"But he's shown me love. In quiet, caring ways. In giving me home and comfort these past few weeks. A home I'm about to go die in."

This quote 😂. Oh, Rooney. Anyway, I didn't think this series could get any better, but enter Axel and Rooney. In With You, Forever we have a slow-burn marriage of convenience romance between grumpy painter Axel and sunshine-incarnate Rooney, a STEM graduate taking a break from Stanford Law to figure out her next step. Unfortunately, her break takes her to the Bergman's cabin in Washington State, which Axel just-so-happens to be fixing up.

Here are all the things I loved about With You, Forever:
- First, the diverse characters. We have Rooney with a chronic illness (ulcerative colitis) and Axel on the autism spectrum (this is an #OwnVoices novel for its portrayal of autism by an autistic author). Liese also totally gives us an authentic grumpy/sunshine scenario, which I adored. The way Axel and Rooney respected and cared for each other is the definition of heartwarming.
- Speaking of, let's talk about all the small ways Axel cares for Rooney, like cooking her gluten-free meals, reading her historical romances when she isn't feeling well and THAT grand gesture at the end. My heart can't handle it.
- The playlist. I love that Liese includes a corresponding song with each chapter.
- The supporting characters. I loved Axel's friends and the Bergman cameos. I'm now irrationally excited for Viggo's story (anyone else?). We also can't not mention Harry and Skugga, the pair's adorably furry pals.
- The location. I loved that this book was set over a short time period in Washington State.
- The chemistry. The pair's chemistry was undeniable from the beginning and while this was a slow burn, Liese sprinkled in some sweet, some spicy tension-building moments before a couple of steamy scenes towards the end of the book.
- The dual point of view. We love to see it in a romance.

"I hope I make her feel safe. The way Rooney makes me feel safe." I mean, come on 😍.

With You, Forever is humorous, heartfelt, tender and swoon-worthy, and a must-read for romance fans. This whole series is just amazing.

Thank you so much to Chloe Liese for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Recommended Read

illustrated cover in purple with pink titles, a blonde woman holding a kitten and with a greyhound leaning against her leg in the background and a bearded lumberjack type white guy holding an artist's pallette in the foregroundDear Chloe Liese,

A friend from Twitter recommended your books and this series in particular to me recently. When I saw it at NetGalley and noted “grumpy vs sunshine” it was a foregone conclusion. After reading With You Forever, I know I will definitely be picking up the other books in the series (I have one already) either in ebook or on audio but this book worked just fine as a stand alone. I didn’t feel lost diving into the series at book 4.

Axel Bergman is a 30-year-old neurodivergent artist who lives a very reclusive life in rural Washington State. He has a loud and loving family he adores but he finds it difficult to be social and certain interactions are particularly hard for him to manage. He also often needs some time to articulate his feelings – something that the average person doesn’t give him and, for those people, he comes across as emotionless and/or grumpy. He likes his life the way it is; largely alone, communicating mostly by email with his family and seeing them in small groups or in sparing amounts of time. Love isn’t on his radar. He thinks it’s not for him.

Rooney Sullivan is 24 and studying law at Stanford. She is Willa Bergman’s BFF (Willa is married to Ryder – their book is called Only When It’s Us) and as such has been around the Bergman family many times, to the point where she’s been virtually adopted by them. She has a crush on Axel but because he leaves the room almost immediately she arrives in it, she thinks he’s not into her. At a recent Bergman family get together, there was a game of charades and the clue was “kiss” and bing bang boom, suddenly she was kissing Axel because the rest of the family just were not getting it and Rooney is competitive. That’s what she told herself anyway. The kiss was amazing but then Rooney had an attack of pain from her chronic illness of ulcerative colitis and needed the bathroom so had to run and when she returned, Axel had gone. Seeing him again will be difficult.

When Rooney’s health worsens, she decides to take a leave of absence from Stanford and get herself settled on her new medication and decide what she wants to do from there. While Willa does not know the reason for it, she does know that Rooney is in need of a place to stay to rest and recuperate. She offers the A-frame house that is owned by the Bergman parents and used by the various family members over the course of the year. Assured that nobody else is using the house, Rooney accepts the offer.

Axel normally lives in a small cabin a short distance from the house but he’s at the A-frame when Rooney arrives because he’s planning major repairs. Unfortunately those repairs mean that Rooney cannot stay at the house (it is unsafe) and, worse, they are so extensive, Axel is unable to fund them without dipping into an inheritance which has a catch – he has to be married to take the money. Axel has reasons for keeping the repairs a secret from his family so the inheritance is his only immediate option given his recent difficulty (Rooney-related as it happens) painting.

It was a bit of a leap for me to accept this marriage of convenience I admit. It’s the least believable part of the book – but I’ve gone with stranger things and I was prepared to give it a pass as I was already invested in both characters and their clearly mutual attraction. Forced proximity is another favourite trope and if a marriage of convenience is how the pair is to be forced together, well bring it.

Told in dual first person point of view, the sections from Axel were different enough to those from Rooney that it was easy to orient myself without constant reminders of whose perspective I was in. Rooney has a breezy, funny kind of tone to her narrative which I enjoyed.

My entirely platonic (meaning totally off-limits) husband, went from dangerously hot to bespectacled sex on legs.

Cruel, cruel universe.

Notwithstanding the very real and serious difficulties she faces, Rooney is generally upbeat and social, generous with her time and her smiles, more likely to laugh than not. Axel is… not. He feels like he doesn’t belong and finds it easier to be alone.

It’s clear that Viggo, another Bergman brother, is the most emotionally mature one (he reads romance novels so of course he is) and he is the go-to Bergman for advice of a personal nature. He’s a bit pushy – sometimes this is what is needed in this family – but the genuine love is also obvious. There is a delightful mix between acceptance of Axel for who he is (not just by Viggo – by all of the Bergmans actually) and encouraging him to be brave in going after what will make him happy, with a dash of longing and acknowledgement that certain things from Axel have a higher value – like here:

“He hugged me last night,” Oliver gloats.

Viggo gasps and throws me a wounded glance.

“It was extenuating circumstances,” I state for the record, scooping out flour.

“What do I have to do to earn a hug?” Viggo demands.

“If you ever fly a thousand miles and arrive on my doorstep in tears, I’ll hug you, Viggo.”

It was difficult for Axel to share his diagnosis with his family and to be vulnerable enough with them – who all love him dearly – so he thinks it’s never going to happen with someone else. However, over their time at the cabin, he finds Rooney pays attention and patiently listens.

Like so many vital moments with Axel, his love is loudest when he’s quiet.

She takes note of what he likes, asks in respectful ways about what makes him happy and also, challenges him just a little. (For example, Axel has a “not my dog” dog when Rooney arrives. Rooney is not having that.) Axel didn’t think love was for him but Rooney sees him and loves him as he is. For his part, Axel feels the same way about Rooney. Ultimately, I think that “being seen” thing is one of the things which draws me to the romance genre and I love it when characters who feel they don’t belong find their emotional home.

The conflict is basically that Axel fears he will not be able to make Rooney happy. He needs quiet and is not social. Rooney is extroverted and gregarious. How can he be enough for her?

I did like that both characters were emotionally brave – even though there was still a point where their bravery stumbled a little. I liked the way they interacted, their acceptance of one another and their delight with one another. That perhaps makes the story sound heavier than it is. There are heavy topics sure, but the story itself is lighter than that, with many funny moments and plenty of steam as well as quiet intimacy which got me a bit melty at times.

It was also important to me that the autism representation in the book is own voices. I don’t make the mistake of thinking that any one experience is universal but it gives me a level of comfort when an author has authentic experience to draw from when it comes to neurodivergence. From the Author’s Note in the back of the book, I know also that you drew heavily on the experience of a close friend when it comes to the representation of IBD/ulcerative colitis from which Rooney suffers and your own experience of being gluten intolerant. Again, it helped me to feel comfortable that the representation would be sensitive and trustworthy.

There were a couple of things I didn’t quite understand. Because they occur near the end of the book I’ll put them under a spoiler tag.

