What About Us

5-blueberry-pie covered stars! Review by Angelique Late Night Reviewer Up All Night w/ Books Blog There is nothing subtle or apologetic about Alex and Helen's story. Sidney Halston manages to capture everything from love to hate and everything in between in the 4th installment of the Panic series, What About us. The night of my eighteenth birthday. The night of first kisses and broken dreams. The night i was completely alone as my life turned upside down. Parting ways at a young age, during what was supposed to be a magical and happy day, things were never quite the same for either Helen or Alex. We meet strong-willed Helen who survived when the world was unkind and lonely and we learn how she got to where she is today. Alex, living with resentment about how things turned out for him, stumbles upon a familiar face in the last place he thought he would. Their lives are significantly different and things are never quite what they appear. As the two work around the proverbial elephant in the room, they find themselves following a path that neither ever thought was possible. It's both sad and happy and it sometimes takes just a nudge to push you where you need to be.

With each book from this series I’ve thought, “That was my favorite.” But truly, What About Us is definitely one to beat the others and the reasons are Helen and Alex. They are both so unique and completely developed that I felt like I had known them my whole life. Helen is sassy and quirky but man can she tell you like it is. She doesn’t take any bull from Alex and let me tell you, he tosses a lot of it her way. With a tough outer shell, inside she’s really all marshmallowy soft despite the past years that have made her walk through fire. I loved her complete dedication to remaining the woman her trials had made her even when Alex is able to give her back the life she once had. She wasn’t going to take the easy way out by relying on him financially. That’s kind of my catnip. Alex doesn’t like loud groups of people and he struggles to communicate his feelings...all the time. When he does speak he pretty much tells it like it is and in the process projects a real a holery vibe to the one he’s talking to, mainly Helen. But man, when he finally finds it within himself to open up he doesn’t go second rate. I loved watching him react to Helen and then fall in love with her. She was all he needed and sometimes his needs meant taking care of her in ways she didn’t want to accept. I loved every moment of it. This is a fast paced enemies to lovers romance that knocked my socks off with its heat and intensity between these characters. They argued, they sexed it up and they developed a relationship with so much feeling it permeated every page, every word. Despite being part of a series, this can definitely be read as a standalone and it gives a wonderful epilogue that was absolute perfection. I hated to see this couple’s story come to an official close. I highly recommend this to any and everyone! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and Loveswept. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have loved every book in this series and What About Us is no exception! Helen and Alex were childhood friends until tragedy tore them apart and sent them on completely different paths. Alex grew up to be a successful businessman while Helen was just getting by on minimum wage. When Alex shows up at Duality and sees Helen there, it's like the past becomes irrelevant and he can't leave her there. But their issues are bigger than one finding success and the other struggling to make ends meet. There were quite a few times in this book that I thought that the problems between Alex and Helen were so big they were insurmountable. The fighting, the hate, the distrust, the resentment were so palpable I could feel it through every word. This book had me glued to the screen all day hoping that these two would be able to find their way back to each other. This series is one of my favorites. I am keeping my fingers crossed for Iggy to get his HEA too so I can learn about all of that man's mysteries!! *This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy*