A review by allingoodtime
Make Me by Tessa Bailey

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Man, I love Russell. That’s not to say he’s perfect, because he’s not. Yet for me, Russell’s cons make his pros so much more special. Abby is also a fantastic character, but these two do not know how to ask for help. Or to even express they may need help.

Abby is working herself to death because she has always felt that she cannot make waves in her family. If she makes waves, people leave. If she expresses anything other than contentment with her lot in life, she is punished with silence. Now she is the only one holding her family’s business together and she doesn’t feel as if she can share her stress. Not that her friends can do her job, but they could be a support for her. In many ways, Russell is the same. More because his buddies are well off and Abby grew up rich so, because of things that happened in his past, he feels less than. Of course, none of them look at him that way. But he never brings up his company, his plans for his company, or even his life growing up before they all met.

From the moment Abby and Russell met he has been obsessed. I love his possessiveness with her, but I know some people don’t like that. He can go from a caring teddy bear to a dominant jerk when it comes to Abby’s safety. But he’s the type of guy who will remember if she mentions her pastry in passing or who notices how she drinks her coffee and he will be sure to use that information to get her to smile when she’s down. He has a secret nickname for her that he adorably tries to pass off as no big deal when Abby first hears him call her the name. But as sweet and protective Russell is with Abby, he keeps pushing her away.

That is where the story didn’t work for me. I understood on a certain level Russell’s need to keep Abby at arm’s length, but he really wasn’t fair to her when he would get overwhelmed with his desires and get her hopes up. It’s his insecurities that cause the rift, but she doesn’t know that and it’s heartbreaking.

Of course, I was still rooting for them and I love the yearning and the makeup at the end of this book. It was a great wrap-up to this series. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings