This book was SO sweet but also the sex scenes were HOT. 🥵 The perfect mix. 🤩 I’m only knocking it down a star because the plot in the beginning was far fetched.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! This book played on many tropes, including fake dating, second chance romance, brother's best friend, and gave touch her and die vibes. Overall, a cute and spicy read about two people reconnecting after a miscommunication that ended their connection 10 years ago.

Brother's best friend done correctly! At the start of this book, I was really not sure of how much I was going to love this. Around the 30% I was hooked. Second chance romances can be hit or miss for me but I devoured this book than less in one day.

I can't wait to read the next book!

ARC review Only in your dreams by @elliekwildeauthor

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This book was everything I could have wanted. Had me kicking my feet and giggling like a little school girl. This was heartwarming and adorably sweet with tension and banter and I loved every second of it. Finally being with the person you have loved since you were 14 years old just hits different. Cannot wait to see who comes next ✨

A little angsty, a lot sweet, and a veritable treasure trove of tropes.

I was sold on this couple within the first couple of pages. There’s good chemistry and then there’s something beyond that, when a couple is just so right together that you can’t imagine any other outcome for them. Zac is absolutely besotted with Melody, even when she’s feisty and sarcastic, maybe especially when she’s feisty and sarcastic. And while it takes Mel a little bit longer to get on board, how could she resist a reliable guy, always in her corner, and consistently puts her needs first? Especially as she emerges from a toxic relationship.

As stated before, there are a ton of tropes in this book. Under normal circumstances, that could spell disaster. Somehow, in this book, it all works. The pacing did lag in a few spots, and the reason for Zac and Mel’s ten-year estrangement felt flimsy, but overall this was a solid read.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Melody Woods’s life is falling apart. Dumped by her boyfriend of 6 years, unable to afford to live in the city alone, she moves back to her small coastal town with her twin brother despite avoiding this place, or must I say a certain someone for 10 years. One camping trip gone wrong and now all those feelings buried that summer night 10 years ago are threatened to come back. Will Mel be able to resist the temptation?

This is my ranking system, so this book is a 5-star for this sweet small-town, brother’s best friend romance.

I felt captivated from the very first page. I couldn’t stop reading because the writing just flows so seamlessly.

Melody Woods is one of the most relatable FMCs I have gotten a chance to meet in a while. I love reading her pov. She cracked me up with her thoughts and smart-ass one-liners. She is hilarious, slightly dramatic, and adorable.

Zac matches her energy to the t and the two of them can’t stop with their banters. He is so sweet and supportive of Mel, slowly weaving himself back into Mel’s story and Mel’s life.

Overall, I enjoyed this story, and thank you Net Galley and Atria for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Ellie Wilde can do no wrong and I absolutely stand by that! I love this one so much. Was all the feels, sucked in from start to finish and the execution of character development was beautifully done

I feel like it’s only appropriate to start this arc review by bringing attention to my original review when I read the independently published version, which was of course a 5 star and noted “never thought I’d say these words: thank god I fell victim to a one line teaser on booktok”. I stand by that hardcore.

This time around I am feeling more of an “I’m so glad I accepted the opportunity to reread this book before it is traditionally published” type of review. I knew I really enjoyed it before but this time made me realize I LOVE this book. I LOVE both characters. Zac is the blueprint. This had the perfect amount of wit, humor, devastation, self discovery, longing, angst, and deep deep love you could truly feel through the pages. The list could go on and on. It was long and covered a lot of ground but I don’t feel like it ever lost the plot or dragged. I cannot wait to revisit this universe and the side characters when their books are released.

Ellie was an author I hadn’t read before but once I did I immediately read through her backlog. Her writing style is exactly how I like it to be. Looking forward to more!

Thank you NetGalley, Ellie, and Atria for the invitation to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Notebook meets a sports romance 💕

I LOVED this book! The way Zac encouraged her to follow her dreams even if it wasn’t the best option for him?! 😍😍

Read if you love:
Small town romance
Brothers best friend
Obsessive MMC - He falls HARD

3.8 stars! 🌟 Huge thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde! This 432-page sports romance hits shelves on January 21, 2025, and trust me, it’s got all the feels. 🥰

Reading this felt like snuggling up in your coziest sweater while chaos, drama, and swoon-worthy tension unfold on the page. Zac and Melody’s story is a small-town, second-chance romance dream with tropes galore—and NO third-act breakup. 🎉 (Seriously, Ellie K. Wilde, thank you for sparing my heart!)

