I absolutely loved Build Me Up, it was the perfect slow burn, small town, found family romance and I absolutely love golden retriever MMC's, I loved Whitney and Wyatt's chemisty and how they both had been through traumatic childhoods and how they were healing from their traumas and had a close support group of found family. It was the perfect read and very emotional but one i will always recommend as it was just perfect in every way

This is a really wholesome book.

Whitney has had it bad with her mother and ex boyfriend abusing her and finally finds the courage to leave and set up a new life with her friends where she meets Wyatt.

Wyatt has also suffered in his past so can help Whitney move on with her life.

They each rebuild each other's lives and build the courage, and confidence to move on.

They each light up each other's life.
And the HEA they have after everything they have gone through was well deserved.

DNF
So i wanted to love this book. It has a pretty cover, it sounds like a good book.
Unfortunately it wasnt for me.
To me it didn't seem well written. It felt very rushed in every aspect, trying to fit a lot of information in the first 14% (where i DNF'd). It would have been nicer to read if it would slow down a bit, adding more descriptive parts, etc. Now this does not mean the story does not have potential, but i just could not keep reading. It felt too much like i was reading wattpad books again back when i was 12.

I feel really bad for giving this review but thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

This book covers some hard hitting themes such as childhood abuse, domestic violence, childhood trauma and addiction so please check your trigger warnings before reading this book. I felt the author has covered these topics well without dwelling on them too much, instead we see the FMC, Whitney, working had to put her past behind her and move forward with her life, finally releasing the demons that have held her back. MMC, Wyatt, has already done a lot of this work before he meets Whitney but this allows him to support her more easily than someone who hasn't had similar experiences.

Wyatt and Whitney are really cute together but I felt like a lot of the dialogue was cheesy and didn't flow naturally - this is what knocked it down to a three star book for me.

I loved the idea of found family and that just because someone is a blood relation, doesn't mean you owe them anything. People are toxic and it's perfectly fine to cut those people from your life and replace them with people who love and care about you without feeling guilty. The only person who should feel guilty is the toxic person for their behaviour!

I loved that Whitney had some incredible people in her life that we able to pull her away from the abusive relationships she was involved in and that Wyatt took his time to get to know her and show her he could trust him completely.

I think I would have liked to have seen a little more suspense in the story. I thought at one point that her ex-boyfriend was going to turn up at her new apartment and then Wyatt would rush in to save her, but that never happened and it was a little disappointing.

Overall it was a cute story and a quick read. It's a standalone in a series so there is no need to read the first book about Ellie and Scott. They both feature heavily in this story and it also covers their backstory quickly as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Make sure to read the trigger warning before starting this one!

“I’m going to unbreak you. I’m going to build you up”

Wow! I have no words for how emotional and beautiful this story was. Whitney and Wyatt their past is so heartbreaking and I’m glad that they found each other. I loved this story so much, it was so heartwarming and I’m a sucker for books with the found family trope in it. This book was just perfect! I read it in 1 day and can’t wait to read more books by this author.

This was just such a sweet book and I loved it so much. I stayed up late last night finishing it because I was so obsessed.

Wyatt and Whitney were adorable and so perfect for each other. The book starts out rough with Whitney being in a bad situation. Her friends do their best to get her out so that she can finally be free and live her life. This is when she meets Wyatt.

Wyatt also had a rough childhood so he understands a little bit of what Whitney has gone through. He meets her and thinks she is the prettiest girl he’s ever seen. Their mutual friends told him about her so he knows that he has to tread lightly. Wyatt has a feeling that she’s the girl for him so he will take things as slowly as he needs to.

Whitney starts going to therapy and is just figuring out her life in general. It’s something she was never able to do before. Wyatt is something that she was never expecting but in the best way. She doesn’t even want to like him at first because she doesn’t fully know what to do with that.

Whitney is obviously very cautious about getting to know Wyatt but he is actually the best guy. He is always doing the sweetest things for her and making my heart melt. I love that on her first date he just wanted to buy he whatever book she wanted.

It was nice to see her grow throughout the book and learn who she is. Whit was able to see that she does deserve love and all of the good in the world. Wyatt was always right by her side showing her that he was never going to leave. The fact that the only time she slept through the night was when she was with him just does something to me.

The found family in the book was also super cute and I loved it.

I received an arc through netgalley.

TW: parental abuse, talk of SA(in past)

This was such a beautiful story of overcoming abuse. Whitney was able to change the course of her life and find healing and love! My favorite stories! I also love small town romances! Wyatt was patient and I loved his love for Whitney! 4 stars! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

First of all I want to thank NetGalley for accepting my request for this book! And I want to thank the author for writing such an amazing book🥹⭐️🎀

This book was like a huge comforting hug, I loved this book and I don't think I can describe the feeling of comfort and pure love that this incredible book gives us as we read it.
My heart literally broke to know how painful Whitney and Wyatt's childhood was, however it is incredible to see how even going through a childhood of those they managed to overcome. Both deserve so much love and I felt so happy to read that both found a safe place in each other and that in a way they helped to heal things that none of them had caused. This book is just wonderful and deserves an opportunity, so I highly recommend it🫶🏼
Honestly for me this book deserves much more than five stars🥹⭐️

I absolutely loved this book! It was so heart warming and the main characters were so sweet and I loved reading about them!

* check trigger warnings before reading this book*
I loved this book! I’m so happy that Whitney got her happy ever after with Wyatt. They are so good together! The healing that both main characters had during this book was very emotional for me.
“I am going to unbreak you, I am going to build you up”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️/5

*found family
*no 3rd act breakup
*trauma healing
*dual pov
*slow burn
*small town

Whitney is desperate to get away from her mother and start afresh. When she meets Wyatt, he is unlike the men in her past. He is gentle and kind and will do everything that he can to build her up. However, Wyatt also has a past. As they spend more time together, healing their broken pieces, Whitney realizes that Wyatt might just be the happily ever after she never thought she deserved.
Whilst the violence can be quite confronting, I found that this story rose above the sadness of the trauma faced by both Whitney and Wyatt. It showcased how a couple could rise above their abusive background to start a different pathway. This book is made all the better with the support given by Whitney’s friends who shower her with attention and love. Overall, this story shows how the care and love of a partner can rise another above their pain.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

oh?my?god? this was actually so good??? Took me a little to get into the swing of things but it was a very solid romance. I came into this one blind and didn't know there was a first in the series, but after finishing this one, I'm very much going to start the first book. Something about a found family...yeah...yeah. very excited to read more by Caitlin!