I always prepare myself for a little bit of cringey-ness when I go into a Tessa Bailey book, but this one had an extra helping. The premise is forbidden love - Sig meets Chloe and falls in insta lust/love with her just hours before he re-meets her in the context of finding out that her mom is marrying his dad. She is a super spoiled rich girl, whereas he was raised by a single mom without much money. He *lives* for taking care of her. I just found their dynamic to be kind of icky. I get that a lot of romance is fantasy, but this one was a challenge for me. It had some redeeming factors; enough to bring it up to a solid three star rating, but if this was not my favorite of hers.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy reading Tessa's books. I like that she dove into writing a mixed-sports romance series because I've been enjoying every single one so far. Dream Girl Drama was a fun and easy read about two people that don't exactly meet each other at the best time considering their parents are getting married. They try to keep things neat and proper, but from the first interaction, you know it'll be entertaining to watch them fail.

Chloe was a type of female character that I don't often read about. She was pretty naive about almost anything that had to do with "adulting" lol. I understood how she got like that, but there were still times where I would give her a hard side-eye about her naïveté. Sig was a pretty typical Tessa MMC. He fell hard for Chloe fast and then committed himself to providing for her in every way. I did like that Chloe eventually went through some personal growth and opened her eyes to the fact that the way she had been living her life was not sustainable for herself or Sig. It was a bit of a slow burn, but in Tessa fashion, there was plenty of steam throughout. I enjoyed this addition to the series and am looking forward to the next one!

When I first found out about what the third book was going to be about, I was so excited. A forbidden romance is always going to be one of my favorite tropes. Now I wouldn’t say this falls under that category, it was a decent book. The tension was great and he is certainly down bad for the fmc. I do wish there was just more that could actually make it forbidden, you know? Thank NetGalley for the ebook!

I received an ARC of this book and it was another sweet read from this series! I love a hockey romance and while I may not have understood the seriousness of the predicament of “we are going to be step siblings”, like yes, not a great look, it was wildly serious in the context of their lives, and that’s what the story was about. There were a lot of moving parts and insta love galore, but there was also such a sweetness on the way they felt about each other. Chloe has been way too sheltered and has a lot to learn and Sig has been thru it and has a completely different upbringing than Chloe, but they seem to hair fit together right from the start and seeing the depth of their feelings grow without being able to express it was both the biggest edging and a bond that was made so much more deep by their enduring friendship and care. There was a beauty in that and their love story meant more for it. Definitely another fun, lovely, angsty, spicy, Tessa Bailey read!

I am a huge Tessa Bailey fan and I am always first in line to read her novels! This one fell a little flat for me because I'm not huge on the insta-love trope. It also wrapped up a little to nicely and convenient in the end for me. However, I still very much enjoyed the story and the characters! I liked the humor and the overall flow of the story. Miss Tessa is still one of my go to authors!

Sorry not sorry but if Tessa Bailey writes it, I’m going to read the hell out of it. This book was sizzling hot and also somehow remarkably sweet. I loved reading about Sig and Chloe in the previous books and I was fully invested in their will-they-won’t-they as they worked to overcome the negative appearances of dating a step-sibling. Sig was obsessed with Chloe and I. Was. Here. For. It.

Sig has a chance meeting with Chloe at an exclusive country club after his car breaks down on the way to meet his estranged father for dinner. Their chemistry is instant and electric for the both of them and they make plans to see each other again after they are done with their individual obligations. When Sig arrives at his dad's for dinner, he realizes that Chloe is there too. What's worse for them is that they will be future stepsiblings and is apparently, forbidden.

I'm not usually a fan of insta-love storylines and while I liked that aspect of it, the overall plot was just ok. I have a really hard time believing that future stepsiblings (and as adults) are so forbidden/ taboo as Bailey has made it out to be and that was the main hurdle in the book.

Also, Chloe has lived an extremely sheltered life until she meets Sig. After the quick decision of moving to Boston to be closer to Sig and to go to school for harp, Sig helps her get an apartment and gives her money for her living expenses. We are somehow supposed to believe the scenario of Chloe spending $700 on eye creams instead of on her rent - some incredible eye rolling for me here. Chloe was just too bland of a character for me. Sig was better. Overall, it was a fast read and I'm sure many people will like it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for this eARC.

Dream Girl Drama is Tessa Bailey’s latest steamy romantic comedy and the third in her Big Shots series. It is an opposites-attract, forbidden love story which takes place in Boston. While it’s a sequel to Fangirl Down and The Au Pair Affair, it can be read as a standalone. It contains sexual references, descriptive sex scenes, and profanity.

Hockey player Sig Gauthier was introduced in The Au Pair Affair as a teammate of hero Burgess Abraham. He is a 29-year-old defenseman who assists in a lot of goals, but was drafted in the third round and received a low dollar contract. His contract expires soon and he’s hoping to get a significant increase from the Boston Bearcats. He was raised by a single mother, and he learned at an early age to how fend for himself and live on little money. He still drives the pickup truck that he bought as a teen, and lives simply.

Sig wasn’t excited about seeing his sperm donor/father, Harvey, for the first time in six years at dinner. Harvey had a history of conning rich women out of their money, and Sig didn’t want to be involved with the fleecing of Harvey’s latest girlfriend/victim. When his truck broke down and a beautiful blonde woman snuck him into the country club, they had a great time and made a real connection. So Sig was stunned when he was introduced to her a few minutes later at dinner; Chloe Clifford was the daughter of Harvey’s fiancée.

25-year-old Chloe Clifford is a prodigy harpist who lives in a gilded cage, controlled by her narcissistic mother, Sofia. With her wealth, Sofia has never taught Chloe any life skills and has made her dependent upon her for money. Although Chloe was offered a spot at Berklee School of Music in Bostin, Sofia wouldn’t let her go. When Sig hears this, he offers to help her find a place to live in Boston and teach her how to get around. Although they are very attracted to each other, they understand that they cannot have a romantic relationship due to the impending marriage between their parents.

While Chloe and Sig become best friends, they each yearn for a romantic relationship. Over the course of six months, Chloe learns basic skills for living independently and applies for a mentorship with the first chair harpist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Grace Chen. Grace is the first person who really challenges Chloe to do better, and Chloe offers to take care of Grace’s lover’s dog, Pierre. The relationship between Chloe and Sig is not one-sided; she offers him unwavering support and love that he has never experienced before. It’s only a matter of time for their situation to explode because they are both straining under their self-imposed platonic relationship and maintaining a low media profile. Meanwhile Sig is waiting for Harvey to run off with Sofia’s money, or for them to break up so that he and Chloe can get together.

I truly didn’t understand why a romance was forbidden between two young adults whose parents became involved. Legally they might be considered stepbrother and stepsister but usually those terms are used when the children are minors and spending the night under the same roof. In the region where I live, this situation wouldn’t be forbidden at all. So while I strongly disagree with the “conflict” and major plot point, I really liked the character development in Dream Girl Drama. The author could so easily have written Chloe as a caricature Paris Hilton-type; instead Chloe was a sheltered and emotionally abused young lady who just needed some guidance. She was always kind to others and became very self-aware; she had a sweetness similar to Josephine in Fangirl Down. Sig was selfless to a fault and would have sacrificed everything for Chloe. I’m thankful that her character progressed because a relationship based on their just-met selves would have failed long-term.

In addition to multiple cameo appearances from The Au Pair Affair’s Burgess and Tallulah, the side characters added a lot of humor and diversity to the story. I liked the tell-it-like-it-is sternness of Grace Chen and her relationship drama. The antics of the Bearcats’ rookies, Corrigan and Mailer, were hilarious. The scenes involving Elton, the baseball player, and his sister, Skylar, were made this my favorite story from this author. The introduction of the new Bearcats’ General Manager, Reese, makes me hope that her story will be written next.

Dream Girl Drama is a slow-burn, angsty character development romance with engaging characters. While it has a different tone from Fangirl Down and The Au Pair Affair, it will definitely be loved by fans of sports romances. Dream Girl Drama contains a lot of profanity and sexual references.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I absolutely loved Dream Girl Drama. The stepsiblings trope isn't one I normally go for, but I figured something would happen because Aig was so smitten with the main girl character. This was a 5 star rating.

3 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for an earc of this book and thank you to HarperCollins, William Morrow and Avon for a finished copy of this book.

This book was very much filled with instalove and angst because of the situation our MC's find themselves in. I found Sig to be an interesting and dynamic character and I found that Chloe's character sort of fell flat for me. I appreciated her tenacity and willingness to navigate through the world closer to on her own than with help from her mother and make a way for herself playing the harp. However, I just didn't buy the motivation that Sig had to help her in the first place. My main issue was the instalove but the angst between the two characters was good and I liked the storyline they were forced to navigate, I just wish I got a little bit more.

Closed Door Modifications: Chapter 17, 18, 19, 23 (language warning as well)

Thank you so much @librofm for the #free audiobook and @avonbooks @harpercollins for the #gifted paperback!

“Chloe, I would sell my fucking soul for you and smile while I signed on the dotted line.”

Review Title & Vibes:   
{Don’t Wake Me Up} this book was a DREAM (pun intended). I was feral for this book after The Au Pair Affair - even then the chemistry between Sig and Chloe was palpable. I’m not usually into taboo romance, but Tessa Bailey had me hooked (think the movie Clueless if you need relationship vibes to channel). The “nearly” step siblings, meet-cute to surprise ending was fantastic and binge-worthy.

The angst nearly sent me into an early grave, and when the tension broke - the spice was delicious. I love Chloe’s character growth - from pampered princess to woman on a mission. Sig is the ultimate “fix it” man - if Chlo wants it - he’ll find a way to get it. They were so supportive of each other’s passions (harp prodigy / underpaid hockey star). I did want more resolution to the family drama… and some groveling. The hockey family is my fave. Those “orgasm donors” had me rolling the whole time. The HEA is so worth the roller coaster ride.

Please please Tessa - say there is more to this awesome series! I don’t want it to end!

Audio Notes:
{Dual} Kit and Connor crushed it. Kit was the perfect amount of sunshine, ditzy, prodigy princess is Chloe. Connor’s tortured attraction, protective jealousy, and competence were perfect for Sig. I hardly even noticed the 3rd person POV (which is normally obvious to me in audios). I would HIGHLY recommend this audiobook.

Rating: 5⭐️ | Spice: 3.5🌶️ | Audio: 5🎙️
What to Expect:   
Pro Hockey Romance
Forbidden
Future Step Siblings
Strangers to Friends to Lovers
Insta Love & Spicy

Recommended to...  
Sports romance readers who secretly crave forbidden romance.

Narrated by @kitswannvo & @connorcrais
Produced by @harpercollins

✨ Genre: Contemporary Romance
✨ Stars: 2/5
✨ Spice: 3/5

Despite being outside of my usual genre as this was a nearly-step-siblings romance, I went into this book really excited as I really enjoyed the first book in this series and have had decent luck enjoying Tessa Bailey books. Really, I tried.

That being said, I honestly did not enjoy this book. I found the characters to be annoying, the stakes of their relationship to be a bit ridiculous (even by sports romance standards) and I got really tired of both of them obsessing over each other and not even remotely trying to act normal around each other - like I'm sorry, are we horny teenagers getting turned on by a girl sitting on a washing machine?! The "twist" at the end that then magically fixes anything was equally as ridiculous as the rest of the book. I found myself saying that if I still didn't like the book by x% then I would stop, but then kept reading just to see what other absurd thing would happen. Even if you replaced the main problem with the book with any other trope or issue, I still do not think that I would have liked this book, which is unfortunate.

I know so many people love Tessa Bailey's work, and I really hoped I would enjoy it too. Unfortunately, I don't think she's an author I enjoy. I've tried a few of her books now and I just don't find myself connecting to her characters or feeling invested in them.

Me 🤝 hockey romance

Another steamy hockey romance from Tessa Bailey!

Sig Gauthier falls for Chloe Clifford who is his dream girl. Seriously — she checks every box, including “soon to be stepsister”. Oh wait, maybe not that one 🤫

It’s a steamy, swoony, slow burn 🔥 I love the characters that flow through each series, while allowing for a standalone read. We briefly met Sig and Chloe in The Au Pair Affair 👀

Read Dream Girl Drama, out now! Thank you to #netgalley and Avon Publishing for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I find it kind of odd that the whole story like of the book revolved around two people who would even up being future step siblings. I don’t really understand why they couldn’t be together if they met before they know their parents were together. I do think the chemistry between the two characters was great. Not my favorite book but not the worst

While Reading Tessa Bailey's previous book in the Big Shots series all I wanted to do was meet Chloe and Sig and hear their story! I loved it.
Chloe is a somewhat sheltered harp prodigy that relies on her mother and her country club world but lately has been wanting to break free and do something on her own. Sig has always worked hard to get everything and although his hockey career is moving forward, he feels he can always be doing better. He constantly thinks about making an eight-figure salary in the pros but then second guesses everything. Once he hears Chloe's voice for the first time he falls in love and wants to do everything he can to support her in the way he sees she is accustomed to. However, he ends up teaching her so much more about dedicating herself to her dreams and becoming her best friend but best of all they fall in love. In between all this great stuff there is a huge problem standing in the way of their relationship in less than eight months Sig's father and Chloe's mom will be getting married... they are going to be step siblings!

ohhh I loved this book!

Sig is a pro hockey player who meets Chloe at a country club and their connection is instant. But they both have family obligations to get to that night, but when they arrive at their respective dinners, they find out it's the same one. Chloe's mom and Sig's dad are getting married, making them step-siblings. But Sig is suspicious of his dad's motives in marrying Chloe's wealthy mom.

As Sig tries to find a loop hole in the engagement, Chloe and SIg can't seem to stay away from each other, and it gets SPICY.

I love how Tessa Bailey's writing has grown and gotten so much better over the years!

I have to give this 4 stars for the sexual tension alone. Sig and Chloes chemistry was off the charts and I was so looking forward to their story. I got about 3/4 into the story and hit a wall and I'm not sure why. I think reading all types of romance books made me want to shout multiple times "what is the problem?? This is not that big of a deal". This one definitely had some heart wrenching emotional moments and I did really enjoy it once I got past certain parts toward the end. Can't wait for more from this author!

Omg Tessa Bailey does it again!! Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book which I devoured! The story and the characters were so quirky and I couldn’t put it down, also hockey. Lol. Definitely recommend reading along with all of Tessa Bailey’s work

In the third installment of Tessa Bailey's Big Shots series. she picks up the story with Sig and Chloe that was started in The Au Pair Affair. I was hesitant about this book at first, because Sig's father and Chloe's mother are engaged, which we learned in the previous book, but Bailey does a great job of combining instant attraction, forbidden love, and slow burn tropes to make the reader root for their relationship. I loved Sig's character specifically, and how he was willing to sacrifice anything for Chloe, whether or not she was aware of it. I always love Bailey's ability to incorporate actual humor into her romantic comedies, and Dream Girl Drama is no different. Such a sweet, fun hockey romance! Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager for my eARC copy in exchange for my honest review.