2 Frenemies.
1 Disastrous prank.
Ryder
Ever since she sat next to me in class and gave me death eyes, Willa Sutter’s been on my shit list. Why she hates me, I don’t know. What I do know is that Willa is the kind of chaos I don’t need in my tidy life.
She’s the next generation of women’s soccer.
Wild hair, wilder eyes.
Bee-stung lips that should be illegal.
And a temper that makes the devil … be illegal.
And a temper that makes the devil seem friendly.
She’s a thorn in my side, a menacing, cantankerous, pain-in-the-ass who’s turned our Business Mathematics course into a goddamn gladiator arena. I’ll leave this war zone unscathed, coming out on top…And if I have my way with that crazy-haired, ball-busting hellion, that will be in more than one sense of the word.
Willa
Rather than give me the lecture notes I missed like every other instructor I’ve had, my asshole professor tells me to get them from the silent, surly flannel-wearing mountain man sitting next to me in class. Well, I tried. And what did I get from Ryder Bergman? Ignored.
What a complete lumbersexual neanderthal.
Mangy beard and mangier hair.
Frayed ball cap that hides his eyes.
And a stubborn refusal to acknowledge my existence.
I’ve battled men before, but with Ryder, it’s war. I’ll get those notes and crack that Sasquatch nut if it’s the last thing I do, then I’ll have him at my mercy. Victory will have never tasted so sweet.
Only When It’s Us is a frenemies-to-lovers, new adult sports romance between a women’s soccer star and her surly lumbersexual classmate, complete with a matchmaking professor, juvenile pranks, and a smoking slow burn. This standalone is the first in a series of new novels about five Swedish brothers and their wild adventures, ending in a true happily ever after.
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I had put off reading Only When It’s Us earlier this spring due to not being able to handle any contemporary romances (thanks COVID). I’ve adored Chloe’s previous books and I was worried if I read it while the world was falling apart I wouldn’t be able to give it the attention it deserved. I’m sooo glad I waited to read it. I finally picked it up two days ago and devoured it! This was exactly the engrossing, heartwarming, emotional read I needed.
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.
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.
A character in this story deals with a challenge you don’t see a lot in romance, I’ve only read a handful of stories with this type of disability. But I can say, hands down, Only When It’s Us handled it the best and felt the most true to life. I didn’t see this coming in the storyline and was so pleasantly surprised and happy with how it played out.
I absolutely adored watching Willa and Ryder go from enemies-friends-lovers. Their relationship was fantastic, I loved all the little “pranks” in the beginning and the banter between the two. But do know going in that this is a slow-burn! Chloe can write some super steamy scenes, but in this story she really makes sure the reader is completely obsessed with Willa and Ryder before we see that side of their relationship. The pacing was so perfect for their characters!
Only When It’s Us deserves alllll the stars! This was hands down a five star read for me. I love love loved this story so much! Thankfully it’s the first in her Bergman Brothers series and I cannot wait to see more glimpses of Willa and Ryder in future books!
Rating: Five stars!
Steam rating: 3/5
Only When It’s Us goes down in my list of “my Goodreads timeline made me buy it” and it was worth every minute.
Ryder, Keeper of Notes. Asshole lumberjack of Los Angeles County, you have a fantastic upper body.
A tall, bearded, green-eyes, flannel loving Swedish-American lumberjack who can also cook some fantastic meatballs? Where do I sign up and how can I make this fictional man mine? (Sorry Willa!)
Ryder Bergan and Willa Sutter could not be more opposite from each other. If I were to look up the word “opposite” in the dictionary, I would find a picture of these two right beside it.
There is so much to Ryder and Willa and their story and it was every facet of those characteristics that made me fall in love with them.
Willa Sutter is fiery, witty, a soccer star, has a quick temper and on the flip side is emotionally damaged, a little scared, a little fragile with her heart locked uptight.
