4.5 stars

”I’m in love with a dream, with a man who isn’t real, and there isn’t any coming back from it.”


as I delve into each successive novel by Sarah Ready, I am invariably in awe of her brain and her brilliant writing prowess. she always insufflates a breath of fresh air to her crafts. her unorthodox narrative approach and innovative plotting are a true tour de force, defying the tired conventions of the romance genre and instead conjuring up the warm, fuzzy feelings reminiscent of classic 2000s romantic comedies. her penmanship is simply magical; distilling the essence of nostalgia while still infusing her stories with invigorating, original perspectives.

“McCormick.” “what does it mean?”
“some say it means an almost, a never-was, a dream that didn’t happen, but I say it means an always, a dream that still goes on.”


Fiona, the heiress to a long line of Swiss watchmakers, is the personification of the high-powered businesswoman who is perpetually juggling her professional obligations with her personal life. as she strives to balance her responsibilities to her daughter Mila, brother Daniel, and close friend Max, Fiona's hectic schedule leaves little time for self-reflection. however, after a traumatic incident her nomadic mother makes an impromptu visit, gifting Fiona a lost, antique family watch. her mother believes this timepiece holds the key to unlocking Fiona's happiness and realizing her long-dormant dreams.

”it feels like I’ve lost a love I’ve never had.”


but Fiona hasn't experienced the thrill of dreaming in a long while. that is, until she falls asleep with the watch on and finds herself transported to a life of marriage with a handsome husband-Aaron McCormick , parenthood with awesome children, and life filled with soap-opera drama. as she indulges by day the life as the CEO of a luxury brand in Geneva, she lives this nocturnal fantasy in an exotic life on a tropical island. but it feels too real to be a dream…

”he’s invaded my world. even when he’s not real, not here, I still feel him next to me.”


I was completely enthralled by the love story, the heartwarming found family plot, and the masterful narrative trajectory. the chemistry between the characters, the unexpected plot twists, and the expertly orchestrated storytelling all combined to create a reading experience that was nothing short of addictive. I devoured every chapter, thoroughly enamored with every aspect of the novel.

”sometimes you’ll remember a flash. sometimes you’ll remember a feeling. But mostly, you forget everything. you forget your dreams. you don’t take them with you into real life.”


without revealing too much, I can say the narrative was emotionally resonant and intriguing. the surprises were cleverly timed, keeping me on the edge of my seat as I eagerly turned each page.
I implore you: do not miss this masterpiece. I won’t spoil any more details, in case I deprive you of the pleasure of experiencing this exceptional story firsthand.

”It’s not as if dreams are reality. It’s not as if dreams come true.”


many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review

I’m generally a major fan and supporter of Sarah Ready, and the first two books in the Ghosted series were both incredible! However, this one, Fated, left me scratching my head and wondering if it really came from the same imagination. It felt different than all her other books (I’ve read many, but not all), and just didn’t live up to my hopes and expectations, based on the previous two and the blurb.

I was left wanting so much more or maybe just something else out of this story - it was OK but I really didn’t enjoy the dreaming scenario and wondering how everything would play out, and if Fiona would wind up with her best friend in reality, Max (sort of a love triangle bit there, which I don’t like), or with the dream sequence guy McCormick and the other life she seems to fall into, and his friend Robert... When the twist is revealed I was really disappointed - plus, the multiple love triangle aspect really turned me off (as it always does)…

I’m sure there will be many who enjoy this one, but even though I’m mostly a Ready fan, she still has a title or two in her catalogue that I don’t jive with (and that’s ok). She has others that are my fave books, so I’m sure that the next release (Wished, in October) will be one of those new faves! Still - you should give this one a try, even though it didn’t work for me.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing (IBPA), and this is my honest feedback.

I usually don’t pick up stuff with kids but this was written so well! Although the audiobook was fantastic, I felt like the book itself was a little bit slow in the middle. The beginning was great although I was a bit confused for a little while, and the ending was great. I teared up at certain points. It was a really good read!

I would definitely recommend the audiobook more than the ebook but both were excellent reads with extremely loveable characters!

I received a free copy of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Amazing book! Very detailed world building. I enjoyed the characters and how everything came together in the end. I kind of predicted what might happen, but the 3rd act “breakup” had me wondering for a minute. I would definitely recommend this work and I look forward to other by this author.

The emotional tension in this story stays so high from the beginning. I don't know how the author does it, but I feel everything the characters feel. I absolutely did not guess the twist that was coming, not even a little bit. I cried my way through several chapters, and I totally rearranged my schedule so I could finish and get to the happy parts. I really loved this.

Gosh, I got so emotional reading this story! I related to so many passages and situations that the characters went through and I absolutely adored Amy! I was so curious as to how the story was going to end happily, but the way the author got around the dream hurdle was very creative and I loved it! I also enjoyed the island and Geneva atmosphere, the Christmas descriptions made me wish it was Christmas time already. My only gripe with it is that it could have been a little more fast paced, but that's a very small detail. It was still a good pace and I just loved most of the characters so much. And I'm so glad we get to read about Max in the next one!!! I loved હો loyalty and friendship with Fi!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Man. I love Sarah Ready books. We’re back in the Ghosted series, and once again, I’m thrilled to be here.

In this book, we follow Fiona Abry, single mother, workaholic, and someone who refuses to fall in love again. When her mother shows up on her non-birthday with a special gift, Fiona is thrilled. A precious family heirloom, and according to her mother and crazy distant uncle, it will allow you to dream of what you truly want. And soon, Fiona is doing just that. And what she dreams of is a beautiful island with a hunky husband and two beautiful kids. Although her husband’s best friend trying to kiss her doesn’t feel like a dream. And why would her husband believe she can’t swim? Are these metaphors? Fiona isn’t sure, but every night she falls asleep, dreaming of her dream man, and every morning she wakes up wishing it could be real. But falling for McCormick doesn’t make sense – how can you fall in love with a man who doesn’t exist in the real world? Which, side note, is exactly what romance readers experience every day!

Anywho, another smash hit from Sarah Ready, and I’m already giddy to get my hands on Wished!

When I started this book I had a hard time connecting with Fiona and wasn't sure how I would feel about her moving forward. However, once she starts using the watch and wakes up on the island with a gorgeous husband and two children I began to get sucked into the story.

I loved the secondary characters minus one, who we don't really meet but hear an awful lot about And the settings of the island and Geneva were beautiful and I felt like I was there. I loved Fiona's journey to opening herself to love and what she was willing to do to get it once she found it. Fated takes you through all the emotions, with laughter and sadness and some beautiful heartfelt moments.

This is the first book in the series that I've read, and it can absolutely be read as a standalone, and I will be putting the others on my TBR.

“ in dreaming we do all the the magical, wondrous things we are afraid of in real life “ 💕💜

I was so happy to receive this as an ARC! Thank you so much @NetGalley !

This was such a beautiful written story of being in love in a dream, and finding love in real life. Will she be able to separate the two? You must read to find out!

SIX STARS!!!!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This will be one of my FAVORITE READS of the ENTIRE YEAR. 🥳

From the outside, Fiona's got it all...a loving family, an incredible career, all the money and status a person could want, and a best friend who has told her that he wants to turn their friendship into something more. But Fiona is recovering from scars both emotional and physical, working herself to the bone to keep her anxieties at bay. She's ready to coast through life, not changing, until she receives a magic watch. If a person holds it when they fall asleep, they will dream of their heart's desire.

From then on, every night, Fiona dreams of white sand beaches, a quirky community of characters, and the love of her life: Aaron McCormick. Their chemistry is undeniable. And since she's in a dream, she allows herself to live and love freely, embracing her dream life in a way she couldn't in reality. But all dreams end...don't they???

This book. THIS BOOK. The twists and turns. The INSANE levels of slow burn and sexual attraction. The characters, all complex, real, and endearing. The beach, so perfectly written that I felt like maybe I needed to apply sunscreen myself. 😂 I can't tell you what an emotional journey this took me on. Sarah Ready is a BEAUTIFUL writer, and I found myself highlighting line after line of her prose.

I screamed. I cried. I cheered. I swooned. I sighed. I laughed. And then I went out and pre-ordered a copy of this book, because having the eARC just isn't enough. I can't wait to have this book on my shelves and read it again and again.

Trigger warnings: earthquakes, cheating, drowning, abandonment, death

** I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. **

I absolutely adored this book! It was reminiscent of some great movies like The Lake House and Your Name, where two people are meeting each other across time and space, and aren't sure why. Fiona Abry is a busy businesswoman who runs her Swiss watch company by day and cares for her young daughter at night. She inherits a watch that is rumored to give you your heart's desire in your dreams. When Fiona goes to sleep each night, she finds herself transported to a beautiful island where she's married to a gorgeous man named Aaron, with two beautiful children.

I fell in love with Aaron, with his dedication to the people living on his small island and love for his family, no matter what. I sympathized with Fiona's difficulty dreaming of a perfect life and fear for taking chances on happiness.

The descriptive storytelling in this book is absolutely beautiful. The author does a wonderful job painting a picture of idyllic Switzerland and breathtaking, dreamlike Saint Elegius Island in the Caribbean. I could visualize them in my head, making me want to visit both places. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering if they'd ever get together in real life. It took some surprising and nailbiting twists and turns.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 ALC Review

What a read! This is book Three of the Ghosted series by Sarah Ready. I haven’t read the first two and it can be read as a standalone. I will admit that I signed up to read this on NetGalley because the book cover is so pretty! Yes, I am one of those readers. Do I regret it? Did the beautiful cover let me down? Of course not, it exceeded expectations!

Here we meet Fiona, heiress of a Swiss watch making company. She is gifted an antique watch that makes her dreams a reality.

"I'm in love with a dream, with a man who isn't real, and there isn't any coming back from it."

The love story is so beautiful and unique, our MMC McCormick is a dream boat! The perfect book boyfriend. There was so much chemistry and unexpected plot twists that had me truly enjoying the book. I will not say much more, I am a firm believer in not spoiling the story, the book summary does say the following: She meets the man of her dreams in her dreams.

“he's invaded my world. even when he's not real, not here, I still feel him next to me."

I look forward to reading the first two in the series.

Thank you to the author Sarah Ready and Net Galley for the advanced copy of the audio book!

This is the Third Novel in Sarah Ready’s Ghosted series and unfortunately, it’s also my least favorite.

It revolves around Daniel’s (from the first book) sister, Fiona. She’s gifted a watch that allows her to meet the love of her life in her dreams. So why was it not my favorite? Simply, the plot wasn’t well developed until too late for me. Sarah Ready’s writing style for me is strongest in terms of its lyrical, prose and her ability to deal with complex emotions. That’s still true here but it’s hard to focus on while you’re trying to figure out what the heck’s going on with the plot. In the earlier books in the series the magical realism elements are more straightforward in terms of the ‘rules’ of the magical set up. In this case it was too nebulous for me to really grip onto until way too late in the story.

I did still enjoy the book though. Especially the second half. I found the ending extremely satisfying, it just took way too long to get to that point.

Thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Last year, I had the pleasure of reading Josh and Gemma Make A Baby and it delighted me so much that I requested this title from NetGalley. I hadn't read the other two books in the series but I do believe all the stories feature different protagonists.

Sometimes, an avid reader can make a mistake. Not every title written by an author should be pursued.

My instinct to admit defeat and mark this as a "did not finish" was strong in the beginning and yet somehow I persisted in keeping with it.

After all, this was the tale of a woman who escapes into her dreams because of a magical watch and finds herself living an entirely different existence. It also promised to be a feel-good romance type of storyline.

Maybe it was the humidity or I was sitting in an uncomfortable chair. Maybe I was dehydrated? But I just didn't like this book. It felt all over the place. I groaned a lot and I think I screamed at one point.


It just wasn't for me. It was hard to buy into the HEA.







Expected Publication Date 16/07/24
Goodreads Review 11/07/24
#Fated #NetGalley.

Sarah Ready continues the Ghosted series with another member of the Abry family - Fiona. Though it is the third book in the series the reader does not have to have read the two previous books (in fact it seems to take place before the first book).

As with the other books in the series there is a magical element to the story, as Fiona acquires a watch that allows her to slip into the life of another in her dreams. The story follows Fiona while she lives this dual life - daytime as a career woman in Geneva and at nights a married mother on a laid back tropical island. The story follows Fiona trying to figure out what fate is trying to tell her as she falls further into the life on the island that she believes is a dream.

This book was more serious than the previous book in the series, but still offered an enjoyable and emotional read. While the humor was missing it was made up with the realistic portrayal of the emotions that the main characters felt while working through their personal hardships. The story came together nicely in the end and I look forward to continuing the series.

Sarah Ready tells beautiful love stories, effortlessly blending warmth, angst, and a bit of magic.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♾️
🌶️🌶️

💭 overall thoughts:
Not sure how I haven’t learned by now that Sarah will completely rip my heart out before putting it back together 😭 I've added another of her books to my favorites list! I loved this so much.

Fiona is a single mom & CEO of her late father’s watch company. She lives a very busy life, one that she was born into. She’s given a watch that lets you dream what you really want, and it takes her into another life.

Fiona loves parts of both of these lives, and it pushes her to figure out what she truly desires. The dream world gives her a place to safely explore love, and a completely different way to live than she’s used to.

I had so many theories and none were true 😅 I did very much enjoy the ride. I fell hard for Fiona & Aaron, and I was hoping for them to end up together somehow.

While listed as 3rd in the series, you definitely don’t have to read the first two books - this one actually takes place before, so there’s very little connection (except Fiona’s brother Daniel being the mmc in Ghosted).

🤍side characters:
I’m very much looking forward to book 4, Wished - Max deserves his happily ever after! I loved how much he supported & respected Fiona.

🎧 audiobook thoughts:
Sarah Ready always has me discovering incredible narrators! Shakira Shute embodied Fiona so well, and added so much to the story.

tropes + topics:
✨ magical realism
💭 dream world
🙃 opposites attract
👩‍💼 single mom & CEO
👩‍❤️‍👨 soulmates/meant to be
🫶🏼 found family
💜 single 1st person pov

✨ books with similar vibes:
♡ The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Thank you to Sarah Ready, Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC and NetGalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This is one of those reviews where it is very difficult not to spoil anything about it. At the end of the day, I loved this book/story. Sarah has a way of writing characters that you just can't help falling in love with and rooting for. I so desperately wanted to know what was going to happen with Fi, I truly couldn't stop listening/reading.

I don't know if I should say this, but about halfway through this book, I skipped to the end to see how it was going to end before I could go back to finish it. I knew when I was doing it that I should just trust that Sarah was going to get the characters where I wanted them to be, but I didn't trust that. I've read a few books from this author at this point, and she's never let me down, so I should have known this book was going to end exactly as I wanted it to, and it 100 % did. All this to say, trust the process, Fiona will end up exactly where she's meant to be.

This was a great addition to a series I'm really enjoying, and I'm so excited it's not ending with this one. I'm very excited to see how Max's story plays out in Wished. If you enjoy fantasy/paranormal romances, I would definitely suggest reading this one. I know my reviews normally include a listing of tropes, but doing that now would spoil too much. So, just know it's a fantasy/paranormal romance, and there is a HEA guaranteed.

This was such an incredible book, I couldn't put it down. I devoured it. Fiona, the main character, runs her family's Swiss watch business and is mother to a daughter. She has no time in her life for romance. Her mother is concerned about her though and brings her an heirloom watch. The story is that it's magical and will show you your heart's desires.

It shows Fiona a life she never dreamed could be hers and the growth of the character and the romance that develops is mesmerizing. The characters are all interesting and well developed and the plot feels new and fresh, even though in some ways it resembles stories close to our hearts. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read more from Sarah Ready. A must read for romance lovers in 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read an advance copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the ARC of this book.

This is my third Sarah Ready book and she has now become an auto-buy author for me! I have loved everything of hers that I've read. She is a magical realism master.

Fated has two timelines (of sorts) with one person, Fiona, in both. She moves between her real life and a dream world that she travels to in her dreams via an old pocket watch. The end became a bit confusing during the big reveal, but overall, the two timelines worked well.

Fiona is faced with a difficult life decision - settling for a gem of a man that she knows isn't her one, or keep looking for that love she believes is out there. She actually finds him, but he's in her dream timeline. What's a woman to do when your perfect match is living in your dreams?

This book was just fantastic. I loved Fiona's journey. And I really appreciated her end decision. The two opposite settings (Geneva and a tropical island) gave the best of both worlds. All of the characters were loveable and kind and it made it hard to decide who to root for. This was a solid romance that I highly recommend!

Thank you to the author, #Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy of Fated in exchange for an honest review. I rotated between the ebook and audio formats.

I always start by saying, I leap at the opportunity to read a Sarah Ready book early! Especially one in the Ghosted series! I absolutely loved Ghosted, really enjoyed Switched and now can’t stop thinking about Fated!

I didn’t realize initially that this story begins prior to when the story of Ghosted took place. That was a pleasant surprise! It was SO lovely to see Daniel come to life again on the page and this time as a loving brother and uncle.

Fated is overall incredibly creative. Sarah Ready was able to vividly depict both worlds (real life and dream world) of which the main character, Fiona was living. Every scene on the island felt palpable. Aaron/McCormick was swoon worthy! It was so riveting to see where Fiona would be when she reentered the dream and what occurred in that world while she was awake. My brain tends to be overly analytical (even when reading), so a healthy dose of magical realism is needed from time to time and this delivered!

I loved the complexity of the familial relationships in both worlds. I was happy that Fiona and Max had each other and part of my heart pulled her in his direction. Although Fiona’s mother was not there for her how she needed throughout her life, I could still feel the genuine love she had for her daughter. The story about acquiring the watch was funny! I loved how devoted of a mother and mother figure Fi was. She had such a big heart!

I thought this would follow the format of the first two in the series and have an epilogue from another POV. I think it would’ve been interesting to hear from either Aaron or Max.

The narration was absolutely beautiful!