Spoiler: Show

Those small issues aside, With You Forever was charming, funny, sexy and sweet, with engaging characters who made it easy to care about them.

Grade: B+

Regards,
Kaetrin

Love this series and this book was a wonderful addition. I wish I would have read them a little closer together. I had kind of forgotten about the hints about this relationship since book one. I was discussing this with a friend that read back to back and she was more invested in it than I was because of this. However, it would still work even as a stand alone (although, if you dont read the first three you are missing out on some great books). Chloe always has the absolute best character development. Each of her characters are unique and created with such care and respect. I would recommend to any romance readers and to anyone you are trying to convert to a romance reader!

Each time I read a novel in the Bergman Brothers series, I think “This is it. This is the best one.” Then, I read the next, and the process repeats. Each novel in this series is vastly different than the next, covering sports and illnesses, mental health and family in unique ways every time. I highly recommend you check out the other books in this series, whether you do that before reading With You Forever, or after (when I’m sure you’ll be just as obsessed).

I have been excited for Axel and Rooney’s relationship for a few books now, with their crushes on each other being hinted at throughout the other novels. Combining this relationship with some awesome romance tropes (ex: marriage of convenience and forced proximity) only made this book all the better. I loved Axel and Rooney’s unconventional relationship. I loved how they cared for each other and how open they learned to be with each other. Their intimacy was stellar as well, with comfortable discussions of kinks and turn ons/offs without being awkward. Axel and Rooney turned out to be a great pair, beyond the burning attraction they’d been harboring for each other for a few years.

Like any Bergman Brothers novel, this focused a lot on family, but at a more distant way than it had been discussed previously. Not only did readers get to know some of the younger Bergmans a bit better (which is good, considering their books are coming up after this) but there was a great commentary on being part of a kind and caring family but never feeling like you fit in. Family extended in this novel to talk about the family that Axel and Rooney created, with Axel’s friends and their daughter, as well as with the various animals that came to populate their home.

The vibes and aesthetic of this novel were gorgeous. Most of the book took place in and around Axel’s cabin (which he built himself), in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. In most of the Bergman Brothers novels, this setting is present but more in a vacation-like way. Here, it was almost a character itself. The nature surrounding them was so vivid, whether they were hiking up to see the sunrise or dealing with a skunk in a tent. The setting was a lot more closed off, giving Axel and Rooney the space from others that they needed in order to learn how to be in a relationship. Other characters from the Bergman family made appearances, but this novel at its core was about the comfort of Axel and Rooney’s relationship.

This is the story of Axel and Rooney. It is sweet and emotional and chock full of all the feels. The first half of this story is a healthy dose of introspection and internal monologuing. We really get to know what is going on in everyone’s head, which makes the pace feel a little slower, but truly makes sense when you look at the protagonists. We’ve got a grumpy mountain man with autism and a people pleaser heroine who is battling chronic illness and a lot of indecision about her future.

5 Happy Accidents Stars!

"With You Forever" further cements my love of The Bergman Family and Chloe Liese's writing. This book like her others contains unique, complex, and lovingly familiar characters. The heartbeat of her writing showcases the beauty in humanity. Perceived flaws or weakness are simply that perceived, especially when in the presence of love. This quote is a favorite and tells you so much about the beautiful connection between Axel and Rooney:

“Just because you experience your emotions differently from other people , Axel , doesn’t mean that experience isn’t valid, or that someone can’t love you for it. With the right person, love is possible for any of us who want it.”

Now that I have gushed about the author's writing and character development, let's move on to all of the things you can look forward to in "With You Forever".

🎨Sunshine & Grump
🎨 A broody Bergman Brother and a dog
🎨Forced Proximity
🎨Chronic Illness representation
🎨Neurodiverse representation (Autism by an Own Voices Author)
🎨A Skunk Vigil
🎨Marriage of Convenience
🎨A cute, mischievous kitten
🎨Found Family
🎨The Bergmans (in all their glory)
🎨Steamy, slow burn

Axel and Rooney have a definite attraction, but both try their best to resist (futile, of course😉). As they spend time in each other's presence, they learn to read each other's body language. This leads to honest, vulnerable communication. That trust further fuels the flames of lust between them and ignites more than just their bodies. What builds between them is more than they ever expected...love.

