Things You Weren't Supposed to See: An Emotional College Slow-Burn Romance

by Tori McKay

They’re mirrors.
They’re opposites.
They represent what the other fears.
Yet, they can’t stay away.

Starting at Hollydene University was supposed to be a fresh start for Kaida a new city, new classes, and a chance to quiet the never-ending noise inside her head. Living with OCD means her thoughts are intrusive, her rituals are exhausting, and her vulnerability is terrifying. So, Kaida keeps everything locked away in her journal, which no one else is meant to read... until she drops it.

Silas Campbell is the last person Kaida expects to find holding her secrets. He is the campus golden boy with a lacrosse scholarship, an effortless smile and a mask perfectly in place. Silas is used to being seen as untouchable. What no one sees are the things he’s learned the hard way. The horrifying truth that pain doesn’t always look like pain.

As late-night conversations blur into something deeper, Kaida finds herself torn between a familiar, unhealthy relationship and the steady presence of someone who stays. But when the walls they built finally crack and trust shatters, she and Silas must decide whether love can survive being truly seen.

Because of its mature themes, this novel is recommended for readers 16+

Genres: Romance, Mental Health, Contemporary Romance, Forced Proximity

382 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2026

Reviews

[catherine.therese · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars ⭐️

this was a cute slow burn read with very good OCD representation and accurate mental health representation!! i’ll be reading whatever comes next in this series

[Mecayla Jansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I genuinely loved this book so much. The grumpy x sunshine trope was done perfectly—Silas being completely in love with her from the moment he saw her had me hooked immediately. It was just so good.

I’m already obsessed with the potential between Joce and Theo—I can totally see something special building there 👀

The mental health representation in this book was handled so thoughtfully, especially the OCD rep—it felt authentic, respectful, and really well done, which I appreciated so much. And the slow burn?? Absolutely worth it. Watching the relationship between Kaida and the rest of the characters develop was one of my favourite parts.

Huge congrats on your debut, Tori McKay—this was such a strong first book, and I can’t wait to see what you write next 💗

Definitely check out this book if you love stories with a strong, meaningful portrayal of mental health.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first romance book I’ve read where the OCD is depicted so accurately! Such a raw and real portrayal that made me feel so seen. The slow burn was intense, and I kept waiting for Silas and Kai to finally admit their feelings, and when it finally happened it was so sweet and so them!

[Lyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Silas so much and I was so scared for him at the ending because I thought he wouldn't get forgiven. I can't wait to find out more about Liliana.

[Amy Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75 stars !!

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ending was rushed but the burn was slow so so good!!

[Ebony · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really sweet love Silas, he’s such a little cutie, really easy to read.

[Aliceee!! (redoing reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aw!!!

[angreads.111 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap…. I loved this book SO much. First of all congratulations to Tori on her debut novel! It was BEAUTIFUL!

This is a slowwwwww burn no spice book. The first no spice romance I’ve ever read. It was filled with so much heartache and cute moments that I didn’t even miss the spice. I totally could have read another 150 pages of Silas and Kaida <3 Kaida feeling like she’s consumed by her own thoughts is so relatable to me. I highlighted so many things because I just felt seen when reading about Kaidas struggles. There are some deep self harm scenes in this book so please be aware. I will say those were some of the most emotional moments for me as I related to them.

How on earth did Tori make me fall inlove with Silas and Kaida AND hbe excited for every single side characters stories, all in like 375 pages?! Not only was the relationship between the FMC and MMC so heartwarming but the friend group over all was so good. I need more scenes with Kaida and Ev and Kaida and Theo!!! So cute. I love Kaidas relationship with her sister and the relationship between Silas, Joce and Ev!!

This is an on campus college romance. Kaida gives black cat energy and Silas is her Golden Retriever 😭 MY FAV. He’s protective, and respectful. Most of the mental health is focused on Kaida but there are things that make you realize that Silas suffers too just not in the way we would think.

I cannot wait for this book to release officially so I can have a physical copy on my shelf. I’m also SO excited for the rest of the Hollydene U books. You NEED to read this book!! I’ve been in a reading slump all of March this is literally my first 5 star read this month.

If you’re looking for a found family, emotionally heart-wrenching but also heartwarming college romance, THIS IS IT! Her debut novel was this good I cannot imagine how the rest of the series will be! It’s officially on my most anticipated reads because now I need to know what happens with Ev, Liliana, Joce and Theo. And you know what I hope Nat gets a story too because I feel like there’s got to be more to Nats story. Ahh such a good book 😭❤️

[Jessie’s Reads✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release date: May 5th 2026

I was lucky enough to get an ARC read of “Things You Weren’t Supposed to See by Tori McKay HER DEBUT NOVEL and let me tell you…

I have no thoughts. THIS BOOK HAS ALTERED MY BRAIN CHEMISTRY. I am in love with Silas and Kaida, the friendship they shared and the banter between them 😫 before they EVEN decided to be friends I CAN’T. The writing was incredible to say the least and the representation of OCD and the struggle that comes with it was depicted so perfectly it tore me apart.

