I am having trouble putting into words how much I absolutely loved this book. Gavin and Ollie have got to be one of my favorite Bergman couples. I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of Everything for You and I feel like I am all over the place because I truly don’t know what I can read after this that is going to live up to the brilliance that is Chloe Liese. She captured the grumpy sunshine trope so well and UGH IT WAS JUST SO GOOD. 10/10 would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chloe Liese for the e-ARC!

Story: 5 ⭐️
Steam: 4 🔥 med smut, slow burn - most smut toward the end of the books

I just adored this story. Ollie and Gavin were the perfect grumpy/sunshine. We got a little bit of all the favorites in this one. Some sports romance, some swoony grumpy hero, some sweet teddy bear hero, some only one bed, age gap (10 years, 24 & 34) - a good time was had by all.

The smut was amazing even though I could have used more, but with how hot they were together I think anyone would want more!

The relationship between these two progressed beautifully and I loved watching them grow together and individually. We got some amazing rep in this book - anxiety and chronic pain. Both their experiences felt so authentic and throughly explored.

I just love this series so much and catch wait to see how our final two siblings fair 🥰

Let me just start on the positive side and say, I <b><i>really, truly</b></i> appreciate traditionally MF authors dipping their toes into the MM waters.

Really. I do. Thank you, Chloe Liese.

It's another step in the equal representation direction for the LGBTQ community regardless of my quibbles with the actual narrative (which I will get to shortly) and I appreciate that more than I can articulate.

This story is full of hope and these two dudes are into each other. Sure, it's masked in some prototypical male posturing but at the end of the day, they do it for each other which is always nice to see, isn't it?

It's no secret that I've been around the MM block for a minute but I tried, <b>really tried</b> to go into this as blank slate, just a reader reading a romance. I do love a good enemies to lovers trope. One might even argue it's my favorite trope, so that was enticing. I also have made no secret of the fact that I ❤️ me a grump.

What you may not know is I've become an avid <i>Ted Lasso</i> fan and Gavin gave me some pretty hardcore Roy Kent vibes.

SING IT WITH ME.. 🎶🎤
<I>Roy Kent, Roy Kent. He's here, he's there, he's every-fucking-where, ROY KENT!!!!</i>

Unfortunately, Gavin is no Roy Kent. Pretty sure Roy would drop kick Gavin in about 2.5 seconds. I don't even think he would say anything before, during or after he did it either. Just "the look" then Roy's back walking away.

So that was disappointing but what I found more disappointing was Gavin's... ailments? Let me just say, I am not a soccer expert but I do like sports so as a sports fan the task of suspending disbelief with regard to Gavin's health and the Galaxy was insurmountable. I'm not going to belabor the point but just no.

Then again, I had a really difficult time believing either of these guys are professional athletes what with the inordinate amount of time off they have. Which, I might add, Oliver's family takes FULL and frequent advantage of often not to mention what Oliver has time to do in his free time e.g. glitter bombs in car vents, forking yards, weddings, babysitting at the drop of a hat????

What even? When do they train or work out with their teammates or learn plays? The sheer dearth of actual sports or team dynamics in this sports romance was a knife to the heart.

So let's talk about Oliver's family and their propensity to just pop in to visit whenever. My caveat is I haven't read any of the previous books so I have <u>zero</u> emotional attachment to the Bergmans. Suffice to say, I could've done with a whole lot less of them. They're close. I get it but do they always have to be taking up space in this story? Because they bored me to tears and I usually ended up skimming those sections. That page time would've been better spent in my opinion, developing Gavin and Oliver's relationship with their teammates and coaches. Let's face it the Diamond Dog huddles are arguably the best part of <i>Ted Lasso</i> period and [book:Everything for You|59824159] could've used a Diamond Dog huddle. Or twelve.

Lastly, I hate it so much when protagonists don't use their words and Oliver does so particularly and infuriatingly with his various family members. Often. Which I found incredibly annoying and juvenile.

Having said all that, let me circle back to how much I really do appreciate MF authors branching out into MM. Even though I didn't love this book, who cares? I'm just one person and the other reviews are overwhelmingly positive so, as always, I encourage you to decide for yourself!

