Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming

by Monique Fisher

Four best friends, one trip to New Orleans, and no clue what the Big Easy has in store for them …

After an adventurous vacation exploring New Orleans, four best friends decide to visit a psychic. When she predicts that each of them will find true love in the new year, they don’t believe it. But they soon discover fate will not be denied.

Lyric
Lyric is a publicist who’s used to cleaning up the messes of the rich and famous. She quickly finds herself in her own mess when a photo of her kissing millionaire angel investor Ranson Hamilton goes viral. She agrees to fake date him to distract the public. The only problem is Ranson is changing the rules, determined to make the relationship real.

Aimee
When childhood sweethearts Aimee and Patrick are reunited years after the disapproving opinions of his family pushed them apart, they decide to see if rekindling their love is truly in the cards.

Suchi
Suchi and Kofi have a magnetic attraction from the jump, but instant chemistry isn’t enough to withstand real life. After Kofi shares some news about his past, Suchi has to decide if it’s too much for her to handle.

Bridget
Bridget and Silas meet under embarrassing circumstances. Despite that, he agrees to help her get revenge on her ex. Silas accompanies Bridget to her ex’s wedding as her plus one. What begins as a simple three-day drive between strangers quickly develops into much more. Bridget is faced with the biggest question of is she willing to open her heart one more time?

Tell Me I’m Not Dreaming is a rom-com anthology about four women taking a chance on love and learning to embrace their fates with open arms.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 29, 2025

About the author

Monique Fisher is a theatre and comic book geek who always has her hands glued to the keyboard conjuring up happily ever afters. She writes modern, fun, real life romances set in cities and small towns featuring a diverse cast of big hearted, lovable characters. When she isn't writing, she's busy trying to create shelf space for other Black authors. She lives in Los Angeles with her two boys, Michael and Alexander, fur baby Maya aka Pie.

Reviews

[DaphaBelle Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 star ⭐️ & 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5. I picked up this book strictly because of the cover, and honestly? No regrets, it totally delivered! The plot was refreshingly different. It’s essentially four love stories wrapped into one, following a group of female friends as each finds their person, and I really enjoyed that setup.

Here’s my favorite couple storylines, ranked (no spoilers):
1. Aimee & Patrick – A steamy second-chance romance.
2. Bridget & Silas – They gave off major grown-up, emotionally mature energy, and I loved that for them.
3. Lyric & Ransom – An older (not by much)woman/younger man in somewhat close proximity.
4. Suchi & Kofit – A love-at-first-sight situation that was a little cheesy and they moved very fast.

Overall, it was a fun read with a unique format, and the friendships made it even better.

[Azarra Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me just start by saying I LOVED the concept of this book-- it gave me major Insecure x Girlfriends vibes and that immediately pulled me in. The idea of four gorgeous, successful Black women navigating love and life in their 40's? That's the kind of representation we need more of. The premise had so much potential and I genuinely had fun reading this book.

That said, I felt like the relationships developed WAY too fast. Everyone was falling in love like it was a speed dating challenge 😩 Aimee & Patrick were the only couple that felt real and naturally paced since they actually had history and got their second chance. Everyone else seemed to fall in love overnight, which made the emotional depth feel rushed and unrealistic. Another thing that bothered me was that the women were written as powerful and accomplished and the "take no shit" type, but some of their behavior came off as a bit immature like they never dated before. For example, Bridget's shyness with Silas didn't match the confident, independent woman we know. Unless she had an underlying anxiety disorder, it didn't match (or ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ maybe this is a stretch, but maybe her ex broke her down so much, she lost that confidence with men). Either way, it felt like it minimized her strength as a character.

The stories would've worked so much better as four separate novels (or even novellas) rather than one 275 page book with 4 short stories crammed together. The pacing suffered because there wasn't enough space to really develop each relationship and give their stories room to breathe. Also, the book leaned a lot on telling rather than showing... like we were being walked through what happened instead of experiencing it alongside the charaacters. There weren't many descriptions or emotional details to draw me in which caused it to fall flat. **Almost** every sentence started with a pronoun that dictated the action: "They are on a date. He has on jeans. She has on a dress. He's buying her food. They ate and talked about life. He smiled. She laughed. He wishes to go on another date. She enjoyed it." I did not 😭💀

The spice was def a highlight 🤭✨ I enjoyed it for the most part but some parts gave me the ick. Like there are better ways to describe sex. "Mmm," Lyric moans. "Mmm-hmmm," Ranson moans in agreement. "Mmm?" Lyric moans in question.... no I'm being so fr that is actually in the book during sex.

Some inconsistencies also bothered me: there's a part where Lyric says she's a die hard sports fan but then says she's watching the Warriors vs. Eagles game (idk if its intentional or not, but baby that's a NBA team vs. an NFL team)
I don't wanna be a negative Nancy because like I said this has potential and it was a fun read and I didn't DNF it. Besides Aimee and Patrick, I did like Lyric and Ranson's relationship. He has great book boyfriend qualities. Sending $10k and paying off student loans? ✅ Threatening your boss so he doesn't fire you? ✅ Promising he'll find you a job if you do get fired? ✅ Bonding with the men in your life? ✅✅✅ Suchi and Kofi were cute too but not as memorable but 5 chapters weren't enough.

Overall, I still love what this book was trying to do. The vision was everything-- grown Black women finding love, navigating careers, and rediscovering themselves. I just wished the execution matched the heart of the concept because this easily could have been a 5 star read 🔥 (also not gonna talk about that ending bc I needed moreeee!)

okay thnxx byeeee! if you read this far in my review, follow my IG: @read.by.zara

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Ayoka B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I absolutely loved the structure of this story: mini-stories within a larger one. And the premise was very cute and on-brand for the author's Rom-Com universe. Monique Fisher's idea and storytelling are very creative and compelling. I also love the cover for this book.

I enjoyed the comradery of the girlfriend group. You can feel their love and respect for one another. I also appreciate that they are four, accomplished Black women with distinct personalities which were consistent throughout the book. There was good banter among the characters that read like a rom-com. The themes of spirituality and cultural practices (hoodoo, roots) were not prominent, but respectfully handled. I love New Orleans so for the premise of the book to originate there drew me in. It also adds a layer of mysticism and history.

At times, I felt the pacing was too fast but these are novelettes and I admittedly have not read one before. Still, it could feel rushed and portions read like we were simply getting from one point to the next rather than the pacing of a story with details and dialogue. It is a spicy read and unfortunately some of the spice suffered from this rush. It also seemed that one of the four couples had more pages and space dedicated to them.

Overall, I enjoyed the read. I will definitely read upcoming and other titles by this author.

[Ty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried. Whew. I really did. I just couldn't finish the book. It started off cute. It was unrealistic, and didn't flow. I wish Monique would have stuck with the characters Lyric and Ranson and expanded their story with her friends as the supporting actors. The plot was good and would have made for a great story. The book felt rushed to connect the dots and so much more could have been added to make it better. I got to page 116 and put it down.

[Shynnel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this. It s funny, cute and sexy. I loved that we got all the stories and they all picked up right where the last one left off. I didn’t really know how the author was gonna write the story for four women in one book but it was done very well i wanted more but it didn’t feel rushed at all

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. Four girlfriends find love after a girls trip to New Orleans for New Years where they visited a physic who told them they would, all within a year. This is their four short stories. They are sweet and very spicy.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars!!

[Joanne Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny

Loved this read! Super funny. It's a great story line for each lady. Can't wait for Braxtons book, I know it won't disappoint

[Andrea Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

just read the book sis!!!!

I love how it has a story on each girl! It was a really quit, fun, and sexy read!!! I’m becoming a huge Monique Fisher fan!!!

[Kennedy Rou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe it could have been longer with some of the stories ..but the ones that were longer I did enjoy the build up

[Victoria Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ loved the concept of this book but I just didn’t connect with it as much as I thought I would (DNF)

[Tyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a fun time reading this story, and I loved every single couple! I also love that they are GROWN, and it’s no nonsense. They get straight to the point, and I’m here for it all!

[Takiyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and friends

Such a cute fun story of friends finding what they need and being willing to go after it. Enjoyed reading this.

[Tanya Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Absolutely loved this book!! Could actually see the story as if you were in the story. Would DEFINITELY recommend and I would read it again!!

[Lorryn Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! Such a great group of friends with partners who are perfect for them. I only wish it were longer! I hope she writes another anthology book for their weddings!