He's been yearning for her for 10 years and she's been mad at him for 10 years. A brother's bestfriend second chance sweet and spicy story!

Melody Woods always dreamed of moving to the city and leaving her hometown of Oakwood Bay behind. Leaving right after the most heart breaking night of her teenage life, Mel is back 10 years later, trying to get her life back on track after a nasty breakup. Things couldn't get any worse for Melody until Zac Porter reenters the scene. Head coach of the local college football team, Zac is determined to get back on good terms with Melody and this time, he won't give up so easily!

Thoughts and potential spoilers:

This was a fun read! I thought this book had just the right balance of plot, tension and spice! And talk about the found family aspect!? There were multiple times I found myself getting a little choked up and teary eyed over some of the character dynamics, but especially between Mel, Zac and Noah!
The banter and tension between Zac and Mel was fun! It sometimes felt immature, but considering they hadn't seen eachother since they were 18, it makes sense to me and I thought it really worked in the story. Shifting into familiar habits despite growing and maturing in their separate lives. One thing I really loved was how determined Zac was. I'm a sucker for a man that doesn't waver even when things get complicated. He's loved her since he was 14 and it showed through every single dynamic, especially when he was trying to support Mel, but let her have her freedom to make her own decisions, something she desperately needed after her past relationship. This is a recurring subplot as well. Melody had recently been dumped by her long term boyfriend Connor. After discussing her relationship with her twin brother and hometown friends, Melody realized how aggressively manipulative and controlling Connor had been. This came up a lot and though I understand that Melody was working through her trauma and ability to judge someone's character, it got a tad annoying sometimes. Especially in comparison to Zac. Yes, he unknowingly broke your heart at 18, but prior to that, and when reconnecting he didn't give any sign of being untrustworthy!! He literally built the dream house from her vision board?! It's giving *The Notebook*

Thank you so much to Atria and NetGalley for inviting me to read this ARC.

Only in Your Dreams follows Melody, who moves back home after a rough break up with her boyfriend of 6 years. While home, she is back face to face with her brothers best friend Zac who broke her heart years back. This book is a true second chance romance with the brothers best friend trope, two things that I definitely love!

I really enjoyed both characters -- for Melody I personally related as she dealt with many insecurities post-break up and from being in such a toxic past relationship that broke down her self worth. Zac was literally just so sweet and supportive and I loved how he was always there for her and has always, only had his eyes for her.

Unfortunately for me the main conflict of this story I didn't enjoy. I strongly dislike miscommunication, especially one that ends up spanning years and years. I also felt like the book dragged on at times, and definitely could have been shortened. I also disliked Melody's brother, who was super controlling and it felt very toxic as times.

Overall this was a pretty good read, and I'll definitely check out more of the authors books in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Such a great, easy read. Perfect for fans of second chance romances and MMCs who help their girl heal (think Peyton Corinne’s Unsteady), with a dash of sports romance mixed in. Can’t wait to see Wilde’s career take off after this one!

Thanks Atria and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was such a fun love story! Get ready for a story full of love and adventure. It was darling! Loved the characters.

Ellie K. Wilde has SO QUICKLY become one of my favorite authors. This book was everything I wanted it to be and the writing is so real. 👏🏼 justice 👏🏼 for 👏🏼 football 👏🏼 coach 👏🏼 romances 👏🏼 Can’t wait for the next book in the series!!!

Thank you to Ellie + her team for the ARC!

4.5/5- Oh this was better than I thought it would be. The plot was plotting and the spice was spicing. Second chance romance is very hard to do right. And this was where it's at. I kept hating when she would compare, or mentally revisit her past relationship, I just wanted her to move on already and let go but that's not how it works. Real people do compare and do have to process getting out of a bad relationship, so I gotta say that was done well too. It was cute and fun, but my god was it hot too. And the found family.. icing on the cake, really. Definitely plan on reading more from this author.

“Only in Your Dreams’ is the first book I’ve read by Ellie K. Wilde, but it definitely won’t be my last!

This surprisingly good story came to me via NetGalley, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to have read it as this is SUCH A GOOD BOOK. If you love Abby Jimenez books like I do, you will definitely want to read this.

While “Only in Your Dreams” does have a lot of romance tropes going on… second chance, brother’s best friend, fake dating, small town romance–maybe even a little forced proximity–but Wilde handles them deftly and weaves together a beautiful and fun tale.

Melody is a little lost in her life when she moves back to her hometown after a breakup. Zac is the old crush who left a brokenhearted Melody behind in high school. This excellent book navigates their reunion as adults, the lengths they go to in order to clear up the misconceptions about the past, and also support one another as they move forward into their new chapters. Both characters are trying to figure out where they belong in their careers and it’s very modern and relatable. The book is not just fun and games and spicy times; there is also a lot of weight to it as Melody deals with the fallout of her life under a controlling ex, and Zac helps a student whose father is an alcoholic.

You know I really love a book if I give it 5 stars, so definitely check it out when it’s released in January!


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Second chance romance? Sign me UP.
Forced proximity? Sold.

This book was the perfect balance and I highly recommend it.

This one was really cute! Brother’s best friend was pulled off perfectly and the camping trip was the perfect forced proximity situation. I understand that Melody just got out of a bad relationship, but the fact that she stayed in it for so long and didn’t even spend the time that her and Zac were apart figuring out what happened between them?? like if you really liked him then why did you ghost him and not do a lil investigation…? It was just an odd storyline that made 0 sense. Seems like it could have been cut in half if they had like 1 conversation.

Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC! This book started off strong, but I felt it could have been a bit shorter. The tropes were classic, and overall, it was a sweet read, though the buildup to the heartbreak reveal felt a bit overdone. All in all, it was an easy and pleasant read.

Thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for the E-ARC of this title.

I love a good second chance, and this book did not disappoint. The story follows Melody and Zac from their high school days where they ran in the same crowd, Zac is Melody's twin brother's best friend, whom she happens to harbor a major crush on. When their friendship threatens to cross the line into something more, Zac suddenly withdraws and leaves Melody to question herself and her feelings. She moves on, grows, up and leaves Zac as a distant memory.
A decade later, Melody finds herself back in her home town and face to face with Zac. While Melody moved on, Zac was in the wings waiting for his moment. Zac is the ultimate golden retriever MMC, as he is relentless in his pursuit of Melody. There were so many sweet moments from Zac as he finds ways to show Melody how much he loves her now as well as then.

Despite the constant affection and blatant hints that Zac gives her, Melody questions Zac's motives and intent. Her failure to see what is right in front of her was frustrating at times.
The story is set against the backdrop of a college football team that Zac coaches. This provides additional depth and character development.

This book is an open door romance and is oozing with sexual tension. For such a good guy, Zac has the dirty talk down.

If you love a second chance, childhood friends to lovers, forced proximity story full of swoon and sexiness, this one is for you.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of Only In Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde.

Melody has returned to her home town following a break up. She ends up on a camping trip with none other than the boy she fell for in high school. Zac, who messed up his chance with Melody 10 years ago, is the local football coach. Zac is aiming to develop a winning team and win back Melody’s heart.

This book really hooks you from the very beginning. I was immediately drawn into the chemistry that was between Zac and Melody. When we have the 10 year flash forward, the camping trip shows us that the chemistry still exists between these two. This story follows Zac and Melody has they navigate their relationship and what each of their next steps are in life.

If you enjoy a second chance, situationship, brother’s best friend romance, this is one to check out.

Overall I really liked the book. It took a while to get into it, since there is a lot of emotional heavy lifting in the beginning. The angst was so delicious though! I liked the character arcs and I’d read a sequel!

I am officially OBSESSED with this book! Excuse me while I go add Ellie K Wilde's other books to my TBR! This is a brother's best friend romance with forced proximity, a crap ton of angst and panty-melting spice!
First of all, I love Melody's journey in this book and even more I love the role that Zac plays in it. The two of them missed out on their chance 10 years ago and Melody holds a lot of resentment about that. Will she be able to get passed that?
Zac may have been an idiot ten years ago but man did he make up for it now! Zac is the perfect golden retriever with a side of pleasure dom and I could not get enough! Where do I find a man like this?!
This book did not have me an emotional mess like some, maybe some other type of mess though!
I cannot express enough that YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK!
I absolutely cannot wait to read Brook's book and I will be reading Ellie's Sunset Landing book ASAP!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Melody is back in her small hometown after a terrible breakup. As she struggles to find herself again, she winds up face-to-face with her brother's best friend and the one who got away/broke her heart. As he tries to win her over, she learns to love herself again and slowly lets him in.

I think that this story was quaint, spicy, and provides tropes like second chance, friends-to-lovers, secret romance, forbidden romance, and even a little enemies-to-lovers ... but it is missing a spark, a something. I finished it and felt like the couple had chemistry, but there was something missing. The fact that he is SO in love with her that she's the only person he's literally ever cared about, EVER, was a little much. I understand holding a torch for someone, but his investment (the house, the everything) was so over the top that it kind of made me not like him? Maybe that's just me - and my preference.

From the beginning to the end, I was hooked on the story of Zac and Melody. It rang so true to life and covered behaviors that you may interact with. I am in absolute awe. This will definitely be a book that gets re read. Also, I will be purchasing a copy for my book shelf.

This book was fun! I didn't really vibe with the conflict and found it extremely unnecessary and drawn out, but I thought Zac was an angel and I loved the healing aspect of the book!

I was drawn into this. It was cute and had characters that you can like. I do love a good second chance and brother's best friend type book. There were parts that seemed to knock down a few stars for me but in the end it was a nice read.

**Engaging 2-Star Review of *Only in Your Dreams***

I wanted to love *Only in Your Dreams*, but it fell flat for me. The premise of a small-town, brother’s best friend romance with unresolved tension sounded irresistible, but the execution left much to be desired.

At 500 pages, the story dragged unnecessarily, with much of the plot hinging on a mystery that was painfully obvious early on. Zac’s reason for leaving Melody years ago was weak, and the constant buildup to this revelation felt more frustrating than suspenseful.

Melody’s twin brother, Parker, was overly controlling, which mirrored the toxic dynamics of her previous relationship. This could have been a great opportunity for Melody to confront these patterns, but instead, she remained passive.

As for Zac, his over-the-top sentimentality bordered on cringe. While vulnerability is welcome in a romance hero, his endless declarations felt sappy rather than swoon-worthy.

I’ve enjoyed Ellie K. Wilde’s previous books, but this one was a disappointment. The pacing and character development just weren’t there. That said, fans of slow-burn romances and heartfelt second-chance stories might still find something to enjoy here, even if it wasn’t for me.

Only in Your Dreams drew me in quickly and captured my full attention. This book is SPICY though and that is to be noted. This was a well written book and I was quickly captivated by the friends to lovers trope. I would definitely read more in this series, but would also probably put a TW for controlling relationships. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for my free advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.