This book made me smile and laugh and get a bit misty-eyed. So many emotions were brought to the surface. The character arcs and internal turmoil added layers of emotional depth and compassion. And the "grand gesture" was EVERYTHING! Fear was no match for love.

I'd anticipated this instalment in the series since starting it because the two main characters, Axel and Rooney, have some past chemistry in previous books. This book did not disappoint! I loved the setting, the side characters (axel's friends were hilarious) and the depth at which Bergman makes her characters so realistic with real world problems. She also represents neurodiversity and chronic illness in a sensitive and (to me, at least!) accurate and respectful way.

I fell in love with these characters and I still can't quite pick a favourite in this series... They are all so good and I'm so grateful to my friend Megan for putting them on my radar. Contemporary romance fans definitely need to take the time to read these books.

Chloe Liese's Bergman Brothers series has quickly become a favorite of mine and I was thrilled to get the chance to read the newest release early. I, like many others, have been anxiously awaiting Axel and Rooney's story and was not let down! This book has all the things I've come to love about the series including chronic illness and own voices neurodiversity representation. I really, really enjoyed the slow burn, mutual pining, marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and grumpy one and sunshine one tropes featured in this book. Set in a small cabin in the woods with an overall cozy vibe plus all of the feels makes this the perfect autumn read! I am constantly recommending this series to readers and look forward to more from the author!

Gorgeous romance, perfect for fall in the PNW. It's a cozy story that will wrap you up in love. Chloe Liese always cares about representation and while I don't have Rooney's IBD, I do have gluten intolerance and have more than once felt that desperate need for a bathroom when there isn't one around. I feel you, Rooney. Axel is handsome and stoic but secretly a big softie, Rooney is a fun smartypants going through a rough time. They find a home with each other and oops, adopt a few animals along the way. Highly recommend, especially if you need a book for a weekend at a cabin in the woods.

With You Forever by Chloe Liese 📱

*This review contains spoilers for the series but not the book*


CW: ulcerative colitis, IBD, mentions of ableism, explicit sex scenes

Truth time, I didn’t think I would love this book as much as the others. Marriage-of-convenience isn’t my favorite trope. But when I tell you that I loved it more than the others, I freaking mean it!

From book one, I have loved Rooney! She’s been sassy and sarcastic, a supportive af friend, and a badass woman all together. Axel has not been my favorite Bergman though. And that’s probably because we have not seen enough of him until this point. When I say he stole my heart…I mean that Ryder, Ren, and Aiden can step aside because I want Axel.

The sensitivity of both MCs, the disability rep for both MCs, the sexual and romantic attraction, as well as the animal features makes this a must-read.

I know I say this for each Chloe Liese book but when I tell you this is my favorite of the series, I MEAN it. I even reread the others and this is still my top. Please read this series! And thank you to Chloe for writing it!

Tropes:
❤️ Marriage-Of-Convenience
❤️ Sunshine-And-Grump
❤️ One Bed

The Bergman Brothers have my heart but this book really hit different. This made me FEEL SO deeply. Axel and Rooney’s story was so beautiful — and trust me the other books have also been incredibly sweet and heartwarming — but the way Chloe writes about love here and the process of falling in love…. I’m speechless. Her words brought tears to my eyes and caused me to highlight multiple full pages because wow. How do you capture those feelings SO accurately?

This is a sloooow burn but I didn’t mind it because it meant more time with these wonderfully complex characters. I ADORE Axel and everything his character had to go through to realize his feelings and come to terms with them. This book continues educate, highlight, and celebrate neurodiverse characters and I appreciated the space this book gave Axel to explore his diagnosis. And so much of Rooney was familiar to me — even if I don’t have the same chronic illness, I felt so seen through her food/illness related anxiety. The toll it takes on you, all of the little, frustrating ways we cope and get by… this really resonated. I’m not sure I’ve read experiences so close to my own in a book before. Thank you Chloe!

The only critique I have is that this was a bit of an abrupt ending. I think I wanted to see the consequences of their marriage of convenience with their family and more about the discovery of the cabin repairs. However these feelings didn't impact my overall impression of the book because truly, this was special.

