Member Reviews
Thank you to netgalley for my advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
My heart grew three sizes while reading this book.
Axel and Rooney’s love story is tender, emotional, pure, and so full of acceptance. The word they both kept using to describe their feelings was “safe” which made me weep because we all want and deserve that.
I think it’s safe to say this is my favorite in the Bergman series so far! I love Rooney and Axel and Harry and Skugga!
OMG! If there was a 6th star, this book would certainly earn it!
I really don't know how Chloe Liese manages to write stories that feel so real, raw and relatable that have me laughing out loud and crying my eyes out every single time. WHAT. A. TALENT.
Now, it's true, the Bergmans have a special place in my heart, but honestly how could they not?! Chloe writes her characters with such care and respect, without shying away from the hard (and most real) stuff that the only thing you can do as a reader is buckle up (with a substancial number of tissues) and enjoy the amazing - touching and sometimes heartbreaking - rollercoaster of emotions. I've teared up multiple times while reading WITH YOU FOREVER and at the end I was properly sobbing, seeing how far Rooney and Axel have come both in their own journeys to self-acceptance and in learning how to be in a relationship with each other.
There isn't one single element of this book I have not enjoyed:
- marriage of convenience
- grump/sunshine
- own voices autism rep
- chronic-illness rep
- A-frame cabin in the woods
- forced proximity
- slooooooowest burn in the history of romance, BUT SO WORTH IT!
- two adorable pets
Rooney and Axel constantly melted my heart both through their inner dialogues, their insecurities and internal turmoils and through their interactions and their relationship. Honestly, their romance is one of the purest, heart-warming and sweetest things on the planet...also one of the hottest!
I cannot wait to have a physical copy of this book as well to complete my Bergman's shrine - lol - and most of all I cannot wait to see what other amazing and touching stories Chloe Liese has in store for us all.
Please please please if you have yet to read the Bergman Brothers' Series, do yourself a favour and catch up with the first three books before this one comes out in September. You won't regret it. I also highly recommend listening to the playlists on Spotify and/or listening to the audiobooks. The narrators really do justice to the characters and Chloe's writing.
Reviews will be posted on Amazon and other retail sites on publication day.
** Thank you Chloe Liese, Netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. **
A Chloe Liese novel is now an instant click for me. I know I'm going to feel all the emotions of her characters, swoon, cry, but most importantly learn something new. Sometimes even about myself. Ax has always (along with Ziggy) been that Bergman character we've always wondered about, we know more about Ziggy leading up to this. I loved how honest Ax was, even when he thought it was going to be an issue for Rooney. I admired Rooney's fortitude and acceptance, and especially how she listened to Ax about his needs and put them first when the time was right. It was lovely to see Ax grow and believe he was deserving. Ax's family are one of my favourite book families ever and I know things are getting good when they all start showing up and giving opinions. It always makes the next novel more hilarious when the previous sibling gets a little revenge. I hope at some point we get to see the family reaction to Rooney and Ax's secret.
Some of the romance in this novel took me by (most welcome) surprise and phewwww, the heat. I loved it. I love to start but hate to end these books. I can't wait for the next one.
Thank you to netgalley and the author for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Chloe Liese does not miss. She’s once again written a gorgeous story about people so real and complex, falling in love. With You Forever brings you chronic illness rep, neurodiversity rep, discussions surrounding consent - and makes it all sexy. I am constantly in awe of this authors work and I can’t see what she has in store for us and the Bergmans next.
4.5 stars.
Thank you Chloe for gifting me a copy of this ARC! All opinions are my own.
I've been waiting for Rooney and Axel's story for what feels like forever and it was so worth the wait! Per usual, this one is filled with sexual tension and steam. I thought Chloe took great care in writing a character dealing with a chronic illness and their struggles with insecurities and self acceptance/love. And of course, Chloe continues to educate us on what it means to be on the autism spectrum and all the related misconceptions. Rooney and Axel are perfect for each other and let's be honest, I am so invested in the Bergman family period.
I took off half a star because I felt this one was missing the usual shenanigans from the Bergman bros. Also, I was wondering how Rooney and Axel were going to tell the family about their marriage but that didn't get addressed. I personally like things tied up neatly :)
Now what am I going to do until Oliver's story next year??
5 stars!
Chloe Liese has done it again! She's once again brought forth a wonderful romance novel full of cuteness and tension and emotion. I want this series to never end because honestly I don't know how I'll cope when there's no more Bergman novels.
