Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

I’ve found one of my new fave ways for the brother’s best friend trope to develop: basically the siblings just wait & watch the slow burn happening before their faces & by the end THEY are the ones trying to move things forward.

Spoiler alert: that’s what happens in Chloe Liese’s If Only You.

This contemporary sports romance featuring two pro athletes, both of whom want &/or need an image overhaul, is a lovely slow burn with a round of secondary characters who also had me feeling the love.

If Only You is about people deciding to be something else & the decisions they choose to make to do it. It’s also a story about true friendship, great hugs, patience, & unconditional love (of the friend & partner variety).

There’s a lot of pining, the hero Sebastian gives off lots of “I don’t deserve her” energy, & a heroine, Ziggy Bergman, who’s tired of sitting at the kiddie end of the table, literally, & wants to be acknowledged for the person she currently is.

I love that message & that idea.

If you’re looking for a book where the feelings are on the table (even if the pining itself is hidden from the other lead), where the characters make space for others’ authenticity, check this one out. I will admit, that same earnestness doesn’t always come across as natural to me in the dialogue, but for the most part, I love how openly this book shares its feelings.

This is a really sweet, lovely book with a reforming bad boy & a reforming ultra good girl, & just lots of love all around.

4.5⭐️. Out now!

CWs: Sebastian’s dad left him & he has trauma surrounding his ultra-critical stepfather & emotionally negligent mom. Ziggy is autistic & describes how she experiences social interactions. Sebastian experiences pain & is diagnosed as having Celiac’s Disease in the book.

[ID: Jess, a white woman, wears a yellow floral dress & stands in front of a slate blue building with a monarch butterfly painted on it holding the ebook.]

A Bergman Sister adult romance book!
⚽️
Ziggy, at twenty-two, is the baby of the family. She’s a professional soccer player, but is still treated like a kid and she’s had enough. When her brother’s best friend, hockey player Sebastian Marchand, is in need of rehabbing his bad boy image, Ziggy comes up with the idea to befriend him in the hopes that his debauchery will rub off on her and her good girl image will rub off on him. However, the more time they spend as friends, getting to know one another, the more each is wishing for more.
🥅
This was quintessential @chloe_liese meaning she wrote a romance novel for this modern age with so much representation: bisexual and pansexual MC + neurodivergent MC, non-binary characters and strong, yet vulnerable and relatable couples, plus some spicy moments! If you haven’t read the Bergman brothers get on it now!

CW: celiac disease, anxiety attacks brought on by overstimulation, alcohol abuse, car accident, injured foot, chronic pain, emotional abusive parents, vomit

I was just not in the right headspace for this book so it probably would be a higher rating than the 3 I want to give it so I split the difference and bumped it to 4. Many will love Ziggy’s story.

Every time I read a new Chloe Liese book I think this has to be my favorite book by the author and »If Only You« wasn’t an exception - I loved Ziggy and Sebastian so much. All of the Bergman Brother books are amazing but friends to lovers is just one of my favorite tropes so I know beforehand that this would be great and it was, I had such a good time reading this.
The book is dual POV which worked well for the story and me because to be honest I’m not the biggest fan of reading about “bad boys” and being in Sebastian's head made me like him a lot earlier than I would have when this would have been only Ziggys POV. So, if you’re like me and don’t necessarily love reading about bad boys, don’t worry, Sebastian isn’t that bad actually and you will fall in love with his character quickly because he can be such a softie where Ziggy is concerned which I - of course - loved to read.
What I probably enjoyed most about the book was the pacing and how the relationship between Ziggy and Sebastian developed. They were fake friends at first, attracted to each other but decided to be friends and I just loved that we saw them growing closer and beginning to care for each other before the romance and attraction took place.
So, in conclusion - you may have already guessed - I would recommend Chloe Liese’s entire Bergman Brother series, all of the books are such good romances but (and maybe that’s because it’s the one I’ve read most recently) I think Ziggy’s story really may be my favorite right now.

Patience, endurance, and tiny, incremental steps

If Only You is a slow burn, friends to lovers romance that definitely hits the mark. The friendship and sexual tension build at a beautifully delicious pace. And that pace feels perfect for Ziggy and Sebastian. They are both embarking on a season of change in their lives. They lean on one another, expose vulnerabilities, and share strength. To be seen and loved for all that we are is magnificent.
The character arcs are essential to the story and romance. This book is emotional and hopeful. It was more than worthy of my reading time.

Other things I loved about this story were the Bergman family interactions, chronic illness and autism representation, and a book store date. *swoon* Authentic, empathetic representation was deftly showcased and appreciated. The Bergman Family is one of my favorite fictional families, and I can't wait to be with them again. I need to know what Viggo is up to in Escondido!

4.5 stars rounded down!!I LOVE Chloe Liese - and this book just added to that love!! I have been super intrigued by Ziggy as a character throughout the entire Bergan series, and I thought her story was so well done. I loved the character of Sebastian and thought he balanced out Ziggy perfectly - what I love about Liese is she always writes a sneaky cinnamon roll character. I am anxiously awaiting the next and possibly final book in this series :))

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Chloe Liese for this copy!!

Another hit from Chloe Liese!

I love the autism rep in this book, and they way Ziggy struggles with how rigidly her family has put her in a box, leaving no room for her to develop and mature. It's a great narrative arc, and it's the perfect set up for the fake dating trope. Seb and Ziggy are just mean to be. It's full of all the trademarks of a Chloe Liese book: funny banter, lots of steam and tender, heartfelt moments.

First of all thank you to NetGalley and Chloe for this arc. Ziggy's story is finally here and it's her time to shine!! While she's always been in the background of her sibling's stories, Ziggy has grown so much throughout the series. In 'If Only You', we finally get to see her realize how fierce she is and own her badassery ✨

The first (of many many times) that I read 'Always Only You', I was in a pretty similar place to Ziggy. I loved Frankie so much because she gave me hope that I could be a confident, autistic woman living a full life on my own terms but back then it was still pretty aspirational stuff. Getting to read about Ziggy experiencing the same struggles I was back then comforted my lonely heart in ways I still can't capture. Years later, seeing Ziggy come into herself felt like being surrounded by the warmest loveliest hug. I don't even know what I'm saying at this point, I'm just obsessed with this book. I guarantee you will loooove grown up Ziggy, you will adore Sebastian, and you will absolutely love the magic that they are together. Chloe has given us the best slow burn, the best hugs, mutual pining, incredible depth of friendship...y'all it's just too much goodness.

I would set myself up with an IV and INJECT Ziggy and Sebastian STRAIGHT INTO MY VEINS if I could. Until I figure out how to make that happen, I guess I'll be rereading all Bergman Brothers Series and anxiously awaiting Viggo's arrival.

THE BERGMAN'S NEVER DISSAPOINT!!

I have been dying for Ziggy's book and honestly, it was exactly what I wanted.

* Sports romance (FMC is a soccer player and MMC is a hockey player)
* Fake friends that turns into more
* the most delicious and slowest of slow burns (it's worth it - I promise!)
* amazing chemistry
* Bergman family meddling (obvs)
* NO THIRD ACT BREAK-UP
* Autism rep

Chloe always has the perfect balance of romance, character growth, and relationship development in her books. Both Ziggy and Seb need each other for different reasons and watching their fake friendship turn to real friendship and then into something more, was honestly just so heartwarming. I LOVED these two. Their banter was great and their own individual character growth added so much to their relationship arc.

Also, Ziggy's love for Fantasy Romance (Romantasy) just was the cherry on top for me - like, Chloe throwing in a wings scene... IYKYK!

EASY 5 STARS!

IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BERGMAN'S.... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING ON?? I cannot wait for Viggo's book!!

Also, the audiobook was amazing!

I loved everything about Ziggy and Sebastian's story!

Fake dating is a favorite trope of mine (I feel like I've said that a time or two recently 🤔😂), and I really enjoyed the fake friends spin on that in this book. It set up a lot of great, meaningful interactions between Sebastian and Ziggy that made the progression to more than friends feel very organic and believable.

Their story was relatively low angst and had an abundance of sweet, caring and swoony moments. These two just "got" each other and instinctively seemed to know what the other needed and how to show up for each other. The romance is definitely a slow burn, but the journey to get there is so worth it.

