Serotonin in Book Form: Why Daydream Is Hannah Grace’s Best Yet

Sym’s Spotlight Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You know that feeling when a book just clicks? When you start reading, and suddenly it’s 5 AM, and you’re exhausted, but you have zero regrets? That was Daydream for me. If Icebreaker and Wildfire had me hooked on the Maple Hills universe as is, Daydream has me fully obsessed and wanting more of this little world. I’m talking ‘I want it injected into my veins’ level of love.

Hannah Grace has outdone herself with this one, once again (I feel like I’ve said that with every book of hers in this Maple Hills series). Daydream isn’t just a book, it’s an experience. The kind that makes you feel warm and giddy while also making your heartache in the best way possible. This time, we get Henry Turner’s story, the lovable, chaotic hockey player we’ve all adored since book one, and Halle Jacobs, an academic powerhouse who finds herself in a ‘friends-with-benefits-but-make-it-platonic’ situation with Henry.

Let’s talk about Henry. My sweet boy Henry. He’s now the captain of the hockey team (a role he never wanted but is determined to do justice to), and he’s drowning in responsibilities. On top of that, he’s stuck in a class with his least favourite professor, and it’s not looking great. Enter Halle, the bookish, overachieving, people-pleasing queen who somehow gets roped into tutoring him after Henry crashes her book club (for the snacks, obviously). But here’s the twist, Halle is struggling with something of her own: she’s stuck in a writing rut, and her lack of romantic experience is a serious roadblock. The solution? A little deal. Henry gives her new experiences to help her writing, and she helps him survive his class. Simple, right? Yeah, no. Feelings were always going to ruin that plan, we all saw it coming.

And now to the parts that deserve the main spotlight...

One thing I really appreciated about Daydream was how well Halle's family dynamic was portrayed. You can really feel her constant pressure to be the dependable one, the girl who drops everything because she's responsible, efficient, and the one everyone can lean on. And whilst her family clearly loves her, they also don't fully see her. To them, she's a solution, not a person with her own limits. It's been her role for so long that no one even questions it anymore. She's constantly pushed into helping someone, even her ex, Will, and the way this plays out throughout the book is done so well. If anything, the only part that felt slightly lacking was the resolution. We do luckily get that explosive confrontation with her mum, but I would've loved a bit more emotional unpacking and acknowledgement on the page. I still absolutely loved it though.

And Henry's portrayal? It was equally as compelling. He's neurodivergent, though he doesn't have a formal diagnosis (#relatable). This is something which Hannah Grace addressed directly in the author's note at the beginning. Henry's challenges are woven into the story with a lot of care. He struggles with noisy, chaotic spaces, he finds it hard to express when he's overwhelmed, reading-intensive classes drain him, and he often speaks before thinking. However, he is also quick to recognise when he's hurt someone and genuinely tries to make it right. It's handled with a softness that makes you love him even more.

Their chemistry is unreal. The slow burn. The tension. The oh-my-god-just-kiss-already moments. Every interaction between them is electric, from the banter to the way Henry not so subtly dotes on Halle. And don’t even get me started on Henry’s grand gestures: he sketches her (cue the swooning… I had to put my book down and scream into my pillow), he remembers tiny details about her, and shows up for her in ways no one else ever has. If Icebreaker gave us spicy tension and Wildfire gave us second-chance angst, Daydream gives us the ultimate ‘best-friends-to-lovers' dynamic but make it emotionally devastating in the best way.

And then there’s Halle. She is so easy to root for. She’s the eldest daughter who has always put others before herself, who has spent years catering to people who never really saw her. Watching her slowly step into her own, find real friendships, and realise she deserves more than just being an afterthought? Chef’s kiss. The way she and Henry just get each other, how they offer quiet support and fierce loyalty, makes their romance feel so real.

Also, can we talk about how funny this book is at times too? Henry’s internal monologue is comedy gold, and his interactions with the rest of the Maple Hills crew had me grinning the entire time. The banter is top-tier, the friendships are heartwarming, and the cameos from our beloved past characters? Absolute perfection.

I could go on forever, but the bottom line is this: Daydream is an emotional, swoon worthy, laugh out loud, heart clenching masterpiece. It’s Hannah Grace’s best work yet, and if you loved the first two books, you need this one in your life. This is the kind of romance that lingers, that makes you want to hug the book to your chest and sigh dramatically because it was just that good. The kind of book that makes you wish it were possible to go back in time to experience reading it for the first time all over again.

Final thoughts? 5 out of 5 stars. A must read. Just pure serotonin in book form. On that note, excuse me, I’ll be over here kicking my feet and giggling at all of my favourite Henry and Halle moments and pretending Maple Hills is a real place I can move to immediately.