3.5⭐️
I had such high hopes for this book and it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. This book features so many amazing tropes such as brothers best friend, small town, second chance, dual timeline, and so much more.
However, I felt this book dragged a bit. It took me a while to get through it. I also found the FMC & her brother a bit childish and annoying which made this a harder read for me.
I did love the side characters and the MMC! I appreciated the lack of a third act breakup and what a simp the MMC was for the FMC. The spice was also spicin’!
Thank you NetGalley & Atria Books for an ARC of this book!

thank you so much to Ellie, Netgalley, and Atria for allowing me to read an early copy of this book.

oh my wow. where do i even start? this entire book was incredible and it would've been criminal to give it less than five stars to be honest.

Zac and Melody's love story was the sweetest and most wholesome reconnection and I loved it so much. They're perfect for each other in every way.

Now, let's talk about Zac. The sweetest man with the dirtiest mouth 🥵. this man is UNMATCHED. i love him so much.

The nickname that he gave to Melody was the sweetest and I loved it so much.

and THE EPILOGUE. SO CUTE.

This book was absolutely incredible and a true masterpiece. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Only in Your Dreams | Ellie K. Wilde

4.5 ⭐️ | 2 🌶️

10 years ago, Melody asked Zac to kiss her. Then Zac’s broken promise “Wait for me, I’ll be right back” lead to silence, avoidance, and a wealth of other negative emotions that Melody would rather not consider right now.

And in the absence of their friendship, Zac’s never stopped loving Melody. (Zac is the ultimate golden retriever, this isn’t a spoiler).

Now, Melody is thrown into a weekend away with the one person she never wanted to see again and Zac isn’t going to give up his second chance.

This book had a lot of everything - stuck in the woods, insomnia unless they’re sleeping next to each other, a gaslighting ex and job and family drama.

It kept me engaged the whole time and I’m excited to read the next one in the series! You can read “Only in Your Dreams” on Kindle Unlimited too!

🙌 Brothers best friend
🏈 Football coach
🏕️ Stuck in the woods
🤝 Friends to lovers
😙 Fake dating
🖼️ Found family

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for this ARC!

3/5 overall, 3/5 smut

Overall: If you like a fairly slow burner then great smut with basic/straightforward storyline, this one is for you! This story is a mix of forbidden love / friends-ish to lovers / second chance romance, with a hit of small town and sports that is decently spicy.

Pros: Canadian AUTHOR!!! - Ellie K. Wilde, yo go girl! :) There were many enjoyable parts of the book; I actually liked both the main characters; they were sweet, funny and had spunk, and their story from childhood to adulthood was adorable yet somewhat frustrating...both of them were all-in for so long but they struggled to make it happen! :p The start of the book with the camping scene was totally catching and had some spice, so immediately I was into it! Besides Zac's hot bod with broody/swoony and somewhat OBSESSIVE personality, I also appreciated the side characters that the author developed; some funny, some edgy, some that are just great friends. Also, the spice was more than just your avg. small town romance, and their chemistry was quite believable; I totally understood that they would be together.

Cons: Downside is that the "Drama" / premise of "we can't be together because..." ended up totally falling flat for me; The reason and result in the end just left the story feeling a bit one-noted??.. there wasn't anything that left me feeling emotional or deeply connected to the outcome so much that I feel like I've already forgotten what this book was about, and I just finished it 2 days ago. lol Also, the fact that they felt they had to keep their relationship "hidden" but apparently everyone knew was hilarious and slightly frustrating since I'm sure in real life they would have been called out right from the start and... all that angst could have been over so much faster if they had have just been open from the start. IMO. they made up their own drama in their heads which made it a little less realistic to me? However, if you are looking for a book with decent smut and not too much mental/emotional commitment otherwise, maybe this book is for you?!

I'd say it was an OK book. Likely won't be giving raving recommendations to others at this point and undecided whether to read book 2 when it comes out.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for this Beta read copy in exchange for my review :) See also on my goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7263632910

Ten years is a long time to hold a torch, but Zac Porter does it with ease. Melody and Zac had a fateful moment back in high school, but nothing came from it except hurt and pain. Fast forward 10 years and it all comes crashing together as the heat between these two ignite! Great book - I loved every minute!

Funny, nostalgic, and all around perfection! I absolutely loved Zac and Melody! 🥹 Zac’s love for Melody lives in my head rent free! Definitely recommend if you are looking for a lighthearted romcom! 💛

⭐️ 4/5
🌶️ 4/5

Was this fun? Yes. Was it absolutely bonkers for the first 25% with one accident after another happening on page? Uhh yeah. Was it good? Ehhh, but honestly, I had a great time reading it! Sometimes you just need a low stakes/high drama romance to cleanse your palette, or just help you appreciate the ones that go a little deeper.

With Only in Your Dreams, I found myself coming back around to the second chance romance trope. It isn’t my favorite, but throw in a heavy dose of brother’s best friend and I can be convinced to enjoy it for the moment.

I’m looking forward to seeing where this Oakwood Bay series goes next!

Thank you @atriabooks for the free book!

Forced proximity, brother’s best friend, AND second chance?! What more could you need??

There are so many lovely quotes I could pull from this book that made me melt. Between the trust issues and the yearning this book SPOKE to me.

I do love a good sports romance but this missed the mark for me. Not a lot of depth and emotions between the characters. It didn’t speak to me.

I am a sucker for a brothers best friend romance and Zac and Melody are no exception. They were super close growing up since Zac was best friends with Melody's twin brother and when she asked him to kiss her the night of graduation and he said he would be back and he didn't return, she lost all hope. Now that she is back in town after her boyfriend dumped her, she is thrown back into his life and neither of them have been able to stop pining after each other. There was lots of tension between Melody and Zac and towards the last third of the book, there was plenty of spice. Overall, it was a good, quick read.

3.5/5

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the e-arc!

3.5stars, 3.75 spice
<I>
“I don’t understand how you’re single.”
“I’ve never been single. I’ve been yours.”</I>


I was completely sold the second I saw Peyton Corinnes quote on this book <I>“packed with sizzling tension, heat, and sweet, swoon-worthy moments”</I> - and that is absolutely true.

Ten years ago Melody was heartbroken after asking her and her brother’s best friend, Zac for a kiss, he completely left her hanging without explanation. Now she is back in her hometown to crash with her brother after her big-city boyfriend of 6 years dumps her.

Zac is a new coach for the local college football team - they are…. Not good, and his job is on the line. Ten years ago he totally fumbled his chances with Melody, and is shocked when she shows up for a friend’s camping weekend in Parker’s stead.

Now away from her ex, Melody can start to see how much she was manipulated and poorly treated. We see her revelations around her relationship, as well as her rediscovering herself. Zac is pretty grumpy and full of self loating, but is actually such a caring guy and is so romantic.

What I liked most in this story was Melody’s (aka Clover to Zac) journey. Anyone who has ever been in a toxic relationship or one with a narcissist is going to relate to her journey. Going from shock that she allowed it to happen to her, to self blame to acceptance. Her doubts and insecurities because of that relationship were well done.

There is a bit of a found family (feels a little like Zac adopted one of the college kids, but like the kid is 20 so more like a little brother) and that was a great add to their shared storyline.

I liked Zac from the start. Zac didn’t go through much growth in my opinion, I think he was just always a good guy and he just needed his hard shell cracked.
And <b> the mouth on this man </b> - he had me sweatin’

<I>
“See how sweet I can be for you? Making all your dreams come true.” […]
“I’ve got dreams of f*cking you dating back fourteen years. You could spend the rest of your life on your back with your pretty thighs spread wide, and it wouldn’t scratch the surface.”</I>

Definitely a bit higher spice than most sports romance I read, even with the”typical” sex scene being later, but the building to it, and all the scenes of other stuff before…. You know what I am saying. SO HOT.

What I didn’t love-
The fake dating, it just didn’t feel necessary, the set up didn’t make sense, and they were already sneaking around? I think the story would have been completely full without it.
Secondary characters felt a bit forgotten. We are told that Melody has such a close relationship with her brother Parker, and that Summer is her best friend. But then I didn’t see the conversations or scenes to back up either of those claims, and being that they were all local in the same small town, that didn’t make sense to me.


Overall this was a good read. I liked the depth of Melody, and the spice was great. And if you are a huge fake dating fan you probably would love it!


Tropes:
- Sports Romance (football coach)
- Small town
- Forced proximity
- He fell first
- No third act break up
- Fake dating
- Secret relationship/FWB

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc. Unfortunately, this style of writing and the story didn’t work for me. I DNF’d at 18%. I tried to get into this but I can’t with the writing. At 18% we’ve spent the last 5 chapters trapped in a storm at a campsite and she’s gotten hurt. Made a comment about wanting the guy she hasn’t spoken to in 10 years to eat her out when he pulls her pants down to change her clothes because she fell in mud and twisted her ankle. I can’t continue at this point.

I absolutely loved this book. I was able to fly through it in one day, was not able to put it down. The banter between Melody and Zac was superior. It was such a fun book to read and I loved seeing their relationship develop. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this copy! Excited to read more from Ellie in the future.

I think I've come to the conclusion that best friends brother/sister and second chance romances are really not for me! This one had some really cute moments but overall I found myself yawning more than I enjoyed it. It was just really weird though from the camping to the flashback, to whatever... it wasnt very plot oriented to me? It was just a bit too superficial all the way around for me to really enjoy and I doubt I'll continue this series, but maybe?

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion

*Thank you Atria for the early copy!*

OH MY GOD I LOVED THIS BOOK.

I seriously spent the entire time reading this book giggling and kicking my feet. I mean that in the most literal sense.

Melody and Zac's banter was honestly top tier. This man was the epitome of a golden retriever with the dirtiest mouth!! I was not at all expecting that.

I really loved how their relationship was rebuilt. I wouldn't say its a true second chance romance as they were never together in the past but there was a missed opportunity and Zac came in swinging making sure he got his shot with his girl by the end.

I loved the secret relationship aspect. It's always so sweet getting to see characters getting together behind the scenes, without the pressure and opinions of those around them.

I really hope we get a Noah book one day!! I loved his character so much and how they just took him in.

The ending made me cackle. I did not see that coming and I was seriously happily surprised at how everything turned out.

Such a cute story. Starts out when Melody and Zac are kids making a promise to be each other's forever. Jump to present day after Mel had moved to the city for 6 years and her boyfriend had broken up with her. She moves back in with her twin brother and he forces her to go on a yearly camping trip with their life long friends. Mel's determined to get her life together before doing anything else. There does seem to be some left for a possible sequel?

I received this ARC from publishers via Netgalley

#onlyinyourdreams #netgalley

If you like spicy, small-town, sibling's best friend and/or sports romance...this is the book for you! I loved this story and would recommend to anyone!

This is a fantastic second chance romance…I mean the man has worn a red shoelace on his wrist for 10 years because he couldn’t handle the thought of losing it/her.
That alone should convince you to read this book!
Factor in that she is his best friend’s younger sister and he’s always had a thing for her...major swoon points!

“𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆.”
“𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆. 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔.”

The progression of reconciliation to friends to lovers was beautiful. Both Zac and Melody respected where the other was at emotionally and allowed healing and conversation to happen…which in turn strengthen their bond.

*“I am in love with you, Melody. I have been in love with you. And frankly, given the way the past fourteen years of my life have gone, I don’t see a way out of it.”*

Another super fun and quick read!

The absolute highlight of this book is Zac. He’s been in love with Melody for over a decade, and when she finally returns, he’s fully committed to winning her over. He’s such a softie, and his jealous moments—especially when he’s totally aware the person isn’t a real threat—had me laughing out loud. Plus, he’s always supporting her, even when it means she might move away to pursue her dreams. He’s got green flags all over the place.

I’m kind of torn on Melody. On one hand, she’s funny and smart, and she’s on a journey to rediscover herself after a toxic six-year relationship. So her hesitancy to jump into something new makes total sense. But there were times I didn’t quite see eye to eye with her. Sometimes it felt like she was leading Zac on or acting a bit self-centered. Of course, after what she’s been through, she’s absolutely allowed to be guarded, but it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me in this case.

LOVE that there was *no third-act breakup*! There are some challenges, sure, and some hard truths to face, but Melody handles it by taking the time she needs to process things. It’s a nice change from the usual drama-filled breakup, and her approach feels really mature and refreshing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it!

3⭐️ there was some really cute moments in this book! I think a lot of people will love this, but for me, it was a bit too long and the pacing was a bit off.

-tropes: second chance, brothers best friend, it’s always been you

-what i liked: quarterback turned football coach, romantic gestures, the mmc being cute, the ten years of pining/yearning

thank you Atria for the ARC!