Chloe Liese - If Only You

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 . . .
My brother's teammate and best friend Seb needs to save 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. But will it be as easy as I think to keep him in the (fake) friend zone?
Sebastian
My hockey career and sponsorships are in jeopardy, so when Ziggy Bergman proposes a public "friendship" to rehab my image, it's an offer that even a self-respecting reprobate like myself can't refuse.
It's simple: fake a friendship with Ziggy, fix my reputation, and get back to hockey - the one and only thing I love . . . until I find myself falling for the last person I should be: my best friend's sister.

Comment: This is the sixth installment in the Bergman Brothers series by author Chloe Liese. I've been a fan of the series so far and now that we finally got Ziggy's story, thee is only one sibling left!

Ziggy is the youngest sister of the siblings and she knows her family is protective of her, especially since her autistic diagnose. This doesn't stop her from doing the things she loves and she loves playing soccer. However, she understands her personality isn't for everyone and she realizes many still see her as too young so she decides to change things by asking the help of her brother's friend Sebastian, a professional hockey player.

Sebastian's fame isn't great, in fact he is considered a loose cannon and Frankie, his agent, is worried that he might start losing his credibility. Despite this, Seb was surprised when Ziggy offered him the possibility of a kind of redemption by associating with him. With her fake friendship scheme, he gets to be seen with someone people love and she gets to be seen as an adult by others. Of course, in process of knowing who the other really is, they can't help falling in love... 

I liked this one a lot. It's probably a bit higher on my preference than some of the other books I've graded the same, but there is still something which could have made it even better, perhaps a bit more intensity to their moments together or a more decisive way to deal with their issues, so that they could more freely or openly declare they were ready to be with someone in a stable relationship. I feel this happened and was good, but could have been better.

The author is autistic too and she uses her own experiences to shape some of the content used. She also includes a note where she explains she tried her best to present correct information about the several elements related to the conditions the characters have or go through, whether in terms of personality or health wise... part of me is quite happy with this sense of professionalism and respect and while I can't  say if everything is as described, it feels done in a competent way.

On the other hand - and I fully know how unfair this will sound - such well explained information and inclusion of adequate details makes part of the conversations or the settings a bit too perfect and considerate for, sometimes, the type of situation. While I like the correct side of things, it also makes them seem a bit unrealistic at times, as if people in certain moments wouldn't be that proper or that informative in their dialogues. Despite saying this, I got the feeling the author tried to use information in the best way to give the idea the characters were being respectful and understanding of what was going on with others, as a way to show how simple it can be between someone who accepts and respects others.

The plot is quite simple, they both want to help one another, no other motif than their willingness to be in their best behavior, but obviously the biggest gain is for Sebastian who, emotionally, needs confirmation he isn't a lost cause and that there are people who care, unlike the experience he has had with his parents, stepfather and other key figures in his life. For Ziggy, I felt this was more about validating she is a grown up and that she is ready to have personal relationships not only family related. From the moment they become friends, everything seems to fall into place, and even the smallest issues are addressed in a funny or understanding way.

There are times where it feels as if the situations the characters face are too perfectly solved. I kind of wish we could have had a bit more tension or a bit more complexity in how everything is done. For instance, we keto having scenes where Seb would complain about stomach aches. It was obvious he had some kind of medical issue but the way he finds out and how is so anti climatic...I wondered why was there any hint of mystery given to these aches if the way he dealt with it was so practical! Then it wouldn't have to be an issue if it didn't interfere more obviously with his life.

The friendship between Ziggy and Seb is sweet to watch developing and I liked their personalities, I liked how they got to talk and discuss important things with one another and everything but I must say, as a romantic couple, they didn't always appear as suitable. I liked how things were slow, all that but they kept sharing how the other was becoming more attractive and special and I didn't always get the vibe their romance was a demand. There were moments where it felt they could have been only friends and that could be enough, other times the chemistry would be more obvious... nevertheless, in the big scheme of things, I think the romance worked out.

This was a good entry about the Bergman family, especially because there are plenty of scenes with them as secondary characters. I think I can give extra points for the simple pleasure of reading about a loving family doing nice things for one another, even if it's a prank. I'm looking for to read the last book...

Grade: 8/10