Is it wild to say Tessa Bailey is a palate cleanser for me? After reading heavier topics or emotional stories, I know I can grab a Tessa Bailey book and have a good time. They are easy to read, typically pretty funny, some spice, good banter, and end with an HEA.

I've been keeping up with this series. Book one, Fangirl Down was fun. A golf, yes please! Book two, The Au Pair Affair, I DNF'd, I just wasn't in the mood, I think. Now here we are with book three, Dream Girl Drama and I loved it.

The story starts off with a bang, insta love. My guy Sig fell hard and fast. They both did. Chloe sweeps in and throws him a bone at the Country Club and they hit it off first look. After spending some time together with an obvious attraction, they make plans to meet up later as they both have dinner plans already scheduled. Surprise! They arrive the same dinner party and Chloe's mom and Sig's (former estranged) dad are dating! Well shoot, now what? Grab the book and find out.

I thought the character's were like able. Sig had to work hard to get where he is today. Chloe has grown up with a life of luxury. She has NO CLUE how to take care of herself. We're talking not at all. She doesn't drive, cook, clean, have any concept of a budget, or even know how to make choices for herself. BUT, she's ready to try and Sig volunteers to be her right hand man, looking out for his future step-sister.

Did the character's feel a little immature, yes. Did Sig's instaLOVE seem like maybe some mommy/daddy issues with a need to take care of someone and help them be independent from their parents financial choke hold? Yes. Did Chloe seems ridiculously helpless at times? Yes. Was Sig a bit of an Alpha? Yes. Did we know it would all work out in the end? Of course. And I thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

Dream Girl Drama was a quick read, a little surface level, and a little repetitive with the sports contract and step sibling details, but a whole lot of fun. If you are a fan of Tessa Bailey's work, add this one to your list. If this review seems mixed, it's not, none of the details mentioned above bothered me one bit. I just know some people are out there looking for a specific read and I want you to know what you're getting.

THANK YOU to NetGalley and the publisher Harper Voyager for the digital copy.

I love Tessa Bailey, she's an auto-buy author for me. Dream Girl Drama didn't disappoint. I loved the story, I loved the characters. So good!

“I would sell my f*cking soul for you and smile while I signed on the dotted line”


SO.

If you’ve looked at my page for, like, a single second, you’ll know that I’m a Tessa Bailey superfan. I’ve been absolutely CHOMPING AT THE BIT for Dream Girl Drama since we got our first morsel of Sig and Chloe in the earlier Big Shots books. And let me tell you, these two absolutely feral lunatics did not disappoint.

Chloe is young, hot and rich, but she also happens to be a harp prodigy. Her mother is a bit of a society maven and has kept Chloe close and sheltered, so she’s never really had a chance to spread her wings. Sig is a hot shot hockey player in Boston hoping to up his contract while navigating a strained relationship with his family. A chance encounter involving theft and making out at a fancy golf course brings these two together and they both know immediately it’s the start of something big. UNTIL they find out later that night that their parents are on the cusp of getting married. Cue them deciding to be “friendly” stepsiblings while Sig helps Chloe find her independence in Boston.

The TENSION y’all. This was insane. And I know you may be wondering, “why would anyone care about these two getting together when they’re not actually stepsiblings and didn’t grow up together?” Which, fair enough. I don’t think this would be the scandal that Chloe and Sig think it would be, beyond giving sports reporters an opportunity for some very hilarious headlines, but I just don’t care about logical thinking in this kind of romance novel, thank you. It’s about the YEARNING. Even though the drama is obviously dragged out, since it’s the main thing keeping them apart, it never felt tired. Sometimes you’re urging romcom characters to JUST GET OVER IT ALREADY. But I think that their soon-to-be step-sibling status was balanced with other, perhaps more realistic, relationship worries that kept the angst from feeling too over-played.

These two have a very similar dynamic to Brendan and Piper from It Happened One Summer, which is literally my favourite romcom of all time, so if you were also a fiend for those two than you simply HAVE to read this book.

I seriously can’t gush about this book enough (hence my gross overuse of capitals) - it’s funny, emotional, unhinged, spicy, and there’s a french bulldog that I think I might relate to more than any other character in the book.

READ IT NOW!

Dream Girl Drama is the third book in Tessa Bailey’s sports rom-com series, Big Shots. It follows Chloe Clifford, a harp prodigy who has lived a very sheltered life, and Sig Gauthier, a professional hockey player.

Chloe and Sig meet at the local country club when Sig’s car breaks down and he wanders into the club to call a tow truck. Chloe and Sig are enamored with one another, share a kiss, and look forward to seeing each other again. That all changes, however, when Sig goes to meet his dad’s new girlfriend and it turns out the girlfriend is Chloe’s mom and they are getting married. Although still attracted to one another, Sig and Chloe decide to just be friends, and Sig offers to help Chloe learn how to live on her own in Boston and get out from under her mom’s control.

I struggled with this one a bit in the beginning. I liked Chloe in the sense that she was fun, flirty, and very charming, but at the same time, I struggled with how truly helpless she came across. There were basic chores she didn’t know how to do as an adult that I’ve been doing since I was a kid. Thankfully Chloe does show some major growth, with Sig’s help, throughout the book, so that by the end I really loved her character. Sig was easy to fall for right away. I never can resist a grump, and his desire to help Chloe was really sweet.

I would classify this as a slow burn since Sig and Chloe try for so much of the book not to think of each other romantically. Bailey does a great job keeping the tension and longing ramped up throughout the story, so it’s easy to stay invested in the pair as they try to navigate the situation they are in.

I kept going back and forth about this being a forbidden romance though since Sig and Chloe would not be related by blood if their parents married. Awkward, heck yes, but taboo?

2.5
This story did not work for me. While the setup was interesting and the story is fast paced building up to the drama in the last 30% of the book, I found the characters to be flat and unlikeable. The favorite scenes focused on our MCs interacting with the side characters like Sig’s teammates and Chloe’s friendship with Tallulah.

Sig talking about making Chloe his wife before they were even dating?! These two characters were delusional. Also, Chloe’s naïveté was not not relatable.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I always have a good time when I read a Tessa book. The plots are always entertaining and a little bit different from your standard contemporary romance. The dynamic of Stig and Chloe having a love at first sight meet cute then discovering that they are soon to become step siblings was fun! My issue was it was so insta love it was a bit over the top. Stig was a great character and I enjoyed his development. Chloe was ok, I like her branching out on her own and becoming a dog mum, but I just couldn’t get on board with the how dependent she still was on Sig for a lot of things! It’s my least favourite in the series just because I don’t vibe with insta love.

I just finished Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey, and while I love her writing style, this one didn’t fully hit the mark for me. The setup had so much potential—an impulsive, champagne-stealing meet-cute, a broody hockey player, and instant chemistry under the moonlight. But then… the accidental step-sibling plot twist happened, and I just couldn’t get past it. It felt too weird for me, and it made it hard to root for the romance.

Beyond that, I didn’t find the characters as emotionally appealing as I’d hoped. Chloe’s sheltered, manic pixie dream girl energy and Sig’s protective, brooding hockey player persona just didn’t resonate with me in the way I wanted. There were some fun moments, and the writing kept me engaged, but overall, this was just an okay read.

If the step-sibling dynamic doesn’t bother you and you love a mix of sports romance and high-society drama, this one might be worth picking up!

📖 Have you read Dream Girl Drama? Let me know your thoughts! #BookReview #DreamGirlDrama #TessaBailey #Bookstagram #ThreeStarRead #RomanceReads

2.5 Stars
This one was a miss for me unfortunately. I think I just need to steer away from her books as I like my characters a little more emotionally mature. . I did not find the plot believable and did not like the FMC at all.
Thank you to Avon and Harper voyager for the opportunity to read this book.

This was so cute! I loved the tension and swoon between Sig and Chloe…so many butterflies! And the spice was spicing!🔥🔥🔥 This might be one of my very favorite Tessa Bailey books! However, I do think that the premise (them being shamed because their parents were getting married when they didn’t grow up together and met before their parents announced their engagement), was a little far-fetched. I honestly don’t think anyone would care since they weren’t related and were two consenting adults. But I will say the fact that they had to stay away from each other did create some amazing tension. Regardless, such a swoony read!

Tessa Bailey’s romances are always fun and spicy. The pining and sexual tension in this novel are top tier yet there is a lack of emotional resonance to the story that keeps it from the ranks of her top books.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed the instant connection between Sig and Chloe. It was a little bit cheesy, but was also spicy and sweet at the same time!

5 ✨

Only Tessa could tackle and normalize a taboo romance like the step sibling trope in the trad published world and make it work so well. Sig and Chloe have everything from slow burning tension, a fun and flirty banter to a chemistry that’s just so hot that it’s off the charts and burning up.

Sig and Chloe have a meet cute and the attraction is instantly and they totally want each other in every single way possible. One problem though…Chloe’s mom is marrying Sig’s father and they’re about to become step sister and brother. Isn’t that just amazing?

