Secret Nights and Northern Lights
By: Megan Oliver
Publication: November 18, 2025 by Berkley
384 pages
Genre: Adult, Contemporary
Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)
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Goodreads description--Childhood best friends and first loves are reunited on a make-or-break work trip to Iceland, with old feelings coming to the surface in this charming romance from debut author Megan Oliver.Mona Miller lives her life by she’s just fine, thanks; all good; not a problem! Everything is right as rain—even if it’s all a lie. Everyone at the travel magazine where she works knows her as a team player (in other words, the one who won’t complain about the endless fluff pieces pushed her way). But, feeling snubbed after being passed over for a promotion, Mona jumps at an international assignment to Iceland, even though she’s woefully unprepared.
She’s determined to prove her worth, though, and her can-do attitude will scale any glacier. But the freelance photographer paired with her is none other than Benjamin Carter. Ben, her childhood best friend who understood her even when her family didn’t. Ben, her first love—first everything. And Ben, the boy who ghosted her fourteen years ago and left her brokenhearted.
There is a decade’s worth of resentment Mona needs to ignore if she wants to make it through this trip. She’ll put on her “No worries!” façade and hold Ben at a distance. But the more time they spend together, the more the ice around her heart melts. And as those old feelings spark back to life, Mona must decide if she’s willing to go on the biggest adventure of all.
Secret Nights and Northern Lights is the second book I've read in a short span of time that is set in Iceland. I thought that was funny. But I also recognized some of the places from the previous book. At least, I recognized their names and descriptions. I haven't actually visited these places for myself. The scenes came to life through Megan Oliver's description. It was easy to see that she had taken the same or a similar journey as these characters. And then, after the book was over, she states that she did, in fact, take a similar trip. It was obvious through her descriptive writing.
Mona is working as a journalist at a travel magazine. Until recently, she's only been assigned to cover locally. But this is the opportunity of a lifetime, she's being offered an international assignment to Iceland. The only trouble is that she's being assigned a photographer with whom she has a history.
Mona and Ben were once first loves. Ben was best friends with her brothers and was around all the time growing up. They had something special, or so Mona thought. But Ben basically removed himself from their entire family with no word. Mona was heartbroken. Yet she refuses to let her past with him stand in the way of the promotion she's been working toward.
Ben asked for this assignment. The travel magazine that Mona works for has been after him as a photographer for years. But he only agreed to the assignment if he was partnered with Mona. He's read to tell Mona what happened all those years ago, but Mona isn't ready to listen. She just wants to accomplish the job. The only problem is that they are forced together through so many experiences that can't help but bring the two of them together.
I was a little annoyed with Mona. She was heading towards rekindling things with Ben but without being willing to talk to him about what happened to tear them apart all those years ago. How can you consider starting up again when you don't know what went wrong the previous time? It blows my mind.
I will say that a major, MAJOR complaint of mine was the number of GDs used. Some cursing I can skim over. I think there might have been 16ish. I mean multiple uses of this word in a chapter--sometimes as many as three times in a chapter. It was excessive. And I have a particular disdain for this word.
One other small note is that Mona fell asleep on Ben on the airplane and did the whole "waking up so comfortable, not realizing that she's actually snuggled up to him." And then Megan Oliver has her turn around and do this again at another point in the book. I find that to be poor writing. Once is enough if you're going to throw in something cliche like that.
Other than those issues, I did enjoy Secret Nights and Northern Lights. The description of the places that Mona and Ben visited came to life, making me feel like I'd visited them too. I liked the direction Mona went with her article. I liked the backstory and even the reason why Ben left abruptly back when they were still in high school. But all those GDs were killing me. Secret Nights and Northern Lights ultimately gets 3 Stars. Have you read Secret Nights and Northern Lights? What did you think? Let me know!
