Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book! I have loved the Bergman's stories so far and Oliver's is no exception! Oliver, like many of his siblings, is a soccer player but he is nearing the end of his college career. At the end of the previous book we got a glimpse into the fact that he was torn up over something in his romantic life and that's where we begin but then shortly skip four years ahead. He has been playing on a pro team for the last three years and for the last two under a captain who did very well in the UK league earlier but now is getting older and has come back to the US. Gavin comes across not only as rude and unapproachable, but that he also dislikes Oliver specifically. To make matters worse, they live next door to each other and their coach has just made Oliver co-captain for the new season. They are forced to work together and help each other, which of course means they'll get to know one another more. As someone with chronic pain and some experience with anxiety, I thought both topics were really well handled in this book. I am so excited for others to read this one and to read the next two siblings' books in the future!

Reread: This one is great too! Queer rep, anxiety and chronic pain rep, and enemies to lovers! Technically an age gap too. Each book has included sports to some degree since the entire Bergman clan loves soccer and such, and Ren and Frankie spent time together as she was his hockey team's social media person, but this one goes deeper into the soccer world and revolves around two teammates, one in the beginning of his career and the other nearing the end. Tension!

Reread 2025: I think this one is underrated in my head until I read it again and am reminded how much I enjoy it, and appreciate the characters and their journey. Oliver is early in his soccer career, his teammate and former teenage crush Gavin is nearing the end of his, riddled with chronic pain from how long he's pushed his body as a pro athlete. They don't get along, Ollie is sunshine (often genuine but also a coping mechanism for the anxiety under the surface) and Gav is grumpy, and they clash when assigned co-captaincy so they have to figure it out. They also happen to be neighbors. It felt like a gradual inevitability, their time together leading to feelings. The last time I read this was over two years ago when I was still attempting to work, and having to stay home more than not, not realizing in two months if start the temporary leave that eventually turned permanent. I related to Gavin's chronic pain journey to some degree before but now on a deeper level, not because I have the same level of persistent pain be does, but the experience of questioning your worth if you can't be productive and stay in the career you know you're good at and want to be in. As usual, these books get me right in the heartstrings, and I'm looking forward to reading the next two as they're the ones I've read the least since they're more recent releases. Also, this reminded me I really need to watch Ted Lasso... Maybe I'll get on that soon.