The Japanese art of Kintsugi came to mind while reading this. Taking something broken and making it beautiful despite its broken parts. That is how I felt about journey Freya and Aiden undertook.

Something that was important was how anxiety was portrayed and woven into the fabric of their story. My heart hurt for Aiden. I could understand how his anxiety made him less to himself.

And we got more of the lovable Bergman family who I absolutely adore. I can not get enough of them.

Chloe Liese is one of my fav indie authors. She pens love stories focusing on inclusivity and tackling common issues with such ease and heart that these characters seem so damn real.

🍦Aidan and Freya are so incredibly relatable. I actually couldn’t decide if I’m more like Aidan (hello anxiety!) or more like Freya (married to a workaholic who wears her emotions on her sleeves). I love how there was a focus on remembering that spark between the two when they were dating. It’s so easy to forget how it all started and sometimes remembering helps build that bridge back to each other.

🦜I enjoyed the sprinkle of comedic relief with the dirty parrot and the Bergman Brothers’ shenanigans. It helped create the perfect balance of light and heavy. But really, Esmerelda was the best and I wanted a bit more from that foul mouthed bird 😂

🍦If you loved The Unhoneymooners and The Bromance Bookclub you will 100% love this one! But prepare yourselves for some 🔥 and this second chance, marriage in crisis, dishes out a slow burn that is pure perfection!

🦜I admire how much thought goes into these characters and appreciated reading a hero struggling with anxiety and the affects that it has on his libido. Also, let’s not forget our curvy heroine who rocks a hot red bikini on the beach. Romance often times can be too cookie cutter and I appreciate Chloe always delivering authentic characters. Also, take the time to read the Acknowledgements in this one as it left me crying into my coffee. 😭❤️

Ever After Always is a raw and intimate look at a marriage in crisis and how to support, honor, and love your partner when you’re both so misconnected. While this is a standalone, I do recommend reading Only When It’s Us and Always Only You first to get the full Bergman family experience. Seriously, I want in with this family!

Chloe Liese is my writing MVP of 2020, hands down. After discovering her and devouring Only When It’s Us, I have had the pleasure of reading ARCs of her next two books. Always Only You was another fantastic book but Ever After Always...it has stolen my heart in all the best ways.

Chloe doesn’t dance around mental health issues and presents diversity in so many different ways. Her writing is witty and refreshing and Ever After Always delivered my favorite novel from the Bergman Brothers yet.

Filled with typical Bergman antics and a twist that left me my mouth to collect flies, we follow this lovable family on a trip to paradise. Only our featured couple isn’t looking forward to flying to Hawaii.

We read at the end of Always Only You that Freya and Aiden’s marriage was in crisis but Ever After Always held no punches in getting to the heart of the matter. And the heart of their matter gutted me because I felt like I was reading about my own marriage.

I related to both Freya and Aiden tremendously as a curvy mama bear who struggles with anxiety. And who struggled with a marriage on the brink of ending.

I was so invested in this story because I’ve lived it. I relished in the couple’s small victories because I remember those meaning the world when things looked dim. I grinned when they made the sexiest of strides and cried during real breakthroughs.

Marriage isn’t easy and this book was a raw look into that. I can’t wait for this to come out as an audiobook and to hear how Blake reacts to it because I nodded so many times in solidarity. Chloe seemed to put into words the exact beautiful disaster that occurs once the wedding bands go on.

One particular quote took my breath away. “Love doesn’t give second chances because we’ve earned them. Love gives second chances because it believes the best in who we are.”

Blake, I’ll forever be grateful that you saw me worth of a second chance because I fell more in love with you when I didn’t think that was possible. Before you, I didn’t believe in happily ever afters and this book explains why I don’t believe in them after you.

Just like Freya and Aiden were to each other, you’re my ever after...always.

Ever After Always will be available to purchase on January 12, but I highly recommend that you preorder it now!

If you know me, you’d probably know that the marriage-in-crisis trope is one of my all time favorite tropes! Or basically any time an established couple go through a rough patch and they try to find their way back to each other, because while the happily ever after or better yet, as Freya called it the ever after always is still there but you get to see what relationships are like once you get past that honeymoon phase and i love how real it feels!!

"I’ve learned that the measure of your love isn’t how “okay” you both are or how quickly you hit the curveball that life throws at you. Love’s true test, the measure of its strength, is its bravery to be honest, its willingness to face the hardest moments and say, Even though there’s nothing to be done, at least i have you."


