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chronicallybookish 's review for:
Only When It's Us
by Chloe Liese
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.
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.