SUMMARY
The third in the New York Times bestselling Maple Hills series follows fan-favorite Henry and a bookish fellow student who come up with a plan to help them both overcome their respective challenges in a difficult year.
When his procrastination lands him in a difficult class with his least favorite professor, Henry Turner knows he’s going to have to work extra hard to survive his junior year of college. And now with his new title of captain for the hockey team—which he didn’t even want—Henry absolutely cannot fail. Enter Halle Jacobs, a fellow junior who finds herself befriended by Henry when he accidentally crashes her book club.
Halle may not have the romantic pursuits of her favorite fictional leads, but she’s an academic superstar, and as soon as she hears about Henry’s problems with his class reading material, she offers to help. Too bad being a private tutor isn’t exactly ideal given her own studies, job, book club, and the novel she’s trying to write. But new experiences are the key to beating her writer’s block, and Henry’s promising to be the one to give them to her.
They just need to stick to their rule book.
Oh, and not fall in love.
Image and summary from Goodreads.
REVIEW
After reading the previous books in the series, I was so excited to dive back into this world and finally get Halle and Henry’s story. Hannah Grace has created a cast of characters that are so easy to become attached to, and one of my favourite parts of this series is catching up with familiar faces while getting to know a new couple. Daydream reminded me exactly why I enjoy spending time in Maple Hills so much.
From the very beginning, Henry completely stole the show for me. I already liked him from the earlier books, but getting inside his head only made me love his character even more. He’s funny, thoughtful, caring and always trying to be there for everyone around him. But underneath all of that, he’s carrying so much pressure that you slowly begin to understand why everything starts catching up with him.
I actually found Henry incredibly relatable. Watching him realise that he couldn’t keep giving every piece of himself to everyone else hit harder than I expected. Sometimes stepping away isn’t giving up, it’s exactly what you need to do so you can breathe again. I really appreciated that Hannah Grace allowed him to acknowledge that he was overwhelmed instead of pretending everything was fine. It made him feel like a real person rather than just the perfect book boyfriend.
Halle was another character I really connected with, although for completely different reasons. As the eldest daughter myself, I understood so much of the pressure she carried. That feeling of believing it’s your responsibility to keep everything together, to solve everyone’s problems and to make sure everyone else is okay before you even think about yourself… that really resonated with me. I don’t think enough books talk about that kind of pressure and I appreciated seeing it explored here. It made Halle feel incredibly authentic and there were several moments where I found myself thinking, I know exactly how that feels.
The relationship between Halle and Henry was one of my favourite parts of the book. I loved that they weren’t trying to “fix” each other. Instead, they simply gave each other the space to grow, supported one another and slowly became the person the other needed. Their chemistry felt natural and their quieter moments together were often my favourites because they showed how much trust was building between them.
Hannah Grace’s writing is also just so easy to read. Every chapter flows effortlessly and before I knew it, I was flying through the book because I didn’t want to stop reading. She has a way of balancing humour with emotional moments without making either feel forced and it’s one of the reasons I keep coming back to her books.
Overall, Daydream was another wonderful trip back to Maple Hills. It gave me everything I wanted with a romance I could root for, characters who felt genuine and emotional moments that stayed with me long after I finished. More than anything, it reminded me that it’s okay to ask for help, to step back when life becomes overwhelming and that carrying everyone else’s burdens isn’t something you have to do alone.
This was an easy 4 star read for me. Henry has easily become one of my favourite Hannah Grace characters and I loved finally seeing his story unfold. If Hannah Grace ever decides to return to Maple Hills again, I’ll happily be first in line to read it.
-Rachelle
I’m on Instagram at @rachellesbookshelf
