My review of You Make Me by Erin McCarthy

About the book:

The guy she wants…

Growing up on the coast of Maine with a revolving door of foster siblings, Caitlyn Michaud spent one intense and passionate year falling in love with her foster brother, Heath. Then he left without a word. The betrayal devastated Caitlyn and made her vow to forget the compelling bad boy. But forgetting his sensual touch and their deep all-consuming friendship is easier said than done.

Isn’t the guy she needs…

Determined to move on, in college Caitlyn has risen above her small town impoverished roots and has joined a sorority, reinvented her appearance, and landed the right boyfriend. Pre-law major and frat president, Ethan, is thoughtful and always laughing, and he makes her feel happy, calm. He also gives her the social acceptance she craves.

But the perfect world she tried so hard to attain is ripped apart when Heath appears one night out of nowhere. Caitlyn remembers all the reasons why she loves him, even if they don’t make sense to anyone but her. Out of the military, Heath is as brooding and intense as ever, and he is determined not only to win her back, but to exact revenge on everyone who kept him from her…

And when one love allows her to breathe, but the other feels as essential to her life as air, how does she choose between them? 

My review:

I saw this book on Bookbub, and it was free on Kobo, so I thought why not check it out. It helped that the intro said it was written by a NY Times Best-selling author, so I assumed the book would be decently edited and be well-written. I was right.  

Once I started I couldn't stop reading until I got to the end of the book. This was a very intense read and I loved this story. While steamier than I typically read, I found it to be tied to emotion so it was gratifying in a sensual yet emotionally-driven manner. That's my kind of story. Plus I love when people are so wrapped up in each other that it makes them feel crazy. Like they are fighting an irresistible pull.

The hero was very heroic. The heroine was lovable and never wanted to hurt anyone. I found some of her characterization deep because it tied into her very dysfunctional past. I totally adored the foster care them underlying some of the irrational emotion sand abandonment issues that came out during some heated arguments. This story had a theme that made me think of the line, "You complete me."

I don't want to risk a spoiler so I won't say anything else except that the feel of this book reminded me of a movie I watched with Kirsten Dunst called Crazy Love. The writing was excellent too. Steamy but not nasty like erotica. This was above love and intense need. It was about losing your heart so completely that... Okay, sorry I said I wouldn't give away a spoiler, so you'll just read the book. I read it straight through in a day. I can't remember the last time I did that. It has been years. Yeah, it truly was compulsively readable.

 It's free today on Amazon, Kobo and I think Ibooks. Snap it up while you can HERE. I do believe I will be buying more of her New Adult books.