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A review by chronicallybookish
Only When It's Us by Chloe Liese
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My review of the trad published edition circa Dec 2023
This is actually my second time reading Only When It’s Us—the first time was about two years ago. I really enjoyed it then, but I <i>loved</i> it this time around.
Willa is so spunky and fun to read about. Ryder is stoic and swoony. The chemistry between the two of them is sizzling and their banter had me kicking my feet.
I had forgotten how deeply this book dives into grief and the experiences of losing a parent. Chloe Liese’s books always have emotional depth, but this one is on a different level. The exploration and discussions of grief were beautiful, and I cried my way through several chapters. Liese is such a skilled writer who seamlessly captures and portrays emotions in a way that is impossible for you to remain unaffected by them.
Only When It’s Us, like every book Chloe Liese writes, has simply fantastic disability representation. Ryder has relatively recently become deaf, and throughout the book we see him begin to process and come to terms with that. Though not in the same way, I think his storyline is a bit of a parallel exploration of grief as well. Willa is grieving the thought of a future without her mother and Ryder is grieving the thought of a future without full hearing. They are different, of course, but there are parallels there.
As I am not deaf, I can’t comment of the accuracy of those aspects of representation. However I am disabled, and I found a lot of truth in the representation of dealing with a sudden disability. The specifics of Ryder’s experiences may differ from mine, but there are many aspects of the disabled experience that are more universally true, and Liese captures those flawlessly.
It was also interesting to reread this book, her debut, and compare it to Better Hate Than Never, her most recent release. As incredible as this book is, I was aware of the aspects of prose and character in which Chloe Liese has improved in the 3 years and 8 books since this one was first written. It leaves me excited to read what more she comes out with in the future and how she improves from here.
My Review of the self-published edition circa Jan 2022
Quick Stats
Age Rating: 18+
Over All: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Disability Rep: 5/5
My first Chloe Liese book! I learned about The Bergman Brothers series last year—and about their incredible disability rep—and have really been interested in reading them since. But they’re adult romances, which I don’t tend to read, and they’re self published which means they aren’t available at my library, so I kept putting it off.
But a few weeks ago I figured I’d check one more time, and lo and behold: My library had ebooks! I now have holds on every book in the series and am excited to get into them.
Yes, they do have some spice. I’d say maybe 2.5 stars? Too much for what I enjoy, but within the amount that I’m willing to skim over when there’s disability rep. I never factor spice into my ratings when reading adult books, so even if I don’t enjoy that aspect, I rate books based on how I enjoyed the other aspects of plot, character, and writing.
I really enjoyed the book. The banter and chemistry between Ryden and Willa was top notch from the start. I’m thinking “frenemies-to-lovers” may be one of my new favorite tropes. Both characters were so real, I felt as if they could climb right of the page. I cried when they cried and laughed when they laughed. Sure, they infuriated me at times with their willful blindness to each other’s real feelings in the first half (and Willa’s bullheaded refusal to acknowledge her own feelings). But while it drove me crazy, it was written in a way that felt natural and real.
I also really appreciated that this is a “revised edition”. In the front of a book there was an authors note saying the book had been updated and revised in 2021 with the help of someone who had lived Ryden’s disability. Chloe Liese acknowledged that in her first printing, there were aspects that were innacurate to the representation of Deaf people who lost their hearing later in life, and did what she could to correct that. Is it the bare minimum? It should be. But so many authors would never take the steps to fix what they wrote, so I appreciate it all the same.
This is actually my second time reading Only When It’s Us—the first time was about two years ago. I really enjoyed it then, but I <i>loved</i> it this time around.
Willa is so spunky and fun to read about. Ryder is stoic and swoony. The chemistry between the two of them is sizzling and their banter had me kicking my feet.
I had forgotten how deeply this book dives into grief and the experiences of losing a parent. Chloe Liese’s books always have emotional depth, but this one is on a different level. The exploration and discussions of grief were beautiful, and I cried my way through several chapters. Liese is such a skilled writer who seamlessly captures and portrays emotions in a way that is impossible for you to remain unaffected by them.
Only When It’s Us, like every book Chloe Liese writes, has simply fantastic disability representation. Ryder has relatively recently become deaf, and throughout the book we see him begin to process and come to terms with that. Though not in the same way, I think his storyline is a bit of a parallel exploration of grief as well. Willa is grieving the thought of a future without her mother and Ryder is grieving the thought of a future without full hearing. They are different, of course, but there are parallels there.
As I am not deaf, I can’t comment of the accuracy of those aspects of representation. However I am disabled, and I found a lot of truth in the representation of dealing with a sudden disability. The specifics of Ryder’s experiences may differ from mine, but there are many aspects of the disabled experience that are more universally true, and Liese captures those flawlessly.
It was also interesting to reread this book, her debut, and compare it to Better Hate Than Never, her most recent release. As incredible as this book is, I was aware of the aspects of prose and character in which Chloe Liese has improved in the 3 years and 8 books since this one was first written. It leaves me excited to read what more she comes out with in the future and how she improves from here.
My Review of the self-published edition circa Jan 2022
Quick Stats
Age Rating: 18+
Over All: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Disability Rep: 5/5
My first Chloe Liese book! I learned about The Bergman Brothers series last year—and about their incredible disability rep—and have really been interested in reading them since. But they’re adult romances, which I don’t tend to read, and they’re self published which means they aren’t available at my library, so I kept putting it off.
But a few weeks ago I figured I’d check one more time, and lo and behold: My library had ebooks! I now have holds on every book in the series and am excited to get into them.
Yes, they do have some spice. I’d say maybe 2.5 stars? Too much for what I enjoy, but within the amount that I’m willing to skim over when there’s disability rep. I never factor spice into my ratings when reading adult books, so even if I don’t enjoy that aspect, I rate books based on how I enjoyed the other aspects of plot, character, and writing.
I really enjoyed the book. The banter and chemistry between Ryden and Willa was top notch from the start. I’m thinking “frenemies-to-lovers” may be one of my new favorite tropes. Both characters were so real, I felt as if they could climb right of the page. I cried when they cried and laughed when they laughed. Sure, they infuriated me at times with their willful blindness to each other’s real feelings in the first half (and Willa’s bullheaded refusal to acknowledge her own feelings). But while it drove me crazy, it was written in a way that felt natural and real.
I also really appreciated that this is a “revised edition”. In the front of a book there was an authors note saying the book had been updated and revised in 2021 with the help of someone who had lived Ryden’s disability. Chloe Liese acknowledged that in her first printing, there were aspects that were innacurate to the representation of Deaf people who lost their hearing later in life, and did what she could to correct that. Is it the bare minimum? It should be. But so many authors would never take the steps to fix what they wrote, so I appreciate it all the same.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism