I liked it, but I can’t say I loved it. Honestly, it just felt too long. There were whole sections that could’ve been cut without losing the heart of the story, and it would’ve kept things moving a lot better.

I loved the beginning, the camping and getting stranded part was fun and felt pretty unique. I mean, as wild as it was to believe that their friends just up and left without noticing they were missing (seriously, how?!), I was into it. But once they got back home and things shifted to their day-to-day lives, it started dragging. It just got a bit boring and repetitive.

I tried to connect with Melody, but it just didn’t happen. I did appreciate her growth and how she rebuilt her confidence after a toxic relationship, and I loved how she found herself on her own. Zac helps her out but never steals the spotlight, quietly supporting her while she finds her footing again.

Zac was likeable enough, but he didn’t exactly sweep me off my feet, either. Their romance had sweet moments, but it felt a bit forced at times, and I blame that on the pacing of the story more than anything else because they had chemistry.

I wasn’t sold on the reason for their 10-year silence; it felt pretty weak. But hey, at least it didn’t lead to a third-act breakup, so I’ll take the win where I can.

On the bright side, the supporting characters were a lot of fun, and I loved the found family vibes. Those moments were heart-warming, and I’m definitely curious to learn more about their stories. But overall? It was just okay. Not bad, not great, just... fine.

The tale of Melody and Zac was entertaining to me. One of my favorite clichés is second-chance romance. I had a great time reading this one! I was completely captivated by Zac and Melody's second-chance romance. I adored how Zac allowed Melody the room she needed to rediscover herself; it gave their relationship a genuine and significant sense. loved this one!

Although I've read and enjoyed plenty of romance books in the past, I can't say that I'm the biggest fan of the genre. Nonetheless, when I began reading Only in Your Dreams I was so excited for a light, fun, and saucy read! Unfortunately, as you could probably tell by my rating, I didn't enjoy this one as much as I had hoped to. It's not often that I don't manage to finish books, but I just had to throw in the towel at around the 50% mark with this one despite how hard I fought to continue reading Only in Your Dreams.

First of all, the most nerve-wracking part of reading this book for me was the excessive cursing. Mind you, I'm not at all a prude. I can stand to read some curse words. Because I was curious, I counted how many times some variant of "fuck" is used in this book: 396. That's an average of 9 "fucks" a chapter, including the prologue and epilogue. This is definitely something that should have been edited out and I can't stress enough how irritating it was to read the characters talk like they just discovered that curse words exist.

Next, the protagonist, Melody, was seriously unlikable and immature to me. I believe Melody is around twenty-eight years old, almost thirty. I'm eighteen, but I would never behave the way she did in this book, and she has (or should have) ten years of maturity and experience on me. That's an issue. Why is an almost thirty year old woman acting like the people I went to high school with, but somehow worse? And Zac, the love interest, was no better than her. He randomly tells Melody that he thinks of how she looks naked (this is before they're together, mind you), that she has sexy legs, and thinks about stealing her panties from her backpack while she isn't looking. If I were Melody, I would have been clutching my pepper spray for dear life whenever he was around. I don't think I'll ever understand how Melody wasn't absolutely terrified of Zac, especially since they were trapped in the middle of the woods with one another while he was behaving like this. In all honesty, I felt like I was reading a true crime novel in some sections because of the way that Zac was written.

Finally, some parts can get sort of preachy and dramatic, like when Melody talks about her ex. It seems like he was supposed to be this controlling, abusive character but, to be honest, none of the things he did seemed all that crazy to me so the scenes where all the characters are freaking out about how "evil" he is just made me roll my eyes. Compared to Zac's creepiness, the ex, at least to me, seemed like a walk in the park. Also, there are also brief mentions of "rich white men" and "the patriarchy" which I feel aren't at all relevant or necessary in a book like Only in Your Dreams. Personally, I don't read romance books to hear about class disparity and sex-based discrimination, nor do I think a lot of other people do, either.

To say the least, Only in Your Dreams left me feeling very agitated and confused. Again, I wish I could have enjoyed reading this one and I really did try to.

This book is the first from this author and the first in her planned "Oakwood Bay" series. It was pretty good for a debut! I definitely felt chemistry with Melody and Zac. I just felt there was a bit too much pushed in there...the camping trip that goes horribly awry, the very serious issue of escaping a narcissistic long-term relationship (which I don't think was handled well, TBH), the 10 year gap of the main couple not speaking over a minor misunderstanding, so many references to her lip balm, and the drama with one of Zac's players. I did like how Zac let Melody learn to love herself and trust herself and her choices. I would likely pick up the second book in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

ARC Review
Thank you, Atria Books and NetGalley, for the early copy.

