Becoming Us (Us Duet Book 2)

*This review contains spoilers* Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 Stars will never be enough) Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Noah Rossi and Atticus King have lived in my head, rent free, since the moment I began Echoes of Us nearly 10 months ago. And this is the perfect conclusion to their love story. Seeing them become exactly who they’re meant to be, both together and separately, is worth the journey of pain and anguish that Alex takes us on. Oh, Noah. My sweet, sweet Noah. You deserved better. You deserved so much more. I’m so glad you found the other half of your soul in Atty. You deserve only love and a safe place to land when the pain becomes too much to bear. Atty has given Noah exactly what Noah’s younger self needed: the support he longed for, the space to be himself, the strength to grow and figure out who he is and what his dreams are. And, in turn, watching Noah overcome his self-hatred and self-destructive behaviors, seeing him learn to love himself and accept the love he never thought he deserved, is beautiful beyond words. Noah’s growth is breathtaking. Literally. I often found myself holding my breath as he found his footing and overcame his darkness. It’s a slow growth, it’s painful, but it’s worth it. He learns to fight for himself and trust his choices, after a lifetime of being told that he was too much, too needy, too weak, too emotional. Noah embraces those emotions and finds the strength he always longed for, both in himself and in Atty’s love for him. The way Alex…

“When I got out of rehab, I needed something to remind me of why I was doing this. Why I wanted to change and get better. A really big reason that was strong enough to outshine everything else. And that was you. Your love. I wanted to become the kind of person who deserved it. Deserved you. Deserved a home, a life, a family. Even if I didn’t get you back, that was the version of myself I wanted to fight for.” I have no words. This was heartbreaking beautiful - it ripped my heart open and then stitched it back together slowly but surely. There is so much pain in this book but it’s shown tenderly - and the healing is organic.. through therapy, found family, sobriety and love. This story was stunning. Echoes was heartbreak - Becoming is healing. Becoming Us is written from Noah’s POV in a dual timeline - before and after. Noah is a recovering addict and suffers from depression and anxiety. He hasn’t had an easy life and this book shows exactly what he lived through that led to his drug and alcohol problem. His internal monologues were making me SOB. My heart shattered for him and all I wanted to do was hug him and tell him he would be okay.. that he was strong and loved and important. His pain and grief were written is such an emotional way that I felt like I could feel his feelings myself; like I could experience them. And while this book for primarily in Noah’s POV, we saw how Atty never gave up on him and how Atty was a strong pillar for Noah. We saw Noah’s POV compared…

Becoming Us is the 2nd book in this duet By Alex Cross. I absolutely loved Becoming Us. Echoes of Us broke me but this book right Here healed me. Having Noah’s POV was so So important & so glad we got it. This duet showed That with some time, boundaries , understanding,& Healing .. second chances are possible. Growth is possible. Recovery is possible 🫶🏼

I had a feeling this book would break me even worse than Echoes of Us. I wasn’t wrong. Being in Noah’s mind, seeing his struggles, experiencing his life, was the most heartbreaking thing ever. I cried multiple times. Not just in sadness but also in joy. Those painful, gut wrenching moments made the sweet moments all the more special. To see the growth of Noah, how he worked so hard to change was so rewarding. I just wanted to wrap him in my arms and keep him safe. As with the first book, I loved the dual time lines. It softened the pain from the “before” and let me feel the hope that came with the “after”. The entire epilogue was one of the most beautiful things I’ve read. I had tears in my eyes and such a full heart. Those two men deserved every single magical moment they had. I’d give this Duet more stars if I could. I absolutely loved it.

✨ARC Review✨ ⭐️ 5/5 🌶️ 3/5 Main Characters: Atticus & Noah Side Characters: Holly, Ezra, & Colin Honorable Mention Side Characters: Paxton, Jaden, & Brice Single POV told from Noah’s perspective. Dual prequel/sequel timelines. This is such a beautiful follow up to Echoes of Us, which I loved dearly. I love Atty and Noah so much. Their fierce love for each other is so raw and inspiring. At its heart this is a story about healing. Noah and Atty healing their relationship, and Noah healing from all the trauma of his past. One of the things I love most about this book is the growth they experience in how they communicate with each other. Noah and Atty have many deep, heartfelt, and honest conversations throughout the book which are beautiful to witness and deeply emotional and really give us insight into how their dynamic is evolving and maturing as they move forward. I absolutely love it when an author peels back the curtain and allows us to see this type of intimacy between characters. And in the end, everything wraps up so perfectly for them. A beautiful duet, and two of my favorite reads this year!