DREAM GIRL DRAMA – Tessa Bailey
Big Shots, Book 3
Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-338078-3
February 4, 2025
Romantic Comedy

Boston – Present Day

While on the way to meet his father and his newest girlfriend, professional hockey player Sig Gauthier’s car breaks down near a country club. His cell phone battery has died, and while he’s trying to convince security to let him inside to use the phone, a woman interrupts them, declaring that she is waiting for Sig. Alas, Sig has never met her, but the sparks are soon flying between them as they trade innuendos. After his car is fixed, Sig continues his drive to his father’s girlfriend’s home. When he arrives, he discovers the mystery woman there—and their parents are now engaged to marry. Sig is lusting after his soon-to-be stepsister, Chloe Clifford.

Chloe has been sheltered by her mother all her life. What she wants is to go to Boston and immerse herself in harp playing at an academy. While she is arguing with her mother over moving to Boston, Sig suddenly speaks up and offers to “watch over” Chloe in Boston. After all, he plays hockey and lives there already. Sig is now “babysitting” Chloe and feeling hot under the collar as he lusts after her. But he can’t touch her because it would cause a scandal, and he needs his pro-hockey career too much.

In DREAM GIRL DRAMA, Sig basically drops everything and runs to help Chloe whenever she needs him. He keeps an eye on her because she is new to living alone in a big city. While his protectiveness is cute to his fellow hockey players, others look at them and wonder what’s going on. Nothing will happen between them as long as his father is with her mother. But that doesn’t stop him from wanting her, and it soon turns out that she feels the same way. Readers will wonder how long it will take before they are kissing each other…and more. When it happens, will a scandal break out that causes a publicity crisis?

DREAM GIRL DRAMA is a cute and funny tale. Chloe seems innocent in so many ways and Sig is determined to keep her innocent. But it doesn’t stop him from feeling jealous when another man looks her way. His overprotectiveness keeps him close to Chloe and makes for lots of funny scenes. Meanwhile, Chloe’s wings continue to expand, which means she is ready to move on. Except, neither wants to move on from the other. Their parents haven’t married yet, so Sig is hoping to find dirt on his father to try and break them up (but hasn’t told Chloe about what he's doing). His father had abandoned Sig’s mother when he was a baby and left with her money. Is his father a hustler with his next mark being Chloe’s mother? If the happy couple breaks up, then Sig sees a path to getting together with Chloe. But will something happen between them before Sig gets the answers?

DREAM GIRL DRAMA is part of the Big Shots series but works well as a standalone. This is Sig and Chloe’s story, and readers will be immersed in their tale of forbidden attraction and soon be rooting for them. Will they get a happily ever after? How long before they hit the sheets because you know that is coming. Find out by picking up this enjoyable read. Don’t miss DREAM GIRL DRAMA.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Tessa never disappoints! I just knew I was going to love Sig and Chloe! This is my first step siblings romance but I don’t feel like it was such a taboo thing! I enjoyed the story and Sig was so gone for Chloe that I ate it up!

If there were 100 books in Tessa Bailey’s Big Shot series, you can bet I’d read them all. They are all so cute and make quick reads since I can’t put them down! She does a great balance of romance and smut!

Dream Girl Drama is the third book in the Big Shot series and just might be my favorite one yet. I’m a sucker for the hockey romance trope. The MMC, Sig, is impossible not to love. I also really liked Chloe - she was different than some of her other female leads.

If you’re looking for a cute romance before Valentine’s Day this is it! Especially if you enjoy a slow burn or “taboo” romance! This series can be read as standalone books but I recommend you read them all!

Thank you so much to Tessa Bailey and Net Galley for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

Tessa Bailey does it again with another fun, fast-paced, smutty romance.

I didn’t realize that step-sibling romance was such a taboo? They met as adults, it’s not like they grew up together as actual siblings. I personally didn’t find it weird at all, but my husband disagrees with me, so maybe I’m the weird one? I grew up obsessed with Clueless and Life With Derek, so maybe that skews my opinion.

The will-they-won’t-they tension build-up was phenomenal. And the forbidden aspect combined with the insta-love vibe made everything feel even headier.

