Member Reviews

Oh, I just love Chloe Liese's Bergman family. This book was no exception - it included one of my favourite tropes: a sunshiney main character and a grumpy main character who is a softie deep inside. GAH. So fun. Oliver and Gavin's story held my attention from the first second and I just loved the way they came to relate to one another after some earlier misunderstandings. I loved all the soccer in the book and the way the sport was described - which is saying a lot since I am not a DIEHARD sports fan (though I do love a good sports book when done well, like this one was).

There were a few absolutely hilarious moments in this book as well as a lot of heartwarming/awww I really feel for them/wow I believe this is all going to work out but I'm not 100% sure how moments. Chloe's writing is impeccable and she has a wonderful talent for making her characters just so real.

I can't wait for the two remaining books in this series though I know I will be crushed when we make our way through all the Bergmans.

Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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One of these days I'm going to write to Chloe Liese and ask if we've ever met in real life. Her ability to make me see a piece of myself in at least one character in her books blows me away. Sometimes it comes from the Bergman directly, sometimes it's a gut punch line delivered by somebody else. In this book it was the gut punch from Oliver to Gavin.
I adoreevery single thing about these books. I loved the references to the ahem, football World Cup incident. The way the anxiety attacks were dealt with was just superb, it's okay not be okay emphasised and normalised more in text.
As usual the Bergmans had their usual, amazing flair - I have a feeling we're going to be in for an amazing revenge treat from all 0f them when we get to Viggo. The cabin portion of the book was particularly special there.
Chloe Liese books are instant requests and buys for me. A gap in new releases? Reread any Bergman book. Thank you for writing them.
Thank you to netgalley and the author for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

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Oh, I absolutely <i>adored</i> this new-to-me author and this <i>fifth</i> installment in this series, but the first one for me 😍

Even though I knew going into this that there had been four previous M/F books, four previous couples to establish this big family, I never felt lost or like I was missing something. The book did a good job of describing all of <b>Oliver's</b> siblings so I got their names and sense of who they are.

What I got is that Oliver is youngest son, and second to youngest sibling overall of seven. This opens when he's 20 and freshly heartbroken from his now ex-boyfriend cheating on him. Four of his six siblings are happy and in love and settled, but he's determined not to give in too easily into love after his heartbreak, certainly not with another soccer player, that's for sure...

After the prologue, it's four years later and....

Enter <b>Gavin</b>, grump extraordinaire. He and Oliver have been playing on the same professional LA soccer team for two years, and for the most part, have ignored each other. Or well, Gavin ignored Oliver first and Oliver followed his lead. Or well, not exactly...but he decided to be overly cheerful and a little passive aggressive to get under Gavin's skin.

Because when Gavin wasn't ignoring Oliver, he was being a straight up asshole to him.

This would be considered enemies-to-lovers, except Gavin never actually hates Oliver - and Oliver certainly never hates Gavin - and it's more that Gavin really wants Oliver, but doesn't want to want him.

Gavin has had a tough life, and doesn't want to let anyone close enough that their leaving him would truly hurt him. So he puts up walls and a front to keep people out.

In a way, Oliver does too, only on the opposite end of the spectrum. He's always, in front of others, all cheer and smiles and kindness. Not that he isn't that person, but more that he exaggerates his happy-go-lucky charm and kindness to not let people in as well. In some ways Gavin and Oliver are more alike than they seem.

I loved how this author gave these two characters such depth. How she showed two people could both be hiding, but doing it in different ways. Oliver hasn't had the tough life that Gavin has, but he's still human, and has experienced heartbreak, and has anxiety, serious enough that he gets panic attacks.

I loved how the author showed that it's okay to be human. To not shut people out all the time with grumpiness or too much sunshine, that it was okay for Oliver to not always have a smile on his face, to not always be the nice guy, to not always be in the mood to be happy, and that it was okay for Gavin to be happy, to smile every once in awhile, to laugh and have fun.

I love the juxtaposition of these two characters, and how well they fit together because of it. How Oliver taught Gavin to open up to happiness, and Gavin taught Oliver it was okay not to be perfect all the time, and to be not always be ON for other people.

I loved how the romance was written, too. I loved how these two went from snarking at each other and being angry with each other and almost coming to blows, to easing up with each other, to finding comfort in each other, to letting go and letting the other in at times.

Seeing Gavin, especially, go from trying so hard to never let Oliver in, to slowly letting him in in various small ways, was wonderful.

I was loving their romance so much that I didn't mind that it took awhile for sex to happen, and that we didn't get a ton of it. What we did get was just the icing on the cake, really. I love when books do romance so well that I don't mind if I don't get a ton of sex, or barely any at all.

These two were so in love with each other, the sex was just a great little extra that added to their love story.

Gavin is 34 years old, and Oliver is 24, so there's an age gap there. The big conflict of this story is that Gavin doesn't want to give up soccer, but his body is on its last legs before it gets so bad that he can't play anymore. He has chronic pain, mainly in his lower back and one of his knees. Somewhat in his ankle as well to add on to his pain, but his main problems are his back and knee.

Oliver, on the other hand, has just started his soccer career. He has a good ten years left himself, and is in good shape. Gavin is one of the greats, having played for 15 years in Europe, and he's up there with the likes of David Beckham. Gavin has had a hard time dealing with the fact that Oliver has his career ahead of him, and his career is almost over.

Gavin doesn't know what he is without soccer, and has been scared to find out, so he's been pushing his body to the absolute limit to play as much soccer as he can before he truly can't anymore.

Gavin also has fears that Oliver would leave him if he's just a retired soccer player, no longer what he once was, while Oliver still has all this soccer glory he gets to have.

But our bodies just can't handle vigorous physicality like with sports for long, and it's just the way it goes. A lot of this book is Gavin coming to terms with that,

On Oliver's side, it's mostly getting past his "no more getting involved with other soccer players" rule and really, underneath that, is just allowed himself to love and trust again. Ever since his ex-boyfriend Bryce cheated on him, he's been scared if he falls in love again, that person would leave him again, would find him lacking, and Gavin's attitude at first certainly doesn't help Oliver think he's worth sticking around for.

But with some help along the way (such as Oliver's family members, and Gavin actually going to therapy, which I was so happy about), these two eventually figure it out, and their happiness together made me so happy.

Also there are a few parts with both of them and Oliver's niece that are just adorable - especially one part where Gavin helps Oliver take care of her for the night - and made my heart melt. I'd love to read that these two eventually either adopt or have a surrogate have a kid of their own. They'd be great parents.

I'm assuming the next two (probably last two?) in this series will be about Viggo, Oliver's older brother by a year, and Oliver's younger sister Ziggy. I won't be reading Ziggy's but I have hope that Viggo's will be M/M...let's hope! We weren't told his sexuality in this, so it'd be cool if he was gay or bisexual. If not and it's an M/F, well...oh well, this will be the only book I'm reading in this series, then.

But I can, at the very least, imagine these two having a kid or two :D

I absolutely recommend this book, even if you haven't read the first four books in this series like me. It's mainly a standalone, and previous characters from Oliver's family were explained well and I never felt lost, so reading this never felt like I was jumping in the middle of something or anything like that.

This was just such a wonderful book overall and I just adored Oliver and Gavin together. Truly the "one's a grump/the other is sunshine" trope with this couple haha.

Two MASSIVE thumbs up from me. When this comes out, definitely read this one. It's definitely a win!🥰😘

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Everything but You by Chloe Liese

The Bergman Brothers and Chloe Liese continue to both break my heart and make it whole.

This is Oliver’s book. I would not say you had to read the first four before this one, but would definitely say you should because they are amazing and you will fall in love with this entire, crazy family.

Oliver and Gavin’s story has it all -
☀️Grump/Sunshine
❤️Enemies/Lovers
🛏Only One Bed
⚽️Sports Romance
🔥Slow Build (but when it arrives, watch out)

Anxiety and chronic pain rep handled with such extreme care, which is one of the reasons Chloe is an auto buy author for me. Her disability rep throughout this series has been incredible and truly the Bergman family has come to feel like people we all know and love.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review and early copy!!

