If Only You: Bergman Brothers Series, Book 6

Why are “bad boys” that way, and why would everyone give up on them?Why do we treat family members like the kids they were, and not who they are now?If you live fake dating books, this fake friendship for public image love story will grab you by the collar.Thoughtful, gentle romance with slow-burn tingle.

Solid but not sensational, Liese has set the bar so high for herself that I can't help but feel like there were some missed opportunities in this fake friendship romance, even if a lot of it is very good. There have been a couple of STELLAR books in this series, so I eagerly await each one - and I was particularly excited about this installment. I love a good girl/bad boy pairing, and one of my favorite tropes is fake relationship, so this had all the ingredients of a great read. We've gotten to know Ziggy throughout the course of the series, and I thought Sebastian made her perfect partner. He's in need of some love in his life, and he's just the kind of guy who can shake things up in Ziggy's world. Their first interactions had me SO invested in the story, but the execution ended up being pretty sedate. It felt like so much time was spent on internal thoughts and feelings, handling everything in a mature and responsible way, that the romance suffered. We barely scratched the surface on some of the romantic elements I was most looking forward to, and that left me a little disappointed. But there's a lot of good stuff going on in the story, and I never mind being back with the Bergmans.The story follows Ziggy, a 22-year-old soccer star who is tired of being treated like a child. She's the baby of the family and someone with a good girl reputation, and she's ready to make it clear that she's an adult now. So when Ziggy sees her brother's teammate, Sebastian, struggling to shed his bad boy persona, she has an idea. Spending time with Sebastian and developing a fake friendship with him will allow others to see both of them in a different light, and hopefully that will be just what they both need to stand on their own two feet. But Ziggy soon discovers that there's more to Sebastian than meets the eye, and hanging out with him is not a hardship. Sure, he's a little bit of a mess, but he is certainly not the lost cause that he seems to think he is. Forming a fake friendship with Ziggy sparks something inside of Sebastian, and it's not long before he's daydreaming of a very different sort of relationship with her.I'll be honest and say that I think the series has become uneven, with the earlier books being the stronger ones. Liese has become such a rising star that I can only imagine how much she's got on her plate, so it's really no surprise that this is missing the spark of those early books. And that's the major thing that stands out to me with this - it was really easy to put down. I enjoyed my time with Ziggy and Sebastian as I was immersed in their world, but this isn't the kind of book that's going to stay with me. I wanted more moments with them together, talking and building that chemistry. I wanted more time with them faking the friendship. It's very much a near-strangers to friends to lovers, SUPER slow burn romance. I love a good slow burn, but the time jumps in this extinguished a lot of the tension and did some of the heavy lifting for the relationship development. Show me the development, don't tell me about it. So I definitely have some mixed feelings about the book as a whole, but I was emotionally invested enough that things bothered me - and that's usually a sign that something is working. This sits somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me, but there are a lot of 5-star moments buried within the pages.Audio note: The audio is pretty good! I've been seeing a lot more of CJ Bloom recently, and she does a great job. Her voice has really grown on me over the last several books I've listened to, and her crisp performance is skilled and relaxing. Nelson Hobbs' voice has also grown on me, but he's still not a favorite of mine. Something about his voice comes across as being snobby and kind of aristocratic, which wasn't a good fit for Sebastian's character. The majority of the chapters are from Ziggy's POV though, so it wasn't a big problem - and it's also definitely personal preference. He does perform well. The super slow burn lended itself perfectly to the audio format, and you could certainly listen to this at the office. There's very little heat, and the emotional/somber tone makes it easy to get drawn in. The runtime (around 11 hours) is more than I can fit into a workday, but doable in a single day. So I do recommend the audio as a whole.

