What if you had a chance to make things right with the one who got away? Well, our main lead Zac is not going to fumble his second chance! This was such a fun read! I couldn't put the book down once I started. Anyone who's ever been in a bad relationship and break-up can relate to Melody. This book had it all- small-town romance, second chances, fake relationship and so much spice! I can't wait to read more from this author.

I unfortunately could not finish this book. I was invested by the first page, by the first chapter, but as the chapters went on I felt disconnected to the characters. I feel like everything moved too fast and it felt like I couldn’t understand the actions of the characters. It seemed the two main characters had such a history but we didn’t know anything about it. I can understand not knowing anything about their history for the sake of tension and emotion but things were happening out of the blue.
For example, all of a sudden the characters would get really angry at each other but it was hard for the reader to understand where this anger was coming from.
Overall, I wasn’t able to finish this book because I had a hard time connecting to the characters and writing.

Love loveeee this book so much. Ellie K Wilde is another one of my favorite authors who is able to turn up the heat without losing the plot, I am invested but I am also feeling the spice haha. I loved these characters together and felt like they really worked, the banter made me giggle and not cringe and I found the drama to be realistic instead of overly dramatic

My first Ellie K Wilde novel but definitely not my last. This was a cozy and spicy mystery with awesome characters. Lots of tension and conflict, handled with TLC. Enjoyed this one very much.
Thank you NetGalley, Ellie Wilde and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was my first book by Ellie K Wilde and won’t be the last! I love a second chance romance (bonus points for sports romance) and this one was fast, flirty, and had enough of a plot to keep me engaged. I would highly recommend this rom com!

Such a cute and sweet small town sport romance!

Zac Porter is such a book boyfriend! Melody and Zac had such great chemistry that from the first page you're hooked. It has Dual POV, grumpy and sunshine but she's the grump. It has second chance romance, small town, brothers friend, banter and flirting, it's always been you and sports! It's got all the tropes I love and one thing I really liked was how it all made sense together. There's so much swoon and charm and it makes you feel cozy and made me smile seeing them interact and flirt and fall hard for each other. Its such a fun sport romance thats character driven and sport romance fans will eat this up!

4.5 Stars

This was sooo cute and fun! I always always ALWAYS turn up for an MMC who is down bad and just YEARNING for the FMC, and this book TRULY gave that. And I have to mention not only was this book super cute, it had me laughing out loud at several points. I definitely will be checking out other books by this author and will be pre-ordering the next book in this series.

I actually have a physical copy of this arc and read it.

*Trainwreck Alert!* 3.5

Buckle up, folks! This book is a wild ride, full of cringeworthy moments, trust issues, and enough sexual tension to power a small city.

Meet Zac, the "hero" of this tale, who's a masterclass in how to be a not-so-great guy. His actions will have you rolling your eyes, sighing in frustration, and face-palming in disbelief. And yet...you'll be morbidly fascinated by his antics and keep turning those pages!

This book is like a big ol' messy rom-com, complete with emotional baggage, poor life choices, and a cast of lovelorn characters who'll have you rooting for them despite their hot messiness.

So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the drama-filled ride! If you're in the mood for a trainwreck that you can't look away from, then this book is for you!

I adore the small-town trope, so the chances of me liking this book were quite high.

Tropes:

- small town
- brother's best friend
- sports romance
- forced proximity
- one bed

The beginning was quite decent, but the characters' behavior didn’t really match their age. It felt like I was reading about teenagers just starting college rather than adults nearing their 30s. That's why I didn't really enjoy the story.

I appreciated how the book addressed the topic of psychological abuse in relationships and how well it highlighted how such abuse can be disguised as care.

