Daydreamer

Daydreamer #1

by Susie Tate

As a scruffy, disorganised daydreamer, Lucy Mayweather is like a fish out of water at the high-powered offices of her brother’s billionaire best friend. When she agreed to work for Felix, she had no idea quite how cut-throat his world – or he – would be. She just wanted to escape her reclusive life and be close to her childhood crush, hoping he might notice her.

But Lucy’s lonelier in London than she’s even been in her tiny village back home. The boy she grew up with has been replaced by a powerful, ruthless, extremely attractive man who doesn’t tolerate incompetence and who no longer seems to find Lucy’s quirks cute. Instead, he lectures her almost daily on her general crapness, and seems blind to the bullying she endures from his colleagues.

For Felix, agreeing to employ Lucy was a mistake. This shy bookworm with her head in the clouds, who wears tattered jumpers, carries multiple pens in her hair and has an obvious crush on him must be by far the worst assistant in London. But he’s always had a soft spot for the quirky little girl who lived in her own world and told the best stories. Well, now that little girl is all grown up… and he can’t stop thinking about her.

After Felix gives in to his bone-deep longing for his best friend’s little sister, he starts to feel more than he has in years. But Lucy has secrets, and Felix has trust issues. When his inability to trust her leads to a terrible betrayal and places Lucy in danger, Felix is faced with losing her forever. Because the new, hardened, traumatised Lucy is nothing like the daydreaming pushover she once was…

This is a full length, brother's best friend, grumpy billionaire boss romance.

Trigger warning for workplace harassment and assault.

Warning – there is swearing throughout this book.

Praise for
"As a reader who loves a betrayal and subsequent grovel this story was 'chef's kiss'."
"10 out of 10! Everything you could ever want or need in a romance book."
"This author grabs you by the heart, gives it a good shake and slowly but beautifully puts it back together again with some heart-breaking and heart-lifting scenes."
"Vibe of a secret crush/she falls first/ he falls harder tale and Is laced with mistaken angst and wonderful scenes of grovel."
"Excellent, 5 stars all the way."
"This book was so great that I read it all the way through in one day."
"This was a heartfelt, angsty and emotional story told in the wonderful, dulcet tones of Susie's brace of creativity and stellar story-telling finesse."
"Yet another winner by Susie Tate."
"Fantastic book."

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Friends To Lovers, Workplace Romance, Billionaire Romance, Second Chance

318 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 27, 2024

About the author

Susie is a top 2 Amazon bestselling author who writes addictive, feel-good contemporary romance with heroes who may make you a little ragey, but who always redeem themselves in the end! She’s been a doctor in the NHS for over twenty years and lives in beautiful Dorset with her wonderful husband, three gorgeous boys and an even more wonderful dog.

Reviews

[chan ☆]

there's being a daydreamer and then there's being completely inept

this girl... i really couldn't do it lol. the writing was also a little clunky with too many character introductions up front with characters that probably would not be relevant to the storyline anyway.

[TheAshlz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whew. The second half of this book deserved a much better first half.

My rating is a very tentative 3 🌟 Had the resolution not delivered so well, it wouldn't chart above 2.

This book did not become worth it for me until the third act breakup occurred. I actually wrestled with whether or not to DNF. However, once the breakup occurs, it became a much better book.

Honestly, it was refreshing to see an FMC realize not only how the MMC did her wrong, but to also see how her own overwhelming feelings for him enabled it - then actually attempt fix it. Lucy is firm with Felix about there being no way to salvage what their relationship was. It was obviously one-sided and unhealthy, so it's over.

The issues then become that substantial character growth is needed on Felix's part to create a new relationship, but his previous characterization causes it to feel almost inauthentic. I never felt the "it was always you" love that Felix claimed to have for Lucy at the end of the book. She didn't exist for him for years and years, until she began working for him, and even then it was a favor to her family.

We never (outside of a reveal about the office temperature later) see him *in love* with Lucy in the first half of the book. Hell, based on his horrendous behavior toward her as a boss and general disregard of her as a fellow human (especially one he is supposed to be family friends with), I'm not even sure he actually LIKED her in the first half. Sure, he thinks she is gorgeous and he remembers fond memories of her story-telling as kids, but that's about it. He simply doesn't seem to see her as a person, almost at all. He wants her only when there is finally competition, he berates her constantly, never asks her anything about herself, and doesn't ever actually listen to her, generally cutting her off. His lack of consideration to her is abhorrent; even lasting up to a police officer informing him that Lucy, the woman he believes he loves, was harmed at least twice by another male in the office. Uponing hearing that, Felix's instinct is to insist that the guy wouldn't have done that and it must be a mistake. But somehow he doesn't doubt at all, until shown proof that she doesn't need his money, that Lucy committing corporate espionage. But... he loves her? Right, okay.

So yeah, Felix becomes my biggest problem with this book. How can I believe that Felix is actually in love with Lucy, when that has never been demonstrated? Yeah, the "grovel" is great -in fact, one of the better ones I've read- but I just kept asking myself why does he suddenly love her now? He went all that time without Lucy, then having her and not really caring beyond sex... so what changed? Losing her isn't enough when we know he was perfectly fine without her for literal years. Again, it just didn't connect.

Note: This is even worse when you add in the stuff about his ex (exes?) that it is clear Felix might've still been with if they hadn't betrayed him or ended things. He wasn't out of those relationships because he didn't love them, we have no idea whether he did or not. But this is, again, up against Lucy who has always been in love with Felix. It just felt weird.

From reading other reviews, I have gathered that some people are more upset with Lucy's characterization - specifically, her crippling social anxiety and her inability to speak up for herself. I don't share those thoughts. Most of Lucy's actions are incredibly understandable if you are someone that experiences those things, including her willingness be a doormat throughout the first half of this book to be closer to the only guy she has apparently ever loved. Her characterization makes sense, she is terrible at being a personal assistant because she has social anxiety. It is why she can't do tasks other see as simple (the interactions are too much) and retreats to her mind. In fact, Lucy is really only entertaining the job because it gets her within Felix's sphere, she is that far gone for him. It is also why, as pointed out later, she doesn't push back or demand more from Felix - which was unhealthy. Especially combined with the lack of emotion shown on his part.

Best part of the book though? Hands down, Mike Mayweather. Hurt his sister? He'll punch you in the mouth without hesitation and deliver an office-wide dressing down to those responsible. He realizes that you're the only one that can pull his sister out of her head? He'll put aside his pride and anger to get you on board with bringing her back. Mike is the real hero of this book, and it makes me very intrigued for how his straightforward but emotional nature will deal with Vicky in the future.

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy books by Susie Tate, but I don’t like characters that can’t survive in the world. There is a helplessness to this character, even as her achievements would suggest otherwise, that makes her pathetic to me. I guess it was the early description where she was walking around her corporate workplace with her hair in a bun full of pencils and pens. I just thought to myself, “ Who does this?”

I might go back and reread this one because it’s possible that I am being too harsh on her and this was just an initial reaction.

ETA that I just saw the description of the next book in the series and the heroine is described as “awkward. “ I am managing my expectations accordingly.

[Charly Murg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sometimes you read a book and wish you’d just DNF’ed it when you first got the urge. This is one of those books. It got 2 stars because I at least got to the halfway mark before I realised it wasn’t getting any better. It was only 314 pages and it felt like 800. It just went on FOREVER.

I HATED these characters. They were so painfully 2D. She was a spineless pushover (and I didn’t buy that she suddenly wasn’t towards the end, the way she let him control her said it all). He was a controlling dickhead under the guise of being caring. I didn’t buy the turnarounds and I didn’t buy the chemistry.

Why is her entire personality that she’s cold? We barely learned anything about her writing career and then suddenly it’s like “oh she’s basically JK Rowling”, let’s not brush over the literal stalking that she did. Who the hell takes a job they don’t need just to breathe the same air as a guy they fancied as a child. SO CREEPY.

I guess in that respect they’re made for each other because he was also creepy AF. I’m not here for any man who tells women what to wear, who will ignore a woman in distress (in favour of a man who is clearly a predator) and who is generally just a dick to everyone. It felt a bit 50-shades which is a huge ICK.

Then we have the autistic “representation” which I’m pissed about, like we all need someone there to explain what is happening around us socially. Stop it. It was so patronising to the autistic community, and let’s be honest the fact that she was somehow at the top of the company completely ignores the many MANY barriers that autistic people face in the workplace and was never discussed.

I just hated it, I skimmed the last 20% and I couldn’t even stomach the sex scenes because of all the red flags. No thanks.

[Maria Espadinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gravity is Irrelevant to Human Mind


Now and then, my brain begs for a lil rest and this book couldn’t be more suitable for such purpose. It tells the story of Lucy Daydreamer and Felix Gorgeous Tycoon. Of course these aren’t their real surnames but an expressive simple way I found to better describe them. 😉

Lucy and Felix grew up together: She as an eccentric girl who was always imagining stories and He as the boy who named her Lucy Shakespeare. Right now, they are assistant and boss and she’s dealing with a hard crush on him…

With all her weird eccentricities, Lucy could perfectly be a cartoon character. Nevertheless, some of us will probably recognize a bit of ourselves in her — whilst our feet are walking on solid ground, our minds are frequently wandering on clouds, blissfully unaware of the gravity law 😜


…………….


Não é Fácil ser Lucy


Lucy faz um café com sabor a cu de babuíno, usa camisolas esburacadas e prende material de escritório no cabelo. Por exemplo, é vulgar aparecer no escritório com uma caneta de 4 cores espetada num coque muito mal amanhado. E… caso calhe abanar a cabeça é provável que salte de lá mais qualquer coisa — marcadores, esferográficas, canetas de tinta permanente … são objetos que coexistem com frequência nos confins da sua densa cabeleira. E isto por uma razão muito simples: caso necessite duma caneta sabe exatamente onde procurá-la…

Lucy divide o seu tempo entre dois mundos: um mundo de fantasia povoado pelas histórias que desabrocham na sua fértil imaginação e um mundo real onde é assistente de Félix, seu amigo de infância e atual patrão, por quem nutre um fraco muito forte…

Apesar de Lucy ser quase uma personagem de cartoon, reconhecemos nela um pouco de nós. É certo que, a mando da força da gravidade, caminhamos todos com os pés na Terra. Porém, tal como Lucy, passeamos assiduamente a cabeça pelas nuvens ;)

[Snow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dear Lord, the male character was irritating as fuck!
I just couldn't and in the end didn't give a fuck about his grovelling...
I wouldn't waste my time with him...
the whole scenario was a tad bit on the "over-reacting" side of the action spectre...
Again, I simply couldn't stand the guy... #sorryNOTsorry

[sashenka 🖤 · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 15%

Is the FMC 15 years old? Otherwise I can't understand how she's so annoying. She's was given a good job by a childhood friend and she makes no efforts, she's unprofessional as fuck and knows it. But it's not her fault, she's just not like other girls, she has 5 pens in her hair, she dresses like she's at home, it's not her place 🤪

that's it, i'm too old for this kind of shit

[Tori · Rating 1 out of 5]

What is the fascination with saying “eep”

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I swear this is the first book to ever give me so much emotional whiplash! I binged the whole thing in one sitting and could not put it down despite how much I wanted to in some scenes. I loved how emotional the seemingly sweet and simple workplace romance evolved into by the end. Not to mention the groveling was superb; this man cried for her and put in the effort to change his life for her every want and need.

[dee☁️]

DNF at 55%

I don’t write long reviews but this hero pissed me off so much I have to talk about it
Here’s a list of SOME of the things he did :
1. made her change her whole style

2. Made her go to a party when she was so UNCOMFORTABLE with going .

3. Always talking down on her I mean ALWAYS.
“Well, I’m talking to Lucy. Interesting girl.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “I bet. “Yes,” Piers said slowly. “Yes, she is. She was explaining to me about how she works. It’s fascinating really.” My eyebrows went up. “Fascinating? Lucy’s work?” Like?????
( even when he said something nice he immediately followed it by something worse) “Shit,” he snapped, letting me drop down to the floor so suddenly I was lucky I didn’t end up in a crumpled heap, and then stepped back rapidly. I shivered in the sudden absence of his heat as I pulled my skirt back down over my fleece-lined tights. “Look, just get back to work, Lucy,” he clipped, smoothing down his tie and tucking his shirt back into his trousers. “I can’t afford all this distraction the whole time. And do your bloody job” mind you he said this immediately after he kissed her .

4. Resented her for taking “so much of his time“ .
“Just try a little harder, Luce. Be a bit more on the ball. I can’t have people thinking I’m letting you off the hook because you’re my girlfriend. Or that I’m letting myself get distracted. I’ve already taken too much time off recently. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Time off? Felix was home late every night and still worked on weekends. And I could hear the resentment in his tone “

And I’m not going to talk about when he accused her of betraying him🥴

Look I like those type of books , where the hero fucks up and tries to win the h back , but this man can give the heroine the moon and the stars and I still won’t be able to forgive him.

[Hey Lin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sigh.......

I was so excited to see this drop because I enjoy Susie Tate books......Anything but easy by her was easily a five star for me and you know I usually hate all books and give one star reviews with no remorse or worries😂😂

But this book......I dnfed because it was sooooooooo boooooooringgggggg!!!!!! Talking about going to make coffee and answering the phones *snoooooorrrrrreeeee*. Then people said it was so good and I made myself finish.

This was VERY reminiscent of Judith mcnaught Double standards. VERY REMINISCENT. Down to the H thinking she was colluding with the enemy and selling secrets to her being kicked out into the cold without her coat or stuff. Uh huh......like........the same 😬😬😬🤔😳😳👀👀 very similar......😐😐😐😐

Honestly, I didn't understand where his attraction to her came from. He thought she was a horrible assistant that he got her a job at his company because her mom was his nanny. And shes already rich but she took the office assistant job to be closer to him 😬😬😬😬

And he never redeems hisself.......he just acts like a dick til he finds out how wrong he is and thinks she's the shit on the bottom of his shoe 🤷🤷 towards the end, I honestly didn't want her to be with him and wanted better for her. She had no reason to forgive him and he didn't do nuffin to really redeem himself to me.

Anyway, I'm heavily disappointed and.....yeah......

[Vintage · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited about a new Susie Tate and am so disappointed that I just liked this rather than loved it. She's still one of my top tier favorite authors.

Heroine is a head in the clouds.. a daydreamer just like the title says. She's come to London to open her horizons and hopefully catch the eye of the guy she's always loved, now an uptight, driven businessman a lot more like his father than he knows.

The problem is the story just did not feel complete. As usual, Tate's heroes do/say something inexcusable to the heroine, but the follow up is just was not there, nor was the defining relationship with his horrible father. Just too much up in the air.

Two things I noticed: one is a change in the sex/love scenes. They've always been steamy, but there was more explicit action that I felt was forced and a change from Susie Tates previous books, almost as if an editor or someone told her to spice it up. I like a good love scene as much as anyone, but the allure of Susie Tate's books is her quirky character, dialogue and banter. The second thing I noticed is she has taken some of the British sayings out. Some of her books have been set in Wales, and I loved having to look up the very entertaining slurs and phrases.

Still a fun read.

[Linda Etemi · Rating 1 out of 5]

No offence, but girl was desperate af

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grovel = H continuously disparaged the h about her abilities to do her job in his company. H had made ZERO attempts to really know the grown up h and yet fell into a FWB situation. H then believed a rotten OM that the h committed corporate espionage. H has known the h since she was born effectively as the h's mother was the H's nanny. Yet H believed the OM instantly. (OM has also assaulted the h twice. After the second assault, h ran straight to H to let him know and get comfort. H (without allowing the h to speak) has the h hauled out and thrown on the street without letting her get her coat, her purse, her phone or her wallet. h has a condition that makes her extremely cold intolerant. h was thrown out into winter conditions and eventually has to reach out to her brother (H's best friend) for help as she was about to collapse. h ended up with "frostnip" on her fingers which prevented her from being able to use her hands for a while.

Unbeknownst to the H, h was a highly acclaimed and very successful writer. h was doing well financially and in talks for more lucrative deals. h only ever took the job with the H for two reasons: 1. h was trying to break out of her shell and be comfortable around people as she needed to be able to promote her books but has not due to severe social anxiety; 2. h wanted to be near the H again as she has had unrequited love for the H for years.

H learned how awful he was to h and proceeded to grovel by word and deed. h was not a doormat despite being an individual who suffered from many anxiety issues and often being unable to stand up for herself due to her issues. h did find her voice to explain in painful detail to the H how the H had damaged her with his words and actions. It takes several months before the h even allowed the H near her.

Eventually, the H perseveres (he has changed his entire workplace environment around, changed his work ethic, changed how he treats women in general) and the h forgave him.

No real OW/OM drama other than the one OM who went after the h (OM was h's direct supervisor and a sexual harassment perpetrator). No cheating.

[Haylee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t have the energy to waste on reviewing this book the way I usually do. Typical manwhore/virgin trope. Oh SOrRy, bAsIcAlLy a virgin 🙄 They are about to have sex and he asks her if she’s a virgin (cuz that’s totally the right moment to ask someone that 🙄)and she says basically a virgin cuz the only guy she was with wasn’t big….thats not how it works you idiot. the FMC was so fking annoying I couldn’t stand her. Always ‘eeping’ when someone would talk to her and just overall letting everyone walk all over her. Her daydreaming instead of working was annoying AF as well. Act like an adult, not a 10 year old please. Only saving Grace was her mom and her brother. But of course the next book will be about another manwhore cuz authors are so damn lazy anymore and can’t write anything creative enough for an actual personality so they just label them a manwhore and call it a day. Will not be reading

He’s awful to her, always degrading and yelling at her, even AFTER they get together. I will say she made him work after he messes up but honestly didn’t feel the chemistry AT ALL. He just acted like he didn’t even like her most of time unless he was balls deep.

She’s been in love with him almost all her life and gets to watch him with all these OW. No we don’t see it on page and there’s no OW drama, but we are told over and over how he’s been with a ton of supermodels and other famous beautiful women. And judging by the way he treats her when they meet again, you can’t honestly convince me he’s been in love with her since he was 13, esp with the amount of OW he’s been with and how he ‘forgot’ about her. What really pissed me off was when he got all mad that she wasn’t a virgin, that it should have been HIM that got to have it 😂🤮

[Mairi Swan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A daydreaming girl and a cold-hearted (but deep in heart softie) businessman, the first living her dream the other trying to cultivate until disaster comes. I quite liked the grovel in the end.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was cute and I’m a sucker for any book set in London. Lucy is the sweetest heroine, at the beginning she is such a pushover but she goes through a ton of character growth by the end and it was so nice to see her blossom. Felix was bossy and overprotective with her, but knowing it came from a place of deep caring made it tolerable. It also didn’t hurt that Shane East does the best growly and grumpy narration, he’s damn good! This was narrated in duet style, I need every romance book to be this way pls and thank you and Zara Hampton-Brown played the role of Lucy to perfection as well! Overall just a sweet and spicy listen I really liked

[Yvonne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Susie Tate’s idea of romance is not for me. She seems to love a long-suffering heroine who often pays the price of the hero’s redemption.

TL;DR:
-Pathologically helpless spineless heroine with basement-level self-respect who accepts crumbs from the hero.
-Undeserving asshole hero who doesn’t so much as earn redemption as he undergoes a character transplant.
-No romantic development. Why are these two together?
-Poor handling of social anxiety disorder, autism, and abusive workplace culture.

Felix is a through-and-through asshole, but maybe worst of all, he’s a boring asshole. His personality is CEO. Felix has no characterization beyond being bad-tempered and emotionally immature.

(He’s also a terrible CEO: he’s personally responsible for creating a workplace culture so egregiously toxic and unsafe, his right-hand-woman installed a nanny-cam behind his back.)

I could not buy the romance. Where is the romantic development? Felix’s brand of caretaking is of the condescending and controlling variety. He calls Lucy flighty and incompetent. He shouts at her all the time. He mandates she get a makeover and wear heels (really). He forcibly lays his hands on her (but it’s all for her own good, of course). It’s clear the author wants us to buy this as swoony grumpy-hero behaviour, but this veered into disturbing coercive-control territory.
Worst of all, Felix truly sees Lucy as being beneath him. He maintains a disdain for her the entire time she’s working for him, a genuine derision and dismissiveness of her. He continues to look down on her even after they begin dating — and I’m supposed to believe his sudden realization he loves her?

He doesn’t really know her, he’s not interested in her needs, and doesn’t listen to her. He’s not curious about her as a person. He literally describes her as “useless” and “dead weight” — and this is after he’s fallen in love. Why does he like her??
Oh, and after he learns Lucy isn’t the loser he assumes she is, it’s like we’re supposed to give him bonus points for falling in love with her when he still thought she was loser.

“Unfortunately, when it came to Felix, my self-respect was sadly lacking.”

Lucy is another one of Susie Tate’s long-suffering heroines. Lucy is a doormat. Her timidity and passivity became exasperating to read. She never learns to take care of herself, and instead allows Felix and her family watch over her and see to her needs — like a CHILD. It’s as though the author tried to make her helplessness a personality quirk. Her inability to care for herself isn’t cute or endearing, it’s bloody exhausting.

She just lies down and takes all of Felix’s cutting remarks, shouting, and controlling behaviour. She readily acknowledges he’s a condescending jerk to her. Why does she like him?? She hasn’t heard from Felix in years, but takes a shitty job at his company — a job SHE DOESN’T NEED — to…what? Somehow convince him to fall in love with her? Why does she hold a one-sided “fierce, almost painful attraction” to a guy she hasn’t seen in years, a man she doesn’t really know at all?
Her feelings only grow as he treats her with cruel contempt. And after they begin sleeping together, she says she’s willing to be his fuck buddy if that’s all he wants — not because it’s at all what she wants, but because “‘Every hour I’m with you is more than I could have ever hoped for.’” Lucy comes across as deeply stunted and child-like, living in her little fantasy worlds and delusions. I think the author is going for a story where the innocent heroine reconnects the cynical hero to the magic and imagination of their childhood. The execution makes this not only pathetic, but gross.

(The story’s open-door sex scenes feel forced and artificial. I literally cringed when Lucy says to Felix, “Fuck me.” This is the same Lucy who repeatedly uses the word “numpty”. The author must have received advice to turn up the spice.)

Lucy also timidly accepts the harassment and derision of her coworkers. Mind you, this is a job SHE DOESN’T NEED. Lucy gives the lamest, most nonsensical excuses for not quitting the job, but really it’s because the author needs her in the office for plot reasons.

Also, Lucy’s social anxiety is poorly sketched; it read as though the author tossed in Lucy’s social anxiety as the reason for her lack of self-respect, and conflated social anxiety with spinelessness. This is all part of the story’s weak characterization. Like Felix, Lucy is not a fully-fleshed character. Her most enduring character traits are that she’s always cold and she’s obsessed with Felix. We’re somehow meant to believe she’s a mega-successful fantasy author, despite barely any mention of her writing career. I came away from this book knowing more about her affinity for Uggs and jumpers. Even more unbelievably, despite Lucy being a pitiable doormat for most of the book, she develops a backbone overnight.

After Felix fucks up, he makes a sudden turnaround into a human capable of compassion and patience. Overnight, he transforms from a man who literally blames Lucy for his inability to keep his hands off her at the office, into a man who vomits when he learns she’s been assaulted by one of his employees. I didn’t buy this sudden development of a conscience. Felix is a massive dick because of his Bad Dad, and oh the irony, he’s become the person he hates the most. Felix doesn’t engage in meaningful introspection, nor is there genuine growth or change. He simply flips a switch and he’s endowed with new programming.
We’re meant to believe he’s always been a good guy, deep down inside. How lucky for him that he rediscovers his humanity—and that it’s only made possible through Lucy paying the price with her suffering and trauma.

The last third of the book is devoted to Felix’s redemption and the romantic reconciliation, and all of it was painfully tedious. None of it rang true; it held the same emotional authenticity as a lame movie montage where the asshole hero “listens and learns.” He dismantles the toxic sexist workplace HE CREATED with a simple “boys’ club — begone!” decree and by implementing Taco Tuesday. Why include a serious issue if it’s not going to be meaningfully handled? It read as a plot device in service of the hero’s redemption arc.

And Lucy doesn’t actually develop a backbone or self-respect. She realizes that Felix isn’t healthy for her — NOT because he’s a self-centered scumbag, but because (1) she developed an unhealthy fixation on him, and (2) she’s “not his equal”. So Felix isn’t the problem, Lucy is. Felix steamrolls his way into her life because she is incapable of taking care of herself.

(Also, FUCK Lucy’s mother and brother for reinforcing this “Felix really is a good boy” poppycock and for encouraging Felix and Lucy’s reconciliation.)

I am exhausted by this book, but I need to mention Susie Tate’s handling of secondary character Vicky. While not explicitly stated, it’s clear she is supposed to be on the spectrum. I won’t go into all the ways Vicky’s portrayal is deeply problematic; the depiction is insulting and condescending, and reads like it was written by someone who watched “Rain Man” and extrapolated from there.

[Seren Song ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ So cute 🥹 amazing grovel, friends to lovers, best friends little sister, kind of hidden identity. I loved Lucy so much.

I NEED Vicky and Mikey’s story now. 🙏🙇‍♀️

[Lu Bielefeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 🌟 🌟 🌟
=========
I read it in July and DNF, but I picked it up to reread it and ended up enjoying the reading and anticipation for the Gold Digger book.

[Jen ♥]

I'm still going to tag it as read even though I started at the 46% mark. I mean, that's still more than half, so… 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, Lucy was definitely a nice person but also pathetic when it came to her feelings for Felix, and she's self-aware of that. Let's just call a spade a spade. Ngl, I thought she would've realized how sad/enraging her situation was a bit earlier in the story, but it didn't really hit her until around the 60% mark, I think? Still, I'm glad she pulled her head out of her ass; a bit too late for my liking, but still worth acknowledging. 🙃

As for Felix, he could walk on broken glass and bleed out, and it still wouldn't change how I feel about him. Nothing he does will ever redeem him in my eyes. I only got a few glimpses of how he treated her, and that was more than enough to show what he was really like before he completely fucked everything up. 😤 Idk if therapy is going to cut it, but he could really use that!

And yeah, seriously, Lucy could do so much better! She's such a good person and didn't deserve that awful treatment. Ugh, this is what happens when women love the men more. They're willing to put up with anything and everything. 🤧

And yes, I said what I said: she loved him more than he loved her, and you cannot convince me otherwise. Not even the supposed "grovel," because in the grand scheme of things, his efforts barely made up for his stupidity. 😑

That said, I’m not going to drag this out any longer. I'm drained AF just from getting through this, and that says a lot considering I didn't even read the whole book. 😑

[iremucka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hayalperest aka Bir derealizasyon Hastasının Aşık olma süreci

Hayallere dalmak var da bacım bu bildiğin başka bir hastalık. Köyünden hiç çıkmamış olan Lucy 27 yaşına geldiğinde artık kabuğundan çıkmaya kara verir, big city life hesabı Londra’ ya gelir, eski çocukluk arkadaşı FeliX’ in asistanı olur ve olaylar gelişir.

Kadının en başlardaki ezikliğinden yarısında tableti duvara fırlatmak istesem de ortalamaydı.
Benim için bu serinin en iyi kitabı Outlier gerisi yalan🫠

[Océano de libros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una delicia de novela. ¡Quiero leer el resto!

Lucy Mayweather es una soñadora y está tan metida en su mundo que se olvida del resto. Por eso decide irse a Londres a trabajar para Felix, el mejor amigo de su hermano y... del chico del que lleva enamorada desde niña.

Felix Moretti se debe a la familia de Lucy y por eso no duda en contratar a la chica. Lo que no sabe es que es la peor asistente personal que puede haber y... la única que ha despertado su interés.

Primera novela de la serie “Dream" que desde el minuto uno me tuvo enganchada. Ha sido un acierto animarme a leerla, gracias a una recomendación. Si no, estoy segura de que no lo habría hecho.

Lucy es una chica sencilla, una soñadora nata que ha decidido salir de su entorno seguro y viajar hasta Londres. Ni más ni menos que para trabajar como asistente personal en la empresa de Felix, el mejor amigo de su hermano. Además de mejorar en sus relaciones sociales, también tiene otro propósito, que es estar cerca del chico que creció y por el que siempre ha estado enamorada.
Lucy se siente fuera de lugar y sabe que es un desastre como asistente, es muy fácil que se distraiga y empiece a crear nuevos mundos y personajes. Su madre la anima a continuar y mejorar así en sus relaciones con los demás, pero Lucy no está nada convencida, solo tiene el propósito de conquistar a su jefe mandón y gruñón.

Felix, es un multimillonario, frío y despiadado en la oficina, y es que el odio a su padre lo ha llevado a querer ser el mejor en su trabajo. Su única debilidad es Lucy. La nueva asistente personal es un desastre y Felix no puede estar siempre salvándola, pero es que esa chica lo atrae como ninguna otra lo ha hecho. Él adora sus rarezas y está más que dispuesto a que lleve su trabajo adelante.

Este romance de oficina, por así decirlo, se cuece a fuego lento. Tenemos a Lucy, ella es una chica soñadora, que siempre está ensimismada en su mundo y eso la hace ser una torpe en las relaciones sociales. Su nuevo trabajo como asistente personal le está sacando de quicio, no puede convivir en un ambiente tan hostil, pero está aguantando por el solo motivo de enamorar a Felix.

Sigue en: https://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/2...

[Mindy Lou's Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was enjoyable. I like that it was based in England, despite a few instances of confusion over slang. Lucy was an endearing heroine. She took too much crap and needed to stand up for herself more, but I also get that she’s just not the type. It also gave movements for Felix to become overprotective of her which is a characteristic I like in a hero. You get to see real character growth with him and most is due to Lucy’s influence. I’m completely intrigued by several of the side characters and I’m glad it looks like they will be geting their own books. Overall, a great read!

[Pinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings: Death of loved one, sexual harassment (nasty comments, unwanted touches) predatory boss, verbal abuse, selective mutism, character on autism spectrum, alcoholic parent, physical assault by boss, sexual assault (boss licked FMC’s neck), taking away pets to the pound, bullying, wrongful dismissal, Raynaud’s disorder, vomiting from stress, misogyny, sexism, death from cancer, anxiety, panic attacks, cheating ex with parent, parental infidelity, parental abuse (physical and emotional)

Another rec from Mel🌜 and boy did I love it. The beginning was hard to get into because I am not a huge fan of inner monologue, but I loved this once I got used to the writing style. This book has one of my fav things in books, grovel. Half of this book was grovel and I found it to be satisfying. Felix, the MMC, really fucked up, but Lucy, the FMC, grew a backbone and stood up for herself. I loved Lucy’s family and friends. I am so excited to read Ollie and Lottie’s story and Mike and Vicky's. Lucy is so cute, I found her so relatable especially her struggles with social events. The characters are self-aware, there were things I was thinking about and all of it was addressed, which I found refreshing.


Felix is Lucy’s brother’s best friend and the CEO of a finance company. As a favour to Lucy’s mom, he gave Lucy a job in hopes of helping her move forward in life. Lucy is a daydreamer who has a hard time fitting in. Felix is under the impression Lucy is there to get herself out there and while she is there to do that, she is there for an entirely different reason.

Now for spoilers


Felix lectures Lucy since she keeps daydreaming and he is getting complaints that she isn’t a good worker. Felix is the CEO of his finance company and while he is doing better than his father’s company, his workplace is miserable. Lucy’s boss Will has been sexually harassing Lucy. He makes sexual comments about her body and corners her when he can. Lucy feels he hasn’t done anything crazy for her to report him and is afraid of causing issues for Felix. Felix gave her a position at the company because her mom, Hetty, was Felix’s nanny in the past. Growing up, Felix was Mike’s best friend, who is Lucy’s brother, and he was always at Lucy’s place. His father was verbally and physically abusive so he hated staying home. Hetty and her husband Henry used to work for Felix’s dad. Henry, Lucy’s dad, passed away when she was young to cancer. Felix wants to help Lucy learn to fit in the real world since she is very shy. Lucy has a huge crush on Felix and he knows since she is so obvious about it. She wore jumpers since she had a condition called Raynaud’s, which makes her hands and body cold in regular temperatures. Felix tells her that they might have grown up together but he can’t be easy on her. He makes his assistant Tabitha take Lucy shopping to buy professional clothes. Tabitha is pissed since she is his assistant and shouldn’t be going shopping. Felix covers Lucy’s clothes with his card but Lucy tells Tabitha she will pay for it. She gets shirts and skirts that she is forced to wear with heels. Will, Lucy’s boss verbally abuses Lucy. When he sees her in her new clothes, he says that she hid her body under her jumpers, so fucking disgusting. He reaches for something while brushing her side boob but Lucy is too scared to say anything. Felix never made an effort to see what Lucy was doing. Lucy was good at advertising and marketing, but Will took all the credit. Victoria (Vicky) is another boss at Felix’s company but she struggles with communication. It is hinted that she is on the spectrum for autism but I can’t be sure until we get to her book. Vicky‘s assistant Lottie helps her navigate social situations. Lottie will tell her if she is saying something inappropriate or reads feelings on others for Vicky. I loved these two so much, Vicky makes an effort but struggles with humans. Lottie is patient with her, she reads Vicky well and has her back. These two see Lucy struggle and look out for her.


Lucy didn’t come to the job to get experience, she came because she had a crush on Felix since she was 5 and wanted to see if she had a chance. I found that so stupid but it is addressed later. Lucy wore heels and ended up hurting her ankle. She limps around and Will makes her come to a meeting to serve tea. Felix notices Lucy’s limp and calls Will out for making Lucy work while hurt. He makes Will serve the tea instead and once the meeting is over, he tells Lucy to go to the hospital. She says no so Felix goes over to her place to check on her ankle. Lucy is wearing layers and tells him she has a condition. He checked her foot but there was tension so he left. Felix overhears Lucy talking to her mom Hetty and Lucy says she isn’t doing well. Felix tells Hetty he is taking her to a company party. Felix took Lucy to his party while saying it is a social event where she can network. I had the same conversation with a colleague. I hate social events and they insisted I come for networking. Just like Lucy, my colleague was swarmed and I started panicking. Lucky for me, I had two friends who noticed and stepped in. But poor Lucy is on her own and is insulted by Tabitha. Tabitha is pissed Lucy got into the company after she finds out Lucy and Felix are childhood friends and insults Lucy so Lucy leaves. She runs into Will who grabs her but Vicky and Lottie see. Vicky tells Lucy that they can report Will but Lucy doesn’t want issues. I loved Vicky here, she wanted to help but Lottie says that they can’t force Lucy to do anything. Lucy finds Felix’s office and starts daydreaming about different stories. She makes maps of the world she has created since she is an author with a secret pen name. Felix used to call her Shakespeare when they were kids and ask her to tell him her stories. Now, he has no idea that she is a best-selling author. Felix finds Lucy in his office, he was looking for Lucy but Lucy can get in her head and forget about the world.

“Lucy, this is a party where you make connections. Where you network, it’s an opportunity.”
“Oh, right,” she said. “Networking.” She made networking sound akin to being tortured on a rack. “Yeah, I’m not sure that that’s my thing to be honest.”

At work, Lucy is harassed by Will so much. He tells her to get him coffee in the rain and when she comes back, he says she didn’t get it right. Felix sees her, stops in the middle of traffic, picks her up over his shoulder, and puts her into his car. Felix calls Will out for treating Lucy like shit and tells Lucy not to let Will push her around. Felix feels guilty to see her limping and shivering, so he gives her his jumper. He makes the whole office building hot for Lucy even if everyone complains. Vicky and Lottie help Lucy dress up so she looks professional but warm, and Felix pays for it. The company goes to a bar and Lucy is hit on by a colleague. Felix gets jealous and tells them to back off. Felix asks if she wants to go out with that person. She says maybe and he takes her aside and kisses her. They makeout and Will catches them, saying that Felix should have told him he was fucking Lucy. Felix takes Lucy to his place where they fuck. Lucy knows that Felix fucks around and feels insecure. But Felix finds her beautiful and tells her that every time he notices she is shy. He says that she is his girlfriend but he wants to take her on a date before they fuck again.


Felix takes her to a meeting with Vicky and Ollie. Ollie is Vicky’s step-brother and is a Duke, Vicky is an affair baby. Lottie used to work for Ollie as a cleaner but he fired her and has hated her since. Felix doesn’t hide that he is dating Lucy. Ollie keeps insulting Lottie so she leaves without a coat. He goes after her since he is pissed she might be cold and tells Vicky to make sure Lottie wears her coat. At the company, Felix told HR that he was dating Lucy. They kept things professional at work but Lucy made the mistake of surprising him with a cake on his birthday. He was in a meeting and got pissed. Lucy started noticing that Felix acts like his father at his company but is sweet with her in private. Lucy told Felix that his company doesn’t leave room for communication and that it lacks colour. Felix doesn’t listen to her opinions and has no idea Will is taking credit for Lucy’s work. Lucy feels bad that Felix is stressed and he kisses her but hates how he got distracted by her. Will asks if Lucy and Felix fucked and grabs Lucy’s hand hard. Lucy leaves since she can’t deal with him anymore.

Lucy has a meeting with her publicist Melissa who says they have an investor interested in Lucy’s books. It was a guy named Harry who is one of Felix’s partners. Harry tells Lucy he wants to help fund her projects and even movie adaptations. He asks her to do book signings and Lucy is afraid to but agrees. Harry has a wife named Verity who is a huge fan of Lucy. Turns out Harry and Verity are from one of Susie’s other books, it’s called Unwanted. Lucy realized that Felix’s company wasn’t worth it for her anymore. She goes to HR to complain about Will and shows them her wrist which is bruised. HR was going to call the police but Lucy just wanted to get her stuff and leave. Lucy tells Will to let her get her things since she told HR about him. Will slams her against the wall making her hit her head and he licks her neck. He tells Lucy to take the statement back since he has something against her. Lucy runs to Felix but Felix is in there with Vicky and Tabitha. Felix yells at Lucy when she tries to tell him she was assaulted by Will. Felix accuses her of selling company secrets to Harry. Will took pictures of Lucy meeting with Harry and lied that she was selling secrets about the company when it was Will. Vicky was willing to hear her out, even Tabitha, but Felix told her to get out. Poor Vicky blamed herself for this when she insisted that they wait for Lottie. Felix was the one who was to blame for all of it.

To make matters worse, Felix doesn’t let Lucy take any of her belongings and has security escort her out. Lucy has no coat or phone and it is freezing outside, she tries to ask but they say no. Lucy’s condition is already sensitive to the cold, so she walks to the nearest cafe. She gets frostbite on her hands and calls Mike to pick her up. I loved how Mike was the protective brother who would drop anything for his loved ones. Felix is at the company when the police come to arrest Will. Tabitha had a camera in the office, Lucy wasn’t the first person Will harassed, Tabitha dealt with it too. But she was too scared to say anything without solid proof so she had a secret camera installed. The police question Felix and he panics since he realized he fucked up. He finds out that Lucy was assaulted before coming to him after going to HR. The police saw the assault from Tabitha’s footage and let Felix see it. What was stupid was they all still believed Lucy sold company secrets. Felix thought Lucy was desperate for money, he found out Lucy paid for the clothes and thought she did it with money she got from Harry. He thought that it didn’t matter that she sold company secrets as long as Lucy was safe. Mike punches Felix, I fucking love him. Vicky sees Mike and is obsessed with him but Mike can’t stand her since she was there when Lucy was kicked out. Felix realized he fucked up and begged to see Lucy but Mike told him to give him Lucy’s things. Mike makes it clear that Lucy didn’t need Felix’s money and Felix finds out Lucy was a best-selling author. Despite Felix dating her for weeks, he never asked Lucy enough questions about herself. So now, Felix has to grovel, YUS.


Felix tries calling and texting Lucy but she shuts him out. She was the one who bought her mom a cottage and helped the family. Lucy meets Harry for a book signing and Felix comes to talk to Lucy. Felix begs Lucy to talk but she tells him to leave. Felix read all of Lucy’s books by then and says he was Lucy’s first fan growing up. When Lucy was called out for being a daydreamer, Felix always encouraged it. Felix went to visit Hetty, she knew that his father did a number on him and that was why he treated Lucy badly. Hetty tells him that she and Bianca, Felix’s mom, wanted Lucy to get together with Felix. Hetty knew Lucy always loved Felix so she thought to push them together. She tells Felix that Lucy got frostbite on her hands since he kicked her out with none of her stuff. He cried and vomited since he couldn’t believe he caused Lucy pain. Felix begged Lucy to give him another chance. He says he is sorry for hurting her and touches her hands. Lucy admits to stalking him online since she had a huge crush on him. When her brother came back from visiting Felix, she would ask him tons of questions. Felix says he is obsessed with her now and would stalk her but Lucy says how she had a toxic obsession with him. To the point where she was happy to have whatever attention he would give her. She admits she came to his company hoping he would give her a chance. She says how she fell for him but he treated her the way his father treats his mom. Lucy says she doesn’t wanna end up like his mom. It was a fucked up thing to say but I could see where she was coming from. Felix has lashed out on Lucy a lot at work and he has a hostile work environment. Felix is speechless and leaves, thinking she deserves better.

For weeks, Felix is working at the office while he barely eats or sleeps. Mike tells him that he needs to come back to see Lucy. I cried since Mike says Lucy grieves things differently. Lucy shuts everyone out and is stuck in her daydream world to avoid reality. Lucy hasn’t left her writing shed for weeks and barely eats. Mike is worried and knows Felix can get her out of this. When they were kids, Lucy shut everyone out when her dad died. She hid and was writing when Felix found her. Felix told her to tell him a story and she told this heartbreaking story inspired by her dad. Felix’s dad took his dog to the pound when he was younger and when he found out, he came over. So Lucy told him a story to feel better and Felix thought he would do anything to have her back. Felix finds Lucy in her shed and tells her to get up since she is cold. She refuses to leave the shed, saying she is fine but writing stories. So Felix brings workers to help renovate the shed. Lucy starts to eat and Hetty is relieved and Felix starts buying her clothes. Mike and Felix lifted Lucy off her chair to give her a better chair since she was stubborn about leaving.

“I just want you to be warm, love,” I said softly. Her mouth fell open slightly, and her eyes went unfocused.
“Lucy, you say, ‘Thank you, Felix, for buying me lots of warm clothes. That was very kind and generous of you’,” Hetty told her.

They have a pony named Legolas who keeps barging in to eat Lucy’s maps. Felix says he will be Lucy’s assistant and helps Lucy with a book signing. Lucy doesn’t want to disappoint people and when she makes a fuss, he kisses her to distract her. Bianca asks them to join her for dinner with Felix’s dad. Bianca tried to shield Felix away from his dad by distracting him, but it didn’t work. Felix’s dad, Luca, was an asshole through dinner. Hetty brought her animals to piss him off and defended Felix. When Luca tries to insult Lucy, Felix loses it.

“Listen, you piece of shit,” he hissed, keeping his voice low enough that his mum couldn’t hear, gripping his father by the top of his shirt and then giving him a shake. “Don’t ever turn your venomous bullshit on Lucy. Don’t look at her. Don’t talk to her or about her. If I catch you breathing wrong in her direction, I’ll do what I should have done years ago and kick your arse from here to The Badger’s Sett.”

Mike helps defend Felix and says he will tell Bianca that he walked in on Luca fucking Felix’s ex. 5 years ago, Felix’s ex sold information about his company to his dad and cheated on him with his dad. I loved how Lucy said if he truly loved her, he would know she would never do that. I wish Lucy and Felix had a proper convo about his past. Luca says that Felix couldn’t keep Lucy since he wasn’t good enough. Luca confirms he took Felix’s dog to the pound. Lucy told him that it was because of his behaviour that Felix turned out the way he did. She defends Felix for being kind and tells him to get out. Bianca calls him out for cheating on her multiple times and tells him to leave. For weeks, Felix wanted to work on himself before getting with Lucy. He made changes to his office after finding out he had a hostile work environment. He got a company dog and added all the things Lucy suggested. When Lucy went to visit him, Tabitha apologized for everything. Tabitha told Felix about the sexist work culture Felix had and he did things to change it. Vicky took the full blame while Lucy told her it was fine. Lottie says that Vicky took this hard and barely eats cuz of guilt. Vicky has a crush on Mike and searched him up a couple of times, looking at his picture calms her down. Felix is in a meeting but when he sees Lucy, he picks Lucy up, and kisses her in front of everyone. He takes her to the elevator and Lucy says she needs him so they fuck. Felix takes her to his home and shows Lucy the office he built for her. He bought all of her books in special editions and created a space perfect for her to write. He says he hoped she would move in and she says yes. They both say they love each other and years later they have twins. One of their kids is Henry, named after Lucy’s dad, and the other is Bea. I am excited for Ollie’s book with Lottie and even more excited for Vicky and Mike, I love Vicky so much. This book was everything, I can’t wait to read more!

“Felix, you’ve built me a blooming library, had a map of a fictional world I made up painted on an actual wall, given me multiple orgasms, supported me in my career, tolerated my mother, let a small horse molest you endlessly and eat your belongings for me.” I softened my tone as I went on. “You made sure I was warm, you stopped me from disappearing into my world. Of course, I’ll stay with you.”

Stay safe folks!

[Amarilis · Rating 1 out of 5]

No me gustó nada de este libro; de hecho, creo que disfruté más el momento en que por fin se terminó qué la lectura en sí.

[Bec · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason I kept reading this was because I genuinely thought the author was going to give us a new MMC or have the man (Felix) go through something crazy to make him totally change who he was. From the very first page he gaslit, criticized, embarrassed, and ridiculed Lucy. He also took the side of the man who verbally & physically abused her (and had sexually harassed other women).
What caused him to change was realizing he didn’t want to lose Lucy, but that was also at the same time he discovered she was a wealthy, best-selling author… so it felt like he began respecting her purely because she was successful.

Also, the author made it seem like Lucy had all these issues… but they really weren’t major at all. It felt like the audience was being gaslit about her to make the man’s actions more understandable 😑

[Joanna Marie ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1⭐️

I felt like this book was rushed into the romance with no chemistry between the characters. Like it just happened out of nowhere with very little build up. I was able to get though the whole book, but I was quite bored and ready for it to be over. Not a favorite!

Also- too much repetition on Lucy's condition and Vicky's autism.

[Sandy (Sandy.Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Daydreamer was such a pleasant surprise, and I have to start by saying how much I absolutely adored Lucy. She is the ultimate dreamer. Her imagination, her creativity, and the way she escapes into stories made her such a relatable and refreshing FMC. But what made her truly stand out was how Susie Tate also portrayed the flip side of that: her anxiety, her difficulty being around others, and the way she processes the world differently. It felt incredibly real and thoughtfully written.

Felix, on the other hand, is her complete opposite. He is grounded, straightforward, and confident. Watching the two of them go from strangers to friends to something so much more was a beautiful journey. Their dynamic brought out the best in each other, and the way Felix showed up for Lucy was especially heartwarming.

That said, parts of this story were difficult to read. The workplace harassment and assault Lucy experiences were heavy and unsettling, but they were handled with care and brought necessary attention to issues that are all too common and too often ignored.

My heart broke for Lucy in several moments. It is hard to be “different” in a world that does not always make space for that. But what I loved most was seeing Felix take responsibility for his actions and work to be better. His care and support for Lucy felt so genuine, and it made their romance even more meaningful.

I am really looking forward to reading the rest of the series. This one definitely left an impact.

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta história fez-me "aceitar" o facto de por vezes ter a cabeça na nuvens, e quase que literalmente parecer que não estou presente quando na realidade estou.

É uma história para os sonhadores, para aqueles que gostam de sonhar acordados e andam sempre com a cabeça nas nuvens.

A Lucy parece simples, a sua história parece cliché, contudo (apesar de ter os seus momentos clichés), a verdade é que a sua história é bem mais que isso - é sobre superação, sobre empoderamento e sobre o amor.

Adorei o romance da Lucy e do Felix, amei a evolução da relação deles e o modo como cresceram juntos. Fez sentido tudo ser do modo que foi, mesmo o conflito final (que eu pessoalmente adorei a resolução).

Foi uma leitura extremamente leve, bonita e especial ❤️ a escrita da autora é muito envolvente e só dá vontade de ler mais. Foi a leitura perfeita para um dia de praia e só tenho pena de ainda não ter os restantes livros da saga traduzidos...porque sim, eu preciso urgentemente de ler a história da Lottie com o Oliver e a história da Vicky com o Mike 😍