Zac is so swoon worthy I can’t even. Melody recounting her relationship to her friends after the fact was pretty rough. I loved how Zac was sensitive to her healing journey but also showed her stability.

Zac and Mel are cute and all but Zac and Noah is amazing. I enjoyed their relationship and Noah in general. He was so funny.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was genuinely a fun read. I was pleasantly surprised that although the second chance romance isn’t my usual favorite trope, and it was pretty insta-lovey, the author did a good job keeping it entertaining throughout this book. I did have trouble understanding the 10-year gap (it felt like the reasoning was a little weak on Zac’s end), but it was a fun, small town sports romance to read!

Sports romance
Brothers best friend
He fell first
Small town romance
Forced proximity

Honestly what more could you ask for? I loved the book, I loved the couple and honestly I loved the friendship as well. I feel like this book could’ve gone on forever and I would never get tired of it. The characters, the character growth, it was all done so well. I can’t wait to read the next book.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc!

Parker Woods has a twin sister named Melody and a best friend named Zac. Melody and Zac had very sweet and wholesome crushes on each other but Parker didn’t want any of his friends to date his sister. When Melody makes a move on him, Zac leaves her standing in her childhood bedroom promising to return later that night, but he never shows.

Ten years later, Melody returns to her hometown distraught from the breakup of a long relationship. Her brother, Parker, invites her camping with their childhood friends to help distract her from her emotions. While camping, Melody is forced to face Zac again. When a freak camping incident goes wrong, Zac and Melody find themselves stranded in the woods alone… for days.

This is a story told from dual perspectives: Melody and Zac. Zac has been in love with Melody since he was a teenager, but Melody still hasn’t forgiven him for walking away from her the last time they saw each other as teenagers.

The story is a really good slow burn that builds anticipation as the plot developed and Melody and Zac try to navigate the complexity of their relationship. Their connection felt real and I enjoyed being a part of their journey. It was a satisfying and entertaining story with some spicy scenes! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book. This review is my honest opinion.

there was something really special about this book to me, it completely took me by surprise

“i have been desperately, pathetically, feel-nothing-unless-she’s-in-the-room in love with Melody Woods for fourteen years”

Zac is going down as one of my perfect mmc’s, i was so pleasantly surprised by this sappy man. There is something so sweet about a man dedicating his entire heart to a woman who doesn’t even know he’s loved her since the moment he met her

although the mistakes made to keep them apart when they were young were so dumb, they also tracked- a kid trying to figure out how to love his best friends sister and not lose everything in the meantime.

and my favorite part, they talking about it like adult human beings!!! 🎉

“He did a stupid thing years ago, took accountability, and has shown me the kind of man he’s grown to be. He’s quietly proven his love for me every day since he crawled out of that tent in the woods.”

Oh Melody my sweet grumpy lady how i love you. her uncovering the truth of her past relationship is so heartbreaking and watching her find her own strength and make a life she’s proud of (outside of a relationship) was EVERYTHING

also the spice was *chefs kiss*, the pining just made it even better

I have just gotten so lucky with ARCs!!!

I had high hopes for Ellie K. Wilde's Only In Your Dreams, but it unfortunately didn’t live up to the hype. As a small town, brother’s best friend, sports romance with a second chance twist, it had all the right ingredients for an irresistible read—but it missed the mark for me.

Let’s talk about the positives: the chemistry between Melody and Zac should have been a knockout. The setup of their past heartbreak and rekindled connection had potential. And I’ll admit, there were a few swoony, heartfelt moments that tugged at my emotions.

But the execution? Predictable. The twists were more like gentle bends you could see from a mile away, and the story felt stretched—almost 500 pages was just too long. I caught myself skimming through repetitive dialogue and unnecessary filler.

Then there’s the believability factor. Some of Zac’s attempts to win Melody back felt more forced than genuine, and their decade long separation didn’t add the emotional weight it needed to. Also, the football subplot? Definitely could’ve been better and more impactful.

If you’re a die hard fan of small town romances and don’t mind a predictable storyline, you might still enjoy this one. But for me, I wanted more sparks and a story that felt fresh, not just recycled tropes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Ellie K. Wilde, and Atria Books for the eARC of this book.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had high expectations for this and it fell short. Brother’s best friends is one of my favorite tropes but this one just came off a little weird to me. The brother was a little too involved and that was weird to me but who knows I don’t have siblings so I don’t know if that is how they would normally react. I wish we got a little more in depth from before because I feel like a lot of their relationship gets left out in second chance romance books. I do think this book could’ve been significantly shorter because the story felt a little dragged out. I’ve heard good things about this author so I may try some of her other books but I don’t think I’ll be getting another copy of this book.

A garbage ex, a fiery FMC, and an MMC who’s got it BAD. What more could you want?

I love a good small town romance, add in a second chance and a found family aspect and I’m hooked. Zac is everything you could ever want in an MMC, and Connor gives creepy stalker. Melody is the most amazing FMC and the combination makes this book un- put down able. I read the entire thing in 24 hours and can’t wait for football season to read it all over again.

2.75 ⭐️
This started really well, however it felt as if it went on for about 30% too long and leaned a bit too far into smut over good plot for me by the end. i spent a solid 45% of the book just wishing they’d tell her brother already. I feel pretty confident that the smut to plot ratio issue could have been fixed simply by making the book a bit shorter.
I liked the concept, the dynamics of some of the characters (especially with the football player they've taken in), and thought the main characters had some good moments with each other but overall found this book to be more frustrating than endearing.

