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

Wow! For a Debut Series, this one was Great! Zac and Mel! Like seriously what more can we need from a Couple, yes It didn't start great because of how things ended and began at the same time. But that seriously gave this story to continue and for them to find each other in the process! The Twin and Friends being sneaky was Icing on the cake! I think I Loved that part of the Book even more than Mel's and Zac's Romance! And that Ending...... uuuhhh can't wait to read book 2 when it becomes available!

Okay oof I felt like I wasn’t ever going to finish this book 😅

I did like it, don’t get me wrong. It was off to a good start, but I just think the whole plot wasn’t really justifiable to me. I love small town and brother’s best friend tropes so I really thought I was going to love it. I enjoyed aspects of it, like how Melody finally took charge of her life and got herself out of an abusive situation. But the whole misunderstanding situation felt like two college kids playing catch. Like I think the entire book I wasn’t even sure how old they were because it was giving emotionally immature vibes, from both of them. And also why was this so long! Like unnecessarily so.

I would say this was a solid 3 for me. I hope the side characters get their own stories though, I’d still read them!

Thanks Atria for the digital copy!

2.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC!
I had high hopes for this one, it started off strong with the main characters trapped in the woods during a stormy camping trip. However it fell apart shortly after.
I didn't find the plot to be very interesting once they got back from the camping trip. Honestly didn't feel much chemistry from the main characters either.
On a positive note, as I said, the book started off strong and sucked me in quickly. Also, I enjoyed the side characters and found myself wanting to know more about their stories.

A lot to love in Only in Your Dreams! Mel and Zac are reunited after 10 years apart. She thinks he turned her down, but really he chickened out because he was a child. I loved how bad down Zac was the whole time and how he kept telling her and how she kept not believing him. The ex-boyfriend sub-plot was interesting and made you understand Mel better. She also goes through a lot of personal growth. The camping scene went on a little too long for me. The tension between these two was perfect. I really enjoyed it! Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this eARC!

🄰🅁🄲 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆

4.25⭐️ | 3🌶️

Only in Your Dreams is a heartfelt romance that’s equal parts swoony and emotional. Ellie K. Wilde brings together beloved tropes like second chances, he-falls-first, and brother’s best friend, blending them into a charming, laugh-out-loud, and deeply satisfying read.

Melody, fresh from a six-year toxic relationship, is fierce, witty, and refreshingly relatable. Her journey of healing and rediscovering her self-worth added layers of depth to her character, making it impossible not to root for her. Zac, on the other hand, is pure pining perfection. This man defines the art of yearning—he’s kind, loyal, and absolutely gone for Melody. Every sweet moment and longing glance had me swooning!

The chemistry between them is electric, the slow burn leads to sizzling spice, and there’s no dreaded third-act breakup to stress over. Wilde’s portrayal of emotional abuse and its lasting impact was handled thoughtfully, shining a light on an often-overlooked issue. If you love sports romance, witty banter, and pining heroes, this book will steal your heart.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Ellie K. Wilde for the ARC 💙

Absolutely adored this book so much. I love a good brothers best friend trope and this one completely delivered. Throw in forced proximity (camping trip where the two of them accidentally get left behind) and you've got yourselves the making of a delicious rom com.

What I loved most about this book is that Zac never stopped trying. He fell first and hard! I loved that so much. Cannot wait to read more by this author in the future!!

Several times throughout this book I turned to my partner and sighed while saying, “Ugh I love romance.” It was the perfect blend of yearning, self-discovery, and spice.

I had so much fun sinking into Melody and Zac’s story, from learning how to accept and move on from their past miscommunication to realizing how they uplifted each other.

I really loved the aspects of found family in this story, from Noah’s relationship with our main characters, to the friend group that kept me giggling.

If you love a man who falls first and YEARNS, then Zac Porter is your man. Carrying love for someone for ten years is intense, and to not let the idea of loving someone keep you from loving them in the present is powerful. The red shoestring, the house, and the tattoo really got me.

I also really appreciated that this was a sports romance that had a healthy balance of romance and the actual sport. It was a presence in the book, obviously, but it didn’t overwhelm the love story. I can’t wait for more books in this series!

I highly recommend this if you love:
🏈 Second chance romance
🏈 He falls first and harder
🏈 Secret tattoo
🏈 He’s waited ten years
🏈 Self-discovery

Thank you so much to Ellie K Wilde, NetGalley, and Atria for the ARC of Only in Your Dreams! I’ve really enjoyed all of Ellie’s books I’ve read so far and this was no exception.
 
