Chloe Liese crafts a wry, and heartfelt romance that delves into everything from neurodiversity to chronic illness. Frankie Zeferino may have a heart of gold, but thanks to her autism and her rheumatoid arthritis she’s learned to put up emotional walls to avoid the painful feeling of being a burden to those she loves. For hunky ginger professional hockey player Ren, those are lesser obstacles than the fact that Frankie’s role on his team’s staff as social media manager makes her off-limits. The two share an undeniable attraction that stems from their intense care for each other, but can Frankie accept that someone might see her as a person rather than a problem to solve? Liese writes painstakingly of Frankie’s inner life: how her autism and her RA symptoms shape her perception of the world, the constant adjustment she makes to put others at ease. It’s raw and real, but all buoyed by Liese’s innate sense of humor and warmth. Ren is a dreamy hero – an absolutely stacked hockey player who is secretly a Shakespeare nerd (SWOON). But it’s his tender care for Frankie and all those he loves that makes him a real standout. Liese injects delightful quirks and specificity into her storytelling from Shakespeare quotes to Frankie’s own Harry Potter obsession, and it makes the central relationship feel vitally real and alive. There’s plenty of heartrending moments, from Frankie’s outreach to Ren’s autistic sister to Ren’s attention to detail for the sake of small gestures. These are two kind-hearted people, who go through the world with so much care, but they’ve also convinced themselves that they are destined to never truly belong. Liese expertly weaves their own insecurities together to tell a story of the silent struggles we all face and how our differences only make us more deserving of great lives and loves. It’s a love letter to all who’ve grappled with feeling alone, while also a deeply personal look at the realities of chronic illness and neurodiversity. Always Only You is a feel-good novel that embodies its heroine – prickly, idiosyncratic, and off-beat on the surface, but at its heart, tender, vulnerable, and deeply felt.