Nostalgic Book Review: Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Can a great heroine save a romance with a problematic hero?
That was basically the question I found myself asking throughout Dream a Little Dream.
This wasn't my favorite Susan Elizabeth Phillips book, but I LOVED Rachael. Like, genuinely loved her. Her storyline, her character arc, and watching her claw her way back from rock bottom were easily my favorite parts of the book.
And yet, I had a much harder time getting on board with her romance with Gabe.
This is one of those nostalgic romances where I can absolutely understand why readers love it, while also thinking there are some pretty uncomfortable conversations to have about whether parts of it hold up in 2026.
📖 Book: Dream a Little Dream
✍️ Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
⭐️ Rating: 3.75/5
🌶️ Spice: 2.5/5
🎧 Format: Audiobook + physical book
📅 Published: 1994
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👩👧 Single Mom
🖤 Widowed FMC
👨👧 Widowed MMC
❤️🩹 Trauma / Healing
🔄 Redemption Arc
🛡️ Protective Hero
👫 Strangers to Lovers
💰 Down-on-Her-Luck Heroine
🔥 Friends with Benefits
⛪ Religious / Megachurch Drama
🏘️ Small Town Romance -
Rachael Stone is a widowed single mother struggling to make ends meet while raising her young son, Edward. After losing everything, she finds herself back in the small town where her troubled past began, determined to build a better life for herself and her son.
Gabe Bonner is also a widower, but unlike Rachael, he's not looking for a fresh start. After losing his wife and young son, Gabe has withdrawn from life and has little interest in moving forward.
When Rachael and Gabe's paths cross, their lives become increasingly intertwined. What begins as a complicated relationship slowly develops into something neither of them expected, forcing both of them to confront their pasts, their grief, and the possibility of finding happiness again.
But Rachael's return to town also brings old secrets to the surface. As she becomes entangled in the drama surrounding a powerful local megachurch, she finds herself the target of threats and harassment—and begins to realize that her past may not be as far behind her as she thought.
At its heart, Dream a Little Dream is a story about grief, survival, redemption, and two deeply wounded people trying to figure out whether they can build a life after losing almost everything.
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Rachael. Rachael. Rachael.
Did I mention I loved Rachael?
She was easily my favorite part of this book.
I loved how this woman, despite having a genuinely tortured past, was still so feisty, witty, and funny. She brought some much-needed humor to the story, and I loved watching her navigate being a single mom while trying to keep herself and Edward afloat.
She's fiercely protective of her son and so determined to give him a better life, even when she has almost nothing left herself.
And watching her claw her way back from where she started and slowly find her confidence again was so satisfying.
Her entire down-on-her-luck storyline and character arc were easily the most compelling part of the book for me.
I also really enjoyed the secondary romance between Ethan and Kristy. In fact, I found their relationship more believable and compelling than the primary romance at times.
And while I had some significant issues with Gabe, I did appreciate much of his character arc.
His story isn't really about figuring out who he wants to be or rebuilding his life. Gabe is barely living at the beginning of this book. He's carrying an enormous amount of grief after losing his childhood sweetheart and son, and on some level, he doesn't even want to be alive.
That made his journey surprisingly emotional for me.
Watching him slowly confront his grief and begin to consider the possibility of living again was beautiful. There are some really heavy conversations around grief, guilt, and suicide, and I thought those elements of his story were handled with more nuance than I expected from a romance published in 1994.
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I don't know. 😂
This is where things get complicated.
Dream a Little Dream was published in 1994, and romance heroes were obviously operating under very different conventions than they are today. I think it's important to acknowledge that context when reading older romances.
But there were still several scenes that made me deeply uncomfortable, particularly early in the book.
The scene where Rachael throws herself at Gabe was especially difficult for me, and there are other moments involving Gabe's behavior and dialogue toward Rachael and Edward that simply do not sit well with me in 2026.
I can understand that the book was written almost three decades ago. I can understand the conventions of the genre at the time. And I can understand where some of Gabe's anger, detachment, and self-destructiveness are coming from.
But understanding the character doesn't necessarily make the behavior easier to read.
And that's where I struggled with the central romance.
At the same time, I was genuinely surprised by how thoughtful some of Gabe's emotional storyline felt for the era.
His contemplation of suicide and his complete lack of desire to continue living are handled in a way that felt surprisingly progressive for 1994. The book allows him to be deeply emotionally damaged without simply making grief something he needs to “get over” before he can move on.
There are some really interesting things happening underneath the romance here.
So I don't think the answer is simply, “This book hasn't aged well.”
There are definitely pieces that feel problematic today. But there are also elements of the story that feel remarkably nuanced for the time.
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Here’s how Dream a Little Dream stacked up:
💘 Romance ██████░░░░ 3/5
🔥 Chemistry ██████░░░░ 3/5
👀 Tension ████████░░ 4/5
🫶 Characters █████████░ 4.5/5
📖 Story ████████░░ 4/5
💔 Emotional Damage █████████░ 4.5/5
🏘️ Setting ████████░░ 4/5
🌶️ Spice █████░░░░░ 2.5/5
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Dream a Little Dream felt less like a traditional romance to me and more like a literary fiction redemption story with Rachael as the heroine. I appreciated Gabe's character arc and the exploration of grief and trauma, but his behavior toward Rachael made it difficult for me to fully root for them as a couple. I actually found Ethan and Kristy's romance more compelling.
Rachael carried this book for me. I loved her character arc, the suspense kept me invested, and the ending was beautiful. I'm ultimately glad I read it, but it's definitely not one of my favorite SEP books.
And it's one of those nostalgic romances where I think the “Does this hold up?” conversation is complex. There are things I really loved about this book, but also parts that made me deeply uncomfortable. Definitely not one of my favorite SEP books, but I'm glad I read it.
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