Editing Abby Jimenez (section)

==Writing career==

===Path to publication===

Jimenez began writing fiction during a camping trip to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota, where she improvised a story for her children that she later attempted to develop into a young adult novel. She ultimately discarded the manuscript but continued writing, finding her way to contemporary romance. She submitted work to literary agents and, after a period of rejection, was signed. She spent nine months on submission to publishers — long enough to draft a second novel, ''The Friend Zone'' — before receiving a three-book deal; two offers arrived on the same day.

During the rejection period, Jimenez received consistent industry feedback that publishers were seeking "lighter" fiction. She has described her resistance to that framing as central to her identity as a writer, arguing that romance takes place within the texture of real life and cannot be separated from the serious things that happen to people who fall in love.

===The Friend Zone series (2019–2021)===

Jimenez's debut novel, ''[[The Friend Zone]]'' (2019), follows Kristen, who is hiding a life-changing medical secret from everyone around her while falling for her best friend's best man. The novel became a ''USA Today'' bestseller, won the Goodreads Choice Awards for both Best Debut Novel and Best Romance, was named book of the year by ''O, The Oprah Magazine,'' ''Booklist,'' and ''SheReads,'' and was a bestseller in Poland, where it won an Empik Award in 2020.

''[[The Happy Ever After Playlist]]'' (2020), the second book in the series, follows Sloan, a young woman still grieving the loss of her fiancé two years earlier, who finds an unexpected connection with a rising music star through a stray dog that belongs to him. The novel appeared on numerous best-of lists, including those from Amazon, ''Oprah Mag,'' and BuzzFeed. It was optioned for a feature film adaptation by Thruline Entertainment in 2021, with the screenplay by writer Marisa Coughlan and direction by two-time Primetime Emmy winner Gail Mancuso.

''[[Life's Too Short]]'' (2021) centres on a free-spirited influencer who unexpectedly becomes primary caretaker to her sister's infant child and finds an unlikely connection with her reserved next-door neighbour. The novel debuted as a ''New York Times'' and ''USA Today'' bestseller and won the 2022 Minnesota Book Award in the Genre Fiction category.

===Part of Your World series (2022–2024)===

''[[Part of Your World (novel)|Part of Your World]]'' (2022) follows Alexis, a wealthy emergency room physician, and Daniel, a blue-collar carpenter a decade her junior, whose relationship is complicated by her family's expectations and the incompatibility of their worlds. It became a ''New York Times'' and ''USA Today'' bestseller.

''[[Yours Truly (novel)|Yours Truly]]'' (2023) follows hospital rivals Briana and Dr. Jacob Maddox, whose antagonism begins to dissolve through a series of letters and shared lunches — and when Jacob offers Briana's brother one of his kidneys. The novel was the first romance novel in the history of the Book of the Month club to win the Dolly Award for Book of the Year.

''[[Just for the Summer]]'' (2024) follows Alexis's friend Justin and Emma, who agree to date each other temporarily to break a shared dating curse. The novel reached #1 on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list and was selected as the Good Morning America Book Club pick for April 2024.

===Say You'll Remember Me series (2025–)===

''[[Say You'll Remember Me (novel)|Say You'll Remember Me]]'' (2025) follows veterinarian Xavier Rush and Samantha after what might be the best date in living history is cut short by a family crisis. The novel debuted at #1 on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list in both the Combined Print and E-Book Fiction and Hardcover Fiction categories.

''[[The Night We Met]]'' (2026), the second book in the series, is a slow-burn forbidden romance between Larissa and Chris, the best friend of her boyfriend. The novel received a starred review from ''Kirkus Reviews'' and was named one of the Top 10 Romance Releases for Spring 2026 by ''Publishers Weekly.'' Jimenez has noted that it took two years to write, making it the most labour-intensive project of her career. A third novel is planned to complete the series.