Thank you to Berkley Romance and the author for the advance reader copy. These opinions are my own.

I will be thinking about this book for a long time and dreaming about visiting Iceland. Seriously, I bookmarked the Iceland itinerary and really want to reproduce it. I was even more excited to do so when the acknowlegements mentioned it's based on an actual trip the author took. I want all the waterfalls and the northern lights. It's seriously my dream trip.

Putting the phenomenal setting aside, this book also includes a gorgeous romance. It's second chance at its best. Without spoiling all the reasons why, I love Ben so much. He tries so hard to have good communication (looking at you, Mona). But I actually completely get where she's coming from, too. He broke her heart and ghosted her when they were in high school, and so now she just wants to do her job and have a chance at a promotion.

Even though much of the book is set on an amazing trip in which she's a travel journalist and he's her photographer, we also get plenty of secondary characters from back home. Her best friend Jacklyn is amazing and maybe a little scary to men who don't take good care of Mona. And Mona's twin brothers and family add such depth to the story.

I felt all the things with this book. And while I adored being able to read a traveling ARC so early, I'm definitely going to need to get a paperback because I need this gorgeous cover to look at and adore in person.

4.25 stars

This was an adorable forced proximity romance where our two main characters get sent on a work trip to Iceland together. The characters were relatable and going through the feelings over the course of the book. I was invested in the story and character development! The book did have a little mystery of what happened in the past that was drawn out more than I would have liked. Overall, I will be recommending this book to all my contemporary romance readers!

This was a very fun book. It made me want to travel and try new things. It made me want to see Iceland but also questioned my fitness and ability to do so. :)

Wow! What a fantastic debut book! I am always amazed when an authors first book is SO good. I loved the characters and the story and the chemistry so much but what I loved most of all was the setting! This book made me fall in love with Iceland and it is now at the top of my bucket list. All the descriptions had me feeling like I was right there. I can not wait to read more by this author someday (hopefully soon because I don’t want to wait).

Secret Nights and Northern Lights was everything I want to read in a contemporary romance. And you're telling me this was Megan Oliver's debut novel??? I'm sat for every thing she writes in the future.

This story was angsty, full of wanderlust and actual lust, had a hero who pines for the heroine, and a believable point of crisis. My only issue I have is when conflict can be resolved with a direct conversation, but that's my own thing.

So great, highly recommend.

Overall this was a 3.75ish read for me.

I live for a second chance romance, and I was really excited about the premise of this book. Where I struggled to get into it was it felt like the tension was just missing. Some of the character traits on both ends were a little inconsistent so that was tough, but I did like the story overall.

Thank you to Berkley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Good chemistry between characters even though they really want to dismiss the connections. Love that part of the story is set in Iceland and that the author did their research.

I liked this one a lot! Secret Nights and Northern Lights really, really made me want to take a trip to Iceland - the scenic descriptions were top-notch. And, it wasn't just vacation-porn - the fun and unique settings really served the story well. I liked both the FMC and the MMC, and I did find their back story mostly believable. The one character that I had an issue with, and she's a minor presence, so it's not a determining factor, was the FMC's mother. Her motivations, when it came to the central love story, seemed designed just to further the plot, and not rooted in any sort of way an actual caring parent would react. Regardless, a light, fun story that anyone looking for a good romance and fun visuals will enjoy.

I absolutely loved this book. I wanted to read this book because it’s a dream of mine to travel to Iceland and see the infamous Northern Lights. Mona is a travel journalist and gets assigned to write an article for the magazine she works at. Ben is a travel photographer. They have a history and are reunited when they found out who they’ve been paired with to do the job. The two travel across the world to the beautiful Iceland that’s filled with so much adventure, waterfalls, glaciers, and so so many hikes. I think this book was an incredible ode to Iceland and all that it has to offer. But it also has a wonderful second chance romance story. Throughout the entire trip, they get to experience it together. They start to rekindle and reconnect getting to know each other again. Mona and Ben have this steamy connection and the self-discover of the characters underneath it as well. What a fantastic book and I’m so excited to have this on my shelf when it comes out!

Childhood best friends-turned secret high school sweethearts are reunited after 14 years and a sudden breakup. Ben Carter is a world-renowned travel photographer and Mona is a travel journalist aspiring to move up from weekend festivals to international assignments. They're paired together on a trip to Iceland and have to work through all of their issues to keep their professional lives a success.

This was a sweet one. I’m a sucker for some good pining, and boy oh boy, did these characters PINE. The story of their past and the healing they have to work through together. Both characters go through significant growth, without either one fully cast as the “problem”. They both mature, grow and take ownership of their mistakes.
I loved Iceland as the backdrop for the story. It reignited my travel bug and reminded me the beauty of seeing the world in different ways. While I did get a bit annoyed at the FMC’s reticence to have a real conversation or let him explain the misunderstandings, the flaws in her character felt very real for someone with debilitating anxiety. Perhaps it was frustrating cause I saw so much of myself in it.

Nope. Just… no. I only pushed through this because I received an ARC (thank you to NetGalley and the publishers), but honestly, it was a struggle.

I couldn’t stand the FMC, Mona. She was endlessly whiny and constantly going on about how much she always wanted to travel. We get it. Also, how many times do we need to be reminded that she’s not athletic? It got old fast. The whole “I’m not like other girls” vibe was exhausting.

The writing style didn’t help either… it felt basic, more telling than showing, which was especially disappointing given the potential of the Icelandic setting. There was so much atmosphere that could’ve been brought to life, but it just fell flat.

And seriously, she’s still hung up on something that happened fourteen years ago? I can see why she might like Ben (though I don’t buy their romance at all), but I have no clue what he saw in her. He opens up about his rough childhood, but she can’t even admit this is her first international assignment?

Just a frustrating read all around.

First, what I liked about this book – I love the setting in Iceland, it was nice imagining the places they visited, and learning about travel there. I liked the main character, Ben, but I did not care for Mona. For my taste, she was too needy and emotional, and too quick to take offense when then disappointed her near the end of the story. No spoilers but I just didn’t care for that. So for me, it was an OK read. It also contained more “language “than I prefer. Almost seemed unnecessary, in my opinion.

I love a good second-chance/long-lost-love romance, and this one really fit the bill. Poor Mona feels so many feelings when she realizes she is paired with her childhood love, Benjamin, on a dream trip, but is determined to make it work to further her career. They both go through so many highs, lows, and every emotion you can imagine while navigating this trip together, but what came out of it was so beautiful. We got to experience little pieces of their shared history, which provided some great insight into why Mona was so heartbroken over his leaving all those years ago, and it really set up their reunion. One of my favorite aspects of this story was the setting, It was described so beautifully and reaffirmed for me how badly I want to go see the Northern Lights myself. Beautiful story!

Who doesn’t love a second-chance romance?! Curl up with this sweet book and good luck putting it down! The setting makes you want to pack a bag to Iceland, tonight. Ben as the MMC- swooning! Mona took me a little longer to appreciate, but her growth throughout the book was what turned it around for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

What a fun book! What happens when you get the opportunity of a lifetime at work, but it involves working alongside your first love? Obviously, the work involves travelling all over Iceland and staying in incredible hotels along the way. This was a very impressive debut novel. Megan Oliver is most definitely an author I will eagerly read again.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy. This one is due to be published November 18th and it will make a fantastic winter read.

Secret Nights and Northern Lights by Megan Oliver is a sweet story about following your dreams and reconciling long-lost love. We meet Mona Miller, a travel magazine writer that is stuck doing small-town fluff pieces instead of her dream job of traveling internationally to exotic locales. When she is offered the chance to prove herself with an assignment to Iceland, she grabs it. The only caveat is that she is paired with freelance photographer Benjamin Carter, her long-lost childhood love, and tasked by her boss to convince him to work for their magazine, or else.

This is not a smooth, happy reunion. Benjamin was her best friend and first real love before he left without so much as a goodbye. But Mona is determined to make the trip memorable, despite her hurt feelings, and prove herself worthy enough to become an international reporter. Benjamin is equally determined to explain what happened all those years ago and make amends with Mona.

The angst and animosity that Mona feels for Benjamin are palpable. Ms. Oliver does a good job of showing how torn Mona is between unresolved feelings towards Benjamin and her desire to do the best she can on this assignment. The characters’ pasts are intertwined, and the author does a great job of relaying their history and relationship in small doses, giving the reader a deep sense of connection and backstory without overwhelming their current-day situation..

One of the standout elements of this novel is the setting. The descriptions of Iceland and the natural wonders therein are beautifully done. (So much so that it made me want to take a trip there myself!) I felt like I was along for the trip most of the time, and seeing it through Mona’s eyes, a novice traveler, made it more realistic.

Overall, Secret Nights and Northern Lights is a sweet and scenic read about forgiveness, chasing dreams, and finding your way back to love even when the path takes you across continents and years of silence. Perfect for fans of emotional romance and armchair travel alike.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, the author, Megan Oliver, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This cover is stunning! And this story was sweet. I liked the characters, but I wish that they had had more depth. The setting in the story was phenomenal though and for that reason I give it four stars. I would definitely check out more from this author in the future.

At one point in the middle of this book I became acutely aware of my passport. Like I have to be basically sedated to fly and this had me fully ready to risk it all for Iceland.

I personally would have gone into cardiac arrest if my boss was like hey can you go to Iceland in like 3 days? Cool thanks. And then if my ex boyfriend was suddenly part of the equation I think I would just cease to function? Cart me out of this room please. But Mona is very chill and cool and she goes with the flow while she is mentally climbing the walls and gnawing at the ceiling lights and for that I admire her. Could not be me, wish it was tbh.

Ben!!!! BEN. Please give this man a hug and also wrap him in a blanket and rock him back and forth like a baby. I think if Mona pushed him into the volcano he would just be like that’s fair honestly, also I love you. As he should. But he does not deserve to be pushed into volcano, he deserves the world. At the very least he deserves to explore the world (with Mona, holding hands).

Their backstory was so tragic and heartbreaking, and their rocky and highly unorthodox reunion journey was a sight to behold (along with all the sights they were beholding). I truly loved this. I wanted the best for both of them and I also wanted it for me, which is why I stayed up to finish reading this even though I had work in the morning (:

This was a fun read! It also put Iceland on my places to go, the descriptions of all the places the characters went played like a movie in my head and sounded beautiful. The story is about second chances and who doesn't think about that? The spice was not to much and the characters were likeable. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Iceland is a unique setting and I was Googling the images of the beautiful places Ben and Mona visited. With a travel based book I would have liked more food references but that’s just me.

I adored Ben.
Mona definitely needed her emotional growth story arc.
Mona waffled a lot - said - she couldn’t go on like this one too many times - yet did.
Also Ben tried to explain why he ghosted but she kept shutting him down too often.
Also I found it hard to believe that Mona wasn’t aware of any of the trauma Ben was going through as a child and teen. The amount of time they spent together during their entire childhood and she’s only starting to connect the dots. I know as teens we get self absorbed...but this stretched credibility for me.

Nice thoughts about fitting in with family. Sometimes it isn’t as hard as we make it out to be.

Good debut novel and would read more from this author.
Hoping the next book gets to the bottom of (BFF) Jacklyn and (brother) Mason's relationship.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.