<i>An ARC was provided by NetGalley. Thank you!

Everything for You is everything I love in a romance novel. The passion is at times overwhelming, and when the walls come tumbling down—-whew!! Oliver is the sunshine to Gavin’s grumpiness in this engaging story about two men whose lives are so disparate, and yet there was never any doubt that they needed each other and belonged together. There is so much to unpack, so many complicated layers that keep these two apart, as much as it brings them together. Every word, every feeling, every touch, was sincere and raw and searing and wonderful. This is the 5th book in the Bergman Brothers series, and I enjoyed catching up with the other characters. This book can be read as a standalone novel, but once you read any of the books in this series, you will want to read them all!!

This book was so darn sweet and I just couldn't put it down.

Gavin and Oliver's story is absolutely worth the read. The book uses a favorite trope of mine, the grump and sunshine. But it is so much more than that. Oliver's family and the poker playing grandpa's are an amazing side cast of characters that add fun and the nudges the two MCs need.

I also love that the personal issues each MC faces are believable and that the challenges they face getting together don't feel forced or easily fixable. It just makes romance stories so much better when the things the MCs overcome are real.

Read this book when it comes out!

Thanks Netgalley and publishers for allowing me to read this book.

As a new Chloe Liese stan (after this, my first book of hers!), I am head over heels for this book. Perfect grumpy/sunshine, perfect and perfectly lovable characters, just a joy to read, truly!

Chloe Liese, never misses. She is, without a doubt now, one of my top three romance authors of all time.
How she perfectly combines the best tropes in this book without it bogging down the story? Unparalleled! We've got enemies/lovers, next door neighbor, age gap, sharing one bed, just 100% all my favorite sh*t!

From this series, the first one was my favorite... but now? Gavin and Oliver have MY HEART.

I love this series, and this is another fantastic addition. Oliver and Gavin are both such welldrawn, fully realized characters. I really appreciated the depiction of anxiety, and the book, in general, has all the hallmarks of Liese's care with complex health topics as she shows how we are all worthy of love and romance. Highly, highly recommend.

this was hard to put down, an absolute page turner, i finished it in a day and a half!

i grew up in a soccer family so i loved how much actual soccer info there was, though still understandable for those who don’t know the game

a little disappointed there wasn’t any actual hamilton music on the playlist/j but i do absolutely adore when playlists are included, it gives just another layer of emotion to the book

LOVE all the characters, the main characters obvy but also all their teammates !

really hope we get a book for viggo, i need to see him live out his regency dreams

loved that there were multiple declarations of love, absolutely pulled at my heart strings

100% will be recommending this book along with the rest of the series

First of all, this is the fifth book in a series, and I haven't read any of them, but it didn't matter as it completely stood alone. There were a lot of siblings who had obviously found their HEA's in previous books as we meet them and their partners but I kept up.
The romance between Gavin and Oliver was so cute and warming and fans of classic romance tropes will eat this up, there's quite a few, Grumpy/Sunshine, only one bed, hate to love and my personal favourite thing in a romance - caretaking, which was handled beautifully with both characters giving each other what they needed, even if they weren't capable of asking for it.
I really enjoyed this book and even though there are quite heavy subjects dealt with like the end of a career, chronic pain and anxiety, it was handled with care and a light touch that still left me feeling all warm.

This book is the 5th in the Bergman siblings series. While they could all be read alone, I would highly suggest reading them in order because the previous books are referenced. With that said, I have enjoyed every book in this series so far, but this one was my absolute favorite!

This one had some of my favorite romance tropes, such as, grump/sunshine, forced proximity with them being teammates, hate-to-love, only one bed, and more.

There were so many moments in this one that melted my heart and I teared up quite a few times. One thing I always love about Chloe's books is the representation she includes. I also love the Bergman family and their interactions with each other.

I could go on forever about all of the things I loved, but I will leave it at highly recommending this one to any and all romance fans.

