Daydream
Hannah Grace
Simon & Schuster
Review: Lauren O’Connor-May
The third book in the Maple Hills series sees one of the most popular characters, Henry, finally getting a girlfriend.
I don’t know if it is just me but Henry seemed very different in this book than in the predecessors. I wanted to go back and skim-read to see if it is just my memory playing tricks but these books are so popular that I’ve actually lost track of which friend has borrowed them.
Following on from the TikTok and Wattpad smash hit Icebreaker, which introduced readers to the hockey team at the fictional Maple Hills University, and its sequel Wildfire, which takes place over the summer holidays, this book takes the stories back to the university where everybody’s best friend Henry meets shy Halle shortly after she breaks up with her toxic boyfriend.
Henry is now captain of the hockey team since Icebreaker’s Nate has graduated (but still makes cameos as per romance book formula norms).
Everyone has complete faith in Henry but the pressure of the new responsibilities combined with academic mishaps triggers Henry’s latent and undiagnosed neurodivergent tendencies.
Extreme people-pleaser Halle recognises her new hot friend Henry’s neurodivergent markers since she has been playing tertiary mom to her younger stepsister who has ADHD.
Halle gives Henry pointers on how to manage and Henry helps Halle build more confidence as she recovers from the negative conditioning of her previous relationship and, of course, anyone can guess what comes next.
Other reviewers have criticised Grace’s large amount of characters but I feel that it adds to the series’ charm.
While Icebreaker was very hot and spicy, almost from the first chapter, and Wildfire, ironically considering the title, was milder than its predecessor, Daydream is sweeter, like the characters, and the spice has a slower burn.
