A review by jillkaarlela
If Only You by Chloe Liese

emotional funny hopeful 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

4.75

Taylor Swift songs: “delicate” (from Seb’s pov), “everything has changed (tv)”

Age rating: 17+ (2 long spice scenes, 1.5/5🌶️)

This is one of the only type of brother’s best friend that I like! Where the brother is not trying to restrict them from dating since he knows his friend is toxic/bad person, the brothers actually love and support them!! 

I also loved the fake friendship aspect, as she wants to stop being seen as a “goody two shoes”, and he wants to better his reputation. This is also the only type of “rake/wallflower” I support, because he literally gives up every single bad habit in the hopes of being worthy for her. Instead of her trying to “fix him”, he does it himself and really puts in the work! I like that since it’s dual pov, we get to see the motivations and mentality of this “self-proclaimed asshole” and what makes him the way he is! There’s also some very amazing found-family in this!! 

I love both of these characters so much, and seeing them fall for each other was so heartwarming!! I didn’t think I liked friends-to-lovers, but this has me changing my mind!! Keep in mind, it is a relatively slow-burn!

I also loved the queer rep, because he is pansexual and she is bisexual! We love to see it!! And there’s really good neurodivergent and chronic illness rep! She has autism and he has celiac disease! Chloe Liese just does such good queer, chronic illness, and neurodivergent representation. It also has a lot of conversations about how people with autism (especially youngest siblings) can still feel infantilized when they are older, or babied, and they have to work to be taken seriously, even in their own well-meaning and loving families, but especially in public. I love Ziggy’s journey in breaking that perception of her, and standing up for herself, and being brave. 

It’s also a sports romance (he plays hockey, she plays soccer). 

I’m so sad there is only one more book in the series, Viggo’s love story! I wish that after that one, Chloe Liese would do books on all of their kids!! I just love the Bergman family so much I don’t want it to end!! I also am now finished with all of Chloe Liese’s backlist and I am now patiently waiting for her next books. I really all 7 books in a little over a month, which is saying something for me!! 
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