As expected with this author, this story is also packed with humor and plenty of Bergman family antics. Sebastian's friendship with Ren felt really special, and I loved the support Sebastian got from the whole Bergman clan.

The entire Bergman series ranks among my very favorites ever. While I'm excited for Viggo's book, I'm dreading that it's the final installment. I'm so not ready to let this family go! 😭

If Only You is the sixth book in the Bergman Bothers series, and is one of my favorites in the series! If Only You is a Bergman SISTER story, and one I have been excited about for a while.

This is Ziggy’s story with her brother’s best friend Sebastian. This is such a slow burn, and I was here for every second. Ziggy really learns to stand up for what she wants in this book and I loved watching this. As the youngest Bergman, she is still treated like a child and she is done with it. She proposed being fake friends with Sebastian to help his bad boy reputation, and also help others see her as not a little girl.

They definitely become real friends, and I loved watching the friends to lovers progression. They both wanted each other so bad, but Sebastian was trying not to act on anything because he didn’t want to hurt her and he knew he wasn’t worthy of her. The tension!! SO good!! I loved how Sebastian took time to better himself before jumping into a relationship, and how patient she was with him. It was so swoon! I loved these two so much.

Okay, so this was my first Chloe Liese book and therefore I am new to the world, but boy oh boy am I obsessed!!! First of all any hockey/sports romance and I'm automatically sold. But a fake friendship and friends to lovers mixed in??? I'm completely in deep.

I really loved this story. Ziggy was an interesting main character. I found her enjoyable and relatable. And yes I was in love with Sebastian. I mean a man who needs to fix his reputation is always a big win to me. It was heartwarming to watch Ziggy grow throughout the story especially as she learns to be braver and to give herself the recognition she deserves.

I'm not usually one for the slow burn romances, but wow this one worked so well. I feel that the character growth tied very well into the romance so the slow burn factor was painful for me. In fact, I found myself reading it a lot more often for that fact. I wanted to get to the parts where they were together. Overall, I loved the story and I will be reading the rest of the books very soon.

Chloe Liese has been one of my auto-buy authors since I read the first book in the Bergman Brothers series. She is a fantastic storyteller and creates multidimensional characters who are relatable and interesting. If Only You was such a wonderful book, and I already think it will be one of my favorites of the year.

Ziggy has appeared in the other books in the series, but we've only seen her through others eyes. I really enjoyed getting to know and understand her better. She has grown so much from the Ziggy we've seen previously, and she wants her family and others to stop underestimating her. Her brother's teammate Sebastian needs an image makeover, so Ziggy comes up with a plan for a fake friendship that can benefit them both.

They were so wonderful together with Ziggy bringing a bit of light and fun to Sebastian and him truly seeing her as the woman she is. The relationship development was perfectly paced, and it was their chemistry and connection were obvious from very early on. It was easy to see their relationship wouldn't stay fake for long.

I was hooked from the very first page of this book. There are also a number of appearances from the Bergman family and other characters in the series. It was fun seeing glimpses of what they are up to now. I cannot recommend this book and series enough!

I have been WAITING for sweet ziggy's story for so long. She has been such an intriguing character for me ever since the beginning of the series. I loved getting to see into her mind finally. I found Ziggy to be a powerful character with a very good evolution. I liked how you can easily connect with her thanks to how well Chloe's writing makes her characters seem so real.

Seb was such a good contrast to Ziggy. They truly complement each other in the best way. I loved that he was this hard, tatted, moody dude with baggage and the one thing to get him to open up was loner girl Ziggy.
I love that Sebastian discovers his voice as Ziggy begins to find hers too. Oh and of course I was excited to see the rest of the Bergman clan again!

I received this ARC from Chloe via NetGalley as a lived experience reader <3

Thanks to @netgalley for an advance copy of If Only You by Chloe Liese, out TODAY!

Every time I have the privilege of reading one of Liese’s books, I think I can’t possibly love it more than the last, and every time she proves me wrong.

Sebastian and Ziggy’s story caught me by surprise: like the characters in this book, I thought of Zig as the kid sister, and I was absolutely blown away by what she is capable of.

