What can I say about these frenemies to lovers, sport NA romance? Amazeballs!!!! An amazing, captivated story about two intense great developed characters. Both Will and Ryder are easy to fall in love and they both have some deep personal issues but together they can accomplish more than they can dream about. I loved both of them and they both developed in front of our eyes in amazing people. Their slow-burn love is teasing us trough the book until explodes. I hope that the next brother will too have an amazing story.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley

I do love a frenemies to lovers romance. Add in working together on a project and having to be nice and I'm sold! I've actually never read a college sports romance where the female is the sports star but there should definitely be more of them!
Willa is a fiery, independent soccer star who needs help in her class, Ryder is the "lumbersexual neanderthal" she's been paired with obviously this doesn't start well. This is a slow burn and the tension is real! As well as the romance I loved the family relationships and the fact that we will see Ryder's brothers get their own stories is awesome.
As with Chloe's previous books she writes wonderful characters that are generally under represented in the romance world. Problems that don't always appear romances, such as dealing with a life changing disability, is something that she does incredibly well.
Also as a bonus she always includes a playlist which is something that I always enjoy

Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and this one didn't disappoint. I appreciated the more complicated storyline of his hearing difficulties and her sick mom, but I did find how understanding they were of each other's dishonesty about their issues to be unrealistic. They bickered about so much nonsense but had all the grace in the world for the bigger arguments. The tension was excellently written. I wasn't entirely sold on Willa's decision to wear the yellow shirt to class to ratchet up the tension, but I liked a lot of the back and forth. It was easy and enjoyable, which is exactly what I was looking for.

I enjoyed reading a book about the deaf. I his slow burning romance really pulled me in. It was believable and well written. I’d enjoy reading more form this author.

Willa is a tough cookie. Soccer star. Unfortunately for her, one of her professors has made it his mission to make her life miserable, at least in Willa's eyes. When he suggests she get his class notes from the lumberjack looking dude in the front row, and then gets ignored when she asks...well, it's all out war. In her head.

She has no idea the dude in the flannel, with the mangy looking beard isn't exactly ignoring her. There's a good reason Riley didn't answer her request. He didn't hear her. He lost most of his hearing in an accident, and it's not just his hearing Riley has lost. He's basically given up his entire life and retreated into himself.

He had no idea Willa was exactly what he needed to get his life back.

This book. THIS BOOK. I had major feels from start to finish. Riley was...well, let's just say he's one of my favorite book boys I've read in a while. I'm always a bit leery when I try a new author, especially in Romance. You just never really know what you're going to get these days. And let me tell you, I was so pleasantly surprised by <i>Only When It's Us</a>, and Chloe Liese has earned a definite fan in me. My only complaint was Willa's stubborn nature. I sort of wanted to smack her, but Riley more than made up for that. *sigh*

I can't wait to devour the other Bergman Brothers' books!

This was such a fun book! It was an enjoyable, believable romance. I've never read a book where one of the main characters is deaf, and I learned so much reading Ryder's story. I love romances where each character has more going on in their lives than the romance itself. This book at times broke my heart and made me laugh! This book felt so refreshing, and I read it in one sitting. It was a much-needed happy distraction in these frustrating times.

This was an amazing slow-burning romance with plenty of banter and sexual tension sprinkled throughout, and with some tear-inducing emotional elements. It's truly an underrated gem, and it deserves a lot more love.

Willa plays soccer for her university team and occasionally misses classes. No big deal, except the professor from her Business class refuses to just give her his lecture notes. He tells her to ask Ryder, another student in the class, for his notes. But when Willa does just that, Ryder just ignores her. He simply refuses to acknowledge her existence. As far as Willa is concerned, this means war. She will get those notes and declare victory over Ryder. And then the hard-ass professor makes Willa and Ryder partner up for a big class project, pushing them both to the brink.

This was sweet, steamy and funny, but the story went so much deeper than it would appear at first glance. Without trying to spoil anything: maybe keep a few tissues close by while reading? I am so happy this is the first book in a series about Ryder and his brothers. The family dynamics are so great, and hot broody half-Swedish lumberjacks are exactly my cup of tea.

