From one of my favorite romance series ever, I was so thrilled to see it here with a new cover. Read it read it read it, every single thing I've read by this author is beautifully written with very human characters and believable plots while still hitting all the good notes.

⚽️ONLY WHEN IT’S US by Chloe Liese⚽️

📆PUB DATE: December 3rd, 2023
➡️Swipe for synopsis
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: E-book
Read if you like:
⚽️Sports romance
😡Enemies to lovers
❤️Romance series

The Bergman Brothers series is being traditionally published by Berkley, and the first re-release comes out on December 3rd! I loved this book because it’s an opposite sports romance where the female character is the athlete, which I rarely see. The first in the Bergman Brothers series follows Willa, a college soccer player, and Ryder, an ex-soccer player, who are forced to partner on a final project.

I really enjoyed so much about this book, mainly the characters and side characters. Willa’s and Ryder’s family are a big part of this book and set the scene for the rest of the series. The chemistry and banter is great and the writing is clever and easy to follow. My main criticism is the plot is a bit sporadic and all over the place, but I still enjoyed it!

Thank you @berkleyromance for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I decided to check this one after reading fantastic review of my book-twin Fran. And guess what? She is so right! This book is underrated secret gem!

OMG! I love this book so much! It’s so entertaining, hot, sexy and also emotional, sweet, swoony, incredibly romantic!

This book surprisingly exceeded my expectations because there are so many published advertised with highly recommendations and in my opinion this is so much better than a few anticipated romances of this year. Thanks for NG for putting this on my radar!

I absolutely loved this story. Even while reading this for the third time, Liese's depiction of Willa and Ryder is so touching.
The story of love, grief, and companionship is so powerful all while navigating a college relationship. Willa's character is so strong for dealing with her struggles, but it is amazing to see how her and Ryder grow together and to be better. I love how Ryder has to face his trauma's and really come to terms with his hearing loss and the necessity for hearing aids.
I particularly enjoyed how sweet the romance is between Willa and Ryder and the will they won't they aspect of it all.
Overall, this book has a very special place in my heart, along with all the Bergman siblings!

After Reading the first Wilmot Sisters book, Chloe Liese has been discovered to be a delight! This was so so good! It wasn't as amazing as the first Wilmot sisters, but that only means she's improved. I absolutely adore how much different rep there is in her books, but I'm obsessed. I would love to see that everywhere. Already obsessed with the second book :')

I love Chloe Liese but I have strangely only read most of the Bergman books. This isn't one that I'd read before so I appreciated the chance to read this fancy new edition from Berkley. I have to say that this is probably my least favorite of the series - which doesn't mean that it was bad! It was still good, it just didn't work for me as well as the others I've read. I think that a big reason had to do with the ages of the two main characters. Ryder and Willa are in college, and they are BABIES. They've both been through a lot - Willa is dealing with her mother's terminal illness and the eventual grief of losing her (all while trying to manage being a D1 college athlete in an elite program), and Ryder was late-Deafened by bacterial meningitis, ruining his bright soccer career. Things get off on the very wrong foot with them (thanks in large part to some VERY inappropriate meddling by their business mathematics professor who also happens to be Ryder's brother in law), and they go on a whole enemies to lovers journey together. Again, still very good, but I didn't vibe as well with these characters as I have with many of the others, and I can really only point to not being able to relate well to their ages/stages in life.

Wonderful story. Willa and Ryder are great characters with a fun dynamic who showed growth throughout the book. It is a story with fun light hearted moment as well as a very emotional part. It has hearing loss representation. The caring family of Ryder is a great part of this book. Everyone deserves a family like the Bergman family.

I loved this book and this author! Chloe's inclusive and relatable characters made this a joy to read.

Short synopsis: College soccer athlete Willa is falling behind in her Businesd Mathematics class. Rather than give her the notes, like every other instructor, her professor told her to get them from the grumpy brooding Ryder Bergman.

My thoughts: This just might be my first ever sports romance and I’m HERE for it! Although I’m not a huge soccer fan and some of the terms went a bit over my head, I didn’t care at all!

The tension was real in this! I loved how the frenemy trope played out. Their pranks were silly and funny and not at all hurtful or mean. And I loved watching them admit to their true feeling for each other. This made me laugh, cry, and fall for the sweet Bergman family! Each of these characters felt so REAL, the huge family with 7 kids who opened up their hearts to Willa and her mom. I can’t wait to hear everyone’s story!

Read if you love:
- Sexy brawny lumberjack types
- Flannel and beards
- Soccer
- Sunshine/grumpy
- Frenemies to lovers
- Found family

3.5 stars maybe 3.75. Kind of torn on the rating. I enjoyed this book that was so much more than a love story, but embraced the hard topics of cancer and grief. It was a typical enemies to lovers but it slow burned for so long, that I was kind of over it by the time Willa and Ryder got together. It was a good story, especially because of the incorporation about Ryder’s late in life loss of hearing. I’ve never read a book with a deaf character. From other reviews I read, it sounds like the author changed some earlier issues to reflect more realistic depictions. Hated the nicknames in this book, though!

I’m interested to read the other Bergman siblings’ stories! But I don’t think I’d read this book again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I freaking loveee this book! This story was so emotional and beautiful and opened me up to different perspectives. Ryder and Willa learning to trust eachother was so beautiful to read about. Their romance is so wonderful and I will forever be going back to read all their cute moments! THAT BONUS EPILOGUE WAS EVERYTHING! Their wedding was perfect! The love from them and their family just radiated off the pages. This book was so good!!!

Loved this book! So different than what I initially expected. A slow burn romance thats not only about love but also hearing loss, college sports, grief, vulnerability and healing. Once the story plot kicked in, I found it impossible to put down and couldn’t get enough of the passion and tension between Willa and Ryder.

