{"id":20901,"date":"2022-10-23T12:32:04","date_gmt":"2022-10-23T16:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=20901"},"modified":"2026-03-22T08:56:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T12:56:00","slug":"always-only-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/20901","title":{"rendered":"Always Only You"},"content":{"rendered":"

Always Only You<\/em> (2020) Chloe Liese (Bergman Brothers)<\/p>\n

\"Always<\/a>Frankie is a social media coordinator for the LA Kings hockey team, which (considering the nature of hockey) gives her plenty to do.<\/p>\n

I also document informal charitable outings geared toward our most underrepresented fans. It\u2019s not in my exact job description, but I\u2019m a big believer in breaking down stigma around differences we tend to ostracize, so I wormed my way into the process. I don\u2019t just want to make our hockey team more accessible to its fans, I want us to be a team that leads its fans in advancing accessibility itself. <\/p>\n

That makes me sound sweet, doesn\u2019t it? But the truth is nobody on the team would call me that. In fact, my reputation is quite the opposite: Frank the Crank.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

She is also autistic with rheumatoid arthritis, which means she uses a cane, but isn’t hung up about it.<\/p>\n

Perhaps because of my autistic brain and its analytical practicality, I didn\u2019t have feelings about the cane. I simply saw its functional advantage. It helped. I was steadier with it. My leg didn\u2019t give out. I didn\u2019t fall on my face. What the hell was bad about that?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

She is not open about her ASD with her coworkers, but she is honest with herself about it.<\/p>\n

I seemed like a typical kid\u2014 whatever the fuck that is\u2014 until depression and anxiety after my dad\u2019s death threw me into a tailspin, obliterating the emotional reserves it took to fake normality.
\n..
\nThe psychologist said I\u2019d have been diagnosed sooner if not for my fantastic ability to follow rules, copy behaviors, and pretend I was \u201cnormal.\u201d Everyone hits a breaking point, the shrink said. It was only a matter of time before I\u2019d have to stop pretending and get honest about my neurological difference.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I like my books. They\u2019re one of the most vital tools in my arsenal for navigating human behavior, to explore my feelings about the parts of life that most confuse me. Books help me feel a bit more connected to a world that often is hard to make sense of. Books are patient with me. They don\u2019t laugh at me instead of with me. They don\u2019t ask why I\u2019m \u201calways\u201d frowning, or why I can\u2019t sit still. Books welcome me\u2014 weirdness and all\u2014 and take me exactly as I am.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And Ren is an absolute sunshine cinnamon roll.<\/p>\n

“You\u2019re usually so chill.\u201d <\/p>\n

I turn my coffee mug slowly, clockwise. \u201cI\u2019ve learned things go better for me when that\u2019s what other people see.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I mean…<\/p>\n

I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not\u2014 <\/p>\n

Carbuncles<\/em>. I\u2019m crying. <\/p>\n

I\u2019d ask whose idea it was for me to read Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You<\/em> to a group of toddler and preschool-aged patients, but I have no doubt it was Frankie\u2019s doing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s possible Ren might be a little too perfect…but that’s ok. He has a loud, weird, crazy family, and was a geek in high school. He’s allowed to be.<\/p>\n

Rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Always Only You (2020) Chloe Liese (Bergman Brothers) Frankie is a social media coordinator for the LA Kings hockey team, which (considering the nature of hockey) gives her plenty to do. I also document informal charitable outings geared toward our most underrepresented fans. It\u2019s not in my exact job description, but I\u2019m a big believer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12,292,204,608,742,26,56],"tags":[626,508,50,710,530],"class_list":["post-20901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-8-10","category-ebook","category-good","category-neurodiversity","category-physical-health","category-romance","category-sexual-content","tag-arthritis","tag-asd","tag-boinking","tag-chloe-liese","tag-disability"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-5r7","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":23162,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/23162","url_meta":{"origin":20901,"position":0},"title":"Two Wrongs Make a Right","author":"Michelle","date":"February 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Two Wrongs Make a Right (2022) Chloe Liese (The Wilmot Sisters) I picked up my first book by Chloe Liese because it was highly rated and had a female main character with ASD. I've very much enjoyed every book of hers I've read since then, although I don't read them\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Two Wrongs Make a Right","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Two-Wrongs-Make-a-Right.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Two-Wrongs-Make-a-Right.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Two-Wrongs-Make-a-Right.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25622,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/25622","url_meta":{"origin":20901,"position":1},"title":"The Mistletoe Motive","author":"Michelle","date":"January 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Mistletoe Motive (2021) Chloe Liese There is a lot I love about this story: the ace rep, the female lead with ASD, the single point-of-view. Jonathan glances up and meets my eyes, his gaze speaking some cryptic language that I don\u2019t. I hate that feeling. It\u2019s old and familiar,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Mistletoe Motive","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/The-Mistletoe-Motive-188x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23009,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/23009","url_meta":{"origin":20901,"position":2},"title":"The Mistletoe Motive","author":"Michelle","date":"January 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Mistletoe Motive (2021) Chloe Liese Gabriella Di Natale love Christmas. She also loves working in Bailey\u2019s Bookshop, where she can recommend books (especially her favorite romances) to customers. But the store is in trouble. A chain is trying to put them out of business, so the Bailey's hired another\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Mistletoe Motive","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/The-Mistletoe-Motive.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/The-Mistletoe-Motive.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/The-Mistletoe-Motive.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22449,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/22449","url_meta":{"origin":20901,"position":3},"title":"Ever After Always","author":"Michelle","date":"October 2, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Ever After Always (2021) Chloe Liese (Bergman Brothers) Aiden and Freya have been married for almost a decade, but the last six months have not been good. They have, in fact, been bad. But that\u2019s when it all went downhill. That\u2019s when it tripped something inside me that I haven\u2019t\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ever After Always","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Ever-After-Always.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Ever-After-Always.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Ever-After-Always.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22443,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/22443","url_meta":{"origin":20901,"position":4},"title":"Only When It’s Us","author":"Michelle","date":"September 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Only When It's Us (2020) Chloe Liese (Bergman Brothers) Trigger Warnings: cancer, death, grief I read Always Only You and liked it, but didn't rush out to read other books in the series. Finally, I decided I might be in the mood to try another, and tore through the story,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Only When It's Us","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Only-When-Its-Us.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19436,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/19436","url_meta":{"origin":20901,"position":5},"title":"Check, Please! Book 1: # Hockey","author":"Michelle","date":"December 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Check, Please! Book 1: # Hockey (2018) Ngozi Ukazu Eric Bittle may be a former junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and very talented amateur p\u00e2tissier, but being a freshman on the Samwell University hockey team is a whole new challenge. It is nothing like co-ed club hockey back in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9\/10"","block_context":{"text":"9\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/9-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Check Please Baking Seminar","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/check-please-bitty.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/check-please-bitty.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/check-please-bitty.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/check-please-bitty.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20901\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}