Ryder comes across as aloof, douche-y, a loner, but is actually the sweet, caring and considerate person who wears his heart on his sleeve. (uwu)
Together, these two are a culmination of their traits, characteristics and stubbornness. SO MUCH STUBBORNNESS (but who am I to call them out when I’m just like them. (*o*))
The build-up from “enemies” to frenemies to friends to lovers was not only a treat read about, but it also allowed so much room for their chemistry to develop (killing me softly in the slow burn.) At one point, I was internally screaming at the two of them to just GET. IT. ON!!!
And as if the leads weren’t awesome enough, the side characters, especially Ryder and Willa’s family’s were *chef’s kiss*
Willa and her mom are such a fierce pair. Willa’s mother provides the push and the direction that Willa needs at a very crucial point in her life.
Ryder and his giant Swedish-American family is downright charming, chaotic, supportive and basically everything one could ever want from their family. They are not perfect by any means, but they are the best.
I cry and laugh and feel every single feeling I can. Because I want to remember this moment, even when our love is blissfully old and splendidly weathered. I want to close my eyes and feel the memory of the moment only when it’s us became only us, forever.
To wrap it all up, Chloe Liese’s writing is smooth and flows effortlessly from one to another, immersing the reader in the character and the plot. I also have to applaud her for her attention to, details such as soccer, Ryder’s disability and the fascinations and frustrations that follow it, and a little bit of the Swedish culture. The details weren’t over the top or lacking. It was just the right amount to add to the information and charm of the story.
Only When It’s Us is a perfect read and I can’t recommend this book enough. If you have the chance, grab this book and this entire series!
4.5 Stars!
Only When It’s Us was my first book by this author and I’m very glad I gave it a chance. I loved the slow burn, quirky heroine, fun banter and great supporting characters.
“I’m a pathological avoidant, I know this, but for me, facing painful emotions is like fear of heights—the moment I’m too close to a potentially fatal drop, I scramble back and bolt.”
“Jeebus Christmas” I was at times frustrated with Willa’s fear of confrontation, but I always held hope that Ryder and Willa would find a way to face and overcome their fears together.
-4.5 Stars-
I don’t know where to begin! I fell in love with Ryder from the start and really liked seeing Willa and Ryder together throughout the story and I always love a book with both perspectives! And seriously, this is filled with sooooo much angst. I mean, SO MUCH! And steamy!
A story that sucks you in, a story with various overcomings, a swoony love story. Would definitely read again!
This is probably the best new adult book I’ve ever read. These characters were mature and troubled and helped one another grow in beautiful ways. I loved how disability was centered in the book. I loved that the female hero was a kick-ass athlete! And that the male hero supported her in her amazingness. I listened on audio and am not-so-patiently waiting for the audio on the others in the series 🙂
As with most great romances, Only When It’s Us is about more than just the actual love story. It follows the tale of Willa, a college athlete whose mom is sick in the hospital, and Ryder, a boy who has been through his own share of heartbreak. I love these characters together. I love how Willa is feisty and real, and how Ryder is patient and loveable. And the feels. Ugh. So many of them. I thought that maybe I’d only recommend fantasy books on here because that’s what I write, but a) I read a LOT of romance, b) I’ll likely write a romance one day anyway, and c) this book has me wanting to change my mind. So here you go.
Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 3.5-4 stars
I really enjoyed this slow burn new adult sports romance. It featured 2 of my favorite tropes – enemies/friends to lovers and forced proximity. Only When It’s Us was definitely more emotional than I anticipated, but it was balanced well with humor. I also liked that the hero and heroine didn’t fall into the typical romance roles I often see. The heroine, Willa, is a soccer sports star and the hero, Ryder, is deaf. They had amazing chemistry and I loved how each gave as good as they got. Ryder was such a gentle giant. Once you get past his tough outer shell, he’s pure ooey gooey cinnamon roll. I completely ate it up. LOL
The secondary characters in Only When It’s Us were wonderful and so supportive. I loved the entire Bergman family and Willa’s roommate/teammate, Rooney. CJ Bloom and Nelson Hobbs did a fantastic job bringing all these characters to life. Their voices complemented each other well. I did find that the pacing of the story stalled a bit for me around the middle, which made the book feel overly long. I also would have liked to see Willa’s transformation occur more gradually (rather than towards the very end). I think what I loved most about the book though, was how human and vulnerable Willa and Ryder were. Their struggles and feelings were very relatable. The ending was just what my heart wanted and I’m looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
CW: Death of a loved one, cancer
I absolutely adore the Bergman family and based on this book I can’t wait to read more about these siblings cause they’ve got me hooked.
