Book Review: ‘Only When It’s Us’ by Chloe Liese (enemies to lovers TikTok romance)
I’ve been hearing rumbles about the ‘Bergman Brothers’ series for a long time and with the recent release of the seventh and final book, ‘Only and Forever’, I decided it was time to give this series a whirl.
I have a very hit and miss success rate with TikTok romances and I had such high hopes for ‘Only When It’s Us’. With the promise of a new adult enemies to lovers romance seris of interlinked stories, I was hoping to be in for a treat of a seven book series to dive into.
Meet the Bergmans in this enemies-to-lovers new adult romance that tackles the vulnerability of love with humor and heart.
From the moment Willa sat next to Ryder in class, she’s made it clear she hates his guts. Her reason is a mystery, but its outcome suits him fine. Willa Sutter is the feisty, tempting chaos he doesn’t need in his quiet, tidy life. She’s the next generation of women’s soccer. Wild hair. Bee-stung lips. And a temper that makes the devil seem friendly. He’ll leverage her hate as long as possible to keep his distance.
When Willa asked Ryder to borrow his lecture notes, the silent, surly, mountain man ignored her. Ryder Bergman is an arrogant, infuriating flannel-wearing enigma. Mangy beard. Frayed ball cap that hides his eyes. And a stubborn refusal to acknowledge her existence. But Willa’s never backed down from a challenge.
Forced to work together on their final project, Willa and Ryder begin a game of pranks and practical jokes, each determined to come out the champion. But once they catch unexpected feelings, victory begins to mean something else—winning each other’s hearts.
‘Only When It’s Us’ didn’t quite hit for me.
While this book was easy to read, I didn’t feel much compulsion to pick it back up when I wasn’t reading, either. There was a real lack of connection between Willa and Ryder and while I appreciate enemies to lovers actually being enemies, it felt a little forced in a lot of ways. The enemies element came from them playing pranks on each other got quite cruel at times and a lot of their interactions were based on miscommunication (one of my least favourite tropes) and things held back and hidden from each other, and then getting mad at each other about it. It was frustrating to read and kept me at a distance from them.
It really didn’t live up to this review I spied on Goodreads…
I thought that the conflict Willa had with her dedication to football (soccer, whatever) and how that played into her career goals, and the way that clashed with her commitments for her university classes. Until it got weird, that is. The role of Ryder’s brother-in-law, Aidan, who is also the professor in the class where Willa and Ryder meet, is uncomfortable and really over the line. While this is addressed later in the novel, there’s no real amends made for Aidan overstepping so wildly and abusing his power in the way that he did.
Aside from those issues, I think that the setting and the vividness of the last section spent in Washington State. It felt like those characters being away from the constraints of college, their families and the pressures of their sport, they came alive. It’s a really emotional, raw and vibrant section of the novel that gave a bit of a glimpse as to what the rest of the novel had the potential to be.
I think that I might give the ‘Bergman Brothers’ series one more shot and pick up book two, ‘Always Only You’, which focuses on Ryder’s brother, Ren. The reviewer above didn’t enjoy book two nearly enough so hopefully I’ll enjoy it a lot more!
Written by Sophie
