Dual POV, Spicy, Brother's Best Friend, Second Chance, It Was Always You, Mental Health Rep, Toxic Ex, Found Family, Football Coach MMC, Care Taking, Protective MMC, Jealous MMC

The cute cover caught my eye and everything about the book drew me in, I literally read this in one sitting. The way Zac is desperate to make amends and help Melody get her life back on track after her disastrous relationship with her ex left her life in shambles paired with their banter, chemistry, and sneaking around made this an equally emotional and hilarious read. This is a compelling second chance romance done exactly right: angsty, plenty of call out from their childhood, growth, and insane bed chemistry. And don't get me started on the way they all but adopt Noah, the QB of the team Zac coaches.

Only In Your Dreams reads like your favorite romcom from the early 2000's and packs an emotional punch that is equal parts swoony and tear worthy. Newly single after leaving a toxic relationship Melody moves in with her brother and sets her sights on rebuilding her life. The one thing she didn't count on is Zach Woods her first love who is willing to do anything to get back in her good graces. Zach Woods may very well be the ultimate book boyfriend. Not only does he profusely grovel, he builds her dream home, gets tattoos in honor of her, builds up her confidence, and helps her reach her dreams even when it means sacrificing his happiness. 'Get her happy. Keep her happy.'

I adored this book. One of my favorite tropes is he falls first and harder and this book did it beautifully. I especially loved how healthy Zac and Mel were in healing from her previous abusive relationship

𝟰.𝟱 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡

“𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝, 𝙕𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙋𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙧.” 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙗. “𝙎𝙤, 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙢𝙚.”

This book made me squeal with glee so many times, and then cry tears of sappy joy at others. Zac was so hopelessly devoted to Melody. He was always so sure of how strong she could be on her own, but he loved her so much that he was willing to do whatever it took to make her see what he saw in her. He never made her feel alone or scared when the traumas of her past came to haunt her. My fragile heart just couldn’t take it. Also, the clovers and the shoelaces 🥹

The one and only reason this couldn’t be a 5-star for me was the explanation of why they never got their chance to be together in the past…and then why it took 10 YEARS for them to reconcile. Very underwhelming, in my opinion.

Either way, you best BELIEVE I am counting down the days till the next book comes out! I want my boy Brooks to have his happy ending too🤍

Second chance romance. Brothers best friend.
Spicy. Kinks/fantasies explored.

Mel is back in town to crash with her brother after her boyfriend dumps her.
As she looks back she realizes the abuse she was oblivious to until she wasn't in the situation. She works through intrusive thoughts to trust again. Zac screwed up 10 years ago and will stop at nothing to get Melody back.
I loved the sweet found family routine. Zac loves to do things for people he loves, without need for thank yous. Melody stands her ground for her goals.
They both seem to get what they want without sacrifice.
Zac is the best cheerleader and voice or reason.

This book was my 3rd ARC (advanced reader copy)!
Some of my favorite tropes in the book are: fake dating and second chance romance.
! SPOILER ! I love that melody and brooks pretended to date I think that it added another level of depth and comedy into the book.
My favorite part of the book was that while melody and Zac were friends with benefits he was still being supportive of her dreams of moving back to the city and finding a job she loves. The main reasons the book got 4 instead of 5 stars is because it took me a ridiculously long time to read and when I finished the book I didn't have this rip my heart out of my chest to read it again feeling.

A spicy romance novel with close proximity, brother's best friend, football and secret dating.

This book hits all the marks. Highly predictable but still a great read. Melody and Zac (her twin brother's best friend) were friends in high school.
Until her last night before college when she tells him she likes him and he leaves to never return. 10 years later, she returns home after a terrible break up and stays with her brother.

Destined to meet Zac again, things escalate as there are many unresolved feelings between the two of them. Slow burn to spicy!

Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC.

Brothers Best Friend, Second Chance, and Sports Adjacent? I was in from the start.

The character development was fun to watch throughout, and I truly enjoyed seeing Melody grow into herself. She was a joy to see, and I loved how Zac loved her to let her grow into herself.