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or ten days last year i inhaled the bergman brothers series and could not wait to read the next installment. thanks to @netgalley, i got to read it early, and let me tell you, it was amazing. exactly what i dreamed of. professional soccer players! grumpy/sunshine! los angeles!!

oliver is 25 years old and a professional soccer player for the LA galaxy. he's been newly named co-captain alongside his teammate gavin hayes. gavin hayes is a few years older, and oliver has harbored a secret crush on him ever since he watched his english premier league games years ago. for two years they've been teammates, and gavin's grumpy side has never let up. they two are constantly butting heads, until they agree to a truce for the sake of the team.

this is ted lasso in book form, the perfect thing to read between re-watches of the show. (i have to admit i still haven't seen season two, i'm a fraud.) but as someone currently revising a friends to lovers book about professional women's soccer players, this was like the opposite of my book in the absolute best way.

content warning for homophobia in one powerful scene where a player from an opposing team calls one of the main characters a slur. the word is never written on the page, but it holds weight anyway.

if i had any qualms with this book, i think it's the fact that gavin and oliver didn't really seem to have other queer friends, which feels unrealistic to me.

all said though, i loved getting to catch up with my favorite bergman characters and get updates on the other couples - and there are some BIG updates! - in this story. i already can't wait to get the paperback so it can match the others on my shelf ❤️

thank you to @chloe_liese for the book and for writing yet another book that handles topics like anxiety, chronic pain, depression, and autism with so much love and care. getting to read your books is a joy.

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Oliver Bergman is more than just a hot shot athlete. He's also a ray of sunshine and newly minted co-captain of his soccer team. He's also bisexual and absolutely refuses to fall in love with his co-captain and perpetual grump, Gavin...who also happens to be his neighbor.

Everything for You has everything that a fan could want from the fifth installment of the Bergman series. Chloe Liese leans into the tropes she knows we all love and gives us such a heart felt and passionate look at two men who have both been hurt in the past and work to find something real.

If you read this book, here are the amazing things you will find within its pages:
- Grump/Sunshine
- Only one bed!
- Enemies to lovers
- Sweet, sweet cinnamon roll
- Chronic pain representation
- Anxiety representation

Honestly, this book was absolutely amazing and I cannot wait for the next one!

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Wow. So I had high hopes going into this book because I’ve loved every book in this series, and not only did this one not disappoint, it over delivered by a mile. Sorry Ren, I 100% have a new favorite Bergman brother. Ollie is like a mischievous golden retriever. He’s adorable, sweet, and lovey, but when your back is turned, watch out, he gets into all sorts of pranks and trouble. The dynamic between Ollie and Gavin is my favorite of book setups. Enemies (who really secretly love each other) to lovers with a whole lot of grumpy sunshine thrown in. The snark, banter, side eye, and long suffering sighs are the best. Gavin is Roy Kent, but dare I say better? Did I mention there’s a 3 year old who also totally steals the show? Ted Lasso + romance + snark + big family energy + a meddling coach= the book I absolutely didn’t know that I needed, and left me so happy when I was finished.

The other thing I love so much about Chole’s books is how real her characters feel. I love seeing representation for mental and physical illness, chronic pain, family struggles etc in books, but sometimes it’s almost like a caricature, so over the top that it’s not relatable. It goes hand in hand with Viggo’s point (as the romance book lover in the family) that the more romance you read, the more you see the different facets of yourself reflected back. Gavin’s chronic pain and Ollie’s anxiety were absolutely something you could see yourself or a friend or family member dealing with. (as someone with herniated disks and back problems, Gavin’s struggles were spot on)

I will 100% be listening to this on audio in May. If you haven’t read any of the Bergman books (I mean what are you waiting for, you definitely should- the audios are all on Hoopla as well) don’t let that stop you. This book is really that good. Sure, the family dynamic bits won’t be as exciting to you without the full backstory, but the book stands alone without needing that. It’s really just icing on the funfetti cake.

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The Bergman Brothers series keeps getting better with every book. I absolutely adored Everything For You. It made me smile, sad, giddy and oh so happy. It’s all because of the Family and the characters which Chloe Liese has created. They all are unique in their own ways and have so much love for the people around them.

