A review by jenreaderwriter
Daydream by Hannah Grace

3.5

 

💫 Themes: meet cute, slow burn, friends to lovers, neurodivergent rep, friendship 

📖 Started reading: 04/01/25

📕Finished reading: 09/01/25

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨ 

💬 "This might be my favorite romance book, but we’re my favorite love story.” 

💭 SYNOPSIS: As a chronic procrastinator, Henry Turner always knew his junior year in college wasn’t going to be easy. That was before he made ice hockey captain as well as landing himself in a difficult class with his least favourite professor. Thankfully, it’s then that Henry meets Halle, a fellow junior who he immediately befriends. Academic pressure has never been a struggle for Halle, but as an introverted people pleaser with a tendency to overcommit herself, she can’t help but offer to help Henry pass his class. In turn he offers to help make college life a little more inspiring – just the thing she needs as an aspiring novelist…

💕 MY THOUGHTS: I really enjoyed the third book by this author although I do want to caveat that by saying that this book already assumes you’ve read both ‘Icebreaker’ and ‘Wildfire’: there are so many characters who are imperative to the story that aren’t introduced and if you haven’t read the others then you will get lost with who these people are, as there is no description of them or their relationships to one another! 

 Henry, the MC is a really likeable male lead, however he does seem too good to be true: he’s a real feminist and at times it felt a little insincere and immersion breaking. The female lead was a refreshing young woman and I could absolutely see myself in her at times, particularly with the not-great ex-boyfriend you have from school. It was quite sobering in places which made it feel more authentic than the previous books. In fact I would say that this one felt the most grounded. I think Henry was such a strong character …but the others suffered because of it. Having a neurodivergent male romance lead was super refreshing and I really hope there are more. I understood some of the things he did and said and at other times I think it bordered on cliches and assumptions. I recommend this book if you’ve read Icebreaker and Wildfire but do not recommend it as a standalone which is a pity. I would like to see this author do something else now and kind of leave these characters be.