I absolutely loved this book and I’m so glad and relieved that Dream Girl Drama is finally out for everyone to experience, just so I can gush all about my obsession with the book. Everyone and their grandma probably knows by now that I really love a taboo romance and when I found that that none other than my favorite author was taking a go at a trope like the step sibling one, I was absolutely dyinggggg to read it. My expectations were pretty high and it met all of them and also exceeded them too.

Sig and Chloe started out as strangers with the biggest crush on each other, then out of the blue turned into step siblings to be and then the tension of them wanting each other and having to resist it even though it’s almost humanly impossible, was so satisfying to read about and I was giggling all the way through. The slow burn was absolutely burning to a tee and it made me feel so many things. I’m usually not big on the 3rd person narrative but Tessa just rocks it every single time. She’s the 3rd person and the insta love queen. Also my king Pierre? I LOVED THAT BULLDOG SO MUCH.

Thank you Tessa and Harper Collins International for my ARC!

💕 What to expect:
— step siblings
— sport romance
— harpist fmc x hockey mmc
— forbidden relationship
— strangers to friends to lovers
— 3rd person
— hockey romance
— insta love and spicyyyy
— man obsessed
— grumpy x sunshine
— family drama to the max
— mutual pining
— opposites attract
— possessive hero

Cute story, I'm just not sure the writing was for me.
I will say this is the first hockey romance that didn't involve fake dating! So I'm very happy for that! Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!
Sig is a professional Hockey player and his Father invites him to dinner to meet the newest love interest to swindle. Sig's old truck breaks down along the way and stops at a country club to borrow the phone. Professional or not the door man is NOT letting him in! That's where he meets Chloe for the first time. She sweeps in like a Dream and puts on an act granting him access to the club. Sig is in LOVE! Right then and there. But how can he keep his Dream girl after showing up to the dinner and finding out that his father is marrying her mother!
There were a lot of times where I couldn't tell whose thoughts belonged to who. I'm not sure if that will be fixed in the final print.
I do like that it had both of their POVs but it just seemed very cluttered. This is my second Tessa Bailey book and I will say I liked the story a lot better this time around. It was very spicy I'm starting to suspect this is Tessa Bailey's norm. So if you want a short spicy read Dream Girl Drama is for you!

This was amazing and hilarious!! Thank you NetGalley and the Endlessly Well Read book club for this fantastic sports romance! The story was so fast paced, entertaining, the slow burn was slow burning, and Sig was a perfect MMC!

thank you for allowing me this ark!
this book wasn’t for me, but I still think others will love it. I’m still a HUGE Tessa Bailey fan and will continue to read whatever she puts out

After reading multiple books by Tessa Bailey I think this will be the last one.

I’m not sure what it was about this story but I had the hardest time getting through this novel. The characters were okay but I did not have interest in their relationship/bond. I felt the the characters were a little flat and I did not fine a way to connect to them.

If you’re a fan of Tessa Bailey you will definitely enjoy this because it does follow her typical writing style.

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC! I think the Big Shots series is one of my favorites from Tessa Bailey. I loved both Fan Girl Down and the Au Pair Affair. This one didn’t disappoint. I feel like you either love or hate the instalove trope. The slow burn aspect made the insta love seem less over the top. Chloe gave Piper from It Happened One Summer vibes which I loved. The whole forbidden love aspect in this seemed a little over done but I’ve never had an almost step sibling so what do I know? Really enjoyed!

This was a very enjoyable book. The tension between Sig and Chloe was palpable. I liked how everything came together in the end. My one big critique is that I did not think that the relationship was as taboo as it was expressed in the book. They did not grow up together and did not even know about the existence of one another prior to finding about the engagement of their parents. Other than that, it was a very enjoyable book.

Sig and Chloe had a chemistry filled meet cute when his car breaks down on the way to meet his father. The two are immediately drawn to each other and share a sizzling kiss. But their love story gets an instant dose of cold water when they find out their parents are getting married and they are soon-to-be step siblings. This spicy romance will definitely will redden your cheeks and make your heartbeat faster. The family drama is well-balanced and believable, supporting the length and structure of the story. Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, Avon and Harper Voyager,Avon for the opportunity

Tessa Bailey is someone who I can rely on for just a great romance. I have always loved her stories and I always know I can get some steam, a great connection, and also some humor. Sig and Chloe have a steamy encounter that makes Sig believe this is the girl of his dreams. But this dream girl ends up also being his future stepsister. What is going to be purely platonic and only a friendship between the future step-siblings turns into tension between the two with the connection that is undeniable. I loved these two and the way they build this connection was perfect!