And just like the story isn't as simple as it seems, the characters also have hidden depths to them. I love that this is a sports romance where the woman is the jock and the man is the one who is cheering for her from the sidelines. Willa being the emotionally unavailable character and Ryder being more open and balanced is also a nice change from how these types of romance novels usually go.

Also big thumb up for the author creating a Spotify playlist for this book, with song suggestions for every chapter. That's just so extra and I love it!

Ryder and Willa’s love story was something I kept wanting more of! Their frenemie relationship and banter made this book feel like real life. Of course they both had their own hardships they were dealing with, but they were both very believable. This is a must read for anyone who loves a good modern romance, sports or an enemy to lover story! I can’t wait to read more about the Bergman brothers, because I loved this family!

This book slayed me. I laughed and cried (a lot). I just loved this story. Never read anything like it. I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait for the next one.

Thanks to Chloe Liese & Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Nice fresh lovely story really really loved it
Like an ice cream on a summer day refreshing and sweet

This book was such a refreshing YA romance. I really enjoyed the new perspectives and the way the story kept surprising me. I really enjoyed this!

I liked this book enough. I liked the soccer spin, which I haven't seen in a lot of books. Kind of predictable, but still a good book.

I really enjoyed the representation in this book. The plot flowed at a natural pace and really made the romance feel organic. The only thing that annoyed me was Willa constantly having said things she's thinking without realising. I would 100% read more books in this series.

Usually romance books are fifty-fifty for me on hitting my needs accurately, and this one was pretty good on that front and more.

What attracted me the book was the sports romance flipped on its head where the girl was the athlete because unfortunately there aren't enough books like that (or I never find them somehow). But aside from this twist, I really didn't expected anything more from it, so I was happily surprised when I realized that one of the main character was deaf. I have to say, I don't know anyone with hearing disability and I don't have it myself either, so I can't speak on the accuracy of the representation, but for me it was interesting to read and see such representation in a book because it's something we don't often see (or again, I might just somehow never pick up those books).

On top of all of this it was an enemies to lovers trope, which I am forever a sucker for! It was really nice and believable too, the way their "enemies" status started with a misunderstanding out of their control and then slowly they opened up to each other, let their guards down and fell for each other - all of this mixed in with really good tension.

So all in all, I really enjoyed the book and the characters and it was a really nice way of getting away from all the shit that's been happening lately.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this arc.

Thank you for NEtgalley and the publisher for gifting a free copy in exchange of my honest review!

2 Frenemies.
1 Disastrous prank.
and 1 fine new adult romance.

My one true and only love of prompts in romance is Enemies to Lovers! I could not say no to reading this one!
I freaking loved it! It was extremely entertaining, sexy and also emotional, swoony, making me 'aweee' all the time by reading all the romantic scenes! t was different and refreshing to have a sports star heroine. She was also the one with commitment issue. So we could say that it was a typical gender characterisctic swap: LOVE! Made this whole novel such a loveable story!

Only when it's us by Chloe Liese was unexpectedly captivating. It was funny, sexy, sad, happy and honest. Even though I'm the complete opposite of Willa Sutter (except for peanut butter cups) and I found her sometimes infuriating; I really liked the story. Really glad to have discovered this author. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the free ebook copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this title.

Things I Loved:
- deaf representation. I myself am not deaf or hard of hearing so I can't speak to whether this representation was done well; it seemed to be to me but I would love to hear thoughts from deaf or hard of hearing reviewers as well.
-the sexual tension between Ryder and Willa really is great. Liese amps it up slowly over the course of the book while still giving you enough to stay interested.
-Liese gave both characters some emotional depth; it wasn't just your run-of-the-mill shallow romance (nothing wrong with those, I just prefer when there is more going on)
-Ryder's big Scandinavian family! I'm trying to have Christmas dinner with them.

Things I Didn't Love:
-some of the writing made me cringe. Mostly from Willa's perspective. She was constantly describing Ryder in the same ways: lumberjack, brawny, etc. We get it. He's tall, broad, and wears plaid. Also she often referred to her vagina in really embarrassing terms that just made me highlight and note "NO."
-just a personal preference but I was sort of hoping after reading that Ryder is a bigger guy that that meant he was going to maybe be plus? Where are my chubby/fat dude love interests at?? I wanna read about them, too!