« With You Forever » is the fourth novel in the Bergman Brothers Series by the incredibly talented Chloe Liese and it does not disappoint. This book, like her previous books, is raw, emotional and deeply intimate. I have never read a love story that matches its characters so well. Axel and Rooney have both been through a lot and deserved someone kind and understandable which they easily found in each other. As always, I love the representation in this book: autism spectrum + chronic illness. I loved the conversation about sex and consent they had and overall the sexy times were hot and realistic. If you’re looking for a modern marriage of convenience, grumpy/sunshine trope and for a couple that you will still think about long after reading, look no further.

Chloe Liese ruined my life when she created Axel, my literal dream man, and then had the audacity to make him a 6-foot-5-glasses-wearing-Ben-Barnes-look-alike

full review to come when I'm done crying over how much I loved this

<------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
Please note this review comes from my point of view as an autistic.

Well, it's release day, which means it's time for me to post an actual full review and gush over how freaking much I love this book with my whole heart.

First of all, A WILL WITH A CONDITION?! This is one of my all time favourite tropes, like I cannot explain to you how much I love this. There's so much potential for tension, and good lord Chloe Liese did not disappoint, because the tension, the yearning between these two characters was so perfect it caused a literal visceral reaction in me. And Axel? Good lord, this man was HOT. Like please, I want a man exactly like Axel. And he looks like Ben Barnes, love of my life?! Chloe, you're just trying to kill me at this point.

‘I know I’m not easy to feel close to. I’m not warm and affectionate like the rest of my family. I don’t hug spontaneously or laugh often or thrive in the intimate chaos that defines our large family. I don’t love the way they do.’
Did I cry at this part? Maybe. The autism rep in this book just hits so hard, Chloe has really knocked it out of the park. There was so much of Axel that I related to, being in his mind was like being in my own head. And the way Axel shows his love in different ways? I relate to this so much, I just adore adore adore it.

How do I explain how unsure I feel that romantic love like that is something within my grasp, when I feel like even with my family, that bridge to closeness is so difficult to cross? That all my life, people have been difficult to understand, to be intimate with, to be around for long before I need room to breathe and quiet to think and space to move so I can function? How do I explain that even with the people I do love, when my tongue gets tied and I don’t want the noise of a rowdy group or anyone’s body near mine, that it’s so damn complicated to find ways to show them I love them that they’ll recognize? That closeness is so much fucking work when I seem to have a lot more boundaries and sensitivities than most, when it feels like what I need makes others feel held at arms length?
brb, crying again. I don't know how Chloe has managed to take the words right out of my mouth, but she has. This literally reads like something straight out of my head. The care that Chloe has taken with the autistic rep in this book is just next level - I could write an essay on how much the rep in this book meant to me (but I won't, because I currently have a minor concussion and probably shouldn't be writing a review at all).

Axel and Rooney just communicate so well and so often, and that's hot. Rooney is so entertaining and loveable and I loved seeing more of her vulnerable side in this book, and Axel is honestly just the dream man. I just love this book and them so much, and they literally have the ideal relationship and actual true love, so much care and communication and respect and caring and just love.

Moving away from Axel and Rooney for a second, I was a little worried in previous books that Viggo was going to go too much like the Bromance Book Club series, which I really disliked (it felt very much like fake, #girlboss style feminism to me), but in this book Chloe Liese really highlighted how I feel about romance as a genre, and I am so excited to see what she does with it in Viggo's book.

This review has made basically no sense (please see aforementioned minor concussion), and that's really because I can't put into words how much I loved this book and these characters. Not only is it one of my all time favourite romances, it's one of my all time favourite books - the incredible autism rep, the loveable characters, and a relationship that had me rooting for them like no other - it's rare that I'm this invested in a relationship, even in a romance book.

With You Forever felt like being snuggled under a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate on a rainy day. Honestly one of my favourite books of all time, and I truly can't describe to you just how much this book meant to me, and how much I loved it. Just do yourself a favour and read it - I promise you'll fall in love.