In With You Forever we follow Axel Bergman and Rooney Sullivan as they try to navigate their hidden crushes on each other as well as their marriage of convenience. Axel and Rooney's paths have kept crossing over the last couple of years but now that this marriage of convenience seems like the most viable option for both of them, spending time together is their undoing.
Rooney is sunshine and warm hugs and bright smiles. Axel is grumpiness and quietness and art. They're both so unique in their own ways and it's absolutely impossible to not love both of them. This is an #OwnVoices story for its portrayal of autism by an autistic author.
Once again, Chloe's writing is smooth and hard-hitting and just an absolute delight to sail through. This book was warm and cute and funny and absolutely one of the best romances I've read.
Please do yourself a favour and go read this series, you honestly won't regret it.
Thank you so much to Chloe and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC.
At the end od the previous book Rooney and Axel kissed. And since then I wanted to read their story.
Rooney is a sunflower and Axel is her gardener. She has this chronical disease and a fear she is not good enough. She search for approval she is worth of love. Axel is a special sensitive autistic man, comunicate in a different way but he is loyal
To be safe Rooney accept the proposal of marriage of convenience and it becomes a discovering of two people that want to love but they are afarid. Both have a lot too give and Bergmans are here to help them in their special way.
I loved the communication between them two through their animals and the slowly burning Chloe wrote.
Prepare to a really sensitive story that Chloe Liese gives us again.. everytime she makes me cry and laugh. She gives suspance and love. It is everything we need.
Thanks to Netgalley and Victory Editing for an arc copy in echange of an honest review. Pub Date is 14 Sep 2021
"With You Forever" is a stunning romance that I highly recommend
What you need to know about “With You Forever”:
✔ Slow Burn but steamy
✔ Dual Point of View
✔ Rooney Sullivan, 24, Willa’s BFF, studying environmental law
✔ Axel Bergman, 30, reclusive artist
✔ Forced Proximity
✔ Marriage of Convenience
✔ Grump and Sunshine
✔ #OwnVoices
✔ Bergman Siblings #4
In “Ever After Always” Rooney kissed Axel during a game of charades to his everlasting shock and then ran out of the room. In “With You Forever” we quickly find out the reason she ran out, which I will not be revealing in this review. I will just say that she’s been hiding something from everyone including Willa and now she’s taking some time off and going to the Bergmans’ A-frame in Washington state for some much-needed self-care.
Meanwhile, at the A-frame, Axel is facing a crisis in that it is badly in need of repair, he is facing painter’s block of a kind so he doesn’t have the money for repairs and, in order to get his inheritance he needs to be married! Axel feels that he must tackle the repairs without alerting his family as this is how he shows love to his expressive family. “I don’t love like they do.” He has been unable to paint since the Charades Kiss because all he sees is Rooney.
Rooney arrives at the A-frame and literally runs into a stunned Axel. Axel lets her know that the house is uninhabitable and takes her to his place where he quickly disappears only leaving her with a note letting her know that she can stay there for her visit.
Eventually, their forced proximity situation develops into a marriage of convenience so that Axel can access his inheritance. (that sound you are hearing is me shrieking with joy at all of my favorite tropes being deployed in this novel)
Rooney and Axel’s pairing is wonderful, not just as sunshine and grump characters, but as real individuals with vulnerabilities who are working together as partners to accomplish a goal. Of course, neither of them realizes the other has a giant crush.
Chloe Liese builds an emotional relationship between two people breath by breath and scene by scene, creating something so powerfully real and lovely that you can’t help but be swept up by it. Liese also creates stunning descriptions of her characters, their emotions and the backdrops that leave your senses overjoyed with descriptors such as, “evening sun drips golden tangerine across the ground.” and “Her eyes meet mine, and that moment feels like a new color, brushed across my heart’s canvas.”
There are also so many moments in this book that are flat out hilarious - the emotions are well balanced and give you a full experience of every range of sentiments you could feel.
Rooney and Axel’s evolving relationship is a pure pleasure to be immersed in. Rooney starts to understand the pressures that Axel places on himself, “The deeper you love, the deeper the risk of disappointment, and hurt and loss.” As Rooney shares her secret with Axel it is a tender moment as she gives Axel the time to let him express himself. They truly learn each other so well in this book and it is beautiful.
