I enjoyed this so much more than I was expecting. Teddy Hamilton and Carly Robins did a great job narrating. This one has small town vibes, secret romance, second chances after a decade, “"snuggle buddies” and once the spice kicks in it heats up to 100. He's the kind of guy who talks her through it if you know what I mean. I'd love to read more of this author’s books - the writing flowed well, the characters were interesting and fun, and loved the spicy scenes.

Rating: 5/5
Spice:3/5

Tropes
- small town
- only one bed
- brother's best friend
- second chance
-protective mmc
- forced proximity

congratulations on only in your dreams for being my first 5/5 book of 2025! I have never read this author before and didn't know what to expect but 5 chapters in, I knew I was reading something that was going to become one of my favorites.

melody is a very dynamic and I think the author was really able to capture a well rounded character. melody has come out of a very manipulative and toxic relationship that she really has not wrapped her head around. very early on you see people around her call out manipulative behavior she was exposed to and her not being able to believe it and make excuses for it felt very raw and real. her ex-boyfriend wanted to control every part of her life that she has lost who she really is and that is where zak porter reenters her life.

zak porter... you are the biggest simp I have ever read. there are no words to describe how much I loved this male character. zak porter missed out on an opportunity 10 years to express his feelings to melody and it has stayed with him ever since. he is responsible for creating miracles with a losing university football team alongside one of his good friends. as a coach, he knows he's up against all odds but as he's mentoring the quarterback and has a soft spot for him, he is going to do everything possible to turn the team around.

10 years might have passed but zak porter remembers everything about melody. whenever the book had that happened, I literally could feel myself screaming and grinning because that man is so in love with her. zak porter doesn't hide from melody how he feels but understands melody is trying to process her ex-relationship and find herself again. as they reconnect and start pierceing together what happened that night 10 years ago, it's clear as day that they belong with each other. the details of the shoelace and the clover made my heart so happy. when you get to the reason why he decorated the house as he did... I might have thrown my phone out of realization.

the spice? zak porter you might have changed my life.

Highlights:

- never have I reada man that is bigger simp
- no third act breakup... thank you for that
- great side characters
- zac has entered my favorite book men of all time list

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Book for the arc of Only in your Dreams by Ellie K Wilde.

I absolutely love The Sixty/Forty Rule, so I was extremely excited to receive the e-arc of "Only on Your Dreams". Zac is such a perfect book boyfriends, and this man's mouth is 🌶🌶🌶.

I loved this second chance romance so much!

2.75!

I wanna cry 😭 I always have such high hopes when best friends sister/brothers best friend because I love it soooo much but this one was so frustrating 😭 It definitely did not go as I expected it was and I also didn;t know that it was second chance 🌚 and second chances are a hit or a miss for me, the latter if I'm not prepared. The starting tbh was very fun, I was so invested and I the angst and tension was there but everything was happening so fast and then the author was adding conflict to keep it interesting but I was getting annoyed by that and for a 400 pages book this definitely felt a lot longerrrrrr. I enjoyed the writing but there came a point where I just wanted the book to be finished.

Mel, I was sooooo annoyed by her but I also understood but it still did nothing for me, she was so in love but the denial put me at the edge of punching myself and Zac, what the hell did he even do besides wetting his lips when looked at her, Even tho I was mad at the character for the entirety of the book I enjoyed the romance. The smut got too much at one point but the romance was enjoyable to an extent. I wanted more from that trope to be honest but it didnt give me enough. Also there came a point where there was so much back and forth that I just dnf'd it 😭 but then I felt bad and I picked it up and finished it.

I liked that there was no third act breakup/ I think that was one of the saving grace of this book and of course the ending was very sweet. This book could have been so much more enjoyable but the whole friends to lovers/second chance didn't hit for me.

Overall, It was an okay book.

2.5 🌟🌟
Brother bestie✅
Boy obsessed✅
Always been you✅
Second chance✅
Fake dating(?) ✅

I think this was just not my cup of tea…
It reads like a wattpad (no shame to wattpad!) but if that’s your vibe… 🤷🏻‍♀️ maybe worth checking out. I feel like obsessively pursuing a girl after she just got out of a toxic 6 year is a little bit of a red flag… also the sneaking around and making a big deal out of fake dating the other best friend was stupid. I did enjoy the side characters though!! Just didn’t hit for me, read at your own risk ◡̈

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books publishing & Ellie K. Wilde for providing me this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book is one that makes your heart happy. Great characters, great banter, great emotional aspects and more. Definitely a fan of this author.

Thank you to the publisher (Atria Books) for the e-galley for an honest review.

I had high hopes when I started this story. The way the novel opened I really enjoyed it. As the story progressed I felt like tropes were just being checked off. Forced proximity, grumpy sunshine, small town, second chance (?), sports romance, brothers best fried and then to add in fake dating.

I really enjoyed both Zac and Melody and the relationship but I feel like there was to much that was trying to be accomplished in the story. The only thing that I personally found a little more annoying than all the tropes was his nickname for Melody that I personally felt was overused.

Overall I don’t think that this story was bad. It was easy to follow and I really enjoyed reading both points of view. I feel like there was a lot going on in the story and if you enjoy a lot of tropes then this is for you.

This was a lot more spice than I usually read, but the charm of the characters made up for it! And the explicit scenes were decently easy to skip, which was a plus.

My main issue with this story was that I kind of found it hard to suspend my disbelief that Zac was truly in love with adult Melody exactly the same as he was in love with high school Melody. The 10 years after high school are a pretty crucial time when people grow and change, and by all means, Melody had grown during this time. But Zac's love for her borders on obsession, since there's no change or growth to it, even though he hasn't interacted with her in 10 years. It makes his love seem shallow and obsessive, rather than romantic. If more of the story showed Zac falling in love with the Melody of today all over again, I would have bought it and enjoyed the story more.

This is a perfect fit for readers who crave a heartwarming, second-chance romance with a dash of small-town charm, sports excitement, and a swoon-worthy love story that will leave them rooting for the underdog couple to find they're happily ever after.

4.75/5
3.5/5
Brother's best friend, second chance, only one tent, recovering from a toxic relationship, fake dating (?)
I completely devoured this story. Honestly had a little bit of everything!!! Down bad MMC who's a secret cinnamon roll, but he's been grumpy since he lost her.
Zac's a football coach and Mel's a part-time investor/ data analyst for her ex boyfriend's company. One night 10 years ago changed everything, and now that she's back in town trying to figure out her next move, Zac decides he has to convince her he is trustworthy and to give him a shot!

This was SO good!! This had so many of my favorite tropes and I absolutely loved the plot. This was my first time reading anything by this author and I really enjoyed the writing and the pace of the story. The tension, the chemistry, the banter, the yearning, it was all so good & I though there was a good ratio of spicy moments and more cute & emotional moments. I loved Zach & Melody and thought they had such amazing growth & character development throughout the book. Overall such a great read!!

I keep thinking there will be a day when I hit my sports romance saturation point, but today is not that day, and Only in Your Dreams is not the book to make me want to quit. Ellie Wilde gives us all the swoony tropes: small town romance, brother's best friend, second chance romance, Melody and Zac have great chemistry, and it's a spicy one for sure.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

This was a fun read. Melody moves back in with her twin brother after going through a breakup and is reunited with her brother's best friend, Zac. It's got lots of great tropes including forced proximity, he falls first, the one who got away, cinnamon role MMC, fake dating.... the list goes on. The banter and the yearning were both enjoyable. And my favorite thing about it: no third act breakup! There were a few moments where the plot was contrived enough to earn an eyeroll, but overall I enjoyed this contemporary romance.

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC, in exchange an honest review!

Melody’s life is upside down. She returns to her childhood town to stay with her twin brother, Parker. Her brother cannot make it to a camping trip with their childhood friends so she sends Melody to go. Melody is hesitant because Zac will be there. She cannot stand him. Melody and Zac have history. Zac stood her up when they were younger. She was in love with him.

Zac is a college football coach. He has always been in love with Melody but fumbled his shot ten years ago. He takes the camping trip as an opportunity to win her back.

This was enjoyable. The spice was off the charts. One thing, I didn’t like was that I felt like the story was all over the place. I felt like it tried to be many things at once. There was moments where it felt repetitive, while other moments that were enjoyable. At first i was going to give this two stars but I really liked the ending.

Thank you once again Net Galley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 50%
I really wanted to enjoy this one, based on the tropes I had really high hopes. But I just found the pacing to be off and some of the dialogue just didn't work for me. I found the chemistry between the love interests to be lacking and without that it just made the book drag.

Confession time: I'm a total sucker for the brother's best friend trope! 🙋‍♀️ And second chance romance with a side of 'the one that got away' angst? Yes, please! This book was all that wrapped into a sports romance package! 🏈

Zac Porter is the ultimate boyfriend goal. His decade-long commitment to his high school sweetheart is ridiculously romantic. 😍 The way he prioritizes Melody's comfort and pace after her past trauma is truly unmatched!

Melody Woods’ journey to find herself once again was its own inspirational, yet heartbreaking story. Watching her navigate the challenges of finding herself again after a difficult relationship was truly relatable for so many. 💔 I felt her pain and uncertainty, and it was beautiful to see her emerge stronger and more vibrant than ever.

I’m still giddy over this story of two people that are truly meant to be together. Despite some slow moments, the story was so engaging thanks to the witty banter and impressive character growth.

A huge thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

-Brother's Best Friend
-Secret Relationship
-Second Chance Romance
-Sports Romance

This humor and spice had me immediately invested in this book. The spice was insane and very engaging and the storyline had me hooked. I loved the characters so much and Ellie has definitely mastered romance storytelling with because this one was very intriguing. I was obsessed and realized her brother planned the romance all along and you can auto-assume this from the beginning of the book. I really loved the play on words that the title has on the story because of Zac and Mel both wanted things that they felt were out of reach at the beginning. It was overall an incredible book and I cannot wait for the next book in this series!

A special thank you to the author and publisher Atria books for this ARC in exchange for reading this book. All opinions in this review are mine.

Melody moves home after the end of her long term relationship and slowly begins to realize that her relationship wasn’t what she thought it was and it didn’t help that the person who made her start to realize that was the one person she wanted to avoid. Zac, Melody and her twin brother Parker were always together in high school but Zac and Melody shared something else just between them and when Melody asks Zac if the attraction she thought between them was one side, he bolted and never came back. Now, it’s ten years later and Zac is determined to prove to Melody that he isn’t going anywhere like last time and that he wants to go at her pace.

Zac patiently showed Melody that he was all in and wanted nothing more than to see her happy. He showed up for her in the little ways and the big ways without making a big deal out of it. He listened and valued her opinion even when she was sassing him. Melody slowly began to trust herself again and trust in the feeing she has for Zac.

I loved all the side characters so much. Noah was perfect and his brotherly relationship with Zac just proves that family is more than blood. Brooks, Summer, and even Parker were good friends to both Melody and Zac and I hope they all get their own stories.


Thank you @atriabooks and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

I am the biggest sucker for brother's best friend trope. The MMCs just are so protective and attentive! I loved this book so much. Loving someone who has been so unloved and mistreated can be so hard and our man Zac showed up and showed out for Miss Melody 👏👏 Zac is top tier book boyfriend material and we LOVE him!

Side note: I love when there is a character with my name (Summer) bonus points ❤️

The first chapter of this book got me interested right away. Then there was some immediate forced proximity and I was mildly frustrated that the book was moving too fast. However, somehow the book just kept me turning the pages and I felt invested in this second-chance romance.

The MMC gave me golden retriever book boyfriend vibes and pined for the FMC similar to Noah and Allie in the Notebook. I spent the majority of the book rooting for them. There is an ex storyline in the book and I do understand why it's there, but at times it got mildly annoying.

I can't quite explain it but this one grew on me as I read. There's some spice and it was a bit more spicey than I'd expect (not mad about it).
3.75 (rounding up to 4) out of 5