Step siblings romances are usually a no for me, but I enjoyed this. There was still some cringe moments, but I think how the author set up the romance helped a lot. Plus it was hot.

The premise of this one is just a little too “taboo” for me… I’m also not a big fan of falling in love in 3 seconds and staying that way the entire time- not enough depth in this one. I usually love Tessa’s books but this one is a miss for me.

4 1/2 Stars

I was fascinated with Sig and Chloe in the previous book and really couldn't wait to read their story and see how their relationship dynamic really worked. Even though it was sometimes irritating that Chloe was truly so helpless, it lent itself to the storyline and gave it more meat.

I really enjoyed the story and loved getting to know Sig and Chloe better. However, I resigned myself to the fact that there is no way to truly impress upon the king just how important it is that he cooperates.

I found the ending of the book to be quite satisfying and loved the Epilogue.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

I absolutely LOVED Chloe and Sig in The Au Pair Affair and begged Tessa Bailey on my TikTok to write this book, to which she responded that it was already written and I had been excited ever since.

Their chemistry and story had me HOOKED from the first page and that classic Tessa Bailey writing made it even better. I knew exactly what I was getting (a hit!!) with her books and my expectations were blown out of the water!! I am so glad I was able to read this book early and I look forward to whatever Tessa writes next. I would read her grocery list if she published it!

Tessa Bailey is my queen for all things romance every book in this series just gets steamer and funnier. Hockey romance is always a win for me and this of course had to join my shelf on release day

I've read the previous books in this series as well as other Tessa Bailey works, so naturally I had to read this one as well. The author delivers with the chemistry and spiciness but writing and plot-wise, Dream Girl Drama was a miss. The plot was based on it being a forbidden romance, but I wasn't really convinced that it was forbidden (they're both consenting adults), so that just made the plot fall flat. Furthermore, the FMC was clueless at several points that I was slowly getting annoyed and that made her unrelatable for me.

TESSA BAILEY DID IT AGAIN ❤️❤️❤️❤️ stole my whole heart. I had to go get a physical copy to have on my shelf!! Thank you NetGalley ❤️❤️❤️

As always, Tessa Bailey delivers a high heat romance. Sig and Chloe meet by chance and have immediate chemistry, but quickly learn that their parents are engaged. As stepsiblings-to-be, they have to keep their distance, but quickly realize they can't bear to be apart from each other. Sig finds ways to take care of Chloe while she learns how to be an adult and live on her own for the first time.

The connection between Sig and Chloe is great and compelling, but ultimately the conflict here just doesn't stand up to scrutiny. We keep being reminded that they're going to be stepsiblings so a relationship is impossible, but they're in their mid-to-late twenties: no one cares. With such a thin reason they can't be together, I'm afraid the book doesn't hold much water.

this was my first Tessa Bailey book and I received as an arc a while ago anddddd I just didn’t like it. I almost DNF but I pushed through but kind of wish I just DNF. I just thought it was bad 😭

I so desperately wish I could give half-stars on Goodreads because this is a solid 3.5 for me. I went into Dream Girl Drama having read and loved the first two books in the series (and most of Tessa Bailey's backlist, if we're honest). I was excited to see what this bizarre sibling-ish pair that we met in the previous book was up to and learn their origin story. I loved the characters of Sig and Chloe - she is a chaotic, sheltered mess of a woman who has never ventured out of the wealthy harp-prodigy bubble her mother has raised her in, he's a rising hockey star from humble beginnings who still lives with a scarcity mindset and drives a truck older than he is. Their meet-cute cracked me up and set the tone for the story we were about to read, which I enjoyed. We knew we were getting insta-love (hello, "dream girl" is literally in the title of the book) and it gave a very Taylor Swift <i>Enchanted</i> vibe with strong <i>Don't Blame Me</i> overtones once they started fooling around on the golf course. Unfortunately a few hours later we realize these two are destined to become step-siblings and they immediately attempt to course-correct and keep things friendly... except that nothing between these two is ever what I would refer to as "friendly!" They can't keep their hands off each other and frankly don't really even try to. This book had all the laughs and the fantastic smut I've come to expect from Tessa Bailey (who doesn't love a good "just once to get it out of our system" moment?!) but there were a few plot holes that I just couldn't get past. I liked that I was surprised by the twist that resolved the story but I couldn't help but wonder the entire time why they couldn't just elope and beat their parents to the altar? Wouldn't that solve all of their problems? I also had a hard time justifying sweet, self-sacrificing Chloe with the obtuse version of her that didn't realize that things cost money and Sig was bankrolling (and kind of controlling, just like her mother) her entire lifestyle. Overall it was a fun read that I enjoyed for exactly what it was - a mostly-lighthearted romance between a panic pixie dream girl and the hunk of an athletic down bad for her - as long as I didn't try too hard to solve any of their problems and think too deep about any of their behaviors.

What a fun read! Forbidden romance and friends to lovers.

We meet Sig and Chole in The Au Pair Affair and I've been dreaming of their story since that is how strong the chemistry is. Some readers may find the "possible future step-siblings" element uncomfortable, but I truly didn't see the real-world issue of two adults who met without knowing any of that information.

Perfect for sports romance readers who enjoy quirky characters and big laughs.

I very much wanted to enjoy this book. I got an early copy but I struggled to get into it. I think that I was not the ideal demographic for this.
There are a lot of people out there that I am sure would enjoy this insta-love kind of story, but it's not for me.

Another fun and steamy romance by Tessa Bailey. If you're looking for a low stakes spring/summer read, look no further. This can be read as a standalone but also as a supplement to her previous two sports romances. There's a little bit of forbidden romance, a little romantic comedy and a lot of spice!

This book was absolutely amazing and everything I ever wanted! I’ve never really been a fan of the step-sibling type of trope but this was done so well!

Have thoroughly enjoyed the Big Shots series, but I was little hesitant about this one. I should’ve known better than to doubt Tessa Bailey! I loved how protective, yet encouraging Sig was with Chloe and how Chloe craved her independence. Can’t wait for the next book in this series! Thanks to the publisher for the advanced reader copy!

Thank you to the author, publisher and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Oooooh @tessabaileyisanauthor goes there with Sig and Chloe 🥵 We meet them earlier in the Big Shots series, so you know a little about them coming in to this if you read Fangirl down (4 stars from me) and The Au Pair Affair (5/5 cause BURGESS). We are also going to be BLESSED with books 4 and 5 of this series (cue fangirl screaming 🙀).

Sig is everything. Sig is perfection. Sig is stuck between and rock and a hard place and chooses LOVE.

Chloe is an uber talented, manic pixie girl without a clue and Sig is basically her knight in shining armor. BUT they’re future step-siblings so nothing can happen right? TESSA NOTHING CAN HAPPEN RIGHT?

Their chemistry was off the charts for me and I’d wholeheartedly recommend this for the vibes and the naughtiness 😉

While hockey romance usually isn’t my cup of tea, Tessa Bailey does a great job hooking me in with this book. I didn’t know this was part of an interconnected series when I started but I still got the gist of what was going on even without it. The romance is believable and the chemistry is there.

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (0-5)
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥☄️ (0-5) I bump up for public-ish places.

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 This is definitely my favorite in the Big Shots series—all the feels and not a dull moment. It’s a total standalone, so you can start right here.
🤩 The duet narration by Callie Dalton & Teddy Hamilton is fabulous, fun, and oh so hot!
🤩 The meet-cute/sweet between Chloe & Sig. How the title comes into play.
🤩 This line in Teddy’s voice: “Come to Boston. I’ll let you watch me do whatever you want.”
🤩 Forbidden romance—step siblings.
🤩 The painful slow burn with so much deep longing, so good and strong with all the tingly, lusty goodness. They have the best chemistry and tension. So much we can’t but we want.
🤩 Sig is total book boyfriend material with all of his love and care, even period care snuggles. I just love how he supports Chloe in her harpist dreams.
🤩 I love this quote from Chloe: “Out of everything I’ve ever had, you are the nicest.”
🤩 The good girl moment.
🤩 Chloe the hockey ref heckler—hilarious!
🤩 Oh, goodness, the jersey moment is an extra hot one.
🤩 The finally and double dirty talking combination is so worth-it!

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 I’m a sucker for sneaking around in a costuming room, but I wished it could have been a little longer, more savored and detailed.

I got the chance to read this one early and held off writing a review for awhile. This book was just not for me. I’m giving it 3 stars because it was well written and I’ve read things I enjoyed from this author before but this one was not it. I want to clarify, I think it’s totally on me that I didn’t enjoy it. The storyline itself seemed okay and it was very clearly advertised that the FMC is a “manic pixie dream girl” but I’m not sure I’ve ever read that sort of character before and it turns out I’m not a fan. The extreme flighty-ness and refusal to take personal responsibility were just not for me. Along with the MMC’s Insta love, which is a trope I’m never super into, this book just wasn’t my jam.

Sig and Chloe forbidden love story made me feel so many emotions. I loved the fact that he was always supporting her without cutting her wings, and how he help her gained more confidence in her herself after being vey deprived by her own mother. I really liked the story and it was very easy to follow and the slow burn was so good, definitely made the story very entertaining.
I will highly recommend this book to my customers and friends.