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 time, 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 Potter is a perky can do person that is beloved in her small hometown. But she has suffered a lot of losses including her parents and the aunt who took her in and raised her. On a weekend in Charleston she has a chance meeting and hook-up with the right person but at the wrong time. They agree to meet up again in a year but Dr. Kyle Remington doesn’t show up. A few months later Kyle arrives in Dreamer’s Bay. She is embracing small town living and wanting Savanna as well.

Brayden is delightful, as usual, with her witty banter. This is a fairly light and breezy LesFic romance. There are some side plots. But the easy romance between Savanna and Kyle is the focus. I think the only extra thing I wanted was to know more about Kyle. Everything is from Savanna’s POV and you see Kyle mostly in Savanna’s world. It was almost as if her character was irrelevant to the plot other than for her work crisis. Why did she change careers? Does she have a family that she stays in touch with? But with that said this is the kind of book I pull easily from my shelf to read again on a day when I want a quick pick me up.

I absolutely loved this book—it’s one of the best romance novels I’ve read in a long time, especially in terms of its captivating beginning. Melissa Brayden never disappoints, delivering witty, well-crafted characters and just the right amount of drama to keep you thoroughly engaged from start to finish.

This was a really cute and wholesome read. I’m a sucker for second chance stories with reunions and this one served that. Their first meeting was so adorable and god the minute they made the pact I was screaming with excitement.

The characters’ chemistry was really good, so sizzling. Even the banter, their flirting was my favourite. I really enjoyed the small town setting and the cute friend group.

However, the part I didn’t feel connected to was Savanna’s family plot. I feel like it could’ve been a lot more emotional but I didn’t feel emotionally invested in it. Aside from that, the couple’s conflict in the last half of the book kind of put me off because it did not feel necessary and felt counterproductive. I believe that opportunity could’ve been used to show kyle’s growth but instead it showed her falling back into an unhealthy pattern, which sort of put me off.

Otherwise, the couple was really adorable and it made for a quick sweet read!

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and the storyline. What was getting old us the cutesy names for businesses. It wasn't just one or two, it was all of them.
Regardless,an enjoyable read & I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dream a Little Dream by Melissa Brayden is a poignant and heartfelt second chance romance that perfectly balances emotional depth with Brayden’s signature charm. Set in the cozy coastal town of Dreamer’s Bay, the story follows Savanna Potter as she navigates grief, betrayal, and a life-altering family revelation—all while trying to resist the undeniable pull of Kyle Remington, the woman who once broke her heart. Brayden captures the messy, beautiful complexity of rekindled love with sharp dialogue, magnetic chemistry, and just the right dose of humor. This is a story about forgiveness, resilience, and the kind of love that’s worth taking a risk on—even when your heart is still bruised.

Savannah and Kyle were the definition of I will wait forever for you. Cause I fear that’s what both of them did.
Melissa did such a good job of when it came to the mental health side of it all, as well as chronic illness/pain.
I found the concept of Savannah trying to find out her bio dad, and how she was coping with it all very well done.
And I swear Jonathon was such a funny character. I loved all the reps in this book. And can’t wait to read more by Melissa Braydon

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 proposal and/or a wedding vows scene. 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?? ;)

Savanna Potter has decided she’d make ‘Dreamer’s Bay’ her home. It’s where she grew up living her first twelve years with her Mom and Dad and she could honestly say she had a wonderful life, until an accident changed her life. Losing both her parents was a hard blow but there to ease the rest of her life was her aunt Lindy. It was Lindy who gave her a warm, welcoming home.
Jonathan, her friend forever it seemed. She loved him because he, like Lindy, made her feel safe and loved. Not ‘that’ kind of love but the kind that lasts a lifetime. Over the years she added to her friends list but her romantic life, not so much.
Dr. Kyle Remington was just finishing up her residency in Charleston, South Carolina and happened to be staying at the same hotel as Savanna. Savanna traveled there to get some ideas on how to turn the house left to her by Lindy into an ‘Airbnb’. She was doing all right, she managed the local grocery store but going with ‘Airbnb’ allowed her to keep Lindy’s home. Kyle was there because of work being done at her apartment.
Spending the weekend together was the best and since they had so much fun they’d meet again after a year's time. Easy, right, but plans dont always turn out the way she’d hoped. Simply put. Another great book by Melissa Brayden, you know the author that has a love affair with wine and donuts. A very, very entertaining and fun read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

While I've read every book Melissa Brayden has published (and will continue to do so), not every one of those books shines. This one does.

This was hard to put down from the start, had likable and relatable characters, and rolled along smoothly. Kyle and Savanna were adorable, and I was rooting for them to have a happy ending.

There were just a few bumps in the road. One, there were so many characters. The BFF, Jonathan, seemed to be put in place to give Savanna a gay male friend. There were parts of the story where her other friends were far more prominent in her life. The other issue was that there was no evidence of Jonathan and Kyle ever meeting, or of Savanna sharing some information with the other characters. Case in point, there was no scene where Savanna told Kyle about what she'd learned about who her father might be. The other issue was the unnecessary addition of a second person who might be Savanna's father. That part of the story felt clunky. My last beef (I really don't feel strongly enough to even call it that) is the cute-isms throughout. This frustratingly has become a Brayden staple. Whether it's "cute" names of shops or cutesy dialogue, it takes away from the story itself. I always feel like I'm reading a book that is geared towards 20-somethings, even if the characters are in an older demographic.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read.

I fell in love with this book right from the beginning!! All the small town close relationships made me feel like I was right there in Dreamers Bay with them. I also loved that this book wasn’t straight forward and kept me on my toes wondering what was going to happen next. There were a few moments I was on the edge of my seat trying to anticipate what was going to happen next. I will definitely be looking at more titles by Melissa Brayden!!

Good book. This is a story about second chances, and finding your true authentic self. The main characters are well written and seem made for each other. Savanna and Kyle were a couple, then Kyle left, Savanna never really got over that, now Kyle's back in town and seems to want a second chance, this is where everything else begins. The town was fun to read about, it sounds very quirky and interesting, also the secondary characters were very well written, and some were just as quirky and interesting as the town. This was an enjoyable book to read and a book that I would definitely recommend to my friends and family. I also look forward to what's next from this author.

This book by Melissa Brayden tackled the ideas of fate, second-chance romance, and a main character (Savanna) figuring out her identity after a lot of loss.

The book opens with Savanna dealing with the passing of the aunt who raised her, after having lost both parents when she was very young. In addition to losing her aunt, she discovers that the dad who raised her is not her biological dad. It seemed like an abrupt plot point to me, but it makes more sense later on in the book.

All of this leads to complicated feelings of abandonment and fear of commitment, which comes into play later on in the book when she is figuring out her relationship with Kyle. The reader is definitely taken on a roller coaster of a ride with Savanna and Kyle. They meet in a humorous way, and Brayden conveyed their chemistry very well. Both characters are flawed and have their own baggage to deal with, but the way they learn to come together is highly enjoyable.

Overall I enjoyed this love story, and I would definitely want to take a trip to Dreamer's Bay if it were real.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and the author for the opportunity to read this book in advance and write a review.

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 there 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.

This was a sweet small town, second-chance after a chance encounter story, with lots of emotional drama. Both characters were struggling with relatable and realistic events from their past (both childhood and more recent traumas), which fueled a lot of angst. Even though there were times when I thought each character was being ridiculous, I loved both of them and the group of friends that Brayden has created in Dreamer’s Bay and hope we get to return there for another story (or three).

I enjoyed reading this small-town, second chance romance. I really did. Savanna was interesting, and Dreamer's Bay sounds as charming (and possibly as quirky) as Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. I loved the side plots involving Savanna's friends and co-workers. I adored the family-related sub-plot. I just couldn't seem to get on board with Savanna and Kyle as a couple. The dialogue felt a bit weird and the conflicts weren't always convincing to me personally. It was still a fun read overall, though!

Melissa is one of my favorite authors and she has yet to disappoint. This second chance romance will make a wonderful additon to my collection. It was quite enjoyable and I recommend.

Thank You Bold Strokes Books, NetGalley # Melissa Brayden

Dream a Little Dream takes us back to the beautiful Dreamers Bay South Carolina. It’s here we meet Savanna Potter, having just lost one of the most important individuals in her life and her world turned upside down she heads to Charleston South Carolina on a retreat where she is introduced to Dr Kyle Remington in the most adorable meet-cute introduction which leads to them sharing a steamy weekend.

Slightly different than most of Melissa’s books, we are given a hot and heavy love interest right away and then left longing for more. I loved the change in story set up and the nods to and inclusion of characters from Beautiful Dreamer. Some parts of this book had me shouting at my iPad in frustration over what Savanna and Kyle were doing. I was able to see a lot of myself in both of these characters which made their story at times both adorable and frustrating.

Melissa truly knows how to write characters that you can root for and fall in love with their story. A wonderful addition to her collection and a nice visit back to Dreamers Bay, I’ll be waiting for her next one.

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!

Whilst I did enjoy this book and understand it’s how small town life works, there was too many little plots going on inside the story if that makes sense, i wish it would have been made clear that there was a book #1 I didn’t read the acknowledgement so I didn’t see it.

I wanted so bad for the story to finish at the jamboree as that would have been the perfect romance story for me however it didn’t and the book took a sad turn in my opinion which was good but it felt like an ending and then more was added.

This book had me feeling all the emotions and I would recommend if you want a sapphic romance to read.