NOTE: This post is sponsored by Macmillan.
What’s your biggest dream?
In Dream by Barbara O’Connor, Idalee Lovett is a small-town girl with big dreams. Music is in her blood, her family’s musical talents passed down like a treasured heirloom. While her mama loves performing and is about to hit the road with her band, the Lovey Lovett and the Junkyard Dogs, Idalee prefers to stay out of the spotlight, writing songs in her attic bedroom on her old guitar. Her biggest dream? To write songs for other artists (including her mom!) that will one day play on the radio.
A New York Times bestseller! The highly anticipated follow up to Wish, which has spent six years on the New York Times bestseller list and is beloved by over two million readers. Dream follows a small town girl with big aspirations who discovers that anything is possible with your best friends and an adorable pup by your side!
The sky is the limit.
Idalee Lovett is content with her life in small-town Colby, North Carolina, living in her family’s huge house with rooms for rent. But she has big dreams, just like her mama. While Mama is on tour for the summer with her cover band, Lovey Lovett and the Junkyard Dogs, Idalee decides to hone her craft as a songwriter—since her truest wish is to hear her country songs on the radio one day.
When the local radio station announces a songwriting contest with the winning song being recorded by an up-and-coming singer, Idalee is determined to win. It would definitely be possible if only she could buy the shiny blue guitar in Asheville’s music shop. Idalee doesn’t have much money, but she knows exactly how to get it—the long-lost treasure her late granddaddy hid somewhere in their house. With the help of her friends Odell, Howard, Charlie, and an adorable little dog named Wishbone, Idalee is going to search in every nook and cranny until she finds it. But little does she know, the biggest treasure of all is only discovered when you believe in yourself with your whole heart.
In this standalone companion to the #1 New York Times bestseller Wish, nothing is impossible as Idalee learns the power of chasing her dreams one guitar strum at a time.
Dream
AUTHOR: Barbara O’Connor
PUBLISHER: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
DATE: August 26, 2025
When she hears about a local songwriting contest, Idalee’s dreams finally feel like they’re in reach, and she’s determined to enter. But to write a song worthy of winning a competition, she’ll need to upgrade to the shiny blue guitar she saw hanging in a music shop window. In order to get the money to buy it, she rounds up her friends for a treasure hunt, searching every nook and cranny of her house filled with quirky renters to discover the treasure her late-grandpa supposedly left behind. You’ll have to read Dream to see how it all plays out!
Before you dive into Idaelee’s journey to make her dreams come true, we’re helping you figure out which of your own dreams you can chase and offering up a little advice on how to get started. Take our Dream-inspired quiz to find out which dream you should chase!
QUIZ: Which Dream Should You Chase?
📚GIVEAWAY: We’re making your dreams come true! Enter to WIN copies of Wish & Dream HERE!
✨FOLLOW YOUR READING DREAMS: Wish and Dream are both available now from Macmillan!