Oliver and Gavin. Sunshine and grumpy gave me everything I could’ve hoped for and so much more. First off, the chemistry between these two was off the charts amazing. The hilarious push and pull banter and the pining. Omg the pining was phenomenal. It gave me all the feels.

The story was a wonderful slow burn and worked to perfection cause I got under the skin of Oliver and Gavin. I felt them! How they slowly started to give in to one another and accept their feelings. The topics was so relatable and relevant. How it was intertwined with them was well done and made me connect with them more.

The Bergman Family and their significant others appeared and it was so special to me because I’ve read all the previous books. To see how far they’ve come and also what’s to come for the remaining two Bergman’s was so excited.
Gavin’s poker friends were funny and suited his personality to a T. Oliver’s colorful dress code and his pranks with Viggo. So many highlights but the biggest one of them all. The main story. The love story. Gavin and Oliver. Absolutely perfection. So much joy and happiness while reading. I want to stay in this world.

5 Heart of My Heart Stars

*Thank you to the author for receiving this ARC. My honest review thoughts are my own*

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*Received copy for review.*.
Oh my heart. Every single one of these Bergman books has been amazing. I think this one pushed into a whole other level of perfection. If you like Ted Lasso, this book is for you.
Oliver Bergman is the sixth of seven children and the youngest boy. He has been sunshine & sneaky pranks his whole life. He gets an ugly heartbreak in college and to escape jumps into pro soccer early. He also wraps all his anxiety and fear of failure and pain into being the nicest most sunshine who ever sunshine.d.
Gavin Hayes has had an amazing soccer career but his body has s giving out on him. His back hurts, his knee hurts, and his head often hurts. He does not need bright colors and sunshine teammates interfering with his surliness. Oliver makes him crazy and the asshole lives next door.
These two are perfection. Grumpy/ sunshine is usually my catnip but I love it even more when there’s depth under the surface of both characters. I loved the tension that is there from the beginning between these two. I loved how everyone in their lives begin to interfere with their relationship and push them together. I loved that Gavin plays poker with a bunch of older men who keep him from being completely isolated.
In so many ways, both of these men are hiding in plain sight. They have just chosen to do it in different ways. Watching as they open each other up, was so satisfying.
When an author has such a deft hand with humor & emotion, & fear, it just makes the reading experience so wonderful. The balance is handled so beautifully and every book is better than the last. I could not recommend a book more.

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Thank you so much Chloe for the @netgalley arc! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 This is the 5th book in the Bergman Brother’s series and releases on May 10th!

Oliver & Gavin’s story is the next step in the saga of the Bergman Brood’s world, & it could not have been more perfect. This grumpy sunshine, enemies to lovers, age gap romance set to the background of professional soccer was moving, hilarious, & sexy. It was inspired by Ted Lasso, which means I need to go watch it apparently, lol.

It’s honestly so exciting getting to Oliver’s story, after having watched him grow so much over the past four stories, including literally growing up from the man cub we first met in book one. He became such a kind & amazing man. I loved watching him struggle to find the balance of being a good person, while still being the chaotic, prank loving ball of energy he is at his core. We get so much family time with the whole brood in this story & it made my heart soar 😍 The familial love & casual, physical affection between brothers & just men in general is so lovely to see.

And Gavin! Oh my Gavin 😭 I just want to hug him & force him to accept all the love in the world, that he so very much deserves. I loved watching him crack open, his walls crumbling to dust in the face of Oliver’s love and warmth. I love how perfectly they fit together. I love that even though Gavin hates color, he loves it on Ollie 🥺🥺 (iykyk)

I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect story for these two gorgeous idiots, & I can’t wait for you all to fall in love with them with me ❤️

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Chloe spins such beautiful worlds with her words and brings out so many emotions. They are loving, have representation, and bring out all the laughs and tears! My words cannot do Oliver and Gavin justice…two men who find love and healing together in the most beautiful of ways!
The Bergman family is one of my favorites, and the immense love I have for them is unmatched! I love each book more than the last, and I love each book something fierce.
All the stars and all the love for the latest installment in the Bergman Brothers series

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Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I really enjoyed reading about Oliver and Gavin and their romance. I'm Swedish so I love all the small parts about my country 😍

As a romance it was sweet and the characters had human faults, which makes it so much more believable. I have read all the other books in the series and will continue to read the next one.

