You Make Me

by Erin Mccarthy

[Angie]

I was very eager to read You Make Me, since Erin McCarthy is one of my favorite authors and I enjoyed her move into NA so far. For the most part, I did like this one, but the ending did give me pause. Caitlyn is in her junior year of college. She's on track to earning a degree in economics, she's best friends with her boyfriend's sister who is also her sorority sister, and her boyfriend just proposed. She's living her dream life, until someone from her past appears. Caitlyn hadn't seen Heath in four years. Not since he took her virginity then disappeared without a single word. Now he's back and willing to fight for her, but she doesn't know if that's the life she wants to go back to.

I really liked the set up for You Make Me. Caitlyn had a pretty atypical childhood, and she's trying to leave that all behind and become the woman she wants to be without all of the judgement she's faced in the past. She was poor, since her mother couldn't work due to mental illness which she wouldn't keep in check. Her father was a lobster fisherman until he lost his hand. Her older brother is an alcoholic, who left and doesn't keep in touch. They took in foster kids for extra money. Caitlyn generally kept her distance from them, but she did bond with Tiffany and Heath. Obviously, she and Heath became more than just foster siblings, which I found interesting. But something did cause him to leave, and it wasn't what I expected at all. It also wasn't something totally outrageous and from left field. It felt real.

It surprised me how much I ended up liking Caitlyn, at least in the beginning. Often times, the whole running from the past thing makes the character appear two-faced rather than if they're trying to better themselves. Caitlyn is genuinely trying to make a better life for herself, despite some people thinking she's a liar for not disclosing her past. It's not like everyone stays exactly the same their whole lives! We do age and grow, so I was irritated with those who made Caitlyn's past the whole of herself. Sure, she was keeping secrets about where she came from, but that's because she knew people would judge her based on it! Maybe she should have been more trusting, but I didn't fault her for wanting to move past her childhood.

Where You Make Me lost me was close to the end, after the inevitable fight. Caitlyn and Heath do have a pretty major fight, but it was over legit concerns. Nothing petty and contrived just to have a fight. He does some shady stuff, and I was mad at him, too! In fact, his behavior kind of scared me as time went on. He's not violent with Caitlyn at all, but there's this edge to him that he doesn't even try to hide. Their relationship started to come across as really unhealthy, and even her best friend pointed it out. Once Caitlyn sees that, I was hoping that the story was going to go in a different direction than other NA titles. I wanted her to walk away, since Heath cannot be trusted. He's manipulative in the name of love and cares about nothing but Caitlyn. Alas, that was not meant to be.

I did like You Make Me. I had to drop a star for that ending, because it just felt so wrong. Everything building up to it made it seem like Caitlyn would have some epiphany and realize that maybe this wasn't the best relationship to be in. Well, she kind of does, but two chapters later, they're back together and more in love than ever. I can't buy into that.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.