in writing. I learned to be a writer because I was a reader, and early access to free books is what made me a reader. So the cause is something very close to my heart.
Reader’s Digest: And what are you reading now? Romance?
Abby Jimenez: A ton of romance! I probably read anywhere from five to seven books a month in all sorts of different genres. What I’m listening to is the audiobook of Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan. I’m obsessed with her. I just finished reading Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink, so I do read a lot of historical nonfiction. That’s like the palate cleanser for me—a break for my brain when I’m not reading romance. I also just blew through the memoirs Educated and The Glass Castle. They were so up my alley.
Reader’s Digest: So, you’re an audiobook person?!
Abby Jimenez: Sometimes I have to have the book in my hands. But my preferred format is always audiobooks. I can write, I can drive, I can do laundry and I can take care of my dogs with a book in my ear. In fact, I can’t really cook unless I have an audiobook on! Maybe two or three times a year, my girls and I will make a big batch of pasta sauce from scratch—I will have an audiobook pre-selected because it’s a long day. I love it.
Reader’s Digest: What are you working on next?
Abby Jimenez: My books are stand-alones, but they’re all in the same universe. You don’t have to read them in order, but it’s nice if you do because then you get to see cameos from previous characters. There are little Easter eggs and inside jokes. Say You’ll Remember Me is technically the start of a new series, but still in the same universe as my previous books. I’m now working on the next two books of that series.
Reader’s Digest: Do you write every day?
Abby Jimenez: No, I don’t. This author gig is very multifaceted—I do a lot of speaking engagements, and there are days when I’m editing or marketing my books. I need to get better at really setting aside time to write, because it’s very easy to just get distracted. So this summer I’m going to be drinking my Sonic blueberry lavender lemonade while I work!
Reader’s Digest: Let’s end with some quick hits. Dogs or cats?
Abby Jimenez: Oh my gosh, probably dogs. I’ve got four.
Reader’s Digest: Days or nights?
Abby Jimenez: Nights.
Reader’s Digest: Favorite childhood book?
Abby Jimenez: I blew through Piers Anthony’s fantasy series when I was about 12.
Reader’s Digest: What advice would you give your younger self?
Abby Jimenez: If I could have 30 seconds with my younger self, I would just pop in and tell myself to trust the process. You’re going to be OK.
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