Thank you Ellie K. Wilde and NetGalley for this eARC.

THANK YOU ELLIE!!! In my review of book 1 of the series, I specifically asked for more Brookes, and you delivered. Brookes made my heart so happy. He needed a FMC who could give him back all the energy he gave, and Siena delivered. If you're looking for great banter, this is the book for you.

Now I can't wait for Parker's book! Loved the hints in this book about Parker and Summer..... (a girl can hope).

5/5 Stars

This book is absolutely swoon-worthy and full of love. It follows the story of Brooks Attwood and Siena Pippen, and it's impossible not to fall for Brooks. The way he talks to Siena and affectionately calls her "Pip" is simply adorable. Their inside joke, where they call tell other "nice ass," is their special way of reassuring each other that everything is okay. They also have sweet conversations about their imagined future daughter, already named Sophia. One memorable moment is when Siena gives Brooks a reminder to take care of himself during his games, urging him to let her know immediately if he feels something snap in his body that could lead to another injury. The chemistry and love they share, along with how they look out for each other, is something I truly wish for in my own life. I may have been a bit optimistic, hoping there would be a bonus chapter that shows what their future looks like, especially considering all the things they discuss in some of the chapters throughout the book.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. This is the second installment in the Oakwood Bay series. Brooks is a pro-football player recovering from a bad injury and now embroiled in a personal scandal - photos have been leaked, hindering his return to his preferred team, the Rebels. Then a photo of him and a woman named Siena goes viral and people assume the woman in the photo is his girlfriend. Siena is actually the ex of a major person in the League, and doesn't want much to do with that world anymore. With all of the attention they get, they both lean into the fame - Brooks to be signed and taken seriously, Siena to help her family business. But as they continue to pretend their relationship, things take an interesting turn.

This was a great installment to this sporty series. I enjoyed reading the parts about pro-football, which was amazing because that is not normally my preferred sport. There was a lot of good chemistry between Brooks and Siena, and when the going got going - it really took off! If you are looking for spicey spice, this is your book. And if you want characters with real life struggles, this will also be a good book for you. A good mix of both.

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

I loved this fake-dating, dual pov, sports romance. I think this one tops the first book. I loved Siena and Brooks' relationship and the way it progressed was pretty perfect. Also loved their communication and Pete, who could not love Pete? Safe to say, I loved this book.

ARC Review-

LOVED everything about this book! I found myself kicking my feet and giggling the whole time. I read the whole thing in a matter of hours. Everything was so sweet, the banter was phenomenal, the spice was spicing, and our MCs and side characters made for a perfect combination. I had not heard of this series until I was offered the ARC for book 2, but I now want to go and read every other book Ellie K. Wilde has ever written!

Thank you to Ellie K. Wilde, Atria Books, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Only Between Us by Ellie Wilde is an enemies-to-lover, fake-dating, football romance. It is book two in the Oakwood Bay series and can be read as a standalone.

I'm reading it RN and ✨️loving it.✨️ stay tuned for feedback updates💟

Oh how I loved this book! Fantastic follow up to the first in the series, which I thought may be hard to beat. It wasn't, apparently! Both are perfectly different from each other but share the same overarching and very important themes- emotionally intelligent (and emotionally AVAILABLE) men, witty and complex women, and just the best mix of humor and heartbreak you could ask for. Ellie Wilde writes love so well.

In my review of the first book, I said 'Zac is the blueprint'...turns out, Brooks is right there with him! The entire cast of characters add so much to this series and I once again cannot wait to revisit this world, presumably with Parker's book which may or may not be with Summer?!

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

As someone who really enjoyed "Only in Your Dreams", I found this book to be a bit of a letdown. The chemistry between the couple just wasn't there and it felt like we skipped some relationship development between just meeting and the level of comfort they soon experienced. I just didn't feel it between them. I do enjoy Ellie Wilde's writing style just wish I enjoyed the story itself more. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

Only Between Us by Ellie Wilde is an enemies-to-lover, fake-dating, football romance. It is book two in the Oakwood Bay series and can be read as a standalone.

Brooks Attwood is a retired NFL player who is attempting to make a comeback after a major injury two year ago, which is not easy after he went a little wild after the injury and his ex-girlfriend cheated on him. Siena Pippen is attempting to run her family’s business (which she doesn’t love) while grieving the death of her dad and dealing with longstanding trauma. After a selfie goes viral and romance rumors start to fly, they decide to fake date to get Brooks signed to a team and help Siena make money. It would be a lot easier if they didn’t hate each other. It doesn’t take long for them to realize that the other person is not what they thought and oh my goodness, so much wonderfulness happens! The characters were well written with good development and chemistry and the side characters helps to support the story in a beautifully wonderful way.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for this e-ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved Only in your Dreams, so I was very excited to learn more about Brooks because I grew to like him in the first book. Overall, Brooks and Siena's story was very cute and I love a good fake dating and sports romance. I want to thank NetGalley and Atria for giving me an early copy and I recommend for anyone needing a fast paced romance to read and to fall in love with the characters.