Chloe you did it again! You hit another one out of the park. I don’t want to wait until 2023 for the last two books!!!!! This book had two Bergman weddings, one vow renewal, and Bergman offspring! The offspring totally need to be turned into another series!!!!!! An few of my favorites moments:
1. When Axel wrote a letter about Rooney and his secret marriage. He threw a secret vow renewal!
2. Uncle Ollie and Linnea described her parents getting “hurt”
3. When Axel said he doesn’t want children because he is too selfish to share Rooney!
4. Airplane moment with Oliver and Gavin.
5. Any moment with Gavin and Linnea

Chloe Liese worked her magical wand, and created a knock out! It has enemies to lover, workplace romance, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, one bed, and age gap all wrapped into one! Oliver always seemed to be happy with his colorful clothing and nurturing personality. Gavin had a rough childhood and kept guarded to protect him from the outside world. They both were named team captain of the LA Galaxy. They forced to work together, and are next door neighbors!

Gavin suffers from chronic pain, while Oliver suffers from anxiety. Gavin is nearing the end of his career and sees soccer as his only way of life. Oliver, on the other hand, has just started his soccer career. Oliver opens Gavin’s viewpoint so that he can contemplate life beyond soccer. It’s up to Gavin to decide if he is ready for such changes. It is a perfect slow burn romance with great banter! It is must read! Thank you for the arc!

Gavin and Oliver are what grumpy/sunshine dreams are made of! The fifth Bergman book is just as fun, classy, and well written as all the rest. This one has a bit of a spark that can only be explained in grunts or mumbles from Gavin or in the brightness of Ollie’s clothes. It’s perfect and warm and soft and I loved it so much!

Chloe Liese has done it again with this one, though I'm biased that I love nearly any soccer romance novel! It does reinforce my belief that the Bergman brothers series is one of the best in contemporary romance at the moment.

The vibe:
Anxious-but-puts-on-an-upbeat-front Oliver (Bergman) and Grumpy-standoffish Gavin Hayes are made co-captains of the LA Galaxy soccer team despite never getting along in the two years they’ve played together. Gavin is a famous player who is towards the end of his career while Oliver is young and on the rise. The story follows them attempting to co-captain and what this forced proximity results in.

Pros:
- Gorgeous enemies/teammates to lovers trope
- Also a time jump from the end of the previous book made the age gap romance less alarming
- Healthy portrayal of queer men in sport and in touch with their emotions
- Another glimpse into the wonderfully supportive dynamic of the Bergman family, all of the siblings get a little screen time
- Lots of Viggo (will he be the next book?) and cheeky pranking
- Lots of Soccer (a big win for me however still easy to follow if you’re not a soccer fan)

Cons:
- While I think a time jump was good for the plot, it meant A LOT of time had passed for the whole Bergman family and I wish there were more updates to what had gone on in the meantime

My standout quote:
"Everyone hides," I tell him.
"One way or another. At least your way is kind. You see people in a way others don't. You see the good in them. You make them feel special and appreciated. You hold on to hope in moments that are so easy to be cynical about. If that's not bravery, nothing fucking is. Don't discredit yourself."

i wanted to like this book so badly, literally so badly but in the end my wants did not pull through and i am left with a feeling of disappointment. i am a notorious sports romance lovers and i do enjoy a good dislike to lovers so in all aspects, this book seemed right up my alley. except i did. not. like. it. it started with Oliver and how fake he felt. like i know he’s fictional but he was written in a way that felt so plasticy and just weird. he was just annoying to be honest. and then. the worst thing of all worst things. pop culture references in books. and this time it was in musical format. dead. on the floor dead. nothing makes me more violently ill then the mention of HAMILTON in a book. it just got worse from there that i didn’t even bother finishing the last chapter because in my mind i was close enough and i deserved to be done.

Gavin is this grump because he’s miserable with the fact that his body can’t play soccer like it used to. He is in constant pain and dreading the moment he will have to retire. Oliver reminds him of everything he no longer is. He envies his age, body and attitude.
Oliver is this prankster and family protected guy. He is very friendly and can’t stand Gavin hating him. When he becomes a co captain he makes it his mission to be friends with Gavin. Through each rejection he faces, he is slowly able to have genuine moments with Gavin.
Their attraction to one another is consuming. They try to push their feelings away from one another as to not mix romance and work.
I think why I didn’t vibe with this books is the common problem I face with books that are purely a romance. The chemistry wasn’t strong. Also I hate when near the end they do that “I love you so much” speech that goes on for 2 whole chapters. It’s out of character for Gavin to be so outright with his feelings and be all gushy. Additionally, it’s unrealistic. No couple in real life has ever had one of those long I love everything about you and will always stick by your side talks in this manner. It was exhausting to keep reading through that.

