3.5 rounded up. If there's one thing about me, I EAT UP a sports romance. I really enjoyed this one. I wish there was a little more depth with the characters but over all it was a good, quick read and a great palate cleaners in between fantasy books I've been reading.

Such a very good read, I think the characters really were built quite well and I enjoyed the story line as a whole! Great book :)

4.5 out of 5 stars!

Melody Woods is back in her hometown living with her brother after her big-city boyfriend dumps her. The last person she wants to see is Zac Porter, her brother's best friend, and she definitely does not want to share a tent with him during their annual camping trip. Why are they sharing a tent you ask? Her twin had something come up and begged Melody to go in his place. The weather is bad and somehow Melody and Zac get stranded at the campsite. The animosity rolls of Melody. Zac broke her heart. Zac sees this as an opportunity to get back in Melody's good graces and show her how much he loves her. It takes a lot of healing for Melody, not only to get over the breakup but also to build up her self-worth and find all the things that make her tick. Zac is patient and loving, compassionate and helpful along the way, proving to Melody that this second chance is what they need.

This book was light-hearted for the most part with some heartbreaking realizations. I enjoyed the banter among the characters (primary and secondary) and the spice was just right.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

This was a super sweet second chance romance. There’s fun banter and sneaking around and it is a slow burn while also having spice sprinkled throughout. I didn’t find parts of the plot totally believable (10 years?!, not even a kiss in the beginning?) and I think those could have been fixed with some tighter editing but honestly I don’t read romances for believability. 3.5 stars rounded up with thanks to NetGalley for this arc.

I adored this book. Brother's best friend is a top trope for me, and this one did not disappoint. I loved that Zac knew what he wanted, went for it, and was so kind and patient while waiting for Mel to figure out her life. After just getting out of a tough relationship, I loved watching Mel grow into herself, and find out who she really is and what she really wants out of life, with Zac by her side. They had so much love for each other, but their banter was sooo good. I laughed out loud multiple times throughout this book. Highly recommend if you love a brother's best friend and second chance trope!

This romance novel is a delightful read, filled with witty banter, relatable characters, and a sweet, sexy romance.

The author's writing style is engaging, making it easy to become invested in the characters' lives. The story explores themes of vulnerability, trust, and human connection, adding depth to the narrative.

The characters' chemistry is undeniable, and their relationship is a joy to follow. I appreciated the well-developed characters, and the story's pacing kept me hooked.

Overall, this book is a fantastic read for romance fans. Ellie K Wilde has crafted a charming, engaging story that will leave you smiling.

This book is pretty cute and started off strong. There was a moment where the FMC said “who did this to you” and while I love that from an MMC it really turned me off and I couldn’t enjoy the rest of the book. I will definitely try this author again!

Melody and Zac's story was so good! Normally a highschool flashback for a book opening, doesn't get me excited for a book, but I was hooked on this story from the first chapter. The main characters are tricked into sharing a tent on a camping trip and the forced proximity really sets things off to a great start. Watching Melody and Zac try to rekindle there relationship after years of hurt was so sweet. After the camping trip, I thought how would the conflict/book last this long but the other did a great job of keeping the story moving forward. I also LOVED Noah and hid ending!

I do think the reason for not talking at all for 10 years was a little unbelievable but that's so small.

After a breakup from a long term relationship Melody moves back to her hometown hoping to move on from her controlling ex. She ends up on a camping trip with the one that got away -- who also happens to be her brothers best friend. I enjoyed the chemistry between these two, but didn't love the role that miscommunication played in the relationship. Overall it was an enjoyable romance and I would pick up the second in the series!

Zac Porter had me swooning from the start. LOVED this book so much! I loved that he worked at her pace while also kind of inching her along, but knew she needed to overcome her own challenges first. Give me a small town, childhood best friends to lovers any day. Will recommend this to everyone!

⭐4.25. There was a lot I liked about this story. I really liked the writing, first off. I'll be seeking out more books written by Wilde! A great story about attaining your dreams. There were so many tropes in this story:

💙 2nd chance romance (kind of)
🏈 Childhood friends
💙 Brother's best friend
🏈 He falls first (or rather, he never fell out)
💙 One bed/air mattress
🏈 Fake dating (but not how you think)
💙 Friends with benefits (but not the usual kind of benefits)
🏈 "Who did this to you?" (but it's not what you think)
💙 Camping - ok not a trope, but I love it and was happy it basically started out in the woods!

Zac Porter is one of my top book boyfriends, hands down. "I've never been single. I've been yours." ♥️ He is so sweet and dedicated and patient and not full of toxic masculinity. He doesn't need/want to fight anyone! But will protect people when he needs to. He unconditionally cares for the people close to him. And every damn time with her hair, moving it out of the way so it doesn't get pulled laying down... frig, I can't even remember to do that for myself! 😅 but holy hell, any man who did that would win every time!

While I appreciate that Melody has realizations as to how manipulative and controlling and gaslight-y her ex was, she comes to these thoughts pretty damn quickly after a couple convos with her brother and friends...just saying, I don't think it's that easy for most. She saved a ton on therapy though! I did like that her character stuck to her goals and self-growth. They actually help each other to realize their goals, which is great as a couple (even though they're not quite there yet).

These two together though, even with resistance for most of the book, are fire 🔥 together. As sweet as he can be with her, he can be downright dirty too. The amount of times he called her a brat and I didn't hate it... 😳🥵 whooey! Definitely a 3.5 or 4🌶️! Sweet and spicy, perfect combo. He is so completely gone for her!

They're also funny! Melody 's not all sunshine and rainbows, and that's ok! They poke fun at each other, their banter is great. Zac's punctuated one-worded texts made me LOL each time. Her ripping into him was golden! "I realize I actually punctuated the hey with a period. A damn period. Fucking. Kill. Me." 😂

Noah's comedic timing throughout is perfection. The way he interrupts or delays Zac and Melody together is hilariously wonderful!

"His face softens in a way that pumps my chest full of warmth. Makes me feel like I'm an unexpected piece of glitter falling from the sky. Fluttering down towards him as he watches in wonder." frig 🥹😍

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you so much to Atria for the ARC!

I absolutely loved the first 40% of this book. It was choc full of tension, tropes I love that were executed so perfectly, and spice that had me excited for more. It also lost all of it's really good tension after they got back from the disastrous, but steamy, camping trip from the beginning. The forced proximity of them having to sleep together seemed like a good idea, but really made no sense and felt like it was just thrown in there? I wanted more of an emotional impact from both of them about sleeping together.

But between the 50-70% mark, it started to feel like the book was going in 1000 different directions. It felt like there were suddenly too many tropes trying to be executed at once and it left me feeling a little apathetic about where the story was going. I still had a good time, but the execution of the story lost me.

I would still recommend this book to my audience!

When Melody gets out of her toxic relationship she had for years and heads back home the last thing she ever expects to do is be out in the woods with her brother's best friend. This is the guy that shattered her heart years ago, the one she pined away for, and still in ways still cares for and Zac, well he never truly got over her. The tension is intense from the beginning and the way these two come together was fun and emotional, but at times Melody was too much for me. See Zac is head over heels for this woman and yes, she just got out of a bad relationship, but she finds herself in her own time and way, and yet in other ways she is so wishy washy that it feels she is just stringing Zac along on her emotional ride. Let's not forget her brother, who is just as toxic as her ex, and throw him in the mix to add some more tension. Overall, I enjoyed the story just not as much as I was expecting to.

This was super cute and a very quick read. I absolutely loved Melody and Zac, and watching Zac pine and work to get Melody back - gah. I loved it.

Ten years after one of the most heartbreaking nights of her life, Melody Woods is back in her small hometown of Oakwood Bay, broke, jaded, and unceremoniously dumped by her big-city boyfriend. To top it all off, her twin brother, Parker, is pushing her to take his spot on a camping trip with the one guy she’s spent a decade avoiding....Zac Porter.
Zac is absolutely and utterly in love with Melody Woods, which is his best friend's twin sister. She has always been off-limit & whenever she shows up at the campsite instead of Parker, Zac decides that now is the time to prove to her they were always meant to be.

After Mel realizes what an absolute dumpster fire her ex was, she starts to heal and grow in so many beautiful ways (& we love to see this!! I resonated with this so much too!) Zac continued to be patient with Mel and walk her through things while continuing to be encouraging in all things along the way.
I loveeeeed all of the spice and the character and plot development along the way. ALSO, no third act breakup????? We LOVE THIS!!

Tropes:
🙃 Brother's best friend
🏈 Sports romance (football coach x she's a fan)
❤️ Forced proximity
🤝 Friends to lovers
1️⃣ He falls first (& HARD!)
2️⃣ Second chance
✨ Small town romance
🤫 Secret relationship/hookup

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this digital ARC! All opinions are my own. ☺️

I liked this book. It was a cute story with lovable characters. The middle was a bit slow and it took Zac so long to tell Melody what happened 10 years ago and why he never came back that night. It was the slowest burn but I’m glad they got their HEA
I loved Noah and I really hope he gets his own book!
I’ll def be reading the next book in The series!

* I want to start by thanking the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. Pretty cute!

This was a cute second chance romance. It felt a little drawn out at times with there being no surprise to where the story was ending but it was still enjoyable.

📖 Ok I absolutely loved this book! Zac was the most perfect character and I really enjoyed he and Melody’s romance. The first 25% of the book is wild and feels like its own separate story, but overall I couldn’t get enough of this book and stayed up way too late reading! Highly recommend!

Spice level: 4/5 - you’ve been warned (I appreciated its place in this story. I didn’t take away from the storyline which isn’t always the case. If it’s not your thing, you can absolutely skip through it and not miss a beat of the story)

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for the e-Arc in exchange for my review!

An easy light-hearted romance. Loved the dialogue but felt like the relationship was lacking dimension. Never like a helpless female narrative