🎨Book Review🎨
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Page count: 350
———

Hi friends! You need to read this book! Chloe Liese is such an amazing and talented author! The Bergman Brother series is a top tier romance series that involves such an inclusive cast of characters. I have loved every one of her books and this one was no different!

Likes:
🎨The inclusive representation (as always)
🎨Marriage of convenience trope
🎨Grump & Sunshine trope
🎨The animals that turned Axel into a softie
🎨How close the entire Bergman family is

Read if you liked:
🖌Bergman Brother books
🖌Family relationships
🖌Books that have some heart
🖌Swoonworthy leading man

I have been looking forward to reading Axel and Rooney's story ever since their kiss during a game of charades. The attraction they shared was obvious even then.

When Rooney takes some much needed down time at the Bergman family cabin she is surprised to find Axel there. He lives in his own house on the same property and is in a bind. He needs access to an inheritance from his uncle to fix the cabin but he is required to be married to receive the money. Rooney agrees to help him and I loved how their relationship grew and changed in the time they spent together.

Their relationship is so lovely with humor, genuine respect and admiration, and love. Their support for one another and understanding of the other's struggles was amazingly done. The dual POV works so well as we get to know and understand them and what their reservations and concerns are.

The writing and character building are wonderful. Chloe Liese writes real and relatable characters that you wish you knew in real life. I absolutely love this book and the whole Bergman Brothers series. Chloe is one of my must buy authors and I cannot wait to see what is next!

GRUMP-tastic.
Axel Bergman may be my new number #1 Bergman (Sorry Ren). This mysterious brooding man I met in the first few books is gahhhhhh… he’s all I want!

It’s no secret that I am a huge Chloe Liese fan. I am still waiting for my invite to a Bergman family holiday party (um holiday novella idea???). Chloe does swoony slowburn like nobody’s business. Add a little forced proximity, grumpy sunshine, disability rep and marriage of convenience.. I mean c’mon it’s as smooth as butter!!!

*Alexa, play BTS “Butter” ft Meg Thee Stallion.

This is a sweet story between grumpy artist Axel who is also on the spectrum and Rooney, who is battling health struggles of her own. Rooney’s plan to take a break from life to spend some alone time at the Bergman family cabin is quickly turnt upside down when she discovers Axel is also hiding away to fix some repairs. Mutual pining and forced proximity drew me in from the beginning, but their story was much much more. It was Axel’s love language to do things for others that made me SWOON coupled with Rooney’s vulnerability to share her IBS journey with Axel.

As with the previous Bergman books, I once again found myself relating to Rooney and her chronic illness. Living with an SCI, I also deal with secondary conditions like neurogenic bowel/ bladder that affect my daily life and has even forced me to take a break from school etc. These issues are hardly ever addressed and should be normalized. I appreciated that Rooney’s hesitancy to share with her friends was also mentioned as it is so similar to my own experiences. So thank you Chloe, for once again, making me feel seen and reminding me that love is beautiful and different and deserved by all.

This book is now out in the world for your reading and listening needs. I hope you love it as much as I did.

*Thank you @netgalley and @Chloe for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#romance #chronicillness #neurodivergence #grump #sunshine #marriageofconvenience #mutualpining #forcedproximity #bergman #family

Chloe Liese is one of my favorite autobuy authors.. I read Only When It's Us last year and became absolutely obsessed with the Bergman brothers (and sisters) and this series. I love the representation in Liese's books. I feel like I've learned more about autism and chronic illnesses such as UC, IBD, and rheumatoid arthritis. Liese will always be a favorite for the representation of rheumatoid arthritis in Always Only You. I love how these titles are connected.

I've been excited for Axel and Rooney's story since Only When It's Us. We knew they'd kissed in an early book so it wasn't a surprise that they had an instant connection. I loved how they were there for each other when they needed it most. I loved how understanding he was of her IBD/UC without making her uncomfortable.

