Life’s too short to be a jerk, especially when the media always has an eye trained on you, and the repercussions of a few harmless Bergman pranks could blow up in my face, so I’ve opted to kill him with kindness instead.

Everything for You (From ARC, quotes may have changed in publication copy)

Thank you, NetGalley and Chloe Liese, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gavin

We’ve been teammates for two years, but it feels like a lifetime that Oliver Bergman’s been on my last nerve. A demanding captain and veteran player, I’m feared and friendless, while he’s the beloved rising star, all sunshine smiles and upbeat team spirit. To make matters worse, he’s obscenely attractive. In short: he’s genetically designed to get under my skin.

Avoiding Oliver has been my survival tactic on and off the field. But when Coach drops the bomb that we’re now co-captains, avoiding him becomes impossible, and keeping the truth from him–let alone my distance–is harder than ever.

Oliver

Life was great until soccer legend Gavin Hayes joined the team and proved he’s nothing like the guy I grew up idolizing. Instead, he’s a giant–albeit gorgeous–grump who lives to rain on my parade. I’ve sworn off pranks since entering the public eye, so rather than settle our differences the Bergman way, I’ve had to settle for killing Gavin with kindness. There’s just one problem: killing him with kindness is killing me.

To make matters worse, Coach gives us an ultimatum: put an end to our enmity or say goodbye to being captains. I’m prepared to be miserable while we meet her demands and make nice, but the last thing I expect is to discover an explosive attraction we can’t help but act on, and worse yet, to realize the man hiding beneath Gavin’s gruff exterior is all I’ve ever wanted.

Chloe Liese did it again. I’ve been looking forward to Oliver’s story for so long, and I am not exaggerating when I say I could not put this down.

After a bad break-up in college, Oliver swore that he would never let romance get in the way of his soccer career again. He also swore off pranks since entering the public eye. Both of these get more difficult when Gavin Hayes, a gorgeous grump that Oliver has been idolizing since he was a teenager, joins his team.

They don’t get along. Not at all. So, Oliver’s tactic has been to kill Gavin with kindness, and Gavin’s has been to ignore Oliver. But when their Coach makes them co-captains and forces them to get along, just smiling and keeping their distance proves impossible, and as they’re forced to spend more time together, so is ignoring the intense attraction between them.

From the first chapter, I was immediately wrapped up in the warm, comforting hug that is the Bergman series, and I pushed off all other responsibilities, so I wouldn’t have to leave it. I loved this novel for so many of the things that Chloe Liese does well. There is so much humor and wit between Oliver and Viggo’s prank war, Oliver’s pranks on Gavin, and Gavin’s poker nights with his senior friends. The Bergman family dynamics and the slow burn, of course, gave me all the feels. I loved being able to see the other siblings’ relationships evolve, and Oliver’s relationship with his niece was so sweet.

Then, of course, there’s Oliver and Gavin’s relationship. The tension and chemistry between Oliver and Gavin are so amazing, and the grumpy/sunshine vibes are impeccable. Chloe Liese writes enemies to lovers so well, and watching them take care of each other when they’re at their worst, even despite their antagonist relationship, was truly a joy to read. My heart melted every time Gavin helped Oliver through his anxiety and panic attacks, or Oliver took care of Gavin when he was having a particularly bad day with his chronic pain.

Every time a new Bergman book comes out, I end up saying that it’s my favorite because these truly do get better as the series goes on. If you’re looking for a book with fantastic chemistry, witty banter, non-toxic masculinity, and realistic representation, I definitely recommend Everything for You.