Thank you Atria Books + Netgalley for the ARC. 💛

This was my first Ellie K. Wilde book and I love a second chance romance so I was excited to get an advanced copy. I was pleasantly surprised by this one and immediately put her other books on my TBR. The writing was well done, the humor and banter great, and there was a lot of sweet, romantic moments throughout. The spice was excellent as well. I rated it 4 stars because it felt too long, and when I looked I saw it was nearly 500 pages. I would have liked it to be a little faster paced than that. I also felt like the MMC, Zac, was just too good to be true. I was conflicted about that because on the one hand, this is fiction and sometimes it’s nice to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the perfect man who would never really exist in real life. On the other hand, I like it when characters have flaws and depth because it makes them feel more real and helps you relate to them. Let’s just say, this book almost needs to be in the fantasy genre because Zac was clearly a unicorn! Despite those things, I still really enjoyed this one and am excited to read the rest in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is a new to me author, and I was so excited to see this book in my shelf! I loved the authors writing style, and I always love a brothers best friend! Definitely worth the read!

I absolutely loved this book! Second chance romance and he has been in love for years. I loved the idea of Zac wanting to make things right. Zac was swoon worthy and romantic. You could tell that she knew about his undying love once she returned home and that just made me excited to see. I had a smile on my face the whole time. Then the spice was everything. Some of the friendships was one of my favorite things! I loved this book 100% would read again I can’t wait to see what’s next for this author she’s another one I’ll be adding to my read everything I can find list.

Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde is the kind of book that’s easy to enjoy but hard to remember. I didn’t dislike it by any means, but there was something about it that felt all too familiar — like I’ve read this exact story before, and maybe with a little more spark. The book checks all the boxes and while it’s certainly steamy and filled with swoon-worthy moments, it offered nothing new. Plus, on a personal opinion note; it was just a little bit cheesier than I would prefer.

The central conflict — a decade-long misunderstanding — could’ve been compelling, but the tension felt predictable. Melody returns home, bitter and broken from a failed relationship, and Zac, the college football coach who never got over her, is determined to prove that this time around, things will be different. The “second-chance romance” element is ripe for emotional depth, but honestly, it didn’t offer much beyond surface-level drama. Zac is likable enough (although he is bonker-balls obsessed with the FMC and I’m still not exactly sure why?) Melody was… a whole thing that I don’t even want to get into. 😬

The whole “brother’s best friend” trope is fun, but here it felt a bit overplayed & yet somehow underutilized (?) as does the small-town setting. Oakwood Bay is cute in theory, but the town’s charm didn’t leap off the page; It would’ve been fun to have seen it populated by more colorful characters, but we didn’t really get that.
I will say, one thing I loved in this novel was the found family dynamic between Melody, Zac and Noah.

If you're a fan of the second-chance, brother-bestie trope, you’ll likely have a fine time with Only in Your Dreams. The writing is solid, the spice is quite decent and there are some sweet moments that will tug at your heartstrings. But for me, it didn’t bring anything particularly fresh to the table. There are other books out there with these same themes that do them a little better — with sharper characters, deeper conflict, or more inventive twists. Still, it's a perfectly enjoyable read for when you're in the mood for something familiar and comforting.

I LOVED this book. It’s a second chance romance with a best friends sister trope and a little fake dating scheme. The MMC (Zac) and how he waited for the love of his life for ten years all while building her dream home had me tearing up. Zac was honestly my favorite character with his constant need to make sure melody felt safe, secure and treasured, especially after her previous abusive relationship. I also loved the character Noah and how he fit into the picture. Laughed, cried and thoroughly enjoyed! Will be looking forward to the second book in the series

This one was so sweet and full of nostalgic hometown feelings! I loved watching these two figure it out on their camping trip. A great use of forced proximity!

Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC of Only in your dreams! I love a sports romance and I thought this one was cute and spicy. I loved the dual POV and the steadfast commitment and support that Zac gave Melody throughout. The plot was relatable and the author did a good job explaining what Melody was going through. I did think it was just a tad slow but overall it was cute!

I absolutely loved this book! Second chance romance and he has been pining for years, yes please. Zac was so swoony and romantic with all of the ways he wanted to make up his mistakes to Melody. She was sort of oblivious to his undying love once she returned home and that just made me giddy with all of the things he was doing to get her to realize. I had a smile on my face the whole time. Then the spice was perfection! I love it when the MMC does dirty talk right, and he sure did. The friendship between Summer and Melody was one of my favorite things!
Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the opportunity to read and review!

The pacing was a major issue—500ish pages felt excessive for a story that moved so slowly. The central conflict was far too predictable and lacked emotional depth.
Melody’s brother was another downside; his overbearing nature was frustrating, and I couldn’t understand why she never stood up to him. Growing up under that kind of influence made her choices understandable but still disappointing to watch play out.
As for Zac, I struggled to connect with him as a character i actually didn’t like him much either.

okay she ended up pulling through! this was sweet if not a smidge shallow? superficial? but i can’t place my finger on how exactly. it was very cookie cutter tropey but in the best way! like, that is a genuine compliment i liked the way it was delivered and there was no third act conflict 🥳

if anything she was way too long. the scenes ate but they DRAGGED and when the mc’s weren’t together i was bored. i hope there’s more the side characters’ stories, those were all super interesting 👀

I adore this cover and the story inside just as much. Wilde has crafted a fun book that I think a lot of rom com readers will like. It's paced well and the characters are well developed. I had fun reading this and look forward to discussing more about it with others. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.