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

This is book one of the Bergman Brother's series. The series follows the 7 Bergman siblings.Book one is Ryder and Willa's story & I LOVED IT. I loved it so much that by the time I finished, I had to convince myself not to buy the whole series right then & there. I lost that battle almost immediately, seeing as I have the whole series. 🤧 This was my first book that I had read by Chloe & I am SO excited to read the entire series. What I had heard was that Chloe does an amazing job with inclusivity & representation in her books & WE LOVE THAT.I went into this book not knowing anything so I'm going to keep my review pretty vague because I think it was really special not knowing anything going into it.Willa is a hotheaded, bada$$ soccer player with the sharpest tongue but underneath it all, has an incredibly sensitive heart & the biggest love for her mama. Ryder is a quiet, 6'5, flannel loving, swedish meatball making lumberjack of a man who is BEYOND hot but also our soft hearted king. Having not made the best first impression on each other, Willa instantly can't stand Ryder & to make matters worse, they're partnered in one of their classes & are assigned a project & have to work together. The two form the most delicious frenemies to lovers relationship & I fell totally in love with them.When I tell you, that the slow burn, BURNED with this one, I'm being for real, get your fire proof snuggle blankets ready bc I was DYING. That being said, it was SO worth it. This story was so much more than a romance. It had so many layers to it & you can't help but feel so deeply connected to Willa and Ryder's story. The side characters played as much of a role as the main characters did & I felt this story had the perfect balance of cute & sweet, funny & emotional & had such good representation.This book was a beautiful & perfect start to what I can only assume will be one of my favorite series that I'll read this year.❤️*Check the content warning at the beginning if you need to.*

This honestly was just a heartwarming story. There were so many moments of understanding and love and support that made me so happy! This definitely tried to give off enemies-to-lovers, but honestly, it was not at all, in my opinion. Though it tried to fulfill this trope, I think it was more like friends-to-lovers than anything. I think Willa drove me up the wall sometimes, but she was also a warm and wonderful character. Obviously, Ryder was my favorite. He had the whole strong silent type of thing really going for him, and I loved it, but not as much as I loved how sweet and kind he was--especially to his friends and family. Overall, this was a sweet story, but there were just some elements that missed the mark for me to give it 5 stars. Definitely worth a read though!

Only When It's Us, the first book in the Bergman Brothers series, was my introduction to Chloe Liese’s writing and I have been a super fan ever since. Getting to see all the young Bergmans was such a treat, it felt like I was visiting old friends.Willa and Ryder's story was a delightful introduction to one of my favorite series of all time. Willa was an incredibly stubborn college athlete trying to prove herself, and Ryder was struggling to cope with his recent hearing loss, which led to a series of misunderstandings that made for an explosive first encounter. However, it didn't take long for these enemies to become frenemies and ultimately lovers. Ryder was so soft for Willa and simply had to figure out the words to express his feelings and Willa needed to trust that she could risk her heart on Ryder."'Sunshine?' His voice echoes from upstairs. The affection and familiarity in my nickname is a warm blanket of reassurance, wrapping around me. It’s the audible version of his hugs, those big arm squeezes that incite a feeling I’ve had for months. That when I’m with Ryder Bergman, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be."Only When It's Us was such a sweet and fun read and I loved the bonus epilogue. I am very excited to revisit all of the Bergman brothers and sisters in anticipation of Viggo’s book.

I love Chloe Liese for writing such relatable diverse characters. The Bergmans are my favourite series. I laughed out loud and I cried. Willa and Ryder were a great couple to start the series with. I look forward to seeing more of them throughout the series. Also, I love the new covers!

Perfect story with a great character ARC. Can't wait to meet the other Bergmans!

Honest, deep, original, sweet and sexy. I liked this book very much and warmly recommend it. Read it, you wont regret it.

⚠️cw: hearing loss, cancer, bereavement ⚠️When college soccer star Willa Sutter is forced to collaborate with seemingly surly and ignorant Ryder Bergman, they immediately clash. Willa is sassy, and teasing, while Ryder is quiet and analytical. He's also partially deaf. As they get to really know each other, the lines between love and hate become blurred.This is an Enemies-to-Friends-to-Lovers with banter that was perfect throughout, but especially during the one-upmanship at the beginning. The snark was top-tier, the teasing hilarious, and the more vulnerable moments were so beautifully observed. There were also a lot of incredibly moving ones: from the scenes with Willa's mum; Ryder's journey; and the moments when they were most emotionally open with each other. I cried a LOT. The reading scene in c20 had me sobbing; the scenes where Ryder confided in his parents; and the scenes where Willa allowed herself to trust Ryder. The burn was torturously slow, and teasing, but so worth the wait. And that football* foreplay? 🔥But I think the thing I loved most was the development of their communication with each other, both literally and emotionally. Ryder is an absolute sweetheart, and Willa is just as endearing. Together they were hilarious and adorable.I also loved the supporting characters: the Bergman family, of course; but also Rooney, Tucker, and Becks. They all added depth and an extra layer of humour, and I hope to see more of them in future books.There are many more things I'd love to say about this book, but I'd be spoiling a lot, and I really recommend going into this love story knowing as little as possible.Just beautiful.Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥Emotional Rating: 🙈😬💓😢😂😍👏🏻💔😢💓🙈💓🥰😍🦉🥰💓🔥😍💓🥰* Soccer will always be football to me 😉

this is one of the books you have to experience yourself. ITS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER OF THE BEST KIND.Probably the BEST slow burn I’ve read in a damn while. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. I was desperately waiting for those fools to finally give in to their feelings and emotions and also the damn sexual tension that nearly caused me death.It’s a constant push and pull between a heartbreaking emotional journey and flaming hot teasing and banter.My newest obsession: Ryder. Stellan. Bergmann.He’s literally the sum of everything I have ever loved in a fictional man. He’s too much of everything and I want it. I NEED HIM.just listen - read it. Go in blind. Trust me on this one. Download the ebook or buy the physical book right now. AND THEN JUST READ UNTIL YOU‘RE DONE (with the book and your existence, because now there is a void in me. A Ryder-Willa-shaped void.)My favorite read this month and probably among the best ones for 2023 (the 188 highlights on my kindle are argument enough)