seriously romantic: pull me close by sidney halston

in pull me close, when katherine tries to attend her sister's engagement party at nico's nightclub panic, she actually has a panic attack. unfortunately, nico thinks she's having some sort of overdose. given the way things have been falling apart at panic since his father was arrested for a whole host of dirty deeds, the last thing nico wants are headlines about anyone od'ing.

the thing is, katherine isn't od'ing. she's having a panic attack. a survivor of the september 11th attacks, she suffers from anxiety, depression, agoraphobia, and severe claustrophobia. the truth is that over time, her anxiety has gotten worse and her life is mostly confined to her apartment.

meeting nico serves as a catalyst for change. he's interested in her, in spite of all her crazy, and god help her, she is interested in him. but in order for them to work, she has to try to get some of her anxieties under control. she will never be rid of them, but she needs to find a way to live with them in a way that doesn't require her to be a hermit.

there's a push and pull between them. nico wants more than katherine can give at times. but she also needs to be pushed because so many of her fears are predicated on irrational thoughts. and when nico experiences a traumatic event of his own, he understands katherine's anxieties more fully.

and they both realize that life is too fragile to waste on petty differences. their love is real. and that's something worth holding on to. no matter the challenges. for an "issues" book, this was entertaining and sweet and sexy. what nico and katherine experience in the novel is really something incredible. and their emotional and psychological traumas are hard won, but hopefully worth it.