This was such a cute and unique story. I truly loved Ryder, and who he became by the end of the book. Willa was pretty much the worst, and drove me crazy. But it was a super cute story that I binged in 36 hours. Can’t wait to start the next one! It’s definitely not perfect, and could be a little hard to follow at times, but it was exactly what I hoped it would be.

Spice level: 4 (4+ explicit scenes)

This book has:
-slow burn romance
-he falls first
-sports romance (soccer)
-experiencing grief/loss of family member
-miscommunication
-disability rep
-lots of banter
-dual POVs

I LOVE THIS COVER. it’s absolutely perfect. Already on book 3 and loving them all.

On the verge of losing her mother to cancer, soccer star Willa Sutter has aspirations of Olympic gold, but she needs to maintain her grade point average and stay on the college team. Her business professor suggests she catch up on notes from fellow student Ryder Bergman, but Ryder doesn't seem interested in giving Willa the time of day. Pranking ensues. It's not until after they are paired for a semester-long project that she realizes wasn't ignoring her; he's deaf. Although they get close, each hides pivotal information from the other, not to keep boundaries but out of fear of being vulnerable. The story loosely follows the plot of Pride and Prejudice, with each misreading the other, withholding, keeping secrets... and of course, falling in love.

Willa's loving single mother has battled illness for a long time, and is actively failing, with Willa facing the reality of their limited time together. This was so beautifully rendered and emotional, and pitch-perfect in voice; the writing moved me to tears. Willa's mother has an old friend from the military who is now a doctor, who has offered her hospice, and Willa is in for a big surprise when she learns whose home they will be staying in. The characterizations are excellent--I think I fell into love with both Willa and her cinnamon-bun of a man Ryder.

Only When It's Us is the first in a series of romances focuses on a sprawling, imperfect, loving family and the friends and lovers they take into their fold. Most are loosely structured on classic romances and comedies, from Austen to Shakespeare... to Ted Lasso. The seven Bergman siblings live/work/play in SoCal (but spend time in the Pacific Northwest in their expanded A-frame family vacation home) and are of Swedish descent; geographical and cultural details beautifully round out the love stories. Each tale, edited and re-released by Berkley Romance with a bright, attractive cover, includes a preface from the author about her commitment to writing neurodivergent and chronically ill characters. All of Liese's characters are portrayed with authenticity and sensitivity, and a recognition that no two people's lived experiences are alike. Gentle trigger warnings may be helpful for some readers. New bonus epilogues further the story, and sometimes help segue to the next; afterwards include more information, and often, each concludes with a sample chapter the next book in the series. Each chapter is told in alternating points of view, and each chapter in each book is prefaced with a song title/artist evocative of the mood, tone or subject of the chapter, and all of the titles are cleverly pulled from a snip of dialogue spoken from one protagonist to the other at a pivotal moment.

I received a free, advance reader's review copy of $OnlyWhenItsUs from #NetGalley.

3.75-4.0⭐️

pacing of the story threw me off. the delivery of could’ve been a bit better. but this was great story i seriously loved both mcs. i swear if i had seen another dang grinch reference of the fmc’s heart growing another inch i wouldn’t have made it to the end. thank you for this arc i appreciate this opportunity in return for an honest review..

The beginning of one of my all-time favorite series. I will never stop recommending it and I love it with my whole heart. I also ADORED the Deaf representation.

I DNF this book, it was my firsst by this author and i was disappointed in her disability rep. I'm happy to know she improves on that greatly in the future.

LIKES:
📝 quick, relatable & funny writing
👥 dual-pov (Willa & Ryder)
👱🏻‍♀️ Willa is a determined soccer player with no filter
🧔🏻 Ryder is a stoic & shy student who lost his hearing
⚽️ soccer vibes
🏫 set at a university
🌲 & a cabin in the PNW!
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 explores family dynamics
🏥 + chronic illness of a family member
🖤 + grief
🧏‍♂️ + hearing impaired experience
🤺 rivals-to-lovers
🫂 + forced proximity
😊 cute & sweet
🤪 silly & fun
•
DISCLAIMERS:
⚠️ dm me for TW!
🧀 cheesy at times
🙄 Willa was annoying
🔗 didn’t find the grief storyline compelling
•
VERDICT: a cute start to a romance series featuring rivals-to-lovers romance between college students & hearing impaired representation - made me excited for the rest but wasn’t a love on its own bc I found the FMC annoying

Only When It's Us, the first book in the Bergman Brothers series, was my introduction to Chloe Liese’s writing and I have been a super fan ever since. Getting to see all the young Bergmans was such a treat, it felt like I was visiting old friends.

Willa and Ryder's story was a delightful introduction to one of my favorite series of all time. Willa was an incredibly stubborn college athlete trying to prove herself, and Ryder was struggling to cope with his recent hearing loss, which led to a series of misunderstandings that made for an explosive first encounter. However, it didn't take long for these enemies to become frenemies and ultimately lovers. Ryder was so soft for Willa and simply had to figure out the words to express his feelings and Willa needed to trust that she could risk her heart on Ryder.

“Sunshine?” His voice echoes from upstairs. The affection and familiarity in my nickname is a warm blanket of reassurance, wrapping around me. It’s the audible version of his hugs, those big arm squeezes that incite a feeling I’ve had for months. That when I’m with Ryder Bergman, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Only When It's Us was such a sweet and fun read and I loved the bonus epilogue. I am very excited to revisit all of the Bergman brothers and sisters in anticipation of Viggo’s book.

It has Chloe’s easy-going style, but it feels so much rougher than the rest of the series. I far prefer the later books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.