Cute book #3. I liked that it could easily stand alone as a book but still had fun references to prior books. It was a nice story but for me it was difficult to identify with Henry.. one minute he’s sleeping with everyone and the next he needs to be left alone. I like the neurodivergent aspect of him but felt he was a bit contradictory to himself. Overall enjoyable fun read.

screaming, crying, throwing up, i loved this so much. this was the soft, and kind read I needed. i made the mistake of starting this on my commute to my internship bc i spent the entire day between meetings reading. Henry's story was well worth the wait, and I kinda loved how not-perfect Henry and Halle were. I find that so often characters like Halle get with someone who takes the load off of her shoulders, but Henry wasn't fully that and I found that far more realistic.

thank you to netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review

It feels good to be back into the Maple Hills world.

The romance was great - Halle’s horrible ex is from a rival team so OF COURSE we live for the drama. I also loved that Henry was an artist and that their story didn’t rely solely on hockey, especially since Halle’s life before Henry was literally just that. I also like seeing snippets into how the characters from other books are doing and seeing them all come together.

Also, Henry is THE SWEETEST.

Halle wanting to be author was a little off for me at first because it’s so overdone as a character trait at this point, but it was important for the plot to have Henry help her with “experiences,” so I get it and it was ended up being cute. I think she grew into herself a lot throughout the story which made her actions become more understandable.

I appreciated the fact that Henry and Halle were both extremely emotionally aware, even though they felt a little too aware at times. I never thought characters could over-communicate, but sometimes it did become a little exhausting to hear Halle constantly trying to have reassurance of her friends.

Overall, of course I enjoyed this and will read anything that Hannah rights at this point.

Having read the previous books in the Maple Hills series, I can definitely see so much growth in Hannah Grace's writing. This book has been the best and my favorite. Both characters felt realistic, allowing for most readers to have at least one thing in connection with Henry and Halle. Lots of romance books tend to focus only on the romance, but this title really focused on the true partnership that should exist in romantic relationships.

At this point I'll read anything Hannah Grace writes. I've read both Icebreaker and Wildfire, and every time I try to rank them in my head, I can't decide which one is my favorite. I could relate to Halle's character really well in some aspects with her family issues, which made me pretty attached to her. One thing I love about this series is that there's never a huge conflict between the main characters. Most romance novels, they get together, something bad happens, they break up, then they come back together. The climax for Hannah Grace's books always have to do with conflict that's outside of the relationship. The story isn't just about the couple, but about their growth and how they come into their own to handle the recurring problems they have with something else, whether that's family, friends, exes, or mental health. I never have to stress about emotional turmoil or something bad happening, which is sometimes exactly what you need in a book.

First off, I loveddddd Wildfire so much, so I was really excited about Daydream being announced and getting another taste of the Maple Hills world again. And it lived up to all I was looking for!!! The writing is also so good and I always feel like I’m talking to a friend on FT or face to face when reading her books, it’s humorous and personal and sad and everything in between!!
I absolutely love Hannah Grace’s characters and Halle and Henry are my favorite!! They’re so perfect for each other (even their names sound perfect together.) They complimented each other so well and it was such a healthy representation of love and relationships!
As someone who is a people pleaser, I connected with Halle so much, in how she was sort of the mediator in her family and helped her mom and never spoke up for herself but did everything for everyone else. This book is very much for the older siblings out there, or the people that had to grow up fast to be that older sibling. This is represented so well and realistically and seeing the growth in Halle’s character by the end was drastic but great to see and so inspiring! And this is also where Henry comes in and makes it so obvious he is what she deserved all along and perfect for her, he put her first ;)
And with Henry, there was such a big representation of ADHD and how little mundane tasks for others, can be overall thought consuming and impossible for those with ADHD. Even for those reading that aren’t diagnosed with ADHD, this book is really fun and cute and entertaining yes, but also educational to see how it can be for someone and be able to understand and see it firsthand and show up for those around you.
I, of course, very much disliked the character Will and any part including him so that was a downside. He is the opposite of Henry and everything good in the world. Actually gross and disgusting and so deserving, of everything bad! (He needs the money, for therapy!)
Like I mentioned, I loved the previous books and Daydream is in the same friend group, so all the couple cameos and mentions in this book tied everything together for them and it was so nice seeing them and how they’re doing!!
Overall, there was so much love and self discovery/growth with such a deeper meaning with a lot to take away besides it being a cute easy to read romance book, which it definitely is!

I recommend 100% at any time of the year but more specifically pick the book up when it comes out August 27th, maybe even for a book club? ;) and cozy up with coffee!!

Thank you so much to Hannah Grace and Netgalley/Atria Books for the E copy ARC in exchange for my honest review!

hannah grace ALWAYS knows what she is doing! this book cured my childhood heart, in moments where i was teary eyed reading about miss hallie jacobs. she is the example of grace and kindness, someone so perfect for our loveable henry. this friends to lovers, tutor and jock relationship is so incredibly soft. i love that their relationship didn’t send me through a roller coaster of emotions, but enough to where i could relate as humanly as possible. i adore them, they are my babies, and i want to thank hannah grace for bringing back simple love.

A solid read overall. I really loved this book at the beginning of it, but truthfully around the middle the shine wore off. Somewhere along the way the writing became too generalized (we knew the character is writing a book and we vaguely hear about the plot but never see her writing it, Henry plays hockey and stresses about his captaincy but we never see him play or use the sport to grow and deal with conflict), and the teachable moments were a bit too obvious to have any natural flow. But, all that being said, this was a very appropriate book for YA! Only one explicit scene, and even that was written as if for YA with no graphic descriptions of anything. This is definitely the Hannah Grace book I'd feel good handing 12-13 year olds so that's a relief!

I loved Henry in Icebreaker so I was very excited to read Henry’s story. While Henry and Halle seem perfect for each other, there was just no build up or no chemistry for me. This book felt too long. It took my too long to finish. This wasn’t a book that I found myself staying up way too late to finish. Instead I was falling asleep while reading it. I really wanted to like this one because I love Henry’s character, and I like this series.

I absolutely loved this book! This series is amazing and I hope there is more to come! I loved finally getting to hear from Henry!

Daydream was a wonderful book that portrayed neurodivergent people and their issues in relationships in a grounded realistic manner. A lot of times when written about people with neurodivergent traits tend to not experience the fallout that would come with their struggles. I find that Hannah Grace found a way of bringing in this struggle or “darkness” to really make the support Henry receives that much greater or brighter. I this book was a delightful read that I could not put down. Grace handled Halle’s sexual fears with such care. I really felt her become comfortable with her own sexuality instead of snapping into being hyper sexual as most characters in this trope do. The book is very character driven which is incredible. Women who felt pressured into being what others wanted from them be warned! This book will not only make you feel seen, but hopeful for a better future.

This book was different from it’s predecessors, Icebreaker and Wildfire, in both pace and the relationship between the characters. The plot and the build up between the two protagonists' relationship was significantly slower. However, it was still impossible to put down. Both Henry and Halle had depth to their character development. Halle, an academic book worm type, is much different from the typical female lead seen in most contemporary romance novels. She is slow to romantic relationships and far more timid. This book is a great third edition to the Maple Hills series but could also function as a stand alone. The only reason I gave this book four instead of five starts was the last 20%. The entire story is a slow and takes its time. However, the end felt rushed and as if it was trying to meet a deadline.

This was a sweet story that was drowning a bit under some padding that ultimately felt unnecessary. I might have enjoyed this if it was a third shorter because I did like the characters and their draw to each other.

thank you so much to netgalley and atria books for letting me read an ARC of daydream in exchange for an honest review!

if cute romances are illegal lock this book up for LIFE. hen & halle are unironically relationship goals and i would die for hen.

i found the struggles of both characters to be pretty relatable and enjoyed the fun banter they had between them (anyone who knows me knows i am a huge sucker for fun banter and i will not apologize). i think this might be the first ever friends to lovers book i’ve read and it was diabolically adorable.

that said, it felt like it took a while for the main story arc to progress and then it was all resolved super quickly in the last like 20% or so which made the book both feel too long and too short at the same time (too long because so much was build up, and too short because the resolution & aftermath happened so fast comparatively).

i want to add that i went into this one without having read any of the previous maple hills books and although the story itself was standalone it did get a little overwhelming at times with the friend group and i think i missed out on some of the fun by not having read their friendships prior to this book. i absolutely will be going back at some point to read icebreaker & wildfire

I've read all of Hannah Grace's and this one did not disappoint! I had such a fun time following around Halle and Henry in this book and I could relate so much to Henry as well! I'm happy with the ending and I can't wait to read more from Maple Hills! Thank you Netgalley for the early access.

This was such a fun read and also had some nice depth. I loved Hallie she’s one of my favorite FMC in a romance novel in a long time! I thought the main characters had great chemistry and the story was interesting - it felt really relatable. Will for sure recommend and will be adding to our library.

This book was a warm hug to eldest daughters; specifically to eldest daughters who have struggled with body image issues. Extra specifically to eldest daughters who love to read, whose favorite color is purple, who prides themselves being a Swiftie. (Basically I feel extremely and utterly seen.) Halle is my soul character. Henry is one of the most lovable and thoughtful characters I've read. Their story was never not interesting and constantly felt real. Halle is so deserving of love and friendship and I'm so glad that Henry is able to give her everything she deserves and more. The characters in this story are magnetic and feel like home. I love being in Maple Hills, I love every one of these characters (except for Will) and I absolutely can't wait to get my hands on this book in physical form so I can re-read this masterpiece.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this early.

And a thank you to Hannah Grace for the Taylor references that were subtle to non Swiftie trained eyes but everything to a Swiftie like me. I should also note that the day I finished this, the folklore cardigan is on sale again and the main reason I'm getting it is to match with Halle. No joke. It felt like a sign. An invisible string if you will.

This book was genuinely so amazing. Healthy relationships and boundaries, pointing out where they aren't healthy, all showing growth. Plus it was just adorable. Henry was so cute and deserved his story and I am so, so glad that he found love with Halle. I loved the scene where they created their "art."

I was soooo hyped for this and it just never clicked and I’m so sad about it.

First what I liked: Halle. Halle was super relatable as the eldest daughter keeping everything together and falling apart while doing it. I really liked her and felt like she was very real. I wish she would’ve changed more throughout the book since she really didn’t develop much but oh well.

Then what I didn’t love: The book tries very hard to hit every possible issue it could and it just felt kinda scattered? Like the characters randomly lectured eachother on the history of black womens plight in healthcare or how her neighbor borrows her cat so her granddaughter with autism can be calmed.

To the romance: Henry didn’t grovel nearly enough and really didn’t deserve Halle for everything she did for him. For a man to claim he’s in love with her he missed Valentine’s Day?? And Halle’s whole plot line is that she feels forgotten and doesn’t want to be a burden. And he still did that?? Compared to icebreaker this was tame too. Much less spice.

It seemed like a good wrap up book for the other couples from icebreaker and wildfire but it drug on for this couple for sure.

Lastly the writing leaves something to be desired. I highlighted so many of these lines but what.
“Is the oxygen oxygening more today?”

A chance encounter at a bookclub turns into an unanticipated friendship when Halle and Henry meet. Halle finds herself friendless after she splits from her boyfriend and his friend group; she is looking for new experiences to help her write a novel for a contest. Henry is struggling with competing priorities and people's expectations. Halle helps him quiet his brain and supports his educational goals. A friendship grows into something more as the two figure out how to fit in one another's lives.

This was a lovely rom-com filled with well-developed characters. I appreciated the level of kindness and understanding attributed to the neurodivergent characters. There is so much heart in this book.