This was such a fun and comforting read from start to finish. Ben and Mona had an undeniable amount of sexual tension, which made every interaction between them so entertaining and addictive. Their chemistry was electric—you could feel it radiating off the page—and it kept me hooked the entire time.

One of my favorite parts of this book was how beautifully the author incorporated the landmarks and scenery of Iceland into the story. It wasn’t just a backdrop—it truly felt like its own character. The vivid descriptions of the landscapes, small towns, and natural wonders made me feel like I was right there alongside the characters, exploring Iceland with them. It was such a treat and added an extra layer of magic to the reading experience.

As much as I enjoyed the story, I did feel like the pacing could have flowed a bit better in places. There were moments that felt slightly disjointed or rushed, especially when it came to some of the emotional beats between the characters. Additionally, Mona’s flighty and avoidant tendencies were admittedly frustrating at times. Her inability to confront her feelings or communicate made me want to shake her on more than one occasion. That said, it never stopped me from rooting for her and Ben. Their connection felt genuine and worth fighting for.

When it comes to character development, I felt like Ben was the stronger, more well-rounded character of the two. His motivations, emotions, and growth were really thoughtfully crafted, and I found myself deeply invested in his journey. While I wished we had gotten a bit more depth from Mona beyond her avoidant nature, I still enjoyed watching her evolve throughout the story.

Overall, this was a charming, swoony romance with plenty of tension, humor, and heart. The setting was stunning, the banter was top-notch, and the relationship felt satisfying despite a few bumps along the way. If you’re looking for a feel-good read with a side of wanderlust, this one absolutely delivers.

Ben is my new book boyfriend 😍 he is such a kind, caring and romantic mmc. I felt as if he was my childhood friend and I am so sad that I cant talk to him every day.
The travel aspects were really fun and had me adding to my someday aspiring vacation board. (I dont call mine a bucket list)
Finally, Mona. I connected with her both in past and present. I love her character development and how she really started to grow a backbone and show boundaries by the end.

Secret nights and northern lights. One of my bucket list item is to go to Iceland and see the northern lights. This is why I picked this book to read. This is finding a lost love and rekindling the romance. If I was dumped by a guy in my past it would be hard for me to trust and fall in love

This was such a romantic, angst-filled travel romance—I loved unraveling the layers of these friends' flamed-out romance and watching it rekindle while they explored Iceland. It reminded me of People We Meet on Vacation in all the best ways, and with even more tension!

A breathtaking debut! I loved being alongside these characters for every step of this beautiful, vulnerable, and brave journey. Oliver created one of the most relatable characters I've read in a long time, and I was proud to be on the journey at her side.

The elements of this book are my absolute catnip: stunning landscapes and once-in-a-lifetime adventures, a second-chance romance brimming with yearning, a heroine pushing herself to be brave with each step, and chemistry and spice that sizzle right off the page! Oliver packs a huge, beautiful punch with this moving debut, and I'm at the edge of my seat to see what she does next.

Mona is getting the chance at a promotion she's been hankering for with an unexpected windfall in a sudden trip to Iceland. The only issue - and it's a big one - is that her traveling partner is her childhood sweetheart and ex-best friend, Ben. With the past and the present actively warring for attention, Mona has to stay motivated to get the job of her dreams.
The setting swept me away in the best possible way. I would adore a trip to Iceland and using this book as the backbone of my itinerary sounds pretty genius. The imagery was fantastic. I think this book could have benefited from a dual POV because Mona isn't super likable and seeing her from Ben's perspective could have changed that for me. Despite that, I do think that her backstory and work situation would put me in a similar frame of mind, so I can't really blame a girl. Megan did a great job wrapping it all up in the end and I'm absolutely interested to see what she'll do with her sophomore novel.
Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

"Secret Nights and Northern Lights" is a second-chance friends-to-lovers romance for anyone who loves to travel or wants to reminisce about their own trip to Iceland.

This book paints a vivid picture of a 10-day Iceland roadtrip, complete with all the sights Iceland has to offer, through the eyes of our protagonist, Mona, who is a travel writer. Mona, who typically covers local travel destinations, is asked to cover Iceland at the last minute. To her surprise, the photographer she is paired with for this trip is none other than her high school ex, Ben, who she hasn't seen in 14 years.

The travel adventures of Mona and Ben were a fun read and made me reminisce about my own Iceland trip many years back. The author does a great job of transporting the reader to each place and conveying the wonder and delight of experiencing this new country and new landscape for the first time.

It was also very clear that there was a palpable chemistry coming off the page between our two leads. The long looks and will-they-won't-they moments felt loaded and sizzling.

What I found myself wishing for was a slightly more compelling barrier keeping the two leads apart. Without spoiling much, I'll share that the crux of their challenge seems to be that Mona simply does not want to hear Ben's side of the story, even when it becomes fairly clear early on to the reader that there must be more to Ben's side to the story than what meets the eye.

It also seemed like Mona's character growth felt a little forced at the end. She learns to speak her mind, push back, and grapple with people-pleasing tendencies but it was not always clear to me how this trip and her relationship with Ben empowered that change, beyond it being a change to her normal routine. In a similar vein, everything felt a little too neatly tied up with a bow at the end, with everything working out just right. For example, the challenges with her family seemed to resolve entirely too quickly with just one big moment at the end.

This book does a nice job of introducing palpable chemistry from the start and peppering nostalgic throwbacks to their early years falling in love. It was an overall enjoyable read, albeit not my personal favorite.

For those who are looking for a fun travel-inspired road trip romance or those who are big fans of the second chance trope, this could be a good fit! I was reminded of “The Cheat Sheet” by Sarah Adams — if that was up your street, you may really enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher — I received an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oooh man I don’t even know where to start with how much I loved this book!! I read it in two sittings, sacrificing precious single-mom-sleep. I’ve spent a lot of time in Iceland, and this book is both a love letter and an accurate depiction of both the pain and awe experienced there. Anyone who has been to Iceland will love recognizing their favorite spots and most grueling hikes.

I LOVED how the second chance romance was handled, without any real flashbacks to a 17-year-old POV, just adult remembrances.

The anxiety and panic was handled with care, and both characters grew so much both separately and together.

The humanization of the FMCs family was beautifully done. We are all stuck in our own narrative about our family and relationships, and having that narrative challenged can be jarring and beautiful.

I will be recommending this book to all my travel-loving and love-loving friends, and I can’t wait to see what Megan Oliver does next!

*3.5 Stars

This was very cute and I loved that it felt like we were exploring Iceland alongside Mona and Ben.

I also loved Ben as the male main. He was sweet, talented, complex, and wasn’t afraid of his feelings for Mona at all, which was refreshing. Mona on the other hand I have mixed feelings on. I liked her personal growth throughout the book, but her level of emotion got to be quite grating/daunting. And this is not to say she isn’t realistic, suffering from anxiety and all, but it is difficult for people who have this disorder to be in their own brains (speaking from experience) and it was equally as difficult for the reader being in Mona’s after a certain point. I don’t think I want her changed, but maybe have had a couple of her crying/panic events being removed because it was just too much.

Would still recommend though, especially for people looking for a cute travel romance!

Secret Nights & Northern Lights by Megan Oliver

Second Chance Romance

Mona is sent to Iceland to write a cover story for the magazine she works for Around The Globe. The photographer she is paired with just so happens to be her high school boyfriend and first love Ben who broke her heart many years ago. They’ve got 10 days to spend together in Iceland where anything could happen.

I felt like I was in Iceland with Mona and Ben. The author did a great job describing everything. Enjoyed the second chance love story. Can’t believe this is a debut it’s so good.

Highly recommend

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for my arc.

4 stars!!

"I love you now, I loved you then, and I've loved you the entire time between."

This was so so cute! It definitely makes me want to travel to Iceland. I loved the unique setting of the story, there were so many fun activities and the atmosphere added so much to the story! This was an excellent debut novel.

This is a second-chance romance and it was done RIGHT! I need more romances set in Iceland!! There was a bit of miscommunication and other tropes that I didn't enjoy, but there were also so many fun elements too!

Definitely recommend this when it comes out on November 18!

This book delivered a top tier second-chance romance that gave me butterflies. I loved every minute of the Icelandic adventure—waterfalls, northern lights, black sand beaches—it all felt like magic. The FMC’s journey to self-confidence, as she faced her fears (at the top of volcanoes, and waterfalls), was so empowering. And the MMC? The way he has quietly loved, supported, and seen her all along? Just ugh, perfection. A beautiful reminder that sometimes love grows stronger with time—and the right person will always be there, cheering you on!

What an incredible debut novel! I am so impressed with Megan Oliver and can’t believe this is her first book. The writing was fantastic, the setting was a dream, and Ben was the perfect love interest. Add this one to your TBR, especially if you’re a fan of a second chance romance.

Iceland is the third main character of this novel and Oliver captures its vast otherworldliness beautifully. Like Mona, Iceland was my first time traveling abroad and I, too, just word vomited “oh my god, oh my god, oh my god” at each new vista. There were times I would laugh hysterically because I couldn’t comprehend its beauty. This book took me right back—which I loved. If you like stories with a strong sense of place, make sure to pick this one up asap.

Another highlight was Ben. A dream of a man! If you want longing, if you want respect and admiration, if you want acts of service in your MMC? Ben! Will! Deliver! Also, thank you, Megan Oliver, for describing him right off the bat as having a Tim Riggins vibe. That is who I pictured the entire book and I was NOT mad about it.

I will say that I wasn’t Mona’s biggest fan in the beginning. But, I do think she showed a lot of growth by the end of the story. Some of the things that annoyed me most in the story were wrapped up in a satisfying way by the end.

I also loved that Oliver winked at the One Bed trope (it’s one of my favorites.)

If this is the first of a series (fingers crossed!), I will definitely be reading the follow ups. Second chance isn’t my favorite trope, so I can’t wait to see what she does with something like say - enemies to lovers? This was a great debut and I can 100% see Oliver becoming a romcom powerhouse!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The first page of the first chapter was probably the most relatable thing I have ever read in my life. This story was relatable and had some sort of healing power intertwined with it. Story was awesome. The cover is amazing!

Honestly, I was surprised by how much I liked this book. “Secret Nights and Northern Lights” was a great second-chance romance that I consumed quickly.

Mona, a 31-year-old writer for a travel magazine, dreams of writing about international destinations. Her opportunity arises when she is assigned to cover an Iceland trip after the original writer withdraws due to injury. Unbeknownst to her, the photographer assigned to the trip is Ben, her childhood best friend and first love, whom she hasn’t seen in 14 years after a painful breakup. They spend two weeks in Iceland, exploring stunning landscapes while revisiting old memories and forming new ones.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, particularly because the characters are in their 30s. Mona felt realistic to me. She was the person tasked with handling all birthdays in the office and took on a lot of fluff pieces for the magazine. She stayed out of confrontation and always assured everyone that whatever they did was not a problem and “no worries,” she had it figured out. Her adventures in Iceland were relatable, as she openly discussed the challenges of physical activities and the need for breaks during hikes. It was refreshing to see a character who wasn’t perfect. Megan Oliver did a wonderful job describing Iceland.

By the end of the book, there was great character development for all. I really liked that Mona started standing up for herself in situations. However, there were a few times where Mona irked me as I just wanted her to communicate with Ben about their past. Other than that, I thought that the book was well-written and a fantastic debut novel, with great dialogue that kept the story engaging. I couldn’t put it down.

I look forward to more books by Megan Oliver and I hope she releases a second book that follows Mona’s best friend. 5 stars because I had so much fun reading it. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book (my favorite so far this year)! If you love a second-chance romance, don't miss this one. The dialogue was great and the characters felt incredibly real. A strong debut from Megan Oliver—I’ll definitely be adding it to the library and watching for what she does next.ext.

It's been a minute since I've travelled and, man, does Secret Nights and Northern Lights make me wanna renew my passport as asap as possible and get on a plane to globetrot. I am a big, big fan of second-chance romances, so this book was right up my alley. And, can I say, Ben Carter: what a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man.

I'm giving this book three stars because, while it does have one of my favorite tropes, it also has one of my least favorites: miscommunication/refusing to communicate at all. Throughout the novel, Mona insists on not letting Ben talk about their shared history, and it really grated on my nerves. I understand her well, being someone who is also non-confrontational, but she could've saved herself a lot of heartache had she just let him say his piece the first time.

If you enjoy childhood friends-to-lovers, travelling, and second chances, this book is for you.

A second chance romance? Check. Set in captivating and beautiful Iceland? Check. A main character who has great observations and reflections as she navigates work and love? So much yes. This was just the kind of romance read I needed in my life. I loved the story of Mona and Ben - Both where they'd been, where they were now, and of course, seeing where they were going to go next. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this November 2025 read. It will be a perfect winter read!

“Travel is incredibly personal. There’s a reason people have bucket lists of places they return to time and time again, why they save up their vacation time and spend their hard-earned money to see the world. Experiences matter”

Crisscrossing Iceland, in Secret Nights and Norther Lights we follow Mona a travel journalist that unexpectedly get assigned to write an article for the travel magazine she works for. But she’s joined by Ben, a travel photographer who happens to be an unrequited love from her teenage years. As the two travel across the picturesque country filled with waterfalls, glaciers, and endless hikes…they reconnect.

This book had such a hold on me. I came across Megan’s book months ago and then the cover reveal came. Some books just pull you in, and this one just kept calling to me. Megan whole heartedly shows love to Iceland and the country becomes a vessel for story progression and character growth. I saw myself in Mona and she’s now one of my top favourites of the year.

I love being in sync with an author and cheering them on. I also picked up some seeds that were planted for a future book and now I need answers. Finally, this book has a free curated itinerary to help with your travel plans. So take your passport and this book and set off on an adventure to Iceland. Secret Nights and Northern Lights is out later this year on November 18th.

Thank you so much Berkley Publishing for the digital arc. Megan Oliver is a debut author to watch.

As a debut novel, I thought this was pretty good. The writing is solid, and the prose flows seamlessly and cohesively. The detailed descriptions of Iceland made me wish I were there. The travel aspects of the book are definitely among its strongest components.

The weakest, however, is the portrayal of the female protagonist, Mona. There’s so much self-pity, self-loathing, and victimization that I found myself putting the book down just to take a break from her. I wish her character had more grit—or at least a backbone (or maybe a therapist)—right from the beginning. That said, I’m glad I kept reading because the story is sweet and heartfelt. I appreciated Mona’s character development as the story progressed.

Overall, this is a very strong debut, and I look forward to the author's next book—hopefully another travel/destination romance!

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and Megan Oliver for the ARC.