Only in Your Dreams follows our FMC, Melody, after she moves back to her hometown after a bad breakup with her ex of 6 years. Once back, she gets tricked into taking her twin borther’s spot on a camping trip. The problem? Also on that camping trip (and shearing a tent with her), is her childhood crush, Zac. Zac is now the head football coach for the college and has been in love with Mel since they were kids. One night before Mel left for college, they started to have a moment, but Zac left suddenly saying he’d “be right back.” He never came back and never responded when Mel reached out after. Now Mel is still angry about that night, but Zac has been regretting his actions ever since. Now that Mel’s back in town, this is his chance to do everything right this time around. Being stuck at the campsite during a storm and then seeing each other around town after should be enough for Zac to convince Melody that he’s the one for her, but can he overcome Mel’s anger about how they left things years ago?
 
This book was fun, spicy, and a great time! I look forward to the next book in the series!

Such a freaking good book. I’m obsessed with the two of them, the spice was amazing and their chemistry literally sizzles off the page. I’m a sucker for reunion-based storylines and this one was masterfully done. Ellie Wilder has a new fan in me!!

Thank you Atria and SimonAudio for review copies! Solid character driven romance, one with depth I didn't expect in terms of exploration of Melody's previous relationship and how it impacted her and Zac's gentle and caring approach to showing her love but also giving her the gift of confidence, self-worth, and space to find herself again. The story has great chemistry, secondary characters, and strong themes outside of romance that made this a really great read. I thought Wilde here offered a nice expansion on the sports romance genre, so very popular right now, by weaving in a lot of additional themes that expanded on sports romance books in powerful ways, ones that I appreciated as a reader.
The audio was a win for the always welcome Teddy Hamilton and the great acting from Carly Robins as well.

This was an unexpected delight! I adored the chemistry between Zac and Melody. There were some laugh out loud funny moments (one involving a chipmunk) and I enjoyed the banter. There were some heavier moments - mainly a gaslighting ex - but they only added to the story. This has an amazing cast of side characters which I need in a five star rom com. I’ll definitely be checking out ONLY BETWEEN US which comes out this summer!

This book was so good! Going in blind - beside seeing the adorable cover I was not expecting the serious and emotional topics in this book. Melody and Zac are childhood friends. Upon graduation meloday makes her move and Zac screwed up horribly. 10 years later melody is coming home after a breakup and gets thrown together with Zac by her twin brother. There are some serious issues that Melody is going through from her breakup and Zac is there for her and still in love with her all these years later. I just loved this book and how it handled all the fun and serious aspects. I need more from this author!

I actually feel like this is one of those instances where the cover does the story a little bit of a disservice. It gives the impression of a light-hearted romance when in fact, this story has a lot of depth and emotional weight. Melody is in a bad place emotionally after her break-up from her boyfriend of six years. As she comes to terms with it, she’s realizing that she was being mentally and emotionally abused for years. So much so that at first, she has trouble making any decisions on her own. What to dress, eat, do with her free time- they were all things that her ex used to decide for her. When Zac and her friends realize what had happened to her they rallied around her helping her come to grips with that revelation. It is literally about 50% through the book before our heroine is in any kind of mindset to see Zac as something other than the first boy to betray her. I actually loved that the cover misled me and I think, enjoyed the story even more because of it.

Melody’s growth through the novel added to my love for her as a heroine. She started off in such a bad place emotionally and it was great to see her take those steps towards independence and believing she could give herself the kind of life she wanted. I loved Zac as well but for different reasons. He had always loved Melody and despite his screw-up he wasn’t going to back down from taking his shot with her. He did that, but in a way that was gentle and sweet. He showed her that he would always have her back even if that meant she found her strength and needed to leave Oakwood Bay. Who doesn’t love a supportive, sweet, hero?

So, if like me you were looking for a light and sweet romance, rest assured there is plenty of that in this novel, but there’s a lot more too. This story has a strong plot, a couple who get their redemption arc, and a heroine who finds her strength with the help of a good man. It’s even better than that cover leads you to think.

I loved this book . It was an really fast and enjoyable read .
I loved the main characters and their relationship.
The tropes are just so perfect and I loved the writing.


Thank you Netgallery and the publisher for sending me an arc copy of this book.

Zac and Melody are adorable together! Zac is obsessed with her and I love that for her so much. This is a great childhood friends to lovers, fake dating, and brothers best friend novel. I can’t wait for Brooks book later on this year.

i definitely suggest listening to this on audio if you can, the narrators are fantastic.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC, and Simon & Schuster Canada and Ellie K Wilde for the ALC.