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A review by chronicallybookish
With You Forever by Chloe Liese
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I simply could not wait to get to this book. It’s teased throughout the first three books in the series, and you just <i>know</i> it’s going to be a good one—and it was! Axel and Rooney have chemistry off the charts, but it’s perfectly balanced with their emotional connection. Even as Axel builds his walls from the start, Rooney sneaks in through the cracks. I loved them together, and was kicking my feet pretty much every time they interacted.
I also just loved them, individually.
Axel is the grump of my heart. I’m such a sucker for the grumpy stoic man who is actually a marshmallow behind is quiet exterior. His interactions with Harry the dog had me so completely in love with him. I also loved his discussions of autism and the way that it was represented. There was a lot that I related heavily to, and it was such an honest, nuanced representation. Not that I’d expect any less from Chloe Liese.
The representation of Rooney’s ulcerative colitis was similarly wonderful. I loved the way that the representation was frank when dealing with the realities of IBD, though a lot of the specifics of Rooney’s symptoms happened off-page. Instead of explicitly showing the symptoms as they occur, the book dives into the consequences of these symptoms on Rooney’s life, body, and sense of self.
Though this book has a smaller cast of side characters than most, those who are there are wonderful. I am so in love with Skylar, and I also really loved her dads and the interactions they had with Axel. The love between those three and Axel was blatant, and I loved how they called him out on his shit. I was also obsessed with the Viggo and Oliver cameo. Those two are the best, and seeing Axel be there for Oliver when he was struggling tugged at my heartstrings and got me excited to read his book next!
I loved the setting and getting to spend more time at the A-Frame. As a Washingtonian myself, I’m a sucker for the pacific northwest scenery. The vibes were perfect.
There is no such thing as a bad Bergman Brother’s book, in my opinion and With You Forever is proof of that.
I also just loved them, individually.
Axel is the grump of my heart. I’m such a sucker for the grumpy stoic man who is actually a marshmallow behind is quiet exterior. His interactions with Harry the dog had me so completely in love with him. I also loved his discussions of autism and the way that it was represented. There was a lot that I related heavily to, and it was such an honest, nuanced representation. Not that I’d expect any less from Chloe Liese.
The representation of Rooney’s ulcerative colitis was similarly wonderful. I loved the way that the representation was frank when dealing with the realities of IBD, though a lot of the specifics of Rooney’s symptoms happened off-page. Instead of explicitly showing the symptoms as they occur, the book dives into the consequences of these symptoms on Rooney’s life, body, and sense of self.
Though this book has a smaller cast of side characters than most, those who are there are wonderful. I am so in love with Skylar, and I also really loved her dads and the interactions they had with Axel. The love between those three and Axel was blatant, and I loved how they called him out on his shit. I was also obsessed with the Viggo and Oliver cameo. Those two are the best, and seeing Axel be there for Oliver when he was struggling tugged at my heartstrings and got me excited to read his book next!
I loved the setting and getting to spend more time at the A-Frame. As a Washingtonian myself, I’m a sucker for the pacific northwest scenery. The vibes were perfect.
There is no such thing as a bad Bergman Brother’s book, in my opinion and With You Forever is proof of that.