Don’t even get me started on the found family. The way everyone is there for each other without words even needing to be said. They can stay in complete silence and have an entire conversation through thoughts and emotions. Solely relying on their presence alone. This is friendship I pray for!!

I cannot wait to learn more about EVERY single character and get their story because at this point it is a need.

If you are looking for a very emotional dual POV story with slow burn, OCD, PTSD and trauma rep, found family, forced proximity, uni sports romance this book is FOR you.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone looking for the feeling you get when you read about Boys of Tommen by Chloe Walsh. This book had the ability to put me back into that kind of world and I couldn’t have asked for a better place to be. Thank you Tori and CONGRATULATIONS on your first novel! Can’t wait to stick by you as you continue to amaze me with your writing!!!

Mini Blurb:
This story follows Kaida at Hollydene University, hoping distance will quiet the intrusive thoughts that come with her OCD. She keeps her struggles hidden, pouring everything into a journal no one is meant to see. Silas is the school’s golden boy, a lacrosse star who seems untouchable, but beneath his carefully crafted image are wounds no one notices. When he stumbles upon Kaida’s private thoughts, their lives unexpectedly intertwine. Kaida is caught between the pull of a toxic past and the comfort of someone who chooses to stay. Will love endure when everything is out in the open?

[Jasmine.readsromance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of advanced reader copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Fav quote:
“Suddenly, I felt too close to him, too exposed.
I needed to leave. But then he looked up at me, his eyes filled with sorrow, and whispered,”I don’t want to be your villain.”


First I wanna thank the author for giving me an advance copy, I am so glad i get to do this and support small author! I really believe you will become big very quickly!

The book is amazing! I have no words so Im gonna have to do my best to express how much i ADORE this book.

I have never read a book so well written, and even my fav authors can’t compare (im not joking😭).

First, the characters. Every, and when i say EVERY character has a story with a depth that can only represent real life, because let’s face it, life is not all fun, and everyone has something going on and a story that made them who they are. Silas would do anything to protect Kaida because he can’t forgive himself. Lilianne is ready to step up as soon as Kaïda needs her to. She was a real badass, but still had a soft and vulnerable spot. Kaïda is lucky enough to have friends and family always there for her, and she is NEVER alone in her darkest moments.

The OCD representation is amazing. I don’t know anyone that has it, but this made me understand that it is not just obsessive cleaning and germophobia. I love when authors represent issues as they are, because I can learn about it, because like Silas said, it is nothing like the articles.

The tropes are so well executed! The enemies to lovers, that is not just “oh they are rivals and they flirt from the start”. Kaida really hates him. And don’t get me started on the grumpy x sunshine trope.

Anyways sorry for the long review but this book is a MUST READ!


Tropes:
Sunshine x grumpy
Forced proximity
Enemies/rivals to lovers
MMC sportplayer
“He was sunshine I was midnight rain” kinda vibe

[maddy]

ARC REVIEW:)

this was such an emotional read and i really did enjoy it 🥹 Kaida’s struggles with OCD felt so raw and vulnerable and you could tell a lot of care went into writing her mental health journey. there were so many moments where my heart was genuinely hurting for her.

Silas was SUCH a sweet love interest and i loved how supportive and patient he was with Kaida. watching their relationship develop was so freaking cute and i was rooting for them the whole time. i also loved that Silas had his own emotional depth and struggles instead of just being there to “save” her.

the storyline with his twin sister added another really emotional layer to the book too and made everything feel even more impactful.

there were a few moments where i wanted certain scenes/chapters to be a little more fleshed out because i felt like some things moved on a bit quicker than i wanted them to, BUT overall the emotional side of this story kept me invested and made me want to keep reading.

overall this was a heartfelt college romance with emotional mental health rep, sweet slow burn romance, and characters i really enjoyed following 💗 congrats to Tori McKay on your debut novel 🥹🫶🏻

so excited to see what comes next x

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book quite literally had me on a chokehold. The trope grumpy x sunshine was shown in such a meaningful way, also they way Slias knew it was love at first sight and remembered things Kaida said she loved was just so adorable.

The slow burn was so necessary in order to show to true effects of how Kaida had to deal with mental health and how Silas led her through the darkness. The mental health representation for OCD was demonstrated so well by expanding on the darker themes rather than the common symptoms that are overlooked.

