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Daylight
Rosie Edwards returns to London ready for a new beginning, starting a new job running social content for England’s rugby team—not to face the boy she once loved in absolute secret.
Theo Hale.
Her brother’s best friend.
Her dad’s star player.
Her almost something at eighteen…
And now the man she has to photograph, interview, and pretend she’s totally, definitely, absolutely not still in love with.
Theo has spent years burying the reckless version of himself. No more drinking, no more trouble, no more entanglements. With the World Cup looming, he can’t afford distractions.
Especially not the girl he should never have touched in the first place.
But love has terrible timing and a wicked sense of humour.
And when these two collide again; older, wiser, still disastrously into each other, every rule Rosie sets herself starts to feel impossible to keep.
Theo Hale.
Her brother’s best friend.
Her dad’s star player.
Her almost something at eighteen…
And now the man she has to photograph, interview, and pretend she’s totally, definitely, absolutely not still in love with.
Theo has spent years burying the reckless version of himself. No more drinking, no more trouble, no more entanglements. With the World Cup looming, he can’t afford distractions.
Especially not the girl he should never have touched in the first place.
But love has terrible timing and a wicked sense of humour.
And when these two collide again; older, wiser, still disastrously into each other, every rule Rosie sets herself starts to feel impossible to keep.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 9, 2026
2 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Dana Russo
1 book7 followersDana Russo is a British author living in London wishing she was frolicking in the country side instead. A lover of sports and rom-coms, she merged both in her debut novel, Daylight.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 5, 2026
╰┈➤ 3.25 stars!
first book by dana russo, and also first book of the year. i’m glad to say that it was good! 💛🫧
୨ৎ rosie. she’s so relatable because i also try to keep people at a distance so that i won’t get hurt. it’s just really our defense mechanism after getting rejected for so many times.
୨ৎ theo. he’s so thoughtful when it comes to rosie. he’s the type of person who’d rather have her mad at him rather than not to have her at all.
this book was definitely slower than my liking, but i wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing. before reading this, i was already feeling slumpy and whenever i don’t feel like reading, i need me a fast-paced book to get me back on track, yk?
additionally, it would’ve felt more complete if we got to know more about their past since it was such a huge factor as to why rosie’s mad at theo.
i loved that once they’ve cleared everything out, they communicated like the adults the are. there’s just truly something so refreshing when grown ups talk about their problems. it’s such s huge thing that people should do more for real. in order to be comfortable, you have to go through some uncomfortable steps, unless you just want to struggle for a long time.
also, the snippet for the second book?! i’m sat and counting the days till’ we hear more announcements about it 👀🤭
so overall, i’d consider this a good read and if you’re into slow burn romance, and brother’s best friend, then this book is definitely for you!
・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・
pre-read:
first book of the year, and it’s an arc! 🥹🫶🏼✨ saw the author’s account on instagram and decided to sign up for the arc because the tropes in this book? i’m sat
first book by dana russo, and also first book of the year. i’m glad to say that it was good! 💛🫧
୨ৎ rosie. she’s so relatable because i also try to keep people at a distance so that i won’t get hurt. it’s just really our defense mechanism after getting rejected for so many times.
୨ৎ theo. he’s so thoughtful when it comes to rosie. he’s the type of person who’d rather have her mad at him rather than not to have her at all.
this book was definitely slower than my liking, but i wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing. before reading this, i was already feeling slumpy and whenever i don’t feel like reading, i need me a fast-paced book to get me back on track, yk?
additionally, it would’ve felt more complete if we got to know more about their past since it was such a huge factor as to why rosie’s mad at theo.
i loved that once they’ve cleared everything out, they communicated like the adults the are. there’s just truly something so refreshing when grown ups talk about their problems. it’s such s huge thing that people should do more for real. in order to be comfortable, you have to go through some uncomfortable steps, unless you just want to struggle for a long time.
also, the snippet for the second book?! i’m sat and counting the days till’ we hear more announcements about it 👀🤭
so overall, i’d consider this a good read and if you’re into slow burn romance, and brother’s best friend, then this book is definitely for you!
・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・。・
pre-read:
first book of the year, and it’s an arc! 🥹🫶🏼✨ saw the author’s account on instagram and decided to sign up for the arc because the tropes in this book? i’m sat
January 4, 2026
A wholesome, short and sweet rugby romance with that classic dry London banter which made me so homesick! So grateful to have received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
“Stop sitting in the dark, afraid of things that haven’t even happened… Step into the daylight with me, Rosie. I’ll hold your hand through it all.”
Rosie returns back to London after a failed relationship. When her father - the coach of the England rugby team - gets her a job at the stadium, it completely ruins her plans of avoiding the star player and her brothers best friend who broke her heart. Theo has spent the better part of his adulthood burying his reckless self. Coming face-to-face with the girl he has yearned for years puts all his plans of focusing on rugby aside. Now older and more mature, is it the right time for them? Can Rosie forgive him and open herself again to Theo, and can he finally prove himself worthy?
“His smile gets bigger and bigger, like he’s feeding off my misery. I hate him.”
I quite love a grumpy FMC and Rosie was just that; girl who seems like she enjoys being alone but deeply craves connection. Despite her close relationship with her brother, everyone else was always at arms length. I enjoyed seeing her open her heart to love and that Theo was patient, open and honest - even if it was tough for her to hear. At first I was hesitant as he would rile her up just for a smidge of attention (a little toxic imo) but I understood him.
“I’m terrified that this is all we are ever going to be. Stolen touches. Near misses. A pair of idiots who orbit each other like magnets with bad timing.”
Whilst I loved the romance, I felt like something was missing. I would have liked more emotional depth and flashbacks to the past to truly appreciate the journey with these two. Also, part of the dialogue seemed to be missing and quite choppy. There was definitely a romance focus with very little plot happening until the end which made the pacing a little slow in the middle. But all in all I’m excited for the next book on Elise!
“He is the sun. He is my sun.”
What’s included:
👀 Brothers best friend
💛 Second chance
🤫 Secret relationship
🏉 Sports romance
✨ No third act breakup
🇬🇧 Set in London, UK
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
“Stop sitting in the dark, afraid of things that haven’t even happened… Step into the daylight with me, Rosie. I’ll hold your hand through it all.”
Rosie returns back to London after a failed relationship. When her father - the coach of the England rugby team - gets her a job at the stadium, it completely ruins her plans of avoiding the star player and her brothers best friend who broke her heart. Theo has spent the better part of his adulthood burying his reckless self. Coming face-to-face with the girl he has yearned for years puts all his plans of focusing on rugby aside. Now older and more mature, is it the right time for them? Can Rosie forgive him and open herself again to Theo, and can he finally prove himself worthy?
“His smile gets bigger and bigger, like he’s feeding off my misery. I hate him.”
I quite love a grumpy FMC and Rosie was just that; girl who seems like she enjoys being alone but deeply craves connection. Despite her close relationship with her brother, everyone else was always at arms length. I enjoyed seeing her open her heart to love and that Theo was patient, open and honest - even if it was tough for her to hear. At first I was hesitant as he would rile her up just for a smidge of attention (a little toxic imo) but I understood him.
“I’m terrified that this is all we are ever going to be. Stolen touches. Near misses. A pair of idiots who orbit each other like magnets with bad timing.”
Whilst I loved the romance, I felt like something was missing. I would have liked more emotional depth and flashbacks to the past to truly appreciate the journey with these two. Also, part of the dialogue seemed to be missing and quite choppy. There was definitely a romance focus with very little plot happening until the end which made the pacing a little slow in the middle. But all in all I’m excited for the next book on Elise!
“He is the sun. He is my sun.”
What’s included:
👀 Brothers best friend
💛 Second chance
🤫 Secret relationship
🏉 Sports romance
✨ No third act breakup
🇬🇧 Set in London, UK
Review of advance copy received from Author
3.25 stars
Tropes
Second chance romance
Slow burn
Rugby romance
Childhood friends
Brother’s best friend
Dual pov
Thank you to the author Dana Russo for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book overall. At first, I was a little unsure because the main characters are in their mid to late twenties but sometimes came across as younger, especially due to their banter/snark which felt a bit immature early on. Once that settled down I found myself enjoying the story much more.
Rosie was an interesting character to follow. Her dynamic with her friends was a bit inconsistent as she tends to keep people at a distance. Her decision to keep her relationship with Theo a secret helped understand her character and motivations in this respect.
Theo was the epitome of yearning and he broke Rosie’s heart when they were younger but it is never fully clear how or why he did that. I wish there had been more clarity around this and potentially some flashback scenes could have helped explain this.
The pacing was slightly uneven at times and the ending also felt a bit abrupt. I would have liked to see more plot beyond the central romance, such as looking more at Rosie’s issues with her colleagues or more interactions with their family and friends.
That said, it was an easy, quick read, and I still found it enjoyable overall.
Tropes
Second chance romance
Slow burn
Rugby romance
Childhood friends
Brother’s best friend
Dual pov
Thank you to the author Dana Russo for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book overall. At first, I was a little unsure because the main characters are in their mid to late twenties but sometimes came across as younger, especially due to their banter/snark which felt a bit immature early on. Once that settled down I found myself enjoying the story much more.
Rosie was an interesting character to follow. Her dynamic with her friends was a bit inconsistent as she tends to keep people at a distance. Her decision to keep her relationship with Theo a secret helped understand her character and motivations in this respect.
Theo was the epitome of yearning and he broke Rosie’s heart when they were younger but it is never fully clear how or why he did that. I wish there had been more clarity around this and potentially some flashback scenes could have helped explain this.
The pacing was slightly uneven at times and the ending also felt a bit abrupt. I would have liked to see more plot beyond the central romance, such as looking more at Rosie’s issues with her colleagues or more interactions with their family and friends.
That said, it was an easy, quick read, and I still found it enjoyable overall.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you Dana Russo for this advance copy. What a wonderfully sweet debut. And this ticks all my boxes, trope wise, and the sneak peak in to book 2..yes please.
The yearning in this book was top tier!
Theo was such a cutie pie ! He sets a new standard for men IRL...he bakes, he cooks, he looks after her when she's ill.
Rosie was such a sweet FMC. Filled with a lot of self doubt, an overthinker.... you just want to wrap her up in a hug.
☀️𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘳. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧.
💛brother's best friend
💛rugby romance
💛second chance
💛no third act breakup 🔥
💛he falls first
I love that this is set in London, and the author herself is half British! I need more British authors to read !
What a bit of a dramatic twist by the end! Book 2 will be intriguing! But I am ready for Rosie's brother story🥰🥰
Fave Quote
☀️“𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦... 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥....𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦, 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘦. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭.”
The yearning in this book was top tier!
Theo was such a cutie pie ! He sets a new standard for men IRL...he bakes, he cooks, he looks after her when she's ill.
Rosie was such a sweet FMC. Filled with a lot of self doubt, an overthinker.... you just want to wrap her up in a hug.
☀️𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘳. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧.
💛brother's best friend
💛rugby romance
💛second chance
💛no third act breakup 🔥
💛he falls first
I love that this is set in London, and the author herself is half British! I need more British authors to read !
What a bit of a dramatic twist by the end! Book 2 will be intriguing! But I am ready for Rosie's brother story🥰🥰
Fave Quote
☀️“𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦... 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥....𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦, 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘦. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭.”
January 14, 2026
Oh my this book!!
This slow burn sport romance follows Theo a famous rugby player and Rosie who returns from America after another failed relationship. Theo is Rosie’s older brother’s best friend and has been accepted in their family long ago. Rosie and Theo have banter and flirt all throughout the book while acting like they hate eachother. They have been in love for years without being able to commit to each other. Something happened between these two 7 years ago. After Rosie’s dad gave her a job with the rugby team she is forced to spend more time with Theo. They finally admit their love for each other. Theo definitely falls first and harder. Theo appears to be such a kind, loving person who enjoys taking care of Rosie. This story is so refreshing, not too much spicy.
There is a plot twist at the end of the book which lead us right into book two!!! Ohh I cannot wait to read Elsie’s story.
🤍 brothers best friend
🤍 dual POV
🤍 second chance romance
🤍 secret dating
🤍 rugby romance
🤍 set in London, UK
This slow burn sport romance follows Theo a famous rugby player and Rosie who returns from America after another failed relationship. Theo is Rosie’s older brother’s best friend and has been accepted in their family long ago. Rosie and Theo have banter and flirt all throughout the book while acting like they hate eachother. They have been in love for years without being able to commit to each other. Something happened between these two 7 years ago. After Rosie’s dad gave her a job with the rugby team she is forced to spend more time with Theo. They finally admit their love for each other. Theo definitely falls first and harder. Theo appears to be such a kind, loving person who enjoys taking care of Rosie. This story is so refreshing, not too much spicy.
There is a plot twist at the end of the book which lead us right into book two!!! Ohh I cannot wait to read Elsie’s story.
🤍 brothers best friend
🤍 dual POV
🤍 second chance romance
🤍 secret dating
🤍 rugby romance
🤍 set in London, UK
Review of advance copy received from Author
Rosie and Theo are so sweet babies with pure sweet love for each other.
It didn’t hurt that the slow burn was absolute perfection. The way Theo pined for her, and she was so scared about being with him.
Once the spice hit, it was hawwtttt.
Dana hit it right out of the park with her debut.
Thank you Dana for an advanced copy.
It didn’t hurt that the slow burn was absolute perfection. The way Theo pined for her, and she was so scared about being with him.
Once the spice hit, it was hawwtttt.
Dana hit it right out of the park with her debut.
Thank you Dana for an advanced copy.
January 4, 2026
Theo and Rosie were the absolute sweetest couple! This was the perfect lighthearted second chance romance for two people who just needed time to grow independently so that they could come back together. The moments in the story where they each took care of each other were my favorite. Such a great debut book! Thank you Dana for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Obsessed with Theo and Rosie, such a cute couple and all the ways he showed up for her! 🥺 Easiest 5 stars, and excited for the next one. Thanks to the author for sending an early release 🫶🏻
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews