So this book absolutely surprised me! When I found out it was an almost step-siblings, forbidden/taboo romance…I was a bit hesitant. BUT in Tessa Bailey we trust, and thank goodness I did. I really enjoyed Sig and Chloe’s story. There was lust and yearning and so much love between these two, how could you not root for them?? Like so many of her MMCs, Sig is overprotective as hell, but for some reason, I didn’t mind it as much as I did in Au Pair Affair. Maybe cause the age gap wasn’t a prominent trope here?

No spoilers, but definitely didn’t see the ending resolution coming and I’m super satisfied with how she wrapped up the storyline!

If you’re looking for a solid palate cleanser and a fun/slightly taboo romance, look no further!

Also, the next book sounds fantastic (once you meet the couple, you’ll see why) and I can’t wait to read it soon!

✨ARC REVIEW✨
(did I really just get to say that about a Tessa Bailey book? yes, somehow I did! 😭🫶🏻)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

❤️Dream Girl Drama
🏒by Tessa Bailey
❤️ available TOMORROW, February 4th!

Wow wow WOW! 😍 I knew from the beginning that I was going to love this book but I didn’t expect to love it even more as I continued!!!

🎵Chloe Clifford is somewhat of a harp prodigy (I play 7 different instruments so I really loved this detail!) who also just happens to be quite high society. Don’t let the status fool you though, she might be a tad bit spoiled but she’s such a lovable FMC who’s trying to find her place in the world. 💫

🏒Sig. I have no words. This MAN!!! 🥵 an MMC who had me falling so quick! Sig is a professional hockey player who has a chance encounter with none other than Chloe Clifford, while enjoying a night out on the town! 🤭

🎵After a quick (and passionate) interaction, Sig and Chloe have to hit pause as they both have to leave to attend their prior meetings. Only problem? It doesn’t take long to reunite once again when they both arrive at the same place! 🤭 not only were they attending the same dinner, they get the news that they’re parents are getting married which would undoubtedly make them future step siblings!

🏒This book had it all!! Lovable characters, dysfunctional family, forbidden love and a MMC with lines so good that he had me highlighting constantly! 😍😩🥵 I loved this read so so much and can’t wait to get a physical copy to add to my shelves!

🏒Getting to ARC read this for the phenomenal Tessa Bailey has been one of my biggest highlights yet!! 🥹🩷

🎵Thank you so much to NetGalley, Avon Books and Harper Voyager for providing me with this ARC for my honest review! 🫶🏻

Tessa Bailey is one of my favorites, and this continues to be my favorite series of hers to date!

What I liked about this book:
1. I love the step-sibling trope! Usually, I like when the two step-siblings grow up together, but this one was fun because they met first without knowing who the other was, had an instalust connection that was fantastic and ON POINT, and then they discovered they were going to be related by marriage. It was hilarious yet DEVASTATING because their connection was so palpable!

2. I loved that Sig made Chloe feel safe and supported in a way she never had. Literally any time she ran into an issue she just knew that Sig would know how to fix it. She had so much faith in him and his support for her, and it was so emotionally satisfying to see her feel supported for once.

3. For being a “socialite” she was incredibly lonely and didn’t know how to take care of herself, but it didn’t come across as “I’m rich, I don’t need to know how to do that.” She really wanted to know how to do things! And I loved that about her. She didn’t want to fall back on her comfortable but restrictive life! She wanted to try hard and accomplish something for herself instead of having things handed to her and that was incredibly brave of her.

4. Tessa slowly showed us just how alone his whole life Sig had been. From a father that abandoned him to his mother who was never around because she was working to provide for him, but also didn’t have heart to heart conversations with him when she was around, this man had been through a very non-supportive life. So of course when this ray of sunshine and supportive woman comes along, he can’t help himself but want her and want to provide for her in every way possible. I loved this so much about him and how he had complete faith that Chloe would rise to the occasion if only given the right level of support.