Ziggy’s willingness to believe in others even when they don’t believe in themselves and Sebastian’s willingness to embrace a radical vulnerability completely out of his comfort zone brought tears to my eyes.

Were there typical Bergman Brothers shenanigans? Of course, and I loved every minute. But these characters shine in the quiet moments, the ones where they show up for each other. All any of us wants is to be seen — really seen — and Ziggy and Sebastian see each other.

If you haven’t yet picked up one of the Bergman Brothers books, you’re missing out. They don’t need to be read in any particular order, so you can start wherever you like.

The Bergman series is such a comfort series for me! Was this my favourite of them all? No, but I still really enjoyed it nevertheless. I loved seeing Ziggy and Seb bond and learn how to help each other be their true selves. This is a slow burn though (maybe the slowest of them all?) and I kinda wished we had gotten to see more of the ending! It ended a little abruptly for my liking.

Happy publication day to If Only You!
Opposites attract in the sixth book of the Bergman Brothers series. As with other books in this swoony series, I was hooked from beginning to end. Ziggy is the youngest sibling of the Bergman clan and Sebastian is her big brother's best friend. He's looking to clean up his image while she's looking to change her good-girl image. Honestly, Helen Hoang said it best when she said, "I could curl up in Liese's writing for days, I love it so."

ITS TIME ITS TIME ITS TIME!

If Only You by @chloe_liese is officially out today!

I was able to get my hands on an ARC of this glorious book and I was so excited to dive in.

This is Ziggy’s book. She is the youngest of the Bergman clan and also the most misunderstood. She may be the the youngest but she may be the strongest character because of her upbringing. In a house of mostly brothers, she’s had those big bodyguards for her entire life, but she’s more than that. She is a queer, neurodivergent, soccer star who is in the mood/need for a change. She wants to be Ziggy 2.0 and she knows the perfect way to try it out: helping Sebastian get back to the good graces of her sister in law agent Frankie and the media.

Y’all, this fake friendship-real friendship- attraction-romance is so dang good. The way that Ziggy and Seb thrive off one another and also blend so well together is the best.

The representation this book holds is near and dear to my heart. We get bisexuality/pansexuality rep which is written how it should be perceived in the real world. The neurodivergent life that Ziggy leads is intertwined in the most delicate way and she’s so tuned into her ways of handling herself. There is mentions of celiac disease, too which is nice to read about because it makes it easier to know of in day to day life.

Overall, if you’ve kept up with the Bergman clan, you need to read this because obviously, it’s a must! I am so happy I was able to read early and can spread the love for this incredible series.

There are 2 parts, that I will not go into detail about because I don’t want to spoil anything, but there is a scene in a bookstore 👀 and there’s also the briefest mention of a pleasure device that I wish had more spotlight on but a girl can dream, right?

Thank you to @chloe_liese and @netgalley for my early copy! I can’t wait for the next!

4.5

I’m so happy I got the opportunity to revisit the Bergman’s, they’re definitely one of my favorite families ever. Ziggy’s book was one of my most anticipated reads and it did not disappoint!

Ziggy is the youngest of seven siblings and she’s definitely been treated as the baby throughout the series. But she’s not 15 anymore, she wants to be treated like the adult that she is and to be included in the family the way that her older siblings are. Seb is Ren’s bad-boy teammate and best friend. Seb is in desperate need of a PR facelift after getting into trouble. Because of Ziggy’s desire to change her families perception of her and Deb’s need to adjust his bad-boy persona, they form a friendship.

This story gave all the friends to lovers goodness that I could ever ask for. Ziggy and Seb had the best banter and they understood each other so well. It was so amazing being able to see them come into theirselves and also find love in the process. This book was a SLOW burn, but it was so worth it in the end. I can’t wait to see more of them together in Viggo’s book next year!!!

Thank you so much Chloe for the eARC!

I actually read this one before i read the rest of the Bergman brothers series! I read the first one then never got around to the others until this one and I really liked it! Super cute and I love following siblings throughout series!

There are no words for how much I absolutely adore the Bergman Brothers series by Chloe Liese. With each new book that comes out, I fall more in love with the couple than in the prior books and this was definitely the case with If Only You. Ziggy & Sebastian are definitely one of my all time favorite couples and I could have read another 1,000 pages about them!