In my subjective opinion, this book will appeal to fans of Hannah Grace's works.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

1 star⭐️✨

Overall, I was disappointed by this story. This book just dragged on. I guess the scenes could be considered cute, but this book was not my thing. The conflict wasn't really there. It was introduced in one part and felt like it was just too easily dismissed or solved. I didn't feel any chemistry between the main characters. I read until the ending expecting more, but everything just felt too abrupt. There were lots of unanswered questions. The side characters felt like they were just there for the sake of talking about the main characters relationship and nothing more. I know this is a romance, but what happened to the characters other passions? Nonexistent. It's weird how Zac's mom was only there for one Facetime scene and she never showed up again. His gram was mentioned, but the book never went deep enough to form any connections between characters. Which is also weird because this book was 432 pages. It also felt like the main male character was weirdly perfect other than his obsession which should've been more concerning than sweet. He liked her for so long, but never even tried to get help like therapy. It felt like a lot happened in this book, but at the same time nothing happened in this book. The awful ex-boyfriend was a very random character which I understand the main character was processing the way he manipulated her, but this didn't add much to the plot or giving dimension to the character. I feel like Melody could have gone deeper into her own emotions instead of comparing everything to Zac. It also felt like the side-conflict with Noah and his dad was left fully unsolved just to be Zac's charity case. This story had a lot of potential, but it just reminded me of a Wattpad story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reader copy.

Where are my sports romance girlies? If that’s your jam, this is one you would love! Brothers best friend romance is always entertaining in my book! Definitely recommend this fun read!

Zac and Melody were friends in high school, but mostly because Zac was her twin brother's best friend. At the end of her senior year, the two might have had the kiss that they both wanted, but Zac was scared of losing his friendship with her brother. Now, Melody has broken up with her long term boyfriend and moved back to her hometown, where Zac is the football coach. Can they rekindle their relationship, or is it too late for love?

I struggled mightily with this one. I felt lost at times with the main characters and annoyed with repetition of the Heroine's issues. This story dragged and could have been a Young Adult novella minus sex. The side characters made more sense in their own promising storylines than the MC's. This was my first time reading this author's work, and unfortunately, it's a pass for me.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and Ellie K Wilde for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! The writing style was great, and I’m a sucker for a good second-chance romance—especially sports romances. But I have to be honest, the miscommunication drove me up the wall. So many of the issues could’ve been solved way earlier if the characters just talked to each other—and not just in a romantic sense.

Still, it was a great read overall, and the ending made it worth sticking through any frustrating bits. I’d definitely recommend to anyone who loves a cute rekindling dynamic with some meddling supporting characters!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

I had a great time reading this one!

Zac Porter you are that man. He was pining over her for ten years?!? Yes please. And the groveling he did to get her back?! Perfection. I loved that he did actually work for her trust back. He didn’t just expect things to fall back into place and that he respected her need to find her own footing first before being together. I think that’s what made the relationship so much stronger. They want the best for each other. They are always encouraging each other. That is what a true partnership looks like.

I swear the author edged me this whole book omg. The tension was so good. Just the smallest moments are comments that Zac would make had me giggling and blushing.

I always love a good reserve grumpy sunshine trope too. I really enjoyed the authors writing style too! Was very easy to follow and I was invested in the story and development of the characters.

I really hope the next book is on Brooks and Summer????? Just my theory.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Melody did not expect to be coming back to her hometown after 10 years, tail tucked between her legs, with no boyfriend and no killer job. Especially when she runs into Zac Porter, her twin brother’s best friend and her high school crush. Turns out it might be easier to believe in yourself with someone else cheering you on…

This is my first time reading an Ellie Wilde novel and she is a great writer with a clear voice. I thought the topic of emotional abuse was handled very well and very sensitively. It is a topic that needs to be dealt h with in romance, since domestic violence remains far too common. I really appreciated the novel advocating that survivors can heal and form healthier relationships. I also really enjoyed the MCs circle of friends - Summer, Parker and Brooke are kind and supportive friends.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves sports romance and I hope the author will write more books in the series to follow up with other Oakwood residents!

Ellie K. Wilde’s "Only in Your Dreams" is the romantic whirlwind you didn’t know you needed, blending small-town charm, sports drama, and a decade-long second chance into a book you’ll devour in one sitting. At its heart, this spicy and heartfelt tale is about rekindling love, rediscovering oneself, and the beauty of moving forward with someone who’s always been in your corner. For fans of trope-filled romances with a generous helping of swoon-worthy moments, this book is an absolute treat.

Melody Woods returns to Oakwood Bay, a small coastal town brimming with nostalgia and unresolved emotions, after a series of personal and professional setbacks. Freshly out of a toxic relationship, Melody is on a mission to rebuild her life—preferably far from Zac Porter, her twin brother Parker’s best friend and the boy who broke her heart a decade ago. But fate, meddling family, and a camping trip gone awry force Melody and Zac into close quarters, sparking a collision of unresolved tension, heartfelt confessions, and sizzling chemistry.

Zac, now a college football coach battling his own challenges, sees Melody’s return as his last chance to prove to her—and himself—that their love was real, even if he fumbled it the first time. What follows is a deliciously angsty and tender journey of second chances, slow-burn romance, and steamy moments that’ll leave you rooting for this pair from start to finish.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I loved this book! It had a touch of sports romance, a lot of pining, and some fun side characters I'd love to see more of.

Zac and Melody's chemistry was palpable. In our opening scenes with them on a camping trip, I'll admit, I was a little unsure. Things were moving really fast for two people who hadn't seen each other in ten years, but once the camping ended, I fell in love with this book and their relationship. I loved how they addressed problems together and recognized when they were avoiding problems, making plans to talk about them later when they couldn't in that moment. Also, I thought their trust in each other and slow build of their relationship was very well paced. Zac was pretty much all in from the start but I appreciated Melody's build of her relationship with Zac.

Also, I loved that Wilde would address a potential red flag or problem before I could get anxious about it. For example, Zac kept prefacing his reason for leaving Melody ten years ago as "not a good reason" so by the time I heard the reason and mentally thought, that's not a very good reason, it had already been addressed. Zac already knew he'd messed up without even good reason to have.

One of my absolute favorite parts of this book was the character of Noah. He's one of Zac's college players who has a hard home life, so ends up bunking at Zac's house a lot. I loved his whole story and seeing how Zac and Melody doted on him like a little brother. It was heartwarming and cute, and I'd love to see more of him!

I could also see a book for Summer and/or Parker coming along. I didn't feel any romantic chemistry between Summer and Parker, but you never know.

Overall, this book will be on my mind for a while! I loved the story and the slow build of Zac and Melody's healthy relationship. I'd dive back into this world at any moment!

☆☆☆☆
4 out of 5 Stars

This was a pretty light and sweet story, and it did a good job at establishing a friend group to build a series around. By the end I was ready to jump into the next character’s book!

My biggest critique is that it did feel a little long, mostly that the camping scenes in the beginning could have been condensed a little. And with such an emphasis put on the bad relationship the FMC just left, and watching her essentially deal with some level of emotional trauma from it, I was surprised that the character didn’t seek out any sort of counseling during the story.

•Small College Town
•College Football Coach MMC
•Mathematician FMC
•Childhood Friends
•He Falls First
•Open Door Spice
•Dual POV (First Person)

Thank you NetGalley for giving me access to an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

From the first page, I was hooked on Melody and Zac’s story. Melody’s back in her small hometown after hitting rock bottom, and Zac, her brother’s best friend (and the guy who totally blew it with her ten years ago), is suddenly back in her life. You already know sparks are gonna fly. ✨ Like, hello, buckle up, we’re in for a RIDE!

The chemistry between these two? So good. Zac is the perfect mix of sweet, determined, and a little broody—basically the guy you can’t help but root for. Total book boyfriend! And Melody? She’s so real. She’s tough but vulnerable, and you just want her to find her happy ending. I loved how the story balances all the emotions—there’s angst, humor, and plenty of swoony moments that had me grinning like an idiot.

Ellie K. Wilde’s writing is so good—fun, emotional, and packed with small-town charm. Plus, the side characters are hilarious (Parker, I need your book ASAP). It’s the perfect mix of swoony romance, personal growth, forgiveness, and all the drama you want in a second-chance love story. If you’re a fan of childhood crush turned soulmates vibes, this one is a MUST. Seriously, don’t sleep on it—it’s a cozy, heartfelt read that’ll have you dreaming about Zac and Melody long after you finish. 🌲💖✨