Reviews with content warning for Drug use - If Only You

The latest installment in the Bergman Brothers series had some great moments, but ultimately didn’t work as well for me as some of the other books in this series. There were some things I loved (ACOTAR references!! Believable friends-to-lovers!!) and some things that didn’t work as well for me.

The main characters (Seb and Ziggy) spend a lot of time apart and there was a missed opportunity for some epistolary elements (texts, emails, letters even!). I am a total pushover for epistolary and it made me sad to miss out. I feel like we just had pages and pages of them “being apart” while they both worked a lot. I’m a total simp for epistolary, so the missed opportunity to incorporate letters and texts made me especially sad.

I enjoyed Seb’s growth in the story. There were some great moments between him and each of the Bergman Brothers. The thing I missed was detail about how he was “bad.” We heard a lot of how he “let people down” and “broke people’s hearts,” but I wanted more!! Is he a cheater? Did he have a substance abuse problem? Is he a flake? An a**hole? Just misunderstood? As readers, we never find out because I think we’re supposed to focus on Seb getting past all of that - but it’s hard to trust that he does “clean up his act” when we never know what his “act” was. It’s also hard to appreciate his growth when we never see him making amends and/or apologizing to people he has wronged with his actions. The one time that happens, he gets very sketchy about it with Ziggy and won’t tell her details, so we also never get details. I AM NOSY. GIVE ME THE DETAILS PLEASE.

The one thing Chloe never misses is including a great variety of characters with different types of disabilities and neurodivergence. In this book, Ziggy is autistic and Seb is dealing with a chronic illness (mild spoilers, listed below in the content notes!). Additionally, Ziggy is bisexual and Seb is pan, and it’s a very casual, NBD thing when they tell each other that.

I still wish we had more characters of color in this series. The Bergmans are Swedish, so I get it, but they live in Southern California and many of them play pro sports… why is it that they RARELY encounter anyone who isn’t white?

Recommended! All in all, I enjoyed this but it didn’t knock my socks off. If you are a fan of new adult sports romances, you will probably enjoy this a little more than I did, and if you are looking for a soft contemporary with no third-act breakup? This is the book for you! You can read this series out of order but the Bergman family is BIG so it helps provide context if you read them in order.

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madsmcw_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Y'all, if you haven't met the Bergman family yet you're seriously missing out. Book 6 in the series follows the youngest sibling, Ziggy, and Seb in a wonderful fake friends to real friends to lovers romance.

I absolutely loved getting to know more about Ziggy as an adult and learn who she truly was. In the previous books she's just the baby of the family and I enjoyed watching her come into her own and show her family who she is now that she's grown up. And Seb, sweet, tortured, total softie underneath Seb. He had SUCH good character growth throughout the story with shedding his bad boy image, overcoming the adversities of his childhood, and becoming a man truly deserving of Ziggy.

This one is a slow burn but so so worth it!

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lexa's review against another edition

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4.75

I very much love this fictional family. The author can be a bit repetitive with descriptors, but not enough to distract from the swoon.

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fuzzywilson's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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kim03's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Here's what I liked:

The autism and casual bi and pan rep
The dual POV
The fact that Seb got therapy and "improved"
Ziggy. Love her.
Ren and Frankie cameos (love love loved their book, always only you)
Just in general the mental health portrayal
The romantic relationship was so very cute

In spite of this, i found myself bored for most of the book and desperate for it to end. But this could've very likely been because of the mood i was in while reading it.

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apolen's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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annahamburger's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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sdupont's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Chloe Liese can do no wrong! The Bergman Brothers Series is absolute perfection and an all time favorite of mine. This book is no different. I adore Sebastian and Ziggy. I love how self-assured Ziggy is and how supportive she is to everyone around her. Seeing her growth across the books has been great. As for Sebastian omg talk about some quality pining!! This man had it so bad. While he was too hard on himself, I appreciated how much effort he put into himself and to be a better version he felt was deserving of Ziggy. I loved how sweet their friendship was. As always Chloe’s books make you feel all the feels- as if you are wrapped in a blanket and getting the world’s best hug. Everyone needs to run out and grab this book!

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