A cute way to kick off the new year of reading. The beginning was a bit slow with the pacing and being stuck together in the woods but picked up towards the end.

I love a brother's best friend and zac just embodied the perfect book boyfriend! this book was the perfect ratio of plot and spice and it was such a cute read!!

Melody ends her relationship with her boyfriend and returns to her hometown to live with her brother. Shortly thereafter, she reconnects with Zac, her high school crush. Zac is now a football coach, though he is facing challenges with his team. Despite this, he remains caring, loyal, and deeply in love with Melody. The exploration of Melody's past toxic relationship, which lasted six years without her realizing its detrimental impact, is a compelling theme throughout the narrative. I particularly enjoyed the endearing clover tradition and Melody's nickname, "Clover," as well as the charming storyline involving the red shoelaces. Witnessing the characters' mutual support was heartwarming, particularly Zac's respect for Melody and his careful approach to her boundaries. The book captivated me from the outset, and I found great enjoyment in following the characters during their camping trip, especially the memorable muddy scene. However, I felt that the subplot involving her brother lingered a bit too long, although Parker ultimately surprised me in a positive way. I must also highlight Noah, my favorite side character; I empathized with him greatly, yet it was uplifting to see Zac consistently offer his assistance. This book is the perfect escape and rom-com. I can’t wait to read Brook’s book!

“Only in Your Dreams” by Ellie K. Wilde is a second chance romance between Melody Woods and her childhood crush, Zac Porter- who also happens to be her twin brother’s best friend. After he rejected her years ago without explanation, Zac wants to give things another go. However, Melody is on the fence. She’s home after a rough breakup and isn’t sure if she can trust someone who is trying so hard.
Melody was a fun main character. I liked her drive and determination to find herself after a relationship where she was slowly molded into who HE wanted her to be. I wish we could have had a little more of that storyline as the main plot.
I love the idea of second chance romance books, but for me, this book felt like more spice than substance. I guess I should have guessed walking into it, but I didn’t.
In the end, I gave this book 3 stars. There were things I liked, but the spicy portions overwhelmed the plot and made the read less enjoyable for me.
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC! This book publishes January 21st.

Overall a good romance, but at times felt a little disjointed. I really loved Zac, he was the perfect leading man. He was so supportive, kind and thoughtful. Mel took awhile for me to like, but in the end, I came around. She seemed to be a little immature for her age. There was a little bit of a slow burn, as it took the characters a bit before they truly came together, which I really enjoyed.

5 🌟
Thank you to Atria for the e-ARC 🫶🏼!

Zac Porter is THE book boyfriend 🤭. This man YEARNED for Melody and let me tell you that the words that come out of this mans mouth 😮‍💨🫠.

The second chance was everything.
This book was like a really good movie that ended but you weren’t done. I NEED and WANT more.

I mean this man has been in love for 14 years 😫.

I enjoyed this book - a quick sports romance read with no shortage of spice. Melody and Zac are reunited unexpectedly on a camping trip, ten years after an awkward misunderstanding ended their friendship and it's been radio silence ever since. Both seem to be at a fork in the road in their lives, with Melody getting back on her feet after a bad break-up, and Zac taking on a high-stakes job as head football coach at the local college, when they are thrown together again all of a sudden. It's hard to ignore that they are drawn to each other even with everything else going on in their lives. The question is, will they be able to move past old wounds to find their way back to each other.

This book had so many elements of things I enjoy--brother's best friend; forbidden love; sports romance. Sadly, it missed the mark for me. Well, in all areas except areas of SPICE. WOW. Spice is four stars. We really are out here writing the spiciest smut then putting cartoon characters on the cover. I am here for it! I was grateful to receive this as an ARC.

It was beyond sweet on as many fronts as I can think of.

Melody had a genuine, understandable healing process and it wasn't pushed to the side in the slightest. Her reactions to things felt fair for the situations she was put in and she was enjoyable to read and better understand.

Zac Porter gets an A+ in book boyfriend-ing. Protective and sweet and yummy, honestly, I want one. Where do I find one like that?

The plot had a great flow and it was a sensible timeline for all the events to occur and for the falling in love to happen. It didn't feel rushed and it didn't feel like the issues brought up were unimportant at the time they were happening. It was just a sweet book, even if I grew frustrated with certain things, it was because they were MEANT to be frustrating, not because of plot holes or anything unintentional.
Very yummy book, 11/10.

📚 Second Chance Romance
📚 Fake Dating
📚 Brothers best friend
📚 Grumpy Sunshine
📚 Touch her and die (without the pew pews)
📚 Sports romance

I LOVED this one! There's romance, banter, spice, clovers, red shoe laces, and football! It's a delightful HEA wrapped up into one super cute book you won't want to put down. I devoured this one in a few hours, laughed out loud multiple time (hello saying your inside thoughts out loud!) and I want to know about the brother and her friends and WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?! I don't think this was set up for a series, but if it turned into one, I wanna know more about Parker. Anyway, if you're looking for a super cute rom-com, with spice, grab this one on January 21st when it's released!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for letting me read this one early in exchange for my review!

"Only in Your Dreams" by Ellie K. Wilde is a heartfelt blend of small-town charm, second chances, and the classic brother's best friend romance trope. The book shines with its relatable characters, witty banter, and tender exploration of personal growth, though some reviews note a disjointed plot and pacing issues. While Zac and Melody's chemistry is electric, some readers felt the story relied too heavily on familiar tropes and could have benefited from deeper character development, especially among the supporting cast. Overall, it's a cozy, trope-filled read perfect for rom-com lovers seeking a mix of spice, swoon, and a happy-ever-after.

This book was your typical second chance romance with an added "my brother's best friend", small town romance. I felt like there were a lot of things going on without a good flow of the plot. It felt a bit disjointed. I think the author was so focused on getting both points of view across that we missed out on the substance of this book. And had to follow too many cliched plot points

This was SO good!! I absolutely loved Mel and Zac and I loved their relationship. I liked the reason that they were kept apart. It made sense and it didn’t ruin all this love we were building in the present tense. Zac was such a silent sweetie. I loved the hidden gestures of his love every day. I also loved that Mel was able to recognize her past relationship issues within the book and grow and move on! That will be so relatable for so many readers! I can’t wait for Brooks’ book!!!

📖 Book Review 📖 Do you have a certain someone who broke your heart? While Melody is nursing a heartache from a recent breakup, the man who taught her all about a broken heart was her brother’s best friend and the third wheel in their twin shenanigans. Returning home to Oakwood Bay to room with her twin was not on her Bingo card but the breakup left her no choice. All bets are off when she is forced to take her brother’s spot on the annual camping trip and comes face to face with the man who nearly destroyed her, Zac. Nothing brings up the wounds from the past like some fresh air and forced proximity. Their memorable camping trip launches a delightfully adorable, clandestine journey that might just repair their relationship and bring them together once and for all. Ellie K. Wilde knocked it out of the park with Only in Your Dreams!

Only in Your Dreams by Ellie Wilde is releasing 1/21 and is a sports romance and a second chance romance (sort of). The book starts out with us meeting Melody and Zac 10 years prior when they are in high school. Melody is confessing her feelings to Zac and he promises to return that night to talk about it but doesn’t. Cut to now, and the two haven’t seen each other since that night. They are going on a camping trip with friends and get stuck sharing the same tent, however a huge storm hits in the night and has them stranded in the woods for three days with no cell service. That’s the first 25% of the book and would have been a super cute novella had it stopped there. However, the story continues post rescue and becomes this sort of confusing growth story for Melody who has just escaped a mental and emotionally abusive relationship. Zac is on the verge of losing his coaching job. The rest of the story is clunky and doesn’t even feel the same. It’s less enjoyable, but by the end you do end up rooting for the couple to get together and be successful in their careers, but it was a long road to get there.

4⭐️’s. Thank you NetGalley for this e-ARC prior to release day. First read by this author, and it reminded me a lot of an Elle Kennedy book. I am a sucker for 2nd chance romance when there is a significant amount of time between the 1st occurrence.

Had me at small town, brothers best friend romance. Just saying that is definitely my favorite trope. This was definitely a cookie cutter presentation of this trope. I think that overall she pulled through. It was a bit shallow at times. The scenes were everything I wanted, but I feel like it was definitely dragged out. And when the main characters weren’t together it was rather boring. I wish that she put more character development in the side characters, they for sure would have spiced up the story and added more heat to it.i wished she would have put more thought in the ages of the characters. I really felt like the story would have been better I’d the characters were teenagers, and boy middle aged men/women. The storyline fits better with younger characters. She had the perfect amount of spice & plot. It definitely was an enjoyable read.

Funny, lighthearted, and a perfect “it was always you”. I usually don’t read a lot of sports romance but I absolutely adored this one. Zac is one of those whole-hearted guys that you find yourself rooting for, and Mel is such a firecracker and a perfect FMC. I also appreciated that there is no third act breakup.

Tropes:
✨It’s always been you
✨Football romance
✨Fake relationship
✨Brother’s best friend

This romance is perfect for a January, 21st 2025 release. Perfect to cozy up in the winter months and enjoy!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Ellie K. Wilde, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an eARC of Only in Your Dreams in exchange for an honest review!

"I'd burn everything to the ground for you and walk away without another look."

Ya'll.,,. this book is ABSOLUTELY swoon-worthy! I love a good rom-com, but this one was next level.

Our tropes: Second chance romance and brother' s best friend.
The burn: Slow.
The spice: 2.5/5 chili peppers. There were a handful of scenes and they were truly well done. They were drawn out and hand me on the edge of my seat,

There was so much I loved about this book. From the witty banter to the laugh out loud funny situations to the sappy/cheesy moments. I fell for Zac Porter just as hard as Melody did.

5/5 Stars! I can't wait to read more from Ellie K. Wilde!

Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you to Simon and Schuster, Atria Books, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What a cute, fun sports romance that has so many great tropes, spice, banter, and a super romantic storyline that will give you all the feels!

Melody and Zac were close childhood friends since Zac was Melody’s twin brother’s best friend. They had feelings for each other in high school but didn’t know that their feelings were reciprocated. There was some miscommunication between them at the time and it didn’t work out before Melody left their small town for college. Meanwhile, Zac stayed in town, played football for their local university and went on to become the head coach of the team. Now, Melody is feeling lost and she decides to move back to her hometown temporarily after a breakup.

Both MCs are written very well, have excellent chemistry, and the banter is top notch. Zac is sweet, adores Melody, and the way in which which he articulates his feelings will make you swoon. Melody is a bit more reserved and she is the “grumpy” one of the two main characters. Her wit, strength, and determination make her a wonderful FMC. Watching Melody and Zac fall in love and have everything fall into place was so wonderful!

Overall, I love how the book covers important, deeper topics while remaining lighthearted and hopeful! An amazing read with heart, spice, and humor. Highly recommend adding this to your TBR if you’re a romcom fan!

Tropes:
- Forced proximity
- Brother’s best friend
- Second chance
- Small town
- Reverse grumpy sunshine
- “It’s always been you”
- Found family