Their relationship is a “delicate dance” and as Viggo says, “there’s a love story for anyone out there who wants one.”
This is a gently paced yet steamy romance that reassures us that no matter what insecurities or vulnerabilities we face we all deserve to be accepted, safe and loved for who we really are. I highly recommend “With You Forever”, a stunning romance that reminds us to our core of the meaning of bravery, family and love.
WRITING STYLE: 5/5
PLOT: 5/5
WORLD-BUILDING: 5/5
PACING: 5/5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 5/5
ROMANCE: 5/5
HEAT: 5/5
First: I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS BOOK FOREVER!!!! I'm so excited. :D
THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ.
Seriously - I laughed so hard I cried, and I also just plain cried. Really hard. Until 5 in the morning...because this book is definitely a can't-get-enough-of-it, thinking-about-it-all-the-time, must-read-in-one-sitting type of book. I am also so flipping happy that I got both POV because this definitely wouldn't have been as good with just one POV.
What can I even say? Every book that Chloe Liese writes honestly leaves me in awe, and With You Forever is no different! This was book 4 in the Bergman Brother’s series, following Axel, the second oldest, and Rooney. I have been dying for these two to get together since book 1 and oh boy was the payoff worth it. Chloe Liese is the QUEEN of sexual tension and mutual pining. Watching these two stubborn opposites-sunshine and grump one of my favorite tropes-slowly start to admit their feelings to themselves, and then each other. Finally getting to dive in to Axel’s mind and see all the depths of him hidden behind is quiet exterior was so amazing. And learning there was so much more to Rooney than the cheery front she puts on just made me love her even more. And Chloe’s continued dedication to normalizing mental health and therapy brings me so much joy. This love story was beautiful, swoony, and heart warming, and I hope you all pick it up! With You Forever comes out September 14th, 2021 and you can go pre-order now!
These Bergman's are just the best. Axel is the second oldest and falls on the autism spectrum. He is a talented and successful artist - but he keeps himself apart from his family and lives pretty much on his own near the family's second home in Washington state. Ever since he met Rooney - he hasn't been able to paint anything but her. Rooney has had a very difficult year - she's battling a major flare up of her IBD dealing with the stress from law school. She's had to take a leave of absence to try and figure out what is next for her. She's also not sure how to interact with Axel after an impromptu kiss during family charades. When she arrives at the family property for some much needed R&R - everything goes a bit sideways - but it puts her in close proximity with Axel.
Both Axel and Rooney are complicated people. They both keep a lot of parts of themselves hidden - and it is clearly a relief to share parts of themselves with each other. I adored that this book had such an honest look at both chronic illness and life on the autism spectrum. One of my favorite things about this family and the people in its orbit is how NORMAL they are. No one is a billionaire or plasticly perfect. - they are mostly just good, interesting people with a wonderful family connection and very real honest issues. Axel and Rooney's journey feels so relatable and lovely. It is definitely a slow burn - and that makes so much sense with these characters.
This book, however, definitely left me wanting more of Rooney and Axel. It left us - as with other books in this series - with a happy for now (that was definitely heading towards Happily Ever After). But I kind of wanted maybe a little bit more resolution between them. They have a plan - but I wanted to see more. Like <spoiler> were they going to tell the family they were married? did Rooney really need to be in LA for the next year while she was on her leave of absence? Obviously some long distance was in the future - but was it really as significant as they felt? </spoiler> Overall - I can't wait for more Bergmans and to see more of these characters I have come to love so much. I cannot WAIT for Oliver's story.
I was extremely lucky to receive an ARC of this book - which I have been not so patiently dying to read! These opinions are all my own. Now go out and read this book - and all the rest of the Bergmans. You'll thank me later. And be sure to listen to the accompanying playlist on Spotify!
Full disclosure: I am a Chloe Liese fan and a Bergman family fan, too. I am super-pumped to have had the opportunity to sneak peak at Axel and Rooney's story.
If you have had the opportunity to read any of Liese's books, you'll know her writing style straddles the swoony romantic feelings of falling for someone (or fighting that feeling, in some cases) with realistic representation of characters that are human. They face challenges that don't magically disappear because they found their OTP. Their backstories have hardship, but aren't typically melodramatic tragedies. When you read her books you know exactly what the main characters look like, act like, sound like. She carefully weaves their embodiment through the narrative so it's not a data dump and before you know it you are INVESTED.
