I totally fell in love with the characters in this book. It was a great story line that made me feel all the feelings. I already cannot wait for the second book in this series! Read this book! : )

Unfortunately, the writing style of this one didn't really work for me and I ended up DNFing at about 25%. I chose not to post a public review so as not to negatively affect the release of the book, but if you would like me to post a review on Goodreads after-all, please reach out to me and I will do so. Thank you for the opportunity to read this one early, and I am so sorry that it didn't work out for me.

This is a hard one to rate. While I loved a lot about this book, there were also some things I took issue with.
So let's break it down.
What I liked:
- our protagonist is fierce and doesn't need a man to feel fulfilled, she has goals and doesn't compromise them in order to get the guy! Love to see it

- the banter and sexual tension were amazing. I loved the back and forth between Ryder and Willa and chuckled a few times while reading. While some of the sexy times were...a bit cringey (Willa's nipples turn into a sort of radar and just spring to life the second Ryder enters a room which was fine the first few times but got on my nerves when not a page passed without them springing to attention once Ryder breathed the same air as her), it was still enjoyable to read.

- the rep: Ryder is nearly deaf and mute at the outset of the story and it was really refreshing to read about a relationship that develops and is not hindered by disabilities but rather by idiots being in love

What I didn't like:
- Willa's mother almost forces Ryder to speak again and I did not like that at all. Encouragement is one thing, forcing someone to talk who has been mute for years is manipulative and the way it was just brushed off felt inauthentic to Ryder as stubborn and being torn.

- there is a playlist attached for this book and while I love it, it also seems the tiniest bit...insensitive to include a playlist and a song for every chapter when one of the POVs is nearly deaf for most of the book

- the pacing was off for me: when Willa grieves her mother, entire months are jumped over where I felt like the grief would have been a great way to build character growth and let us see Willa more vulnerable. The same things goes for Ryder after he gets the cochlear implants and suddenly it's like he was never deaf in the first place. It's mentioned a few times after that but only in how Willa loves him regardless - I would have loved to see more of Ryder coming to terms with his new "life" and maybe still struggling with the fact that he won't be able to play soccer again even if he now can hear again.

All in all, a pretty cute book with some great rep and I'm excited to read the next installment!

I had never read anything by this author before, but I am now a fan! I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in this series, and will be reading her other published books while I wait on it. I didn’t have super high hopes for this book. I hadn’t heard anyone talk about it when I requested it on Netgalley. But y’all- it is so freaking good! Like everyone needs to read this book!

This is a sports romance where the girl is the athlete, it’s a slow burn enemies to lovers romance, and is super steamy. It’s not a dark romance, but it’s also not a light and fluffy read. There are definitely some more serious topics in this book, and I found myself crying on more than one occasion. That being said, this book also has the perfect amount of humor and I loved how the characters jabbed at each other. It definitely kept the book feeling like it was moving quicker. I am so in love with these characters, and cannot wait to read the other characters’ love stories in the following books.

5 stars
I received this book for free in return for an honest review.

Liese tells a story about super focused college woman with only soccer on the brain named Willa and a hard-of-hearing giant lumberjack who is forced to enter the world of the hearing once again. Each of them have layers that readers are shown as the story goes on. Willa has daddy AND mama issues that puts a giant chip on her shoulder. Ryder, after making his peace with his hearing loss, is pushed into using his voice and interacting with others. Both main characters come with major baggage but become each other’s rock. Super cute, super sweet.

Well this made my day and deserves to be devoured in a day. First of all, diverse characters! Can't think of any books I've read with a character who is deaf and I think the author did a great job of sharing that story with the reader. The tension and buildup between the two leads was insanely good and the steam, holy guacamole. Hilarious, adorable and heartbreaking, I loved this book and will 100% be watching for the author's future releases.

3.5 Stars

What I liked
➤ Uhm, this book was so much fun?? Entertainment at its finest because BANTER!
➤ Ryder ❤︎ My favorite lumberjack sweetheart, I don’t know what more to say. A sensitive one-woman-man. *swoon*
Oh, and I loved the "twist" that came with him!!
➤ Willa is someone who has a short fuse but can also think rationally and come to the right conclusion when needed. She has to be the first woman in literature who did NOT think that the guy was rejecting her drunk advances because he didn’t want her *cue the eye roll* but because he’s a gentleman. 👏 A healthy confidence and no overthinking on her part. I find this incredibly attractive, I mean, how often does this happen in books? I can’t think of one other example. You go, Willa!
➤ The secondary characters! Oh, I’m in love with them, if done right they can enrich a story so much and enrich they did! The meddling prof, Ryder’s family (aaaah I love this family so much), Willa’s mom,… How I wished they’ve gotten more scenes!
➤ The attraction was NOT instantaneous and I loved that so much. This may not be as important to others as it is to me but I just had to mention it. You guys can’t imagine how TIRED I am of the instant physical attraction thing in romance novels JUST because the other one is good looking or because their fantasies run wild. One look and the heroine is suddenly dripping wet while the hero is already sporting wood and thinks about ways to get the heroine in his bed. You can find someone attractive without mentioning the extreme physical reaction of your body every 2 pages, right? All I want is some decent build-up and honestly, it’s getting harder and harder to find this in a book.
➤ I did not expect to cry while reading this book. There’s so much more to it than what is mentioned in the blurb. And while I loved it on one hand…

What I didn’t like
➤ … I kinda hated it on the other. Since the story went so much deeper than I thought it would, there were times where I really missed the lightness and banter. Everything that happened later made me forget about the fun times in the beginning which is why I kinda struggled with how to rate this book…
➤ There was a part of me that got frustrated with Willa at the end. I guess it was necessary after everything Willa went through, and I know it wasn’t easy for her. In real life it never is. There are plenty people who are scared of commitment and the consequences if the relationship doesn’t work out. But I knew that I was reading a book, I KNEW there would be a HEA and that’s why ALL I wanted for them was to finally get together. My impatient ass couldn’t handle that last hurdle after all the other hurdles, but I can definitely imagine many others enjoying the long ride. I just wasn’t one of them 🤷‍♀️😂

So, with that being said, this was still a great book. The banter alone is worth it imo, and I can not wait for the rest of the Bergman brothers to get their own HEs. I want more of this family!

Very cute and swoony NA romance! I like that the girl is the sports star, whereas usually the the guy who is all tough and sporty. It was a nice swap for once.

Only When It's Us is the first book in a new New Adult romance series by Chloe Liese. It follows Willa and Ryder as they go from frenemies to more.

I truly loved Ryder and personal growth throughout the story. Willa however was not my favorite. From the first chapter she constantly repeats how angry everything makes her but admits she hates talking about anything "hard". Multiple times throughout the book she became furious at Ryder for not telling her everything about his personal life, when she was doing the EXACT same thing. Ryder just kept taking the blame and she literally never acknowledged that she was to blame for some of their issues. While Willa does have her reasons for her actions, the lack of communication and blame really turned me off from her for most of the book.

There are many difficult themes and events that prove both characters with so much growth through out the book. Their chemistry was truly undeniable but this book is truly a slow burn. If you love enemy to lovers books as much as I do, I would recommend this book!

Only When It’s Us is a book about frenemies turned lovers. The characters are very well written with deep backstories. I can’t wait for the rest of the series!

I love Chloe’s writing and have enjoyed all of her books, but this one is my favorite by far! I love that she is so inclusive and writes really diverse characters. The chemistry between Willa & Ryder was off the charts and I loved that she introduced other characters that we will be meeting in future stories in this series. While miscommunication can be irritating to me in romance novels I loved that these characters grew and we got to see them overcome their issues and come into themselves both as individuals and as a couple. I would highly recommend this book!

I enjoyed so much about this story! Hats off to the author for how well-researched the women's soccer parts of this book were. As a woso fan of 10+ years, it made me so happy! I also loved the romance and the dynamic between the two main characters. However, there were a couple extremely heteronormative and slightly transphobic comments that really detracted from my overall enjoyment. They really blindsided me and took me out of the story.

I was really wanting to give this book a higher rating, but while there were some amazing things in this book, there were also some parts that I could not get past.
I absolutely loved Ryder. I could have had the whole book in his POV, and I can't' say that I've ever read a New Adult, or even Adult, romance solely from the guy's perspective. I really loved his personality and hearing from him throughout the book. I also really appreciated that he was hard of hearing. I wish there was more diversity included in books that shows that it is commonplace and not an obstacle. I found it really refreshing.
On the other hand, I did not enjoy the other main character of Willa. I found her personality over the top. In the first chapter alone, she mentions her anger/gets angry/or some equivalent of 'anger' 9 times. She was very frustrating to ME in the fact that she was always angry, but then timid because she was incapable of discussing hard topics. She also had to remind us of this fact many times over the course of the book and I found her very repetitive. I also could not tell if just the character (or also the author) felt we as the reader was dumber than her because she also had to explain what she called 'bookstore' words to us multiple times throughout the book. I knew what those words were in general, but I'm sure we could have also gotten them through context clues instead of being talked down to.
With all that said, this book was more than just a romance, that is what I originally picked the book up for, but just be aware that this feels more like a coming of age story with a romance included. I know this is the first in a series, and because I love Ryder so much, I might be willing to pick up the next to see how his brother fares in finding his own romance.

The Quick Cut: A soccer star girl and a deaf guy who can't get along end up partnered together on a project for a college Business mathematics class. 
A Real Review:    Thank you to Chloe Liese for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

 If you've ever been in a college course, there is a very good chance that you've been partnered up for a project. Its one of those requirements that they use to teach you how to work as a team, even when your partner isn't somebody that you like. However, how would you react if you found that the tension between you and your partner were in actuality something much more than disagreements or stress? This is the case for Ryder and Willa. 
 Willa is the star player on the college's womens soccer team, but she's terrible at making it to class. While most professors have no issue with bending to the stresses of college athletics, her Business Mathematics professor refuses to do so. Forcing Willa to ask fellow classmate Ryder for the lecture notes, she becomes furious when he seemingly ignores everything she says. Even when she finds out that Ryder is deaf, these two continue to butt heads... until they find out that their professor has teamed them together for the class final project. Will they find a way to work together or tank one another's grade? 
 College tinged romance novels are not a new concept, but I thoroughly enjoyed the way this one was written. The chapters are narrated back and forth between Willa and Ryder - and their differing perspectives is essential to truly capturing the story. One of the reasons this story stands out in a unique way is because the story may have some unbelievable elements to it, but the ending isn't that ridiculous picture perfect happily ever after that you see with these types of books. It has that element of reality to it where love doesn't necessarily conquer all and not everybody gets what they want. 
 Willa and Ryder make an excellent pair because they understand the demands of an athletic focused lifestyle. While Ryder's athletic hopes were taken away by his sudden deafness (which you are given a clear indication of what that is like, emotions and all), Willa's are brighter than ever. However, she has her own health problems that complicate her relationships. Their pasts have enough entanglements that they on a deep level understand what one another is going through. That, along with the patience that Ryder uses to meet Willa at where she is comfortable, is a road they use to connect again. 
 A memorable tale that connects two college athletes, right when they need it. 
My rating: 5 out of 5

Only When It's Us is about love, friendship, family, grief, and ultimately trust. You can't help but fall in love with both Willa and Ryder as you get to know them more.

The banter between Willa and Ryder is hilarious. They are constantly finding ways to drive each other crazy.
but very quickly it becomes more. The story continues as the tension between them grows.

Overall this was a great story and I enjoyed how their friendship grew into more. The character development was great as they learned to trust each other. They went through some things a lot of people don't go through so young.

Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Perfetto! *chef's kiss*

I'm honestly incapable of doing justice to this book in this review. I submit to this truth and waddle forth. I simply cannot put into words how amazing this book is and just how much it meant to me and how everything just hurt and healed so good while reading it. 

Only When It's Us is a frenemies-to-lovers, humourous and slow-burn romance. Yes, yes and yes. But it so very much more. It's a story on genuine fears, sacrifice, difficulties, struggles and loss. At the exact same time, it's also about warmth, love, loyalty, support, friendship and the foundation on which everlasting relationships are born from. True to all these conflicting elements, you're either giggling until you bust a vein or watching the words before you blur from flowing tears. 

There isn't a dull moment, a drone dialogue and not a single scene or person that was there who needn't be. I think one of the biggest elements of this book that is handled with gentle and elaborate depth, is emotions: repressed ones, difficult ones, deep ones, superficial ones, all of them and how they effect the person and what they can do to you if you leave them be, versus how they can lift you up if you take care of them, handle them and acknowledged them.

Now guess what? I'm speaking about the secondary characters first. Because Chloe Liese has wowed me with them. The best friend disappearing act after the hero disappears does not happen in this book. Rooney remains as important as she has been from the beginning, doing what she has always been doing for our heroine--Willa. Joy Sutter is a force to be reckoned with and remains so. She is a fierce mother, a warrior, a blunt, charming woman who I've heard can whistle like a pro. Joy and Ryder have the most interesting conversations and the whole thing is an absolute slap in the face (in a good way) and you come to realize something just as Willa does and wonder how you hadn't seen this before! Tucker and Becks, bless them were fantastic friends to Ryder and I really do not think they could've done better by supporting him through his rough times, nudging him forward when he needs to be pushed and all-round enjoying his cooking. God there are so many more people but I just had to get these four out of my system first. 

Willa and Ryder. I don't think it's possible to speak of the two apart, let me tell you why; or rather, let me quote the exact words that were spoken about them that I thought was so fitting: 

It's true that even without meeting, they had already personified what they needed in themselves to support the other. It was as if every single moment of happiness and despair had brought them and made them into these two people who would compliment, nourish and water the other in the way that is uniquely suited to them. Their relationship was fireworks and flowing rivers. Yes, their story can seem drawn-out, but the foreshadowing, the explanation and the seemingly gentle apology prepares you for it and the way it unravels has you crying and knowing that this was the absolute perfect way for them. 

Five stars. I can't stop gushing and sniffling about these two. I am prepared to dive head first into anything Chloe Liese writes, be it a book, a recipe, anything. I even had a good-bad joke about restraining orders too, but I'm too much of a blubbering mess to actually phrase it well. 

Highly recommend. It will also go onto Kindle Unlimited when it releases and I can't tell you much you need this book in your life.

Willa is truly and completely passionate about soccer and it is the only thing which keeps her sane in her otherwise completely messed up life. To add pressure she has to score decent marks in her failing maths subject to play soccer at the upcoming tour. When her maths professor asks her to take notes from Ryder and he doesn’t listen at once, things are going to get complicated.

Ryder just wants to be invisible. After a life-altering accident he doesn’t talk much and socialize much except for his too two friends and too much interfering family members. So when Willa gives him a death stare Oh Boy! He is in so much trouble.

Frenemies turn to project partners turn to prank each other turn to understanding each other silences will they get the ending they are hoping for?

Review-

Emotionally stuck up characters: Check

Crazy Family: Check

Sexual Tension: Check

Witty and Sassy Banter: Check

Steamy Romance: Check

Heartbreak: Check

Happy Ending: ????

For that, you have to read the book.

I am a sucker for YA Romance and this book is one of the best I have ever read. Plus it shows a career focus, taking no shit girl. So go girl power!

There are so many layers to the characters and as you read you just fell more and more in love with them. The author has beautifully described the emotional vulnerability of the characters.
It tugs all your emotions perfectly. It will make you believe in love, make you cry and break you at times, and even wish for a crazy family like them.

It keeps you hooked from the very first page itself. The plot as cliché as it sounds is totally unpredictable. Willa and Ryder are young yet they are so mature in their actions. The banter and conversation between Will and Ryder are witty, sassy and so entertaining.

The writing is very impressive. I love how stereotypes were reverse. Willa being the star sports person and she has commitment issues. Ryder is the one who is always there for Willa and carrying for her with no expectations in return.

The best part has to be between Willa and her Mama. I feel everyone should have such a relationship with their mother. No filter, no boundaries and both understand each other immensely.

This book doesn’t disappoint you in any way. It has all the elements of a perfect YA Romance book. You just can’t help but ask for more when you complete it. And the good news is an author is writing a series on Ryder’s family and I just can’t wait for the second book to come soon.

3.5 stars

Willa and Ryder's story and took me awhile to settle into. I kept picking it up and reading a bit, but just didn't connect with the characters. I wasn't a big fan of the pranks they played. I understand it was to introduce/continue their frenemy status, but they were little too much at times. It added some length to the first half of the book that made it feel a bit longer than necessary.

Once I got started the second half of the book, though, I began to like the story and characters more. It began to feel a bit more focused and I began to like both Willa and Ryder more. I thought the author did a nice job with Willa's growth.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

I love that we get both Willa and Ryder's perspectives, getting to know them both really well, seeing them grow as characters throughout the story.

I just loved this book so much! It was such an addictive read and I devoured it in a day! This is the first time I've ever read a book that comes with a Spotify playlist, a song for each chapter. It was such a great touch and really enhanced the experience of reading this book.

This is the first book I've read by Chole Liese and it definitely won't be the last, I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series and the Tough Love series soon.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This novel had it all, laugh out loud moments, sweet romantic scenes and tear jerking moments. Willa is a hot head, college athlete determined to go pro and pass her classes. She's teamed up with Ryan who she doesn't realize is deaf in one ear. She dislikes him at first but as she's forced to interact with him, she realizes how well they come to understand each other. I couldn't stop laughing at their banter and enjoyed reading their genuine interactions. Things do become complicated when they cannot deny their sexual chemistry.
This is where the novel seems to drag a bit with their constant resistance and denial. I'm glad Ryan steps it up at the end and does not allow her to chicken out. Love prevails.