However, I wouldn’t really consider this a sports romance. Sure, Sig plays professional hockey, and Chloe goes to his games, but I feel like something was missing for this to be a true sports romance. There weren’t any locker room scenes or moments from Sig’s POV during games or practice.

I did love all the moments with Sig and his teammates; they could get up to MQ’s Alligators bromance caliber if Tessa Bailey keeps this up.

Chloe was kind of over the top for me. Do people who are actually this clueless to the world actually exist in real life? I understand she was sheltered and privileged, but to not know dogs eat kibble? Wild.

Overall, this book had its ups and downs, but the humor and tension building make it a four-star read for me.

What you get:
❤️ Insta-Love
🤍 Taboo Romance
❤️ Future Step Siblings
🤍 Protective MMC

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the free E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“It wouldn’t be long until he knew more about Sephora than hockey. More about the harp than fixing trucks. More about Chloe than he knew about himself. He’d love every goddamn second of it, too. Even if he could only love her from a safe distance. For now.”


“Always my dream girl. Always mine.”“Always, Sig.”


ARC PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW


omg omg sigchloe my loves my everything!!!

I have no words to express how grateful I am I got to read this book. It blew my expectations by a lot. It has become one of my favorites of the year and the year is only starting.

It's also fighting at top spot in the series with savagetallulah my babies because they're both perfection.

The angst, the chemistry, the characters, like I knew this was going to have a happy ending but I was in pain alongside them until the very end with the plot twist and all.

Sign and Chloe's growth (more hers than him) was beautiful to read and funny and heartfelt. And their wonderful friends god I love this whole group and I can't wait to read the next book (consider me already in line to the arc) and I hope the new GM also gets a book with certain lovesick rookie...



Now I'll add some of my favorite quotes (I marked A LOT, like I was up until 3:30am reading) so procede carefully because of possible spoilers. And I hope you read and love this book as much as I did



“His entire life, he’d told himself you don’t need it. That he didn’t require nice things. But Chloe . . . she was the first nice thing he couldn’t live without.”



“The meaning of the name Sig meant “a victory that brings peace and protection” and that definition couldn’t be more accurate. He was thoughtful and encouraging and, oh yeah, super protective . Most important, however, Sig believed in her. In a way she’d never experienced from someone she loved.”



“They were in love, he and Chloe. Deep, twisted, enduring love. They hadn’t said the words out loud, but their actions spoke for themselves. She showed up to every game, she lit up whenever he walked into the room, when she had a bad day, she called him. Cried into his neck. Called him with good news, too. Celebrated by popping champagne into the phone and begging him to come over and dance with her. She was everything joyful and sacred in his life. And he wanted to marry her more than he wanted to live.”



“But there’s nothing fucked-up or wrong about me and Chloe, okay?”“Isn’t there?”Harvey snapped. “No.”Sig shook his head. “It’s the purest thing I’ve ever felt in my life. It’s like I’ve loved her since I took my first breath.”“Love,”Harvey said flatly. “You love her?”“I exist for her.”


“Because love was meant to be a glorious thing, but sometimes she wondered if loving someone and not being able to acknowledge and act on it could suffocate her to death.”

I gave this 3 stars because it was… fine? I liked how sassy Chloe was but at the same time, why was she such an airhead but also a master at the harp? I felt like the whole step sibling thing wasn’t really a big deal since they met beforehand, but overall a fine read. I still want to go back and read the first two in the series.

This was so fun. I loved the sassy Chloe was. The was Sig would just melt for her was everything. I wanted it to work out for them since the beginning. They were so cute and had great chemistry. I love that it was set in Darien, CT because that is the own over from me. The whole step siblings thing was a little strange to me at first but once I saw it through, I enjoyed it. I loved the ending of the book too! So glad they got their HEA!

This is my first Tessa Bailey read and I thought it was fun. Not really my kind of interest in storyline though
We meet Chloe a sheltered spoiled adult who had never ventured out of what her mother expects from her. Then we meet Sig a hockey player and it's like love at first sight. Their attraction was instant only to find out their parents are dating and they are to become step siblings. If you're a fan of insta list then this book is for you.

Release February 4, 2025. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey. A moment where I am regretting my decision to post a review of all of the arcs I read this year… the good, the bad, and the UGLY. I did get an arc from Avon on NetGalley, but I’m not about to tag anybody in this.

There could be some spoilers in this, read it at your own risk but if you saw my stories Monday night you already know.

I did not like this book but I’ll start with a few positives. I REALLY hated Fangirl Down and then hated but like slightly less The Au-Pair Affair. This was less bad than those two! The whole reason I read it is because the set up for this book was the part of Au-Pair that I liked 🤣

Why didn’t I like it? The FMC Chloe was written to be the most clueless airhead but also somehow a harp prodigy??? I was offended on her behalf, she deserved better. Sig was possessive and obsessive but like over the line. Dude dropped everything to run her whole life and give her everything like 3 hours after meeting her. Also like with one kiss and then promptly learning they were going to become step siblings…

Whatever, my true beef with TB is the spicy scenes. Good god are they PAINFULLY CRINGE to read. My “favorite” part is when Chloe described her feelings right after they slept together for the first time as feeling like black mold inside her 💀 I’m laughing again just thinking about it all.

The plot was kinda convoluted and in my opinion a non-issue, they were literally never actually step siblings (spoiler even when their parents actually got married because of a surprise paternity reveal) and like even if they were they are grown ass adults that didn’t grow up together. Awkward but not the end of the world.

Unless she writes something truly ridiculous, in which case I am legally required to read it for the bit, I am actually done after this one.

Um, if you are excited about this book, I’m so sorry please ignore me (but like also maybe don’t) and if you already read it and loved it, that’s fine, we all like different things!

This was a charming and steamy romance that follows professional hockey player Sig Gauthier and free-spirited harpist Chloe Clifford. Their chance encounter is electric, but things get complicated when they discover their parents are engaged, making them future stepsiblings. Despite the forbidden relationship, Sig helps Chloe break free from her controlling mother, and they navigate their growing feelings for each other.

The forbidden romance trope was consistent throughout the book, though it occasionally felt juvenile and forced the narrative. However, I truly enjoyed the elements of found family woven into the story. The plot twist at the end was delightful and provided a satisfying happy ending.

Tessa Bailey delivers a delightful mix of sweetness and spice, making this a captivating read for fans of contemporary romance. Thank you to Netgalley, Tessa and her team for allowing me to gain access to this ARC!

Another incredible book by Tessa Bailey. I love Chloe and Sig so much. Unboxing already post on my Tiktok and review will be posted on release day.

Dream Girl Drama
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.25)

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager, Netgalley, and Endlessly Well Read Bookclub for blessing me with this incredible eARC of Dream Girl Drama!

Oh my goodness. I am obsessed. The fucking tension?? Absolutely radiating off the pages, I think I was sweating at one point because I was feeling the HEAT from the characters.

This is actually my second book I’ve read of Tessa Baileys and I am so thankful that it is because wow this was addicting. I couldn’t stop reading. I had to go back to work when I would read on my breaks and I literally would just be thinking about this book until I could pick it up again. I devoured it within two days, but genuinely if I didn’t have to work I would’ve finished it in a day 100%.

Sig, fucking MWAH. Let me give this incredibly green flagged man a big ol smooch myself. I loved him and his character he was such a joy to read. I literally just yeah that’s it he’s great.

Chloe, absolutely radiant and I love her personality and also reading her growth and slowly becoming more of herself as it goes on. She’s a badass harpist and such a wonderful FMC to read.

I am so glad I got to read this early and I can’t wait to get my physical copy from EWR because I knew I needed this physically. Now, I’m going to have to go read the others of this series when I can 😆

I loved this book SO much. It was funny, cute and I loved the characters! Especially Sig and Chloe! All of the characters felt so realistic and I loved seeing their dynamic throughout the book!

Professional hockey player Sig finds himself broken down outside a country club, when gorgeous dream girl Chloe comes to his rescue. The sparks fly immediately, with a promise to meet up later after their respective prior commitments. Little did they know their commitments were one and the same: dinner with their parents who announced their engagement. Torn on how to pursue their attraction, Sig offers to take Chloe to Boston with him and teach her how to live on her own for the first time. The more time they spend together, the higher the tension, but their parents’ wedding is fast approaching too.