With you Forever puts together two people who have been pining for each other for two years. They both have physical and emotional challenges that keep them distanced, but forced proximity and mutual secret keeping (from the rest of the Bergman family) closes the gap. The slow burn is hot, and the intimacy they have and the way they confide in each other is safe, gentle, and kind. As the fourth coupling in the series, I admire how Liese makes each pairings unique and three dimensional.
Thanks so much for the ARC! I am excited for the September release.
** Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review **
I. Have. No. Words.
Seriously, I thought I knew which Bergman brother was my favorite (hardcore Ren stan here! Who doesn't love a delicious cinnamon roll?!?!?) but I think I'm going to have to change that now that I have read Axel's story. I mean...c'mon!
Chloe Liese has done it again. I don't know how she does it, but that woman is pure magic!
Let's start with the highlights:
- Sunshine/Grump PLUS marriage of convenience tropes mashed together in a delightfully sinful way
- The tension...DEAR GOD the tension. The longing that has built up between Rooney and Axel over the course of the series finally comes to a head and we, the dear readers, are gifted with the fireworks we've been waiting for.
- ALL THE FEELS
The only thing that could have made this book better was for it to be longer.
Squeals of delight aside, I honestly believe that Chloe Liese is one of the best writers to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). She has created a series of characters that you cannot help but root for. They are real people with real problems. The representation of physical and mental health issues has been astounding and you can tell that she puts a lot of thought and effort into making sure that the representation is true and accurate. So a massive "thank you!" to Chloe Liese for creating people that her reader's can see themselves in.
Now...to wait for Oliver's book and pray that we can get Viggo's next (seriously, Chloe, we're all DYING for Viggo to have his moment to shine)!
Well, what can I say? My love for the Bergman Brothers series just grows a little bit more with each book and this made no exception. The story of Axel and Rooney and their marriage of convenience was simply perfect. I loved them together, their flaws, their communication, their understandings, their love, and lust, for each other. The way they simply felt safe with one another. The little moments they shared, who made this story so much more.
Rooney is a firecracker who's doing her best to navigate her chronic illness and who believes she's on her own. Until safety and comfort come from the one person she least expects. Axel is the quiet, brooding, type. An artist, a recluse, he believes he's incapable of love in the traditional sense of the word but he couldn't be more wrong and that's exactly what Rooney shows him. Their slow dance around one another, their feelings morphing from lust to love, the little progressions towards realizing how they felt. The way they listen to each other, they understand or try to when it's not so simple. The little family their form with Harry and Skugga. I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK.
I adore Chloe's writing. It's sharp, witty, tender, just like her characters. Her stories are like warm cinnamon buns and soft hugs in the winter. It's comfort as its finest while she still manages to tackle real-life issues we often don't see in romance books with sensitivity and all the care in the world.
Oh how I enjoy this series. I've been waiting for Rooney and Axel's story for a while now and this did not disappoint. I don't think the below is a spoiler due to the information in the synopsis, but this is the forewarning to stop reading if you are going into this novel without realizing the premise.
The marriage of convenience trope can be tricky to pull off but this was done well and didn't go the traditional route where they are trying to convince everyone that the marriage is real, which was refreshing for a change. However, I wanted closure with Axel and his family regarding the repairs that he was doing; maybe that'll be brought up in the next novel?
Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I do feel like I need to preface this review with the confession that I religiously checked NetGalley daily for weeks and weeks. I was ready for Axel's story. And honestly, a marriage of convenience love story that takes place in a cabin in the woods of the Pacific Northwest automatically means I'm the target demographic. I don't make the rules.
But this book made my heart skip a beat. I read it in one sitting. Axel and Rooney were everything I wanted them to be. Their chemistry was the perfect slow burn, and the grand gesture at the end was just grand enough without feeling out of character. I love the Bergman siblings, and this book had just enough of them. Not enough to take over the story, but enough that Axel didn't seem too far removed. The perfect balance for me. Plus, it just exudes autumnal vibes. I read it in 100 degree Texas weather and I could still feel the wind changing and the leaves falling.
If you've read any of Chloe Liese's books, you know that she takes her representation seriously, and With You Forever is no exception. I am sure that if I went back through with a fine-tooth comb and examined everything about this plot, it wouldn't be 5 perfect stars. But you know what, I loved it enough to not want to do that, so I think that should count for something. Definitely recommended (especially if you enjoyed any of the other Bergman Brothers titles).
