Ok I loved this book! I loved the absolute slow burn. The sweet man who waited and waited and waited.
I needed a wholesome yummy book and this one delivered!!

It wasn’t easy being the new kid in school, but Zac was lucky enough to form a lifelong friendship with Parker which carried over to Parker’s twin sister, Melody. The three were inseparable all throughout high school. The only problem? Zac was in love with Melody. But did Melody feel the same?

Fast forward 10 years and Melody is home healing from an emotionally abusive breakup. Zac never left their town, choosing to become the college football coach. But Melody is back and Zac wants another chance. The two find themselves thrown together for a camping trip, needing to work together to survive for a couple of days. When they return, Mel keeps gravitating back to Zac. Can she forgive him for leaving her alone 10 years ago with no explanation?

I loved, loved, LOVED Zac and Melody together. Their banter was hilarious, the chemistry was off the charts, and Zac was so patient with Mel to help her heal and become whole again. I did find parts of this storyline pretty far fetched, but that’s what a good book will do. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel.

Only in Your Dreams is such a cute “unrequited love” romance novel out this February. Thank you Ellie Wilde, NetGalley, and Atria Books for the ARC of this novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC!
I really enjoyed this, it had top notch spicy scenes, and the two mains had sizzling chemistry. I was swooning over Zac not even halfway through the book.
It was a bit on the slower side, but that spice and overall relationship of the two mains made up for it.
I felt like Melody was super relatable, especially in the past relationship aspect, and I saw a bit of myself in her, so it kind of hit home for me.
Overall, I really liked this.

I really enjoyed this book. It is an easy read with characters that are very lovable. The spice is 10/10!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Navigating grief in a contemporary romance is not an easy task. PS: I Hate You takes on that challenge and delivers a beautiful story of second chances, taking risks, and saying goodbye while falling in love. I've seen so many five-star reviews for this one on Instagram; it is well-deserved! Please note the triggers/content warnings, especially the death of a family member (off-page) and parental neglect (continuous). The audiobook, narrated by Karissa Vicker, was beautifully produced and made me both laugh and cry for Maddie and Dominic. Thank you, PRH Audio, for the free audiobook copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde is a contemporary romance that explores themes of self-discovery, love, and healing. The story follows Melody, who returns to her hometown after the end of a toxic six year relationship. There, she reconnects with Zac, her brother’s best friend. As Melody and Zac navigate their evolving relationship and deal with the fallout of their childhood friendship and almost-romance, the book delves into the complexities of healing from a toxic past while building a new, healthier connection.


Tropes in the Book:
Brother's best friend
Second chance romance
Return to hometown
Football romance

Writing Style & Characters: Ellie K. Wilde’s writing is engaging and pulls you right into the story. She does a great job balancing emotional moments with lighter, more fun scenes, making the book feel well-rounded. The way she writes really lets you connect with Melody and Zac.

One of the highlights is the strong development of the side characters. While the romance is central to the plot, the side characters are fully realized and add depth to the story. They offer both emotional support and moments of comic relief.

Issues with Timing & Pacing: Despite many strengths, there are a couple of pacing issues worth mentioning. The time spent apart by Melody and Zac feels a bit prolonged (10 years with no contact seems unlikely given that Mel has returned home for visits over the years.)

Additionally, Melody’s revelations about her controlling ex-boyfriend is an important part of her character’s arc, but the timing of this confession to Zac (and others) feels slightly rushed. The way this trauma is revealed could have been better integrated into the story, allowing for a more natural moment.

Final Thoughts: Wilde delivers a story full of emotional depth, healing, and romance that will resonate with fans of contemporary romance, especially those who enjoy the brother's best friend, second chance, and return to hometown tropes. I hope to see some interconnected standalone with the side characters front and center in the future.

This book was one of my top romance reads this year! I love a brother's best friend trope and this did not disappoint. It was the best second chance romance blended with brother's best friend that I have read recently, with strong character development and a beautiful love story! I can't wait to read more from Ellie K. Wilde, she has become one of my favorites to read!

Thank you so much for this ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Only In Your Dreams. I loved the relationship between Melody and Zac and enjoyed the snippets thrown in from past to weave the story of the two of them. Sometimes the love was over the top and felt a little strong (stalker-y), but for a romance novel who wouldn’t want that kind of connection to keep you swooning and rooting for them. The friend group was so fun as well and I really enjoyed the banter, scenarios, and overall vibe. There is some deeper content that may be triggering for some, but I feel it was handled well and realistic that sometimes it takes hindsight to see what is wrong in prior relationships, Melody and her friends handled this situation in a way that demonstrated self worth and building her confidence back up. 4 stars!

4 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC!

Melody and Zac could have had A Moment, but Zac had to go and ruin it. 10 years later, they're stuck together on a camping trip and Melody is struggling to recover from an emotionally abusive ex.

I went into this thinking it would be a cookie cutter romcom, but I was surprised at how much I liked it. I liked Zac as a character by himself, but him and Melody together was something wonderful. I really loved the dual POV and how we go to see their relationship grow back together from both characters.

I think what knocked it down a point is how neat and tidy everything happened for them. Zac is a first year head coach that started out pretty terrible and he's on the shortlist for another head coaching job for the biggest rival? Ok. But I'll take a HEA in any form.

Only In Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilder
5⭐️ 3.5 🌶️

Tropes:
-brother’s best friend
-football romance
-second chance
-small town
-it’s always been you
-down bad MMC

Let me start by saying that Ellie K. Wilder wrote the perfect second-chance romantic comedy.

In high school, Zac was this as thieves with twins, Melody and Parker. So what happens when you suddenly have feelings for one??
Avoid? Zac dodges head first leaving Melody confused and running away to school. Zac and Parker stay behind to play college ball.

10 years later, Melody is back in town post- breakup. Zac is now the head football coach at his alma-mater and in desperate need of a victory.

This was the perfect amount of spice, banter and plot. It would also make the perfect film. I can’t recommend this book enough to those that love the sports romance, brother’s best friend, or second chance tropes.

Thank you again @netgalley @atriabooks @elliekwildeauthor for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another book devoured in 12 hours. I loved the chemistry and tension.
My only negative thought on this book (without spoilers) is that there was not enough of a reaction to the reasoning why they didn't get together 10 years ago. A normal person would have way more feelings over what happened and the time stolen from them. I don't love second chance romances but this was a good one! Definitely checking out more books from this author!

Only In Your Dreams is a friends to enemies (sort of) to lovers. It’s well written and I adored the MMC, Zac, but it wasn’t pulling me in. It’s not a book I couldn’t put down. I was impatient for it to move along so I ended up skipping a bit to get to the end, which really was satisfying. The author did right by her main characters, for sure. If you’re looking for a spicy romance with more serious undertones, you’ll like this one.

Thanks for Atria books for the ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I want to thank Atria Books for sending me a copy of this book! I couldn't wait to read it!
I'm rounding down, but if there was a way for me to have quarter or half stars, I would do it because this is easily a 3.75 star read. Even though I devoured 45% of this in one day, it did take me a long time to get into and read. Contrary to that, I read a lot of it tonight and I was very eager to see how it ended. I liked how it was a sports romance not in the way you'd expect, with the coaches over the players and the found family aspect of the story was something I adored. The characters were well developed and the longing was definitely there between both mc's. I would definitely recommend this book for any sports romance people, just read it when you have the time to commit to it (which was something I didn't necessarily have when I started it) because it is really good when you put the time into it!
Thank you Atria for sending me this book again, I'm so glad you gave me the chance to read it :)

I would do a 4.5 star if I could. I loved this book and I feel there could be a sequel to it. The only thing stopping me from giving 5 stars is the multiple repeated sex(ish) scenes. Sometimes it just gets old. I found myself skimming through those around 60%. Otherwise, great story...Great ending... would love to read the next chapter of their lives together. Maybe conner makes a reappearance during the knights next championship game...🤷🏼‍♀️

Only in Your Dreams had a lot of cute elements and scenes - like the red shoelaces. But, overall, I felt like it wasn't the book for me. I didn't understand, connect, or relate to the characters. The FMC was a bit too helpless for my liking in many situations, like when the main couple finds itself in a crisis situation, and the female main character gives the male main character the "what do we do now?" look. I wanted to like this book more than I did.

Zac is a college football coach who still regrets his missed opportunity with Melody, his best friend's sister from a decade earlier. When Melody returns to their small town, her brother convinces her to go on the camping trip he had planned with Zac. Zac makes it his mission to show Melody how good they could be together. A second chance, best friend's sister romance.

This was a fun read about a woman who travels back to her small town after a bad break up only to get trapped on a camping trip with the man who broke her heart when they were both teenagers. Fans of small town romance and football coaches will love Zac's character!

Thank you to Atria, Ellie K Wilde, and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC.

Mel just got dumped by her perfect boyfriend. Completely blindsided and now homeless, she moves back to her hometown. She’s avoided this place for ten years and now that she’s back she just needs to avoid one person. The guy that broke her heart all those years ago, Zac. A camping trip throws that idea right out the window.

Zac can’t believe his eyes. Melody, his clover, his standing right in front of him. The biggest mistake of his life was losing Mel. He’s been miserable for ten years knowing he lost the love of his life. She’s back and make no mistake he’s going to prove to her that she’s it for him.

I binged this story. Read well into the night and woke up with a book hangover. And I would do it again. I loved this book. This book was on my TBR and I immediately regretted letting it sit there for so long. Not only was Zac the perfect book boyfriend but the dirty mouth of him had me fanning myself. I definitely recommend reading this book ASAP. Do not let it sit on your never ending TBR.

I absolutely adored this book and was lost in the story right feom the start. Highly recommend you add this to your TBR!

The story follows Mel after she and her boyfriend break up and she is has to leave the city she can’t afford on her own and move 3 hours back home to live with her twin brother. She doesn’t plan on staying long, just enough to get a new job making enough money to move back to the city. Then Zac is thrown back into her life, the boy she used to pine for who also happens to be her twin brother’s best friend since childhood and has definitely grown from boy to man. A man who has never stopped thinking about her and never stopped wanting her.

There are so many things I love about this small town romance. The characters are relatable and well written. The banter is on point and the chemistry is there. The swoon worthy moments and spice are oh so nice. Ellie K. Wilde does an amazing job of creating an enthralling and charming story.

I did not enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. I was disappointed. The brother's best friend/secret crush from childhood trope seemed interesting, but it fell short. Both main characters seemed quite juvenile, especially after 10 years apart! I felt like I was reading a book about high schoolers or young college kids instead of full-grown adults. And it was sickeningly sweet at times, especially the male main character. I basically made myself finish reading this one. There were some truly sweet moments, but they were completely overshadowed by the shallowness of the characters. Also, the spice in the open door scenes was over the top - It was completely unbalanced 180 degrees from the rest of the book. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this read. There is just too much you would need to ignore or get past to enjoy it, in my opinion.

** Thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review **