Arc review!

I absolutely adored this book.
I loved the couple, I loved the setting & the storyline was *chefs kiss*
They are funny & cute, a bit spicy!
I really liked the friend group around it & I'm very interested in their stories, so hopefully there will be more!
After reading this book I'll go and read book 1, to read about the first couple in this series!
For as far as I noticed you don't have to read them in order.

* NFL player
* enemies to lovers
* dual pov
* Spicy
* Fake dating

The only reason why I can't give it 5 stars, is because the ''years'' annoyed me..
"I haven't done .... for years'' while the whole setting is in like 2 years so somehow that just didn't click for me.
Soo 4.5/5 stars!

Thank you so much to everyone involved for the ARC

Only Between Us was a both a fun and hot read, but also had moments of deepness that you don't always expect out of a romance novel. I loved Siena and Brooks throughout the whole book and their constant back and forth. I felt like they both really grew as characters and looked to conquer the fears that were so deeply rooted within them. I found the supporting characters just as entertaining, but did feel like Shy ended up being a bit of a throw away character as you spend so much time with Summer and Parker. I did find Siena and Brooks's initial reason for not liking each other a little silly and thus the enemies to lovers esc tone a little unnecessary. But overall this was a super fun read.

Ellie K Wilde once again delivers a sports romance with heart, complex characters and humor! Only Between Us is a sports romance between a woman who is trying to carry on with her life after her father passes and a man who is trying to make a comeback in the NFL after a devastating injury. Siena and Brooks are both characters that have trauma in their pasts and continue to work to not let that trauma continue to affect them.

Brooks and Siena are thrust into a fake dating situation due to pictures that leak of them after they have first met. Brooks is hopeful this will get him on his old NFL team and Siena is hopeful it will help her family business. I really enjoyed reading about these two falling for each other. Siena is very loyal and early on goes out of her way to help Brooks. Brooks wants to make Siena's life easier in any way that he can. I loved this story and the cherry on top was the supporting cast of characters!

Thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for the ARC!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Highly recommend!

ellie k wilde is an auto buy author for me. i genuinely enjoy every book she’s written, and this book is no different. i couldn’t wait to get my hands on this arc & im so lucky i got it!!

this book is actually so funny. there hasn’t been many instances where i laugh out loud at a book (because… embarrassing) but this one didn’t even give me a chance. ellie is SUCH a great writer. i could feel every single emotion thought out this book, and i even cried. multiple times. and it’s my favorite trope, fake dating!!!

I LOOOOOOOOVE FAKE DATING AND THEY DO IT SOOOO WELL. (also, did i mention one bed trope? ABSOLUTELY.) brooks is the embodiment of what we all deserve in a man. so attentive. so sweet. he pays attention. he is OBSESSED. and hot. SO FREAKING HOT. & his filthy mouth, SIR YES SIR 🫡😩 i love him & would die for him (and he’s so adorable with his rescue dog 😭) he falls first and he falls HARD.

siena. my sweet tough girl 😭 she is me. i am her. fiercely independent, lowkey wants someone to take some of the responsibilities away but doesn’t like to ask for help. finally able to take a deep breath when she realizes he is there to stay. been through so much but still a ray of sunshine for others. they are so freaking cute together i stg ill cry again just thinking about it

in conclusion: 200% YES. would (happily!) die on this hill & can’t wait for it to get the attention it deserves 🥰 can already tell it’ll be one of my favorite books of the year. also i’m so sorry this is so long??

thank you to the publisher for providing this book for review via netgalley. all opinions are my own <3

ARC REVIEW!!!!
3.75⭐️

This book was very cutesy I definitely enjoyed it. This first half was a little slow for me and I didn’t find myself picking up the book to read as much but once I got into the second half I really started to enjoy it. Brooks and Siena were very adorable and the connection was very much there once they admitted to each other. The smut was also absolutely phenomenal such a plus I was invested in those scenes! There were some moments when I wanted to just scream at Siena to let her guard down and go all in with Brooks but the slowness of their actual relationship paid off.

MY HEART!! These two!!! Goodness!! I loved every single thing about this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for providing the copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are those of my own.

I will extend on my review closer to the release date. But for now just know…this book has everything we love in romance and so much more. I absolutely loved this book and Siena and Brooks were romance perfection.

Highly recommended.

Simon & Schuster hit the jackpot with Ellie K. Wilde and here is the proof! I was lucky enough to be a beta reader for Only Between Us way back in June 2024 and even then I knew immediately this one would be a hit. I've read 200+ books in the year since I beta read this one and somehow I still find Siena to be one of the most relatable FMC's I've encountered. I am she and she is me and I'm fairly certain every eldest daughter will see themselves in her as well. Brooks is a treasure who I loved meeting in Only in Your Dreams and getting to see his fleshed-out character is such a treat. These two have some of theee best banter and truly embraced the enemies-to-lovers trope - I am such a sucker for a good hate-kiss that escalates into a hate-hump and this one DELIVERS! The secondary characters were a blast too (#romanceforAidan!) and have me chomping at the bit for the next stories in the series. A pet peeve of mine is when pacing in a romance with lots of side characters drags but that was very much not the case for this one! There are no piecemeal flashbacks to introduce us to secondary characters or give us background on a MC's behavior and I love that everything was straight to the point but equally straightforward, leaving us nothing to guess about. Add in the quippiest comebacks and funniest fake dating moments I've ever read and this one's a solid 5 star read for me!

Only Between US is the second (much anticipated) book in the Oakwood Bay series by Ellie K. Wilde. Wilde is a newer author, and I LOVED Only in My Dreams, the first book in the series. These are football romances, but you don't need to be a sports fan to fall in love with these characters and their stories.

Brooks is a football player trying to break back into the NFL after an injury sidelined him. His training is going well, but he needs to polish his image to land a spot on his former/dream team's roster. He meets Siena by chance, and there's an instant attraction. Neither are looking for a relationship, and Brooks proposes a fake dating scenario that will benefit both of them. Siena is going through some financial difficulties, so reluctantly agrees to earn some money through sponsorships.

Their arrangement is to attend a few public events together, but soon Brooks is driving Siena to/from work every day, and they are breaking their boundaries on physical affection. Their relationship is progressing and seems more like actual dating than fake dating. Brooks is smitten and does all he can to win Siena over. Brooks is a pro athlete who is extremely good looking, but I loved how humble and earnest he was. He worked so hard to get back into shape, and to earn Siena's affection. Both characters have many positive, down to earth qualities that seem rare among celebrities and athletes.

The entire book culminates in Brooks' tryout at the Rebels' training camp in California, where Siena meets his family and provides emotional support. Brooks and Siena are definitely not fake dating anymore, but how can they make a relationship last while dating and being thousands of miles apart? Both shift their priorities as the book ends and find their happily ever after.

I really liked both Brooks and Siena's characters. Siena had a lot of unresolved trauma from her childhood, but I was frustrated with her emotional struggles that could have been resolved by communicating with her family. She was really stuck in a miserable life of her own making, and that was a bit tedious.

These characters are genuine, caring, hard-working people who are crazy about each other and their chemistry jumped off the page. Ellie K Wilde's bio states that she writes "stories with dirty-mouthed, cinnamon roll heroes and the fiery women who bring them to their knees", and I couldn't agree more. Only Between Us is full of angst, steam, intense longing and once-in-a-lifetime love. Pick up this whole series and enjoy! These books are amazing.

Thanks to Ellie K Wilde and Atria Publishing for an advance copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

What an adorable warm hug of a book.

Brooks & Siena were such a perfect match. Her sarcastic snark balanced out his sweet (but also filthy) golden retriever ways.

This was a sports romance fake dating trope with a tension filled slow burn.

5 Stars, no notes. Give me all the Ellie K. Wilde books please. Hoping for a Parker/Summer friends to lovers book next.

This has been a fun little series for me to read! I really enjoyed the vibes of the first book, so I wondered how this would would go. I overall really enjoyed it. Brooks and Siena did suffer from a very very obvious and annoying miscommunication, but at least it was at the start of the book and not the third act! But their chemistry was obvious, and once they started actually communicating, it was working like gangbusters.

For me the biggest letdown is that Melody and Zac are barely in this one - it makes sense since, like, they've moved, but I think it may have worked a little better had they been more prominent in this one. Instead we had a lot of Parker and Summer as connective tissue, obviously setting up their book next (I hope???) I also thought some of the spicy scenes were a little erratic, which sort of tracks with my experience with the first book as well.

Overall, it's a great entry into the series and fans of the first will be very happy! Four stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.