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This book was pretty slow but that's the only issue I have with it. Otherwise it's nearly perfect. It's one of the best grumpy-sunshine stories I've ever read. I especially appreciate that trope with a MM couple.

Gavin and Oliver both have great story arcs, separately and as a couple. While there are funny moments and hot sex, there's also heaviness. Gavin lives with chronic pain and Oliver suffers from anxiety. Each has to learn that they're worthy of love, and that's my favorite part of romance novels.

It was so great to see the Bergman family again and visit the A-frame cabin. The way this family supports each other is really special.

I highly recommend this series for romance readers but you need to start with book one.

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Chloe Liese is the queen of slow-burn angsty pining romances and Everything For You is no exception. I loved how the two main characters were both professional athletes and this romance took place on/around the soccer/football pitch. Everything for You is a grump-sunshine romance (because, once again, Chloe owns that trope) that will have you cracking up while you read. I devoured this book in one afternoon and I am still suffering from the book hangover. If you haven’t read Liese’s previous books I recommend starting from the beginning (only because they are just so good) but you can read this as a standalone if you want. Everything For You is an emotional roller coaster of a book, I’m not going to lie-- I shed a few tears and I am a notoriously dry-eyed reader-- but it is done in the best way possible. I could go on and on about how great this book is, but the real message is this: you should pre-order it. With a Ted Lasso-inspired hero and shenanigans from past Bergman couples abounding I know all readers will enjoy this book. Be sure to check out the trigger warnings listed on the first page before starting. A HUGE thank you to Chloe Liese and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my review.

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I am speechless, this was so good. I laughed, I cried, I yelled. Marketed with Ted Lasso/Roy Kent vibes it did NOT disappoint. Oliver was the sweetest human alive and I want to protect him from anything bad in this world. Gavin was - omg - just great. I loved the dual POV so much, it is so much fun to get into both characters heads. There was also plenty of Bergman family throughout the book, which was amazing. Some other things I loved include the pranks, the Broadway musical mentions, and all the Swedish foods mentioned.

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Thank you NetGalley and the author for a copy of this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I keep saying how much I love this series, but I wasn't expecting this book to knock me off my feet. By far the best Bergman Brothers book, and that's a feat because I've been rating these books high since I started reading them.

What I loved most about Everything for You was the character strength that progresses throughout this novel. Gavin, especially, held me captivated from start to finish. As someone who also suffers from chronic pain, I could completely understand his determination to continue his career as a professional athlete and push his body beyond capacity every day just to keep hold of what he'd treasured for most of his life. Gavin doesn't have the easiest backstory, and that makes his distaste for Oliver even greater - not only is he younger, free from physical pain, and excellent at soccer - but Oliver is sunshine personified in his eyes. I loved watching as the strong stance Gavin set up against Oliver started to falter the more he spent time with him. And whilst a lot of what Gavin experiences during this novel is of losing control of what he's been holding onto for the past two years, the more it happens, the stronger he becomes as a person. I loved him so much, he's one of my favourites in this world now. Oliver was also fantastically presented in this novel. From his need to present himself as brighter and happier than he really is to cover up crippling panic attacks and anxiety, he's persistent with badgering Gavin, unwilling to settle for the cheap seats that the older man picked out for him. I loved the prank war he started and how the man-cub we've come to know and love over this series was still represented. His playful side is endearing, especially knowing how sensitive and self-critical he can be. Whilst I adored Gavin's POV more, Oliver was just as captivating, and watching him work through his past relationship trauma and let himself be vulnerable around Gavin was done so well that I'm still in awe thinking about it days after reading this novel.