✨ Tropes Galore ✨
✧ Second chance 💞
✧ Brother’s best friend 💖
✧ Forced proximity ⛺
✧ Small-town romance 🏡
✧ "It’s always been you" 💘
✧ Reverse grumpy-sunshine 🌞
✧ Sneaking around 🤭
✧ Healing from heartbreak 💔
✧ Fake dating 🤥
✧ Protective MMC 🛡️

What I Loved
Zac? Literal human fridge: solid, reliable, and lowkey cold, but he’s exactly what Melody needs in her chaos. A DECADE of pining is excessive (sir, get a hobby—or therapy), but his snark, sweetness, and fiercely protective side totally won me over. 💕 Melody’s journey of rebuilding her confidence post-breakup had me rooting for her every step of the way. She shines in this book, and Zac supporting her without making it all about him? PERFECTION. 🥹

The chemistry? SCORCHING. 🔥 The wilderness forced-proximity setup was gold—equal parts giggle-worthy and spicy. Their banter had me grinning, and the flashbacks added just the right dose of emotional weight. And those side characters? Parker and Brooks need their own stories, like, yesterday. 👏

What Didn't Work
- The pacing dragged in a few spots, especially when the focus wasn’t on Zac and Melody.
- The reason for their 10-year silence? WEAK. Dude, ever heard of texting?! 😩

HIGHLIGHTS
- No third-act breakup—HALLELUJAH! 🥳
- Steamy scenes with emotional depth. 💓
- Side characters that stole my heart (Brooks, I’m looking at you). 💕
- Angsty second-chance vibes that hit just right. 🎯

BOTTOM LINE
This is for the second-chance girlies who love a protective football coach MMC, small-town charm, and “it’s always been you” romance. Melody and Zac’s chemistry will keep you hooked, and that HEA left me smiling like an idiot. 🥹 Definitely recommend for fans of angsty-but-sweet romance with just the right spice.

CW: Gaslighting ex, emotional manipulation, brief mentions of toxic relationships.

I love a friends to lovers trope however this started as a 2 for me because it was just too cheesy and unrealistic that Zac said he thought of melody every second even though they hadn’t seen or spoken to each other in 10 years. It rose to a 3 for me because the pacing was good, everything happened over months and got more realistic towards the end. Thank you to the publisher for this arc

Twins Melody and Parker practically adopted their best friend Zac growing up, but after Melody revealed her feelings for Zac, he abruptly ghosted her and they haven’t talked in 10 years.

Newly out of a controlling relationship, Melody is back in town living with her brother Parker and still angry about the way Zac left things. But after being forced together against their will, she finds out maybe he wasn’t avoiding her simply because he didn’t feel the same way.

This sweet and spicy childhood friends to lovers romance has lots of tension and banter as you unravel the past and what actually kept them apart for a 10 years.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book and the slow reveal of their true feelings for each other.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been craving a sports romance and this book delivered everything I wanted and more. It has childhood friends to lovers, brothers best friend and of course sports romance. Zac is one of my favorite main characters I’ve ever read. He is the definition of I would do anything for her and she’s it for me. I was kicking my feet when he made her dream house just for her and didn’t decorate it until she came back into his life. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Melody who is finally back home after ending a six-year relationship that was anything but healthy. As she tries to move on, she finds herself questioning everything—especially whether she's ever really made choices for herself or if she's just been influenced by her ex the whole time. Just as she’s starting to process all of this, she’s forced into an unexpected camping trip with Zac, the guy who stood her up ten years ago on an important night. He thinks this might be the right moment to explain what really happened back then and admit feelings that have stayed with him all these years.

Watching her figure out who she is and what she wants was inspiring. Zac? He’s the kind of guy who just melts your heart. From the moment he steps onto the page, he’s sweet and charming in a way that feels almost unreal. He’s constantly there for Melody, and I’m not giving anything away, but wow—this guy really knows how to show up. (And I have to say, any guy who loves food as much as Zac does is a winner in my book.)

The pacing of the story was smooth, and both Melody and Zac were well-developed characters. Even some of the supporting characters managed to pull at my heartstrings.