There were moments I struggled to believe in the fun romcom, specifically the co-dependent sleeping before they truly reconnected. It didn’t connect for me, but that’s ok. It was still a fun ride.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a book that I was invited to read, and I think that if I hadn't, I never would have chosen it for myself. That being said, I did enjoy it! I don't read a lot of sports romances, and second chance romance is usually my least favorite romance trope, but this book had a really nice story at it's heart. I liked all of the characters, with the exception of Connor, of course, and I was rooting for them throughout the book. Zac was a huge alpha male, but I loved the protectiveness of him, and his vulnerability. Melody did annoy me at times, but I liked her character arc of trying to figure out who she was without her abusive boyfriend. This was a LOT more explicit than books I typically read, but apart from that, the love story was really genuine and sweet, and I would definitely recommend it to a friend.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria, and Ellie K. Wilde for providing me with an eARC of this work in exchange for an honest review.

I found the reading experience to be sweet and fast-paced, which I truly appreciated. Another important thing to mention is the character development of the main character, Melody, who begins by having little agency and ends up confident and capable of steering the wheel of her own life. I feel like that is something readers would enjoy, especially if they can relate to Melody's healing journey from dating a narcissist.

My issues with the book are mainly due to this not being the type of romance novel I personally connect to. It is much spicier than my preferences, but I could overlook that. However, my main issue is Zac's lack of personality. It feels like he is an empty shell and without desires of his own - apart from making Melody happy. I tend to prefer MMC that are complex and are not "perfect", with interests and motivations of their own, so it was very hard to connect. On top of this, Zac displays possessive and jealous behaviour that I find rather off-putting, which could work for others but most definitely did not work for me.

Overall, this was an entertaining book, and I think readers looking for romance books where the main guy expresses love through acts of service would enjoy this story quite a lot!

Ten years after Zac broke her heart by not making a move before she left for college, Melody returns home to her small town, fresh off a breakup, hoping to start over. Her brother immediately folds her back into his friend group, which still happens to include Zac.

And Zac? Well, his feelings for Melody never went away. This man has been in love with her since the age of 14.

At a glance:
- Dual POV
- Second chance
- Brother’s best friend
- Sports romance
- Teenage crush
- Long-term pining
- Only one tent
- Small town
- They sleep better next to each other
- Secret relationship
- Toxic ex

Y’all, this man has been carrying a torch.

Read it for
- The thoughtful gestures
- The treasured mementos
- The heat between Zac and Melody
- The tattoos 🥹
- To see Melody regain her confidence
- The women in STEM rep
- How Zac serves as a role model and safe place to land for his team’s quarterback
- How supportive Zac is of Melody’s dreams

Here are few of the things that irked me:
- I understand that a big part of the brother’s best friend trope tends to hinge on worrying that the brother will not approve of the relationship, but it feels like that is taken to the extreme here. As teenagers, especially with the found family relationship, I can understand why Zac felt the need to heed warnings, but as adults in their late 20s, I wish certain discussions had happened much earlier in the book.
- I would have loved to have seen more open communication. Melody is worried about what may be said, so she avoids conversations.
- Overall, it feels like the story could have been tightened up.

3.5⭐️

I received an advance copy of the ebook from Atria Books. All review opinions are my own.

4.25 ⭐️
2 🌶

🔹️Brother's best friend
🔹️Second chance
🔹️Found family
🔹️Golden retriever MMC
🔹️Secret tatoo
🔹️it was always you
🔹️life "playbook"

This book was SO cute! This was my first Ellie K. Wilde book and I will absolutely be reading more.

This second chance, slow burn, childhood friends to lovers had me kicking my feet and GIGGLING throughout my entire read. The MOUTH on Zac caused me to blush on more than one occasion and his nickname for Melody? SWOONING.

Melody went through a journey through out this book and it was so beautiful to see her finally choose herself and grow into a strong woman.

