By: Cait Marie
BLURB
Meet the Bergmans in this enemies-to-lovers new adult romance that tackles the vulnerability of love with humor and heart.
From the moment Willa sat next to Ryder in class, she’s made it clear she hates his guts. Her reason is a mystery, but its outcome suits him fine. Willa Sutter is the feisty, tempting chaos he doesn’t need in his quiet, tidy life. She’s the next generation of women’s soccer. Wild hair. Bee-stung lips. And a temper that makes the devil seem friendly. He’ll leverage her hate as long as possible to keep his distance.
When Willa asked Ryder to borrow his lecture notes, the silent, surly, mountain man ignored her. Ryder Bergman is an arrogant, infuriating flannel-wearing enigma. Mangy beard. Frayed ball cap that hides his eyes. And a stubborn refusal to acknowledge her existence. But Willa’s never backed down from a challenge.
Forced to work together on their final project, Willa and Ryder begin a game of pranks and practical jokes, each determined to come out the champion. But once they catch unexpected feelings, victory begins to mean something else—winning each other’s hearts.
REVIEW
When I tell you I’m low key obsessed with this series right now…
So, this is the first book, but I actually ready it second. I got a free audio copy of the sixth book and loved it so much I decided to start the series from the beginning. As I’m typing this, I’ve already listened to the first five now and am re-listening to the sixth because my brain said, “No skipping!” But that’s fine because I’m loving it just as much the second time.
However, I’m going to review them in order to avoid confusion.
This series is about the Bergman siblings–there are seven total. The family is super close, so there’s some overlap in the stories, but they can still be read as standalones. I adore this family and their relationships. It’s so fun, with all the pranking shenanigans and heartwarming moments. I’m a sucker for strong family bonds in books, and this series has not disappointed.
My other favorite thing about this series, apart from the amazing romance, is the mental and physical health rep. As someone with a physical disability, who also deals with anxiety and depression, these books have meant the world to me. It’s so rare to read romances that accurately depict these topics without it being the focus of the story. Liese honestly does an incredible job at showing how these things are just another part of life, and that we’re all dealing with something.
The first book, Only When It’s Us, features college students Ryder and Willa. Ryder is quiet, serious, and studious. At least, that’s how he first appears. Willa, on the other hand is feisty and a little wild. They’re opposites in most ways, and their banter is fantastic. Even more so when they’re forced to work together on a project for class.
Early on, Willa thinks he is always ignoring her and just rude. Then, she discovers he is deaf and feels guilty for all of about two seconds before finding alternative ways to speak to him… aka tell him off. I really appreciated that the author showed Willa just accepting that he’s deaf without making it a big deal.
As they work together, pranks ensue, and things continue to escalate. At the same time, however, the tension between them is also growing. Their relationship just felt so natural and real. Watching them slowly become friends and realize they care for each other was the best. Together, they manage to bring out both the best and worst of each other.
It has a few spicy scenes, but the book overall isn’t focused on that. It shows the development and the emotions and the growth to reach that point.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would absolutely reread it in the future. All of it was done really well. I highly recommend it. It was engaging and difficult to stop. The ONLY reason it took me a week and a half to read it was because I was drained from frantically finishing my fantasy book at the time. I was barely able to read outside of that.
Functionally Fictional 
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