I love everything Jennifer writes. I have yet to find something I don’t love and binge read her also. She inserts magic addiction into her writing and stories and this was no different. I’m such a sucker for second chances, and watching this story progress with so much angst and sorrow and ultimate love - just loved it. It was a bit of a slower start than her others. But I’m so happy I got to see both POVs, because I really needed to understand lex and his actions. Stevie I resonated with right away, and the underwhelming quote tore my heart out, although we know he didn’t mean it, I think Jennifer was very pointed in her framing of which pov we received and the way it was organized. Overall I’m giving a 4.5,

This book was truly one of the best books I’ve read in 2025! Lex was written so beautifully that I found myself fully emotionally invested in his character from the start.

🎬 Jennifer Hartman does it again! I am emotionally wrecked and in a book hangover. 😭Beautifully written!

🎶This story follows Lex and Stevie from their high school days all the way to their present. The ups and downs and everything in between will have you rooting for them and hoping for their Happily Ever After. But will the heartbreak and trauma tear them apart?

I was hooked from the start. How can Stevie possibly resist the new Hollywood star attending her high school? Spoiler alert: she doesn’t. Cue Lexington Hall, ladies and gents. Their meet cute is well, cute, in an unfortunate kind of way hahaha. I loved seeing the beginnings of their situationship. The lingering looks, small touches, and little acts of kindness. It makes me giddy and swoony every single time. I was on the edge of my seat each time they had to put on a show for their fake relationship. The lines certainly blur between real and fake.

Honestly, this book has it all. Smug child actor, talented farm girl, endless coffee, witty banter, piano playing, and A COW NAMED *EMMY*
Jennifer Hartmann never fails to make my heart ache over her beautiful characters. The tension, the angst, the journey to healing. All woven into a dreamy plot. My emotions were going haywire and I loved every second of it.
Stevie and Lex are strong, resilient. And their second chance is one you don’t want to miss out on. If you love a hard fought happily ever after, this is for you!

Jennifer Hartmann is one of my favorite authors to watch. I have never been disappointed in one of her books and I love how her storylines are always so unique. I always go in blind with her books and I fall in love with them every time. Dream On is right up there with Still Beating and Older. Go read it, don't even read the blurb. I promise you're going to love it. We've already purchased this for our library. Thank you so much for the advanced copy. Dream On will always stay with me, and that's saying a lot for someone who reads constantly.

This was a really sweet book. I always enjoy Jennifer Harmann books and usually they're super emotional for me - this one wasn't as much for me.

It follows a sweet FMC named Stevie who meets bad-boy, new kid on the block MMC Lex. They meet in somewhat of a collision and then find that their lives are more intertwined than just in the way they met.

This book takes you through their teenage years and then fast forwards in time to them coming across each other again. I loved the way this story was written and played out. This book has ups and downs that kept me interested and unable to put it down. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves romance, second-chance and any Jennifer Hartmann fans! It was a great book.

4.25/5 Stars

Do you have that author who no matter what they write, you know it will hit? Every book Jennifer writes I eat like candy (but like, the kind that also makes your cry?).

Dream On is a new adult romance with all the heart. The book begins with Stevie St. James getting hit by Lexington Hall. Quite literally, he hits her with his car. Fast forward to the school year and Lex is the new kid in school, straight from his career in Hollywood as a child actor. While Stevie initially has resentment for him, as they star in the school’s production of Moulin Rouge, feelings grow and a young love develops. But just as quickly as it started, it goes up in flames.

Four years later, Lex is back in Hollywood producing a TV show based on their history and the world wants to know who the real Stevie St. James is. While Stevie wants nothing to do with Lex, he presents an offer she can’t refuse. If she comes out to some events and pretends to date him, he will give her a life-changing amount of money. But as old feelings arise, the line between what is real and what is for the cameras begins to blur.

I absolutely loved this book! The feeling of young love, the angst and tension, the later feelings of confusion and betrayal. Jennifer does such an amazing job in sending you through the ringer when it comes to emotions! There are also a lot of nods to the original Moulin Rouge, and having just seen the show on Broadway, I was eating this up!

Jennifer puts so much depth and vulnerability into her characters. Lex is jaded and broken, having been twisted up and spit out by Hollywood and parents who treat him like a commodity instead of a human. Throughout the book, we see him battling with his inner demons. Stevie is a ray of sunshine to his dark storm clouds. She has hopes and dreams of stardom. Her heart is ten sizes too big and Lex wants to protect her from the dangers of Hollywood, only he doesn’t know how to do that without hurting her.

Their love story is epic. Just like Satine and Christian, it is full of hope and heartbreak. This book is so much more than a fake dating, celebrity romance. It has tension, it’s messy, it’s soft yet still has hard edges. I absolutely love Jennifer’s writing and how she captures your soul. Everyone needs to read this book!

I dont know how to explain it, but Jennifer Hartmann captures characters, their stories and emotions so well that it feels like I am part of the story. Not just the reader, but a follower.
She writes it in such a raw manner and handles everything delicately.
Absolutely loved this book. Lex and Stevie own my heart.

Dream On

⭐️ 4.75 | 🌶️ 2

I enjoyed every minute of this book. I was hooked from the very beginning. If anything, I would have loved a little more time with the MCs in Act 1, but beyond that, it was perfection. Lex deserved so much better than the life he was given, and I’m so glad he finally got his happy ending.

The side characters in Act 2 were such a highlight. Joplin was the sweetest little sister, and Rudy had me laughing out loud. Honestly, I’d love to see these two get their own spin-off, maybe running a true crime podcast together? Willa was another surprise. I wasn’t sure I’d warm up to her, but she turned out to be such a great friend to Lex, and I really appreciated her role.

On the other hand, there were definitely characters I could not stand. The ex-agent was awful, but Lex’s mother takes the crown for worst human being in the book, selfish to the core and absolutely disgusting in how she treated her own child.

The romance itself was everything. The relationship between the MCs had me fully invested. They went through so much, and yes, I cried more than once. The tension was spot-on, and that piano scene? Wow. By Act 3, the spice ramps up, and the emotional intensity skyrockets. The ending had my heart pounding. I cried, I sighed, and I closed the book feeling completely wrung out in the best way.

Jennifer Hartmann has such a gift for pulling on heartstrings, and this book is no exception. It’s deeply emotional, beautifully written, and unforgettable. I can’t recommend it enough. Just be sure to check the trigger warnings beforehand, there are a few unexpected ones that could really impact certain readers.

Happy reading, everyone! 📚💜

Stevie and Lex meet in a fender bender while in high school. What neither of them know is that it is the beginning of a long, sometimes painful road that will be their relationship. Lex becomes a famous actor and releases a show loosely based on his time with Stevie. His agent decides that having the real Stevie become Lex’s real life love interest is the way to go….and there lies the set up; will they get together as lovers or become sworn enemies?

Hartmann is becoming an automatic read for me. Her storytelling is divine. Sometimes I will start out feeling like this is a story I’ve heard before and she is able to take it down a totally different road! I loved it!

Title: Dream On
Series: n/a
Author(s): Jennifer Hartmann
Genre: Romance,
Publication Date: August 12, 2026
Publishing Co.: Bloom Books
Length: 448 pages/ chapters
Rating: 5 ⭐️ / 🌶️

Trigger Warnings:

Tropes:

🩷 Small Town
🩵 Fake Dating
🩷 Slow Burn
🩵 He Falls First
🩷 Forced Proximity
🩵 Second Chance
🩷 High School Sweethearts

Jennifer Hartmann has stolen my heart from the moment I picked up Still Beating. I absolutely love her writing style, character building and story lines. She gets you in the feels EVERY time and Dream On was no exception. Stevie (Nicks) & Lex you maybe fictional characters, in a made up story but you absolutely hold a piece of my heart! 🩷🩵

I'd like to thank Valentine PR Company for an advanced copy of Dream On in exchang for an honest review.

*I received a copy of this book from Valentine PR. This review is my own opinion*

There is nothing Jennifer Hartmann can write that I won’t want to read, I just love her books so much. Getting an arc of Dream On was such a dream come true and the fact that it uses one of my favorite movie musicals, Moulin Rouge as inspiration was amazing. Lex and Stevie were such great characters, the story was beautiful and honestly, just read the book!

I am convinced that Jennifer is unable to write a bad book and she has proven it once again with Dream On. This book made me feel all kinds of emotions. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it shattered my poor heart into a million little pieces only for it to get mended back together again.🥹

From the surface, Lexington Hall’s life looks picture perfect but when you dig deeper, you’ll find this lost and broken soul. Stevie St. James lives a more simple life with a loving family but she also has her fair share of trauma & hardships. Lex & Stevie’s relationship is tested right from the start but their connection and chemistry is undeniable. In the words of the great Lexington Hall, “I don’t want it to be finished” because I am completely obsessed with these two!

You’ll definitely be put through the emotional wringer with this one but I promise you that every minute will be worth it 🩵

We first meet Lex and Stevie during their senior year of high school. Lex is already a rising Hollywood star from a wealthy family, while Stevie is a small-town farm girl with dreams of chasing the spotlight. When they’re cast as the leads in the school musical sparks fly immediately. But after a heartbreaking turn of events, they go their separate ways only to reunite four years later in the middle of a fake dating arrangement.

This story consumed me. I laughed, I cried, and more than once, I was ready to throw punches in their defense. I don’t know why I ever start a Jennifer Hartmann book expecting anything less than a full-on emotional rollercoaster, but here I am again emotionally destroyed.

This was 100% a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ read. Lex and Stevie’s story is unforgettable, and I know it’s one I’ll be carrying with me for a long time.

Lex and Stevie. 🥹 As per the usual, Jennifer bring the HEAVY emotion in this one. I don’t think I’ve read a Jennifer Hartmann book that DIDN’T make me cry. My sweet broken boy, Lexington 😭😭 I just want to snuggle the pain away for you. My heart just truly broke for him, and everything he was made to endure. The connection he immediately forms with Stevie is pure, so ESSENTIAL for him….You could tell from the get that she just became his person, his peace. But it wasn’t without struggle. The trauma they both have endured is so extreme, both individually and together, watching them come back from that and fight so hard to find their way back to each other, to their HEA, is so heartbreakingly beautiful. On a complete and total side note, I’d never despised a set of parents in a book in my life the way I despised Lexington’s. Wooooooo child the TOXICITY was wildddddd. You know you’re in for an emotional roller coaster when you dive in to a JH book and this was absolutely not exception. There will never come a day where I won’t want to be emotionally scarred by Jennifer Hartmann. It just hurts so good every time. 4.5/5 stars!!


WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ Hollywood’s golden boy
🫶Angstyyy
💙Second chance
💚 Forced proximity
🔥 Slow burn
💔Broken hero
❤️‍🩹 Hurt/comfort
💕He falls first

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️.5

Jennifer Hartmann has become an auto-buy author for me ever since I read Still beating. She is able to write amazing dark romances, along with heart-felt contemporary romances. Dream On is an EXTREMELY slow burn romance that will make you want to throw your kindle, but also pays off in the end.

This book starts out when Stevie and Lex are in high school. Lex is a famous child star, and he wanted to take a break from Hollywood to live a somewhat normal life after experiencing a betrayal. He comes from a rich and abusive home, and he has cut his off from connecting with anyone. He gets cast as the lead in the school's musical production of Moulin Rouge alongside Stevie. They slowly build a friendship as they spend more time together and start to fall for each other. However, things end tragically, and the story jumps 4 years later, where Lex has written and starred in a series based on their relationship. His agent wants him to fake date Stevie to help build buzz, and she reluctantly agrees for her own reasons.

I know a lot of people will dislike or be frustrated with Lex's actions in this, but I honestly empathized with his character. It was completely understandable why he had so many walls up because of his previous trauma. I loved seeing him open up to Stevie and finally let someone see the real him.

I have to say that as a huge fan of Moulin Rouge, I absolutely loved all those scenes and references to that movie. It was like a love letter to Moulin Rouge.

This book tackles some darker themes even though this is not a dark romance, so check your triggers. Jennifer Hartmann handles this with care and sensitivity.

Thank you to Valentine PR and NetGalley for providing the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Let me start by saying—I’m a huge fan of Jennifer Hartmann’s books. She has a way of pulling me through every possible emotion, and Dream On was no exception.

This story is a beautifully crafted, three-act romance that feels like watching a musical unfold in real time—each act richer, more emotional, and more captivating than the last.

🎬 Act 1: At 17, Lex and Stevie are cast as Christian and Satine in their high school’s production of Moulin Rouge. Between rehearsals and performances, their connection grows in stolen glances and moments they can’t quite name.
🎬 Act 2: At 21, they’ve gone their separate ways, but fate pulls them back together. The spark is still there, but so are the scars.
🎬 Act 3: Years of longing, loss, and missed chances finally find resolution in a way that feels both hard-earned and deeply satisfying.

The first two acts will break your heart, just like the musical itself, but the final act offers the kind of healing you can feel in your bones. Hartmann works in some of my favorite tropes—<b>slow burn, second chance, fake dating, forced proximity, broken hero, and he falls first</b>

Lex is the kind of broken hero you can’t help but root for: magnetic, vulnerable, and quietly desperate for someone to see past his walls. Stevie is his calm, steady counterbalance—full of grace, strength, and quiet resilience. Together, they’re electric.

Hartmann doesn’t just tell a love story; she writes the journey to healing with honesty and patience. The growth feels raw and real, and by the end, the happily-ever-after is more than believable—it’s deserved. I laughed, I cried, and I swear I could hear the Moulin Rouge soundtrack playing in the background.

Thank you to Valentine PR, Jennifer Hartmann, and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the eARC.

I sadly DNF’d this book.

I just wasn’t able to connect and stay interested in it.

I am hoping to try again down the road and just hoping it was a timing issue.

I love this author and always excited to read her books. She always makes me cry in them too. Meeting as kids and then fate brought them back but of course after some trauma. I always recommend Jennifer.

Such a wonderful love story between Lex & Stevie! Spanning from their high school days into early adulthood - told in dual POV. Which I am such a fan of!! I really liked how you were getting their entire back story and from each of their pov. .
Fake Dating
Hollywood Stardom/Troubled past MMC
Slow burn
Friends to lovers
HEA
I laughed, teared up, felt all the feelings with this one. I love the dynamic between the MC’s and their banter is perfection. I love how Jennifer always weaves a love story from traumatic experiences; this is why she is one of my favorite Authors, her books are intricately written of love born from hopeless places. Turning the dark into light.