I think the story could’ve been a bit shorter, and I would’ve loved to see a more powerful moment for Melody when it comes to getting closure with her ex. Still, it was a fun, engaging read with plenty of romance, some heat, and a few classic tropes thrown in for good measure. If you like a fun, steamy rom-com this is for you.
4.25 Stars!

As someone with an unusually high percentage of friends who are twins (kind of insane i’m not gonna lie, three of my closest friends are twins, one of them having a fraternal male twin, like the characters in the books) and being a girl with a brother, the sibling relationship in this book was ROUGH. I couldn’t get through it. Siblings do not interact or talk like this and it unfortunately ruined the book for me. People who care less about this will probably enjoy the book greatly

This was an excellent read. Highly recommend reading it. Couldn’t put it down
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read it

Melody and Zac spent high school as close friends with her twin, Parker. When they have a falling out after Zac ghosts her, they come back together when she comes home from a breakup after 6 years. This book was longer then it needed to be, but I do think it helped fill the story in and feel like a less rushed romance!

After the breakup from nowhere, Melody moves in with her brother and tries getting her life back together, only to find the guy who first broke her heart is still in town.

It was... fine. I read it, I finished it, but I definitely more skimmed it at the end. Maybe I've come back from my avoidance of romance too hard that I realize how far fetched some can seem. I liked seeing the growth in Melody, and I liked how she focused on herself and made Zac wait until she felt like she had her shit together.

Buuuut, Zac fell flat. The whole "I'm angry mach football man with heart of gold who will also punch someone," doesn't really fly with me. While I've definitely wanted to punch people in my life, I just never found the appeal of a current love interest punching an ex in the fave. Though I also wanted to punch Connor in the face, I wish Melody had gotten to do so verbally.

Thanks, NetGalley!

4.5/5☁️ thank you @ and @atria for this ARC. I absolutely fell in love with this world & these characters and this redemption story!!

short summary:
after ten years of avoiding her hometown, melody woods returns to oakwood bay after her longterm boyfriend ends things. zac porter, her brothers best friend, is waiting in the eaves for a second chance- thinking this might be it.
after a night gone wrong ten years ago, melody has avoided zac porter at all means. the boy she once loved is now the picture of everything she once thought she had. after a camping trip gone wrong, melody is forced to remember all the reasons why zac was that important piece of the puzzle for her. can they find healing in the relationship that once meant everything to them? or will they forever be estranged?

things i loved:
☁️THE RED SHOELACES 😭🥹
☁️ the WIT. these characters have banter for dayssss and it’s hilarious.
☁️three days stuck at a campsite is WILD- legit never heard of that one before
☁️clover 🥹 everything about this is just—- ADORABLE
☁️”…i felt her in that first raindrop that fell…..maybe i was supposed to shatter my own heart just to appreciate how good it feels when it becomes whole again.”
☁️i absolutely cannot get over the HOUSE. my dream LITERALLY.
☁️their little found family 😭🥹

this book felt like everything nostalgic. the brothers best friend trope mixed with the notebook worthy moments gave this book such a deeper context. zac’s loyalty and protectiveness over melody was absolutely everything. two broken hearts, healed by the only person capable. they truly are just each other’s person and i LOVE it. also the way they grow in their friendship but also as individuals- the character growth is crazy- and their relationship with noah just made everything sweeter.

tropes:
-brothers best friend
-football romance
-one bed, one tent 🤪
-forced proximity
-the notebook themed moments!!
-“it’s always been you”
-second chance

would i recommend? 3728291% sold on it

📚Book Review📚

First I would like to say thank you to @netgalley, the author of course, and @atriabooks for letting me get to read this ebook!

Only in Your Dreams was SOO freaking cute! Easily a 4.5 ⭐️ for me!

So this book was a bit of a slow start for me, it kind of took me a bit to be super interested in Melodys character cause I don't do well reading too much "woe is me, everything is fine." I will always prefer my FMC to have a bit more edge but as the book continues that spark starts to be seen and I was living for it for sure 😂

Zac as far as a MMC is very cutesy, but I feel like if this book just went a little more to the left, Zac would have made a great morally grey character in anything else. His immense need for Melody had moments of being sweet and other moments of being "please breathe sir" 😅otherwise he was the absolute dream boat of a football coach that you can imagine.

The SPICE of this book was 🫣🤌🏼😈

All in all if this hasn't made it to your TBR and you're into sports romances or maybe forbidden/secret romance than this is it!