I went into this book blind, but was pleasantly surprised! Small town and brother's best friend - auto sign up! When you add in the one that got away, I am an absolute goner for them.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Melody and Zac after having no contact for multiple years. I will say that what made it not a five star read for me was the super quick resolution of everything - it seemed rushed and did not necessarily align with how the book felt like it needed to pan out. Other than that, I really liked this book.

A note on spice:
There were multiple spicy scenes but it wasn't anything too vulgar or intense.

Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde is the first book in the Oakwood Bay series.
Melody was blindsided when her boyfriend of six years dumped her right before he left the country for a boys trip. Mel returns to her hometown of Oakwood Bay to crash with her twin brother, Parker, until she can get her life back on track. Parker, needing the apartment empty, sends Mel on a 3 day camping trip with their old pals. Zac hasn’t seen Melody in 10 years, not since he broke her heart. She’s actively trying to avoid Zac while Zac is trying desperately to get back into Mel’s good graces. The situation takes a turn when a brutal storm hits their campsite. What happened 10 years ago and can Zac and Melody ever repair what’s broken?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved Zac’s relationship with his athlete, Noah. I loved how Zac gave Melody the space she needed in order to come to terms with the reality of her last relationship. I thought Zac was thoughtful and sweet with a side of grumpy, which I adore in a MMC. I thought Melody was a strong and interesting character. It was rewarding to read how she rebuilt her confidence. The pining and the forced proximity between the two were top notch! However, I did find the pacing of this book to be a little off. It almost felt like 2 different stories, the campsite and then the after. Which isn’t necessarily bad, the story just seemed to drag at points when they were back home. I also found the reason they didn’t see or speak to one another for 10 years rather weak.
I am looking forward to the next book in this series as it follows my favorite secondary character from this story, Brooks. Read this if you like:
-small town romance
-brothers best friend
-sports romance (MMC coaches football)
-forced proximity
-he falls first
-secret relationship
-fake dating
-no third act breakup

3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🌶️🌶️

Spicy small town romance? Sign me up! I loved this book! Her journey to discovering how controlling her ex was sad but also something a lot of people can benefit from reading. To have a second chance at love with such an amazing man! I adored Melody and Zac’s banter! The care they had for each other 🥹 he remembered all of the details about her and I don’t want to spoil too much but trust me this is such a great read 🩷 her journey to finding herself and recovering her friendships was just as great as the romance. But the spicy scenes!!! They were spicing 😉 definitely recommend this for the sports romance lovers!

Only In Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde 💙
Oakwood Bay Series, Book 1
Interconnected Standalone

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Sports Romance
ARC Review
432 pages
🗓️ January 21

🏈football romance (coach)
💙second chance(ish)
🏈best friend’s sister
💙friends to strangers to lovers
🏈stranded together
💙secret relationship
🏈slow burn
💙no 3rd act breakup

📍“I’ve never been single. I’ve been yours.”

📍“I’m thinking about never realizing just how lonely I’ve been until the very moment I felt full. Now. Here, with you. You make me feel so full, I can’t even breathe, sometimes.”

📍“She’s that first ray of sunlight after a bad storm. Peeking through the clouds.”

📍“I’d burn everything to the ground for you and walk away without another look.”

Men written by women, am I right or am I right?! And Zac is the man written by a woman who puts all others to shame. My goodness, this man was something. Something quite special. The pinning. I just… you know what, you need to read it to understand. 😌

I must say that Melody’s story hit home. Sometimes we don’t see how t0xic a relationship is until we’re out. The red flags — so obvious after — are everywhere but we are completely oblivious to them.

Thank goodness for torrential rain in books because close proximity in the middle of the woods is pretty much unbeatable 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

I adored this book. No, I loooooved this one. This kind of second chance romance had me eating out of its pages with all the delicious slow burn 🔥 Absolutely perfect 👏🏼👏🏼

This was my first Ellie K. Wilde. And it’s always quite risky to request an ARC by an author you haven’t read before but I’m patting myself on the back for making this decision 😎

Thank you so much @atriabooks @elliekwildeauthor and @netgalley for this gifted ARC.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to read Only in Your Dreams.

Only in Your Dreams follows Melody, who is fresh off a break up from what she is discovering wasn't quite the picture perfect relationship she always thought it was. Moving home, embarrassed, and not at heart broken as she would expect, Melody moves in with her twin brother, who promptly kicks her out and sends her on a camping trip with friends for the weekend. melody is less than excited when she realizes said camping trip will force her to spend time with her teenage crush, Zac. After he broke her heart ten years ago, she would rather not ever see him again, but fate had other plans.

Zac has never gotten over the night he broke Melody's heart. Now that she's back, he hopes he can finally show her how much he loves her and win her heart.

I really enjoyed watching Melody come back into her spunky, sarcastic self. I have to be honest, I was rooting for Zac the whole time. I know being able to see his perspective made it even more clear how much he wasn't like Connor, but I spent a lot of time feeling like MELODY!! GET WITH THE PROGRAM!! Overall, I really enjoyed the story and I can't wait to read more from Ellie K. Wilde!

Thank you Atria for letting me read Only in Your Dreams.

This book was just too much. It was WAY too long, repetitive, and kind of just - mundane. These characters were stunted, trapped in the past, and yet took no actions in the ten years since they last saw each other to even reach out in any way, much less have an adult conversation. Also, the ending was just too easy. After all that, it was like - cool, no worries. It was a quick read, there were bits of goodness here and there, but overall a disappointment.

Really enjoyed this one. It’s a cute childhood romance that develops I couldn’t have loved it more, plus some parts keep you wondering. Loved the storyline.

📖: Only in Your Dreams, Oakwood Bay Book #1

✍🏾 Author: Ellie K. Wilde-new to me author

📅Publication date: 1-21-25 | Read 1-16-25

📃 # of pages: 454 eBook

Genre:
*Rom-Com/Contemporary Romance
*Adult Fic

Tropes:
* 2nd chance romance
* small town
* brother's best friend
* same tent/same bed
*camping
*fake dating
*slow burn
*sports romance

👆🏾POV: 1st person, dual

⚠️TW: emotional and physical abuse, alcoholism

🌎 Setting: Oakwood Bay

Summary: Melody comes home after a painful break-up needing a job and a place to stay. She moves in with her twin brother Parker who forces her to go on a camping trip in his place. Parker's BFF Zac volunteers for the Labor Day camping trip so when he sees Melody he vows to do anything to make her his.

👩🏾 Heroine: Melody "Clover" Woods-28, comes home after 10 years-reconnects w/ townspeople, friends, and her twin. Works p/t at an investment bank(remotely) and server @ Sheffield's dinner

👨🏾 Hero: Zac Porter-28, college football coach pressured to win games with a losing team or get fired.

🎭 Other Characters:
* Parker Woods-Mel's overprotective twin brother, Zac's BFF
* Summer Prescott-Mel's BFF
* Brooks Attwood-ex-NFL player, part of their friend group
* Connor-Mel's ex-bf, dated 6 years
* Noah- one of Zac's players

🤔 My Thoughts: It had a few slow parts after Mel and Zac's camping adventure. Mel started working at the town diner and got to know Zac's players. Brooks was featured a lot as Mel's "boyfriend" and setup to be the H for the next book. I loved that Mel got a job in a male dominated industry, and that Zac was so supportive. I would definitely read book#2 in the series.

Rating: 4/5⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice level 4/5 🔥 🔥🔥🔥

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Ellie Wilde for this ARC🏈! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

There was not a thing I didn’t love about this book!

I was scrolling my kindle and had totally forgotten i had this ARC waiting to be read and it absolutely blew away the expectations I had for it

The YEARNING in this book 😭😭😭 it was enough to have me sweating and panting. Zachary Porter is top tier book boyfriend. The sweetest bean with the dirtiest mouth 🥵

I also really loved Mel’s journey and her entire arc. Seeing her come into her own and heal from such a hurtful relationship was just so good. Her resilience and strength were really powerful. And seeing her do it with the unending support from Zac by her side pleaseeeeeeeee

Truly this was so so good I am SO thankful to Atria for an early copy of this!!! It’ll absolutely be a go to rec when the girlies need some yearning and some mind numbing tension

This is a very sweet romance. We’ve got best friend’s sister, small town and missed opportunity that comes back around. This is on the spicier side but it’s done well since there is an actual story where the spice falls into the storyline.

Ten years ago Melody Wood got her heart broken, she left her childhood town for the big city and the big life. After a 6 year relationship, her boyfriend breaks up with her and leaves her with no choice but to move in with her twin brother Parker back home in Oakwood Bay. A place she has been avoiding in order to not interact with Zac Porter the boy who broke her heart all those years ago.

Zac Porter made the mistake of his life 10 years ago, and when the opportunity presents itself to fix it, nothing is going to stop him from making it right with Melody. A camping trip where they get stranded in a storm provides him the perfect scenario to start proving himself to her.

Melody begins to realize after some time away how toxic her previous relationship was, and when Zac treats her with all the respect she deserves and supports her through figuring out her life again and finding happiness she can't help but finally forgive him for his past mistakes.

This was such a beautiful slow burn of a relationship. The progression the characters made with each other felt so natural and the timing felt so well thought out. Normally books with similar setups it feels so quick, the growth of the relationship between 2 characters but this one felt so real. The best part was how supportive Zav was of Melody, and how he helped foster her healing in her own time, and on her own terms. It was such a beautiful journey of healing and finding self worth again after being abused emotionally. It was just a wonderful romance.

This book was wonderful! I am all about brother’s best friend and sports romance. I rated four stars because it did feel long at some parts. It also felt repetitive with the MFC. Now that being said I feel like the writing was well done and the story of a female being gaslighted is especially important. Also, being young and in love does not always mean it’s meant for right now.

I loved the understanding of the MMC, he was amazing, patience and caring to a fault. His dedication was beautiful to see! Also, the spice was 🥵🥵🥵 when it was on the page. It was well done that is for sure.

Thank you Net Galley and Ellie for this ARC. I will definitely recommend this book to other people!

"Only in Your Dreams" by Ellie K Wilde promises to be a heartwarming, laugh-out-loud romance filled with charming banter, irresistible chemistry, and plenty of unexpected twists. It invites readers to dive into a world where dreams and reality blur, and where love might just sneak up on you when you least expect it. With witty dialogue, relatable characters, and an enchanting atmosphere, this book is poised to sweep you off your feet and have you rooting for love at every turn. Perfect for fans of feel-good rom-coms and stories that tug at your heartstrings!

Why it's a must-read:
Ellie K Wilde’s vibrant storytelling style ensures that readers will be hooked from page one. Whether you’re looking for a cozy escape, a feel-good romance, or characters you can’t help but fall in love with, “Only in Your Dreams” has it all.

I have almost no words to say. This book was so good. I loved it so much I practically devoured it in a day. Read so fast I don't know much other than the vibes were superb. Wilde did a great job portraying the love bombing from Connor. I didn't even initially see it in the beginning. I felt my heart sinking with her friends as she was literally realizing it. I love that Zac continued to love her through it. Pushed her to be stronger, make decisions for herself, create her play book. I LOVED that there was no third act break up, that everything was worked through together. I adored the relationship between Zac, Noah, and Melody. That sweet little peak into them caring for him and giving Noah so much strength. Five stars!

potential spoilers ahead!!

throughout reading “Only in Your Dreams”, i primarily was struggling with believing the pining the characters were feeling. ten entire years felt too much a time for them to think of one another that extensively. actual flashbacks of them sneaking glances or their whispered conversations or hangouts without parker around, or a separate path of melody coming home for the holidays and having to interact with zac, THAT woulda helped me grasp the longing that was happening. but a few years less off their reuniting is all it really needed. now, i did love that we jumped right into the book and had them interacting almost instantly. and zac is continuously so patient and so kind, rooting for melody and committed to proving to her that he’s changed.

it’s not one hundred percent what i was expecting; however, i still relatively liked it and would like to read more from ellie. i’d devour whatever comes out for brooks getting a happily ever after. noah too, honestly! i’d love to read a cutesy little story with him aged up a bit, living his NFL dreams. you know those side characters you get super attached to and you start grinning when they finally come back on page? that’s totally him.

thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Ellie K. Wilde for providing this eARC!

Zac and Melody grew up together and thought they were going to give being together a chance at the end of high school. One night Zac leaves Melody hanging and they don't talk again for 10 years. Melody is back in town after a bad breakup and these two finally get their chance to give it a go.

I usually love brother's best friend and a football coach too?! Yes please. Unfortunately this one just got a little long for me and I really just had a hard time believing they didn't talk for 10 years despite Zac being best friends with her TWIN.

If you can get past that stuff and you're a contemporary romance fan than give this one ago!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the eARC.

Sports romance and I don't get along. This is fully on me.

This was my first book by Ellie K. Wilder and it certainly wont be my last! I absolutely adored Only in Your Dreams, and was intrigued in Melody and Zac’s story from the very beginning!!!

I adored Melody’s character and getting to watch her grow, heal, and overcome the hurt from her last relationship was so lovely. I enjoyed her witty and dry sense of humor, her thoughtfulness, and her determination to find herself again. I loved her depth and how relatable she felt, and I truly think a lot of readers will be able to relate to her in some way, shape, or form. I enjoyed getting to know her character so much!!!

Zac is a man obsessed, who is not afraid to grovel and pine, and honestly… what’s better than that?? I loved Zac’s character and his kind, thoughtful, and charming personality. He loves hard and his relationship with Noah made my heart HURT!!! IT was so sweet and heartwarming and UGH. I really enjoyed the depth that we see in his character through his career struggles, and honestly I related so heavily to the imposter syndrome (sigh). Getting to see him work through those struggles and grow overall as a character was so great!!!

Melody and Zac’s love story is filled with a whole lot of tension, pining, chemistry, and second chances. I loved these two together soso much!!! Their dynamic is so good, filled with so much banter, flirting, and longing. Zac is absolutely down BAD for Melody and I was about to start begging her myself to give him a chance to right his wrongs. I loved getting to see them slowly work through things, find comfort in each other, and fall in love. It was so sweet, so fun, and so enjoyable!!! The smut in this is so good, you can literally feel the years worth of desire & longing RADIATING off of this book.

This is a small town, brothers best friend, sports romance with a splash of second chance!!! Truly such a fun, enjoyable, and easy read that I 100% recommend!!!

If you love a cute brother’s best friend read, with football elements this book is for you! The main chapters are so cute and I really like the progression of their love story! I really like that the main female character is a twin which makes the brother’s best friend trope really hit!

ARC Review

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

This had so many of my favorite tropes: second chance, brother's best friend, sports, and found family! Plus some obvious fake dating! I loved it!

I've become a big fan of quiet expressions of love in romance books instead of the grand gesture. Zac does quiet love in the best way! I love that he sees Melody and does everything he can to empower her! Especially after everything her ex put her through!

I will be sharing a review on Instagram (@readsinhyperspeed) soon!