Quick Summary:
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez tells the story of Alexis and Daniel, focusing on the classic rich/poor dynamic. Alexis Montgomery is an ER doctor, who’s carrying part of her family’s medical legacy. The Montgomery family has been in medicine for decades, specifically at Royaume Northwestern Hospital, where their name and money carried a lot of weight. Alexis’ family was full of doctors, including her parents and her brother. Her father is dead set on ensuring the Montgomery legacy continues no matter what and applies that pressure onto Alexis and her brother Derek.
Alexis meets Daniel when she accidentally drove into a ditch on the way home from her great aunt’s funeral. Daniel happened to be driving by and noticed her in the ditch, and offered to pull her Mercedes out. She immediately caught his eye, dare I say took his breath away, but he doubted he’d ever see her again once he pulled her car out.
Alexis ends up stopping in one of the local eateries in the small town of Wakan, where Daniel is from and lives. They end up chatting at the bar where Alexis learns that Wakan’s businesses are mostly closed because its the off season and tourism is down, so the pickings are slim on where to get a decent meal. Daniel ends up offering to make her something to eat at his place, and she agrees, though they end up sharing more than a meal together.
Plot Overview:
What initially started as a hookup situation in Alexis’ mind ends up evolving into something else entirely. After some time, Alexis feels pulled to the town, and to Daniel, where she begins to struggle with how to incorporate Daniel into her life. They both lead very different lives. Aside from Alexis being a doctor, she comes from money and has only known a life of privilege and wealth. Daniel on the other hand, did not. He grew up in the small town of Wakan, where he’s kind of the mayor. His family went back generations in Wakan, making a name for themselves based on their generosity and care for the town and its people. He doesn’t have a lot of money but he’s surrounded by a different kind of wealth.
Common Themes + Opinions:
Aside from the obvious rich/poor dynamic, Alexis and Daniel are both faced with upholding their own family legacies. Alexis bears the weight of continuing the Montgomery legacy at Royaume despite not knowing whether that’s what she actually wants. She concedes because she feels its her duty to her family name, the hospital, but more importantly her father, though she feels like she’s stuck. In a way, Alexis becomes lost as she spends more time with Daniel and realizes that there’s more to life than titles, money, and prestige, and considers whether she’s willing to give it all up for love.
Daniel’s legacy lies in Wakan, where he’s technically the mayor, but where his family put down roots at The Grant House, a bed and breakfast that Daniel runs to help pay bills. The Grant House was his family’s home, one he wasn’t prepared to lose. Daniel became an integral part of Wakan, where his presence could definitely negatively impact the town. Like Alexis, he considers giving it all up if it means he gets to choose love.
The other overarching theme in this story is domestic abuse. Early on in the story, it’s revealed that Alexis went through a breakup with her older ex, a surgeon at Roayume named Neil. They were essentially a power couple at the hospital, and Alexis’ father’s prime pick for her to help her uphold the family legacy. However, despite how their relationship looked on the outside, it was broken from the inside. Neil had been breaking Alexis’ self esteem bit by bit throughout their relationship, to the point where Alexis felt like she was losing her mind as Neil continued to gaslight and demean her. While he didn’t lay a hand on her, Alexis was a victim of emotional and mental abuse. Later on in the book, she realizes that her parents’ dynamic is also one of abuse, where her father was the emotional abuser and her mother, also a victim, enabled it. If her father didn’t get his way, everyone else had to pay. The theme of domestic abuse is also portrayed through Liz, Daniel’s cousin, who unfortunately experiences domestic violence at the hands of her policeman husband Jake.
It’s important to note that in any situations of domestic abuse/violence, the victims are not at fault. Alexis realizes this after opening up with her own story, and offers that same fact to Liz during a conversation. Daniel and Alexis find ways to help Liz as she stood by her marriage, assuring her that when she was ready to leave, they’d help her – another important distinction; victims of domestic abuse/violence will leave when they are ready and will need all the help from loved ones they can get.
Final Thoughts + Ratings:
Overall, Part of Your World was a great story. The story felt realistic in the way it dealt with such heavy themes. It was also satisfying to see when it all clicked for Alexis and she figured out who she was and what she wanted. In a way, she grew up by being with Daniel in a way that her parents neglected to teach her. Not that I’m trying to parentify Daniel in any way, the irony being that he’s younger than Alexis, but he taught Alexis basic survival skills she wouldn’t have otherwise known. Speaking of the age gap, it felt forgettable and I really only remembered whenever Alexis brought it up, which speaks volumes about Daniel’s maturity. All in all, I give Part of Your World 5 stars for the captivating story and the retelling of the classic dynamic.
As for spice, there are a handful of sexy scenes in here but they’re mild at best.
Have you read Part of Your World? Let me know in the comments!
5/5