Ziggy Bergman has always been underestimated and she’s decided now is the time to do something about that. Not only is she the baby of the family, she’s also one of the youngest players on her national soccer team. That’s where Sebastian comes in- her brother’s teammate with a reputation in desperate need of rehab. They’ll be fake friends and help each other out. Of course, with a Bergman involved things are never that simple.Honestly, it feels like this book was written for me!! It is my favorite Bergman book to date. Ziggy is such a fantastic character; I already can’t wait to reread her story. Ziggy is neurodivergent, determined to be brave, and can’t seem to stay away from Sebastian. Seb has a lot of work he needs to do before he can be anything more than a friend and I love that Chloe Liese showed him working through some of his trauma. I loved the chemistry in their relationship and how it grew out of a “fake” friendship.I am thrilled to see celiac in a romance novel!! This is a huge first for me- I almost never see celiac in fiction, much less represented well. This representation makes me so happy!! I also hope that it helps raise awareness about celiac disease and normalizes a gluten-free diet.The celiac representation is so well-done and thoughtful. Now I just want to live in this book so that I can also have the Bergman family making delicious and safe gluten-free food for me! Chloe Liese captures the difficult parts of celiac disease, from stomach pain to social anxiety. It is so accurate that dining out becomes a new experience and something that you need to plan for and not simply show up at. Sebastian is so lucky to have Ziggy to help him navigate those initial scary days after his diagnosis. His experience felt very realistic and relatable to what it’s like being diagnosed and then coming to terms with the diagnosis. I appreciated that there was a lot of joy and healing alongside the illness and pain.Unsurprisingly, Chloe Liese nails the LGBTQ+ representation and creates an inclusive and realistic experience. I love how Ziggy was so confident in her identity and always knew exactly who she was. Ziggy’s sexuality is never defined by who she is in a relationship with, which is so important. Ziggy is bi and Seb is pan, which they are both open and confident about. Their slow-burn romance is filled with longing to be more and it is so satisfying when it finally unravels!I read this book in about a day because I could NOT put this book down. It was way too delightful and compelling to stop once I got started! I loved the cameos from the other family members! It was great to see how Ziggy’s relationships with her brothers/sister grew and changed as she asserted her independence. The Bergman family just feels like the biggest hug and you wish you could hang out with them!I would highly recommend this book to anyone!! Readers who previously enjoyed the Bergman series will absolutely need this newest installment. Fans of Talia Hibbert and Ali Hazelwood will love this book. I can’t wait to see how the adventure continues with Viggo!

The book tells the story of Ziggy Bergman—an amazing woman, who’s gorgeous, a professional soccer player, intelligent, autistic, and the youngest of seven siblings—and Sebastian Gauthier—a professional hockey player, known for being trouble and for his bad behavior, but who actually has so much more inside of him, and who happens to be Ziggy’s older brother Ren’s best friend.They've known each other for a while but they've never actually talked/interacted until a very weird moment during Ren and Frankie's wedding. And after that, they don't talk again until Ziggy realizes that they're what each other needs, and that a fake but public friendship between them might solve their problems.Their friendship may have started as a fake one, but it quickly changed into something real and into something more. The transition of their feelings from needing each other in the sense of them both wanting to take some advantage, to needing each other for more and for keeps was actually so smoothly developed and very sweet, honestly. Their chemistry is unreal and it was so easy to fall for them—both individually and as a couple. They're adorable together, but also interesting, great and very well developed as individuals.Chloe Liese is a genius. She always knows how to write stories and characters that I’ll certainly fall for. I'm just sad the story felt kinda “rushed”. Idk, I wish it was longer so we would’ve had more chances to see how their relationship developed and to enjoy more of them.

The Bergman Brothers series is one of my favourites because I love the characters so darn much. Chloe Liese writes characters that just are. They aren't perfect, they have problems, just like we all do, and they carry their different pains with them. In this book we are following Ziggy, the youngest daughter in the Bergman family. Ziggy is sick of being underestimated by both her family and the two soccer teams she plays for. Enter Sebastian Gauthier. He needs a reputation rehab and hanging out with his best friends sister, the good girl, will surely help. They aren't fake dating, they are fake friends. His tarnish will give Ziggy a bit of edge and her shine will give him a bit of a positive reputation. The only problem is when real feelings start to happen in this (fake) friendship.I loved Ziggy and Seb's relationship throughout this whole book. The evolution from fake friends, to real friends, to more was so honest. Chloe Liese, not only writes authentic characters, she is so inclusive in writing mental health, neurodiversity and sexuality with care. The characters are gentle and loving and so deserving of the love they receive. I love how both characters are so accepting of the other's differences and not only that, they are so respectful, trying to make things better for the other.The chemistry between Ziggy and Seb in this book was top notch, but it was seriously the slowest burn ever! I loved so much about them, but mostly what I loved is how well they got to know each other, just spending time together and doing things with each other. I loved the vulnerability they both had and how they worked on themselves before they became a couple.If you love awesome family dynamics, brother's best friend, fake friends to lovers, awesome A-frame cottages, general Bergman shenanigans, with some great laughs, this is the book for you! Chloe Liese continues to be an auto-buy author for me!

I've been (im)patiently waiting for Ziggy's book since I started this series and let me tell you: I absolutely loved it! The tropes are just *chef's kiss*Soccer player x Hockey player? LoveGood girl x Bad boy? LoveFake friends to lovers? LoveBrother's best friend? LoveSlow burn? LoveBut Ziggy and Sebastian are so much more than these tropes! They're flawed and complicated, they mess up a lot (I'm looking at you Seb), but at the end of the day they just want to be seen for who they truly are and not the mask they present to the world. The healthy communication, the empathy, the patience, the amazing journey they went on together was beautiful. I seriously want to cry just thinking about how much they love each other unconditionally.The mutual pining was so good made me scream and want to pull my hair out, which in my book is a success!Also, the RenFrankie crumbs!!!! my babies.

REVIEW⚠️cw: Autism, celiac disease, emotional abuse, self-medicating ⚠️Ziggy (Sigrid) is the youngest Bergman, and still, frustratingly for her, seen as the baby, despite now being twenty-two. She's desperate to shed her good girl, vulnerable and immature image. Sebastian Gauthier is Ren Bergman's best friend and teammate. An unrepentant bad boy, his latest escapade means he's in desperate need of an image overhaul. Stat. A mutually beneficial fake-friends scenario might just help them both. Ziggy has been a bit under the radar for me in recent stories, so I was looking forward to getting to know the adult version better, and I was not disappointed. I really loved the way she grew through the story, and was pleasantly surprised by her sass,  as well as how she handled her brothers. I also LOVED the (kinda) meet cute at the wedding. The chemistry was palpable right from the start. That said, it took a while for the payback, so it was definitely delayed gratification (though the bookshop scene was a great tease) for THAT scene in the penultimate chapter. Sebastian was a really interesting character, and I appreciated that the author took her time with his transformation, rather than have him suddenly completely perfect in a couple of days. I also appreciated the way the undiagnosed autoimmune disease storyline was written, and loved seeing how he began to thrive once he was no longer self-medicating.Both Sebastian and Ziggy were so funny and adorable, especially as their feelings began to grow, and it was lovely to witness the development of Sebastian's emotional openness. I'm also glad Ziggy was able to communicate better than some of her siblings! That said, I loved catching up with the other Bergman's, and it was awesome to see more of the Shakespeare club. I do wish we'd had more time spent at the Halloween/birthday party, because that chapter just seemed to fizzle out. Still, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the overall story. A surprising sweet brother's best friend romance. Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Heat Rating: 🔥🔥Emotional Rating: 💓💔🙈😂😢🙈💔😬💓🥰😉💓🙈💔😍😂🥰👏🏻😂🥰📚😍💓🥰😍😂🙈💓😍🔥🥰*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*

Woven with the utmost gentleness, sensitivity and care - Seb and Ziggy's story is EVERYTHING that you could ever wish for in a book and SO much more. 😭😭✨✨They embody the pure comfort which engulfs you upon coming home. The soft sunshine that wraps it's arms around your soul on a winter morning. And the safety of a cocoon. 🥺💓To say that I love, love, loveeeed their story with all my being would be an understatement. I'm honestly rendered absolutely speechless as I write this review because this beautiful, gift of a story made me feel SO deeply that I don't know how to capture that experience in words. But I'll try. You know those stories which make your heart ache in the best ways possible, which make you feel loved, seen, cherished and understood in a way that nothing or no one else ever has and the ones - whose words hug you right through the screen, holding you close and soothing your soul. The ones that make you feel found and free. Forgiven and at home. Special and worthy of grace. This one is truly one of those! It's genuinely, hand on heart, one of the BEST books I've ever read and will ever read in my whole, entire life. It'll always, always be one of my MOSTTTT favourites. It'll stay with me forever and I'll never not hold it close to my heart. Thank you Ziggy, Seb, Chloe and my most beloved Bergman Family for gifting me another home! Please, please do give their story a try and I promise, you will fall in head over heels in love with it, like you have never before. It's beautiful, soulful, precious, endearing, moving and heart melting beyond words! Every small, little detail of their story has been woven with such deep meaningfulness and thoughtfulness. It'll make you smile endlessly, giggle, swoon, cry, sob out of sheer happiness, feel love flooding every inch of your soul and it'll fill you with the gentle courage to dream. Seb and Ziggy - thank you from the bottom of my heart for making me feel accepted, loved and seen for being who I am! Your journeys spoke to me in ways more than one. It comforted me and held the most vulnerable, imperfect, messy and tender parts of me with the utmost softness. Chloe, you are beyond wonderful! I don't have enough words to appreciate your magic. You don't know what you have and continue to do for me with your words and books and stories. They are truly a dream come true for me. They all seem like such a precious treasure. I honestly feel blessed to be able to read everything that you write! Thank you, thank you, thank youuu SO SO SO SO much for being YOU and for making me feel like I belong with all my goofiness, weirdness, messy humanness, imperfections and sensitivity! 🥺🥺💗💗And oh my goodness, the Bergman Family just continues to be my solace. I have never met a family as precious, wholesome, hilarious, loving and endearing as theirs! They feel like my own and I feel such a strong connection to every single one of them. 😭💓And and and all the Bergman family cameos in this one are PURE GOLD like they always, always are in all the books!!!! The Ren and Frankie bits have to be my absolute favourite. Honestly, all of them have every bit of my heart for eternity. 🥺🌈