It's been a while since I've read a novel that I go to sleep reading it, wake up reading it, and shirk all other responsibilities because I only want to read it. Only Between Us was that for me. I found Siena to be completely charming and hilarious. Brooks was sweet and vulnerable. And the secondary characters? They just rounded everything else out perfectly (minus the creepy landlord, blech). Throw in football and a fake relationship (who knew I liked those?! I didn't.) and I could not stop reading. I liked so much about this novel--the character development, the plot development, the lighthearted banter, and the spice...so good, y'all.

This is the first Ellie K Wilde novel I've read, but I will be researching her backlist to see which thing I read next because I feeeeel like they're all gonna be this good.

thank u netgalley for the arc <3

this book was very cutesy and ive been so excited for brooks story since we met him in only in your dreams

him and siena are so sweet !! from their first meet it was giving meet cute

while i wouldn’t personally consider it enemies to lovers, id more put it in the disdain / dislike to lovers because it was a minor misunderstanding

anyway as the book went on brooks was SO down bad from the start, like he’s so possessive and he loves caring for and spoiling siena. a lot more than meets the eye to this playboy

and siena MY SHAYLA her backstory was so sad,, im so happy she has a family and is surrounded by people who love her and only want the best for her

overall sooo sweet and i love the crumbs of zac and melody and im SOO excited for parker’s book !!!

This was an entertaining fake dating story and I am a sucker for a good sports romance! I enjoyed both of the main characters and felt that they had really good chemistry with each other. The pacing of the story also felt significantly better than the first book. Overall, this was an enjoyable book.

Ok this isn't 5 star incredible literature but I cannot rate it less than that after how obsessed I was. This author makes her characters immediately addicting and the spice level is *chefs kiss.* Dare I say Ellie K Wilde might beat out Tessa Bailey as my favorite smut author!

This one got me right in the feels - and I'm not even a football girlie. The characters are wonderful and so relatable. The emotions, the highs and lows. Plus, I mean - there's a dog. What's not to love?

fake dating trope will never and I mean never get old, I will kick my feet and giggle when those lines blur and those characters get emotionally attached before they even know what's happening. The chemistry between Brooks and Siena was off the charts, they had this push and pull slow burn for each other, which is frustratingly delicious for these types of plots.

This book was everything I could have wanted. Brooks and Siena had me hooked from the start. Brooks is definitely book boyfriend material he is definitely in my top 10. Siena is a spit fire with a heart of gold. I really just want to be friends with her. This book is the perfect summer read. It has witty banter, chemistry that’s off the charts and really just feels like a warm hug for the soul. Definitely add this to your TBR.

Only Between Us is the second novel in the Oakwood Bay series. While I haven't read the first book in the series , it was easy to follow along. Brooks Attwood was an all star football player until he was injured on the field as a result he decided to retire. Siena Pippen has taken over her dad's bait shop Ship Happens and would rather be a captain for chartered boats. When Siena breaks into the football field that Brooks is training at for his big chance at a comeback he literly falls for her. Now Brooks agent is having to protray him as a family man and his wild days are behind him. There is only one catch, Brook and Sieana have to pretend to be dating until he gets signed. This is not only laugh out loud but has the right amount of steam for anyone. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Atria Books for letting me read an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Brooks is working on making an NFL comeback after an injury. Sienna and her friend sneak onto the football field he's training on when they run into each other...literally.

Brooks is trying to get signed by his hometown team, but his public image is not the greatest. Their "meet cute" goes viral, and what follows is a fun, spicy, tension-filled, loathe to love story filled with second chances.

He gets multiple trays of coffee for Sienna because he didn't know what she liked, and he stole her motorcycle helmet so she wouldn't ride it anymore. Sienna hates his ex-girlfriend, and makes sure she knows Brooks is better off.

Tropes:
Fake dating
Meet cute/hate
Loathe to love
Spicy FaceTimes

Only Between Us is a sweet’n’spicy sports romance. The premise starts off with Brooks and Siena fake dating to achieve their personal agendas. However the feels become less fake as the book progresses.

Rating: 3.75/5
Spice: 3/5

Tropes;
Second chance
Football romance
Golden Retriever MMC
Fake Dating

This is my first book by this author, and I enjoyed it! The angst between Brooks and Sienna was CRAZY! I also loved the fact that the MMC was obsessed with the MFC! The spice was the perfect amount in this boo to add to the plot. I haven't read a lot of football romances, but I enjoyed this one. I would recommend this to readers!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book!

I adored this!

Fake dating? Check.
Sports romance? Check.
Enemies to lovers? Check.
Forced proximity? Check.

After a death-defying injury sidelined him for two seasons, Brooks Attwood's pro football comeback has hit a major snag. Naughty photos from a post-break-up bender have leaked, and they're killing his chances with the Rebels—his old team, and the only one he wants to play on.

But Brooks's plans to keep a low profile are suddenly upended when his selfie with a fiery fan goes viral, and tabloids mistake them as the football world's newest It couple.

Turns out, Siena Pippen is the ex-girlfriend of the "face" of the League. And she wants nothing more to do with that world after being with her nightmare ex. While she and Brooks are busy blaming each other for the media circus surrounding them, NFL teams are suddenly scrambling to sign a housebroken Brooks. Meanwhile, Siena realizes that all this buzz could be the Hail Mary her family's struggling business needs…

4.25⭐️

Only Between Us is an enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, sports romance where the fake dating line gets very blurry (if you know what I mean)!

The chemistry between the leads is electric, and the slow-burn tension paired with fantastic banter had me swooning, laughing, and completely hooked from the start. The push and pull was deliciously frustrating in all the right ways. This book had me pulling my hair out, yet giggling and swooning the entire time!

While the story is full of flirty, fun moments, it also delivers emotional depth. This book strikes that perfect balance! The banter? Top tier. The tension? Outrageous. I could not put it down, I just wanted to keep reading!

If you’re craving a fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, sports romance that will make you swoon, scream, and smile like an idiot—this is it!

Also: Ellie K. Wilde just announced her next book will feature the two friend trainers who help the MMC with his football comeback, and from the snippets we’ve seen so far, their story promises to be equally amazing! I’ll be impatiently waiting for it!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

5 ⭐️

“Swim with sharks with me.”

Oh my heart, Only Between Us was the perfect romance. I love Brooks and Siena so so much. This book had me giddy with happiness, laughing, and fanning myself, but it was also deeply emotional in a beautiful way.

My man Brooks was ADORABLE. There’s no other word for him. He was as sweet as the candy he was constantly eating (hello ordering every type of coffee and tea before he learned Siena’s favorite drink); he was caring and thoughtful (hello fixing her broken lock without being asked); and he was willing to put all his fears on the back-burner just to make Siena smile for real (hello riding on the back of her motorcycle). And let’s not forget his love for his pup Pete, because a great dog dad is always swoony AF. I just loved the way he wore his heart on his sleeve - or rather, in the crook of his elbow - so that Siena always knew how much he loved her.

Siena was so smart, strong, and sassy, but her real journey throughout the book was actually the way she let go of her strength and showed her vulnerabilities. Her childhood was beyond heartbreaking, but her ability to love was the true measure of who she was. I really loved the way she learned to open up to Brooks and trusted him to take care of her, even when it was hard. They were the perfect balance for each other.

Also, the SPICE in this book!! Ellie, what are you doing to me?! I was sweating in the best way at the sexcapades of these two dirty-mouthed, adventurous people. The app-controlled toy, the FaceTime scene, and skinny dipping are living rent free in my head for the rest of time.

I’m beyond excited for If Only You Knew, Parker and Summer’s book, next. The setup for those two had me on my knees in anticipation of Parker’s pining for his “best friend.”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! I’m an Ellie K Wilde fan for life, and already preordered the audiobook so I can read it again in just a few weeks. I have a feeling Only in Your Dreams and Only Between Us are going to make regular appearances on my reading list between now and February when I get to add in If Only You Knew to the rotation.

This review needs to come with a preface to truly illustrate my journey with this book:

Once upon a time (March 2025), a girl (me) randomly chose to start reading a book (Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde). This girl was so surprised by how much she liked this book that she (1) read it all in one night, (2) remembered that she had recently been emailed an arc copy of its sequel, Only Between Us, & (3) yoinked that arc copy so fast when she was only at the 50% mark of Only in Your Dreams bc she basically became that gif of Kylo Ren yelling “MORE.”

The way I immediately needed more of Brooks from the second we met him in Only in Your Dreams. And my god, does Only Between Us hit so good.

Brooks & Siena as individual characters? Hits. The chemistry between Brooks & Siena? Hits. The fake dating trope? Hits. The side characters? Hits. No third-act break up? Hits. Miscommunication that gets addressed & cleared up in a non-frustrating amount of time? Hits so hard.

And I am now 2/2 for reading the Oakwood Bay books in one night. This is probably a ridiculous review to write but this book is also just ridiculously delightful. I beg you to add it to your TBR if you’d like a very well-written sports romance between two very likable characters who serve up heat, humor, AND emotional intelligence.

(I can’t wait to read Parker & Summer’s book, If Only You Knew, in 2026!)

Thank you to Atria Books & NetGalley for providing a digital advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions expressed are my own.

This second installment in the Oakwood Bay series was an easy, enjoyable read, albeit not groundbreaking. This was a pretty typical fake-dating trope, and I’m actually a pretty difficult reader to please when it comes to fake-dating. I feel that it’s a trope that is so overdone, that when it is done it has to be written extremely well and introduce other aspects to the story constantly to keep me on my toes. While an enjoyable read, Only Between Us followed what I would consider to be a run-of-the-mill fake-dating storyline, and the fake-dating aspect felt more of using it to hit on the trope rather than it being used as a device to make Brooks’ and Siena’s story more interesting. I would definitely recommend this for anyone whose bread and butter is a fake-dating trope, but I found the first book to be much more riveting than this one.

Only Between Us by Ellie K. Wilde was a fun and spicy fake dating sports romance that had me hooked from the start. The setup is classic; NFL drama, media chaos, and forced proximity but Ellie K. Wilde keeps it fresh with sizzling chemistry and banter. While the characters felt a bit flat and could’ve used more emotional depth, the spicy scenes were really well written and definitely delivered. It’s a quick, entertaining read perfect for fans of steamy romance with just the right amount of drama. 4/5 ⭐️ thank you Ellie K. Wilde, Atria Books, and netgalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A good second book in an overall great series so far. Siena and Brooks were so funny and hot, and the fake dating aspect of this story was so refreshing! It took awhile to warm up to Siena and while I did understand Brooks wanting to go back to play for his original team, it did kind of annoy me at times as it felt to me, like his life in Oakwood wasn’t good enough.

I think this is just a personal thing, but it did feel a little bit too long, and personally I wasn’t in love with the ending.

All in all, good book and I am excited for the next!

I thought I loved Only in Your Dreams and it was great but THISSSSSS? Oh my god!!!! Ellie really did an amazing job and I have no words to describe how much I loved this.

The backstory for Siena was absolutely sad and at the same time so beautiful and Brooks inner struggle and doubts were absolutely reasonable after what he went through. Seeing them develop their relationship and growing out of their personal struggles was very healing ❤️‍🩹

Brooks really is THE MAN and oh my hod, the way he loves her and how hard he fell for her was sooooo cute. ahhhhhh!!! Don’t even get me started on the coffee cups scene or when he fixed her door 😩😩😩😩 this man is too much and must be protected at all cost 💖

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Atria books and Ellie K. Wilde 💖✨

One sitting read because I could not put this down!!!

I loved this book and the chemistry between Brooks and Siena was off the charts! Ellie Wilde's writing is incredible and completely draws you into the story and the relationship between the couple. While sports is a heavy focus in the book, it isn't really the focus so much. The book involves self-reflection, healing, and coming to understand another person can be there for you.

If you're a fan of Emily Henry and Elsie Silver, these books are definitely for you. New favourite author alert--Ellie Wilde!