Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC. I loved this sports romance book! My favorite kind! I did read it in one sitting. I would definitely recommend this book.

I only got about 30% in and decided it was a bit too spicy for me (so decided to DNF) but loved the the banter between Mel and Zac!

Hot hot hot! This was so good! I believe this is a re-release with a new cover, just in time for the brand new sequel to come out next year and i can't wait to read that if it'll be anything like this one, cause wow!! Zac is just everything I want in a book boyfriend! This second chance romance with a dash of protectiveness is perfect!! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!! ❤️❤️❤️

This is a cute brother’s best friend, forced proximity romance. Melody her twin brother Parker are childhood friends with Zac. Zac and Melody always had feelings for each other but when Melody confesses her feelings senior year of high school Zac leaves her hanging. 10 years later, Melody is back in her hometown after getting broken up with by her boyfriend of 6 years. She’s trying to avoid Zac but they get thrust into a camping trip together and have to figure out if they want to give their feelings a chance.
This was a cute read and I’m a sucker for good banter. Melody isn’t a sweet doormat. She makes Zac work for leaving her hanging and the boy does grovel! Zac is the ultimate golden retriever and just wants to do whatever will make Melody happy. I loved this book! Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the arc!

Review Incoming!
Only In Your Dreams by Ellie K Wilde
Pub Date: Jan 21, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3/5)

Themes: Second Chance Romance, Forced Proximity, Brothers Best Friend, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Sports Romance - Football

AHHHH I had so much fun reading this book! I just came off flag football season in my personal life and I’m in the depths of fantasy football season so this book came at the perfect time. Our main character Mel, recently broken up after a 6 yr long relationship, has returned to her small town to find herself again. We’ve all been there or know someone who’s been there - so engulfed in their relationship that they neglected their friends or lost semblance of who they are without their SO. This book follows Mel’s journey and “playbook” to rediscovering herself, while also re-hashing the pain of her high school crush on Zac. Now… a moment for Zac. Zac was the high school star quarterback who is now the head coach at the town’s university. He’s Mel’s twin brother’s best friend and also royally screwed up 10 years ago. This story follows their journey of friends to frenemies to maybe lovers??? You’ll have to read it to find out.

Overall, a fun read that you can pick up at any time of year. If you like football, you might have a kick with this one - especially if you’re a second chance romance type of reader. Spice level was a bit more than the typical books I read, but not as crazy as A Court of Silver Flames. 4 stars because I was thoroughly engaged, the slow burn of their relationship was believable and well paced, and I liked the individual development for the various characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review of the book!

Ugh the pinning and the obsession and the “it’s always been you” 😩😩 ultimate swoon. I just have such a deep obsession with this book, I think about it daily.

Melody might have had a teeny tiny crush on her brothers best friend before she left for college. However, she’s definitely left it in the past… and there is no chance of ever building the bridge he destroyed all those years ago. So, how does she find herself back in her hometown, after her horrible ex broke up with her, sharing a tent in the middle of no where with said brothers best friend she has totally forgotten about? Yeah, she doesn’t know how that happened either. All she knows is nothing.. not the looks, the flirting, the apologies… will ever make up for those dark days 10 years ago. But this is Zac Porter we’re talking about and that man is nothing but persistent when it comes to Melody and his future.

Zac has had a long 10 years to think about the night Melody left. He has a lot of regrets on how things were left unsaid. However, Melody just landed back in town in his camping tent for the weekend and now is the time to say his apologies and move on with his life. However, finding out Melody is now single may just spice somethings up for Zac. Now is his chance to make her see that teenage Zac made mistake, but adult Zac is here to build her up and put her back together. No best friend, no brother, and definitely no ex will get in his way this time. Well, Melody might have a say in it, but how could she ever resist Zac’s efforts to be not only in her future, but the man standing beside her through it all?

Can we take a moment for Noah and his uncanny ability to interrupt 🤭🤭 because he sure has a radar for it.

Ellie I cannot wait for the next one. Literally counting down the days.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the eARC of Only in Your Dreams releasing January 21st! I loved loved loved this book! I honestly feel like it solidified how much I love a good second chance romance! It was the perfect spicy sports romance I needed to get me through my mini reading slump. The groveling and banter were ✨chefs kiss✨and honestly Zac Porter has made his way to my best book boyfriend list! I am so excited that there will be another book in this series! Can’t wait to see what Ellie K Wilde has in store for us next!

I loved this SO much!! It has the perfect balance of spice and plot!

It was such a fun read and I absolutely loved Mel and Zac’s love story! I also loved Mel’s character development through the entire book and her struggles to work through her past relationship that was toxic.

Melody was dumped by her toxic ex and had moved back home to live with her twin brother. She is forced to take her brother’s spot on a camping trip and has to share a tent with her brother’s best friend who she hates after something that happened years prior. Zac has been pining after Mel for years and now that she is finally single again… he has to prove to her that they are meant to be give it another chance.

I cannot wait to see what Ellie Wilde writes nexts and I am so excited for the next book in this standalone series!

If you love…
- Small Town Romance
- Brother’s Best Friend
- Spicy
- Sports Romance
- Second Chance
- Fake Dating
- Forced Proximity
- It’s Always Been You
- Toxic Ex
- Childhood Friends to Lovers
- Secret Relationship

I enjoyed this second chance romance by Ellie K. Wilde. Melody is back in her small town after a bad break up to move in with her twin brother, Parker. Our MMC, Zac has been pining for Melody quietly for 10 years and with her coming back into town he believes that he has a second chance with her and he won’t mess it up this time.

I really enjoyed this as a light read. This is the perfect book for when you are on vacation or need something to read in a sitting. Only in Your Dreams also had great side characters like Brooks and Summer. I loved the tension of our FMC and MMC and there was an even plot to spice ratio and it wasn’t over the top.

I wanted to thank Atria and NetGalley for being invited to read this eARC and am looking forward to more books by Ellie K. Wilde!

This was cute! It hits on some popular tropes and does really well with them. I thought the characters fit well together. There chemistry was very believable and sexy. I would read more by this author and even something with some side characters so I could continue to stay in this world.

We love a slow burn, second chance romance! This book had all the swoony elements that romance lovers look for in a novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot points, while finding some elements over the top. First, 10 years over one failed night was almost unbelievable. I think the only reason it passed edits was because of their age. I would have preferred a 5 year gap, even if it shortened Mel's relationship with Connor. Second, the explicit scenes were too frequent and too long for me. I am a closed-door romance reader- I skipped those. Some elements were cheesy and funny like the tattoo and the shoe lace. I love Zac's love for Mel. It was so pure, patient, and kind. Mel's character changed so much that it is hard ro capture in one sentence. I loved the development, though. One thing I loved was that the writer really gave great energy into the additional characters and the setting seemed true to form for a college town.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this eARC! All opinions are my own.

Wow. This was such a fun ride. From the beginning to the end it felt so real yet had all the fun parts of reading romance. I couldn't believe how much I would get out of this story and it kept surprising me. Definitely gonna keep my eye out for this author in the future!

*Only in Your Dreams* by Ellie K. Wilde is a tender and nostalgic second-chance romance that tugs at your heartstrings. When Melody returns to Oakwood Bay after a decade away, the last person she expects to face is Zac Porter—the one guy who broke her heart ten years ago. But when a camping trip throws them back together, sparks fly, and old wounds start to heal.

Zac’s determination to win back Melody is swoon-worthy, and Melody’s journey of rediscovering herself and confronting her past feels both raw and relatable. The small-town charm of Oakwood Bay, combined with the chemistry between these two, makes this story impossible to put down. It’s a heartfelt reminder that love can sometimes take time, patience, and the courage to try again. If you love emotional, feel-good romances about forgiveness and second chances, this one’s for you!

Zac and Mel are just too cute! I love when the guy is the cinnamon roll and is chasing after the girl he wants in a respectful and good hearted way. The book if anything was a touch too long, but it came together at the end. I would recommend to anyone looking for a cutesy romance.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

SO GOOOOOOD!!! This got me out of my reading slump! I’m a sucker for Brother’s Best Friend!! This was such an enjoyable easy read!

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

#Brothersbestfriend
#lifelonglove
#secretromance

When Melody goes through a bad breakup, she comes home to her small town to re-group and move in with her twin brother. While she is in town, she spends time with her old friends including her brother's childhood best friend, Zac. The last time Mel saw Zac was 1o years ago when she asked him to kiss her and he left and never reached out to her again. When a camping trip goes wrong will Zac and Mel make up?? Sweet book with a majorly in love MMC. Sometimes a little too much love/obsession at times...

4/5 Stars

I wanted more Brooks! I hope his book comes next.


Maybe spoiler- the 10 clover tattoos lowered the rating of this book for me. I am all about hidden tattoos, and it he had one 4-leaf clover I would have been swooooning. The 10, 'one for every year I lost with you" was too much for me.

This book had me hooked from the dedication! I loved the journey that was Melody and Zac’s love story. The camping trip was a particular highlight for me as I was laughing out loud…literally…and in public! Everyone deserves a person to love them like Zac does.

If you love a brother’s best friend, fake dating, cute but spicy (I mean I was blushing at the airport reading!) romance, this book is for you!

First, I will say, Zac Porter is now one of my favorite book boyfriends. He understands her needs, listens to her and willing to scorch earth to make her happy. At the same time, he knew if he does that, it'll only scare Melody away and he'd be no better than Connor. He knows what he wants, but willing to temper himself so she can achieve it for herself. He may help give it a bump along the way, but he truly understands her even before she realizes.

Kudos to Melody for realizing she's been gaslighted this whole time. It's super sad and suck to be dumped by a fairy tale relationship, but her friends are so good to point out that her light was dimmed too, while she's in it. Also thank to that seemingly perfect guy to buys her everything, provide for her in every way, for her to realized she has no support system there. Those are his friends, his everything; nothing there was for her, made by her, or accomplished by her. So glad that broke her out of her trance and she centered herself back in OB.

I do have to say, I love their friends, Parker, Summer, and Brooks. They're not over the top, they do want to be supportive, and totally saw thru their shenanigans. Which, by the way, their spicy level is at least a 3.5-4. You can really feel their tension, how Zac treasure her in every way, he knows to deliver it rough and when to be gentle.. Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for the ARC, it's really enjoyable and I can't wait to read Ellie's other books.

This right here.. is the absolute perfect ratio of plot & spice 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I really really enjoyed this! I’m not usually a second chance romance girlie but this was done SO WELL & man Zac’s mouth 🥵

Honestly, you can’t go wrong with anything Ellie K Wilde writes!

✨second chance
✨small town
✨fake dating
✨brothers best friend
✨reverse grumpy sunshine
✨”it’s always been you”
✨forced proximity
✨narcissistic ex boyfriend
🌶️🌶️🌶️

This story starts off as a slow burn. It has every romance readers favorite tropes all in one place. The evolution of Zac and Melody’s relationship is perfection. The spice level is 🌶️🌶️🌶️ and right up my alley. Some books focus on spice and lack in the plot department. This book provided the perfect mix of both. I highly recommend!