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Dream a Little Dream
In this small-town second chance romance, Melissa Brayden’s Dream a Little Dream explores the pain of betrayal, the courage to face the unexpected, and the longing for a love that’s unforgettable.
Savanna Potter is having an off year. Her aunt died, and the woman of her dreams, who had agreed to meet her on the suspension bridge one year after their first amazing date, stood her up. Then, in news that rocks her, it turns out the dad she knew isn’t her biological father. So, who the hell is?
Savanna, angry and adrift, can’t believe it when Dr. Kyle Remington, the very woman who left her standing on that bridge like a fool, shows up in Dreamer’s Bay.
Not only has Kyle landed in Savanna’s small town, but she’s managed to charm every other person who lives there. Savanna has no plans to forgive and forget. There’s nothing between them anymore, even if Kyle’s sparkling blue eyes and shiny dark hair make Savanna’s pesky knees go weak. Life is too complicated for second chances. Or is it?
Savanna Potter is having an off year. Her aunt died, and the woman of her dreams, who had agreed to meet her on the suspension bridge one year after their first amazing date, stood her up. Then, in news that rocks her, it turns out the dad she knew isn’t her biological father. So, who the hell is?
Savanna, angry and adrift, can’t believe it when Dr. Kyle Remington, the very woman who left her standing on that bridge like a fool, shows up in Dreamer’s Bay.
Not only has Kyle landed in Savanna’s small town, but she’s managed to charm every other person who lives there. Savanna has no plans to forgive and forget. There’s nothing between them anymore, even if Kyle’s sparkling blue eyes and shiny dark hair make Savanna’s pesky knees go weak. Life is too complicated for second chances. Or is it?
264 pages, Paperback
Published May 13, 2025
52 people are currently reading
438 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Brayden
32 books2,757 followersMelissa Brayden is the multi-award winning author of more than twenty-five sapphic romance novels and is hard at work on more. She is a wine enthusiast, a fan of all donuts, and is probably staring off into space as you're reading this. You can find her at www.melissabrayden.com and on most social media sites.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
May 7, 2025
3.5⭐️ This is a story about Savanna who lives in a SC beach town, Dreamers Bay, and works as a grocery store manager. Her parents died when she was 11 and she was raised by her aunt Lindy. After her aunt passed away she inherits her house and decides to turn it into a B&B. Savanna meets Kyle at a conference in Charleston in a funny scene in her hotel hallway.
Kyle is a medical resident in her final her of residency.
Savanna is a happy person and friends with all the people we met in the first book about Dreamer’s Bay. So we get to revisit these great characters. Kyle has PTSD from her work as an ER doctor. The book is written from Savanna’s point of view and at first I had a hard time getting into it. I would have also liked Kyle’s pov, I don’t feel like I got to know her very well.
Kyle and Savanna are both flawed people and each goes through emotional struggles in this story, which causes them to withdraw from each other. If you are a Brayden fan you’ll enjoy this book.
Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Kyle is a medical resident in her final her of residency.
Savanna is a happy person and friends with all the people we met in the first book about Dreamer’s Bay. So we get to revisit these great characters. Kyle has PTSD from her work as an ER doctor. The book is written from Savanna’s point of view and at first I had a hard time getting into it. I would have also liked Kyle’s pov, I don’t feel like I got to know her very well.
Kyle and Savanna are both flawed people and each goes through emotional struggles in this story, which causes them to withdraw from each other. If you are a Brayden fan you’ll enjoy this book.
Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
December 8, 2025
This book was fine. I was disappointed, but I also went in with high expectations because Melissa Brayden has delivered some incredible novels in the past (also some that were less so, I guess they are hit-or-miss). This was a perfectly enjoyable read that I don’t want to be too critical of, but there are also so many other novels out there that are better. The writing was good, the content was… fine? I will say this was more of a case of “nothing particularly was amazing” as opposed to “there were things that were wrong”. This book followed a lot of conventional tropes and plot beats, which is often fine, but this time it felt a bit like just going through the paces.
My Rating: “C+”
Converted Rating: 3-Stars
Highlights:
-Clever writing and great banter. If I have one compliment, it’s the banter between the protagonists.
-Side plots….. this novel was filled with them. It made it feel layered and like a very full world as opposed to just a single plotline existing in a vacuum.
-GREAT use of a small town setting. Sometimes novels say they are set in a small town but honestly it could be anywhere; this one uses the setting and the vibes very well.
Issues:
-I felt like there was zero tension (sexual or otherwise) between the protagonists. They insta-love/lusted at the start, then they bounced around for the rest of the novel, but I never felt that angst or yearning. The bar might have been too high in my mind when I started this, because this same author has absolutely shown that they know how to do a romance and it was what I was expecting.
-It was just kind of underwhelming. Things happened, book ended. There was plot and character development but it never really grabbed my attention in the way I had hoped.
-The blurb made this seem like a second-chance and/or enemies-to-lovers novel. The word betrayal was used. This is all technically true, but the protagonists issues were too small and the resolution was too easy. This is Melissa Brayden! Where was that energy from You Had Me At Merlot or Strawberry Summer?? This book was just……eh.
-There was a lot of relatively pointless drama. It felt like padding the page count at times.
-Some character motivations (a certain side character in particular) did not make any sense and we never got an explanation.
-Wandering plotline. The side plots were good in a sense, but after a while the novel felt like it got somewhat lost. What is the main premise of this novel? The relationship/romance certainly doesn’t get the majority of the page count.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.
My Rating: “C+”
Converted Rating: 3-Stars
Highlights:
-Clever writing and great banter. If I have one compliment, it’s the banter between the protagonists.
-Side plots….. this novel was filled with them. It made it feel layered and like a very full world as opposed to just a single plotline existing in a vacuum.
-GREAT use of a small town setting. Sometimes novels say they are set in a small town but honestly it could be anywhere; this one uses the setting and the vibes very well.
Issues:
-I felt like there was zero tension (sexual or otherwise) between the protagonists. They insta-love/lusted at the start, then they bounced around for the rest of the novel, but I never felt that angst or yearning. The bar might have been too high in my mind when I started this, because this same author has absolutely shown that they know how to do a romance and it was what I was expecting.
-It was just kind of underwhelming. Things happened, book ended. There was plot and character development but it never really grabbed my attention in the way I had hoped.
-The blurb made this seem like a second-chance and/or enemies-to-lovers novel. The word betrayal was used. This is all technically true, but the protagonists issues were too small and the resolution was too easy. This is Melissa Brayden! Where was that energy from You Had Me At Merlot or Strawberry Summer?? This book was just……eh.
-There was a lot of relatively pointless drama. It felt like padding the page count at times.
-Some character motivations (a certain side character in particular) did not make any sense and we never got an explanation.
-Wandering plotline. The side plots were good in a sense, but after a while the novel felt like it got somewhat lost. What is the main premise of this novel? The relationship/romance certainly doesn’t get the majority of the page count.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.
July 23, 2025
To say I was very hesitant to read this novel would be an understatement. It’s been rough going for me and Melissa Brayden’s novels, and I really liked Beautiful Dreamer which is this novel’s big sister. But I enjoyed this. It felt much closer to vintage Brayden for which I am grateful.
Savanna and Kyle (ugh, Kyle? Really? Brayden’s usually better with names) meet in a hotel hallway in what may be one of Savanna’s most embarrassing moments. It was a really fun meet-cute that established chemistry between the characters immediately. And that only continues when they run into each other again later that night. The whole night is life-changing for Savanna, even though she knows she has to say goodbye to Kyle for an entire year, when they vow to meet again on the bridge where they kissed that night. And then Kyle doesn’t show up, which breaks Savanna’s heart.
There’s a lot going on in this novel: Savanna’s grief after losing her aunt, which only brings up the grief of having lost her parents so early; Savanna’s discovery about her parentage; her work stress; her disastrous love life… And then suddenly Kyle’s in town, and she’s definitely not ready to deal with that again.
Truthfully I had hoped to like this more than I did. And even Brayden’s trademark third-act breakup didn’t madden me since it makes sense with the story Brayden crafted and didn’t seem to be there for reasons of some predetermined formula. But I struggled to root for this coupling. Not because the characters lacked chemistry—Brayden did well here—but because Kyle’s being there just felt imposing and unwanted enough that it made me uncomfortable. It wasn’t as bad as Taryn’s behaviour at the end of When You Smile, but it still bothered me. Maybe because I’ve recently read a couple of books, including Brayden’s When You Smile, where one of the main characters refuses to take “No” for an answer. Because I honestly don’t think this book is nearly as bad in this area. Kyle is mostly respectful of Savanna’s desire for Kyle to leave her be, but it wasn’t quite enough for me.
I’m at 3.5 with this one.
[Edited to add a 3rd observation.]
ThreeTwo observations I track with Brayden’s books:
- Still only femme-femme rep. That actually shocked me in this book because Kyle reads as butch. Her name is Kyle for crying out loud. But it’s not just the name; I pictured Kyle as more in the middle in terms of gender presentation, closer to Julien Baker or Paige McCullers. So it shocked me when Kyle showed up to a dinner with Savanna in a sweater dress because that wasn’t how the character read at all. And I was excited to have a less femme character. But alas… My imagination overrode this, but I’m sad it wasn’t left ambiguous in the book.
- Brown eyes can be found here! Third book in a row, Brayden!
- I track Brayden's Easter eggs and there are several. I'll try to do this spoiler free, but there's a character from Marry Me who appears in this book and gets a generous retconning of their character and it annoyed me. LOL
Savanna and Kyle (ugh, Kyle? Really? Brayden’s usually better with names) meet in a hotel hallway in what may be one of Savanna’s most embarrassing moments. It was a really fun meet-cute that established chemistry between the characters immediately. And that only continues when they run into each other again later that night. The whole night is life-changing for Savanna, even though she knows she has to say goodbye to Kyle for an entire year, when they vow to meet again on the bridge where they kissed that night. And then Kyle doesn’t show up, which breaks Savanna’s heart.
There’s a lot going on in this novel: Savanna’s grief after losing her aunt, which only brings up the grief of having lost her parents so early; Savanna’s discovery about her parentage; her work stress; her disastrous love life… And then suddenly Kyle’s in town, and she’s definitely not ready to deal with that again.
Truthfully I had hoped to like this more than I did. And even Brayden’s trademark third-act breakup didn’t madden me since it makes sense with the story Brayden crafted and didn’t seem to be there for reasons of some predetermined formula. But I struggled to root for this coupling. Not because the characters lacked chemistry—Brayden did well here—but because Kyle’s being there just felt imposing and unwanted enough that it made me uncomfortable. It wasn’t as bad as Taryn’s behaviour at the end of When You Smile, but it still bothered me. Maybe because I’ve recently read a couple of books, including Brayden’s When You Smile, where one of the main characters refuses to take “No” for an answer. Because I honestly don’t think this book is nearly as bad in this area. Kyle is mostly respectful of Savanna’s desire for Kyle to leave her be, but it wasn’t quite enough for me.
I’m at 3.5 with this one.
[Edited to add a 3rd observation.]
Three
- Still only femme-femme rep. That actually shocked me in this book because Kyle reads as butch. Her name is Kyle for crying out loud. But it’s not just the name; I pictured Kyle as more in the middle in terms of gender presentation, closer to Julien Baker or Paige McCullers. So it shocked me when Kyle showed up to a dinner with Savanna in a sweater dress because that wasn’t how the character read at all. And I was excited to have a less femme character. But alas… My imagination overrode this, but I’m sad it wasn’t left ambiguous in the book.
- Brown eyes can be found here! Third book in a row, Brayden!
- I track Brayden's Easter eggs and there are several. I'll try to do this spoiler free, but there's a character from Marry Me who appears in this book and gets a generous retconning of their character and it annoyed me. LOL
June 10, 2025
Cute and hopeful feels
Savanna’s year off is quickly disrupted when Kyle, the woman who broke her heart a year after their first date by not turning up on the bridge as agreed, turns up in the small town where she is building a life. Having been through the heartbreak of her aunt dying, Savanna also discovers her dad isn’t her biological father.
While this started out with Savanna’s world falling apart and the devastation of Kyle breaking her heart, it really was a story filled with warmth and hope. Savanna was on a journey, and just didn’t know it. Her sulky attitude at Kyle turning up and winning over almost everyone she knew in Dreamer’s Bay added a touch of humour. I have to admit, I liked Kyle. She was kind, caring, and when she realised she was in Savanna’s town, which I don’t think was coincidence, she genuinely wanted to explain why she hadn’t turned up and make it up to Savanna.
It was easy to empathise with Savanna though. I understood completely why she had her guard up. One person can only take so much disappointment before it starts to take its toll. Savanna had hope for building her life up and moving on that was instantly broken into pieces by Kyle just being there and that broke my heart for her. I admired Kyle for trying so hard to get Savanna to give her a chance, and when she did, cute moments erupted, even when Savanna was keeping her guard partly up. In the end, I was just glad they were getting along and naturally finding their way and letting things be.
All great romances come with drama and Melissa delivered it so well in this one. I really enjoyed the story, and the unexpected twists it took throughout! Very exciting, cute romance.
Savanna’s year off is quickly disrupted when Kyle, the woman who broke her heart a year after their first date by not turning up on the bridge as agreed, turns up in the small town where she is building a life. Having been through the heartbreak of her aunt dying, Savanna also discovers her dad isn’t her biological father.
While this started out with Savanna’s world falling apart and the devastation of Kyle breaking her heart, it really was a story filled with warmth and hope. Savanna was on a journey, and just didn’t know it. Her sulky attitude at Kyle turning up and winning over almost everyone she knew in Dreamer’s Bay added a touch of humour. I have to admit, I liked Kyle. She was kind, caring, and when she realised she was in Savanna’s town, which I don’t think was coincidence, she genuinely wanted to explain why she hadn’t turned up and make it up to Savanna.
It was easy to empathise with Savanna though. I understood completely why she had her guard up. One person can only take so much disappointment before it starts to take its toll. Savanna had hope for building her life up and moving on that was instantly broken into pieces by Kyle just being there and that broke my heart for her. I admired Kyle for trying so hard to get Savanna to give her a chance, and when she did, cute moments erupted, even when Savanna was keeping her guard partly up. In the end, I was just glad they were getting along and naturally finding their way and letting things be.
All great romances come with drama and Melissa delivered it so well in this one. I really enjoyed the story, and the unexpected twists it took throughout! Very exciting, cute romance.
June 22, 2025
Brayden's banter can be exhausting. Entertaining, but exhausting!
I usually don't enjoy one night intimate scenes because I like to have seen the chemistry. These two had the chemistry from their first interaction..... but also Brayden's writing of that scene hit the right notes.... It wasn't just a physical how to manual but an emotional one too!
My only problem was the immediate bit after. We know from the blurb this is second chance so I couldn't get swept along by the mains hope on the build up to the re-meet!
They did sort their issues out and all was wonderful, till it wasn't. This, with a subplot is where the book excelled for me. The initial second chance bit, I enjoyed reading but hadn't fallen in love with the book. The book sat around 3 stars for me until Brayden hit her stride! Then it was vintage 5 star. It evens out at 4 overall. I associate this writer with exhausting banter, always funny but sometimes just too on...... However actually she has moments of writing, not only truisms, but emotional depth that just connects.
I usually don't enjoy one night intimate scenes because I like to have seen the chemistry. These two had the chemistry from their first interaction..... but also Brayden's writing of that scene hit the right notes.... It wasn't just a physical how to manual but an emotional one too!
My only problem was the immediate bit after. We know from the blurb this is second chance so I couldn't get swept along by the mains hope on the build up to the re-meet!
They did sort their issues out and all was wonderful, till it wasn't. This, with a subplot is where the book excelled for me. The initial second chance bit, I enjoyed reading but hadn't fallen in love with the book. The book sat around 3 stars for me until Brayden hit her stride! Then it was vintage 5 star. It evens out at 4 overall. I associate this writer with exhausting banter, always funny but sometimes just too on...... However actually she has moments of writing, not only truisms, but emotional depth that just connects.
May 29, 2025
I love Melissa Brayden. Dare I say...If there are no Melissa Brayden fans, I'm dead.
However, this book didn't do it for me.
Savanna is a small town truther, living in Dreamers Bay, along with fan faves (probably) Elizabeth and Devyn from 'Beautiful Dreamer.' In her pockets, she carries 1. enough sunshine to go around and, 2. abandonment issues - the duality of woman, am I right?
The book is told from her point of view, and I can't quite pin point whether therein lies it's fatal flaw, but: by the end of the book, Kyle Remington - Savanna's love interest - was as much a stranger to me as when we first met her. (though one might certainly argue that the first person POV can't be the one to bear the brunt of the blame, when Brayden has expertly employed the very same device in BANGERS 'Waiting in the Wings,' 'Exclusive,' and 'Strawberry Summer.')
I couldn't connect with Kyle as most of emphasis on character was placed on Savanna and her journey in discovering the truth about who she is and whom she comes from - a side plot (i think thats what it was?) that felt incredibly random and a bit of a pill to me. Kyle, at times, felt more of a secondary character than even Elizabeth or Jonathan. I felt I knew nothing of substance about her, besides the fact that she too was battling some trauma from a medical operation gone very wrong - the singular plot line padding her character.
The pace, too, felt entirely clunky, going from the full speed of insta love, to the idle heartbreak and disappointment, to the slow sputter and stop of the second chance romance we were promised...but didn't quite deliver.
All in all, this was an underwhelming read (which is a painful sentence to even write, given how indebted i am to Brayden for books like 'Kiss the Girl' - which frankly, nothing in this entire world may ever top).
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
However, this book didn't do it for me.
Savanna is a small town truther, living in Dreamers Bay, along with fan faves (probably) Elizabeth and Devyn from 'Beautiful Dreamer.' In her pockets, she carries 1. enough sunshine to go around and, 2. abandonment issues - the duality of woman, am I right?
The book is told from her point of view, and I can't quite pin point whether therein lies it's fatal flaw, but: by the end of the book, Kyle Remington - Savanna's love interest - was as much a stranger to me as when we first met her. (though one might certainly argue that the first person POV can't be the one to bear the brunt of the blame, when Brayden has expertly employed the very same device in BANGERS 'Waiting in the Wings,' 'Exclusive,' and 'Strawberry Summer.')
I couldn't connect with Kyle as most of emphasis on character was placed on Savanna and her journey in discovering the truth about who she is and whom she comes from - a side plot (i think thats what it was?) that felt incredibly random and a bit of a pill to me. Kyle, at times, felt more of a secondary character than even Elizabeth or Jonathan. I felt I knew nothing of substance about her, besides the fact that she too was battling some trauma from a medical operation gone very wrong - the singular plot line padding her character.
The pace, too, felt entirely clunky, going from the full speed of insta love, to the idle heartbreak and disappointment, to the slow sputter and stop of the second chance romance we were promised...but didn't quite deliver.
All in all, this was an underwhelming read (which is a painful sentence to even write, given how indebted i am to Brayden for books like 'Kiss the Girl' - which frankly, nothing in this entire world may ever top).
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
June 12, 2025
A 5 star hit.
It is an interesting, heartwarming, surprising story..
As you are aware from the book description, Savanna gets stood up after waiting a year to meet the love of her life on a bridge.
That's basically how the story begins. After reading that early in the beginning, I thought, "Now what? The typical story of reuniting?" But no, it's much, much more. So many interesting characters. So many psychological problems Savanna has to deal with. So many surprises, twists and turns. And so many very warm loving sex scenes.
The dialogue is true Brayden style. Crisp, witty and natural.
I really didn't want the story to end. It was enjoyable spending time in this small town..Dreamer's Bay, So. Carolina.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review
It is an interesting, heartwarming, surprising story..
As you are aware from the book description, Savanna gets stood up after waiting a year to meet the love of her life on a bridge.
That's basically how the story begins. After reading that early in the beginning, I thought, "Now what? The typical story of reuniting?" But no, it's much, much more. So many interesting characters. So many psychological problems Savanna has to deal with. So many surprises, twists and turns. And so many very warm loving sex scenes.
The dialogue is true Brayden style. Crisp, witty and natural.
I really didn't want the story to end. It was enjoyable spending time in this small town..Dreamer's Bay, So. Carolina.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review
April 21, 2025
If you are already a fan of Melissa Brayden previous work you will likely really enjoy this, however this is my first foray into her work and dream a little dream was okay but for me nothing amazing to read.
We have a chance encounter between our two MCs in a hotel landing where Savanna is literally stuck on her internal room door and Kyle happens to be there to support her getting unstuck. We follow a whirlwind 24 hours “fling” where they both make a pact to return in one year’s time to start a promising possible relationship. Cut to the chase Savanna gets stood up then returns to her small town where she rents out and Airbnb that Kyle checks into to win her back.
There is other underlying stores set within this which I felt was just too many side plots that do link but I think it’s more filler than anything but the main thing is around second chances, there is a minor element of ‘betrayal’ but I would eye roll at this! They are both flawed characters and disappointingly there is no sexual tension between them. The story felt forced and at times just a bit pointless and I hate to say it but dull.
If you like small town charm with a second chance sapphic nature then this is likely one for you. I think if you a fan this may link to some of the authors previous work so that could be enjoyable as well but this was a miss for me. Thank you for NetGalley and Bold Stokes Books for the opportunity to read this prior to release which is available from the 13th May.
We have a chance encounter between our two MCs in a hotel landing where Savanna is literally stuck on her internal room door and Kyle happens to be there to support her getting unstuck. We follow a whirlwind 24 hours “fling” where they both make a pact to return in one year’s time to start a promising possible relationship. Cut to the chase Savanna gets stood up then returns to her small town where she rents out and Airbnb that Kyle checks into to win her back.
There is other underlying stores set within this which I felt was just too many side plots that do link but I think it’s more filler than anything but the main thing is around second chances, there is a minor element of ‘betrayal’ but I would eye roll at this! They are both flawed characters and disappointingly there is no sexual tension between them. The story felt forced and at times just a bit pointless and I hate to say it but dull.
If you like small town charm with a second chance sapphic nature then this is likely one for you. I think if you a fan this may link to some of the authors previous work so that could be enjoyable as well but this was a miss for me. Thank you for NetGalley and Bold Stokes Books for the opportunity to read this prior to release which is available from the 13th May.
April 23, 2025
I thought it was an okay read. It was told from Savanna’s perspective, which made it easy to connect with her, but unfortunately, difficult for me to connect with Kyle. I sympathized with Savanna and if anyone deserved a big hug it was her. The grief she struggled with, and her abandonment issues, made her so real. I would've liked more of a background on Kyle's character because I was left with more questions than answers. In the beginning, I kept an open mind about the pact they made, but after I learned more it seemed like a wasted opportunity and even a bit silly. I appreciated her supportive friends, and I was pleasantly surprised that the protagonists from ‘A Beautiful Dreamer’ were side characters here! Devyn and Elizabeth were one of my favorite couples. Overall, I had high hopes, but the book turned out to be an okay read, so I'm rating it a 3.5. I’m still a Brayden fan and I look forward to the next one.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 12, 2025
This was a second chance romance novel set in an idyllic small town in South Carolina. I have to say I felt the town was a little too perfect - I started getting distracted by the kitschy store names and how every local business was winning awards for their perfect baked goods. Then some small details didn’t line up here and there, like a 10am check-in time for an Airbnb (?!), and those things can really pull me out of a narrative and make it harder to stay engaged in the story. If you can get past that, the romance was fun to watch unfold and I was definitely rooting for them to get/stay together, and Brayden certainly paints a vivid picture of the setting and builds strong character relationships. If you’re looking for a light, queer romance then you may enjoy this!
Thank you Bold Strokes Books for the arc!
Thank you Bold Strokes Books for the arc!
May 15, 2025
Dream a Little Dream is a small town setting second chance(?) Sapphic romance that was fine but just not for me. To be fair, second chance is not a favorite trope of mine, although I think "second chance" is a bit of a stretch in this case.
We have a single POV of a thirty-something woman in a small town in the South. After ONE whirlwind night out of town meeting the love interest, the two decide to meet again in one year's time when their lives are in different and better places. One year later, the love interest stands up the the main character at their planned reunion. Later, the love interest then moves to the small town, and their second chance commences. (Is this a second chance romance??? or is this just running into someone you hooked up with before?) There are also a bunch of side plots of the main character's best friend and other small town friends' shenanigans, a red herring love interest, instability at work, and the main character trying to figure out who her dad is. And finding herself after losing her remaining living family.
The romance was just not believable to me. Even their initial night seemed fairly tame and not at all necessitating so much drama. Their banter was very tepid, and a third act breakup in a "second chance" plot was very aggravating to me. I think a dual POV would have been helpful to make me care more about the love interest. I couldn't keep track of all of the friends, so their side plots were tedious for me, and the paternity mystery seemed very random in the grand scheme of the plot. I was probably most invested in the main character's job plot because I do love grocery store job gossip.
The writing itself was okay. I didn't click with the (what seemed to me) forced millennial humor, but I know there are certainly folks that will like that. The dialogue also felt pretty wooden to me. It seemed like most of the conversations between the main couple started with a "Hi." and a "Hey." response. If you have liked this author's writing style before, I imagine this will not be an issue.
Thank you, Bold Strokes Books, for the arc!
We have a single POV of a thirty-something woman in a small town in the South. After ONE whirlwind night out of town meeting the love interest, the two decide to meet again in one year's time when their lives are in different and better places. One year later, the love interest stands up the the main character at their planned reunion. Later, the love interest then moves to the small town, and their second chance commences. (Is this a second chance romance??? or is this just running into someone you hooked up with before?) There are also a bunch of side plots of the main character's best friend and other small town friends' shenanigans, a red herring love interest, instability at work, and the main character trying to figure out who her dad is. And finding herself after losing her remaining living family.
The romance was just not believable to me. Even their initial night seemed fairly tame and not at all necessitating so much drama. Their banter was very tepid, and a third act breakup in a "second chance" plot was very aggravating to me. I think a dual POV would have been helpful to make me care more about the love interest. I couldn't keep track of all of the friends, so their side plots were tedious for me, and the paternity mystery seemed very random in the grand scheme of the plot. I was probably most invested in the main character's job plot because I do love grocery store job gossip.
The writing itself was okay. I didn't click with the (what seemed to me) forced millennial humor, but I know there are certainly folks that will like that. The dialogue also felt pretty wooden to me. It seemed like most of the conversations between the main couple started with a "Hi." and a "Hey." response. If you have liked this author's writing style before, I imagine this will not be an issue.
Thank you, Bold Strokes Books, for the arc!
July 7, 2025
3.5* // savanna, being inside your mind was so much fun
May 1, 2025
If you like a small-town romance this can be the book for you. I had an issue to really get into the love story between Savanna and Kyle that started as insta love, then one year apart without any contact (why???), instead decide to meet at a bridge, Kyle not showing up there, but instead show up in Savanna’s hometown a few months later. Then so much back and forth and interactions with everyone in this small town until they get their HEA and, in my mind, way too little romance and getting to know the MC's.
I received a free ARC via NetGalley and leave a review voluntarily.
I received a free ARC via NetGalley and leave a review voluntarily.
May 8, 2025
Melissa Brayden qrites another wonderful story with some of the best banter I have seen in a while.
The MCs were complex characters that required growth. And grow they did, reasonably and well. The angst was expected as it was normal for this author.
The MCs had gripping chemistry from the beginning. The meeting was fun and original. The resolution to the angst was fitting for the characters.
I will continue to follow her and any future books that come our way.
The MCs were complex characters that required growth. And grow they did, reasonably and well. The angst was expected as it was normal for this author.
The MCs had gripping chemistry from the beginning. The meeting was fun and original. The resolution to the angst was fitting for the characters.
I will continue to follow her and any future books that come our way.
July 6, 2025
it was quite like reading a perfect small town hallmark movie romance where homophobia wasn't even a thing. cute and fun!
June 18, 2025
Charming Dreamer’s Bay is once again the backdrop of a swoon worthy romance. That one true connection that is worth waiting for.
I received an advance copy from Netgalley for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Savanna has been dealt a very grief stricken hand in life. She has lost her parents at a young age and has been raised by her aunt. Now the only family she had left, Aunt Lindy, passed away too. Without any family left, Savanna tried to reassemble the pieces of her life. One of which is starting an Air B&B in the house that Lindy left her. To learn everything about the business, Savanna attends a conference in the city. It is there that she meets the absolutely stunning Dr. Kyle. Instant fireworks go off between them but the timing isn’t right. Savanna can’t handle more loss but Kyle seems worth it. Hopefully she’ll prove her right!
The chemistry between these two women is off the charts. It’s definitely one of Brayden’s spicier stories, not smutty, but definitely not fade to black. I thought it would be hard to believe that Savanna would actually wait a year for Kyle, but my romantic heart won out. What happens after made me want to slap Kyle right across the face. In my opinion she is very lucky Savanna is so forgiving throughout this story, because I would personally have made her grovel a lot longer and harder! My heart broke for Savanna when she reverted back behind the trauma walls of loss and abandonment. The connection between them is so heartwarming though and I love that Kyle does really acknowledge her own issues and is determined to work on them to be the partner Savanna deserves.
Savanna’s gay best friend Jonathan suffers from arthritis and walks with crutches. The way his disability is a part of this story feels natural. It’s just a tiny part of him and Savanna uses little clues about his need for help or his posture to keep an eye on his physical wellbeing. For me that is what makes their relationship so authentic and loving. Besides the constant ribbing of course 😉
It’s nice running in to familiar people from Dreamer’s Bay although sometimes the name dropping had me confused about what function this or that person has to this story in particular. It was awesome to read Elizabeth and Delvyn still going strong!
Dream a Little Dream is a truly entertaining read. Definitely worth packing into your beach bag this summer!
I received an advance copy from Netgalley for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Savanna has been dealt a very grief stricken hand in life. She has lost her parents at a young age and has been raised by her aunt. Now the only family she had left, Aunt Lindy, passed away too. Without any family left, Savanna tried to reassemble the pieces of her life. One of which is starting an Air B&B in the house that Lindy left her. To learn everything about the business, Savanna attends a conference in the city. It is there that she meets the absolutely stunning Dr. Kyle. Instant fireworks go off between them but the timing isn’t right. Savanna can’t handle more loss but Kyle seems worth it. Hopefully she’ll prove her right!
The chemistry between these two women is off the charts. It’s definitely one of Brayden’s spicier stories, not smutty, but definitely not fade to black. I thought it would be hard to believe that Savanna would actually wait a year for Kyle, but my romantic heart won out. What happens after made me want to slap Kyle right across the face. In my opinion she is very lucky Savanna is so forgiving throughout this story, because I would personally have made her grovel a lot longer and harder! My heart broke for Savanna when she reverted back behind the trauma walls of loss and abandonment. The connection between them is so heartwarming though and I love that Kyle does really acknowledge her own issues and is determined to work on them to be the partner Savanna deserves.
Savanna’s gay best friend Jonathan suffers from arthritis and walks with crutches. The way his disability is a part of this story feels natural. It’s just a tiny part of him and Savanna uses little clues about his need for help or his posture to keep an eye on his physical wellbeing. For me that is what makes their relationship so authentic and loving. Besides the constant ribbing of course 😉
It’s nice running in to familiar people from Dreamer’s Bay although sometimes the name dropping had me confused about what function this or that person has to this story in particular. It was awesome to read Elizabeth and Delvyn still going strong!
Dream a Little Dream is a truly entertaining read. Definitely worth packing into your beach bag this summer!
May 20, 2025
I was really looking forward to the latest Melissa Brayden because I always enjoy her books. I was a bit disappointed with this one though because I didn't like it as much as her other books. It's not that it was bad, but it wasn't great either. There certainly were good parts to this story, but there also were parts that were less.
The story is written in the first person from Savanna's point of view. Ik liked Savanna enough, but I didn't always understand her and her actions. I got the feeling Savanna might be having ADHD and I could hardly keep up with her sometimes. The book starts of a bit messy. It goes from all well to really bad and back again. It was a bit much and chaotic and I felt a little restless while reading. It didn't really flow.
Kyle seems a nice person, but she's absent about half the time. Since it's all written from Savanna's perspective I did not get to know her that well. Kyle and Savanna both have issues that caused a lot of drama. I did not always understand that.
Elisabeth and Devyn from a previous book about Dreamers Bay were nice side characters in this one. In the first part we meet them a few times, but they were absent later on. Then there was Jonathan, the best friend. I didn't really like him, so when he faded into the background I didn't mind.
In the end there is a bit of a plot twist, what surprised me in a good way.
Overall it was a good enough story, but it didn't give me the feelgood flow I was looking for. I wanted to give 3.5 ⭐️, but I have to round that to a 4. Because it's definitely not as good as some of Brayden's other books I rated 4⭐️ I'll keep it at 3+⭐️.
The story is written in the first person from Savanna's point of view. Ik liked Savanna enough, but I didn't always understand her and her actions. I got the feeling Savanna might be having ADHD and I could hardly keep up with her sometimes. The book starts of a bit messy. It goes from all well to really bad and back again. It was a bit much and chaotic and I felt a little restless while reading. It didn't really flow.
Kyle seems a nice person, but she's absent about half the time. Since it's all written from Savanna's perspective I did not get to know her that well. Kyle and Savanna both have issues that caused a lot of drama. I did not always understand that.
Elisabeth and Devyn from a previous book about Dreamers Bay were nice side characters in this one. In the first part we meet them a few times, but they were absent later on. Then there was Jonathan, the best friend. I didn't really like him, so when he faded into the background I didn't mind.
In the end there is a bit of a plot twist, what surprised me in a good way.
Overall it was a good enough story, but it didn't give me the feelgood flow I was looking for. I wanted to give 3.5 ⭐️, but I have to round that to a 4. Because it's definitely not as good as some of Brayden's other books I rated 4⭐️ I'll keep it at 3+⭐️.
August 20, 2025
I like how meaty this book was. Living with loss and grief can be hard and I enjoyed how realisticly that was presented in this book with Savanna and how believably Kyle's trauma and subsequent reactions were portrayed too.
With lingering looks and flirting that created that pleasant ache and then plenty of spice when the mains do get together, this book is steamy and spicy both and I am here for that!
The novel sports a good cast of characters, from the familiar to the new especially Jonathan who I appreciated having challenges of his own that were well fleshed out.
The setting of Dreamer's Bay is one I'd like to visit again. In a future novel or failing that, in rereads of this and Beautiful Dreamer.
With lingering looks and flirting that created that pleasant ache and then plenty of spice when the mains do get together, this book is steamy and spicy both and I am here for that!
The novel sports a good cast of characters, from the familiar to the new especially Jonathan who I appreciated having challenges of his own that were well fleshed out.
The setting of Dreamer's Bay is one I'd like to visit again. In a future novel or failing that, in rereads of this and Beautiful Dreamer.
May 17, 2025
As always, Melissa Brayden delivers a fun, flirty romance. I very much enjoyed the MC’s banter with each other and the instant spark between them. I would LOVE to see a POV from Kyle in the future 👀 I wanted to know more about her story and background.
August 8, 2025
4 stars
July 7, 2025
i had so much fun with this one! melissa brayden has never let me down
May 5, 2025
Caution: contains some spoilers
This small town second chance romance, follows Savanna Potter and Dr. Kyle Remington as they both learn to navigate their insta love connection. After her parents died when she was young and then now trying to get over the death of her aunt who just recently passed, Savanna is finding it hard to deal with her loneliness. Yes she has the most amazing childhood best friend, yes she loves being the manager of the only non-chain grocery store in town, and yes everyone pretty much loves her, but the one thing she can’t seem to find is that special someone to spend her life with. That is, until she decides to use her aunt’s house as an airbnb and travel to the city of Charleston so that she can attend a conference that goes over the basics of how to make her airbnb idea a reality. While at the hotel she has an awkward encounter with her door that leads to her hitting it off with one of the hottest women Savanna has ever seen. One thing leads to another and before you know it, Savannah finds herself kissing Kyle over a suspension bridge and having the most passionate night that either has ever experienced.
So naturally Kyle suggests that they meet again at the suspension bridge one year from their exact meeting, so that when Kyle is done with her regency at the hospital, they can hopefully both be in a place where they can explore their feelings for one another. Which is why when Savanna returns one year later as she promised, the last thing she ever expected was for Kyle to stand her up. Devastated and confused, Savanna tries to channel all her energy into her job, running the airbnb, and meeting someone else to take her mind off of Kyle. Months later when Savanna meets the woman who rented out her airbnb, she comes to find that the woman is none other than Kyle. Kyle, who manages to charm everyone she meets, and has no plans for leaving until she gets Savanna to talk to her. And Savanna doesn’t make it easy, but eventually, forgiving becomes a lot easier when Kyle continues to show up and keeps flashing those unforgettable blue eyes everywhere she goes that are just begging for a second chance.
Savanna was a very likeable character. Maybe a bit too “on” all the time, but she also just genuinely seems like a friendly person. She knows everyone who walks into her store, people love stopping to talk to her, and she cares deeply for her small town and everyone in it. Having to not only grieve her parents at a young age, but also now her aunt, I think it was interesting how she dealt with her grief. I think if I had been in her shoes it would have taken me longer to recover. But her community and friends seemed to always be there for her, which is nice, but usually not the case I would say for most. While she did wait a good amount of time to let Kyle back in after standing her up, I think it all seemed a little bit too easy. I’m sure if Kyle existed in real life, it would be hard to deny her, but I think for it to be a bit more realistic there needed to be more than just one conversation to seal the deal. Especially after she basically did the same thing in the third act breakup. The chemistry between Savanna and Kyle was electric from the start, but I think everything afterward never quite measured up. It seemed like they were running on pure lust and avoiding the major issues at hand, which is also why things blew up even more out of proportion in the end.
Besides how pretty Kyle is and her soap opera doctor persona, there isn’t much else we know or get to appreciate about her. Without knowing her point of view and the same amount of background information as we get about Savanna, it was really hard to connect to her and care about her as much as Savanna, especially given how many times Kyle messed up and left Savanna hanging. I never really understood how a person could just pick up their whole life after meeting someone (in this case a day), and claim to do anything for them, but then constantly make decisions that put that relationship at risk. Yes she struggles with PTSD, but if she had just communicated that earlier with Savanna and accepted her help, all the drama could have been easily avoided. Her chemistry with Savanna was good, they had good banter and clear attraction, but there was just something more I wanted from them that still seemed to be missing. I loved the cute and hilarious way they met in the hotel hallway and everything that happened in Charleston, but everything seemed to slowly decline after that.
Some of the side characters were great, there were alot of stand out personalities, but there were just too many to keep track of. We just get to the mere surface level of several characters and never get to dive deeper into their lives to truly feel invested in any of them. Jonathan especially seemed really great, especially with getting to know him and his disability and how him and Savanna became and stayed friends. Their connection ran deep, but yet I still feel like there was more to explore there. I particularly didn’t like the whole paternity sub plot, especially when we never really know what she decides to use all the money for and why. It just seemed like Savanna was desperate for someone to call family and it didn’t matter who that was. Yes Savanna has a lot of emotional pain stemming from betrayal and abandonment, but I think there could have been a better way to go about it, than the ridiculousness of finding out who fit the paternity test. Besides the characters, I was kind of disappointed with the lack of small town feel. Being set in South Carolina, you never really get that full feel and all I really remember is jumping from the grocery store, to the bar, to the donut shop, and to the beach house. Other than that I can’t even picture anything else about the atmosphere or even how the town is layed out. Basically everything had the potential to work together but it just didn’t. The themes were good, the characters and side characters were good and likeable, the plot was unique, but how everything was executed just fell flat and seemed forced to me.
Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the early digital copy for review!
This small town second chance romance, follows Savanna Potter and Dr. Kyle Remington as they both learn to navigate their insta love connection. After her parents died when she was young and then now trying to get over the death of her aunt who just recently passed, Savanna is finding it hard to deal with her loneliness. Yes she has the most amazing childhood best friend, yes she loves being the manager of the only non-chain grocery store in town, and yes everyone pretty much loves her, but the one thing she can’t seem to find is that special someone to spend her life with. That is, until she decides to use her aunt’s house as an airbnb and travel to the city of Charleston so that she can attend a conference that goes over the basics of how to make her airbnb idea a reality. While at the hotel she has an awkward encounter with her door that leads to her hitting it off with one of the hottest women Savanna has ever seen. One thing leads to another and before you know it, Savannah finds herself kissing Kyle over a suspension bridge and having the most passionate night that either has ever experienced.
So naturally Kyle suggests that they meet again at the suspension bridge one year from their exact meeting, so that when Kyle is done with her regency at the hospital, they can hopefully both be in a place where they can explore their feelings for one another. Which is why when Savanna returns one year later as she promised, the last thing she ever expected was for Kyle to stand her up. Devastated and confused, Savanna tries to channel all her energy into her job, running the airbnb, and meeting someone else to take her mind off of Kyle. Months later when Savanna meets the woman who rented out her airbnb, she comes to find that the woman is none other than Kyle. Kyle, who manages to charm everyone she meets, and has no plans for leaving until she gets Savanna to talk to her. And Savanna doesn’t make it easy, but eventually, forgiving becomes a lot easier when Kyle continues to show up and keeps flashing those unforgettable blue eyes everywhere she goes that are just begging for a second chance.
Savanna was a very likeable character. Maybe a bit too “on” all the time, but she also just genuinely seems like a friendly person. She knows everyone who walks into her store, people love stopping to talk to her, and she cares deeply for her small town and everyone in it. Having to not only grieve her parents at a young age, but also now her aunt, I think it was interesting how she dealt with her grief. I think if I had been in her shoes it would have taken me longer to recover. But her community and friends seemed to always be there for her, which is nice, but usually not the case I would say for most. While she did wait a good amount of time to let Kyle back in after standing her up, I think it all seemed a little bit too easy. I’m sure if Kyle existed in real life, it would be hard to deny her, but I think for it to be a bit more realistic there needed to be more than just one conversation to seal the deal. Especially after she basically did the same thing in the third act breakup. The chemistry between Savanna and Kyle was electric from the start, but I think everything afterward never quite measured up. It seemed like they were running on pure lust and avoiding the major issues at hand, which is also why things blew up even more out of proportion in the end.
Besides how pretty Kyle is and her soap opera doctor persona, there isn’t much else we know or get to appreciate about her. Without knowing her point of view and the same amount of background information as we get about Savanna, it was really hard to connect to her and care about her as much as Savanna, especially given how many times Kyle messed up and left Savanna hanging. I never really understood how a person could just pick up their whole life after meeting someone (in this case a day), and claim to do anything for them, but then constantly make decisions that put that relationship at risk. Yes she struggles with PTSD, but if she had just communicated that earlier with Savanna and accepted her help, all the drama could have been easily avoided. Her chemistry with Savanna was good, they had good banter and clear attraction, but there was just something more I wanted from them that still seemed to be missing. I loved the cute and hilarious way they met in the hotel hallway and everything that happened in Charleston, but everything seemed to slowly decline after that.
Some of the side characters were great, there were alot of stand out personalities, but there were just too many to keep track of. We just get to the mere surface level of several characters and never get to dive deeper into their lives to truly feel invested in any of them. Jonathan especially seemed really great, especially with getting to know him and his disability and how him and Savanna became and stayed friends. Their connection ran deep, but yet I still feel like there was more to explore there. I particularly didn’t like the whole paternity sub plot, especially when we never really know what she decides to use all the money for and why. It just seemed like Savanna was desperate for someone to call family and it didn’t matter who that was. Yes Savanna has a lot of emotional pain stemming from betrayal and abandonment, but I think there could have been a better way to go about it, than the ridiculousness of finding out who fit the paternity test. Besides the characters, I was kind of disappointed with the lack of small town feel. Being set in South Carolina, you never really get that full feel and all I really remember is jumping from the grocery store, to the bar, to the donut shop, and to the beach house. Other than that I can’t even picture anything else about the atmosphere or even how the town is layed out. Basically everything had the potential to work together but it just didn’t. The themes were good, the characters and side characters were good and likeable, the plot was unique, but how everything was executed just fell flat and seemed forced to me.
Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the early digital copy for review!
July 4, 2025
Melissa Brayden is easily one of my all-time favorite romance authors, but unfortunately, Dream a Little Dream just didn't hit the mark for me.
The story is told entirely from Savanna's point of view, which made it practically impossible to connect with Kyle. She felt like little more than a background character, and I struggled to empathize with her perspective.
On the other hand, Savanna's backstory captivated me. It resonated deeply and evoked genuine emotion, which is a testament to Brayden's skill. However, this was also the part of the book that interested me the most, which is problematic for a romance novel. The romantic arc between Savanna and Kyle simply fell flat. I found their chemistry lacking, and their story was quite dull.
What was also sorely missed were the sassy, "too smart for their own good" characters and witty banter that are typically hallmarks of Brayden's writing. That signature spark was absent here, leaving the dialogue and interactions feeling rather dull.
If you're a fan of small-town settings and second-chance romances, this book might still appeal to you. For me, however, it just didn't work. It's a shame, but it certainly won't stop me from reading her future works!
The story is told entirely from Savanna's point of view, which made it practically impossible to connect with Kyle. She felt like little more than a background character, and I struggled to empathize with her perspective.
On the other hand, Savanna's backstory captivated me. It resonated deeply and evoked genuine emotion, which is a testament to Brayden's skill. However, this was also the part of the book that interested me the most, which is problematic for a romance novel. The romantic arc between Savanna and Kyle simply fell flat. I found their chemistry lacking, and their story was quite dull.
What was also sorely missed were the sassy, "too smart for their own good" characters and witty banter that are typically hallmarks of Brayden's writing. That signature spark was absent here, leaving the dialogue and interactions feeling rather dull.
If you're a fan of small-town settings and second-chance romances, this book might still appeal to you. For me, however, it just didn't work. It's a shame, but it certainly won't stop me from reading her future works!
April 28, 2025
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book
savanna potter her life hasnt been easy....losing her parents at a young age being brought up by her aunt and now that her aunt has died she is an orphan but as if things cant get any worse going through her aunts stuff she finds some devastasting news... the man she thought of as her father isnt actually her biological father, and she has no clue who it can be....
as if that isnt enough to make her want to run the amazing person she met and agreed to meet a year from that day they actually met stood her up....
can life get any more worse for her....
yes it can
at times this is an amusing read and heartbreaking at the same time....but its captivating and as the truths always have a way of coming out poor savanna gets hit with more than at times she can bare....
what a read, always look forward to a melissa brayden book and this one doesnt disappoint
savanna potter her life hasnt been easy....losing her parents at a young age being brought up by her aunt and now that her aunt has died she is an orphan but as if things cant get any worse going through her aunts stuff she finds some devastasting news... the man she thought of as her father isnt actually her biological father, and she has no clue who it can be....
as if that isnt enough to make her want to run the amazing person she met and agreed to meet a year from that day they actually met stood her up....
can life get any more worse for her....
yes it can
at times this is an amusing read and heartbreaking at the same time....but its captivating and as the truths always have a way of coming out poor savanna gets hit with more than at times she can bare....
what a read, always look forward to a melissa brayden book and this one doesnt disappoint
May 10, 2025
Thank you to the publishers for approving me for an arc of this book.
This book was about more than just bringing soulmates together; it was a story of friendship, grief, the struggles of life, found family, true love, and most importantly: finding who you really are.
This book follows the story of Savvy, a passionate grocery store manager who has been dealt a hard hand in life at every turn. After dealing with the loss of her aunt who raised her, she meets Kyle, a sexy and alluring doctor. Kyle forms an instant connection with Savvy and they plan to meet in a year… Except Kyle never shows. Heartbroken Savvy swears off love until one day Kyle shows up again, in her AirBNB.
I was intrigued as I haven’t read many second chance romances but I was a bit disappointed. There was only maybe 20% of the book when they weren’t together and as the main plot line was the romance I expected more focus on it. I understand the main character had a lot going on in her life and we were following that story too, but as it’s classified as a romance I expected the romance to stand out more than everything else, it didn’t. Nothing wrong with that but I feel like it shouldn’t be classified as just romance, you know?
I loved the spark they had and the easy, bound off of each other energy they had. You could tell they got along well and loved their energy together. I truly could see them sticking together and forming a family filled with love and laughter. The way they talk about each other and were great partners was so lovely to read. You could see the love in the small things and the way they showed up for each other when they had other issues going on in their lives. Kyle genuinely seems like the perfect partner despite the disappearing act. As you go through Savvys’ life with her you can watch all of the dramatic character development and how she handles all the insane problems thrown her way.
The first issue I have is with the writing style. Theres nothing inherently wrong about it but it did read like a millennial trying to use Gen Z terminology; as a Gen Z it was painfully obvious and hard to read at first but I got used to it with time. If that’s how millennials think inside their heads, I’m truly sorry. It was still funny in a “what did I just read?” Kind of way and I still enjoyed it in the end. I’m not sure if the intention was to read as a complete inner-monologue, hence the un-seriousness of the writing but maybe that was the goal? It just wasn’t for me, but I can definitely see others loving this book and the writing style. I also noticed at the beginning a lot of things were just said in an explanation instead of shown through the writing, which I happen to particularly dislike.
Due to the fact that Savvy was supposed to be jaded I expected more angst, longing and anger. She definitely didn’t forgive her immediately, but everything was forgiven and moved past pretty quickly. Not to mention, because there’s always the third act break-up, it was more of a 3rd chance romance. The love was sweet but it was always kept at a distance due to both of their issues, disallowing the development of a deeper love. It felt and read as extremely surface level, puppy love. I can’t say I was expecting more as the description didn’t allude to such, however, I was hoping. I thought they would delve into their issues and work through them together but the author just didn’t create that bond. I felt let down in the end but appreciate it for what it was: a fun read. I kept reading about how much they fit together and were perfection but it I just didn’t feel it below them having good banter and great sex; they had chemistry but that was about it. I didn’t actually get to see them work through their dilemmas and form a true connection, it was more-so “we should work together in future” after they worked through things alone then we saw no example of that.
The dad plot line ended up being extremely prevalent, which was exciting at first. I loved where it was heading, finding her father and slowly developing a relationship with her new found family after losing what she had. Unfortunately, I think the author wanted more of a wow factor and chose to go with a surprise, plot twist approach which took away some of the meaning in the story. I don’t like how this went and it affected my feelings toward the book a lot. I liked how she found out, I think it was a little funny considering everything but since it happened so late in the book not much was able to be done with it. The development of who she decides to be is touching and what she decides to do shows how amazing of a person Savvy was. What she found out at the bank helped to ease me into the idea of who her father was and eventual acceptance, which she struggled with too. I think the father storyline was beautiful and contained all of the depth I was wanting from the romance in the book.
Overall I enjoyed the book, yes I had issues with it but it was still a fun and easy read. I can see this story being a lot of peoples’ cup of teas, just not my favourite.
This book was about more than just bringing soulmates together; it was a story of friendship, grief, the struggles of life, found family, true love, and most importantly: finding who you really are.
This book follows the story of Savvy, a passionate grocery store manager who has been dealt a hard hand in life at every turn. After dealing with the loss of her aunt who raised her, she meets Kyle, a sexy and alluring doctor. Kyle forms an instant connection with Savvy and they plan to meet in a year… Except Kyle never shows. Heartbroken Savvy swears off love until one day Kyle shows up again, in her AirBNB.
I was intrigued as I haven’t read many second chance romances but I was a bit disappointed. There was only maybe 20% of the book when they weren’t together and as the main plot line was the romance I expected more focus on it. I understand the main character had a lot going on in her life and we were following that story too, but as it’s classified as a romance I expected the romance to stand out more than everything else, it didn’t. Nothing wrong with that but I feel like it shouldn’t be classified as just romance, you know?
I loved the spark they had and the easy, bound off of each other energy they had. You could tell they got along well and loved their energy together. I truly could see them sticking together and forming a family filled with love and laughter. The way they talk about each other and were great partners was so lovely to read. You could see the love in the small things and the way they showed up for each other when they had other issues going on in their lives. Kyle genuinely seems like the perfect partner despite the disappearing act. As you go through Savvys’ life with her you can watch all of the dramatic character development and how she handles all the insane problems thrown her way.
The first issue I have is with the writing style. Theres nothing inherently wrong about it but it did read like a millennial trying to use Gen Z terminology; as a Gen Z it was painfully obvious and hard to read at first but I got used to it with time. If that’s how millennials think inside their heads, I’m truly sorry. It was still funny in a “what did I just read?” Kind of way and I still enjoyed it in the end. I’m not sure if the intention was to read as a complete inner-monologue, hence the un-seriousness of the writing but maybe that was the goal? It just wasn’t for me, but I can definitely see others loving this book and the writing style. I also noticed at the beginning a lot of things were just said in an explanation instead of shown through the writing, which I happen to particularly dislike.
Due to the fact that Savvy was supposed to be jaded I expected more angst, longing and anger. She definitely didn’t forgive her immediately, but everything was forgiven and moved past pretty quickly. Not to mention, because there’s always the third act break-up, it was more of a 3rd chance romance. The love was sweet but it was always kept at a distance due to both of their issues, disallowing the development of a deeper love. It felt and read as extremely surface level, puppy love. I can’t say I was expecting more as the description didn’t allude to such, however, I was hoping. I thought they would delve into their issues and work through them together but the author just didn’t create that bond. I felt let down in the end but appreciate it for what it was: a fun read. I kept reading about how much they fit together and were perfection but it I just didn’t feel it below them having good banter and great sex; they had chemistry but that was about it. I didn’t actually get to see them work through their dilemmas and form a true connection, it was more-so “we should work together in future” after they worked through things alone then we saw no example of that.
The dad plot line ended up being extremely prevalent, which was exciting at first. I loved where it was heading, finding her father and slowly developing a relationship with her new found family after losing what she had. Unfortunately, I think the author wanted more of a wow factor and chose to go with a surprise, plot twist approach which took away some of the meaning in the story. I don’t like how this went and it affected my feelings toward the book a lot. I liked how she found out, I think it was a little funny considering everything but since it happened so late in the book not much was able to be done with it. The development of who she decides to be is touching and what she decides to do shows how amazing of a person Savvy was. What she found out at the bank helped to ease me into the idea of who her father was and eventual acceptance, which she struggled with too. I think the father storyline was beautiful and contained all of the depth I was wanting from the romance in the book.
Overall I enjoyed the book, yes I had issues with it but it was still a fun and easy read. I can see this story being a lot of peoples’ cup of teas, just not my favourite.
April 29, 2025
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC of Dream a Little Dream.
This book fell short for me for a number of reasons.
Defining this story as a second change romance is marginal at best. The two MCs – Savanna and Kyle – meet at a hotel. They have a little meet-cute, which is definitely cute. They are instantly attracted to one another. Then they end up spending the evening together leading to a night of passion. This leads to big immediate feelings for both of them, and they decide that this is more than a hook-up. But let’s be honest here, it was still a hook-up.
I would have rather the story started with this clandestine hook-up, and there was no plan to meet in a year where one of the MCs doesn’t show up. It would work better if both MCs didn’t think they’d ever see each other again, yet Kyle takes a job in the town where Savanna lives, so they meet again. Then develop the story from there. Blah.
There are far too many characters in this book, so many that I couldn’t keep track of them all. And I really didn’t care about any of them, including the MCs.
Sub-plot after sub-plot after sub-plot. There are too many things going on in this story. It’s hard to figure out what to pay attention to, and the additional sub-plots beyond the marginal use of the second chance trope do nothing to help advance the storyline or our understanding of Savanna and Kyle as the MCs; instead, these sub-plots serve to clutter up the narrative.
Oh, and the decision to use Kielbasa as a last name was certainly a choice. Not a good choice, but it was a choice. I couldn’t take this seriously and side-eyed that word choice whenever it showed up in the book.
This book is set in South Carolina, but I never got a feeling that this book was set in the South at all.
In general, I was not engaged in this book. I found the two MCs lacked chemistry beyond their initial attraction to one another. The multiple characters and sub-plots cluttered up the narrative. The overall writing shows promise, but it falls into the standard sapphic romance novels that I’ve read where the character development ends up being one-dimensional, and the author keeps adding more and more storylines in order to keep the novel going. Honestly, I was bored reading this, which was disappointing.
This book fell short for me for a number of reasons.
Defining this story as a second change romance is marginal at best. The two MCs – Savanna and Kyle – meet at a hotel. They have a little meet-cute, which is definitely cute. They are instantly attracted to one another. Then they end up spending the evening together leading to a night of passion. This leads to big immediate feelings for both of them, and they decide that this is more than a hook-up. But let’s be honest here, it was still a hook-up.
I would have rather the story started with this clandestine hook-up, and there was no plan to meet in a year where one of the MCs doesn’t show up. It would work better if both MCs didn’t think they’d ever see each other again, yet Kyle takes a job in the town where Savanna lives, so they meet again. Then develop the story from there. Blah.
There are far too many characters in this book, so many that I couldn’t keep track of them all. And I really didn’t care about any of them, including the MCs.
Sub-plot after sub-plot after sub-plot. There are too many things going on in this story. It’s hard to figure out what to pay attention to, and the additional sub-plots beyond the marginal use of the second chance trope do nothing to help advance the storyline or our understanding of Savanna and Kyle as the MCs; instead, these sub-plots serve to clutter up the narrative.
Oh, and the decision to use Kielbasa as a last name was certainly a choice. Not a good choice, but it was a choice. I couldn’t take this seriously and side-eyed that word choice whenever it showed up in the book.
This book is set in South Carolina, but I never got a feeling that this book was set in the South at all.
In general, I was not engaged in this book. I found the two MCs lacked chemistry beyond their initial attraction to one another. The multiple characters and sub-plots cluttered up the narrative. The overall writing shows promise, but it falls into the standard sapphic romance novels that I’ve read where the character development ends up being one-dimensional, and the author keeps adding more and more storylines in order to keep the novel going. Honestly, I was bored reading this, which was disappointing.
May 4, 2025
3.5 stars.
Savanna Potter, who lives in a small town called Dreamer's Bay, meets Dr. Alexandra Kyle Remington on a trip to Charleston, and they instantly got attracted to each other. They spend a night together. You know, the typical hookup. But when the morning comes, both aren't capable of letting it go, even though the timing wasn't the best to have a relationship, especially for Kyle. That's when they decided to meet in the bridge where everything started a year later. The year passed, and Savanna went to the date, but Kyle never showed up. With everything happening in her life (her aunt's recent decease and discovering that the man she knew as her father wasn't her biological father), Savanna goes home brokenhearted. Eventually, Kyle goes to Dreamer's Bay to win back Savanna, but she's not eager to have Kyle in her life again. Would Savanna and Kyle get their second chance to be together?
I really, REALLY wanted to connect with this story, and I'm still wondering how I finished the book. First of all, the beginning is really slow, with some unnecessary explanations that weren't useful. Secondly, I think this story needed to be told by both female main characters instead of being narrated by Savanna. I don't know, I feel Kyle's side of the story would help to get full context of the book.
About the main characters, I have to say that they are well developed and have pretty good chemistry. Yet, sometimes their interactions were a bit awkward. Again, since we don't have Kyle's POV, you can't fully understand her because we're looking at Kyle through Savanna's eyes, and Savanna didn't get the whole picture.
Another thing that doesn't work in the book is the fact that there are too many secondary characters (I LOVE Jonathan!) and too many sub plots that overshadowed the main storyline, distracting the reader from it. Although I think the writing is good, there were too many stuff that unfocused the main plot and the conflicts between Savanna and Kyle.
This is my first book from this author, and my first impression is that this story has a lot of potential that needed to be explored in a bolder way.
• ARC given by Bold Strokes Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for your trust.
Savanna Potter, who lives in a small town called Dreamer's Bay, meets Dr. Alexandra Kyle Remington on a trip to Charleston, and they instantly got attracted to each other. They spend a night together. You know, the typical hookup. But when the morning comes, both aren't capable of letting it go, even though the timing wasn't the best to have a relationship, especially for Kyle. That's when they decided to meet in the bridge where everything started a year later. The year passed, and Savanna went to the date, but Kyle never showed up. With everything happening in her life (her aunt's recent decease and discovering that the man she knew as her father wasn't her biological father), Savanna goes home brokenhearted. Eventually, Kyle goes to Dreamer's Bay to win back Savanna, but she's not eager to have Kyle in her life again. Would Savanna and Kyle get their second chance to be together?
I really, REALLY wanted to connect with this story, and I'm still wondering how I finished the book. First of all, the beginning is really slow, with some unnecessary explanations that weren't useful. Secondly, I think this story needed to be told by both female main characters instead of being narrated by Savanna. I don't know, I feel Kyle's side of the story would help to get full context of the book.
About the main characters, I have to say that they are well developed and have pretty good chemistry. Yet, sometimes their interactions were a bit awkward. Again, since we don't have Kyle's POV, you can't fully understand her because we're looking at Kyle through Savanna's eyes, and Savanna didn't get the whole picture.
Another thing that doesn't work in the book is the fact that there are too many secondary characters (I LOVE Jonathan!) and too many sub plots that overshadowed the main storyline, distracting the reader from it. Although I think the writing is good, there were too many stuff that unfocused the main plot and the conflicts between Savanna and Kyle.
This is my first book from this author, and my first impression is that this story has a lot of potential that needed to be explored in a bolder way.
• ARC given by Bold Strokes Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for your trust.
May 18, 2025
While I don't read contemporary romance in general, I really enjoyed another title by this author so I snatched this one up when I got the chance! This was such a cozy sweet story. Very few romance stories start with a First Act Breakup. Though the mechanics of it keep it from being what I would consider a second-chance romance, the familiarity tension dynamic felt similar. Our first lead is Savannah who manages a small town grocery story with her whole heart. She's gone through some recent loss and is looking to make some changes in her life. Our other lead is Dr Kyle (it's her middle name, just roll with it) who is not quite done with her residency, but has a pair of blue eyes Savannah cannot ignore. Especially, when these blue eyes landed on her when she was trapped in a hotel door. Talk about a meet cute! The two agree to meet again on a scenic park bridge in one years time. Of course things don't go according to plan when Kyle doesn't show up.
What I enjoyed about the handling of this plot is that things were not dragged our for the sake of drama. There was drama to be sure, but it didn't feel contrived and was true to the characters. Things were revealed in a comfortable time frame and we didn't speed through the healing process. While Kyle was trying to prove her intentions, she was never pushy and her patience was such an endearing trait.
Speaking of endearing, I enjoyed the small town setting a lot. While it's very different in real life, it's always cute to me reading about these settings with characters all in each other's business. Well-intentioned in this case! But yes, no escape from the rumor mill. If I could add one scene to this story I would have loved to see The epilogue was a nice bow on top, but either of these scenes I mentioned would have tied it together so nicely. Yes, I'm maybe being greedy haha.
I would love to visit Dreamer's Bay again. Perhaps to get a story for MJ?? ;)
Thank you to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.
What I enjoyed about the handling of this plot is that things were not dragged our for the sake of drama. There was drama to be sure, but it didn't feel contrived and was true to the characters. Things were revealed in a comfortable time frame and we didn't speed through the healing process. While Kyle was trying to prove her intentions, she was never pushy and her patience was such an endearing trait.
Speaking of endearing, I enjoyed the small town setting a lot. While it's very different in real life, it's always cute to me reading about these settings with characters all in each other's business. Well-intentioned in this case! But yes, no escape from the rumor mill. If I could add one scene to this story I would have loved to see The epilogue was a nice bow on top, but either of these scenes I mentioned would have tied it together so nicely. Yes, I'm maybe being greedy haha.
I would love to visit Dreamer's Bay again. Perhaps to get a story for MJ?? ;)
Thank you to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.
May 5, 2025
Thank you to Bold strokes books and Melissa Brayden for providing me with this e-ARC
First the good things:
I loved the characters, Savannah is a great main character and Kyle is an amazing love interest (she’s seriously so hot). I really liked the small town setting, it’s not something I have read a lot of but, it’s such a cute vibe and definelty something I will look for in the future. I loved Savannah’s friends, Jonathon and Elizabeth and everyone else in the town. The storyline was great too, there were other plotlines apart from the romance which was good. It was a very enjoyable, very funny book and I felt very connected to all of the characters. As someone who loves character focused books, I really loved how close I felt to the characters, I was rooting for them which is a good sign of the authors characterisation skills.
The aspects of this novel that I did not enjoy, include the dialogue. It felt unnatural to me and I had quite a few moments of intense second hand embarrassment as characters said some really cringey things. However I do understand I am a lot younger than the characters and the author and probably not the target audience, so it might just be my age speaking. I also felt that the third act breakup was entirely unnecessary, it was so sudden, I just don’t believe there was any reason for them to break up. And I understand it was used as conflict during the end part of the novel, and that it is a common strategy for romance authors, but to be honest, it just made me annoyed. It felt like Savannah was pushing away Kyle for no reason and that their issues could have been resolved with a simple conversation rather than breaking up for months.
I did think Kyle was very supportive of Savannah throughout the whole thing though, I really liked that she continued to be there for her despite their breakup.
In summary I am happy to have read this, I love sapphic romances with all my heart. It was a fun, addictive read and I’m super thankful I was able to read it early ♡♡♡
First the good things:
I loved the characters, Savannah is a great main character and Kyle is an amazing love interest (she’s seriously so hot). I really liked the small town setting, it’s not something I have read a lot of but, it’s such a cute vibe and definelty something I will look for in the future. I loved Savannah’s friends, Jonathon and Elizabeth and everyone else in the town. The storyline was great too, there were other plotlines apart from the romance which was good. It was a very enjoyable, very funny book and I felt very connected to all of the characters. As someone who loves character focused books, I really loved how close I felt to the characters, I was rooting for them which is a good sign of the authors characterisation skills.
The aspects of this novel that I did not enjoy, include the dialogue. It felt unnatural to me and I had quite a few moments of intense second hand embarrassment as characters said some really cringey things. However I do understand I am a lot younger than the characters and the author and probably not the target audience, so it might just be my age speaking. I also felt that the third act breakup was entirely unnecessary, it was so sudden, I just don’t believe there was any reason for them to break up. And I understand it was used as conflict during the end part of the novel, and that it is a common strategy for romance authors, but to be honest, it just made me annoyed. It felt like Savannah was pushing away Kyle for no reason and that their issues could have been resolved with a simple conversation rather than breaking up for months.
I did think Kyle was very supportive of Savannah throughout the whole thing though, I really liked that she continued to be there for her despite their breakup.
In summary I am happy to have read this, I love sapphic romances with all my heart. It was a fun, addictive read and I’m super thankful I was able to read it early ♡♡♡
May 11, 2025
I wrestled with this book a little. There were aspects that I really loved but other parts that were not my jam. The characters are complicated and both come with a degree of baggage, particularly Savanna who has a major fear of abandonment following the death of her parents when she was young, the recent loss of the aunt who raised her and now being left stood up by the woman of her dreams, one year after they first met in a whirlwind, heated weekend, on top of finding out that the man she always believed was her father, actually wasn't.
The book is told from Savanna's perspective which is great for getting into her head and learning to understand where her fears are coming from. However, at times, particularly after Kyle fails to turn up for their agreed meeting on the suspension bridge, the angst going on in Savanna's head was painful to wade through, particularly for someone like me who is not really a fan of too much angst in a story. However, the second half the book, following the two MC's reconnecting and getting back together became an easier read and gradually drew me back into the story.
Aside from the angst the issue I struggled with the most was the feeling that the story had a feeling of "this happened, and then this happened, and then that happened......" and it just kind of felt like the author was throwing everything possible in Savanna's path to test her ability to overcome her fear of abandonment. It just felt like Savanna was on a never-ending roller coaster of emotions.
Despite these concerns, overall, I can say that I did enjoy the story and would rate it as 3 and a half stars (rounded up to 4).
I am grateful to the author and Bold Strokes Books for providing me with an ARC copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.
The book is told from Savanna's perspective which is great for getting into her head and learning to understand where her fears are coming from. However, at times, particularly after Kyle fails to turn up for their agreed meeting on the suspension bridge, the angst going on in Savanna's head was painful to wade through, particularly for someone like me who is not really a fan of too much angst in a story. However, the second half the book, following the two MC's reconnecting and getting back together became an easier read and gradually drew me back into the story.
Aside from the angst the issue I struggled with the most was the feeling that the story had a feeling of "this happened, and then this happened, and then that happened......" and it just kind of felt like the author was throwing everything possible in Savanna's path to test her ability to overcome her fear of abandonment. It just felt like Savanna was on a never-ending roller coaster of emotions.
Despite these concerns, overall, I can say that I did enjoy the story and would rate it as 3 and a half stars (rounded up to 4).
I am grateful to the author and Bold Strokes Books for providing me with an ARC copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.
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