This was a cute small town second chance romance! I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. At the beginning I was put off by the camping trip because I didn’t find it realistic. I also don’t really think if you hate someone so much you don’t mess around with them after spending one day together. I think at the beginning it was trying too hard to be an enemies to lovers trope. After that, I began to enjoy it! I loved Melody starting to figure out what she wants out of life. It was great to see her go after her dreams after dealing with her emotionally abusive ex. I also enjoyed understanding more about Zac and what caused their situation in the first place. He was very supportive of Meoldy which she deserved after everything she went through!

Overall, I enjoyed this! It was kind of confusing in some places and I felt myself feel lost. However, the story was super cute!

If you enjoy a spicy, sports romance with lots of tropes- this is probably the book for you!

Brothers best friend
Forced proximity
Second Chance (ish?)


Melody is back home after a breakup with an abusive ex. The story starts with her twin con on ing her to take his spot on a camping trip with some friends- the problem is his best friend Parker will be there, someone who broke her heart ten years ago.

The camping scenes were funny and was a good start but how did their friends just forget about them in the woods and then not notice they were missing for days? I get the setup but my brain couldn’t get there logically lol

I felt this book was a bit long and yet I wanted more from the characters. More depth, more plot. I really didn’t feel like anything was actually happening and found myself skimming quite a bit.

Melody’s ex was awful but honestly her twin was icky too!

This wasn’t for me but I could see it being very popular on booktok, booksta etc because it is spicy and it’s just a fun, easy read. Even better? No third act breakup!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Atria and the author for this ARC

2.5 rounded up to 3
Only in Your Dreams was fairly lighthearted but felt messy. There was certainly a lot of spice despite minimal chemistry. I did like when Zac became uber-protective of Mel, otherwise their relationship kinda just fell flat for me. The book had a lot of potential, but unfortunate it fell short IMO.

Zac and Parker were childhood best friends, and along with Parker’s twin sister, Melody, they made up the childhood trio. Zac knows that it’s wrong, but he can’t stop himself from being in love with his best friend’s sister. Melody has always had the biggest crush on Zac, although she never acted upon it as he has never shown her that he was interested. Right before Melody went off to college, she decided to act upon it, but Zac fumbled the interaction. Ten years later, she finally returns to her small hometown of Oakwood Bay and runs into him. Oh, did I mention? Parker’s pushing Melody to go camping with Zac.

I am such a sucker for the brother’s best friend trope 🤤 The forced proximity after years apart, in the beginning, made me giggle and kick my feet. Although I love slow burns, I feel like this story progressed slower than I anticipated. It made sense because of how the fmc wanted to get ahold of her life and future, and I love the build-up of this. But at the same time, I’m itching for the mcs to get together. I just love how in love Zac was with Melody. He’s so patient and loving with her like he keeps waiting for her although he knows what he wants. I would DEFINITELY recommend anyone to read this to fall in love with Zac and Melody’s love story.
I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cute and sweet!

10 years old built up tension - sometimes you felt it but also sometimes it felt like no time had passed between these two characters! They played off each other so much, Melody’s snark and sass was balanced with Zac’s thoughtfulness and caring nature. Zac and Melody are def the type of characters that need time to grow and let things happen without outside opinion and it was hilarious the lengths they went to keep things secret.

I was a bit frustrated with both of them at times because I wish they could’ve been more mature and had a deep conversation about things than dragging it out (but then we’d be left with no book so I get it lol). But no one frustrated me more than Parker iykyk

I found the reason for what happened 10 years ago to be predictable (and weird tbh) and was waiting for the reveal so bad! But thankfully they were finally mature adults and talked things out!!

Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC!

Absolutely loved this book!

This was a ton of my favorite tropes all put into one perfectly cheesy romcom with an adorable happily ever after.

I loved the authors use of multiple settings and how they gave us some glimpses into the characters pasts without fully time hopping in between chapters.

Overall a strong 4/5 stars and I’ll highly recommend this to my friends and followers!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC! 🤍

I really loved the prologue, but that was about it.

The camping trip was ruined by a storm, and somehow, they were left behind for multiple days without anyone noticing? I was so relieved the camping/woods portion didn’t last more than 30% of the book—though, honestly, that was still way too long. This could’ve been a great opportunity to build proper tension and a slow burn, but it completely missed the mark for me. Especially after the bizarre dry humping in the mud…what was that?

The second-chance trope didn’t even feel accurate. They were never actually together, just best friends with unspoken feelings. Then, they suddenly hooked up in the woods without much tension or buildup. Afterward, they kept sleeping together, supposedly because of the camping situation and a wild animal near the campsite.

By 68%, the story had been dragging for over 35%. It turned into boring day-to-day moments with some football thrown in. Despite the steady progress of time, the flow of the relationship felt off. One moment, it was a hard “no,” not even a kiss, and the next, they were noisily 69ing in her bedroom, shocked that her brother heard them? Then Zac got upset over the fake dating situation like it wasn’t 100% his idea in the first place—leading to a really manipulative bathroom scene.

Oh, and it had only been “just over a month” since they’d reunited!

The pacing was messy, nothing felt cohesive, and the story didn’t make much sense.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶

Love this book!

Ellie's storying telling and writing were wonderful. Her spice is pretty spot on as well.

Zac Porter is currently the number one book boyfriend for me. The way he loved Mel for so many years and built his life around one that she wanted in hopes that she would come back to him was incredible.

This is out on January 21 2025. Make sure you grab it!

Thank you to netgalley, Ellie K Wilde, and Atria books for this ARC

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-second chance at love
-mutual crush
-sneaking around
-brother's best friend
-pining
-small town
-just a hookup
=it's always been you
-starts with a bang

This book I just couldn't put down. Two former best friends, a messy estrangement, and life after a toxic/abusive relationship. I adored how soft and gone Zac was for Melody, contrasting with her prior relationship. About picking yourself up, and fighting for the love you deserve, all while sneaking around as these two try to figure out what they're doing. Messy in the best way and steamy I can't wait to read more from this author.

I really don’t even know how to put into words all of the thoughts I’m having…I’ll summarize by saying I’m giving myself permission to DNF at 50% for the rest of 2025 after reading this. 😬😞 I’m usually able to suspend reality for romance books, but not this one.

This book is spicy… 3 or 4 🌶️. The book is long, too long. I really just want the FMC to go to therapy, along with the MMC. I also want the entire friend group (that includes the FMC’s twin brother) to GROW UP and have some adult conversations about the things they see happening or *think* they see happening. I have been trying to figure out what triggered me in this book to not be able to enjoy it. The FMC is just starting to grasp and truly understand how she was emotionally abused and manipulated/controlled by a narcissist for SIX YEARS. What does the MMC do after hearing what she went through? Green lights having a fling in the mud 3 days after they are flung back into each other’s lives after 10 years (by her twin brother no less! talk about manipulation). THERAPY is needed, not dry humping in the woods. Rant over.

I struggled to connect with this story and didn’t finish the book. Thank you for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this small town, second chance romance and all the feel good feelings that came with it!! I loved how perfectly Zac & Melody meshed together; the bather, snark and chemistry had me kicking my feet. Some parts of the story were slower paced which made it difficulty to stay engaged and the reason they spent a decade apart? not my favorite. but overall was a great, cozy small town second chance romance that is for the girlies who need the comfort of two people coming back together.

Friends to lovers slow burn romance. Mel reunites with her twin brother’s best friend after 10 years of separation. This is a good book for lovers of small towns and football.

Only in your dreams is the perfect small town second chance sports romance.

The book starts with a small chapter letting us see what happened that caused these 2 inseparable teens to drift apart for 10 years. Melanie comes back to town 10 years later to the town she left and the boy she hasn’t seen since then. Zach has gone from a high school football star to now a college football coach. But although things have changed, Melanie is still the girl that got away.

I really loved this story! It had all the favorite romance tropes but even beyond that had some very deep topics. I loved seeing the growth both characters had an the way they helped heal each others hearts. I absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for an easy read with lots of heart.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC

Instagram review scheduled for 1/12/25

The first book of the year where i literally could not put down for 70% of the book🥹🥹🥹

This was one of the cutest sports romances I’ve ever read, and I am forever thankful for the NetGalley ARC.

