Only When It’s Us Summary, Characters and Themes

Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese is a contemporary romance that explores the emotional journey of Willa Sutter, a competitive soccer player, and Ryder Bergman, a quiet, introverted student with a hearing impairment. 

The story revolves around their unlikely partnership in a business class and the tension-filled, yet gradual, development of their relationship. As they struggle with personal challenges, from Willa’s mother’s illness to Ryder’s loss of his soccer career, the two learn to navigate vulnerability, trust, and love. The novel beautifully captures the power of communication and emotional growth within relationships.

Summary

Willa Sutter is a determined and competitive soccer player who has always relied on her independence. However, she is struggling in her Business Mathematics class due to frequent absences for games. 

Desperate for help, she is directed to Ryder Bergman, a reserved and seemingly unapproachable classmate. At first, Willa perceives Ryder as a rude, brooding jerk who deliberately ignores her, not realizing he is deaf. 

This misunderstanding sets the stage for their rocky and often tense relationship, full of miscommunication and mutual frustration.

Ryder, on the other hand, is a quiet and introverted person who became deaf after an illness. Having lost his hearing and, with it, his future in professional soccer, Ryder has built a wall around himself, keeping people at a distance. 

He avoids unnecessary interactions and relies heavily on lip-reading and texting to communicate. 

Though he appears standoffish, Ryder is actually dealing with his own inner battles and the aftermath of his lost dreams. His family, including his sister Freya and his brother Ren, encourages him to open up more and engage with others, but Ryder resists.

As the semester progresses, Professor Aiden MacCormack assigns Willa and Ryder as partners for a semester-long business project. This forced proximity gradually leads to a shift in their dynamic. 

Willa begins to notice that Ryder isn’t ignoring her intentionally but is simply communicating in ways she hadn’t understood before. As they start working together, their initial animosity begins to soften, and Willa starts to realize there is more to Ryder than his quiet exterior.

It isn’t until Willa discovers that Ryder is deaf—when he texts her directly saying that he cannot hear—that she feels guilty for her earlier assumptions. She realizes that her judgment was unfair and begins to make a conscious effort to communicate with Ryder more effectively, using texting and lip-reading. 

With time, their interactions evolve from mutual irritation to a budding friendship, as they share more personal details about their lives. 

Willa opens up about her struggles balancing school, sports, and the emotional toll of her mother’s illness, while Ryder shares the pain of losing his soccer career and the difficulties of navigating life as a deaf person.

Despite the growing connection between them, Willa’s fear of vulnerability holds her back from fully embracing her feelings for Ryder. She continues to resist the growing attraction, even as she spends more time with him and begins to see the warmth and depth that define his character.

In contrast, Ryder becomes more comfortable around Willa and finds himself drawn to her fierce determination and her resilience in the face of adversity.

The tension between them reaches a breaking point when Willa, overwhelmed by her emotions and the decline of her mother’s health, pushes Ryder away. 

She panics at the thought of depending on someone else and rejects the idea of opening up to him. Ryder, hurt by her sudden withdrawal, respects her need for space but continues to be there for her in subtle ways. 

Eventually, Willa realizes that her fears are holding her back from something that could be truly meaningful. She comes to understand that she doesn’t have to carry everything on her own and that letting people in can be a source of strength rather than weakness.

In the novel’s conclusion, Willa makes a grand gesture to show Ryder that she is ready to fully embrace their relationship. 

She apologizes for pushing him away and confesses her feelings for him. Ryder, moved by her honesty and vulnerability, accepts her apology, and the two reconcile. The book ends on a hopeful note, with both Willa and Ryder learning to overcome their personal struggles and embrace the love they have found in each other. 

Their relationship symbolizes the importance of open communication and emotional growth, demonstrating that even in the face of hardship, love can thrive.

Characters

Willa Sutter

Willa Sutter is a strong-willed, fiercely independent soccer player who grapples with balancing her academic life, athletic career, and personal struggles. At the start of the story, she is portrayed as someone who is not inclined to ask for help, preferring to handle things on her own.