Everything For You
(Bergman Brothers, #5)
Chloe Liese
5 ⭐️

“I promise it all—my body, my soul, my life, for you, everything for you, to care for you and love you, if you’ll let me. “

As fully anticipated, Chloe Liese has done it again. She continues to wow me with this series! Her stories are beautifully written, inclusive, thoughtful, and so damn enjoyable.

Everything For You was another unputdownable addition to the Bergman Brothers series, and I loved it! It was a gorgeous M/M, enemies to lovers romance, packed full of steam, banter, and ALL the feels. Liese is the master at creating the most amazing and authentic characters. I absolutely fell in love with Oliver and Gavin, and devoured their story. I also adored Mitch and the poker crew. They were a hilarious bunch of 👴🏻. Definitely check out the playlist.🎶 This one will put a smile on your face, and make your heart so happy! ⚽️♥️

** Make sure to read Chloe’s content notes at the beginning of book.

I have been so excited for Ollie’s story and Liese absolutely knocked it out of the park. Or should I say the field? 🤔😂 As soon as that gorgeous red paperback is available, I will be adding it to my Bergman family!

Things I Loved;
⚽️ Grumpy x sunshine
⚽️ Gavin and Oliver’s transformations
⚽️ Catching up w/all of the Bergmans at the A-Frame
⚽️ Authentic/sensitive representation
⚽️ New Bergman babies!
⚽️ Ted Lasso Inspired

I am so excited for the next Bergman story, If Only You! It has to be Viggo’s turn!?

Pre-order your copy today! Everything For You is available 5/10/22, and you absolutely must read it. While these books “can” be read as a standalone, I 💯recommend reading in order. Don’t miss out on a single Bergman moment!

HUGE thanks to NetGalley and Chloe Liese for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I want to give props to this book for having an authentic “I’m surrounded by straight people” vibe. It was accidental, but strong work.

Here are my criticisms: I believe I managed to avoid all spoilers, but as with any ARC review, please use caution for your own enjoyment.

<b>There is a time jump over the first two years of their relationship</b>

We are told about the instant antagonism between Gavin and Oliver when they meet, coming from Gavin. We don’t get to see this, because there’s a four year time jump. For an enemies to lovers slow burn, this is a <i>critical</i> part of the developing relationship! Excising it like this means that there’s nothing to support this animosity outside of what characters tell the reader, rather than an organic build.

This leads into my main issues with the romance, where I felt there was a lack of actual, believable connection.


<b>The romance and lack of emotions</b>

This does not count as a slow burn in my opinion, due to the pace at which they got together.

Their relationship is never really developed. They go from “we hate each other” (mostly off page) to “hooking up is a bad idea” to “I love you deeply and curiously forever” without actually spending time with each other in between.

They read like cardboard cutouts to me, so the scenes that <i>could</i> have been tender and loving fell completely flat. Even the caretaking scenes, that should have been emotional, felt impersonal to the point that it could have been a caretaker doing it.

They’re being forced to work together as co-captains, why couldn’t there be slow-building reluctant admiration and feelings, instead of lust that turns on like a light switch? It would be both more believable and a more enjoyable read if we saw them building a reluctant emotional connection that was followed by attraction, rather than just random horniness.

This would have made the aggressive caveman protectiveness/possessiveness Gavin displays at random more believable too - as it was, it felt wildly out of character as I didn’t believe he had that depth of feeling for Oliver. Or he has a temper problem, I suppose.

At the end, the author attempts to retcon these multiple unseen years of animosity as unacknowledged love and attraction. This undoes the whole plot, removes all tension of them being enemies or even meanies to each other, and just makes it deflate with a sad balloon noise.


<b>Oliver and Gavin as characters</b>

<u>Oliver:</u>We’re supposed to see Oliver as sunshine, bringing joy and fun back to Grumpy Gavin, and singing musicals. Specifically Hamilton. Hamilton is mentioned a lot.

