Only When It's Us (Bergman Brothers Book 1)

This book was a lot of things: funny, cute, emotional, steamy, but also strangely disconnected at times.Our main characters, Willa and Ryder, couldn't be more different: She's a hotheaded student athlete fighting as hard as she can to keep the grades she needs to start while simultaneously dealing with her mom's cancer, her aversion to hard conversations and strong emotions, and a lifelong distrust of men; he's the even-keeled business class savant barely keeping his head above water after meningitis destroyed his hearing and took away his college soccer career and ability to communicate.I really liked elements of this story -- the way Ryder adapted and failed to adapt to his changed circumstances, Willa's relationship with her mother, the childish ways in which they both pranked and sabotaged each other -- but parts of the story seemed insensitive, even forcefully cavalier, at times.Ultimately, I enjoyed the story, but felt that the scope should have been chosen more carefully: Either we know and care all about these characters' entire lives up until this point or we don't. But constantly alluding to histories we don't know and never explore made it a difficult story to fully connect with.

Oh lawd, I just finished Only when it's us and it was amazing. My favorite romance combination is a sweet and sexy slowburn and Chloe delivers that with Willa and Ryder. The characters have incredible chemistry that crackles up off of the pages, biting wit and humor that left me snorting through out the book. Ryder is the perfect balance of surly quiet lumberjack and adorably caring book boyfriend. Willa is witty and strong with a fiery temper but never comes of as cold or uncaring. Chloe writes such incrediblely unique and inclusive characters and Only when it's us was such an emotional and joyful story to read!

When I first started this story, I wasn't sure what to expect really. Willa is a strong-willed, independent, no holds barred kind of woman. She can come at you with a fierceness yet at the same time doesn't do confrontation. Her biggest flaw is holding too many emotions in and keeping all walls up which causes her to jump to too many conclusions. In doing so, she doesn't speak up, except for when she's thinking out loud! Which she does. A lot. Then Ryder comes in to the picture. It's then that their turbulent tumultuous frenemyish relationship begins.There are many highs and lows, both keeping secrets from the other. When these secrets begin to reveal themselves it makes for a heartbreaking story. You feel for the characters and realize it's what has created their rough exteriors. This story truly began to suck me in around 55-60% (read on Kindle). Touches on love, loss, and friendship.I look forward to the next installment in the series.

"I just know I'd rather be afraid with you than fearless with anyone else."Only When It's Us was full of the unique and wonderfully human characters that I've come to expect from Chloe Liese's stories and I this was my favorite one yet. Willa and Ryder were so perfectly imperfect and once I started reading their story I couldn't put it down. Full of hilarious miscommunications and heartfelt moments, these two went from frenemies to lovers and complimented one another so well. I really appreciate how both characters have flaws and issues they are trying to work through, but it all feels organic and not just like they have "problems" for the sake of having problems, as is the case with some stories. It was so enjoyable to see their relationship develop over time and I would go from cackling with laughter one moment to near tears the next. I can't wait to read more in the Bergman Brothers series!5/5 starsThank you to the author for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Guess I didn't read the synopsis thoroughly, because I was surprised to learn a few chapters in that the hero is mostly deaf. Wasn't expecting that, but I really appreciated reading a romance novel that wasn't the usual type that lands in my lap (or kindle). This is only the second book I've read which features a main character with a disability and I found it refreshing to discover how the couple overcame their obstacles together. It would've been nice to focus entirely on the them since reading about the hero's emotional struggles with his disability was already serious enough, but to throw in a mother succumbing to cancer really took this story from fun enemies-to-lovers to Debbie Downer-town.

Holy slow burn and sexual tension, batman! *phew* I'm a big fan of slow burn romances especially when they're done right and this one does not disappoint! I loved that this gave me so much more depth than I expected from a romcom! There was so much to both characters and oh mans, Ryder the lumbersexual is absolute PER-FEC-TION! I know I'm gushing but he made my heart all melty and my feelings all gooey and yep, I'm crushing hard on him and if you read this book, you'll definitely get why!Liese brings rep to her romance with Ryder, a character who lost his hearing after contracting bacterial meningitis as a college freshman. I’ve already mentioned how much I loved his character but really, his arc was so well done. He’s a bear of a man but with the softest and sweetest heart just looking to find his way back to “normal” after losing his hearing. I can’t even imagine how devastating it would be to lose your hearing because of an illness. In a way his hearing loss does define a big part of his life, but it’s not only who he is and the author did a wonderful job of showing his many sides.I was on the fence about how I felt for Willa. She’s physically strong as an athlete, she’s incredibly hardworking, and her love for her mother was heartwarming. But Willa does literally everything to avoid opening up and being honest about her life with people she’s afraid to get close to. Her fear of confronting serious issues, while understandable, also became a bit too much for me at a certain point. I want to say that Ryder deserved better and for a good chunk of the story I did think that. But in reality, they were perfect for each other because his patience, understanding and ability to be vulnerable with her was exactly what she needed to balance out and do the same. And as much as he balanced her, Willa’s acceptance of him as he is with no hesitation, disability or no, was exactly what he needed to feel normal. There were some pretty emotionally raw scenes that had me tearing up! Also, if it isn’t obvious by now, the chemistry between these two was absolute FIRE! It’s a (really) slow burn, but the way the connection builds between Ryder and Willa is SO good and it’s SO worth the wait! I’d put this at a 4/5 on the steamy scale.Overall, this was a surprising romcom that had me laughing, squealing, swooning and cheering for both characters as they fought for a wonderful heart-stopping love. Also, I really liked that this came with a playlist for the book and songs per chapter. I enjoyed listening to some of them while reading! I can’t wait to continue with this series and I’m looking forward to checking out the other books the author has written. I’d highly recommend it!

This is a great introduction to the Bergman family and Chloe is an amazing storyteller. I absolutely love the way she spoke about, wrote and weaved hearing impairment and critical illness into her writing. While her books are billed as slow burns, her writing is super fast-paced in the very best way. The connections between the characters are so organic, nothing feels too slow or rushed. It all happens as it's meant to be. I cried tears with this one. I can't wait to see what's to come with this family.

I loved this book so much! The chemistry between the characters are off the chart! I mean the passion and tension is HOT!! 🔥🔥🔥 Even though this book has some steamy moments , I can't get over how sweet and vulnerable the storyline is. There are so many emotional walls and layers built, it is amazing to see the support and loyalty between friends and families.Willa loves soccer she lives and breathes it. It has always been her dream to play professional. As much as she would like to dedicate her life to it, she has to pass her other classes. Problem is she can't get her lecture notes from her frenemy. Ryder knows Willa hates him but why? He hasn't a clue. These two have to put their differences aside if they want to pass the class." I just know I'd rather be afraid with you than fearless with anyone else."I highly recommend this book!

This first book of the Bergman Brothers series was so very sweet. All I knew about this book before starting was that it was about a soccer romance in college but it’s so much more. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series

This book with funny, heartbreaking, beautifully crafted and impossible to put down. The playlist that accompanies it is also perfect.