What You Made Me Do by Kay Marie - The kinda angsty slow burn romance you wish you could read it sooner (Netgalley ARC)🏊🪼💞
🤍Thank you
First and foremost I would like to thank the Author Kay Marie and Netgalley for giving me the ARC copy of the book in return for an honest review. Im truly grateful
A raw, emotional, angst-filled romance about healing, fear, love, and two people who kept trying to stay away from each other only to keep finding their way back.
🌸My thoughts...
In simple words?
This book was RAW, BEAUTIFUL, AND CAN WRECK YOU COMPLETELY in the best way possible.
Honestly, this book was just the book for me.
The angst.
The chemistry.
The plot.
The characters.
Literally everything about it.
I was hooked from the very first page until the very last.
I went into this book with absolutely no expectations. The cover was cute, the blurb immediately caught my attention, and before I knew it I was completely obsessed.
And honestly?
This is pure 5-star behavior and I absolutely need to yap about it.
💞 What Made Me Swoon
The chemistry between Nox and Clara was absolutely INSANE.
I was INVESTED.
This story follows Nox, a professional swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and college student, and Clara, an aspiring marine biologist trying to navigate college while carrying fears of her own.
Their first meeting was unexpected but honestly exactly what needed to happen.
After Clara is accidentally pushed into the water despite her deep fear and trauma surrounding swimming, Nox jumps in and pulls her out.
Sweet, right?
Wrong.
Because these two immediately start off on the wrong foot.
The taunts.
The banter.
The pranks.
Every interaction somehow made their chemistry stronger.
They kept insisting they couldn't stand each other while simultaneously acting like magnets that couldn't stay apart.
And Nox?
Oh, this man had me LOSING MY MIND.
He keeps calling Clara a distraction.
A distraction to his swimming.
A distraction to his goals.
A distraction to his future.
And yet somehow every single path he takes leads directly back to her.
Sir.
Be serious.
At some point his entire operating system switched from swimming to Clara because tell me why this man couldn't think about anything else.
The YEARNING?
Absolutely criminal.
The angst?
Had me physically unwell.
I genuinely felt pain reading some scenes but also couldn't stop turning the pages.
The way he was always there for her.
The way he quietly showed up even when she thought she was completely alone.
Honestly it was giving:
"Summon Nox and he shall appear."
Because apparently if someone distracts you from your career, you're supposed to follow them around like a lost puppy.
Who knew?
🌹 Clara, My Girl
All Clara wanted was to get through college, overcome her fear of water, and move forward with her life.
Instead she somehow found the friends she deserved and the man who completely turned her world upside down.
I absolutely adored her character.
She made me laugh.
She made me emotional.
She made me want to jump into the pages and hug her.
The way she slowly evolved throughout the story was beautiful to watch.
Her growth felt natural.
Real.
Earned.
And honestly?
She was hilarious.
The amount of times she called Nox arrogant and insufferable only to immediately start looking for him afterwards had me cracking up.
Like girl...
Please.
The call is coming from inside the house.
At some point both of them were saying one thing while doing the exact opposite and honestly?
That's so them coded.
💔 What Stayed With Me
The emotional vulnerability.
That's what stayed with me the most.
Nothing felt polished.
Nothing felt perfect.
It felt messy.
Raw.
Painful.
Honest.
The emotions weren't neatly packaged.
The characters made mistakes.
They struggled.
They hurt.
They healed.
And that made everything feel so much more real.
I absolutely adored the friendship dynamics and the found family aspect of this book too.
Every single side character somehow found a way into my heart.
And now?
I desperately need all of their stories because I already know I'm going to devour every single one of them.
Also can we talk about how badly I wanted to wrap Nox and Clara in a blanket and protect them from everything?
My babies 😭❤️
🌙 A Final Thought
This book reminded me why I love romance so much.
The chemistry was incredible.
The angst was painful in the best way.
The emotional moments hit hard.
The character growth was beautiful.
And the love story felt genuine from beginning to end.
My only complaint?
I desperately wish we had Nox's POV because I just know I would've eaten that up.
No crumbs left.
Overall, this book completely stole my heart.
It broke me.
Put me back together.
And then left me staring at a wall wondering what to do with my life afterwards.
An absolute 5-star read and one I won't be forgetting anytime soon.
🩷enemies to lovers
🩷college sports romance
🩷woman in STEM
🩷forced proximity
🩷Angsty slow burn
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