natalie intihar

Publication Date: February 17, 2026

Three things happened simultaneously while I was reading If Only You Knew. One: I wanted to burst into tears at the love story between Parker and Summer. Two: I wanted to go tell my partner (and former best friend) how much I love him. And three: I wanted to sit down and write. Good books have me leaving them with one or two of those feelings. This book was on a whole separate level.

Having read Only in Your Dreams and Only Between Us, Parker and Summer were familiar characters whose love story I was so excited to read. There’s something about the best friends to lovers arc that always hits for me, so I knew this would be no exception. Their story of realizing the love was always there just hit like a sucker punch in the best way. It’s the “it was always you” at its very finest.

It’s hard for me to put into words how much I loved this story and what it meant to me. Ellie’s books have always been a favorite of mine and an easy sports romance recommendation for my friends, but If Only You Knew might be my favorite book I’ve read in 2025. It had me kicking my feet and squealing, laughing out loud, and tearing up all at once. This book was simply everything to me, and I cannot wait for you all to read it as well.

Thank you to Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this book! I received a free advance copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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