What I actually got was a rude person with no boundaries. He criticizes choices Gavin makes - home decor, eating habits, clothing choice, etc - in a way that’s supposed to be funny, but just ends up being rude. A larger issue for me was that he never seems to grow as a person - its always about him and himself and his feelings, and has to be shoved into vaguely considering how Gavin feels at the end.

<u>Gavin:</u> Gavin is kind of ignored in this book. Oliver spends so much time focusing on himself, and Gavin focuses on Oliver, to the point that Gavin feels like an outline of a person. His personality is mostly swearing, and being grumpy. He eventually assimilates the Musical Hamilton Personality Trait as well.


<b>Does this truly work as a standalone?</b>

Technically yes, in that I can read it without any background knowledge on the series.

I have also only read the first in this series, a couple years ago. I didn’t have any trouble following this. That being said, the cameos/presence of the rest of the family was done in a very blocky and confusing way. The entire family is introduced en masse, and that is a lot of people. Working them in when they fit, rather than just a roll call of old characters, would be a much better read in general, let alone for new readers.

However, it also does <i>not</i> work as a standalone, due the overwhelming presence of other couples and their stories. This ended up reading like a series of epilogues for the previous MF couples disguised as a gay romance. We have:

A FMC overcoming her commitment hesitations after three years and getting hitched.
A vow renewal for a couple who had a secret wedding.
A random beach wedding for idk who.
Magical Babies for a couple who struggled with babies (for whatever reason) in their book. Two magical babies.

It would be a much better use of page space to develop the relationship between the main characters instead of continuing four(!) separate couples stories.


<b>The sex scene</b>

I’m addressing this specifically because this is the authors first MM, and when it gets Gay, there tends to be issues.

I want to hedge this with the fact that I do not know if all of the sex scenes in this series are as vague and weird as this. As it is, I am suspicious that the author chickened out of writing an actual gay sex scene. It was an odd blend of specific sharp moments, followed by Vaseline Over the Camera style vagueness and purple prose.

It is so vague it reaches Fifty Shades of Grey levels, and I didn’t understand what was happening here:

<blockquote><i>We kiss, his hand wandering me, touching me *there,*</i><blockquote>

If you can’t say the word butthole, then you’re not old enough to write sex scenes.

I’d also like to note that <i>penetrative sex is not necessary for a romance</i>. This is pretty heteronormative assumption, and while it does prevail somewhat still in the MM romance world, but they didn’t have to have anal. If the author was uncomfortable writing it, it could have been skipped. Or even fade to black!


<b>The romance book meta commentary</b>

I <i>loathe</i> this.

As an example:

<blockquote><i>“I mean, romance novels, while focused on romantic relationships, also spend a lot of time excavating the main characters’ interiority—their past wounds, how those drive their present behavior and motivations, what fuels their dynamic with their love interest and the rest of the characters. I was simply going to use a certain trope to illustrate my point, but speaking plainly will do.</i></blockquote>

This is simply not how people talk, and it feels almost self-congratulatory about being a romance novel. It’s extremely cringy to read. Instead of <i>talking</i> about how deep romance books are, it would be better to actually build the emotional depth in <i>this</i> book.


<b>Anxiety and emotional comfort cheese</b>

One of the things this author seems to make as her personal brand is the disability/conditions rep. In this book we have anxiety and chronic pain.

<u>Anxiety:</u> I am familiar with anxiety, and I had problems with how it was handled here.

As someone with travel anxiety, I do not understand why Oliver, someone with self-admitted medication and therapy for said anxiety, does not have medication for travel. This is entirely reasonable thing to have! The fact that Oliver’s panic attack on the plane is solved by hand holding - when Gavin was one of the sources of his stress! - was uncomfortable to me.

Panic attacks don’t need a trigger, they can just happen. It is suggested otherwise in this book.

This book also insinuates, accidentally I suspect, that people with anxiety can’t be happy. This is categorically untrue. I suspect it’s a phrasing failure rather than what the author meant to say, but it would be best to …hmm not say that.

<u>Lactose intolerance and emotional support cheese:</u> This started off quirky, whatever, he eats cheese to feel better. However! We get a horribly incorrect usage of lactose intolerance later, with said cheese.

It was not necessary to give Oliver lactose intolerance, especially if you’re just going to get it wrong. He has a violent reaction to eating way too much brie, and this sets off an event in the book.

I have lactose intolerance. Cheese, even a soft cheese like Brie, does not have high lactose content. Additionally, he says he took a lactase pill - these work extremely well. It says <i>on the package</i>, that you can take multiple pills if you are going to eat lots of dairy. He does not. His amount of reaction is the level I’d expect if he ate like four gallons of milkshake. Not some cheese. In summary: not necessary, and wrong.

I won’t comment on the representation of chronic pain, as I am not familiar with it.


<b>Author soapboxing, aka people don’t talk like this</b>

There were many times in this book where characters would go off into unbelievable lectures disguised as conversations, on various topics like periods, toxic masculinity, believing in yourself, romance books, etc. None of it was realistic, and I found it to be overwrought and dramatic. It doesn’t read like anything approximating human speech.

There were a lot of attempts at poetry, which ended up being purple prose. Sometimes it went so purple that I didn’t know what it was trying to say. It loses its impact if everything is dramatically described, especially appearances.


<b>Soccer, and the rest of the team</b>

For a soccer book, I felt it was pretty light on the actual interactions and team dynamic. There were games, and a few practice scenes, yet it felt oddly left out. I think because the actual co-captaining was not relevant, there was less actual import for the sport to be present.

This was just weird enough I have to mention it. There’s like three or four other named characters on the team, and as far as I can tell, they’re there to show you who the author is agreeing with in a scene. Or crying over a pep talk. All of them react in concert, and it is always strange.


<b>Expositional conversations via secondary characters</b>

All of the emotional realizations and moments are had by massive and blocky expositional conversations, most often with side characters. The side characters who exist solely to tell the MCs how they feel, and expose insights into them we would never have gotten otherwise. They also serve to force a sudden change in course for the plot.

This happens because the characters do not seem able to realize these things for themselves, or about themselves, unless they’re told how to by some side character. Sometimes the characters know things that there’s no way they could have realistically known, like the emotional state of others without evidence the reader can see, or events that happened nowhere near them.


<b>Miscellaneous details</b>

<u>Ted Lasso as inspiration</u>: It’s noted by the author that this was inspired by Ted Lasso. I have never seen this show, and know nothing about it. As far as I can tell, it doesn’t matter at all as far as required knowledge. Maybe it’s relying on some characterization developed in the show - a common downfall of converting fic - and I don’t see it because I don’t watch the show. If that’s the case, then…well, don’t do that.

<u>The three year old:</u> This is the magical happening baby. I do not understand why it was necessary to read about the three year old mimicking the sex noises of her parents. This contributed nothing but a deep wish for me to unread it. The toddler also had Woke Baby moments, like telling an MC that she “respects his boundaries”. Three year olds do not understand boundaries!

<u>General flow of scenes:</u> There’s times where the characters went into long meandering thoughts in the middle of an action scene, and it was confusing. Oliver mused on the relationship and Gavin mid soccer game. It doesn’t belong here. Maybe a single quick thought, but these went on too long, and ended up making the scene very choppy.


There’s just some downright odd stuff, like continuity errors, and people having too many hands for the activities they’re doing, and 24yo soccer players having endless hankies like a clown magician.


<b>Overall,</b> I suspect if you liked the other books and don’t know about anxiety or lactose intolerance, then you’ll like this too based on reviews. It’s a choice to put a MM book mid MF series, that’s for sure. As a prolific MM romance reader, I was intrigued to read this authors first MM romance. Plus, I do love a good enemies-to-lovers sports romance. Suffice to say, I do not recommend it for MM readers.

While there’s no wedding in this book, and very little actual relationship, rest assured, dear readers, I'm sure you’ll get their wedding in like book 7.


Please excuse the goodreads formatting, as I type my reviews with that in mind.

Oliver and Gavin were truly enemies and lovers. The first part of the book was full of animosity between them, even if Oliver was the biggest sunshine ever. The chemistry was so good. There is nothing that can top a well-done enemies to lovers for me, and if you add grumpy or sunshine to the mix, my soul is going to leave my body.