Thank you so much for Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This series is one that seems to come to me in the moments I most need it. The leading lady and guy have been in lust with each other for awhile but circumstances arise to have them come together in the most fun and unique way from the others before. There is a ton of self-discovery with both characters but also they work together to create a beautiful slow-burning love that I felt a lot of different emotions for in a good way. I also loved that although it was a marriage of convenience plot, it didn't feel stilted and strange. I think its because these characters have known each other for a long time and weren't complete strangers but still I am not sure. I also appreciated all of their loving care both mentally and physically with each other because that is definitely my love language I have discovered. Overall, this may be my favorite book in the series so far (This keeps happening every time I read them so who knows if its me or the books haha) if I had one nitpick it would be there were a couple of characters that were side characters that I wasn't able to visualize in my head they felt too much in the background to me even though they got a lot of book time. Because of these points, I have to give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I loved it very much!
I have been waiting for this book since I finished it’s predecessor, Ever After Always, back in December. In case I have not mentioned this before, The Bergman Brothers series is my favorite. Chloe Liese is a master storyteller, and I love her belief that everyone deserves a love story. I enjoy how each book in the series works as a standalone, but they can also build off of each other as far as characters from previous books taking part in the newer ones, as well as the rest of the Bergman siblings who don’t yet have their story written.
This book has been in the makings since the very beginning of the series, Only When It’s Us. That is when readers meet both Rooney and Axel as the best friend and brother of those MCs, respectively. The tension between them has been building since their first meeting, and this slow burn was worth the wait.
Rooney has such a fun, sunny personality. She is intelligent, driven, kind, empathetic, but also suffering from a chronic illness. And she is trying her best not to let anyone know or ask for help. She takes her BFF, Willa, up on the offer to stay at the Bergman’s A-frame cabin in Washington while she is on leave from law school. She thinks she is going to have the place to herself, but turns out it’s actually the eldest Bergman brother, Axel’s, turn to have the cabin.
Axel, the perpetual grump. I love that he’s even described as frowning in his baby pictures. He is an artist (painter and expert doodler) who, while he loves his family, prefers his solitude. He is so kind, and likes to take care of the people he loves. He may not have a huge social circle, but he connects deeply with those that are part of it.
As the story begins, it is Axel’s turn to spend time at the A-frame. And he is using his time to show his love for his family by making some much-needed repairs. Except, there are more than he expected. And also more expensive. Not being able to stay in the cabin is fine since he built his own cottage on the property..until Rooney shows up. And guess what y’all?! NOW THERE’S ONLY ONE BED! (in case you can't tell, this story has all the best tropes).
They don’t exactly get off on the right foot when Rooney arrives. They are each holding on to secrets, and aren’t initially sure they can trust one another to keep them under wraps. And then, to spice things up even more,they enter into a marriage of convenience. So now, these two that have been secretly crushing on each other are married, but still trying not to even share the same house. And why not add a random stray kitten into the mix?!
There is such a perfect mix of funny and tender moments in this book. I was hooked from the very start and finished the book over the course of one day. I cannot wait until book 5!!!
Where do I even begin?! To know the Bergman’s is to love them! Every one I read I swear it’s my favorite but it actually might be true for this one! Grump and sunshine, yes please! Marriage of convince, so much yes! Slow, painfully slow burn, my weakness! Rooney is such a sweet relatable character and so unapologeticly herself. Axel is the most swoon worthy book boyfriend I have read in forever. This book just needs to be added to your TBR. My words could never do it justice. Chloe Leise is a mastermind of her craft.
Chloe Liese is a mother-effing gift to romance. Her Bergman Brothers series is hands down one of my all time favorites, and each new book feels like Christmas morning.
With You Forever is the fourth book. Axel, the eldest brother and talented yet isolated artist, has been in lust with Rooney since he first saw her. Rooney has been crushing hard on the brooding artist. In order to secure his inheritance and save his family’s cabin, she agrees to marry him—in name only. But what happens when you’re falling for your pseudo-spouse?!
Forced proximity. Marriage of convenience. Sunshine & the Grump. Liese checks all my favorite boxes.
I love the diversity represented throughout the Bergman Brothers series. With You Forever features an autistic hero and a heroine with IBD. Liese has a knack for breathing life into beautiful, complex, completely relatable characters. I will never not love the Bergman Brothers. And Axel and Rooney’s story may just be my favorite.