My only thought was that it was just a tad too long? This didn’t bother me too much because it allowed me to stick with Zac and Melody for longer:)

BOOK REVIEW: Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde⛺️🫠🏈❤️⛈️🐿️📊

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

After a messy breakup leaves Melody back in her small hometown of Oakwood Bay, the last thing she expects is to run into Zac—the guy who broke her heart a decade ago. He’s her brother’s best friend, her first love, and, as it turns out, the man who’s never stopped wanting her.

👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨Brother’s best friend
🏕️Forced proximity (helloooo tent scene😅)
💞Fake dating
🏈Sports romacne

Zac and Melody’s chemistry was ELECTRIC, but what really stood out to me was the balance between spicy moments and the sweet heartfelt ones. Zac is the kind of protective book boyfriend dreams are made of, and watching Melody rediscover her confidence and shine on her own terms was SO satisfying.The found family vibes, especially with Noah, added so much depth, and their banter had me grinning nonstop!

This was my first Ellie K. Wilde book, but it definitely won’t be my last, I’m already counting down the days to Brook’s story!!

Only in Your Dreams is fun, emotional, heartwarming, and everything you could want in a small-town romance. Huge congratulations to Ellie on such an incredible book and release🎉👏—don’t walk, run to Oakwood Bay!

Kate’s rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 (rounding up to 4⭐️’s on GR!)
Spice:🌶️ .5

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the copy of this eARC

Calling all sports romance lovers!! This is for You!

📖 Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde

Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is an adventure from the very first chapter! Let me tell you -- it's worth the ride!!

Melody is a fiesty investment banker who was recently dumped by her ex-boyfriend Connor. Melody moves home -- a place she's been avoiding for many years. Zac is a tall, handsome, golden retriever who coaches college football. Melody and Zac have a heated past and haven't seen each other in years. They are put back together at an annual camping trip with friends. The wild ride starts here.

I was happy and giddy, frustrated, near tears, and on the edge of my seat throughout this entire book. Zac and Melody's story is five stars and worth the read. You get sports, drama, adventure, romance, and spice all in one place!

📚 Read if you like: brother’s best friend, sports romance, childhood friends, mutual pining, spicy romance, it’s always been you
I did not want to put this one down because there was so much tension. I thought this was really cute and I adored Zac and Melody. I just want to give Melody (aka Clover - y’all know I love a nickname!) a hug because of her past 6 year relationship with a manipulative asshole. Zac is a man OBSESSED - he pined for her for 14 years y’all and never stopped. I love an “it’s always been you” book because there is so much mutual pining and tension and that results in some really fun spice 🥵 It’s also a sports romance so the football has me cheering for a fictional team again 😂 There was also a silly fake dating subplot which was fun because of the side characters (I’m so excited to read the Brooks book which comes out in July - Only Between Us). All in all, I thought this was really fun and entertaining!

Thank you @elliekwildeauthor @netgalley @atriabooks for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Only in Your Dreams was a delightfully fun rom-com that came at the perfect time in my 2025 reading journey. My favorite tropes of brothers-best-friend and forced proximity were executed wonderfully. Throw in a bit of forbidden love and second chance romance and it was nothing but fun from start to finish. I enjoyed the spice in this book too! It was fresh and unique. (Unique sounds like the wrong word here but its what fits the best for what I am trying to convey, ha!) Overall I enjoyed this story and the writing style of Ellie K Wilde. Thank you to Netgalley. Atria Books and author Ellie K Wilde for the ARC!

Heartbroken and looking to start over after a break up, Melody comes home to live with her twin brother and get back on her feet. When a disastrous camping trip pushes Mel and the boy, now man, she was head over heels for in high school (who rejected her) together things couldn't be worse. Meanwhile Zac is frozen in time replaying the mistake he made on repeat turning him into a grumpy man full of regrets, so when his opportunity to prove himself lands in his lap, well tent, he doesn't want to miss it. It takes old feelings coming to light, past chances being revealed, pain and hurt getting aired out for these two to take their fling into forever. The realization that Melody and Zac have both let those around them control their happiness is full of obstacles but maybe this time they might just get lucky.