THAT QUOTE!!! This was one of my favorite quotes in the whole book, because besides the fact that it’s so beautiful!! it simply describes Freya and Aiden perfectly. More towards the end than at the beginning, but watching them go from trying to hide things from the other to protect them to reaching the “we’ll do it together” is so beautiful i loved watching them grow so much!! You can see how much they care and love each other from the start and the fact that them being in a fight never stopped that for them is just aaaaaaaa so beautiful!

Also get you a person who’ll read a book out loud to you and cry with you when the book gets too sad!!!!

I loved the family moments, I love how much the bregman brothers tried to make Aiden feel like one of them and that they are here for him, every bonding day was so hilarious and so sweet!!

"Somewhere along the way, you forgot the day you became Freya’s, you became ours, too"


I can’t wait to get the rest of the family’s stories. There’s not anyone i dislike or i think has a very surface lever character, Chloe liese makes sure to include snippets here and there of each side character that they feel very real!!

The representation was great!! Especially Aiden’s because it’s the one I can personally speak for. How he talks about anxiety or when he tries to explain what it feels like just made me feel so seen. I loved how he’s surrounded by people who love him and are so understanding without making him feel guilty for it. I also loved Freya’s talks about her body image and her feelings about how she has to be extra vocal about how much she loves her body or other people think that she doesn't like it or trying to lose weight.

The next book is Axel and Rooney’s!!!!! I feel like I've been waiting forever for their book!! I'm so excited for it!!

thanks to netgalley for approving me for the arc!!!

This book wrecked me in the most beautiful way. Chloe Liese is a master at her craft. She perfectly illustrates the raw ugliness of marriage while acknowledging is beauty. She beautifully represents characters with Anxiety and how that plays in relationships while also painting a beautiful picture of what it is like to love someone with mental health diagnosis. Aiden made me swoon, Freya made my heart grow, and the Bergman family provided the comic relief. This book was by far the best book I read in 2020 and possibly ever. 10/10 recommend.

This is the third book in this series and so far, I am absolutely loving them. These books just feel so honest, the characters feel so real, their struggles so valid and realistic. It truly is a pleasure to read about the Bergman family and their love stories.

This particular book follows the oldest Bergman sibling, Freya, as she and her husband Aidan try to desperately bring their marriage back from the brink of collapse. And I gotta say, I really like romance novels told from the point of view of married couples. As much I live for the angst and the drama of two people getting together and falling in love, there is something so wonderful and interesting about a love story that happens after the 'happily ever after'. 

My favorite thing in this book was the characters. All of them were so great and I love their entire family. But more than that, it was how the characters felt human to me and not just two-dimensional caricatures. We got to see more of the siblings in this one than in the previous two books and I am really glad about it. I really want to read about Viggo and Oliver when their time comes.

But enough about them, let's talk about Freya and Aiden. Their relationship wasn't perfect, of course, that's the whole point of the novel. And yet, they were so perfect for each other. The love the two held for each other was so obvious and so strong and while it did take a couple of hits, it never broke and it never left.

One of my least favorite things in romance novel is the unnecessary conflict for the sake of conflict. I am glad to say that this book did a great job of making the conflicts seem realistic and reasonable. 

Another thing I hate in romance is when all the blame for the falling out is put on one character, while the other cruises by. Thankfully, this book had none of that either. Both Freya and Aiden are flawed and both had a hand in their marriage failing. They both had to work on their relationship and both learn to depend on the other when they needed it most.

Another thing I loved about this book is how it went about certain topics such as anxiety and body image.

Aiden suffers from anxiety and it has a prominent, negative effect on his life. That said, he is not defined by it. And yet, his anxiety is such a driving force for all of his actions and it is written in such an honest way. I like that the author also went into the less talked about effects of anxiety, and how it isn't always a wave that comes and goes, but a dark cloud that constantly looms above you as you live your life, building up until it finally pours down. 

I also like the mention of Freya's concerns with body image. She wasn't defined by her body or her thoughts about it. In fact, she mentions feeling like she isn't allowed to simply be and simply have the body she does. The world expects her to aggressively love herself and show it, or else they'll think she hates her body and is trying to lose weight. 

