This was a cute second chance romance in it's own way. Granted, they never technically dated but they did both have secret (or not so secret) feelings for each other. I didn't really like how Melody wouldn't really give him the chance to explain himself; I know it had been soooooo long and he could have texted her, but some things are better said in person and I think he deserved the chance to explain himself. Other than that, I did love watching them fall back in love with each other and forget all about the upset that Melody felt for years.

5 stars

A cute second chance romance.

I'm still at 30% of the book, so Zac's reason of leaving that night is still a mystery. The cover and dialogue is pulling my heartstrings. I wished it was more childhood based romance but that's because I'm in my childhood romance phase.

P.S Summer and Brooks better end up together

Zac and Melody have been in love with each other forever, but they’ve allowed miscommunication to stop them from finding happiness. There were so many obstacles in this book but I never doubted their true love. That part of the story I really enjoyed and it was truly heartfelt.

I thought the most important part of this book was Melody overcoming being part of an abusive relationship. The gaslighting and control that she dealt with her previous relationship and her slowly coming to realizing how her relationship was toxic, felt so sincere.

I happy that this was dual POV because I don’t think it would’ve worked without it.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Did I read what everyone else read or do I just, unfortunately, have a semi-unique perspective due to life experience? I This wasn’t for me. But it obviously works for other people.

Writing wise, I couldn’t fault the author. The dialogue felt natural and the whole thing is pretty well written, especially for a romance. I enjoyed the settings, and all the descriptions given for different people and places. I just couldn’t get past the unhealthiness of the whole thing.

These people are supposed to be almost 30 but I felt like I was reading about two teenagers. It had amusing bits, and I guess the spice that I did read was good, but the whole premise, setup etc. just struck me as so unhealthy. If you have ever been in an unhealthy relationship with a controlling person, I don’t think you will like this book. Particularly if you have learned anything about setting and holding boundaries.

I felt that Melody was just trading one unhealthy relationship for another. Zac doesn’t respect her or her boundaries. He’s unhealthy obsessed with her. No doesn’t mean no if it comes out of Melody's mouth. He expects her to share all sorts of things from her past with him without giving anything back. He likes the one-way street type of relationship, where she shares everything, past experiences and her goals to get back on track but he gives her basically in return. The girl needs to find her backbone because everyone just seemed to stream roll over her and her protests, brother included. No one acknowledged any of Melody's saying of no to mean no and after awhile she seems to give up and let them do what they want.. Mostly.

That pretty much sums up my thoughts with a bow tie.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7188304833e

Overall it was a cute quick read but I feel like too many tropes were being shoved into this book to make it more appealing. All the side plots felt rushed and unrealistic in some scenes. Overall it would have been a cute small town/ second chance romance but the sports aspect and others on top of it was too much.

Zac and Melody were always end game even with the big timeline. I loved that there was no third act break up! A move sports romance with a dual POV!

This book had me in a chokehold! It was so good from start to finish, and even more well written than the cover might suggest. I already am fiending for book 2!!

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

"I am in love with you, Melody. I have been in love with you. And frankly, given the way the past fourteen years of my life have gone, I don't see a way out of it.

Another super entertaining read that went be pretty quickly.

Best part of this book hands down is Zac. He has been in love with Melody for over a decade and when she finally comes back he is absolutely determined to win her over. He is such a marshmallow, and adorably jealous of people he knows are not threats, and those moments made me laugh constantly. And he was ALWAYS supporting her, even when he knew what she wanted out of her life would potentially put her in a different city. Just green flags everywhere.

I'm 50/50 on Melody. On one hand, she could be really funny, was really smart, and was also getting herself back to who she was before her shithead of an ex manipulated her for 6 years. So she was very understandably hesitant to start anything new and to trust herself first, but I was not connecting with her a lot of the time. Almost felt like she was leading him on at times or just being really selfish, which again, after what she went through she has every right to be, but it wasn't working for me here.

And no third act breakup! Some obstacles, sure. And some tough information to learn, but Melody says she just needs time to process the info, which is essentially a 180 from what she originally thought. And that time to process didn't mean that she had to have space away from him, just time to just be and acclimate.

Overall really enjoyed and would recommend 🩵

Screaming. Crying. Throwing up. I am so excited to buy this book and meet you at romance con! The way you have me all my favorite tropes, damn. Obsessed.

Only in Your Dreams is a cute, sports romance with lots of heart and yearning… perfect for any romance fan. Zac and Meldody- childhood best friends who were on the precipice of more until one night changes everything. Now, 10 years later, Melody is back in her hometown after a big breakup in the city looking to start over and move on, except there is one tiny snag— Zac. The football star turned assistant coach still can’t get her out of his head or his heart. Can they finally confess what they feel or is it 10 years too late?

Love. Love. The Notebook meets Sweet Home Alabama with a hefty dose of football. Melody and Zac were so cute pretending they weren’t in love with each other. I wish we saw more of Melody healing from her abusive relationship on her own and more of the side characters, but overall, this is a super cute read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of Only in Your Dreams. If you are sports romance fans, this is a perfect read for you.

This story is about moving on and love yourself no matter what. I love that aspect of the author. And yeah my favourite tropes are in here as well, small-town, second-chance romance, Brother’s best friend, Forced proximity, Reverse grumpy-sunshine and yeah Fake dating!

I loved Zac because I mean yeah at first he acted like a douchebag but you’ll come to know him and will start to love him. Zack’s best friend’s sister, his crush; Melody’s journey of rebuilding her confidence after her breakup with even more douchebag than Zac was so fascinating and I loved her for it.

The chemistry between the two of them was something else!! Their banter had me grinning! But sometimes I felt like the pacing dragged and the reason for their 10 year silence was kind of weird huh? But overall,
This was a good read for me.

Thank you Atria Books & netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

SO FREAKING CUTE!!!! The grovelling in this is unmatched. I've never read about a man so whipped, so lovestruck in my entire life! The things he did for her????? Like he set the standards SKY HIGH!! I literally have nothing bad to say about this novel. It was the perfect mix of plot, sports and romance. It was a good amount of spice and with the tension and history between Mel and Zac, i was eating every word up!!!!! Not only did I adored Mel and Zac, I always want to learn more about their friend group and all their dynamics! I can't wait to read Brook's book next!

I could not recommend this book enough to anybody looking for a super cute read, second chance romance. Something about a good second chance romance with dual POV, never fails me. It's always a damn good time!! Please everyone, read this! You won't be disappointed!!

Only in Your Dreams: ★★★★★ (5)

Pub date: January 21, 2025 - preorder yours now!

Tropes:
- second chance romance
- "it's always been you"
- grovelling to the max !!
- brothers best friends
- sports romance

Melody returns to her small hometown after her boyfriend of six years breaks up with her out of the blue. She's adrift and devoid of feelings until she's confronted again with the man who broke her heart ten years ago. Slowly but surely, she begins to piece together the trauma her previous boyfriend inflicted on her while working through if she can ever heal enough to trust her own judgment again.

*****

I did not expect to love these characters as much as I did. I'm not normally one for a heavily cheesy man, but somehow, the dialogue raked through some incredibly sweet and sappy sentiments without making me want to toss my phone at a wall. Zac was soft, endlessly devoted, and hopessly optimistic in regards to her. Melody contrasted that by being dry, sarcastic, pessimistic and overly cautious around him. It was the perfect blend to ensure even the softer scenes didn't end up feeling saccharine, and ample levity was brought into heavier moments.

Their slow, slow burn was enjoyable and didn't affect the overall pacing as we got so much growth for Melody. Watching her recover from the mental agony she'd lived through, and seeing Zac do it in such a way that always put her first was satisfying to no end.

The only real area that stuttered a bit for me was the entire decade of silence. I couldn't help wishing the author had tightened up those timelines or had moments where they crossed paths inbetween to bring up tension or missed opportunities. It felt too unrealistic to have that huge gap, that it did pull me out of the story at times.

Still, this was such a warm read, and I'll absolutely be grabbing anything this author writes in the future. If you're looking for The Notebook vibes with a steady, devoted MMC, and mouthy FMC, grab this one ASAP!

*****

Thank you, NetGalley, and Atria Books for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was full of my favorite romance tropes
🌟brothers best friends
🌟 childhood crush
🌟 second chance romance
🌟 froced proximity
🌟"fake dating"

Melody moves back to her hometown after being dumped by her boyfriend of 6 years to get her life back together.
Zac who made made a big mistake 10 years ago, is the last person she wants to see. But once she is back in town, will do everything to win her over. Told in dual pov, this was a cute spicy sports romance. While it wasn't my favorite, I didn't hate it.

3.75 stars

Thank you to netgalley and Atria for the opportunity to ready a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I was kindly provided with the ARC of this book by NetGalley and the editors in exchange of an honest review, thank you ✨

5⭐️

Oh my…. Zac Porter THE MAN YOU ARE!!❤️‍🩹😮‍💨🛐

I went blindly to this book and is also the first book I read from the author and my oh my… I was kicking and giggling and blushing all the way!! I also aaa tearing up because, uugghhh!!! I usually don’t like the trope of second chance romance, but this one was just so well written, Melody and Zac’s story became in one of my favorites.
The way she healed from her past relationship, (Connor I HATE YOU 🙂) how sad and hurt she felt when she realized how much she suffered on that toxic relationship without her noticing, how Zac was there for her even when she still had rough feelings for him, and how he was just so committed to gain her again, and show her he was THE one for her🥹

I just love them! And all the other characters were equally amazing, Noah just stole my heart ❤️‍🩹

This book was definitely a very good surprise ✨

Adored this one. This is a beautiful second chance, brothers best friend romance! I just flew through reading this one, eating it up. The characters made me smile and I can't wait to read more from this author!

LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH, EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS WAS SO GOOD. THE BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND WAS PERFECTION]. THE CLOVERS🥹 I NEED TO FINISH THIS SERIES ASAP, ITS SO SWEET AND IT WAS A FAST READ

I'm devastated to report back that after several attempts to read this books, I ultimately just could not get into the story, the pacing was off for me and it felt very insta love for my liking. Maybe in the future I will give this one another go but as of right now, it's a dnf for me. Thank you Atria and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this.

Had such a good time with this book! Rooting for the characters within the first couple of chapters. Melody and Zac at times made me want to scream especially Melody but it was in a good way. I will admit there were moments that was like girl what are you doing? are you blind? I can't wait for book 2!!

I really enjoyed this take on what I would call a childhood friends to lovers/second chance romance book!