Another 5⭐ for me from Jennifer Hartmann. Her books are an "always read" for me and she did not lose any footing with this one!! I'm whirling.

Stevie enjoys her quiet life, on the quiet property with her parents and sister. Life is dreamy for her. Maybe a little bit boring-which is why she dreams of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. She'll start the path with her piano, her voice and her high school play.

Lex is new to town but not unknown. He's a child TV star, moving his way through the industry. Lex has a mystery and brooding shadow that follows him, but Stevie can't stay away. Lex decides to do the high school play, too...even though he's the new kid. (New, experienced actor, super rich and good looking new kid.)

Staring together in the play, Lex and Stevie share some special moments but their secrets and ghosts won't leave them alone. After tragedy hits, the two are forced to make difficult decisions, ones that change their lives forever.

Stevie and Lex have some of the best chemistry. Their secrets are painful and the scars run deep. This is an amazing story of their dreams and strength and how it can fill the gaps of their hearts. This book has a Jennifer Hartmann hard earned HEA.

Story: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: 5/5 🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂
Spice: 3/5 🍆🍆🍆
Heart wrenching moments: 5/5 ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

Where do I even start? Dream On was a great break from the heart wrenching, gut sobbing Jennifer Hartmann style books I usually get. Now, was it free of heartbreak and grief? Of course not. The message in this book is an important one, and one that I will be forever thinking about and recognizing.

We follow Lexington and Stevie through a journey of young love, heart break, depression, strife, and second chances. Lex and Stevie have the best/worst meet cute. It really starts the books off with a bang and makes you want to continue reading right from the beginning of the book. What a hook! We follow them through their senior year of high school as the leads in the school play and through that fall in love themselves. Lexington was raised in a life of privileged luxury, in a house not a home. Stevie was raised needing to grow their own food, in a house that always needed something fixed. But her house was full of love and laughter. Lex naturally gravitates towards Stevie and her family. Until one night and he leaves without a trace.

Fast forward 4 years and suddenly Lex is reaching out to Stevie asking for a favor. We then follow them through healing, trust, and finding love again. Not just in each other, but in themselves again.

I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was waiting for the Big Catastrophic Event that Jennifer Hartmann includes in her books. And I kept reminding myself that it will be a happily ever after. It HAS to be right?? It can’t be a Happily For Now? Because that would be just the twist I would expect out of Jennifer Hartmann. Give us a more lighthearted book, and then BAM! Tragic ending. 😭

I won’t say if it does or does not ending tragically. But, she did pull heavy influences from Moulin Rouge….

5 Stars for Dream On by Jennifer Hartmann….I don’t know what you want me to say that I haven’t already said about Jennifer Hartmann and her amazing story telling. Just like every single thing I’ve read from he,r Dream On, her newest release is no different. This is a story about a girl named…Stevie St. James, and a boy named Lexington Hall. The story starts out with their meeting in high school when they are 17/18 years old and both snag the role in the high school musical of Moulin Rouge. Sparks fly on stage creating a beautiful friendship. Stevie is a little bit of a country girl who is very close with her family while Lex is quite the opposite. Growing up pretty quickly, Lex is a child star coming to quiet down in a normal high school. Something pretty monumental happens breaking these 2 up and we get a 4 year time jump. Fast forward, to Stevie working at a piano bar entertaining small crowds and Lex who is now a hollywood prodigy and just starred and wrote a movie/story of his time with Stevie. And thats where the story goes… its your choice whether I have intrigued you enough to read this AMAZING book by one of my favorite, auto-buy authors. Have I sold you yet? If not, just know that you’re in for a beautiful story, Jennifer always tugs on our heart strings and keeps us reading until its done. I always trust Jennifer with my heart to give me a compelling story but also always giving me my HEA, even if its a tough journey to get there. I devoured this book, I wanted more! An absolute winner and I loved it! I read this book a week ago and still am thinking about this book! One of the best!

4.4/5 ⭐️, 2/5 🌶️, 3/5 💧

Celebrity Romance
Second Chance Romance
Mental Health Rep
Coming of Age / Self Growth Journey
Dual POV

Please check trigger warnings.

I think this book is marketed as Young Adult, and although the characters start off in high school, there are many adult themes explored, and much more spice than I had anticipated. It read more new adult or even adult contemporary romance.

Jennifer Hartmann is a master at creating real and raw characters that really tug at your emotional heart strings. There were so many heartbreaking moments throughout this story, and I was deeply entrenched in the emotional rollercoaster. The trauma and damage that these characters carried, along with the growth that you see with them throughout the story, is exceptionally done.

There were some moments that I was taken out of the story because the characters and actions didn't align with what I think a character that age would be acting like and I had to remind myself of all the trauma that had aged these characters the way that it had - but I think this was a personal issue where I had to shake myself out of it.

I think if you were nervous about some of the heavy topics explored in Jennifer's adult novels, this would be a great one to try to see if her writing style is for you (pending trigger warnings). If you like to read novels with big feels that really drag you through an emotional journey that can be heavy at times, I would strongly recommend this one.

Lexington Hall is a Hollywood golden boy, whose family temporarily relocates to suburban Chicago. Stevie St. James is a small town girl with big dreams. When these two share the stage in a high school musical production, something ignites between them, but life has other plans.

Four years later, Lex has become a big name in the industry after writing and starring in a tv series based on their history. Lex and Stevie's lives become intertwined once again with a fake relationship meant to garner attention for the show.

Wow. I was honestly speechless after finishing this book. My goodness, these two went through it. Stevie was such a strong, understanding and compassionate young woman. Lex was so shattered, but had such a good heart underneath his detached exterior. I don't want to give anything away, but, together, they were pure magic. They absolutely earned their happy ending.

One of the things I love most about Jennifer's writing, is her ability to pull you into the story. As I read through it, I could so easily see it play out like a movie in my mind. Her writing is always so captivating and emotional. I was rooting so hard for Lex and Stevie, and was so connected to them. These characters and their story will stick with me for a long time.

Jennifer has composed an emotionally deep and heartbreaking romance that is sure to hit you in the feels. Her ability to reach deep inside your very marrow and rip all the feelings straight from your soul, is unmatched. I know going into her books that I’m going to be hit with angst and turmoil in ways that will make my very being hurt for the characters within. And this book is no different.

Lex and Stevie were so much more than childhood friends. They built and nurtured a bond that surpasses time, and circumstance. Even apart they feel that connection, whether they want to or not.

This story starts out with a bang, quite literally and then flows into the relationship between Lex and Stevie. From the rough start to the friendship curated to the heartbreak that comes. This book has you in a chokehold from start to finish.

This book isn’t like Jennifer’s others. It’s a slow burn romance and I mean slow burn. But while the spice is limited the emotional depth and connection between the characters is not. At the end of the day Jennifer fashioned a story that is so much more than romance. It’s about love that’s built from friendship that heartbreak can’t even destroy. It’s about learning and accepting that you do deserve love. It’s beautifully written and thoroughly addicting. I could not put it down once I started. The beginning is a little slow but that helps build the connection between Lex and Stevie, which is necessary.

Read if you like:
✓slow burn
✓second chance
✓fake dating
✓forced proximity
✓broken hero
✓Small town start

Jennifer Hartman is the queen of emotional and devastating love stories, and this book didn't disappoint! Second chance romance, fake dating, this book hooked me. High school enemies to lovers, that led to years of separation, and then reconciliation all wrapped around the real life problems of Hollywood fame. This book touches on some real life struggles, toxic relationships, and emotional and physical abuse, so keep that in mind when you pick this book up.

This was a little more YA then I was anticipating but I still really enjoyed it but then I'll read anything this author writes.

Jennifer Hartmann 's writing is so captivating that it pulls you into her stories and you don't put them down until you've finished. Then yout kinda sad that it's over. This book was no different watching Stevie and Lex get their happily ever after was everything especially considering what they each endured.

I definitely recommend picking up a copy of this book.

Jennifer Hartmann can just do no wrong! This was another hit for me. I love books where we’re getting to experience the character’s past together, and boy, was their’s quite a history! While there were times I wanted to scream at both characters to just communicate, she did such a good job of making them so human and showcasing all they both had gone through. Each of them had experienced trauma, so to see them get to the other side was really beautiful. Jennifer always seems to handle difficult situations with such care in her writing, so you feel every emotion.

I cannot wait to receive my physical copy when I meet Jennifer this weekend!

This is my second read by Jennifer Hartmann, and once again—she did not disappoint. Her storytelling is raw, emotionally layered, and quietly powerful. Dream On swept me into a world of vulnerability, healing, and unexpected connection. The characters felt like real people navigating real pain, and the way Hartmann balances heartbreak with hope? Chef’s kiss.

I found myself highlighting lines, pausing to breathe, and rereading scenes just to feel them again. If you love romance that digs deep and doesn’t shy away from emotional complexity, this one’s for you.

📚 Would I recommend it? Absolutely. 💫 Will I be reading more from her? Without a doubt.

♾️⭐️

Reading a book by Jennifer Hartmann honestly feels like a privilege. Everything she writes is all consuming. I have not read a single book by her that I have not fallen utterly in love with. The way she writes just grabs you and pulls you in so deeply. Dream on was no different.

I didn’t really know what to expect going into this book. I went in blind, and it was the most magical, heartbreaking and then healing story all wrapped in one. I felt like my heart was obliterated by 30% and put back together by the end. It really was absolutely magical. If you’ve read this book, then you know exactly what I am talking about. I was hooked from the start.

I absolutely loved the story line. I love how it is divided in acts. I love that we got so much of them from when they first met up until the present day. I don’t want to say more about the plot because I really think you need to experience it for yourself, but it was so unique and beautiful.

Stevie and Lex were everything. I truly fell in love with both of them and connected so hard. Lex. Where do I even start? That man. Broken. Tortured. He’s a jaded man but deep down someone that just needed to be loved unconditionally and seen as a human and not for what he could offer. And Stevie? She wears her heart on her sleeve. The sweetest, kindest soul. She sees Lex for who he really is and quiets the noise for him. She’s someone who he can feel safe with and not haunted by his past. They are both incredibly talented and electric together. Their story is unconventional but so raw and beautiful. They are the kind of couple that are without a doubt soulmates. Destined for each other. They had me in a chokehold. The chemistry, connection, the intimacy between them. So much more than just spice. They needed each other. A perfect example of second chance romance.

Just do yourself a favor and read this incredible book. This story will definitely stick with me.

WOW.

Wow. Wow. Wow.

I fell in love with Jennifer Hartmann’s writing in Still Beating and this one was no different.

Lex and Stevie’s relationship is a rollercoaster from start-to-finish, one where you will never want to get off of the ride. The emotions I felt while reading this—my heart hurt and healed and hurt again in every Act.

I appreciated the depth of both characters. I adored Lex and his internal monologue. How his struggles were portrayed from Act I when they were in High School to when Stevie and him re-meet in Act II to the culmination of Act III. And Stevie—I wanted to wrap her in a hug the entire time. She has such a big heart and you can’t help but root for her.

The portrayal of Hollywood to show the toll it takes was crafted so well. Lex and Stevie’s lives are so entangled, but at the same time, they are complete opposites of each other—and it works beautifully. You have Lex, who already knows all of the ins and outs and ups and downs of Hollywood even before the book begins, and then you have Stevie, who is thrust into the world of stardom without truly knowing about it, and the way they try and protect each other in their own way through all of it is heart-wrenching and heartwarming all in one.

JH’s writing is absolutely phenomenal. I have no other words for it. The way you’re able to put yourself in every scene and feel what the characters are feeling. It makes you want to pick up everything she writes—be a book or a grocery list—and not put it down until you’ve read the whole thing.

Thank you to Jennifer Hartmann and Valentine PR for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review 🤍

- 𝑫𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝑶𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝑱𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒏

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✰ 𝘧𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨
✰ 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
✰ 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘺𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘺
✰ 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺
✰ 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵 & 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳

What a read! When I say I couldn't put this down I mean it!
Lex and Stevie's story starts when in high school they're cast for Moulin Rouge and from there they develop a deep bond. The Hollywood child star and the small town girl with big dreams sounds cliché on paper but the way Hartmann wrote it felt magical.
This book is an emotional rollercoster about dreams, long lasting love, healing.

I loved both characters so much. Both were incredibly unique and well developed and wrapped in a dreamlike background that felt nostalgic while reading.

I highly recommend this book because it truly is one of my favorite reads of the year!

*arc kindly provided in exchange of an honest review

Soul achingly beautiful. I was in literal tears reading this. This was a super emotional read for me.

This story is told like a theatre play with the different acts for the timeline- Act 1, Act 2 and then the final act. I love how the author broke it apart like that since the story revolves around the two MC's love of theatre and acting.

Our two MC's - Lex and Stevie - meet in high school and come from very different backgrounds and have very different personalities. If I were to sum it up it would be rich boy x poor girl and grumpy x sunshine. Despite their differences they fall in love until one day Lex blows up his relationship with Stevie to save her from himself and his family unbewosent to her. Fast forward, Lex has become a famous producer/writer and produced a tv show about his relationship with Stevie. He finds himself in need of a fake girlfriend -cue Stevie. With all the heartbreak from their past their tension can be cut with a knife. There is so much angst and longing.

I fell in love with both Lex and Stevie. There was so much depth to both of them. Lex seemingly has it all but deep down he is broken and convinced he doesn't deserve love and Stevie is this quiet pillar of strength. Their story completely consumed me. It was such a heartbreaking story of first love and second chances.

𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓠𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮:
“𝒜𝓃𝓎𝓌𝒶𝓎, 𝐼 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓉’𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓁𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒. 𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝒷𝓎 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽, 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝒷𝓎 𝒸𝒽𝑜𝒾𝒸𝑒. 𝐸𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒶𝓎, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇𝓈, 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑜𝓃 𝒾𝓈 𝑔𝑜𝓃𝑒. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃’𝓉 𝑒𝓈𝒸𝒶𝓅𝑒 𝒾𝓉. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓃𝑜𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝓊𝓉 𝒾𝓉. 𝒮𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝒾𝓉 𝒻𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓊𝓅 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈𝑒 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓉 𝓌𝑒𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃. 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝓊𝓇𝓉𝓈.”

𝓣𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼:
🎭 slow burn
🎭 second chance
🎭 fake dating
🎭 forced proximity

Okay, listen… if Jennifer Hartmann wrote a grocery list, I’d read it.

She’s THAT good at making me feel things, even in YA.

I thought this was going to be a soft, easy read, but nooo! There’s some real trauma tucked in here. Not the darkest she’s done, but definitely not fluff.

The characters? OMG, I loved them.

Lex, the golden boy of Hollywood, and Stevie collided in high school and sparks flew… until everything broke apart.

Now Lex is a TV star, spinning their tragic story to the world, and Stevie is just trying to pick up the pieces.

When he offers a fake romance deal (hello, classic trope but always a winner), Stevie is torn.

This book is equal parts heartbreak and hope, with a swoon worthy romance that’ll have you cheering and tearing up all at once.

If you want a crossover romance that’s real, raw, and impossible to put down , Dream On should be on your TBR!

Jennifer Hartmann has a way with words that makes your heart ache, but the beauty within them pieces it all back together again. You are hooked from the very beginning and you can’t put the book down.

These characters, they are messy and troubled. They struggle and you can’t help but get frustrated with the MMC, Lex. He is stuck living in the regret of the past. I found myself wanting to shake him out of it several times, but he was frozen in time. But I think it’s how he coped with how his childhood was.

Lex and Stevie became great friends and maybe even more in high school when they both earned lead roles in a school play. But then tragedy struck and ended it all. Several years passed and they didn’t see each other until a documentary that featured what happened between them came out and everyone found out who Stevie’s identity. The two are thrown back into each other’s life and all those old wounds and feelings are resurfaced again.

There’s a lot of push and pull between them. They both care for one another, but can they move on from the hurt of the past. Can they make it through the harshness of being in the spotlight of Hollywood? Her life is back in Chicago, he is in LA? Can he let go of the past and let her in?

If Jennifer Hartmann has 1 fan, it's me (I'm aware she has tons of fans, but I'm her biggest)!

I am such a sucker for majority of the tropes in this story. I love the fake dating, second chance romance, and the forced proximity. That will have me eating a book up every time!

This book was full of angst and romance and I was hooked all the way through! Thank you so much to the publisher for this ARC!

Jennifer Hartmann has a way with words! Lex was silently going through it at home and until he meets Stevie no one knows the troubles he actually deals with in his teens! He creates this tough exterior because when he gets close to someone they end up hurting him. The book is such an emotional read as Jennifer does! I can’t wait for my preorder to show up!!

“𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.” 𝘐 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘰?” “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴. “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥.”

𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ★★★.5

Jennifer Hartmann has a way of telling stories where the world feels overwhelming, full of chaos and challenges but the moment you see your person. The world fades out. Just like the movies. It’s what makes her writing one of my favorites.

Lex and Stevie start off as high school classmates, cast in their school’s production of Moulin Rouge. Where their story begins. Stevie comes from a wonderful family that unfortunately had a heartbreaking tragedy happen when she was younger. Leaving her with some unresolved trauma. Lex, on the other hand, comes from a family that is a tragedy, carrying his own emotional scars. Despite their pain, the two find solace in each other, forming a connection that’s both healing and powerful.

Lexington was a whiplash of a character. He was cold and then luke warm and then right back to cold. I found it hard to understand what drew Stevie in at first. Then slowly I started to understand that his emotional reserve was a reflection of his deeper struggles. He’s just a boy who didn’t get to choose his way of life and was quietly waiting for someone to help him out of it. Or help someone else not become a part of it. Took some time but in the end he did grow on me.

My sweet Stevie. She felt like sunshine on a quiet morning. Exactly what Lex needed. She was warm, calming, and hopeful. there with a purpose. Always thinking of others before herself.

The dynamic between both mcs was perfectly balanced. I could not imagine Lex with anyone else.

This story is about healing from your past, protecting those important to you, and the difficult choices we make out of love.

Read if you like: second chance romance, fake dating, Hollywood scene mixed w some small town, & lots of angst.

Thank you Jennifer Hartmann & @valentine_pr_ & NetGalley for the early copy. & thanks

This story will grab your heart, squeeze it and not let go until the end. Two beautiful wounded souls that just want to dream on. Two people that had no idea how much they need each other. But we know how the world can be cruel, but most of all, our inner thoughts and self worth. This was a Phenomenal, unputdownable story about two kids that had to grow to see how dreams can become through or sometimes change you forever. Although, this book will be heartbreaking, it will put the pieces back together and you will enjoy this beautiful, heartwarming, enchanting, story! This is a book that you will read over and over and never be tired of it.


Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this masterpiece in advance.


♾️⭐️
2🌶️