WHEW! SIG! My new favorite Tessa Bailey book and leading man. Love the spice and relationship Sig and Chloe have. The leading and supportive characters feel like family. Totally recommend!

This book is so fun and very bingeable! Every time I think I know who my favorite couple characters of Bailey’s is, she comes up with a new one for me to fall in love with!

Dream Girl Drama features the lovable, manic pixie dream girl, Chloe and her future stepbrother, Sig.
Chloe and Sig randomly meet in what feels like a “love at first sight” type of way…and it would be if they didn’t discover their parents were about to get married.
This forbidden romance features Bailey’s slow burn spice and swoon worthy MMC who is down bad for their girl.
I loved getting to see more of Chloe and Sig’s personalities after meeting them in Au Pair Affair. Their friendship bloomed into something so special ❤️❤️

I am never sure what kind of story I am going to have with Tessa Bailey, but this one was enjoyable. It starts as a step sibling trope in that Sig and Chloe have a meet cute but then quickly find out that their parents are going to marry. Chloe also realizes that her mother has kept her swaddled under mom’s wing and decides she need to learn to live on her own. Sig, a hockey player for a team in Boston says he will look after her. The story takes off from there as they realize they can’t be together and thus begins the main part of the story. I thought their trying not to be together ran a bit long for me, but we finally get the HEA we wanted. A good read, a cute story.

Okay, stop this was so cute 🥰

This book was filled with so much sexual tension 🥵 it was like the world’s longest foreplay 😂 I am totally here for it.

I kept trying to figure out how Sig and Chloe were gonna make it work and I didn’t see how it ended up happening coming!!! 😱

I love a good hockey romance book and this is definitely one I’ll be recommending to everyone!!!

✨ Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey ✨

Tessa's books are always so much fun! She has the best banter and her characters are always so much fun to read. Sig falls fast and hard for Chloe and I just loved how much he wanted to be with her. Chloe was a little immature and needy but they meshed well together. It was so fun to read about them navigating all the obstacles thrown their way (aka their parents planning to get married!) and when they finally gave in it was the dirty talking spice you love and know from Ms. Bailey.

You'd enjoy this one if you like:

✨ Hockey Romance
✨ Forbidden Love
✨ Future Stepsiblings
✨ Dirty Talk
✨ Insta-Love
✨ Man Obsessed
✨ Slow Burn
🔥Spice Rating: ❤️

Thank you so much to Harper Collins and Avon for this advanced reader copy!

Spice Rating
🤍 clean romance
💗 closed door/ fade to black
❤️ spicy content (a few detailed scenes)
❤️‍🔥 explicit, play-by-play (major part of the plot)
🖤 graphic, more than vanilla

Sig and Chloe have a very flirty meet cute where there is instant attraction. They talk with each other so freely and Chloe tells him she wants to go to Boston to study her music and get out from under her mothers control. Unfortunately, they both have places to be and decide that after a steamy goodbye kiss, they will meet up again because they both feel this magnetic pull. Ironically, when they part ways they end up at the same dinner and that's when fate throws them through a major loop de loop because they find out they are about to step siblings because their parents are getting married!

With Chloe being a harp prodigy and Sig wanting to land a new deal in the NHL, they can’t start a relationship because the press will be awful and sink both their chances of success and reputations. Chloe's mother has no hesitation in reminding both of them of this fact. #controlling

Sig decides even though he can’t pursue things with Chloe, he wants to get her out of her sheltered bubble so he brings her to Boston with him where he shows her around and tries to get her to be more independent. The more time they spend together the harder it is to fight the attraction between them but can they find a way to be together without ruining their reputation and careers?

When I first met these characters in The Au Pair affair, I really thought Chloe was an airhead and Sig was an overprotective enabler who wanted to get in her pants. When I started reading this book I realized I was not that far off from my first impression, BUT I also liked the characters much more when I understood them better and got their backstory.

While Sig wants to help her to be more independent, he ends up overprotecting and enabling her too much and not allowing her to fail. Chloe wants to learn and be on her own but is too shallow to understand that she needs to pay her rent and not blow it on $700 of eye cream. Like isn’t that learning to be on your own 101? Pay rent? While I liked the characters, I also found them to be a bit over the top at times.

Their relationship is weird because they are in love but can’t be together because of the public perception of them being step siblings. This part did make me pause but I feel like if they were just open and honest with how they met, it wouldn't have been a big deal.

I also think it would have worked better with a prologue of how they met and then start in the present day. Instead, the first chapters are from when they met and then the next ones skipped ahead to random time periods until they get to the present day. It seemed unnecessary and choppy.

Overall a cute romance book with good spice and an interesting hurdle to overcome but I felt the plot was a little weak and the ending was a little too convenient.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this book’s digital advanced review copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book through a digital ARC from NetGalley
Author: Tessa Bailey
Genre: Romance
Troupe: step-siblings

Everyone say thank you Tessa Bailey for bringing back yearning in 2025 😭

No but really, this was fantastic and definitely my new favorite of her books. Sig and Chloe had an instant connection that captivated me from the first page. The only problem is that hours after they fall in love at first sight, they find out they are set to become step-siblings and no further romantic relationship between them is possible. They can’t stay away from each other though, and it leads to a situation that could risk their highly public careers.

I was so intrigued by the Sig and Chloe crumbs in the last book, and their story was everything I wanted and more. Chloe wants to be more independent as she leaves her mother’s home for the first time, and Sig is there to help. He is supportive but protective, and believes in her the way no one ever has. Sig is truly an acts of service king, taking care of everyone around him without needing any acknowledgement. This man is down SO BAD, always finding ways to make her smile like driving hours to get a lucky shirt or keeping a stash of her favorite pop tarts. He has some internal self esteem issues to work through, but Chloe always makes him feel loved and worthy. I appreciated all the ways they helped each other with their internal struggles and the ways they made each other better. Their chemistry was so palpable and every scene with them is filled with sexual tension and longing. I usually don’t like insta love, but this felt different since they couldn’t act on their attraction. They let their actions say the words they couldn’t, and it made their connection much more genuine. The longing looks and lingering touches truly had me giggling and kicking my feet, and when they finally decided they can’t take it anymore it was SO EXPLOSIVE.

In my opinion, this was truly top tier forbidden romance. It had everything you could want with the intense mutual pining and yearning and stolen moments, I read this in one sitting and had such a fun time with it. Also, the set ups for future books have me so excited!! I just love the rookies so much and all the hijinks they get into, so I can’t wait for their books!

The book was amazing! Sig and Chloe had so much chemistry and tension built up between them throughout the entire book, so when the spice finally hit, IT HIT! I normally do not like insta love, but this one was done very well!

There was so much character development with both characters. Sig grew through some childhood trauma, while Chloe learned how to be her own person outside of her mom and small town.

I really loved the future step siblings/fordden-ness aspect of their relationship. it seriously just added to the tension between them.

The ending plot twist was a bit predictable to me. I seen part of it coming, but not the whole plot twist (if that makes sense?😅)

There were a few times that Chloe felt a bit too childish, imo, but at the same time it made sense to her character? She’s a sheltered rich girl, so like of course she’s going to be bubbly and childish at times, ya know? it was still a bit much sometimes.

Thank you so much, @NetGalley and @AvonBooks, for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tessa Bailey has done it again! I didn’t want to put this book down. Sig, a professional hockey player and Chloe, a music prodigy navigate the inevitable. If you have read the first two in this series, then you already know they are future step siblings. After an epic meet cute these two find out their lives are about to change. I was at the edge of my seat rooting it would all work out.

I love this series and Dream Girl Drama didn't disappoint! I enjoyed Sig and Chloe in 'The Au Pair Affair' and was so excited to receive this ARC!

Sig's truck breaks down in front of a Country Club and he tries to call a tow truck inside, but gets shut down at the front desk. Chloe comes to his rescue, claiming him as her guest and they get to know each other while they wait for his phone to charge. They have a memorable time together and plan to meet up later, but things take a turn when Chloe ends up being his father's fiancée's daughter. Sig's dream girl is his soon to be stepsister. They try to keep their relationship platonic but cant get over their kiss at the country club. Between their careers and the upcoming nuptials of their parents, they fight their attraction to each other as much as they can.

I love the characters! Chloe, growing up rich, pampered and sheltered, is learning to be an independent adult. She’s captivating and lovable. She starts to fall harder for Sig each day, as he helps her navigate Boston. Sig is such a golden retriever, falling fast and hard, with touch her and die vibes. I love how encouraging and protective he is over her.

This was such an angsty slow burn!!! The forbidden love of becoming step siblings keep them apart, but the dirty talk and little stolen moments were everything. I admired Sig’s self control over the situation. Personally I don’t see anything wrong with step siblings falling in love, as long as there’s no blood relation, but I know others view it differently.

This was a great rom-com & I can’t wait for the next book of the series!

I keep trying again and again with Tessa Bailey's books and I think it may be time to just call it quits. I loved Fan Girl Down, but the rest of the books in the series just didn't do it for me, and this one just gave me the ick in terms of a more taboo romance plot line. Cute cover but the rest wasn't my thing.

The twist at the end?!?! Clutch suspense. This might be my favorite read from Bailey yet. There was still some revisiting the same information over and over, but that was easily overlooked. Witty banter on point.

♡ Thank you for the free ARC, Avon Books, NetGalley, and author Tessa Bailey. Thank you for the free audiobook, Libro.fm. And thank you for the finished copy, Avon Books!

Book three in the Big Shots series scored another goal with me! This is my favorite in the series so far. A bit kooky, very spicy, and lots of fun, this is a classic Tessa Bailey romcom. I thoroughly enjoyed the opposites attract, forbidden love affair between Sig and Chloe. The beautiful cover and sprayed edges on the first edition paperback deserve a shoutout, too!

I've been so excited for this since we met Sig and Chloe in Au Pair Affair! I loved getting more details on Sig and Chloe's backstory and how their unconventional relationship came to be. I wasn't sure how I would feel about their relationship going into it, but after learning more about how they met and discovered they would be step siblings, I was team Sig & Chloe like no other.

I think my favorite part of the story was truly Chloe's evolution. She seemed so ditzy in APA, but in DGD, we learn just how freaking smart she truly is. It was so sweet that Sig knew that about her all along and supported her no matter what. Also just loved Pierre and now I want another dog.

Dream Girl Drama was such a sweet story and I can't wait for the next installment in the Big Shots series!

Dream Girl Drama is the third installment in Tessa Bailey’s Big Shots series, following hockey player Sig Gauthier and sheltered harp prodigy Chloe Clifford, whose worlds collide in a whirlwind of chemistry, self-discovery, and very complicated family dynamics.

After a chance meeting at an exclusive country club leads to a dreamy, moonlit kiss, Sig and Chloe seem destined for something special—until they find out their parents are engaged. Suddenly, their electric connection is off-limits, forcing them to navigate an uncomfortable reality where they’re about to become step-siblings. Sig, ever the responsible protector, immediately pumps the brakes, insisting on platonic boundaries. Chloe, having spent her life under her overbearing mother’s thumb, is finally determined to experience life on her own terms. And despite their best efforts, staying away from each other is easier said than done.

What Worked for Me:
🎼 Chloe’s journey was a highlight. Having been micromanaged by her mother her entire life, she’s finally breaking free, making her own choices, and figuring out who she is outside of her prodigy status. I loved watching her own her independence and take risks.
🏒 Sig is a classic Tessa Bailey hero—gruff, loyal, and all in once he lets himself be. He’s a protector at heart, always looking out for the people he cares about, and that extends to Chloe in a big way.
🔥 The tension was sizzling. There’s something so addicting about two characters who desperately want each other but feel like they can’t. The angst was thick, and their chemistry was undeniable.
💬 Tessa’s signature banter shines. Even in heavier moments, the dialogue keeps things fun and engaging.

What Didn’t Quite Work for Me:
💨 The pacing felt uneven. The beginning hooked me, but some middle sections dragged as we cycled through the same “we can’t, but we want to” internal monologues. Then, when things finally escalated, the resolution felt a bit rushed.
😵‍💫 The angst, while effective, occasionally felt overdone. The forbidden romance trope is always fun, but at times, the conflict felt repetitive rather than developing in new, meaningful ways.
💡 The family dynamic could have been explored more. The fact that their parents are engaged is a huge part of the setup, but it often felt like an afterthought rather than a driving force in their conflict. More depth here would have made the stakes feel even higher.

Final Thoughts:
Dream Girl Drama delivers on Tessa Bailey’s signature charm—steamy romance, witty banter, and a hero who feels things deeply—but the execution didn’t always hit the mark. If you love forbidden romance, forced proximity, and self-discovery arcs, this one will likely work for you. While not my favorite in the series, it was still an enjoyable read, and I’m definitely excited for what’s next!

🔥 Looking ahead: I can’t wait for Pitcher Perfect (9/9/25) and Catcher If You Can (TBD)! But seriously, if we don’t get a Mailer & Rosie book, I will riot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Sig & Chloe are definition of end game. Insta love isn’t always believable to me, but these two were meant to be from the start. Their chemistry was off the pages hot and I loved seeing them both fight for each other.
Chloe started as a sheltered rich girl and, with Sigs help, blossomed into a caring and confident woman. She knew what she wanted and did everything she could, knowing she’d fail along the way, to get there.
Sig was swoon worthy in his love for Chloe, and I really felt for him in his struggle with Harvey and his future of a hockey career.
This is a lovely story of a girl who is chasing her dreams and a boy who will do anything to make those dreams come true. I love this world Tessa has built and I can’t wait to read the next story!

“Always my dream girl. Always mine.”

Thanks to Avon, NetGalley, and Tessa for an advanced read. All thoughts are my own.

