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Book Review: Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese

Sep 7, 2020

Only When It’s Us (Bergman Brothers #1) by Chloe Liese

Pages: 380
Publish date: April 1st 2020
Publisher: –
ASIN: B085B9LFG2
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

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 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:

The second book in the series is the one that caught my eye first. But I wanted to read it in order. And I’m so glad that I did because Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese was a fantastic read. As soon as I read the synopsis I knew that this book was for me. It’s a sports romance that also concludes disability! Hell yeah.

CW: terminal illness, death of a parent.

Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese follows Willa and Ryder as they make their way through college and life. Ryder doesn’t like Willa Sutter. Ever since she sat next to him in class and left with death glares, Ryder has held a small grudge again Willa. He doesn’t need her in his tidy life. And then they get paired together for their Business Mathematics assessment. And things are about to get interesting. Willa anger towards Ryder steams from him ignoring her when she asked for help. But she isn’t one to be messed with. And then the truth comes out.

Photo by Jonathan Petersson on Unsplash

Willa was such an interesting female protagonist. She isn’t someone that you can like instantly. But as the novel goes on the reader can understand her. She has been thought quite a bit and she uses her anger as a mask. And this slowly starts to slip and she and Ryder become closer. One of the rare moments that we see the true Willa is when she is with her mother. I like that Willa wasn’t particularly “nice.” She kept her guard up and sometimes that did make her hard, but that also made her interesting. I also loved that she was the athlete in the book. It just made me happy.

Ryder is the grumpy lumberjack type and I loved it. He just made my day. I loved that on the outside he was this tough, sometimes mean looking male. But on the inside, he was a soft muffin. He tried to be mean and rude, and honestly, sometimes he was. However, the reader can tell that he doesn’t mean any of it. The last few years for Ryder have been tough and his life had to change dramatically. And that isn’t easy.

The romance in Only When It’s Us was excellent. It was a hate to love romacne that was a blast. Both Ryder and Willa have misconceptions of one another and when they are strategically thrown together for the assessment things heat up. I enjoyed the back and forth between the two, however, I do wish that they communicated more. It would have made for less unnecessary friction. In saying all this, Willa and Ryder were fantastic together. The banter between the two was fun to read and I loved seeing them both surprise each other and break down each other’s walls.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Ryder’s disability is another major focus of Only When It’s Us. However, it doesn’t overshadower the novel. It explores Rydner’s deafness in a way that is honest. It explores the struggles and tribulations that he as had to go through. But also explores how it doesn’t affect the way that he wants to live his life. Ryder became deaf later in life after a case of meningitis. Not only was he left deaf, but there were other complications that affected the way that he lives his life. Ryder communicates through sign language, reading lips and through written communication. Ryder also chooses not to speak after losing his hearing, but as the novel goes on he learns to overcome his hesitation to speak. I think that the representation of disability throughout the book was fairly accurate. I, however, can’t talk about the representation of being deaf.

Family is a massive theme throughout Only When It’s Us. The Bergman family are a delight. I loved how they interacted with one another. The reader can see from the start how much they love one another and would do anything for each member. I can’t wait to read more about each brother for sure. It’s going to be interesting. I also loved that they were all there for Willa when she needs them.

Willa’s relationship with her mother was nicely written. And the reader could see how hard her mother’s health hit them both in different ways. I feel that a lot of Willa’s walls were built because of her mother’s health and how scared and hurt she is. Willa just didn’t want to feel more pain.

Only When It’s Us is an emotional read. There are many ups and downs for both Willa and Ryder. I did cry several times, especially towards the end It’s not an easy read at times, but it’s also beautiful. It explores grief and loss. But also explored life.

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

Overall I love reading Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese. It’s emotional and heartbreaking at times, but it’s uplifting, funny and made me smile a whole lot. I love that we get to see the female lead as the athlete and disability is so present throughout the novel. Not only is this fantastic to see in general, but in romance. Willa and Ryder are fantastic together. They bicker and fight, but you can they love each as well. This is just a fantastic romance and I can’t wait to read more from Chloe Liese.

Have you read Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese yet? What did you think of it? Are you going to read it? Let’s Chat!

The Musical Theatre Book Tag

Sep 6, 2020

Today I thought it would be fun to do The Musical Theatre Book Tag. This tag was created by somethinglikelydia. You can check out her original video now.

If you didn’t know I’m a massive musical theatre fan. It’s one of my favourite things to do, so this year on top of everything else has been a bummer for musical theatre. There are a number of shows that obviously didn’t go ahead. So to make me feel a little better, I decided to do this tag about something I love. Anyway, here we go.

1. Wicked – Favourite fictional friendship

The friendship between the ladies in Lisa Kleypas’ The Wallflowers series is high on my list. I love that these ‘outcasts’ find solace in one another and together the group turns into a fantastic friendship. The friendship in this one just makes me smile. It makes me happy.

It’s a friendship that I would love to see in more books for sure.

2. Sweeney Todd – Favourite villain

Ohh this one is so hard. But after reading it I would have to go with Queen Levana from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. She is cunning and manipulative but that is what makes her so interesting. I liked how her character was explored. She is just an interesting villain that isn’t a cookie-cutter like others.

3. Phantom of the Opera – Favourite love triangle

This is a really hard one for me because I really don’t like love triangles. It’s one of my least favourite tropes and I try and avoid reading it as much as possible. However, the love triangle in The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare is fantastic. It’s one of my favourites and one of the only ones that I truly love reading.

4. The Lion King – Favourite sidekick

Can I go with sidekicks? Because I think the children from The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune are magnificent. I adore then with every fibre in my body. If you haven’t read this book yet, just do it for me. I can’t pick any of these children as my favourite they are all just fantastic and brilliant. You can check out my full review now.

5. Grease – Least favourite ending

The ending of The Divergent series by Veronica Roth was pretty blah. It just felt so weak to me. It just felt like a waste of time for me. I wanted to like this series – and I will tell you it was a smart and different ending. But I felt cheated.

6. Matilda: The Musical – Favourite adaptation of a book

This isn’t a hard question for me. The Hunger Games trilogy‘s adaptations are some of the best I’ve seen. It’s exactly what I look for me in an adaptation and there isn’t much that I can say to fault it. Catching Fire is hands down the best adaptation that I’ve seen.

7. Les Miserables – Favourite death in a book

This another one is so hard for me. I honestly can’t think of one. I sat here for ages trying to figure something out for this one and couldn’t.

***

Anyway, that is this tag done! I had so much doing it. I tag Ely from Earl Grey Books. And anyone else that wants to do it.

Do you like Musicals? Have you done this tag yet? What would you pick for these questions? Let’s Chat!

Binge-Worthy YA Series

Sep 5, 2020

Today I thought I would share some binge-worthy young adult series. I love binge reading. It’s one of my favourite things to do. And binge reading a series is so much fun.

These are the series that I think are binge-worthy. I think you can read one after each other and not get bored. That hit all the right places. I tried to include a range of genres but in YA I tend to binge read more paranormal/fantasy. Anyway, like always these are in order.

Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead: This is one fo the series that first comes to mind when I think binge reading. It has it’s highs and lows, it will break your heart. And you need to know what’s going to happen right away. There are so many cliff hangers in this series and waiting for them was hard – but now no one needs to. It has great romances, great friendships and just a really cool world.

The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare: I think this is the most binge-able from all her books. I mean I’ve done it with all of them. But this series, in particular, it’s just so easy to do. The world is easy to fall into, the characters are fantastic and the romance is pretty amazing. I love that this is 3 books and an easy binge read.

Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout: I think I’ve binge read this series twice already. It’s just a fun one to binge read. The Lux series is one of those that you just can’t stop reading. It’s not a paricalur fantastic series, but I love reading it. It’s an interesting world with creatures that we don’t see a lot of, especially in YA.

The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig: I don’t talk about this duology enough, but it’s seriously so good. I love the cast of characters in this one. It’s full of banter and just some great times. But it’s also intense and entertaining.

The Selection Series by Kiera Cass: If you are looking for a series that you can just bang out then this is the one for you. It’s quick, easy, but also entertaining. It’s not for everyone but it’s a fun read.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: I just did a re-read of this series recently and I loved it as much the second time. I normally don’t read sci-fi, but this is the perfect amount that doesn’t leave me confused the whole time. I also love the mash-up of sci-fiction and fairytales.

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi: This is another one that is short by sweet. It’s unique and different and I really enjoyed reading it. It’s a rich world that stands out from others and that is just fantastic to me.

Hundred Oaks by Miranda Kenneally: While this isn’t a series per se, it’s a collection of companions novels that have characters pop in and out. It’s fantastic and I love it. This one is great for the younger YA crowd, but anyone can pick it up.

Every Series by Ellie Marney: If you are looking for a series that is intense, has a great romance and is a thriller/mystery. Then this one is for you. It’s one of my favourite series of all time and I binge-read it forever.

And that is it for this post? What are some series that you love to binge read? Would you like to see more of these posts? Let’s Chat!