If Only You by Chloe Liese
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“If Only You” is an absolutely stunning romance that will leave you breathless. From the moment I picked up this book, I was completely engrossed in the story of Seb and Ziggy. Chloe Liese’s writing is so beautiful and descriptive that I felt like I was right there with the characters, experiencing everything they were going through.
This is an extremely slow burn romance with mutual pining that is chef’s kiss especially from the perspective of previous bad boy Sebastian Gauthier. He falls hard and becomes so soft for Ziggy, it’s a beautiful thing.
Ziggy is sick of being treated like less than the adult she has become by both her family and her employer. Seb’s reputation could use a lot of work. Ziggy proposes that they start a mutually beneficial fake friendship. Add in to the mix, Seb is Ziggy’s older brother’s best friend.
Seb and Ziggy are two incredibly complex and fascinating characters, and I loved watching their relationship develop throughout the book. The chemistry between them is off the charts, and I found myself rooting for them from the very beginning. But what really sets this book apart is the way Liese tackles important issues like autism and Celiac Disease. She handles these topics with sensitivity and compassion, and I was blown away by the depth and complexity of her characters.
Overall, “If Only You” is a beautifully written and emotionally powerful romance that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a book that will sweep them off their feet. Chloe Liese is a truly talented author, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next. Five stars all the way!
“If Only You is a brother’s best friend, (fake) friends with benefits to friends to lovers romance about a bighearted, quietly fierce soccer star on the autism spectrum, and a thoroughly unprincipled, almost irredeemable hockey player who has celiac disease. Complete with an absurd level of mutual pining, meddling family and friends, and a spicy slow burn, this standalone is the sixth in a series of novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.”
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Publication Date: April 11, 2023
Synopsis
Brace yourself for longing, laughter, and a swoony slow-burn in this brother’s best friend sports romance about scoring the love of your life when you least expect to.
Ziggy
I’m the youngest player on the National Soccer team, the baby of my family, and thoroughly sick of being underestimated, so I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. Which is where my brother’s best friend and teammate, the infamous Sebastian Marchand, comes in.
Seb needs to rehab his reputation. I want to give mine an edge. So I propose a fake friendship with real benefits: spending time in the public eye, my good-girl image and his bad-boy notoriety rubbing off on each other. He’s my devious, dark-haired fantasy come to life, but his destructive ways make it easy to keep him in the (fake) friend zone. Or so I thought, until I start to see the heart of gold he’s been hiding beneath that sinister surface…
Sebastian
Like any self-respecting reprobate, I’ve been spiraling downward, and finally I’ve hit rock bottom. My hockey career and sponsorships are in jeopardy, and while I’m not ready to actually reform my ways, I’m happy to pretend that I have, to secure the life I’m on the brink of losing.
So when my best friend’s sister, Ziggy Bergman, proposes a public “friendship” to revamp our reputations, it’s an offer I can’t refuse. Up till now, I’ve stayed away from Ren’s sweet, shy little sister to avoid any risk of ruining my one good friendship. But I reassure myself there’s no risk in our scheme. I’ll fake a friendship with Ziggy, fix my reputation, and get back to hockey, the one and only thing I love. At least, it was, until what began as a transactional arrangement became the most loving relationship I’ve ever known.
To read another review of a Bergman Siblings romance, click here.