5. Tessa just writes these big bears of men who are dirty but also respectful and that’s the perfect formula for me.

6. It was delicious, spicy goodness, as per usual for a Tessa Bailey book.

7. Loved the cameos of Tallulah and Burgess from book 2!

8. I liked how I didn’t expect the twist but it made sense and I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Tessa Bailey for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮. 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚. 𝘼𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨. 𝙄 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙤𝙛? 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙝 𝙮𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙 😅. 𝘿𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙈𝘾 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧, 𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙬 𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩!

I LOVE SIG GAUTHIER! I could just stop right there and let that one sentence be the review. Period. But I’ll tell you a bit more about why I love this book so dang much… Tessa Bailey writes such REAL characters. Sig, a big ol’ pro hockey player, comes from a less than stellar background. He meets his “dream girl” absolutely by chance and they’re absolutely enthralled with each other. Little do they know, they’re about to become step-siblings. The way TB wrote this step-sibling romance is PERFECT! Sig ADORES Chloe. I just want to give him a big hug. He’s just THAT precious. So thankful to Net Galley for the ARC opportunity. This is a MUST READ!

Rating this book a 3/5

There were some parts I truly enjoyed! I'm a sucker for the whole "spoilt girl learns to make it on her own" trope and I loved seeing Chloe grow throughout the book. I also felt like the forbidden romance was handled well and I really liked the twist at the end. However, I wasn't a big fan of the spiciness. I loved the build-up and chemistry but when we finally got to the spicy scenes I felt myself cringing and skipping pages.

I’ve been waiting for this book ever since we first met the characters in Burgess and Tallulah’s book, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. If you love some yearning, this one’s for you. The chemistry between the characters was magnetic, and Sig? Ugh, I am all about him. He’s a total SIMP for her and I am here for every single bit of it. Spoiling her, being there for her…love. And their connection? Chef’s kiss—I can’t get enough of them.
This book isn’t for everyone, but I really ate it up. I gave it five stars because, honestly, it was a blast. I couldn’t put it down.

Now, onto the cons. While I loved the romance, I do wish Chloe had more growth as an individual. She came across a little childish at times, and there were moments where I thought, “Okay, she should’ve learned from this by now.” It felt like some of her actions were a step backward in her development, which was a little frustrating. And that one scene—yeah, I’m looking at you, if you know, you know...bleh.
Overall, though, it was such a fun read and I’m so glad I finally got my hands on it!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Avon & Harper Voyager for the ARC of Dream Girl Drama.

4.5 Stars

I LOVED Sig and Chloe. I was looking forward to their story from the previous books which made finally getting their story so much better! You could tell they had instant connection and so it made you feel for them when they found out their parents were going to be marrying each other. As someone who grew up without a lot of money, Sig could have acted a lot different towards Chloe. Instead, he was sweet and thoughtful, and so supportive of Chloe. Chloe definitely can be a little bit clueless due to her upbringing, but that didn't change the way she loved Sig. This interconnected series has been my favorite of Tessa Bailey's so far - I can't wait for the next one!

Thankyou to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC copy of this book.

"Let me ask you something. What is the point of being labeled a prodigy if I have to practice all the time? Doesn't prodigy mean I just get to show up and be amazing?"

Does the Hive collectively fangirl over Tessa Bailey? Yes, absolutely and without doubt we all simp for Tessa. Would that mean that we should refrain from gushing publicly about our love of Tessa? Never ever. How dare you suggest that!? Dream Girl Drama is the latest in the Big Shots series from Tessa Bailey—a spicy, interconnected standalone series featuring hunky sports players in unconventional situations. Think a bad boy golfer, a terrifying marshmallow of a goalie, and now a forbidden romance for a rags to riches hockey man.  Spoiler Alert: I freaking loved Sig and Chloe’s borderline forbidden romance and I’m about to tell you all why I did.