I think the author did a great job of representing all the character's struggles in realistic and sensitive ways.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I am looking forward to reading more about the Bergman's and can't wait to see what other adventures they'll go on. Plus, I have been waiting for Axel and Rooney's story since reading Only Ever You, so I'm definitely excited about that one.

Also, let it be known that I read this in one day. I am so thankful that I work from home because I completely ignored all my responsibilities while reading this.

I was a little nervous about reading Ever After Always. I haven’t always enjoyed books with a marriage in crisis, but Chloe Liese killed it. This was probably the realest romance I’ve ever read. The tension between Freya and Aiden seemed so realistic. They were dealing with real issues of body confidence and anxiety and it was amazing to see how they came back to one another. Loved all the Bergman brothers’ hijinx as well!

Ever After Always was definitely a stay-up-way-past-my-bedtime-and-finish-it kinda book. Once again, @chloe_liese created an amazing storyline in the continuation of the Bergman Brothers series, this one about Bergman sister, Freya, and her husband & Bergman BIL, Aiden. (Swipe for brief synopsis.) The story was fun and smart, and brought all the steam you’re accustomed to with her books. As always, I love the representation Chloe brings to her readers with both mental health and neurodiversity, and I think she tackled Aiden’s anxiety with care and empathy.⁣
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And the message at the end of the acknowledgements.... Could not have been more perfect, and inclusive, and wonderfully said.⁣
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Thank you, Chloe, for the opportunity to review your book, scheduled for publication on January 12, and available for pre-order now. ⁣

EARLY RECOMMENDATION: Ever After Always by Chloe Liese 🥰
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SUMMARY: Freya and Aiden have been married for 10 years, but the pressure of trying for a child is making Aiden’s anxiety spiral out of control. Can their relationship survive?
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This is the third book in the Bergman Brothers series and delivers a second-chance romance for the already married Bergman sister and her long-time partner. Second-chance romance is not my favorite trope, but I loved these characters and was definitely rooting for their relationship! There are typical Bergman hijinks, steamy sexy times and an all-family vacay to Hawaii!
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This series is unique because each book portrays how someone with differing abilities navigates romantic relationships. Reading is supposed to make you more empathetic, and I feel much more sensitive to those struggling with anxiety since reading this book. Will reading this book and the others in this series make you a better person? Maybe not, but it certainly won’t hurt! 🤣 Perfect for fans of Talia Hibbert! 📚
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Should you read the first and second books in the series first? You don’t HAVE to, but I recommend it. I am particularly excited for the next book—the slow burn romance Bergman fans have been waiting for!
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Thank you to @netgalley and @chloeliese for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be available beginning Jan. 12.

This is easily my favorite of the series, so far. I loved how well-portrayed Aiden's anxiety is, without overwhelming the romance elements of the story. And I was deeply attached to Aiden and Freya's relationship succeeding. There is a lot of miscommunication (or lack of communication all together) that is endlessly frustrating, but when they finally hash out their feeling and have have the tough conversations, it's all worth it. I continue to enjoy the Bergman family and am excited for Axel and Rooney's story!

I LOVED this book! I'm fairly sure I have said that about each book in the series, but it bears repeating. Because Chloe Liese keeps knocking it out of the park with these stories. I adore how each book in the series builds on one another, because we still get to see how the previous couples are doing, which brings me so much joy.
While I have truly enjoyed every book I have read by Ms. Liese, this is the one that hits closest to home, for me. The fact that the MCs are slightly older (read, in their 30s), married, and one has Generalized Anxiety Disorder were all legitimately my life. And the fact that they go to marriage counseling? 1) I love that it was normalized and 2) been there, done that, and I recommend it to everyone. And once the title gets explains I am pretty sure I just melted into a complete puddle and agree with it 100%. So, stealing that for all future anniversary cards! As always, I am now eagerly awaiting the next book in the series because I reallywish I could join the Bergman family.

Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve been following Chloe on instagram for a while now and always appreciate her insights, so I was excited to finally read one of her books. She wrote an incredible author’s note for this, so if you usually skip those—don’t.

CW: anxiety, panic attacks, body shaming, body image, alcoholism, childhood poverty, parental abandonment

First things first, we love the curvy girl representation on this cover. 🔥 AND there’s an amazing companion playlist on Spotify. 🙌🏼

Ever After Aways is a fun, steamy, surprisingly thoughtful examination of a marriage in trouble and two people desperate to find their way back to each other. I related to both Aiden and Freya. Aiden with his crippling anxiety, and Freya with her big feelings and overwhelming need to express them.