Thank you Atria Books and Ellie K. Wilde for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Only In Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde is a steamy, small town, brother’s best friend sports romance. After getting dumped by her ex and starting her life over, Melody moves in with her twin brother Parker. He quickly pushes her to take his spot on a camping trip with his best friend Zac. Which is ironically the guy she’s been avoiding for ten years. After reluctantly agreeing to help Parker, Melody finds herself in a forced proximity situation with Zac. Zac quickly realizes that he wants to make up for lost time! Will spending all this time together lead to a flame rekindled? From the beginning, I knew I would be be able to really immerse myself in the story, and throughout I was able to enjoy the characters and plot.

This story is packed with football coaches and players, spicy moments, and love! I really loved Zac. I enjoyed having a MMC who would do anything for his FMC. I really appreciated the way he loved Melody loudly. I’ll be honest, I didn’t love Melody right away, but as I read further along I found myself really applauding her for making the choices that she wanted in life.

I’m a sucker for an off limits, brother’s best friend romance. So watching Zac and Melody’s undeniable chemistry unfold was really nice to see. I also love a spicy, steamy book and this book will have you warmed up! You’re in for a treat! The beginning was a good pace me, quickly had action but it also took its time to unfold in terms of the characters relationship, which is why I rated it the way I did, but as the story progressed, I was hooked with the character development, drama, and romance.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this book! Wilde really brought to life a story filled with romance, spice, and football players. I rate this book a 4 out of 5. I would recommend this book to those who love sports romances, spicy scenes, and young adult books. If this sounds like something you like, I recommend you check it out!

Thank you again to Atria Books, NetGalley, and Ellie K. Wilde!

4/5 stars
2.5/5 peppers
1/5 buzz buzz

Thank you netgalley for this chance to review this.

This is my first Ellie K. Wilde book. To be honest I went in it blind and thankfully I did because what a ride!!

Years ago, Melody took a chance to tell her brother's best friend that there more feelings for him than just a friend and when given the chance to show her he feels the same, Zac never returns to tell her. Then fast forward ten years when Melody comes home to restart her life after a six year relationship breakup.

Only her brother just "happens" not to be able to go on a friend's camping trip and has his sister take the place only to find that within this friend circle is the man that broke her in the first place all that time ago.

Zac and Melody will fight the elements (iykyk), rekindling a relationship, and even the tension that builds between them for Zac to show her that it's been her for the longest time.

What you'll find:
- second chance
- coming home to the small town
- fake dating (but not really to the MMC)
- Braving the elements while trying not to unalive the man that broke your heart
- reverse grumpy sunshine
- "I have no choice to be close to you"
- it was always you and forever you
- brother's best friend
- found family
- I'm keeping shirt on because you're not ready to see what's underneath.

I loved this book to be honest. I loved the tension and the building of making things right. And when she finally pieces things together, realizing that he never let go of her, it just made my heart melt.

The spice was good, wasn't over the top and I had some respect for him not going allll the way because he waited for her to believe him and not make it a "getting it out of our system". Chefs kiss.

3.75⭐️

Melody has just returned to her hometown after her 6 year relationship ended. She has no money, only a part-time job and no where to live, so she has to move in with her twin brother. And now, she is back in the orbit of the one man she has avoided for the last 10 years, her brother’s best friend Zac.

Zac thought he ruined his chance with Melody 10 years ago, now that she’s back he is going to do everything he can to prove to her he’s sorry and that he wants her, while also trying to keep his football coaching job!

So when I say that Zac is down bad I mean he is Down Bad for Melody. He has spent 10 years in love with her and he has done things over those 10 years to prove it if he ever got the chance.

Melody is hard to trust, separation from her ex has proven that her relationship was toxic and controlling. She doesn’t trust herself and she is still heartbroken over Zac.

I loved Melody’s journey in this book, she had to slowly gain back her confidence and learn to trust herself to make her own decisions. Zac was so incredibly supportive and their communication was so great through this book.

I also loved the side characters in this story, their friend group was so much fun. The relationship Zac has with his players was really sweet as well.

If you like books where he is obsessed with her, there are secret tattoos, and great character development then you should definitely read this book!