The romance, as expected by Chloe Liese, was executed beautifully. I haven't read many queer romances, but the ones I have read haven't portrayed two men in love with the ease that this book did. It was spicy in all the right ways, and their love was felt just as naturally as it has been with all the other relationships in this series. I love that the author didn't go out of her way to make a big deal about it or skip over some aspects of the romance. It was simply love shown in these pages between two people and was tastefully done. It is a slow burn, but the tension is absolutely second to none and worth the wait to really get into their intimacy. There were also a couple of moments along the way that had me giggling as they tried to deny their attraction, and the use of the "one-bed" trope in one scene was hilariously spectacular.

Now the wait for 2023 begins for the final two books in the series - I cannot wait to read who's next.

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Everything for you is a well written, funny, cute, steamy romance with alot of substance. It’s funny, its angsty, it’s what i want in a romance book and to say that i enjoyed it would be an understatement. I devoured this in more or less 8 hours. I’d recommend this for fans of Bridgerton, The Charm Offensive, Helen Hoang books, and Overall people who’d want to read books that not only engages you with the story but also educates you on different topics you may not know much about.

longer reviews on my socials:
goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4652637106
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CcFe0pVL0y0/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

may post more content on my other socials like tiktok (@matthewreads) and instagram before the book releasw/ on the day of release.

thank you

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Just like the other books in the series is it a fun sports romance with great characters. The grumpy and sunshine dynamic is great and I loved how the characters used this to purposefully annoy each other.

I do think I prefer to consume this series as audiobooks. That’s how I experienced the other books in the series and I preferred that experience.

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Honestly, what a delightful book. Chloe Liese has such a talent for writing romance, and I will definitely be picking up the rest of her books following this one. The tension was incredible and the resolution was even better, not to mention the genuine conversations that happened throughout. This book doesn’t portray perfect people or relationships, but ones that feel both so realistic (while also being delightful and a little tropey) and healthy that you can’t help but root for them. Furthermore, there’s a great number of non-romantic relationships throughout and their significance in both Gavin and Oliver’s lives is not understated. And if not that sells you on this book, I’ll just say multiple times I had to stop reading to scream a little because I was enjoying it so much.

First and foremost, the romance. I’m not quite sure if there’s a trope it completely fits, but rather a number it pulls from. The most prominent is sunshine x grump (which Liese does absolutely wonderfully), but there’s also some rivals to lovers, only one bed, forced proximity, let’s do this one time to get it out of our system oh no we’re in love, and so on. I don’t think it’s necessary for a romance to be tropey to work, but this book breathes life into those bits and pieces of tropes and like I said, made me scream a little with happiness. Genuinely there is such a delightful mix of extreme sexual tension basically from the get go with a slow but meaningful character arc for both Gavin and Oliver. I was a bit worried with how they characterized each other from their own perspectives at first, but as both learn more about the other and see their nuance, the more depth we as readers see, making the classic HEA all the more sweet.

Also, while I am still very upset to learn I won’t be seeing more of them until 2023, this book does a great job of having a little “their lives after” added in, even if it doesn’t go that far into the future. Just a cute little scene of them being happy and growing in their relationship, what more can you ask for?

But really, I think the joy of Liese’s books are the characters, how they continue through the stories but how real they feel, even if we are in the fantasyland of romance books. There is so much representation of neurodivergent and disabled characters of all kinds, getting to be the ones who are loved and desired and never being pushed away for those facts. We see Gavin and Oliver both grow immensely but I think something that’s important is they never have to learn to be kind about mental illnesses or chronic pain, really. We see both of them learn to accept and give love in a new way after being hurt in their own ways, but there’s never that moment where disability is being used by the other to push. It’s hard to describe their overall journeys, but it is one of love and acceptance, primarily for yourself, and one that is just so damn fun to read about.

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Chloe REALLY outdid herself. I have been waiting for Bergman #5 and I couldn't have asked for a better one. Oliver and Gavin told the most perfect grumpy meets sunshine, age gap with a hint of Ted Lasso storyline. If you've been reading all the Bergmans then you really, really won't be disapointed. You're able to see a little hint of what the other Bergmans have been through since their books and we still have TWO MORE!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC for an honest review. I can't wait to scream about this book to everyone I know.

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