This book gets straight to the heart of what makes a marriage work: trust, communication, and the belief that your person will love & carry you through the darkness. Sometimes, even with the best intentions, we hurt the people we love. I know what it’s like to love someone so much you begin to lock away the dark and scary pieces of yourself in order to protect them. But, as Aiden and Freya learn, shutting our loved ones out often does more harm than good.

There were a lot of beautiful insights, but at times it felt more like marriage self-help than romcom. Regardless, I flew through it and appreciate the dedication to breaking through societal norms and tackling hard topics. It was a reminder to continue learning and growing with your partner, and the importance of loving them in THEIR love language.

I haven’t read the other Bergman Brothers books, but I’m looking forward to spending more time with this delightful family.

Let me preface this by saying I don't believe I need to relate to a character to be able to enjoy a book that being said I related to a character in this book on such a deep level that I can't ignore that.

Aiden suffers from anxiety disorder I don't have an anxiety disorder but with my PTSD diagnosis, along came anxiety! So when Aiden shares how his anxiety impacts every aspect of his life, I truly got it and I was so grateful to read a character that shed light on something I know all too well, but don't always know how to talk about!

And this is something I think Chloe does such an amazing job with. She takes rarely talked about topics (in literature) and creates this world and these characters that feel so real that even if people are not able to fully grasp what the character is going through they might better understand somebody going through the same thing in their own life. She also does a great job of handling the other side because guess what I know what that character is going through too! Honestly, Aiden and Freya are one person in my head haha one is my left brain and the other is my right brain and she NAILED both halves! One half "Just TALK to me!" the other "I don't want to burden you with my shit!" it's ENDLESS!

But enough about relating! This entire series is so damn good and I was so excited to enter Freya and Aiden's marriage (that sounds weird right?!) They're struggling to communicate, the family is interfering, work, home, and family planning life are not going as, well planned! It's real, it's steamy, it's frustrating! It's an entirely new story from the previous two but stays very true to the series!

It's fun watching two people meet and fall for each other. But it's also fun to watch two people who are married rediscover what made them fall in the first place!

Thank you so much Chloe for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion! I cannot wait for Axel's story!

TW - fertility issues, stress/anxiety

Holy moly! This book spoke to my SOUL. I laughed. I cried. I rooted for Aiden & Freya, and I cursed them for being stubborn and obstinate. My love for the whole Bergman clan grows with each book in the series. It was so refreshing to read a book about an already married couple navigating through the ups and downs of wedded "bliss." Chloe's writing is so inclusive and beautiful. I truly can't wait to see where she takes us next!

Wow. Chloe Liese, just wow. It is the first book I read by her, I have one pending to read for months in my Kindle.
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The truth is that at the beginning, the plot did not attract any attention of me, the books about couples going through difficult times are really complex to read, at least for me, and regularly in the RomCom they go through conflicts very slightly, the characters remain in white or black. But Chloe Liese left me speechless, I can't really object to anything in the plot, everything fits perfectly and the feelings of each character and in each situation written with such detail and care that is imposible not root for them.
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I really loved the book and I read it slowly with all the appreciation possible, the complexity of feelings and how nothing is embellished, named word by word with respect and contemplating the characters with their different emotional charges, their struggles for the daily things that one gives for granted and that they are so difficult to reach for people with neurodiversity and mental health care. The difficulties of a marriage that tries to stay together despite distances and silences. Sometimes it is not something very simple like the lack of love or another person, but quite the opposite, loving too much and not being able to express it in the right way, or not even being able to talk about it.
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All this complexity surrounded by the love of a large family that does not give up on supporting them and being there for them makes this book Not just any RomCom.
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I loved Freya's voice, so powerful and self-aware, I really expected more heroines like her in books, so strong to express her vulnerability, she wastes self love and esteem even emptying a bottle of wine in tears. Aiden is so determined and it is the first time I have read such a strong personality with mental health issues and so, I treasure it even more.
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The Bergman family is hilarious, I know that everyone has their one book and everyone has such different personalities that it is an inevitable temptation to go and find the complete series (that is what I would do next).
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Again, Wow to these kinds of characters that made it impossible for me to close the book. I read it in a day and a half and that's too slow for my pace at RomCom, I really loved this book and enjoyed reading it. So let me tell you that this is the third book of the serie "The Bergman Brothers" and be aware that this is the kind of book that leaves you hooked on reading the entire series and following the writer works.
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Thanks to #NetGalley and Victory Editing to let me read this arc of #EverAfterAlways by #Chloeliese that will be published 12 January 2021, I can wait to talk about this beautiful book with every one

