This was so good. Like a true second chance romance. I loved the character development of Melody. It was really great to see her grow in a positive way and not just be stuck after getting out of her abusive relationship. And Zac is def a book boyfriend. He LOVED HER for FOURTEEN YEARS. I am weak. That’s king behavior knowing she’s it for him.

Rating: 4.5 stars but I rounded up to 5
Spice: 3

**4.5-stars**

Don't be fooled by this cutesy cover, Only in Your Dreams is hot, hot, hot, and lucky me, it's just my kind of spice!

In this book, we are following Melody Woods and Zac Porter. Melody has just returned to her hometown of Oakwood Bay, after a decade away, following a painful breakup. She's moved in with her twin brother, Parker, and is trying to process everything. In an effort to encourage her out of her funk, Parker has been pushing her to take his spot on an upcoming camping trip with his friends. To be fair, some of them used to be Melody's friends, including Zac, Parker's best friend, and the boy who broke her heart 10-years ago. Whatever. She's so disconnected with all things Oakwood Bay at this point.

Parker's best friend, Zac, a college football coach, is reeling Melody is back in town. He messed things up with her 10-years ago, and has never truly forgiven himself for it. When she shows up at the campsite in Parker's place, he can hardly believe it. Maybe this is his chance to win her back?

But with Melody focused on getting back on her feet and returning to the city, and with Zac stressing over his team's lack of wins, will he be able to put the proper time into winning back Melody's affections? Adding complication to the matter, they have to keep any sort of relationship they have a total secret from Melody's brother, Parker, who Zac knows would flip his top if he thought they were getting involved.

There were so many aspects of this that I absolutely adored. I loved the small town feel and all the characters that we got to meet over the course of the story. I'm excited to find out what other characters we're going to follow in this series of companion novels. There's so many options!

The chemistry between Melody and Zac was off the charts. I loved the banter, and getting both perspectives, to know what they were thinking along the way, was so fun. I know Wilde will be delivering more of that in the next books. I've never actually read a Sports Romance before. Football is my sport and apparently, this is the Romance I didn't know I needed; following a College Football Coach?

Yes, please!!!

I really appreciated that too. That we were following the coaching staff, as opposed to the players. There's nothing wrong, of course, with following the players, it's just when you think of a coaching staff, and the men and women in those positions, they are usually people who are of a certain age, or maturity level.

Zac is DEFINITELY young for a head coach, but it's a smaller school and he's a local guy, so that does make sense. Zac did have a maturity level about him though that was respectable. Particularly, in regards to how focused he was on making Melody know how special, and loved, she was.
This does explore some emotional abuse and gaslighting from Melody's previous relationship, and I felt that was handled fairly well. She was definitely on a journey, and I liked that it took her some time to process it all, as opposed to just hanging out with another guy and being over it.

Overall, I had an absolute blast with this one. Look, we all have our things. Romance, particularly Steamy Romance is very subjective. We all have our likes, dislikes, turn-ons and offs, and yeah, let's be honest, kinks. Read this if you are into Alpha Male Energy: protective, yet supportive, tats, and aggressive dirty talk. Don't read if you don't like these things, cause there's a lot of them.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I have a copy of the next book, Only Between Us, and I'm hoping to pick it up soon!

This was such an easy read, I felt like the first half of the book especially flew by. High school friends who secretly both loved each other and what happens when they are thrown back together 10 years later. I liked the characters Melody and Zac, easy to like. Overall, it was a fun, spicy, sweet read. I'll definitely continue with the series!
*arc provided by netgalley for honest review

I wanted to enjoy it more than I did because of the tropes. The tropes included: small town, brother's best friend, one bed, forced proximity and sports romance.

I just felt like the characters were written very immaturely. I felt like I was reading a YA or about teenagers instead of mature almost 30 year olds.

The story itself was interesting but I just couldn't get fully invested because of the characters unfortunately.

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me this ARC!

Maddie is back in home town and sees Zac in a new light, but will she trust him again after he broke her heart last time round? I liked how it was told from both points of view.

A cutesy second chance, brothers best friend, fake dating, AND small town romance! Ok, so this novel felt quite cookie-cutter and tropey... but I still enjoyed it! The emotional aspect and depth was not totally there. It was a bit shallow and almost superficial. Bless there was no third-act breakup and the neither of the main characters were annoying! Honestly it was just the lack of emotional depth and the unnecessary length of the book that made me like the book and not LOVE it. I see this is supposed to be book one to a series... I hope we get books for some of the side characters, they're super interesting!

I really enjoyed the beginning of this second chance romance. Zac and Melody trapped together while camping is the perfect forced proximity. I wanted more chemistry from the characters, especially given they had supposedly pined after each other for years. Being in your 30s and scared of dating someone since high school because of your brother was a little overdone. I was. hoping for more growth and maturity from the characters.

That being said, this was still a good romance and I appreciate that it bucked the trend of the third act breakup in a way.

I'm really glad this is a series. I enjoyed this group of friends a lot and can't wait to see what else is in store for them.
<i>Only in Your Dreams</i> started off strong with Mel coming back home to the small town she grew up in with her tail between her legs because her boyfriend dumped her. She immediately gets thrown back into her old life when he takes the place of her twin brother on a group camping trip. Then gets stranded with the former love of her teenage life who broke her heart into pieces. The main reason why she was ok living the small town in the first place.
The relationship between Mel and Zac was so much fun to read. They are instantly likable, even when they are completely awkward around easy other. The tension is palpable but they didn't play games which made this such an enjoyable story.

The way this man was gone for her - be still my heart. I loved how obsessed Zac was, and the way he championed Melody without holding her back in any way.

I felt the reasoning for the ten years apart was really weak, but 18 year olds can be pretty stupid, so I’ll let it go.

I really enjoyed the side characters and I hope they all get books of their own!

DNF at 21%
Personally I just don’t think this book was for me. The language and spice were a little more vulgar than I prefer. I did like the two main characters for the most part and I liked their banter and seeing how Zac still felt for her. The spice was just too much for me and some of the language was just a bit much for me and kinda took away from my enjoyment. However I know several people who really enjoyed this one so it’s definitely a not for me book. I would recommend this to someone if I know their likes and know that they don’t mind spicier spice.

I received an arc via netgalley.

I don’t think I ever got over the premise that the female main character, Melody, made a move on the male main character, Zac, the night before she left for college and he said he would be back but stood her up, and then they didn’t have meaningful interactions for 10 years. Second chance trope is hard to navigate because usually there’s an insurmountable reason the couple didn’t work out but in this case they never happened. I’m supposed to believe Zac has been pining for her this whole time and even given the opportunity he doesn’t immediately tell her what held him back that night? As if that wasn’t all bad enough the author also included a side trope and had Melody fake date Zac’s friend so her twin brother wouldn’t find out about her and Zac? So messy. Zac was very endearing as a golden retriever of a guy if I put aside my contempt for how he botched things.

Content warning for references to a past abusive relationship.

Really the only saving grace for this book was the MMC. He was so sweet and actually had some kind of character arc. The FMC? I cannot. The denial was absolutely killer from her.

Then the plot: confusing. There were so many layers; I couldn’t keep up with who was who and what was where and like half of the plot lines weren’t even cleared up in the third act, which I hate.

The was just overly-troped and too cliche for my taste!!!

I absolutely loved, loved, loved Only in Your Dreams! It's friends to enemies to lovers (one sided because Zac is IN LOVE with Mel and she just has no clue), brothers best friend, sports romance, one tent (!!!), and second chance romance!!
The emotions between Zac and Mel feel so real I got so wrapped up in their story. The way Ellie wrote this book is so smooth and well done. The spice is chef's kiss and
had me kicking my feet and giggling like a teenage girl. The supporting characters in this book are also so well written that I truly felt like I was part of the friend group. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. Thank you NetGalley and Ellie K. Wilde!!

Keep your warm and fuzzies to yourself, mam!

I’m rough and tough and full of the wham-a-roonies! You can’t bring heat to this cold cold heart.

Aright, I can’t keep lying to myself

I’m currently a puddle of mush and wagging my non existent tail.

Only in Your Dreams

Gosh dang it, hold my book, I need a tissue .

This book is filled to the brim with love, giggles, tears, and a little more love .

You got me, Ellie K Wilde, as you always do .

This book is exceeds all expectations and I’m literally left with the biggest book hangover .

Check out this teaser :

If he can prove he loved her then, and he loves her still, this time might be different.

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.

For college football coach Zac Porter, his best friend’s twin sister, Melody, has always been off-limits. And after fumbling his chance ten years ago, a devastated Zac was sure he’d lost Melody for good. So, when Melody shows up at the campsite instead of Parker, Zac realizes that now is the time to prove to her that they were always meant to be, no matter how long it takes to make up for his teenage self’s mistake.

Reeling from the truth of her last relationship, Melody plans to stay in town just long enough to get back on her feet. Then, she’s gone again. Meanwhile, Zac is facing an uphill battle to coach his team to its first winning game in years, to show Melody how she deserves to be loved, and to keep Parker from ever finding out. Maybe then, being with her will be more than just a dream.

Only in Your Dreams is a small town, second chance, brother's best friend, sports romance.

I adored the cover of this book and it had really good potential. For being a sports romance, I felt that the author did her homework on football and I appreciated how that was incorporated into the story. The dynamic between Mel, Zac, and Noah was absolute perfection - I loved it and wanted so much more of it. I liked how completely gone Zac was for Mel, but I felt that if he loved her that much that he would have fought for her instead of just wallowing for ten years. This story really leans into the tropes and throws so many common things that are enjoyed in contemporary romance into one book and because of this the story is too long and loses focus. A bit too much repetition during the characters' inner monologuing and all of the conflict felt really silly and juvenile.

It was overall a sweet, fun story and I'm giving it 3.5 rounded down. I will be giving the sequel a shot!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this one!! I read a TON of sports romances but I think this was one of the best ones in terms of how Ellie actually talked about football and how it was woven throughout the story. This is a second chance, brother's best friend romance and it slapped! I loved Mel and Zac, she was so feisty and I enjoyed watching her learn who she was after 6 years in a toxic relationship and Zac was so dreamy! He was such a sweetie, and so humble, always doing little kind things for Mel without any expectations. Also loved their relationship with Noah, an unlucky kid that Zac helps take care of, they were so sweet and wholesome! There is also lotssss of spice and even though there is kinda a miscommunication trope at play, it's not ridiculously drawn out and luckily does not result in a third act breakup! Can't wait for Brooks' books!

3.5 rounded down. My biggest struggle with this book was two-fold: 1. The time apart shouldn’t have been 10 years and the reason for it was dumb, and 2. These characters read more like 22-24, not 28. I think keeping everything the same but making them a few years younger and them being apart a few less years would have made a huge difference, for me personally. 10 years apart over a miscommunication 🤦🏻‍♀️

But I will say, Zac is a top-tier book boyfriend! He’s so so sweet, so aware of Melody. The whole camping trip was the best part of the book, IMO, and I loved how it set the stage for their renewed friendship and his determination to win her.

Also, again IMO, it was a little toooo spicy 🙈

The story was cute. I had issues with both main characters, Zsc for pining, unbelievably, for 10 years, and Melody for being so against returning to her small town until she finds herself dumped with no choice but to return. Both characters are dealing with career issues and Melody with self-esteem issues.
I understand that angst drives the story, but the lack of communication from the main characters resulting in years of issues bugs me. The book was fine, I can see it will be enjoyed by others, but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria, and Ellie K Wilde for the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for providing me with a digital copy of this book!

Only in Your Dreams is a second chance romance starring Melody, a data analyst who was just dumped by her longterm boyfriend of 6 years, and Zac, the man who has been in love with her since they were 16 years old. He messed up his chance 10 years ago with Melody but he will do whatever it takes to make sure it works out this time around. This is a story of overcoming a manipulative relationship and expecting everything to come with strings attached. It is a story of rekindling high school friendships and moving forward in life. But most of all, it is a story of resilience.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was so easy and comfortable to read from beginning to end. I enjoyed the relationship between Melody and Zac, although I felt their different perspectives confused how I saw the characters. For example, Zac saw Melody as small and fragile but her perspectives made her seem tough and unbreakable so I wasn't sure how to perceive her. I also thought this book dragged on way too long. It could have been summed up way earlier.

I don't have particularly strong feelings for this book either way. I didn't hate this book but by no means did I love it. I will read the next one because why not, I am a sucker for sequels, but this one gets a 3/5 from me.

This was a really good book and very spicy as well. Melody is back in her hometown where she just ended a long term relationship. She is forced to spend time with Zac her ex crush. Are the feelings still there or are they doomed to never figure it out.