The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez — The Wrong Ride Home and the Right Person

Some love stories begin with a meet-cute. This one begins with a choice that seems unimportant at the time. At the end of a night out, Larissa is offered two rides home: one from Mike, charming and easy to talk to, and one from his quieter friend, Chris. She chooses Mike. Months later, she's starting to wonder what would have happened if she hadn't. The Night We Met, published by Forever on 24 March 2026, is the latest romance from Abby Jimenez, the author of The Friend Zone, Part of Your World, Yours Truly and Just for the Summer. It's listed as the second book in her Say You'll Remember Me series, after Say You'll Remember Me (2025). The reviews we read treat it as a self-contained story with new lead characters, so you shouldn't need the first book to follow it. Jimenez is known for love stories that take real-life problems seriously, and this one is built on a situation that many readers will find uncomfortably familiar: falling for someone you can't have without hurting someone else. Larissa, Mike and Chris Larissa is dating Mike, but her life is far from easy. She's working hard, juggling money worries, and managing a severe nut allergy that shapes what she can safely do. When Mike asks Chris to drive her to her mother's early-morning surgery, Larissa and Chris spend real time together for the first time, and discover how much they have in common. Then Chris adopts a stray dog, and Larissa starts walking it. The dog becomes the excuse for more time together. Chris is falling for her, but he won't betray his friend, especially because Mike is hiding struggles of his own. Larissa, meanwhile, keeps returning to that first night and the ride she didn't take. The story is told in alternating chapters from Larissa and Chris, so readers know both sides of the longing long before either character admits it. A slow burn by design This is a book about restraint. Both leads are decent, loyal people, and that loyalty is what keeps them apart. Kirkus Reviews' unsigned review called it "a compulsively readable slow-burn romance" full of grown-up worries and plenty of pining, and praised Chris as an almost perfect romantic hero. It also praised the realistic, sensitive handling of Larissa's money troubles and her allergy, details many romances would skip. For readers who prefer their romance without explicit scenes, it's worth knowing this one is closed-door. Content notes include alcoholism, depression and a severe allergic reaction. The problem at its centre The same premise that makes the book tense also makes it difficult. Kirkus noted the central contradiction: Larissa and Chris are too loyal to betray their friend, yet the story can only resolve if they do. How Jimenez handles that tension will decide how satisfied you feel at the end. Some readers weren't convinced. Leslie, reviewing for the blog She Reads Romance Books, gave it two and a half stars, finding the middle repetitive and the connection between Larissa and Chris underdeveloped, partly because Larissa spends most of the book in a relationship with Mike. For her, the ending felt unearned. Is it for you? Jimenez's fans will recognise her strengths here: warm, funny dialogue, characters with real jobs and real bills, and a hero whose kindness is the most attractive thing about him. If you enjoy pining, longing looks and the agony of "almost", the slow pace will feel like the point, not a problem. If you want two leads who get together quickly, or you find "wrong partner" plots stressful, this may test your patience. Our take The Night We Met is a gentle, grown-up romance about timing, loyalty and the cost of doing the decent thing. It's at its best in the small moments between Larissa and Chris, and weakest in a long middle where the situation barely changes. Start here if you're new to Jimenez and like slow burns. If you want her at her funniest, Part of Your World or Yours Truly might be the better first read.