Xander Hendrix was the only person in the world who was kind to me. Not my horrible family, and certainly no one else at school. He was the boy who protected me from bullies and made me feel . . . seen. Now, all these years later, he’s a hockey superstar, back in our hometown of Silver Springs with an injury—and he doesn’t remember me at all.
Let me tell you, that will mess with your head.
But I’ve never forgotten him. I’ve followed his amazing hockey career, cheering him on from afar while dealing with an abusive mother and a soul-crushing workload.
Now I’ve been hired as his physical therapist. Suddenly, my sole job is to spend every day with the tall, sexy athlete, helping him get back in shape to return to the ice and the sport he loves. But this isn’t just about rehab for him. The way he looks at me, takes care of me, and touches me is so much more than a simple working relationship.
When my already fragile life starts to totally fall apart, Xander is there to help me pick up the pieces. He’s the one person I can lean on. Count on. And don’t even get me started on what the man can do to my body.
But when he’s healed and it’s time for him to return to Denver, will what we’ve built be strong enough to keep us together? Or will I have to say goodbye?
(ARC Review)
Ivy and Xander are both just incredibly likeable people, and I think that’s one of the reasons I fell into their story so easily. There wasn’t a point where I had to convince myself to understand either of them. I just got them.
Ivy is hilarious, sassy, and has very little control over whether her inner thoughts become outer thoughts. As a fellow redhead who frequently has to remind herself that not every thought needs to leave her mouth, I understood this woman on a deeply personal level.
I feel like I need a nap, a drink, and a Xanax, all at the same time.
And I LOVE that she busts Xander’s balls every chance she gets. She’s his physical therapist. It’s literally her job to push him, hold him accountable, and make his life slightly miserable until he’s healthy enough to get back on the ice. She takes that responsibility very seriously.
But there is so much hiding underneath all that humor and sass.
Ivy has spent years being mentally and emotionally beaten down by her mother. She’s been made to feel ugly, unwanted, insignificant, and like she will never quite be enough. Those words have become so deeply embedded in the way she sees herself that she doesn’t know how to look in the mirror and see what everyone else does.
Especially Xander.
Because Xander looks at Ivy and sees the exact opposite of everything she’s been taught to believe about herself.
And God, I loved him for that.
“I look like me.”
“Yeah you do. You’re so fucking pretty, Red. All that hair and those big blue eyes. Smooth skin, perfect curves, and fuck. Now I know you have freckles all over your body, and I’m dying to touch them. If you think you’re anything but amazing, you’re wrong.”
Xander has never been in love before, and the realization that he might be falling absolutely terrifies him. His own experiences have taught him that letting women get too close means giving them the opportunity to leave, so keeping relationships at a safe distance has always been easier. Except there is absolutely nothing safe about the way he feels about Ivy.
He can’t stay away from her. He can’t stop taking care of her. And he certainly isn’t going to quietly stand by while this woman he thinks is incredible continues believing she’s anything less.
What I loved most about Xander was that his protectiveness never took away Ivy’s ability to stand on her own two feet. He supports her. He encourages her. He shows up for her. He gives her a safe place to land while still allowing her to fight her own battles. There is something about a man who sees exactly where you’re struggling and quietly makes sure you never have to struggle there alone that gets me every damn time.
Their history also adds such an emotional layer to everything happening between them. Xander was once someone who made Ivy feel seen during a time when she desperately needed it, and she carried that with her for years. Now they’re adults, she’s responsible for helping him recover from his injury, and the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to pretend what’s happening between them is only professional.
“I want you to remember who the fuck you are, Ivy. You’re an incredible therapist, damn good at your job, and you deserve the seat at that table today. You’ve earned it. You have to remember that you’re with me. You belong with me. I want to obliterate all of that self-hate from your beautiful head because it isn’t true.”
And the more Ivy cares, the more terrified she becomes.
That fear made so much sense to me because Ivy has spent her life waiting for the other shoe to drop. Happiness doesn’t feel safe when you’ve been conditioned to believe it can be taken away at any moment. So even when things with Xander feel easy and natural and right, there’s still that little voice telling her not to trust it completely.
Meanwhile, Xander is terrified of loving someone because people leave.
She’s afraid she’ll be forgotten. He’s afraid he’ll be abandoned.
UGH. THESE TWO.
“You’re everything. You’re my world.”
Their chemistry is fantastic, the spice absolutely delivers, and their banter had me laughing constantly, but it was the quieter moments between them that I loved most. The conversations. The caretaking. The little ways they begin making room for one another without even realizing they’re doing it. Nothing about their relationship felt forced. They simply fit.
And then you add in the Hendrix family and all of that wonderful found-family goodness that Kristen Proby does so well. Watching Ivy experience what it feels like to be surrounded by people who genuinely want her around, people who show up without making her earn their love, was everything.
What About Us is funny, emotional, sexy, and full of heart, but underneath all of it is a story about what happens when someone finally sees you exactly as you are and makes you question every terrible thing you’ve ever been taught to believe about yourself.
Ivy and Xander didn’t need someone to save them. They needed someone willing to stay.
And watching them figure out how to be that person for each other was absolutely beautiful.
Release Date: September 10th, 2026
Thank you to Kristen Proby for the ARC read!