📚ARC Review 📚

Only In Your Dreams ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

After being dumped by her boyfriend of six years, Melody Woods moves from the city back to her small town. Now she’s sharing an apartment with her twin brother while trying to figure out how to get back on her feet. She needs to figure out what she wants to do with her life now that she has a say. Unfortunately, she runs into her high school crush and her brother’s best friend, Zac Porter.

Zac hasn’t forgotten 10 years ago when he walked away from Melody. It was the biggest mistake of his life. Now that she’s back in town, he will do anything to win her back.

This book had all the tropes I love! I loved the small town feel and the forced proximity. Melody has been through a lot with her past boyfriend and how he treated her. She’s learning to find who she is and do things on her own terms. Zac is the perfect partner for her and helps her overcome her fears. The way he shows her just how much she means to him and he would do anything to make up for what he did years ago. I also loved the friend group and their dynamic. However, I wasn’t a huge fan of of all the spice in this one. I felt like there were some cringe moments but honestly this book would have been just as good without it, but that’s just my personal opinion. I did love Noah and how Zac was not only his coach but a father figure/friend to him. His character made for some funny moments throughout the book. Overall, this was a good read.

This book will publish on January 21, 2025. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for my advanced readers copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

Even though the book did take me longer then most I did enjoy the story & found it to be a cute read. I found myself struggling at times to move past Melody’s behavior as well as her brothers. Zac tried his best & was really a redeeming aspect of the book over-all. As someone who is not a huge fan of the brothers best friend trope, I found this was written well which is mostly what kept me reading.

I love a good contemporary romance, and this book absolutely delivered! It gave us everything: banter, drama, a second-chance romance, brother’s best friend, a stranded-in-the-woods moment, and an obsessed MMC. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in a single day.

The only trope I wasn’t a fan of was the fake dating—especially when it wasn’t between the MMC and FMC. At first, I was a bit irritated that Melody wouldn’t hear Zac out (girl, give him a chance!), but her resistance didn’t last long, and his charm won her over quickly.

Highly recommend this one to all my contemporary romance girlies—it’s worth the read!

This was a swoony, angsty delight that perfectly captures the magic of second chances and undeniable chemistry. This small-town romance brims with sizzling tension, heartfelt moments, and just the right amount of spice to keep you hooked from start to finish.

The story beautifully weaves together themes of love, redemption, and personal growth, all set against the cozy charm of Oakwood Bay. The characters are richly developed, with a connection that practically leaps off the page. Their journey is filled with snappy dialogue, emotional depth, and plenty of moments that’ll make your heart flutter.

Whether you’re here for the small-town vibes, the emotional stakes, or the undeniable romance, this book delivers it all. It’s the perfect read for anyone who loves a heartfelt, unputdownable story with just the right blend of heat and heart. ✨💕

3.5 ⭐️
This was cute and cheesy. Zac was down so bad for Melody the whole book. He was so sweet and such a green flag book boyfriend. I loved watching Melody’s development post breakup and seeing her grow throughout the book. These two were cute together but I did feel like the chemistry was lacking. Also learning the reason he ghosted her for 10 years made me so mad. I expected something more juicy. But we got no third act breakup so i’ll take it. Overall it was a good book just way too long. It felt dragged out in parts and feels like it could have been shorter and still get the point across.
Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for letting me read this arc 🫶🏻

Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K Wilde is a contemporary romance that I loved! It follows Melody and Zac who were friends in high school but left things on bad terms before they left for college. Zac is also Melody's brother's best friend. Ten years later Melody is fresh from a breakup and is dreading returning to her small town and risking running into Zac. However, when she is forced on a camping trip with him, they are forced to confront the feelings they had in school. I was hooked on this story by the first chapter. I instantly related to Melody and her grumpy demeanor. I found it interesting to read her thoughts post-breakup when she started realizing her ex was a pretty bad guy and taking control of her life again but this time for herself. I loved Melody and Zac's dynamic and how he understands what she needs and always does the right thing for her. Another highlight of this book were all the side characters who I am obsessed with. I'll definitely be needing future books for all of them! I also found this book to be so funny to the point that I was laughing out loud. I plan to look out for future books by this author because I loved this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for a review!

“You’re a real catch, Zachary Porter.”
“So, catch me.”

I loved every second of this! Only In Your Dreams took me through the full range of emotions from heartbreak to indignation to absolute joy.

A perfect small town, second chance romance that will have you crying one chapter and kicking your feet the next!

I didn’t necessarily dislike this, but it was a bit too long for me. The story just felt like it drug out in the middle for no reason. The idea was cute, but the execution wasn’t there for me.

My first infinity-out-of-five star read of the year!
This second chance romance had absolutely everything I could want, and even what I didn't know I needed! Right away, I loved the longing I felt from Zac. I love an explosive Prologue like that where you're already left heartbroken and must keep reading to see what happens!
It was such an unassuming romance novel going into it, too. I kind of loved that I didn't know just how hot these two were going to be! We had a tension filled campout, sneaking around, public bathroom, brother's apartment, in the elevator, in the shower. So so steamy, but still a strong plot and development.
Only In Your Dreams was a delicious slow burn and truly the second chance romance of my dreams!



Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC and physical galley!

I know there will be plenty of people that love this book. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. It started out great! I loved them getting stuck at the campground. But then most of the rest of the book I couldn’t wrap my head around. I found myself cringing a lot. There was just so much thrown into this book that seemed unnecessary. We all love a one bed trope, but not being able to sleep on your own because of one encounter with a wolf was ridiculous and completely unbelievable to me. Also, I felt that after being in an abusive relationship, there should be more growth or maybe some therapy before jumping into another relationship. Honestly, I felt Zac had some red flags that she should watch out for. Buying her clothes because he knew it would make her happy is exactly the same as her ex, just presented in a nice way. It was a spicy read which is fine, but I also felt it was added too early considering her healing from an abusive relationship. Anyway, I know people will love this book, but it just wasn’t for me.

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

I can't believe the type of rollercoaster my heart had throughout this book! 🎢 I suffered, laughed, gasped, and ached with Melody Woods & Zac Porter 💖

Melody Woods goes back home because she got dumped and after 10 years reunites with her childhood crush Zac Porter aka brother's best friend aka bring on the TENSION! 😏🔥 I loved how they reunited (from an awful "goodbye" between them) and the way they had to share a tent and, even worse, get stranded together (WORSE FOR THEM, AMAZING FOR THE READER 🏕️ heheheh)

This book had it all! The way Zac was obviously still into her and Melody tried so hard to deny herself... let me just say, it didn't last very long. 😂 It was a medium slow burn, and I loved how the author sprinkled in tiny details that screamed how obsessed this MAN was with the "one that got away" vibe. 😍

𝒔𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒎. 𝑷𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒔.

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

The progression from friends to lovers, followed by Zac giving Melody the space she needed to grow and love herself again after her last relationship, was so beautifully written 💖 I definitely recommend it and can’t wait for the rest of the series! Even though I adored them, I felt the book was a bit long... but hey, it entertained me nevertheless! ❤️✨

Tropes
💙 brother's best friend
💙 sports romance (football coach x she's a fan)
💙 forced proximity AND SO GOOD
💙 he falls first
💙 second chance
💙 small town romance
💙 secret relationship/hookup

Thank you Netgalley & Atria Books for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest review

I enjoyed Zac and Melody! I finished this book in one day, I could not put it down. It was adorable and just what I wanted after reading the description! Enjoy!

This was such a fun and easy read! Had read this when it was indie published and don’t think there was any major changes (that I caught at least) in this version. The chemistry between the characters, the fun banter are the main highlights. Definitely a perfect read for those who love brother’s best friend, childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance tropes.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I was not expecting to love this book so much, but I really did! The cover implies a lighthearted romance, but this one had so much heart and soul. I absolutely loved the characters, and there's nothing more adorable than a man pining for a woman he's loved forever. I just adored the romance, but I also loved that the main character was working on developing herself as a person outside of a relationship.

Thank you again for the ARC!

I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did. The mutual pining, the spice, how sweet the MMC was, the dirty talk: it was all amazing!! Excited for the next book in the series :) I’m usually not super into second chance romance but this one sold me. It was a sweet and simple read that brought me joy.

This is really sweet, romantic romcom. While the story touches on some heavy topics of emotional and pyschological abuse, the book is balanced with cute, funny, heartfelt moments that provide much needed levity. Zac is obsessed (truly) with Melody in a way that may be a but much for some, but my sappy heart loved it. The chemistry between Melody and Zac is fantastic.

I typically *HAAAATE* a miscommunication trope and I found the reason for the literal decade of not speaking to be flimsy, but I was able to get past that because I remember the idiotic decisions I made when I was 18.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

Okay this might just be one of my new favorite romance books, the ARCS are coming through lately!
This releases on January 21st, 2025, so make sure to go pick up your copy!

This story was so emotionally charged. I don’t know what I was expecting from this book but I didn’t expect it to make me SOB MY EYES OUT! I seriously can’t recommend this book enough if you love childhood friends to lovers, touch her and you die, or forced proximity. Melody and Zac have the perfect set up for a second chance and I loved them getting to know each other again. He literally waited 10 years for her to come back so he could confess his feelings, wore the red shoelace everyday, BUILT HER DREAM HOME 😭 Where do I find a man like this. God this was actually just such a good romance book and I really loved the characters so much. Also, I will always eat up that fake dating to cover up the real relationship. I was so scared these two were going to have a major conflict towards the end but I loved what happened instead (yes Zac beat up Connor’s stupid controlling butt!)

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for this E-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I devoured this book in one sitting - I loved the writing and the chemistry between Melody and Zac and i was dying to see how they were going to make things work as she healed from her toxic relationship and came clean to her brother. I loved seeing her community rally and empower Melody to live the life she wanted; what a beautiful, healing journey for her. And Zac was down so catastrophically - it was so so sweet. If you love an it's always been you kind of love story with a little bit of football and a lot of heart, this could definitely be a perfect pre-superbowl read!

Loved it!!! Loved the characters, hoping for some more stories to come with the others?? zac was 🥵, just perfect!

I loved this! So much so that I preordered the physical copy when I was only half way through the arc.

Zac is quite literally the embodiment of "boy obsessed" and I loved that. All the small things he did to help Melody regain her independence and to show her he loved her were so sweet. I mean, the lip balms, come on! Such a small thing, but meaningful.

Their chemistry was great right from the get-go and the build up was oh-so-sweet! This book had me grinning the entire time. If you love second chance, brother's best friend and "it's always been you" then definitely give this a try.

I will absolutely be reading all of the author's other books! Super excited for Brooks' book!


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