This was so good! I was on the edge of a reading slump, but this book pulled me right back. The story was engaging, and I absolutely loved the characters—Mel working through her past relationship struggles and Zac trying to make up for all the lost years was just so adorable.

What kept this from being a higher rating, though, was the reason behind those missed years. I expected something bigger, something that truly justified all that time apart. It just didn’t feel like enough, and that frustrated me a little. But then I reminded myself—they were teenagers, and teenagers make impulsive, sometimes dumb decisions.

That being said, the way this book wrapped up and everything leading up to the ending made me so happy. Final rating: 3.75⭐️

this book was very cute. to be honest I kinda hated the FMC, melody, I have no idea why she was... I don't know but. the MMC Clark he is obssesed with her. Normally I would have hated him because of what happen, and I understand melody to be honest... but I dont know. besides as separate characther were different than together they are an amazing couple like their chemistry its over the top. I love them so much.

thank you atria for sendime this book!

Ellie K. Wilde’s debut novel “Only in Your Dreams,” the first in the “Oakwood Bay” series, is a brother’s-best-friend romance between a football coach and his childhood love.

Ten years ago, before Melody “Clover” Wood was set to leave for college, she invited her twin brother’s best friend, Zachary “Zac” Porter, into her bedroom and asked him for a kiss. Zac promised to return that evening, but first, he had to run an errand—one that is clear to the reader but not to Melody.

Now, at twenty-eight, Melody returns to Oakwood Bay, heartbroken after her six-year relationship with Connor ends. As she processes the breakup, she begins to realize how manipulative Connor was, love-bombing her and using his gifts and housing to control her actions.

When Melody’s twin brother, Parker, cancels last-minute on the group’s annual camping trip, she is forced to go in his place. She hasn’t seen or spoken to Zac since that fateful night ten years ago, but when she finds out she’ll have to share a tent with him, she resolves to keep her distance.
However, after a rainstorm traps them on the campgrounds for a few days, the two begin forming an unexpected attachment, though they must hide their growing feelings from Parker.

Meanwhile, while Melody is trying to rediscover who she is outside of Connor’s influence, Zac faces a challenge of his own. He needs to secure a win for the University of Oakwood Bay Huskies by their sixth game, or he risks losing his job as head football coach. With Melody’s help as a data analyst, the two begin collaborating, and Melody may have just found the perfect job for herself.

Wilde’s novel contains explicit sexual scenes, with the first one occurring in chapter eleven. The main characters are well-developed, with each grappling with themes of belonging and acceptance, though some secondary characters—who will play larger roles in the series—are underdeveloped. The novel could have been more concise, as its length feels unnecessarily padded, and at times the redundancy makes it a tedious read. For instance, Melody’s lip balm is mentioned thirty-two times, receiving more attention than her career goals. Wilde attempts to tackle several heavy topics, including addiction, temporary child placement, emotional abuse, and manipulation, alongside a campground disaster, but the multiple themes don’t always mesh well together. The campground scene, while vivid, feels disconnected from the rest of the novel, creating a clash between outdoor survival and the football and town life that dominate the story. The novel would have benefitted from a clearer focus on one or two of its central themes, rather than spreading itself thin across multiple tropes.

I enjoyed the story of Melody and Zac. Second chance romance is a favorite trope of mine. Sometimes I feel as though the development of the characters could have used a little more depth, but overall I really enjoyed.

This one was such a fun read! The second-chance romance between Zac and Melody totally hooked me. I loved how Zac gave Melody the space she needed to find herself again, it made their relationship feel so real and meaningful. The premise was really great, and the plot kept me turning the pages. I was totally invested in their journey. Now, I’m just hoping book #2 is Brooks’ story because I’m so curious to see what happens with him! Definitely giving this one 3.5 stars!

Has this been done before? Yes. Was it a bit tropey and contrived? Also yes. Did I care in the slightest- NOPE. This was sweet and sexy and everything I’m looking for in a feel good romance.

4.5 enthusiastic stars!

Looking for a spicy football romance with a SUPER cinnamon roll hero who's packing a big...secret? Then look no further. This was fun, ridiculously entertaining, and made me a rabid football romance fan once again!

Melody and Zac had crushes on one another in high school. On the last night before college, she makes her feelings known, and he disappears. They haven't spoken in a decade, but now, all of a sudden, they're sharing a campsite! Every interaction is brimming with all of the things they felt but didn't say. Are they destined to be together, or will Zac fumble AGAIN?!?

Ellie K. Wilde is a darn good writer! She writes some intense love scenes that might have been a smidge too much for me, but the way they cared for each other once the walls were down...chef's kiss! I don't tend to go for the protective/alpha male stuff either, but the way Zac was able to be both soft and strong was really impressive! The ensemble cast was also really well-written, making me absolutely excited to read more books in the series.

I got to his ARC late in the game, so I also had the pleasure of listening to the audio part of the time. The narrators, including Teddy Hamilton, were superb!!

Trigger warnings: gaslighting, emotional abuse, alcoholic father, family in crisis, physical abuse (pushing, punching, shirt grabbing, slamming someone into a wall)

I'd like to thank Atria Books and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This might be the first football rom com beside Sarah Adams that I actually liked. The story was sweet and the heroine and hero were actually likeable. And while most readers relate football rom coms to taylor and travis. I'm now relating them to Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld. Which is what I think is making me at least like football rom coms.

This was the first book in a long string of them that didn't immediately have me wanting to quit it, but it did still take me almost 2 weeks to read. I'm usually a huge fan of brothers' best friend romances. I'm a sucker for the angst; the pining. The <i>want</i>. And while <i>Only in Your Dreams</i> had all of those things, this one was a little bit...far fetched? I get it; it's literature. The authors can *and should* do what they want with their stories/characters, but what immediately set me back was the fact that the MMC put off his life for <i>ten years</i> without going for what he wanted? TEN YEARS? After he *walked away* from her. That is not walking away at all. That's just unrealistic and frankly: stupid. It immediately made me stop and question all the things and whether or not they should even be together.

I'm looking forward to future books in this series and hoping what pulled me in on this one (the writing was superb) will keep me engaged again.

<i>Many thanks to the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!</i>

Loved this! It had pining and angst and secret meetings between them. Touch her and see what happens, the tight knit friend group. Everything meshed so well. The way that Zac and Mel found each other after so long is inspiring. His cinnamon roll personality to her grumpy personality is perfectly done.

I had to put the book down when Mel was understanding her previous relationship. The relationship is what many people go through, and it was hard to digest. Amazingly written but seeing the truth-even in a fiction romance novel- is always hard to digest.

It did get more steamy than I was expecting, and I felt the camping portion had too much going on.

Overall, loved it, finished in 3 days, and highlighted so much!

There is nothing more that I love than a sports romance. This brothers best friend romance was very cookie cutter however the ending was cute. I loved the side characters and hope to see some stories for them as well. I do love the small town vibe.

This didn’t end up being for me 😬. The characters just didn’t have a spark and it developed to a physical relationship with such a whiplash effect that just didn’t help me invest in the relationship at all.

And, as always, just because I didn’t enjoy it doesn’t mean you won’t! So give it a read!

RATING: 4 stars
SPice: 2.5

This was a cute second chance sports romance that was easy to read and had some good always been you vibes.

Zac is down bad for his best friend's sister Melody and has been since he missed his chance with her ten years ago. Melody is now back and ends up in forced proximity with Zac and all the old feelings come back pretty quickly. Zac really is all in with Melody and has been (hello secret tattoo) and the banter and spice between them was easy to read.

If you like books where he is the coach and don't mind a little bit of miscommunication than this book will be for you

So so freaking good!!! I loved this one and this is my first time reading this author. Will definitely be looking out for another book by her!!

THIS WAS SO CUTE!! Melody and Zac are everything! The longing and passion between them made those moments they had together after so long amazing!

Zac is so down bad for her! I really loved seeing their relationship pick up after ten years and realizing that even tho time had passed they really love each other.
Their love for each other was so evident. All the little and big moments they had added so much to these characters finally being together again! There’s no question the spice in this was HOTT!! So unexpected but it adds so much to their passion!

I also absolutely loved seeing them accomplish great things as independent characters and celebrating them together! It shows how much these characters have grown together and separately!

I enjoyed this book much more than I anticipated! It’s a nice twist on sports romance. The book moved st just the right speed and it was the right length.