Ryder and Willa are such a great couple who starts off as enemies but it slowly evolve to friendship. It’s such a natural progression especially because they get their time so shine and flourish as individuals. I had so much fun when they teased one another because for them it was just right and I could easily feel that something more was brewing under the surface. I enjoyed every minute of it and them discovering one another and not wanting to give in.
Only When It’s Us takes on some real, sensitive and relatable topics. They’re handled with care and worked well into the characters and their storyline.
Ryder’s siblings and parents are fantastic side characters and I’m very excited about the next books. This one was a great introduction to the Bergman’s and also to this new to me author Chloe Liese. I’m a fan!
4 Lumberjack Stars
Willa Sutter is a star football player attending college. She has a lot going on in her family life, grades to keep up and team commitments – she is trying to keep many balls up in the air at once. Sometimes she needs a bit of give and take from her professors but one in particular seems to make things difficult for her.
Ryder Bergman is in one of Willa’s classes and he really dislikes her. Her attitude, her snark and her kissable lips are just a few things that annoy him. His brother in law, their professor, seems to enjoy paring them together for his own enjoyment of seeing Ryder’s reaction.
After they manage to get over their whole frenemies thing they have going on, Willa realises that Ryder is not as bad as she thought he was, in fact he is more than she ever expected. Ryder knows that Willa has a lot going on in her life but he wishes she would open up more to him, to trust him with her secrets.
When their worlds collide, Willa learns the true meaning of family and that having someone she can lean on is not as scary as she thought it would be. Ryder is a thoughtful, gorgeous young man and his connection with Willa is something that simmers away throughout this story, a perfect slow burning romance.
My first audio read of 2021 and it was a banger. This was so much fun to listen to, very addictive 🙂 Lucky for me, it’s the first story in this series and I’m definitely looking forward to more from the Bergman family.
In the bookstagram community, I kept hearing about author Chloe Liese. Her book covers seemed to be everywhere and caught my eye so I began following her. I quickly found out how awesome she is and knew I had to add her Bergman Brothers series to my TBR.
There is so much to love about this book. It tells the story of Willa and Ryder. At first, I was nervous about their ages. Both are in college so definitely a bit younger than me. This was never an issue. I think partly because both have been through their own challenges in life and have aged a bit beyond their years and partly because they are such well-written, developed characters.
I loved Willa’s take-no-prisoners attitude. A rising star on the soccer field, she is driven, smart, and fierce. And not ashamed to be so. While she still has a soft side to her, she is unapologetic about going for what she wants and doing what it takes to get there. Ryder had promise in the world of soccer but a recent illness led to severe hearing loss and a change in direction for him. The way in which Liese writes about the obstacles that Ryder comes up against with his hearing loss as well as Willa’s and his family’s reaction to those obstacles is gorgeous. At one point, Ryder notes about Willa, “Never has she acted like my limited communication skills required changing. It’s like she never saw them as limitations at all.” Yes! Yes! Yes! We need more books like this.
On top of these fantastic character portrayals, this book is just funny. Like laugh out loud hysterical. There’s a bit of enemies to lovers that is so witty and delicious that it reminded me of The Hating Game…a long-time favorite of mine. While the story has its heavier elements (note for trigger warnings dealing with cancer and loss) Liese shows how beautiful and powerful the support of friends and family can be. I loved both Willa’s BFF and Ryder’s friends and family and really look forward to seeing more of them in future books in the series.
I would recommend this book to anyone, but particularly those who enjoyed The Hating Game. I hope to read more from Liese for years to come as the world needs more books like this.
One angry ball kicking woman and a flannel addicted jock. Cant decide they hate each other or …
You will giggle, laugh, huff, and cry on this one hell of a roller coaster ride. Willa and Ryder will hit you in the chest. As a writer, every word made me envious. Damn, what fantastic narration. What a story. Keep it by your bedside, read at leisure, let the words settle, and savor it one page at a time.
This book pulled me in and I could not put it down! Talk about a book hangover!
I fell so hard for Willa and Ryder! I still have tears in my eyes at how beautiful this story is! Both characters have such tough journeys, and their growth is hard and painful, but so powerful! I have so many feelings about these two, but I just fell for Ryder! I want my own lumberjack! I want everyone to read this book because it’s just so incredible and really eye opening on the journeys that people go through, and how a little kindness goes a long way!
I cannot wait for the rest of the Bergman family stories! This author is incredible and is an automatic buy now
WHY OH WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO READ THIS BOOK!! This story is magical, entertaining, hot, sexy, emotional, sweet, swoony, and romantic!
This book has been recommended to me countless times and I have in turn recommend it to others without reading it. Now I know why this story is getting so much love! I was worried going in that maybe it was all hype, but this story delivers on every promise made!
The characters in this story are amazing! Willa is a fierce ball of fire, wild, hot blooded but also fragile and a skilled soccer star. Ryder is an equally closed off d-bag of a lumberjack, but for a reason. The supporting characters in this story, Ryder’s family and roommates and Willa’s mom and roommate add so much to the story. These characters help us see around the walls that both Willa and Ryder seem to be throwing up to keep their hearts safe.
At first you might think these typical frenemies to friends and lovers book it goes beyond that. This slow burn romance shows us the characters’ back stories. The way this is written cultivates an emotional connection to their story. The emotional connection I felt to these characters started right from the get-go. The slow burn of this story leads to some exceptionally hot chemistry between Willa and Ryder makes you want to scream. So many times, in this story I was yelling at them to tear each other’s clothes! The sexual tension between them is part of what keeps you riveted with them. The witty banter, the sarcastic responses is so enjoyable in this story.
While I wanted them to get there HEA I really wasn’t ready for their story to end. It’s one of the best sports romance/ frenemies theme with hilarious and adorable characters! Please read this book ASAP to heal your negative thoughts and laugh out loud with thinking any further.
This was a 5/5 Star read for me. This story had everything including a huge emotional connection to the characters. There was steam with out it being overtly sexual. The banter and band forth between these two makes this a must read!
Oh, goodness, I adored this book! It was a sweet, slow burn, sports, college romance with just the right amount of heat and drama. Though, there were times I wanted to grrrrrr at the heroine, I understood why she behaved the way she did. And I ABSOLUTELY LOVED how understanding and patient the hero was. How understanding both were with each other, and how they encouraged each other to do more. Be more.
This book was just so beautiful.
This is why I picked the book:
This standalone is the first in a series of new novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.
You had me at the big Swedish-American family! Bring it on.
This is why I stayed:
The female lead of this book is a star athlete, she has a temper, and she’s not handling her sh*t very well in general. The male lead is struggling, he’s quiet, but he’s caring and goes above and beyond for Willa.
Look, I don’t know if it’s a spoiler that he’s deaf. I LOVED that it wasn’t in the blurb. Not a selling point of the book or anything. Just another facet about him, like the flannel shirts he wears, and his six siblings, or his blonde beard.
Chloe Leise has written a book full of diversity in so many, many little ways. All the real life ways that count! I get frustrated when I read a book that has a character dropped in for diversity’s sake, when they don’t fit otherwise. That’s NOT the case with this wonderful and heart wrenching tale!
They get their happily ever after, but it’s hard fought, and well earned. Highly recommend this book and can’t wait to read the next one!!
This was my first Chloe Liese book and I have no idea what took me so long to pick one up! It was fabulous!u2063
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Things I loved:u2063
The Bergmans are a BIG family…7 kids. Fun fact, I’m the youngest of 7 and I related to their dynamic in a big way!u2063
The characters were real. They had issues and challenges that are sometimes messy and soul-crushing but getting to see them navigate their way through them made this book for me.u2063
Snarky, sarcastic banter! One of my favorite things about a book, romance or otherwise, is the banter. You can suck me right in with some good snark and theirs was amazing!u2063
This book didn’t gloss over losing a loved one. It faced it head-on with all the pain and ugly that comes with it and I really appreciated that. So often a book will gloss over the grief and loss and even skip ahead in time. This one didn’t and even though it made me cry and brought up some uncomfortable feelings, it made it that much better because again, it was real.u2063
There’s a Spotify playlist…big fan of a book with a playlist!u2063
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Random thoughts…u2063
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Can we all say it together? Slooooooow burn. Does anyone else stress out reading, just waiting for that shoe to drop? No? Just me then…ok.u2063
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I don’t normally like college-aged romances because I have kids that age (and one a little older than that) and reading a steamy scene in a book like this (for me) can be a little cringey. That didn’t happen with this book. Willa and Ryder were written with a different level of maturity and because of that, they seemed older to me…like two old souls that were meant to be together.u2063
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If you haven’t read this one yet, it needs to be added to your list ASAP!u2063
Only When It’s Us was just what I needed during these dark times: it was unique, funny, sweet, and full of slow-burn sexiness.
Chloe Liese is a new-to-me author, and this book won’t be my last from her—I’m planning on reading her entire list of books.
OWIU was such a fresh, lovely story that I didn’t want it to end. It had me glued to the pages from the very beginning. The author took her time developing the connection between the main characters, and when they finally got together, the experience was EVERYTHING!
Full of banter, lovely characters, sweet love, and some emotional moments that will make you feel, OWIS is a story you won’t want to miss. Get ready to read a fantastic frenemies romance.
There was a moment, early on in this story, where I experienced an actual moment of: Heck yes! I am all in!
That’s my favorite kind of book magic. Chloe Liese is a new-to-me author. This is the first book I have read of hers, and I am pumped to dive into more! She hooked me with the writing style (this is my jam!), then she reeled me right in with her multi-layered, complicated characters (and her “wounded” hero – ohmygosh!). I spent the first half of this book trying to contain my wiggles over how excited I was about it. The chemistry, the banter, the sweet slow burn – it got me right in my sweet spot and I loved every single second!
The second half was a little more clunky to me. I felt like there was almost too much – some incredibly emotional storylines, a lot of things happened very quickly, and that sexy simmering burn between Willa and Ryder went on just a smidge past my patience point. But some things remained true: the writing was just my flavor of Kindle crack, and Willa and Ryder were utterly unputdownable.
In the end – I adored this story. There were a few small bumps in the road, but nothing that presented as a dealbreaker for me. And it all worked out beautifully. I loved the sweet, emotional moment when the burn between Willa and Ryder caught flame and sparked a gratifying fire. I loved when the walls finally came down and these two laid themselves bare. Their ending was perfection and I am so so glad I took a chance on this book!
Bonus: The secondary characters were amazing. And also? Ryder has brothers. And their stories are coming. And I am already giving my grabby hands a workout because I know I’m going to want so much more of where this came from! If frenemies to lovers, playful banter, and sports romance are your thing? Do yourself a favor and fall in love with Willa and Ryder!
Only when it’s us had me turning pages although I read it slow because i didn’t want it to end the story of Ryder and Willa is funny, hot, sensitive. They go thru emotional differences because he hides between his hair (wink, wink,) read it and you’ll find out and she puts a barrier to her emotions. You’ll be laughing throughout the whole book they tease each other in clever historical ways! Chloe Liese does a fantastic job adding a character Ryder who lost part of his hearing and makes him be a strong, super sensitive, handsome perfect guy anyone would want. I’ve never read a book by Chloe but after this one I want to read more from her! Perfect summer read, you’ll finish it with a smile on your face.