Hockey Slapshots gifs via tenor
Sig is a simple man. He lives for hockey, he takes care of his mother, he knows the value of the “things” of life, and he is 100% absolutely gone for Chloe Clifford. This is why the girlies read Tessa Bailey. Not only does she write scrumptious bad boys, but she makes them salivate and surrender to the women in their life in a way that if we had a button to make a fictional man real, every Tessa Bailey fangirl would be hard-pressed to choose just one of her men. In a nutshell, Chloe is a lucky lady. However, luck is not on Sig and Chloe’s side. Chloe’s overbearing mother and Sig’s rakish father have fallen in love and have surprised their kids with the news of their impending marriage. Both Sig and Chloe find themselves attempting to stay away from each other and  go to great lengths to try to deny their ever-present feelings, but when they are as closely entwined as a non-couple couple could be, how can they make it work? It’s all so precarious. Their public lives cannot survive a "step-siblings in love" headline.


Harp gif by Ajeet via giphy
"Maybe you should listen to Gretzky..." With her conversation with Tallulah ringing in her ears, Chloe went up on her toes and whispered against Sig's chin, "And take a shot." 

Is this a forbidden romance? Yes and no. That’s tricky to break down. I promise if you get the ick from step-sibling situations, you’re in good hands with Tessa. Dream Girl Drama encompasses everything in the title. The drama of "will it work out"? Will Sig be able to land his dream girl and have everything he ever wanted only for that  very drama to get in the way. Chloe is a sheltered prodigy harpist whose mother reminds me way too much of Jennifer Coolidge's stepmother performance from A Cinderella Story than I’m comfortable with it being. But Tessa makes it work and that's why I adore her storytelling.  Chloe's arc is one of transformation, and finding inner strength. She becomes the beautiful butterfly we all want her to be, and with a sweet Pierre sidekick to help her.  We are all here for the drama, the swoon, and the spice.

Dream Girl Drama lives up to every single one of my expectations. While reading, I had one of my fellow Bestie Bees, Val, gushing about how much she adored Sig. In fact, she said that “Dream Girl Drama is the book I’ve been waiting for since I fell in love with Tessa Bailey’s It Happened One Summer”. If you know Val, then you know that’s the highest praise ever in the Tessa-verse.

"Pretty?" He shook his head. "I'd spit on a man for calling you pretty. You're extraordinary. The first and last of your kind." 

Available everywhere today, Dream Girl Drama is the perfect read to warm yourself up for all of those Valentine’s Day vibes or if you need an escape from reality. You absolutely need to get your own copy. Trust me. Sig and Chloe need you all to meet Pierre. Happy Release Day, Tessa! We love you!

—The Hive Bees

📚ARC Review

✨Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

When Sig Gauthier’s truck breaks down in front of a country club in Darien, CT, he goes searching for a phone charger. Instead, he finds the girl of his dreams - Chloe Clifford. They have instant chemistry…but then they discover their parents are to be married and they will one day be step siblings.

I love Tessa Bailey’s writing, but this book just didn’t cut it for me unfortunately. Chloe annoyed me…she comes off as this ditzy, naive, rich girl who - despite being determined to get away from her mother and live in Boston - has no idea how to do anything for herself. It felt like Sig was babying her by paying for her rent, her groceries, her Sephora addiction, all while he’s trying to maintain his and his mother’s lifestyles…I don’t know it just rubbed me the wrong way. The plot twist was an interesting way to tie up the end of the book. Overall, while I feel like this book had potential (hence the 3 star rating) I don’t think it quite hit the mark for me personally.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC! Tropes featured in this book include hockey romance, soon to be step-siblings, forbidden romance, and insta love.

Thank you @netgalley for the chance to read Dream Girl Drama. I had a great time reading it. Super fun. Loved the way Sig supports Chloe always and the life lessons he gives her. Loved how she slowly gains confidence and the importance of hard work in here. Loved how it ended was super cute. Great hockey romance. I’m not usually a friends to lovers fan but it works with the installer and forbidden romance tropes added in for good fun.

I was so excited to get to read this. I loved Sig and Chloe in the previous book and so wanted their backstory and future romance. Love that it was centered around Boston, CT, and hockey. The author continues to write with her trademark humor. The barrier to their romance is a little not realistic in my opinion but I case I am just more opened minded then some. They are just so cute together. Will Corrigan be next?

