This was a bit too in the vein of Icebreaker, Wildfire, etc for me. Thank you for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I am working through my backlog, and will be momentarily posting reviews for the stories I have yet to get posted but have finished reading.

Only in Your Dreams-Ellie K. Wilde

Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde was a solid 5-star read for me, no doubt about it. I didn’t just enjoy this one… I devoured it.

We follow Melody, our FMC, who moves back to her small hometown after her boyfriend of almost ten years suddenly breaks up with her out of the blue. It’s one of those moments where everything you thought was solid just crumbles, and she’s left picking up the pieces and realizing he was a walking red flag the whole time.

Back home, she’s not just facing heartbreak but she’s also running into the past she never really let go of. Zac, her childhood crush and her twin brother’s best friend. The same Zac her brother told she was off-limits. The same Zac who left her sitting alone in her room the night she asked him for a kiss before college.

The story is told from both Melody and Zac’s points of view, which we all love. It gave me all the early 2000s rom-com feels in the best way. I laughed out loud, swooned, blushed, and absolutely kicked my feet like a giddy high schooler. It’s got second chances, fake dating, small-town charm, inclusive characters, and a whole lotta shpice enough to have you blushing in public😂😂

I want to thank Net Galley for giving me the wonderful opportunity to have an early start to fall in love with this book. If you’re looking for something sweet, a little messy, and full of heart, this one’s it. All good things, all good things.

This book was so good. One of my favorite troops is sports romance and this book executed it perfectly. The banner between our two main characters was so good and the romance was just as good. I loved it five out of five stars 10 out of 10 on a perfect reading scale

What a great debut for Ellie K Wilde, I loved this one. Brother's best friend, a little bit of a second chance. Oh my god, the pining in this one. The heat, the tension, I loved every second of this. I can't wait to read more and highly highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

I LOVED this!! This started out so cute and you fall in love with the characters instantly along with all the side characters. I love a good second chance romance done right. I do hate the wait to figure out why it didn’t work in the first place, but it gives me even more reason to keep reading.


I am super excited to read Brooks’ story in the next book in July!

DNF at about 30%. I enjoyed the first 15% of this book, then it started feeling a bit too insta-lust/love for me. I also lost interest in the book around this time, and after a week of not picking it back up and it not holding my interest I’ve decided to DNF the book. Should I want to come back to it, I will purchase it myself.

This book dragged on and on for me. I’m sure teenagers will enjoy it because of the spice.
Melody, main character, comes back to her small hometown after being dumped by her city boyfriend. She has her eyes opened to the man she was living with and has a support system in her small hometown.
Zac, is Melody’s (twin) brothers best friend. He has never gotten over Melody while Melody has spent the last 10 years avoiding him. As they explore new feelings, Zac secretly shows Melody how she deserves to be loved.
The side characters have a lot of building and growth too.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC read in exchange for my review

From the very first page, this story had me hooked. Melody and Zac’s decade-old “what if” story is filled with all the heartache, tension, and chemistry you want in a brother’s-best-friend romance — and then some. The emotional depth is real and raw, showing how past mistakes and missed chances can shape us, while still giving room for hope and second chances.

Zac is exactly the kind of swoon-worthy hero you root for: loyal, determined, and deeply caring, with just the right amount of vulnerability. Melody’s journey—grappling with heartbreak and learning to trust again—felt authentic and beautifully handled. The small-town setting made their story feel cozy and intimate, with just enough stakes to keep things exciting.

The tension between them is palpable, and the slow burn romance builds to some seriously steamy and satisfying moments. Plus, the dynamic with Melody’s twin brother added extra layers of complication and fun.

Overall, this is a beautifully written, addictive read with heart, heat, and a happily-ever-after you can’t put down. Highly recommend for fans of sports romance and second chance love stories!

My first book from author and it did not disappoint. Zac’s and Melody’s story is super cute and the characters are very well developed. The story has some tropes favorites like: brother’s best friend, second chance romance, sports romance, small town and more.

Melody’s story about her recent breakup I feel is one many women will relate to, and Zac, he’s so cute there is no way you won’t add him to your book boyfriends list.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Author Ellie K Wilde & Atria Books for this ARC opportunity.

A captivating, entertaining, and SPICY read!
Melody moves to the city leaving her twin brother, Parker, and her crush (and brother’s best friend, Zac, behind. While living in the city, Melody falls in love with Connor and she thinks things are going well until after six years, he decides that he’s no longer happy. After a month of being in Oakwood Bay, Melody starts to see her and Connor’s relationship for what is really was - abusive.
Only in Your Dreams is a capturing story that is much more than romance. This novel tackles trust issues, anxiety over potential job loss, heartbreak, secrets, and feelings of unrequited love. The banter, tension, and spice throughout this book is phenomenal! Such a great read!

Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde was such a satisfying read. It’s got that perfect mix of slow-burn tension, emotional depth, and just enough drama to keep you turning the pages. The setup feels familiar in the best way—a return to a small town, unresolved feelings, and two people who clearly have unfinished business—but the way the story unfolds feels fresh and heartfelt.

The romance was incredibly well done. I loved how the main characters had history, but also had to rebuild trust and figure out who they were in the present. Their connection had a great mix of comfort, chemistry, and that slightly messy but very real emotional push and pull. You could really feel how much was left unsaid between them, and watching that slowly unravel was one of the best parts of the book.

One thing that really stood out to me was how the author handled the emotional recovery arc. The main character has been through a rough relationship, and the story takes its time showing how she’s working through it and learning to trust herself again. It felt realistic without ever dragging, and I appreciated that it wasn’t brushed aside just for the sake of romance. The love interest supported her journey without trying to "fix" her, which made the relationship feel even stronger.

The writing style was easy to fall into—funny, emotional, and packed with little moments that made the characters feel real. The pacing had a few slower parts, but I was never bored, and there was always something pulling me forward, whether it was character tension, emotional payoff, or those perfectly timed romantic moments.

Also, I really liked the cast of side characters. They didn’t just exist in the background—they actually helped shape the story and made the town feel full and alive. It’s clear this is the start of a series, and I’m already excited to read more about this friend group.

If you like second-chance romance, small-town settings, brother’s best friend tension, and characters who actually grow through their struggles, this one’s definitely worth the read. It’s thoughtful, emotionally layered, and has just the right amount of heat.

So sweet (the romance) so SPICY (also the romance)

This book was fun!! I love when a male main character is the most gone for the female main character and this mans was GONE for her it was insane. Was it the most amazingly well written or paced book? Not necessarily. Did I eat it up once I started? For sure. I also am SO excited to jump back into this friend group to read Brooks' story. We also BETTER get the brother and best friend trope for book 3.

Only in Your Dreams had so many things I love in a romance-

Small Town
Friend to Enemies to Lovers
Brother’s Best Friend
Sports Romance
Spicy 🔥🔥🔥

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Zac and Melody are so good together. I wanted them to find their second chance happily ever after.

I finished this and thought to myself, “What if I just read this again right now?”

I saw this all over instagram and I’m so glad I followed the crowd.

If I'm being honest this was meh. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. I really enjoy the tropes that are here but half way through I really felt like I didn't care anymore. I feel like this was just too long. I am going to read the next book in the series, but I can't say this is anything to write home about.

Thank you Ellie K Wilde and Netgalley for this e-arc. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

SMALL TOWN, BROTHER'S BEST FRIEND, SPORT ROMANCE. what else do you need?

This book combined all my favorite tropes and wrapped it all up in a cute lil book.

Even though this was a cute book, it was a SPICY one. I enjoyed the friendships, the banter, everything.

This book took me through a lot of emotions, and the ride was like a rollercoaster. There are misunderstandings, miscommunication, meddling friends and siblings, and a nasty ex, but it's all balanced out by friendship and love. I always enjoy the childhood friends to lovers trope and it's well-written in this novel. I listened to the audiobook and the dual narration is perfection. If you have a chance the audiobook is a great way to immerse yourself in this wild ride of a love story.

This was an okay book that you can read as a palette cleanser when you're not looking for emotional tugging. If you read books for escapism where the MMC has a larger than life thing about him or has something truly exceptional going for him, then this book probably isn't for you. Throughout the book, it almost felt like he was just trying not to get fired. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy, but also it's not the kind of MMC I'm looking for in a romance book. Sorry, not sorry?

Overall, I thought the romance was just okay so I'm giving it a 3.5 stars.

This book exceeded any expectations I had from the blurb! I went in expecting a football romance and it is SO MUCH MORE — in fact I totally spaced and forgot they were talking about football half the time.

I loved the FMC and MMC dynamic, their tension, the love, and most importantly, the respect they had for one another. This man was DOWN BAD but he worked very hard to not let it ruin what they had.

My favorite part was the inner monologue of these characters and how hilarious they were. I found myself snorting and laughing with the commentary.

જ⁀➴ 4.5 stars ⋆⭒˚.⋆

⤿ 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 jan 20
⤿ 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 jan 23

⁀➴ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
🩵 second chance
🏈 sports romance (football coach)
🩵 best friend's brother
🏈 forced proximity
🩵 small town
🏈 secret relationship

𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠: invisible string by taylor swift‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹


⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
read this one a few months ago and never fully wrote a review so here it goes!! (based off what i remember lol) so this was a really cute, second chance romance between two exes who had a falling out and bad breakup many years ago. zac left town and now he's back, and guess what they reunite on a camping trip. her brother was there but left and then they shared a tent.... things led to other things.

something so precious was both of them carrying the bracelets all these years, and the tattoos? 😫

the miscommunication hurt here but i loved how they rekindled and the house. GUYS THE HOUSE oh my freaking gosh, her literal dreammmm house. sbfkjbsdkjfbkjs i loved this book and might need to reread soon !!

A spicy, small-town, second chance, brother’s best friend football romance? Sign. Me. Up. This is a fantastic romance and it pulled me in immediately. Melody and Zac are such dynamic characters with unbelievable chemistry on page. I was swooning for Zac and how emotionally intelligent and considerate he is - for example, Mel has long hair and he would move it out of the way so he didn’t lay on it and pull it, in the not good way. It’s just so sweet. 🥹 The second book in this series, Only Between Us comes out this summer and I’m so excited to read it.