I am not usually one for the insta love trope, and I wasn’t initially sold on this. It felt at first like the instant chemistry wasn’t believable enough to risk pursuing a step sibling relationship, but I ended up enjoying the way this one played out. I loved Sig as the protective MMC, even if it was a bit overbearing at times. Chloe’s ignorance to the world around her (like not paying bills on time and shopping with rent money) was frustrating as a reader, but it really helped shape her character. While we got some more detail in the epilogue, I do wish we had seen a bit more of Chloe’s development throughout the story. The underlying family dynamics Sig and Chloe were each dealing with added a great layer of depth, and I felt like it wrapped up nicely. Read this if you like taboo relationships, down bad protective MMC, sports romance, and family secrets.

Thank you to Tessa Bailey, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Overall I really did enjoy this book and really read it fairly quickly. I was shocked at the ending because I knew they would work out, but when I was on the second to last chapter of the book and they still were not back I was a little worried. But I loved the twist at the end! Throughout the whole book I kept thinking that the whole step sibling thing was like Serena and Dan from Gossip Girl except for the fact that no one cared whatsoever on GG that their parents were dating and then married so what's the big deal?? That being said I loved Sig. He is absolutely the definition of SIMP and I ate that up. I did appreciate the epilogue being 5 years in the future so we got to see more of what happened because once they were finally happy and together the book ended (which I know is not a crazy thing), but I just wanted a little more! Also no way that it took them 5 years to get pregnant! They never used any birth control ever -- I totally thought that was going to be the surprise twist ending, but I am glad I was wrong. With all this being said I am very excited to read the remaining books in this series! I hope the foreshadowing in the epilogue is the next book!

Tessa Bailey is such a queen of writing romance that hits your heart, tears it apart, and puts it back together again. The third book in her Big Shots series is just as good as the first two, with this book focusing on hockey star Sig and the harp prodigy Chloe. From the second Sig and Chloe meet their chemistry was off the charts and both know that they are on the brink of something amazing. Until they find out their parents are marrying each other, making their relationship impossible.

I absolutely loved the tension between Sig and Chloe as well as the friendship that grows along side their love. Bailey did a great job of tying everything together and I can’t wait to read her next one.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collin’s for the advanced copy. I enjoyed this book although the drama about the step siblings dating each got old very quickly and the way it was resolved was even more annoying. The whole time I was reading the book, I thought everyone around the main characters was making too much out of nothing. I haven’t read any other books in this series but I’m not sure if I want to now.

I have loved all the books in this series so far so I was soooo excited to recieve an ARC from NetGalley for this book! I was first intrigred by Sig and Chole from Au Pair Affair and how their attraction would play out. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about these future stepsiblings who are clearly attracted to each other. But their forbidden relationship was soooo good. The angst and tension was perfection. Chloe was such a fun character to read because she was so funny! She was so sheltered and childish but her relationship with Sig helped her grow. AND SIG!!! All he wanted was to take care of Chloe and make sure she was ok. He ultimately wants to help her grow but cannot ignore his feelings for her. This wasn’t my favorite book from the Big Shots series but I enjoyed it.


Thank you to Harper Voyager, Avon and NetGalley for this arc!

You know what you’re getting into when you pick up a Tessa Bailey book, and Dream Girl Drama gives you exactly that. Mostly like-able characters, solid writing and satisfying sexy times. There were several things, though, that kept it from being a 5 star read for me.

First, that was some insta-INSTA-love. Sig was all in on Chloe in the first couple of pages.
Second, manic pixie dream girl isn’t my favorite. But it’s right there in the blurb, so I knew it going in. I will ignore the fact that Chloe jumped into a car with a virtual stranger to go to Boston because, well, manic pixie dream girl.
Third, the big taboo…wasn’t? These two adults met and decided they were into each other before they found out that their parents were getting married. Where’s the taboo?

Still, I enjoyed Sig and Chloe together. I liked that Chloe was a harpist—that’s a career you don’t see every day—and that she did grow (some) through the story.

I have to go with 3 stars here because Dream Girl Drama was better than The Au Pair Affair, but Fangirl Down is still my favorite of the series. Looking forward to Big Shots 4!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC. Opinions are my own.

Dream Girl Drama is book 2 in the Big Shots series. I really enjoyed this forbidden romance. The tension between Sig and Chloe definitely is top notch and the spice? whew...