I've had a soft spot for Aiden since Only When It's Us. His match making antics, trying to force Willa and Ryder together, spoke of the true romantic he was so I was really looking forward to this one.
The marriage-in-crisis trope is really under-done and under-appreciated and I don’t know why because Chloe shows that when it’s done right it lends itself to an incredibly emotional read.
Aiden and Freya have been married for almost 10 years but after an incredibly stressful 6 months for both parties they come to find their marriage is not what they want it to be. Freya finds herself wanting a baby but her husband has become so closed off and unavailable both emotionally and physically to her that she can’t bare to put the effort in any longer. Aiden finds himself down such a deep dark hole with nothing but crippling anxiety and stress for company as he tries to create the life for his wife and the family he so desperately wants that he never had growing up.
Get the tissues at the ready. The first part of this book had me in tears at so many points. My heart broke for Aiden as he struggled to deal with his feelings of inadequacy and desire for a family coupled with the ever mounting stress of pursuing a new business venture. He was so totally lost and unable to see a way out of the hell he’d gotten himself into.
The tissues aren’t needed for long though as the Bergman family find themselves on vacation together and where the Bergman siblings are you can bet there’s going to be pranks, meddling and a lot of fun and games to be had as the siblings do what they can to help Aiden and Freya through their difficult time.
Chloe has a gift for writing such realistic, authentic characters. While she might weave a beautiful love story, it’s kept down to earth with realistic characters with real problems. Aiden’s anxiety isn’t dressed up to make him sexy, its real and it hurts. The way he loves his wife makes him sexy, oh and the beard, the beard makes him sexy.

EVER AFTER ALWAYS honestly depicts the emotional work that goes into sustaining a marriage in an aching, funny, and heartwarming way. Freya and Aiden have been married for almost 10 years and the communication roadblocks and fears they have as they embark on their next career and family decisions are so realistic and understandable, even though they know each other very well and there's still a lot of love in their relationship. I also appreciate that they attend marriage counseling together and its refreshing to see a couple try to work things out together. I really enjoyed reading about their ever after always and I highly recommend it!

Thank you Chloe for allowing me to read this early. I’m in love with the Bergman family & I was so excited to get my hands on this book, I almost screamed when it hit my kindle!

Wow. Chloe has a way with words. She writes realistic characters who face real world troubles. For someone who doesn’t suffer from anxiety, I could feel Aidens stresses & just how physically hard it was for him day to day as he struggled with his anxiety. And Freya. What a beautiful, beautiful soul.

The message behind this story was portrayed beautifully. A strong loving marriage takes work, it’s not all sunshine & daisies. You have to be willing to put in the work if you want a bright outcome, and man did Freya and Aiden put in the work!

If you haven’t met the Bergman brothers or sisters, it’s time you do so! You can pre order this now for just $2.99!

I absolutely loved this book! I typically have a hard time with second chance type of books but this book delivered in every way imaginable. The way that this is written you can feel the internal struggle that Aiden is feeling throughout the story. Which feels so real and is incredibly realistic. I loved Freya talking about body issues and Aiden talking about his anxiety, both very relatable and pulled me in even further. I love this paring and this story....and their commitment to communicating. You feel such a real, intense and deep connection to the characters and their stories you don’t want it to end.

I've said it once, I will say it again - Chloe Liese is amazing. This sweet story follows Freya and Aiden and focuses on their marriage. We had hints in previous Bergman Brothers books that things weren't so great in their marriage. Ever After Always is a story of hard work and dedication, two things that are necessary in any marriage. Aiden's storyline throughout this whole book was heart wrenching. I really felt for him, as I also struggle with anxiety that causes me to spiral out of control sometimes.
Although this was not as steamy as the previous two books, I did find it more relatable because I am married too! It takes a lot of work and honesty, and Chloe did an incredible job of capturing what it is like to struggles of marriage. Chloe Liese strives to have inclusive characters in all of her books and has created a family that we ALL want to be a part of! Cannot wait to read the next one!


A special thanks to Netgalley and Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op!