The character development throughout the book was just so amazing and adorable (including Liliana and Everett, I also sensed some of Jose and Theo??). The way Silas always knew and slowly hinted to Kaida was everything I needed.

Congratulations Tori McKay on writing your first book. The book was amazingly written, and for this to be your debut I am so grateful to have been an ARC reader and I am more than thrilled to see what happens for you in the future!! ❤️

I would 10/10 recommendations reading “Things You Weren’t Meant To See” as everything shown is demonstrated in the best way possible.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Congratulations to Tori McKay on an impressive debut! Things You Weren’t Supposed To See is a solid 4-star read!

If you’re craving a slow-burn college sports romance with "behind closed doors" heat and meaningful mental health representation, add this to your TBR.

The story follows Kaida and Silas, dorm neighbors whose journey begins with an "enemies to lovers" spark that beautifully evolves into "friends to lovers."

The OCD representation for Kaida was perfectly executed, it’s a central part of her journey and handled with such care. Silas is the ultimate golden retriever MMC; despite his own trauma, he is incredibly patient and soft with Kaida, even when she tries to push him away. Swoon 🥹

Seeing Kaida’s character development as she learns to trust and build a "found family" in college was so heartwarming 🫰🏽

Tropes:
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ Slow Burn
✨ Found Family
✨ Mental Health Rep
✨ Sports Romance

[Afeen Khokhar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading The Thing You Weren’t Supposed to See by Tori McKay and I need to say this—I absolutely LOVED your book.

Silas?? Easily my favorite. The things he did, the way he carried himself… I was completely sold on him. And Miles… wow. You made me switch up on him SO fast it actually shocked me. I’m not even exaggerating when I say I hate him with all my life 😭

Your book made me feel everything—like actually everything. And that’s so rare, especially from a newer author. The emotions felt so real and intense, and I was fully invested the entire time.

I also really loved your writing style. It flowed so naturally and made everything hit even harder. And Kai? So relatable. I saw parts of myself in her, which made the story even more personal.

I genuinely cannot wait for the next books. If this is just the beginning, I already know the rest are going to be amazing.

[allyb3lle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good! I love a debut novel for an author. &&&&& I loveee a Canadian local based book! Loved reading all the details of hometown Canada. Super cute loved that!

For the actual book, I thought the depiction of OCD had some gaps. I felt like the Kaida described her OCD to be an all consuming disorder that took up every fold of her brain, but when push came to shove she lived a pretty normal life. It seemed like OCD was sprinkled to add depth not to portray what living with the illness does to a person.

Silas lacked some depth. Fell into the cliche of the mmc being nothing but in love with the fmc which is fine! But that made his chapters a bit dull and repetitive.

Overall I enjoyed the book, it was a nice, easy read. Definitely had an intense moment, that was dealt with in an odd manner but other than that it was good.

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was literally everything, Silas and Kaida were everything.
Everything about this book was so well written, I didn’t want to put it down, it brought me out of my biggest reading slump yet.
I love how OCD is explained and portrayed here, it truly makes you understand what it feels like, when you look at it from kaida’s point of view.
I’ve been waiting for this book for a while and it truly did not disappoint, it was everything I wanted it to be starting from the character to the plot!!!
I also want to congratulate Tori McKay for a successful debut!! (Pls write more books for me to read, you definitely have a spot in my favorite authors now💞💞💞)

Definitely recommend this book to everyone who loves slow burn and grumpyXsunshine tropes.

[biancaisreading · Rating 2 out of 5]

“They tell you if you don’t comply, you’ll die. Your friends will die. The house will burn down. You’ll be the reason the worlds ends. And so you count. You check. You scrub. You harm. You obey. Because the shooter convinces you that no one survives them. They call you crazy, dramatic, superstitious.” I admit, this is yet another romance with the same plot and type of protagonists, but I have to say I really appreciated the central theme of this novel, the OCD. I liked how it was talked about and how the fc explain what she felts living with this disturb. By the way, this was a very fast page turner and I would recommend it if you want something easy to read but that can, at the same time, improve your knowledge about a disturb that is not talked about enough.

[Haley · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️ snooze for me sorry. It was very YA and not dynamic at all. I wasn’t a fan of the authors writing style nor the plot really. There was potential but it didn’t live up to my imagination.

