If you thought Him was going to floor you, just wait until you read “Us”. The story of Jamie and Wes continues as Wes settle into his NHL career and Jamie finds his place in Toronto as a Junior League coach. Moving forward from Him, we are aware that Jamie and Wes have to hid their relationship. There are no openly gay hockey players in the NHL and for the sake of his career, Wes isn’t ready to be the first until he has proven himself to his team. Jamie completely understands this until the reality of the situation starts to have an emotional impact. Becoming more and more isolated in his new environment, unhappy with the progress of his team, and dealing with Wes’s schedule – the ever calm and free spirited Jamie finds himself becoming more and more down about his predicament. He tries his hardest to be understanding and not hold it against Wes, he knows the score but that doesn’t make it any easier. Things go from bad to worse when Jamie falls ill – creating a domino effect that explodes with their secret being revealed. The problem – be careful what you wish for. Now that the world knows, can Jamie and Wes handle the wave coming their way or will this end before it truly had a chance to begin?

Like Him, this books is thought provoking, deep, sad, and consuming. In Him, we focused on Wes’s struggle with his unrequited love for Jamie and Jamie trying to understand his new feelings for Wes. In Us, we finally to get to see these two together but we also get a reality check of what life will be like for an up and coming Rookie hiding his sexuality. I applaud Jamie for trying so hard to understand and make it work but it also shows how our best intentions can be our undoing. He was so determined to give Wes what he needed that he kept suppressing his own thoughts and feelings. He quickly learned that emotions refuse to be ignored, slowly poisoning the world around him. Bowen and Kennedy also point out how communication plays such an important role in any relationship. With two people walking such a tightrope – neither one wanted to throw their fragile relationship off balance. Jamie’s illness wouldn’t have been the Molotov cocktail it was to their relationship if he had just taken Jess’s advice and talked to Wes.

While this book is insanely deep, it is also absolutely hilarious! As I said, Bowen was front and center and while I have no idea if she was behind Blake Riley, having read her other books – he felt all her! Blake is the comic relief throughout the story so we don’t find ourselves falling into despair along with Jamie. He is also the glue that holds “Wesmie” together through the toughest times. With the personality of Chris Farley, he is so much that you can’t help but love the guy! 

Like Him, Bowen and Kennedy brings the sugar, spice, and everything nice back again. Even though they do write the novella Epic that takes place after Us and Good Boy (Blake and Jess’s story), they make sure to wrap up Jamie and Wes’s story with the perfect bow. You can’t help but fall in love with these two even more! Bowen and Kennedy do use Good Boy to give Wes and Jamie their final send off so don’t worry, you don’t have to say goodbye to them just yet.