“Books, Briefly” is back to spotlight the first book in the Bergman Brothers series!
Title: Only When It’s Us
Author: Chloe Liese
“Hate, enmity, rivalry are all passionate responses. My personal theory is that they are incomplete expressions of one core human emotion: love.”
Only When It’s Us – Chloe Liese
READ IF YOU LIKE: contemporary romance, enemies-to-lovers trope, slow-burn romance, soccer, books about college students, banter
MOOD: Angsty, sentimental, playful and fiery (so much banter!)
| Likes | Dislikes |
| Extremely strong chemistry between Willa and Ryder | Willa becomes super judgmental, whiny, and private to a fault |
| Family-oriented character representation (shows the value of a strong support system!) | Willa’s treatment toward Ryder at times |
| Disability representation (deafness) | |
| Supporting characters feel real and relevant (great character development) |
FINAL THOUGHTS: Only When It’s Us is a strong start to a contemporary romance series that highlights themes of disability representation in relationships and the importance of family. Chloe Liese develops a believable, entertaining, and meaningful relationship between two college students that is not surface-level and provides insight into a unique type of relationship (that is also relatable). Deaf-representation is one that I’ve never come across in reading before, and I think Liese handled the topic well and fully (*to my knowledge – I cannot speak on behalf of the deaf community).
This one is a fun, well-rounded romance that is also meaningful – I highly recommend!
Archetypes & Anecdotes 
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