Liese is a master of the slow burn. Axel and Rooney have had past chemistry but neither he’s addressed it. When they end up spending time together a friendship develops as well! They enter a marriage of convenience, but will it end up being more than that?⁣
⁣
I just adored Axel! His explanation of why he didn’t paint sunrises or sunsets and then the directions and ntoe he sent Rooney at the end was swoon worthy. I love the Bergman brother intervention with Axel to convince him to go to Rooney. Liese uses some of my favorite tropes including forced proximity, sunshine and grump and a marriage of convenience. I loved Harry and Skugga and all of their sweet moments and comic relief.
⁣
Honesty I can’t recommend this series enough! I cannot wait for whichever sibling is next!

Thank you to Net Galley, Chloe Liese and the publisher for this ARC.

I literally could not wait for 'With You Forever' to come out. I have fallen hard and fast for the Bergmans and this instalment was no exception. Axel and Rooney's story was so good, just a great balance of heat and pining and I loved it all. We had previously met both Axel and Rooney in the previous books in the series and it was great to finally see these two get together.

I loved how slowly they came together, how they worked through their issues and came together. It was such a beautiful portrayal of a relationship.

Chloe Liese has become an auto-buy author for me. She is brilliant at creating characters who are diverse, well rounded and feel like actual people. I look forward to the rest of the books in the Bergman Sibling series.

I love the Bergmans! This was the sweet treat that I've been waiting for, one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year. It didn't turn out to be QUITE what I was hoping for, but I still enjoyed it immensely. This series of slow burn, neurodiverse romances is heartfelt and emotional without feeling overly heavy. The love stories feel real, authentic, and raw in a way that many others don't, and Liese knows how to make inclusivity and acceptance so very romantic. I've been loving the series, and I definitely had my own thoughts about how this particular story would go before I even started reading. It missed the mark just a little bit, but Liese has set an incredibly high bar for herself with the other books in this series.

The story follows Axel, one of the brothers in the Bergman family. If you've read the previous books (helpful, but not required), then you've probably been intrigued by this quiet, reclusive artist. Axel is autistic and shows his love for his family in his own way, including taking care of them without asking for any credit. So when the beloved family getaway needs some very expensive repairs, Axel bears that burden by himself - at least until Roonie enters the picture. As an honorary Bergman, Roonie cares about the family too, so she is willing to enter into a marriage of convenience with Axel (it's complicated) in order to gain the funds he needs. Roonie and Axel have crushed on each other from afar for a few years now, so living together - and marrying each other - bring those feelings rushing to the surface. But neither one feels worthy of the other, and that is sure to be a problem.

This is a slow burn romance with a focus on the emotional connection, quieter and definitely a lot softer than some of the other books in the series. I found the start to be a little TOO slow, personally. There's a lack of communication throughout the book, and Axel is an extremely reserved guy. Once he started showing more of his personality in the back half (and got out of his own head), I liked the story a lot more. Roonie is certainly the more outgoing of the two, and the opposites attract dynamic worked here. This has the same depth of emotion as the other Bergman books, and I'd love to rate it as 5 stars based on that alone. But I'll admit that there were a few things that didn't work as well for me. That slower start, lack of communication, and unromantic sexy times had me feeling a little disconnected. Anytime the words "get it out of our systems" are uttered (repeatedly), I'm always disappointed. I also wanted more of the Bergmans and their reactions to the marriage - that's a glaring omission. So, while none of those things on their own are major issues, they do leave me wanting just a little bit more. This is still head and shoulders above most of the books I've read this year - and I'm absolutely looking forward to the next installment. If you haven't checked out this series yet, I don't know what you're waiting for! I was lucky enough to receive an early copy and am voluntarily leaving a review of this slow burn romance.

There's absolutely no way that a book that mixes the fake marriage trope with the grumpy x sunshine trope can go wrong. This was amazing. I love how Axel and Rooney are real characters with struggles. They are amazing as characters as much as they are as a couple.

It's delightful to see them fall in love and figuring that out. The pets were adorable (i have a soft spot, okay?) and I loved the interactions with their friends and family and my wish was that we had more of that. Other than that, I have no complaints.

In a nutshell, this book is amazing and it's perfect if you're looking for a cute book to help you get out of a reading slump or just to entertain you. There's no way you won't fall in love with this story and wish you had someone to watch the sunset with 🖤