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.

I cried far too much while reading this book. But I’m the most sappiest romantic way. Willa is a fireball but so precious to my heart. The chemistry between Willa and Ryder was off the hook! Whew! It was HOT. The sexual tension made me giddy and I giggled off my bed like a 13 year old girl 😂

I was completely invested in this story because it was like nothing I have ever read before. I’ve read a lot of books that were based off college students or college aged students and found that a majority of them have no substance. All they really worried about about was where they could find alcohol and who their next conquest was. This book and these characters had a lot of heart and emotions that makes it feel like your reading actual human lives with diverse and real situations rather than idealized youths on spring break.

Willa is feisty, but has a hard time expressing her emotions. She throws up sturdy emotional walls that no one has been able to tear down. She also has the road block that people are out to get her or ruin her and because of that, she has a hard time trusting people or letting them in. Ryder, the keeper of notes, is a dream. He’s a Washington born guy who loves all the things I love about Washington. But Ryder has his walls up around himself and has a hard time letting people in as well. He likes to keep his emotional cards close to him and is a person who now sees life as glass half empty.

Together they make the perfect storm to be natural born enemies. The tension between Willa and Ryder was so delicious with their chemistry bouncing off the pages. Between each witty comment or spiteful action, there was so much fire in each stolen glance or touch that were meant to be innocent. The games they play were so delightful. My heart ached for these two and butterflies fluttered in my stomach waiting for and anticipating the next chapter. The way they acted toward the beginning were like two kids playing on the playground. They just picked on each other because they didn’t know any other way to express their feelings.

This book was the opposite of all new adult books I have read. It had a depth in Willa and Ryder that I was not expecting. This book showcased not only what it was like to fall in love for the first time, but it also shows all the spectrum of love people can express and experience. There was a surprisingly large amount of emotion ranging from happiness to sadness and everything in between.

I really did enjoy this book and everything it represents. Even the side characters were fantastic. There were tasteful additions from Willa’s mom’s sage advice and sarcastic humor to Aiden‘s provoking and meddling that lead to the chaos he had created. I loved how it showed how terrifying love can be, because that’s what it’s like to open yourself to another. It’s completely terrifying to trust your heart to another. Life is beautiful and it is tragic, but it is how to decide to live that makes the ride worth it.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC

The new cover is absolutely stunning and perfect for this couple. Just look at them! This is the book that started it all and they just keep getting better.

Only When It’s Us is the beginning of one of my favorite romance series. This new special edition cover is so perfect for Willa and Ryder. They only get better as they go!

I was on the original ARC team for the indie release of Only When It's Us in 2020, so when Berkley Romance approved my request for the rerelease, I literally screamed. I was so excited. These characters have meant so much to me over the past three years, and I love that they're finally getting the recognition and the widespread distribution they deserve. I reread it again yesterday as soon as the new copy hit my kindle, and the bonus epilogue had me in actual tears.

Willa and Ryder do not start their friendship on the best footing. She thinks he's rude and unkempt (although she can't deny the lumberjack vibes actually work for him), and he thinks she's chaotic and exactly what his quiet life doesn't need. But when they're forced to work on their final project together (thanks to a meddling professor), they engage in a series of pranks and practical jokes--but what starts out as fun and games quickly evolves into something deeper and surprisingly real.

Only When It's Us is the book that started it all. Chloe Liese is one of the best, freshest voices in contemporary romance today, and I will always and forever read anything she writes. Her books are at once tender and sexy, swoony and hilarious. Liese is an expert at balancing out the humor with heart. OWIU is perhaps the saddest of all the books because Willa walks through the process of losing her mother to cancer, but Ryder is her support and her comfort during that journey. Liese handles the reality of grief with deep compassion and understanding.

Also, the deaf representation in OWIU is top-notch. I love how humble Chloe is--in the first edition, Ryder opted to get cochlear implants, but when she received feedback from the deaf community, Chloe went back and revised the book to provide better, more accurate representation. THAT is how authors should always respond. She is such a gracious and beautiful human, and I can't say enough positive things about her or her books.

An ENORMOUS thank you to Chloe Liese for writing such amazing books, and to Berkley Romance for sending me an advance copy.

♾️⭐️ 4🌶️

“But sunshine, what if I need you?”

I NEED THE OPTION TO GIVE THIS 10 STARS PLEASE!!

Chloe Liese is one of my automatic buy authors. There is simply nothing she writes that I won’t read. She has such a way with words and disabilities and making characters that have the best freaking chemistry!!