The more I got to know Gavin, the harder I fell for his character. My heart ached for him for a large part of the book. Feeling like you’re only worthy if you’re the best, if you work the hardest... that’s awful. Showing someone who feels this that they can be loved no matter what, if they’re trying or not, if they’re being the best or if they’re simply existing, is hard. This book feels like a warm hug, and it will remind everyone that you can simply breathe, and that will be enough for someone else to love you.

I loved reading about Oliver as a main character! The man cubs were always a big highlight of this series for me! I love Oliver so much, and I love his character development. He’s so considerate and always thinks of ways to make people’s lives better, forgetting about his own in the process. Thankfully, the brothers had some words of wisdom for him in this regard. Also, Ollie is the absolute best uncle. These tiny Bergmans are the cutest things ever!

Oliver and Gavin are perfect together, and their romance is absolutely top-tier for me. I wouldn’t change a single thing.

I can’t believe we’re only down to two siblings... My heart is going to be shattered when this series is over! No matter who comes next, I am absolutely ready to devour and love it just as much as this one and the rest of the series. Also, I wouldn’t complain if we ever got a tiny glimpse of Papa and Mama Bergman’s love story...

DRC provided directly by the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Representation: bisexual white protagonist of Swedish descent, gay white protagonist with chronic pain, queer Latine tertiary character, queer Asian tertiary character, Black tertiary characters, non-binary tertiary character of colour, Latine tertiary character, autistic white tertiary characters of Swedish descent, Swedish tertiary character, amputee tertiary character.

Content Warning: alcohol, vomit, violence, anxiety, panic attacks, homophobic incident, intrusive thoughts, past trauma.

Everything for You by Chloe Liese is a contemporary romance novel, fifth in the Bergman Brothers series, centring sunshine footballer extraordinaire Oliver Bergman and his grumpy teammate Gavin Hayes, veteran and legend of the sport; the Ted Lasso (if he could actually play football) x Roy Kent love-story I did not expect, which I did not know I wanted, but that captured my heart completely.

Oliver Bergman was badly burnt by his last relationship, so he decides to avoid love and never to mix it with his career as a footballer. Gavin Hayes’ body can no longer sustain his life as a legendary football player, but he pushes it to its limit in spite of the pain because he is afraid of what the future will bring him. Neither man expected, after two years of playing for the same team, that the coach would offer Oliver the chance to co-captain and all this choice would entail.

I always want to be as honest as I can be so I must say that I did not anticipate to like this story as much as I did, mostly because I had never read anything by Chloe Liese before, so I could not predict if her writing style would be to my liking. That said, this enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance between a cheerful and colourful twenty-something and a peppery thirty-something, full of emotions, humour, pranks, drama and just the right amounts of spice enthralled me from start to finish.

While I obviously liked the similarities with Ted Lasso (I am still waiting for the Jamie x Roy romance of my dreams), what I enjoyed most was how the protagonists slowly but steadily overcome their insecurities and their traumas, sharing the latter with each other; build their relationship starting from solid foundations, respecting each other’s boundaries, and understanding and accepting their own individual imperfections, personally and reciprocally.

The only aspect I got somewhat irked by was the italicisation of the Spanish when it was not meant to be emphasised. The Swedish words were not italicised, so I did not get why the Spanish was. It really was a minor factor that my finicky brain could not get past though, so I am sure other readers will easily ignore it.

[During the whole reading experience I kept saying to myself that if Chloe decided to write Mitch’s death or any of the other members of the elderly brigade, I would immediately stop reading and one-star the book so hard because it is a “trope” I cannot tolerate (I am looking at you, Moana’s writers. As beautiful as the movie was, I am still holding a grudge towards them for Gramma Tala’ passing), so kudos to Chloe for that as well.]

Everything for You is definitely a read I recommend and if it is proof of Chloe Liese’s writing abilities as I think it is, I reckon the whole series is worth reading (even though I am not sure about the queer representation in it, beside Oliver’s side presence). I am undoubtedly looking forward to reading her backlist and Viggo’s and Ziggy’s future stories.