This trait stems partly from her fear of vulnerability and her deep concern for her mother, who is suffering from an illness. Willa’s emotional journey is one of growth, as she learns to trust others, especially Ryder.

Through her relationship with him, she confronts her fears of emotional dependence, realizing that it’s okay to need support and lean on people in her life. By the end of the novel, Willa has matured, embracing the idea of love and connection, acknowledging that she doesn’t have to navigate life alone.

Ryder Bergman

Ryder is a complex character defined by his quiet nature and the emotional scars left by his sudden hearing loss and the end of his professional soccer career. At the start, he is closed off, retreating into his own world, relying on lip-reading and texting to communicate.

His deafness has made him feel disconnected from the world around him, and he has isolated himself as a means of coping with the grief of losing his future in soccer. Despite his initial reluctance to open up to Willa, his relationship with her gradually helps him rediscover his confidence and sense of self-worth.

Through his growing bond with Willa, Ryder begins to embrace the idea that his deafness does not define him, and that he is capable of forming deep, meaningful relationships. By the end, Ryder becomes more comfortable with vulnerability and is willing to fight for the love he has found with Willa, showcasing his emotional growth.

Professor Aiden MacCormack

Professor Aiden MacCormack plays a more subtle role in the development of the main characters. Initially, he appears as a strict professor who sets up Willa and Ryder as partners for a semester-long project, which sparks much of the tension between them.

His actions, though seemingly harsh at first, are actually motivated by a desire to push both students to grow, particularly in ways that challenge their comfort zones. Over time, it becomes clear that MacCormack’s guidance is more about helping Willa and Ryder connect with each other and develop essential life skills, such as communication and collaboration.

Though he isn’t directly involved in their romantic development, he serves as a catalyst for their eventual relationship by encouraging them to interact and overcome their initial misunderstandings.

Rooney Sullivan

Rooney Sullivan is Willa’s best friend and soccer teammate, and her role in the story is vital as a voice of reason and emotional support for Willa. While Willa is fiercely independent and tends to shy away from showing vulnerability, Rooney challenges her to confront her feelings and express her emotions.

Rooney’s friendship provides a grounding influence in Willa’s life, offering much-needed moments of humor and lightness amid Willa’s often heavy burdens. She is unwaveringly supportive, offering both tough love and encouragement as Willa works through her complex emotions, especially regarding her feelings for Ryder.

Rooney’s presence in the story highlights the importance of friendship and the need for people to have a safe space where they can be honest with themselves.

The Bergman Family

Ryder’s family plays a crucial supporting role throughout the story, acting as a source of warmth and stability for him. His siblings—particularly his sister Freya and his brother Ren—along with his parents, serve as a sharp contrast to Willa’s more isolated upbringing.

The Bergmans are an open, loving family, and their dynamic offers Ryder a source of strength and emotional healing. For Willa, her visits to Ryder’s home expose her to the kind of familial closeness she has lacked, particularly due to her own strained relationship with her mother’s illness.

The family encourages Ryder to reconnect with his emotions and not retreat into isolation, which ultimately allows him to become more open to Willa and his future. By the end of the novel, the Bergman family is still a solid support system, helping Ryder navigate his feelings and decisions regarding his relationship with Willa.

Themes

The Struggle of Balancing Personal Aspirations with Family Responsibilities and Emotional Turmoil

One of the prominent themes in Only When It’s Us is the internal conflict between personal aspirations and the emotional burden of family responsibilities. Willa Sutter is a passionate soccer player who aims to achieve success both academically and athletically.

However, her mother’s declining health constantly looms over her, creating a delicate balancing act between her love for soccer, academic responsibilities, and the deep emotional toll of caregiving. This theme explores the tension between striving for personal success and navigating the realities of life, such as family obligations and emotional stress.

Willa’s struggles force her to confront her fears of failure and her reluctance to ask for help. She learns that she doesn’t have to face life’s challenges alone.

The Journey of Learning to Communicate Beyond Words and Finding Connection in Silence

Communication is another central theme in the novel, particularly as it pertains to the relationship between Willa and Ryder. Ryder’s deafness introduces a unique form of communication in their relationship, where understanding goes beyond verbal exchanges.

This theme explores how Willa, initially unaware of Ryder’s hearing impairment, learns to communicate with him through texts and lip-reading. The lack of traditional verbal interaction becomes a metaphor for deeper connection, as they learn to understand each other on a more profound emotional level.

Ryder’s journey to overcome the isolation caused by his deafness, coupled with Willa’s growth in accepting him as he is, emphasizes the importance of non-verbal communication, empathy, and the ability to connect with others in ways that transcend words.

The Fear of Vulnerability and the Impact of Emotional Armor in Relationships

Another theme that runs deeply throughout the novel is the fear of vulnerability and the emotional barriers people build to protect themselves. Willa’s initial reluctance to open up about her struggles and her desire to appear strong is a defense mechanism she uses to guard herself against emotional pain.

Similarly, Ryder, having lost his hearing and his soccer career, isolates himself emotionally as a form of self-protection, hiding behind silence and distance. This theme explores how both characters struggle with the fear of being vulnerable, particularly in the face of potential rejection or loss.

Willa’s gradual acceptance of vulnerability through her relationship with Ryder marks a significant transformation in her character. She learns how emotional openness can lead to healing, growth, and a deeper connection with others.

The Healing Power of Love, Acceptance, and Emotional Support in Overcoming Trauma and Personal Struggles

At its heart, Only When It’s Us is a story about the healing power of love, acceptance, and emotional support. Both Ryder and Willa come from backgrounds filled with challenges—Willa with her mother’s illness and Ryder with the trauma of losing his hearing and soccer career.

Throughout the novel, both characters find solace and strength in each other. Ryder’s quiet, steady support helps Willa face her fears, while her fiery determination and unconditional acceptance of him help him overcome his emotional isolation.

This theme speaks to the importance of relationships and the way in which love, when nurtured with care and patience, can help individuals process their pain, accept their vulnerabilities, and ultimately move toward a place of healing.

It is through their shared journey that both Ryder and Willa learn to let go of their emotional armor and embrace love as a powerful force of personal transformation.

Navigating Identity and Self-Worth in the Face of Limiting Circumstances

A key theme in the novel is the struggle for identity and self-worth, particularly when one’s circumstances threaten to define who they are. Ryder’s deafness and the end of his soccer career force him to confront the notion of identity and worth beyond what he was once capable of achieving.

For a time, he isolates himself, believing that his physical limitations have stripped him of his value. Willa, on the other hand, is driven by the desire to succeed at all costs but is caught in the shadow of her mother’s illness and her own personal limitations.

The theme of navigating self-worth in the face of challenges is powerfully portrayed in the relationship between Ryder and Willa. Their emotional arcs underscore how the journey toward self-acceptance is often filled with setbacks, but it is through their bond that they realize their worth is not tied to their successes or failures but to their capacity to love and be loved.

The Intersection of Independence and the Need for Emotional Dependence in Romantic Relationships

Finally, Only When It’s Us examines the delicate balance between independence and the need for emotional dependence in romantic relationships. Both Willa and Ryder begin the story as individuals who pride themselves on their independence.

Willa, in particular, is fiercely self-sufficient, and this trait makes her hesitant to lean on others for support, even when she clearly needs it. Throughout the novel, she learns that emotional dependence, especially in a relationship, doesn’t signify weakness but is an integral part of love and growth.

Similarly, Ryder, initially withdrawn and self-reliant due to his hearing impairment, gradually allows himself to depend on Willa. This theme explores the tension between wanting to maintain autonomy and realizing that true intimacy in relationships requires a certain level of emotional dependence, mutual support, and interdependence.