Kaida is an incoming college freshman with OCD and Silas is also a freshman (lacrosse player) moving in across the hall from her. Kaida has trauma with lacrosse players for spreading nudes of her in HS and just so happens to be Silas’s playing number #34??? (That was hardly touched on). But he finds her journal and then befriends her and basically falls so deeply in love with her and tries to be there for her during every episode she has and also her break up. He’s very patient (props king) so veryyyyyy slow burn. Like kiss in the last chapter slow burn lmfao.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was SO interesting. We have some OCD rep in this ‘college sports romance’ (there is almost 0 sports rep)

FMC Kaida doesn’t trust boys in jerseys, has OCD, and a VERY attached boyfriend.
MMC Silas is scared of not seeing what's right in front of him again after “The Day”. Immediately, he sees Kaida as his second chance. Oh and he’s a boy in a jersey.

There’s some weird icks here and some pretty great wins. I absolutely got trapped by an Instagram Reel that showed me one scene in this book and I was sold. I do think this is a series of really monumental scenes with a lot of things in between that dont really calculate.

[Jane Ravenscroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much and I feel really privileged that I got to read it before its release day! It's a collage romance in the best sense with flawed and troubled characters who feel so real and relatable that you're just rooting for them to get their happy end. The story gripped me from the start and I read it through in two days because I just couldn't put it down. I have a soft spot for traumatised characters...
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a slow burn done really well and loves emotional drama as much as I do!

[tialiketheriver · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 but we are rounding up today 🫡

5 steps forward and then 200 steps back throughout most of this book..however i fear i ate it up an unexpected amount! i love my couples bickering and i love it even more when its the fmc antagonising the mmc (peak) my type of read 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ i spent my whole time reading this just rooting for the mmc (i’ve seen the name jersey boy so many times i cant actually remember his name forgive me) but definitely worth the read if ur into the close proximity trope! also the gilmore girls sleepovers? team jess? #MadeForMe

[୨୧ Kennedy ୨୧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️3
I was loving this book and its story and powerful representation but i’m just not a fan of the whole lowkey cheating near the beginning even if her boyfriend was an asshole that deserved execution. I got over that though so i don’t really care. It was quite good and interesting near the beginning well for most of the book actually and then in the last like 20% it just lost me and took me ages to read. But yeah overall it was an alright but nothing life changing. great for a debut novel though!

[Darlene McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so captivating I could not put it down. The characters are brilliantly portrayed, the silent additional shadow characters of the mental struggles of the protagonist (and her love interest) bring clarity and understanding to a complex generation and the hurdles they face. I loved reading it so much! The metaphors and similes were so subtle and yet crafted such an elegant and heart warming story. I look forward to the amazing works this author will produce - it is unfathomable she did this on her own at her age!!

[Nitya Adhikary · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY MOLY GUACAMOLE this book is a freaking 6 start read it made we sob and giggle cry and smile words cannot describe how good this was!

I absolutely loved the OCD two with Kaida my maybe. the mental health rep was down so good and so was Silas’s PTSD I cried for both of them.

The romance was also sooo well done the moment he called her sunshine I was in love with Silas I actually might love him more then Kaida.

Anyways I’m the end this book is one of my favs and I will read every other book that Tori McKay with right ahhhh I loved it

[Isabella Dall'Osto · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Such a good book! Silas was just so sweet but I do think his story was brushed over a lot it didn’t really go into detail. I would say the same with kaida as well, especially in the beginning her OCD was only lightly mentioned. With this, it never arose in the day to day scenes, only when she would spiral a lot and have a breakdown. So I almost wish it talked about I more. Both character were super sweet though and probably the longest slow burn of slow burns

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, that was everything that I wanted from a romance book. Chef’s kiss 🤌🏻 No spice and it’s not just pure romance. The characters all have their own struggles, there’s friendship, found family and realistic university life. I felt like I was in dorm 221 watching gilmore girls with kai and liliana. The ending could have been better but overall I really enjoyed this read. It was a perfect debut novel and I’m excited for what’s to come next.

[Ella-Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start of by saying I did not expect this book to be THIS GOOD! I was expecting this to be a really cliché, trope-y book about mental health but I was so far off. I connected with almost every character and I loved the writing style and the whole story so much! I can't wait to read more from this author

[amelia x · Rating 5 out of 5]

another emotionally destroying book😩😩😩😩😩 it was perfect the way it was written you could tell was with pure compassion and love and everything was described so well!!!! I absolutely adored kaida and Silas’s story it was so beautiful and raw and sad it was everything 🥹🥹🥹🥹 cannot wait for the rest of the books in this series

[Laur · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a cute story with a raw, nonlinear depiction of mental health. The pacing was slow and then the ending felt rushed. I would have liked to see it linger a bit longer so the characters could sit with the emotions.

It could use another round of edits. There were quite a few typos in the kindle version.