I overall enjoyed this one despite rolling my eyes occasionally at the writing. I think I'd like to continue on in the series and read about the other Bergman brothers!

This was a good book. I honestly was expecting something light and funny. Willa and Ryder are frenemies in the beginning. There was too much drama and misunderstanding for them to be in a relationship. I like slow burn romance books but I thought this one was really slow. I loved the side characters of Rooney and his best friends. I needed more of them!!! Ryder was an amazing friend, boyfriend, whatever you need him to be. Ryder’s hearing loss aspect in the book was done very well. There seems to be a lot of research on it. You can’t help cheer for him. The love between them was beautiful. I’m looking forward to the next book.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese
Book #1: Bergman Brothers Series
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4½/5 stars

Willa has more on her plate than the average college kid should! Willa is an athlete, she’s trying to successfully get through her classes, and she’s the daughter of a single parent who has been in and out of the hospital for years. Though she tries to juggle all the balls at once, a few things, like her grades in one of her business classes are suffering. In the past, Willa’s professors have been willing to work with her, but this particular professor isn’t having any of that nonsense. In fact, rather than helping Willa himself, he fobs her off on the silent lumberjack she typically sits next to.

Silent lumberjack is Ryder and he has no idea why the hot chick who sits beside him seems so anger . . . all the time. When the professor offers up Riley’s help without his consent, Riley is suddenly faced with having to properly interact with the angry girl. This ought to be fun! For Riley, interactions with others have been difficult, at best, since he lost his hearing after a battle with meningitis. Any time he has to expose himself to another and admit his difficulty with communication, he is vulnerable. Exposing himself to a demonstrably angry girl is going to be incredibly difficult.

Though he isn’t looking forward to the first encounter, Ryder is pleasantly surprised by Willa’s response to his hearing impairment. She doesn’t seem to care that their communications are different and once she begins to know Ryder, she grudgingly admits to liking the big lumber jack. Make no mistake they still banter and bicker with one another, but the verbal jabs are more like foreplay than malice. In fact, for weeks, as the two work diligently on a project for class, they become closer and closer.

The time he spends with Willa is radically changing Ryder and his family so pleased with the changes. For the first time in two years, Ryder is willing to begin work on his speech and hearing, he’s more willing to go out into the world, and he’s more willing to interact with his family. For the first time in two years, Ryder is coming out of his shell and Willa is the reason for that. The only trouble is, Willa is clearly holding back and Ryder has no idea why. If he can’t get her to open up and share her whole life with him, there isn’t going to be much of a future for them.

The Bottom Line: I have to say, this book was quite a wonderful surprise. There is a bit of everything in this book from laugh out loud humor (the whoopie cushion incident) to lovely naughty bits (the waterfall!) to emotional upheavals (Willa’s mother) to a few well-kept secrets (I’m not telling!). Far and away the highlight of this book for me was Ryder with his lumberjack good looks to his fierce determination to live his life on his terms and at his pace. Ryder is the polar opposite of Willa and that is exactly what she needs in her life, a perfect balance. Though some of the topics and themes in this book are somewhat heavy, there are moments of levity that break up the sadness. This is a rather good book and I am glad to say I not only stumbled upon it, but see that it is just the first in a series.

If I’m being totally honest, after the first few pages I was expecting this book to be another cliche college romance, and don’t get me wrong, that’s usually just my type, but lately there’s a part of me that rolls my eyes a little and wonders how many times I’m going to read the same rehashed story. And I’m so glad I was proven wrong. You have no idea how refreshing it is to read a book that deals with any form of disability, in this case, hearing loss. It instantly makes characters real, instantly separates them from a the crowd of characters that came before them and will no doubt come after. I loved how the characters gave each other purpose and determination. I love that the author had so clearly delved deeper than just giving a character hearing loss, it was well researched and relatable and it resonates. The perfect mix of romance, emotion, and a happy ending!