Melody & Zac are two people who have to grow apart before coming together, and when they do, it is so heartwarming to watch them. To stop from more spoilers, pls just read this book. Vibes 15/5

3.5 stars- Only in Your Dreams was a swoony romance about childhood best friends who went separate ways after a misunderstood night 10 years ago. Flash forward to the present day and Melanie is back in her hometown after being dumped by big time, narcissistic, ex-boyfriend Connor. On her first weekend back her twin brother forces her to go on a camping trip with the same man who broke her heart all those years ago. As the story progresses, we get to see Melanie and Zac heal with each other and reconnect as the people that are today.

This book was a really cute story, and I loved all the ways that Zac went above and beyond to help Melanie heal from the way Connor treated her. In general, Zac made every character feel special and he has just the kindest heart. I especially loved his relationship with the star quarterback of the college team he coached, Noah. Melanie was a strong and snarky fmc and it was nice seeing how she developed through the book. Zac and Melanie are a great example of characters that grew WITH each other in a book.

While I enjoyed this book, parts of it did feel lacking for me. For example, the beginning just felt very abrupt? I think because we didn’t really get to see how they acted before “that night” I didn’t feel the connection at first and it was a tad insta-lovey. At times, the side characters intrigued me more than the main couple and that’s always a bummer when I’m reading a book.

This was a classic, cheesy, unrealistic, contemporary romance. If you go in with those expectations then this book is going to be a good time.

This is my first sport romance novel and it won't be my last!

I devoured this book! Once I started I had to finish Zac and Melody’s story.

This is a sort of second chance book. I won't say second chances since they never got a real first chance.

Brothers best friend? Say no more and give it to me!

I will say I wanted me about the characters and their background but that's just me being fully involved in the story!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

4 stars for Only in Your Dreams! I really enjoyed this second chance romance and the love story between the two characters, Melody and Zac, but a few things kept this from being five stars for me. Melody and Zac went ten years without speaking, and once the reason why was finally revealed about 80-85% into the book, the reason was so anti-climactic. It was not a big deal at all and could have been resolved so easily! Second, I didn't like how the characters jumped back into a secretive, very physical relationship without discussing why they didn't speak for so long.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Only in Your Dreams is available on January 21, 2025.

If you love second-chance romance with a pining MMC and oblivious FMC - this book is for you! I've never really been into the whole "sports romance" field (no pun intended), but I really enjoyed this.

With no third-act breakup and LOTS of angst, this was such a charming, quick read. The banter between characters was unmatched, I felt at parts like I was actually watching it play in my head as if it was a movie (it was cute, ngl).

Zac is fiercely protective, sweet and utterly obsessed with Melody (I mean, over 10 years of this obsession with her but you'll have to read to find out why) and when she shows back up in their small town - IT IS ON. Melody is just coming down from a narcissistic-filled break up, but watching her confidence rebuild was amazing to see. The sweet AF things Zac does for/to Melody is perfect for this lil romance novel, and the toss up between slow + fast paced was ideal for me. I loved the two together, and honestly I need a story with Summer (her best friend) and Parker (her brother + Zac's BFF) ASAP.

I'll be honest, the REASONING behind Zac "not reaching out" after their fated night (which you'll read about in the first chapter) was weak AF, and I was hoping for something more especially with him being described as he is. I mean, come on, I shouldn't be wishing for a tragedy but that would have soothed so much lmfao. ANYWAY. The book ends with a very HEA, so it's not for naught.

If you enjoy these tropes, you'll love this book:

✨ Second chance
✨ Brother’s best friend
✨ Forced proximity
✨ Small-town romance
✨ "It’s always been you"
✨ Sneaking around
✨ Fake dating
✨ Protective MMC

Thank you NetGalley + Atria Books for this copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was super cute!! I enjoyed the friends to enemies to lovers vibe. Zac and Melly had such complicated history and I enjoyed getting to the root of it. The tension and sneaking around was so fun. And the way they played house with Noah and always remained close to him. Wi ty that being said I really wish we would have gotten to see Zac go on the interview with Noah and and have Noah thank Zac or something. But seeing that they were still close in the epilogue was so sweet. I liked the twist of having Brooks fake date her while they were sneaking around. And then toss in the ‘they don’t know that we know’ situation…I was cackling.

All in all a super cute story