If you want something fun, light, hockey romance with a large scoop of spice then check this out. It lured me in right away. I couldn't put it down.I loved their chemistry & banter. Thank you netgalley for the ARC

Dream Girl Drama
By: Tessa Bailey

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

Would it be wrong?

In the third book in Tessa Baileys Big shots series we get a wonderful step siblings to be story. Not growing up in the same home would it still be wrong? So much to unpack in Sig and Chloe’s story. But I can say I was all in. The authors writing is flawless and the words are so captivating, the plot had so many twists and turns and none that I was expecting, and many shockingly intimate I have become a huge fan of this author. The author writes with so much intensity and emotion pulled from each book it’s felt page after page. Some are quick witted story lines are so perfect and lets you believe you have a front row seat. So being able to read this love story didn’t disappoint. The authors ability to have two separate individuals struggling in their everyday life and try to navigate someone else’s thoughts, needs and desires was intense and gives all the fills.

Authors blurb: When professional hockey player Sig Gauthier’s car breaks down and his phone dies, he treks into a posh private country club to call a tow truck, where he encounters the alluring Chloe Clifford, the manic pixie dream girl who captivates him immediately with her sense of adventure and penchant for stealing champagne.

Sparks fly during a moonlight kiss and the enamored pair can’t wait to see each other again, but when Sig finally arrives to meet his dad’s new girlfriend over dinner, Chloe is confusingly also there. Turns out the girlfriend is Chloe’s mother. Oh, and they’re engaged.
Sig’s dream girl is his future stepsister.

Though the pair is now wary of being involved romantically, Chloe, a sheltered harp prodigy, yearns to escape her controlling mother. Sig promises to teach her the ins and outs of independence in Boston but not inside his bedroom. They both know there can never be more than friendship between a famous hockey player and his high-society, soon-to-be stepsister. But keeping their relationship platonic grows harder amid the developing family drama, especially knowing they were meant for so much more…

This book has everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in single POV this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕

4.5 stasrs!

I can always count on Tessa to write something so good that just makes me genuinely so content and spicy. now i will say, fan girl down is still downright my favorite of the series, but this definitely came as an extremely close runner up!!!

Sig and Chloe had an insane amount of chemistry and add in the forbidden aspect to that? OH MY GOSH, CHEFS KISS. this book was so damn good. the plot, the chaos, their dynamic and TENSION (fans self), it all was so good and i found myself CONSUMING this masterpiece. I loved seeing them in Au Pair Affair and knew their story was going to be such a good one.

Chloe was the definition of slightly manic, but Sig loved her for it so hard and didn't want her to ever change who she was which was beautiful. I got to see a side to Sig I didn't expect and I think that made their romance so much more special. He was broody, she was soft, they just worked so good together, i didn't even mind the insta love aspect of the book b/c truly it fit the whole dynamic - step siblings? we shouldn't do this? so forbidden!! the messiness when the secret comes out? all wrapped up in a slow burn package but still the spice between these two HIT. I can always count on Tessa and her books, its honestly like getting a warm hug sometimes and I never want to leave.

this was SO good. highly, highly suggest this wonderful romance.

📖 𝘿𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙖 𝙗𝙮 𝙏𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖 𝘽𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙮

I have never read a book with a man more DOWN BAD than Sig Gauthier is for Chloe. I am quite convinced that the man would literally burn the world down if Chloe wanted the ashes. 🤣

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘚𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱.”

I really enjoyed this book! Chloe’s character naturally starts off as really naive. She’s lived a sheltered, pampered life, that has been meticulously controlled by her mother since she was born. Throughout the course of this story we watch her come into herself and begin to learn how the world works and what dreams she wants to pursue. You may get frustrated with her at times but I loved who she was by the end.

“𝘐 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳.”

Sig was everything. He was all in for Chloe even to the point of detriment to himself. By the end of the book it wasn’t just Sig protecting Chloe, it was Chloe fiercely protecting him as well.

This is a steamy slow burn romance that will keep edging you! Be prepared, just know that the spice freaking EXPLODES. Sig & Chloe’s chemistry is off the charts.

“𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘊𝘩𝘭𝘰𝘦? 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”
“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭?”
“𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱. 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘺 () 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦.”

The side characters were great! I freaking adore the bromance and found family with all of Sig’s teammates. I am keeping my fingers crossed for both Corrigan & Mailer to get books! They are hilarious and I LOVE them.

Go add 𝘿𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙖, to your TBR today!

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
⛸️ 𝘕𝘏𝘓 𝘏𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺
🎼 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘺
❤️‍🔥 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘖𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥
🤭 𝘏𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵
💞 𝘔𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨
💋 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
✨ 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺
😮‍💨 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘺 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯
🌶️ 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘺