The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez
Abby Jimenez's newest book, The Night We Met, came out this past March. It is a standalone novel that can be read by itself, but it is part of a series of novels focused on a group of friends. The first of the books, Say You'll Remember Me, came out last year while the final book, Feels Like Falling, is expected next year - though we don't have an exact date yet. It is already on Amazon's Best Books of the Year So Far list for 2026 and it deals with alcoholism, mental illness, mention of panic attacks, grief in a few different forms including the death of a parent. It also smacks of an emotional affair at times, though unintentional.
When Chris went to a concert with his best friend Mike, the last thing he expected to see was a beautiful barefoot woman riding her friend's back to the parking lot. Well, maybe not the last thing but it was pretty low on the list of things he expected. Now, that girl, Larissa, has been dating Mike since he gave her a ride home from said concert - but Mike keeps bailing on Larissa and asking Chris to pick up the slack. The more they're thrown together, the more they realize how much they have in common and how easy it is to talk to each other. Problem is, Mike wants to save up for an engagement ring and if either of them so much as acknowledged their feelings, it could destroy him.
Another Abby Jimenez book, another plot that I just did not expect. I know she's not everybody's cup of tea considering she allows her characters to get into really difficult scenarios, but I love it. Real life is messy, so I love to see these characters wade through the mess to find their way to a happy ending - even if it's not always tied up in a neat little bow. I rather enjoyed this book, although some of the secondary characters did not live up to my expectations at times (looking at you Xavier). I empathized with Larissa for the struggle she found herself in and how focused she was on finding her way out of it, and I was proud of her for making the hard decisions at the most inopportune times. I rather liked Chris as well, though I did think he was overbearing at times. Not really with Larissa, but with Mike, and that his expectations were too high even for someone in a good relationship. But the end of the book really hit me and the scene in the pharmacy's parking lot made me cry in a good way.
I'm giving The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez 4.5 stars out of 5. It has no spice in it. I did really enjoy it but I'm even more excited about Mike's story which is coming next. He deserves a happy ending of his own.
For more from Abby Jimenez, check out https://www.authorabbyjimenez.com/
Pairs well with pumpernickel bread and making sure that you rate it.
My favorite quotes:
"'For twenty bucks, I'll comment "yikes" on your ex's last selfie.'"
"'Then let it all burn.'"
"'... if I pay thrity bucks for a haunted hayride, I better fucking die.'"
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