We are introduced to the Bergman Brothers Series by following Willa and Ryder’s story. Ryder fell under sickness that left his hearing impaired and Willa is a D1 Soccer player in her Junior year of college. Not once did I feel like the characters were in college because they are seriously so damn mature. The banter was there from the very start and it was so freaking delicious!!! I don’t think anyone would ever replace Kate and Peteucchio (Better Hate Than Never) for me but Willa and Ryder came pretty damn close 😮‍💨

There wasn’t quite a third act break up but this series was the first one Chloe wrote so it is different than her most recent one (Wilmot Sisters which you should read asap) but there was conflict and a not quite split between the main characters which allowed for Willa’s character to develop and grow. After this happened there was still about an hour and a half left in the book to solidify the relationship and show her growth and it was so very well done!

The spice in this came at me so hard I lost consciousness for a solid 10 minute. THIS LUMBERJACK IS SO FILTHY OH MY GOD… like who gave this college kid the audacity to be so damn hot?! 🫠🫠

Chloe has such a beautiful writing style. Her stories are always captivating and they keep me hooked and interested from the get go!

Prepare to be sick of me because I fully intend to binge this series 😉

I love this book so much. Everything about it is so good. There’s something so intimate about Ryder and Willa communicating without words. Ryder also just reminds me so much of my husband, that quiet grumpy sort of guy that deep down is the biggest and softest marshmallow. Also, the mirror scene????! One of my favorite shmexy scenes ever.

I binged this book so hard. I love the siblings and can’t wait for the rest of the books! The banter here is top notch.

Thank you NetGalley for eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is the BEST book I read in 2020– hands down. Chloe Liese’s writing is emotional, heartfelt, and inclusive. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a feel good romance book. Only When It’s Us follows Willa, a soccer star at UCLA, and Ryder, her economics classmate as they go from strangers to enemies to lovers. This book is full of humor and heartbreak. Only When It’s Us is an emotional rollercoaster that you will not want to end. I cannot wait to read more of the Bergman Brothers series!
Chloe Liese perfectly sums up life as a FEMALE athlete in college in this amazing love story As a current varsity athlete in college, it was so nice to see and read a book about a female athlete. I identified with Willa in so many ways, including running late to class because practice ran over, having sore legs all the time, and trying to balance schoolwork with away games. There are so many wonderful aspects to this story (and everyone should go and read it ASAP) but Willa’s lifestyle was what will stay with me the most. I am so grateful to Chloe for writing a story where I can see myself & my teammates represented.

I loved the representation in this novel. I can't wait to read the rest of the series and see the whole family grow and fall in love. It is so refreshing to see this kind of representation and see these story normalized. I love Chloe Liese!

This was exactly the engrossing, heartwarming, emotional read I needed. I loved every single second I spent with Willa and Ryder!⁣
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Willa Sutter is a rising college level soccer star, in order to keep her necessary course load she needs lecture notes and her meddling professor pairs her with grumpy, lumberjack look alike Ryder Bergman. This is the slow burn, frienemies to lovers, forced proximity of my dreams. This one is a New Adult, but a lot of the time the characters felt older to me, and I loved that. The banter and tension between Willa and Ryder is immediate and I was sucked in from page one. Both characters have their own unique backstories that give the characters such depth and emotion. ⁣
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Like previous books from Chloe Liese, I loved the families and side characters. She is a master at creating complex, beautiful interpersonal relationships. Some really heavy situations happen during this story, but the way Chloe tells them she makes them gut wrenching and heartwarming at the same time. I won’t spoil what happens during the book (although I found it fairly obvious from the beginning of the story), but both of the characters go through some form of grief and both of their experiences felt so true to life. ⁣

One of the things I love most about Chloe’s books is how she creates characters that realistically deal with some type of hardship. Whether it is illness or disability, she puts so much thought and care into their backstories. As someone living with a chronic illness, I can tell she does a lot of research and takes time to carefully create accurate characters. ⁣

This was an amazing enemies to lovers romance, I loved all the little “pranks” in the beginning and how their slow burn romance progressed. And Chloe sure does know how to write some really steamy scenes! The pacing and how the story unfolded was perfect for the characters and really set up a great series with the Bergman Siblings.

Five stars. Love love loved this book!

trigger warning: audism, meningitis leading to loss of hearing/deafness, cancer, death of parent, sexual content, alcohol, sexual content, anxiety and depression

This was such a spectacular start to the series. It's one of the few genuine hate to love/enemies to lovers I've read that has actually pulled off a short "enemies" period without compromising the trope at all.

Willa and Ryder were such spectacular leads. I loved the learning curve for both of them as they start to like each other as people but are still so confused that they're on the verge of murder every time they have a conversation. It's chefs kiss.

Aiden's meddling ass got a great intro here too because I was ready to kill him. It sets him up really well for the third book because Aiden and Freya's marriage problems bleed through a bit here too.

LOVEEEEE

Love this series! A family series always gets me and this first one hit the spot. The characters had great depth and I loved the soccer aspect.