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

🏒Hockey Romance
🎶She’s a harp prodigy
🏒Set in Boston
🎶 She’s lived a very privileged life (everything paid for lives with her mom)
🏒He takes care of her/helps her learn to live away from home
🎶Insta love
🏒Forbidden love….kinda? 🤔
🎶Find out after meeting that they will soon be step siblings
🏒Tons of angst as they try to be just friends
🎶He runs off all other guys
🏒He drives all night to get her lucky shirt

“You love her?” “I exist for her.”

“It was your voice first. You sounded … essential. You turned everything alive and brought the present into focus.”

If you go into this read in the mindset that it will be a totally guilty pleasure read where the guy (Sig) is absolute perfection and down so damn bad that he will do nearly anything for the girl (Chloe), then I think you’ll enjoy it! It’s the perfect Valentines month, easy read, with worlds of angst and perfect book boyfriend vibes.

Sig is perfection! 10/10 no notes.

Chloe is sweet and cute but so painfully unaware of the real world that at times it was really painful to read, especially when Sig is so great.

I didn’t feel like the forbidden love trope was all that forbidden to be honest. 🤷🏼‍♀️They are both adults, who met as adults, before they even knew their parents knew each other…..I get the “high society” thing and the famous athlete thing but it still felt like it was really overdone in how “bad” people seemed to think their potential relationship would be.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Tessa Bailey, and Harper Collins publishers for the ARC!

I really enjoyed Sig and Chloe’s story and how they each learned to overcome their own battles throughout the story. I felt captured by the connection between these two and their relationship, but I wish there was more build up to their attraction. This story felt very instalove and I would have preferred to see Sig and Chloe’s attraction grow over time rather than start out hot and heavy. Overall, this was a super cute and spicy read. I look forward to reading more from this author!

I did not enjoy this. It started off ok but didn't hold my attention. After reading the first quarter of the book i started to lose interest. The characters did have chemistry and there were lots of spice along the way, but the story just did not work for me. I pushed myself to finish hoping it would get better but it did not.
thank you to Netgalley & Avon and harper voyager for the arc!

When I say I’ve waited for this book for SO LONG! From the beginning of The Au Pair Affair, you could just FEEL the chemistry between Chloe and Sig. Chloe and Sig meet by chance and hit it off immediately, and Sig thinks he’s finally found his dream girl - that is until an hour later when they find out their parents are engaged to one another and they are about to be step-siblings!

Sig is such a sweetie – so protective – he falls SO hard first, and Chloe had so much growth during the story. There was insta love and forbidden love, but the journey was so tense, so spicy, so angsty! *chef’s kiss* I was very happy with the ending, and I loved all the build up and tension between them, it was definitely a slowwww burn. Tessa definitely set up the next two books, so I can’t wait for the rest of the series!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC!

I really really really wanted to love this book. I loved the first two but unfortunately due to the story line I just couldn’t get into it. I also just couldn’t get over Chloe I wasn’t a fan of her in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for this digital advance readers copy for an exchange for an honest review!
This book is fast paced, spicy sport romance, comedy and tension also slow burn.

Tessa Bailey is a hands down, no questions asked, immediate add to cart author for me and this book did not disappoint! I LOVE her MMCs and when you throw in a hockey player?! I die. This book had everything you could ask for and I honestly wasn’t sure where this one was going to end. Dream Girl Drama but with big Dream Guy Vibes. A must read and a top rec from me in 2025!

**| received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**


I was so excited to get this Tessa Bailey book. I loved the color and went into the book blind because I have loved Tessa Bailey as an author so I trusted the process.

This book starts off strong with installation which how it is written I didn’t mind it. It made sense for the meeting of the two main characters. After that though- I get like their connection was very lust based rather than true connection. I also don’t care for the sibling plot line. This book read fast though and was mostly enjoyable. If you are looking for a quick read with instalove and drama this is your book.