The pining, the will-they-won’t-they, the misunderstandings!!!!! I was hooked within minutes of starting this book and the story was absolutely lovely to read!!!

This books is full of all the tropes that will take you from giggling like an idiot one moment to sniffling away tears the next. Seriously, I just want my very own Zac to keep forever and ever.

I adored the back-and-forth bickering between Melody and Zac— and I was certainly thrown for a little twist with the whole ‘camping trip gone awry’ (I GASPED WHEN WE FIND OUT WHAT WHAT SHE WENT BACK FOR). Call Wilde a chef, because she is cooking up some *spice* in this book! It’s a sizzling, wonderful read that puts its readers through all the emotions. Please, melody, how are you gonna leave Zac hanging for so long after the mud without an answer (iykyk).

It was such a breath of fresh air to read a book that highlighted what it’s like to be in a toxic relationship— but also how powerful it is to find yourself in the aftermath of said relationship. Not to mention the fantastic humor that was sprinkled in throughout the book!

I struggle with how main characters behave in books and these two just felt a little immature and childish for me. I know that she had a bad relationship, but she treated it like a light switch. It was a fast turn around with very little growth and a whole lot of miscommunication.

Reached for my chapstick and was immediately taken back to this book. I have not been able to stop thinking about these characters! I adore the grumpy/sunshine trope along with a sexy, golden retriever of a man lead character. This book was right up my alley. I thoroughly enjoyed the added sports' touches, side characters, and the added suspense while on the camping trip. Cannot wait to read more from Ellie K Wilde.

Unfortunately, I didn’t care for this book. I felt it dragged on and I found the two main characters to be unbearable. Zach still being in love with a girl from high school and trying to prove himself was just super cringy like sir you are a grown ass man now, why are you still hung up on high school? Don’t get me started on the fact he built Melody’s dream house not even knowing if he was going to ever see her again let alone date her. Also Melody was such a boring and frustrating character too. It’s hard to do second chance romance well and sadly this just disappoints.

Spice: 2/5. This book was so much fun to read. I really enjoyed that there was minimal angst and an "easy" problems to solve. The characters were real and showed growth and depth. The surrounding cast of characters were well written and really added to the over all charm of the story. I would highly recommend it.

3.8 ⭐
Melody breaks up with her boyfriend and returns to her hometown to live with her brother. Soon, she meets Zac, her high school crush.
Zac is now a football coach, though things aren’t going well with his team. He’s caring, sweet, loyal, and still loves Melody.
Melody had been in a toxic relationship for six years without even realizing it at the time, and I loved how good this theme was explored.
I really enjoyed their clover tradition and Melody’s nickname—Clover—and I was absolutely delighted by the red shoelaces storyline.
It was touching to see how the characters supported one another, how Zac respected Melody, and how careful he was not to cross her boundaries.
The book immediately captivated me, and it was fun to follow the characters during the camping trip (that muddy scene was so hot!). However, I felt like the situation with her brother dragged on a little, although Parker pleasantly surprised me in the end!
I can’t help but mention Noah—he’s my favorite side character! I felt so sorry for him, but it was heartwarming to see Zac always ready to lend him a hand.
It’s already been announced that the second book will be about Brooks, and I can’t wait to read it!

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
☘︎ small town
☘︎ football romance
☘︎ brother`s best friend
☘︎ second chance
☘︎ it`s always been you

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2⭐️ I really wanted to love Only in Your Dreams because I’m a sucker for small-town romances and the brother’s best friend trope, but this one just didn’t work for me. The story starts with an interesting setup—Melody returning to her hometown and getting stuck with Zac in the woods—but after that, it felt like the plot kept spinning in circles. Melody and Zac’s tension is there, but the back-and-forth got repetitive, and I didn’t feel like their relationship developed naturally until the very end.

I also found some parts dragged on way longer than they needed to, which made it hard to stay invested. Zac’s character had potential, and I appreciated his effort to win Melody over, but overall, the story just didn’t hook me the way I’d hoped. If you love slow-burn romances, it might be worth a shot, but for me, it was just okay.

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

Fun, entertaining, and comical! This book was a friends to enemies to lovers romance, with everyone’s favorite trope, forced proximity and brothers “ex” best friend!

Zac was a great guy and wasn’t too overprotective and overbearing. He was a great boyfriend and a great person to Melody.

It was a little long but definitely got all my check marks. The only thing I thought brought the book down was I felt like the book was a little weak and slow paced at some points, but it was still a great swoony 🫠 💗 read!!!

Overall? Loved the book, just a little slow. The romance was great, and the book was a quick read. I recommend!!!

The chemistry? Top notch!! 🔥🔥🔥 The banter was hilarious and funny, but also romantic and cuteee!!! 💗💗💗

Tropessss🎶🎼🎹
Second chance ‼️2️⃣
Brothers best friend 🙋‍♂️
Forced proximity 😍
Protective MMC💪
Fake dating 😘
Recently in a breakup 💔
Sneaking around 🤫
Emotional healing ❤️‍🩹

Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde was a super romantic football romance with twists and turns and a great HEA. I am rating this book 4 stars because I felt it could have been over and done with a lot earlier it was kinda easy to see where things were headed and that there was a lot of build up and extra fluff for book 2 overall I did enjoy reading this story and would check out more by this author if I came across it.

This book was so sweet! From the cinnamon roll mmc to the slow burn second chance romance. This author might have just become an auto-buy author after this book!

5/5 love for me, and I have recommended it to everyone I’ve talked to about my recent reads. Had a book boyfriend crush on Zac, and rooted for them the entire time.

I'm not typically a fan of second-chance romances, but this one felt like a fresh love story. Ellie did a fantastic job of introducing the abusive ex and depicting how the female main character processed the breakup. From the very first chapter, I was rooting for the main couple!

Okay but I was actually obsessed with this read, i couldn't put it down. Zac is a top tier book boyfriend, someone who never gave up on the love of his life, built her dream house and held on to a shoe string he tied around their wrists in high school even years later. Melody's growth from her previous toxic relationship throughout the book was so amazing and the fact Zac was there in the background the whole time... chefs kiss. I would totally recommend to anyone looking for a quick read with killer spice, a little sports romance mixed in, and an amazing couple!

Sports romance with second chance, brother's best friend, forced proximity. All the things that add up to a delightful and satisfying romance!

Dual POV, first person
Rating: 3.5 ⭐️
Spice: 2 🌶️
Tropes: second chance, it’s always been you, sports romance, brothers best friend, forced proximity

It took me a hot minute to land on my thoughts for this book.
On one hand, I ultimately enjoyed the story. I love a good sports romance (he’s a coach) and a second chance romance. Our MMC is a man down bad, which I’ll always love. And our FMC is relatable. And a small town is usually always a good time.

On the other hand, I have some things I didn’t enjoy. Such as, this story could have used a really good trim. There were many parts I felt were unnecessary and caused the story to drag so much that it wouldn’t hold my attention. The reason for the decade long separation felt super thin, which also brings me to the supporting characters also felt thin in a sense of they could have been a bigger part of the story but weren’t used enough. And, until the second half, the story and characters were very surface level.

Did I have a good time in the end? Yes, absolutely. The tropes are my ultimate favorites and the writing/story was worth it. But it was a trek to get through the first bit of the story and enjoy the rest.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series and to see how this author grows.

✨ARC review✨

This book was sooooooo cute! I loved how easy it was to read. and I loved the main characters and their friends. I will recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick, easy and cute romance to read :)

**3.75 stars

Melody recently got out of a long term relationship and ends up back in her hometown crashing at her twin brother’s place. She feels like a failure for not making it in the city. On her first weekend back home, her brother asks her to take his spot on a camping trip. Melody begrudgingly complies, only to find out she has to share a tent with Zac— the man who broke her heart ten years ago. When a storm hits, their group of friends looks to escape. Unfortunately, Melody and Zac end up getting stranded back at the campsite.

After a weekend being stuck in the woods, they realize they cannot sleep without the other. This is great news to Zac, but Melody refuses to admit this means something. Zac realizes he needs to be patient as Melody is healing from her manipulative ex still. But what’s a few more months when he’s spent a decade pining for her? The other problem? Melody’s twin brother would have a fit.

I loved seeing Melody learn to love herself again and find what makes her happy. Zac was so patient and so kind.

CW: gaslighting (ex boyfriend)

Read if you like:
• brothers best friend
• childhood friends to strangers to lovers
• forced proximity
• FMC finding herself again
• football coach

Absolutely loved this one! It’s everything I thought it would be. Melody and Zac were great to read about and I can not wait for the next one!

thank you netgalley and atria for the arc in exchange for an honest review !

melody and zac have known each other since they were in high school because zac was melodys brothers best friend

after one night of melody confessing her feelings before leaving for college , zac left her hanging and never came back

ten years later melody is moving back to oakwood bay after a breakup and is faced with her past and rebuilding a life of independence

while i really enjoyed this book, i do fear that it didn’t stand out to me all that much

i heard it was promoted as a second chance romance but there wasn’t really a first chance so i would just say it’s more a sports romance which is still fun

i loved the little re-found family of it all and i can’t wait to read about the rest of the characters (hoping noah gets a book too ???)

and i loved melodys side plot of her trying to figure out how to live life independently and rebuild and relearn from old patterns from her past

while this book didn’t stand out enough to give it a 4 stars i’m sooo excited to see where the rest of this universe goes

zac and melody’s playlist (lots of taylor swift duh)
- right where you left me: taylor swift
- love of my life: harry styles
- bed chem: sabrina carpenter
- HOW YOU GET THE GIRL (!!): taylor swift
- lover: taylor swift
- 18: one direction
- invisible string: taylor swift
- you belong with me: taylor swift
- unlearn: gracie abrams and benny blanco
- THE ALCHEMY (!!) : taylor swift
- STAY STAY STAY (!!) : taylor swift
- this love : taylor swift

A sporty second chance romance seemed right up my alley but I found the pacing off and it seemed too long. This one was just okay in my opinion, but I am sure I am in the minority and others will enjoy it.


Thank you for the advanced reader copy Atria Books and Netgalley.