sadly this is a trop I cannot stand, Anything step -family related. Even as a adults I just feel like those boundaries are a brick wall for me.
And sadly I can't see love in their actions either, its very lust focused. She is always so helpless and he is doing everything which if I was him, I would have easily walked away from.

Sorry just not my cup of tea

In a book slump after Onyx Storm? Looking for some steam without all of the dragons and war?! Need a little harp and hockey and a little less Basgiath, and bloodshed?? 🐉🎶🏒🩸

Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey is the third book in the Big Shots series and is my
FAVORITE of them all! I totally loved this book and thought it was so so much fun to get to Sig and Chloe's story after seeing them in the Au Pair Affair. 💖

Here we have a steamy chance encounter between famous professional hockey player, Sig Gauthier, and Chloe Clifford, an alluring rich girl from Connecticut. When Sig's on his way to meet his dad's new fiancé, his car breaks down outside the posh country club Chloe attends. 🛻🍾There is steam right away - but when they learn that their parents engaged to be married - Sig realizes he's not going to get the girl. Womp.
When Chloe ends up moving to Boston, homing in on her harp prodigy career (obviously 💁🏼‍♀️🤣), Sig takes her under his wing to help her adult. But can they keep things platonic, especially now that they're about to become stepsiblings?! Cringe! 🤣🤭

While this premise is 🦇*batshit*🦇 crazy, this book was so funny (Tessa Bailey is SO FUNNY!) & so steamy 🌶️ and honestly, although we all know there will be a HEA, I felt actual stress about how it would all get sorted. Chloe is very much Alexis from Schitt's Creek, in the best way possible, and that totally makes the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Tessa Bailey for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Dream Girl Drama releases February 4, 2025! 🏒🥅💖

I really tried to get through this book because I normally love Tessa Bailey, but this was a DNF at around 40% for me. The connection between the MC"s was great. I thought they were cute together. I just couldn't deal with the fact that their parents were getting married was mentioned all the time. The reality is, it's not even an issue. I'm not sure if Tessa was just trying to dip a toe in the "step siblings" pool or what. The FMC came across as childish at times and that was a bit of a struggle as well for me. I do love that Sig was down bad for Chloe though. I'm a sucker for an obsessed MMC.

I'm giving three stars because I could see the potential, and it's a book I might try and revisit later down the road. Plus there were a few things I enjoyed.

Read This Book If…you love a forbidden romance!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey

Genre: sports romance
Series: Big Shots # 3
Spice Level: 4/5🌶, 3-4 explicit scenes
Setting: Boston
POV: dual, 3rd person, present tense
Tropes: soon-to-be step-siblings, insta love, forbidden, secret, “good girl”

My Thoughts:
Look, no one in their right mind would care that two people who meet in their twenties are about the become step-siblings. And yet, that is the ONLY reason these two decide they can’t be together. Yes, there are some outside forces saying the same thing, but again: NO ONE SHOULD CARE.

But, if you can get past the silly premise, I loved these two! I was obsessed with the sneak peeks we got of Sig and Chloe in the previous book and they did not disappoint. These two are DOWN BAD and perfect for each other!

Chloe reminded me a lot of the lead in It Happened One Summer, and I loved her personal growth throughout the story! Sig remained a possessive alphahole, but we love to see it.

Overall, I thought this was a really solid read and I’ll be continuing the series!

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

This book was just ok for me. The storyline was kind of hard to get past. The chemistry was great between the main characters, but their parents are engaged. Thank you for the advance copy!

4.5 stars to Netgalley and Avon or Harper Voyager for the E-ARC. I am not even gonna lie since I read The Au Pair Affair and we were introduced to Sig and Chloe I needed this book because I wanted to see how the whole step siblings was going to be played. Slow Clap Mrs. Bailey because you played it well. I dont think I've read anyone more self sacrificing MMC than Sig towards a MFC Chloe. I loved this book the love was just felt thru the pages. I cant wait for more on this series loved them all so far

I think Tessa Bailey is unfortunately a not for me author anymore. I was quite invested in the beginning between the main couple. However, chemistry and tension fell short leaving me wanting for more depth and plot. The main conflict had no stakes imo. I'm sure many will enjoy this one but unfortunately it was simply not for me.

I was so excited for this book when I started this series and yaaaas it is everything. Tessa Bailey rarely misses and this one hit so hard. I love these two so much. The Easter eggs from previous books just made it all that better

Dream Gril Drama by Tessa Bailey started out good, with the cute pixie and the professional hockey player, but when the book kept coming back to the fact that their parents were engaged, well, I just had a hard time with it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

3.75!

“You love her?” “I exist for her.”

I love how I start every tessa bailey book saying that "faith in her restored" or "never trust her" im glad that this was not the latter. It was such an enjoyable book!! It was very fun and addictive and super easy to read and it wasn't even that long which made it very bingeable. After how the au pair affair went I was skeptical picking this up but I'm glad it hit. The first half was definitely the saving grace of this because it was just very strong, the tension and chemistry was sizzling there, the last half got a little weak as compared to the first one but it wasnt enough for me to hate it. I liked how it overall shaped up. I also liked her take on this forbidden romance and I feel like she did a decent job.

Chloe was such a diva she felt like elle from legally blonde and amanda seyfried from mean girls and I absolutely loved that because she was so fun to read. There was a point where she annoyed me because of her childish tendencies but for the most part of this book she was actually very fun to read about, I liked reading about her pursuing her career in music and playing the harp and I also liked how she cling to independence, it was very fun. Sig, he was soooo good. I liked how he did everything for Chloe and I loved how he spoiled and her treated her so well, how he bought her everything and took care of her without making her feel like she was being a burden, I also liked how he was willing to sacrifice sm for her (it felt a little unrealistic but it was sweet) I also liked the lengths he was willing to go for Chloe and I also loved his family drama part.

The romance, When I see TB I see Insta lust, so I was sort of prepared but insta lust rarely works for me and this one annoyed me a bit. I liked the attraction and the tension tho, the chemistry was definitely there and I liked how the whole forbidden aspect played out. I think I liked it more because it wasnt too taboo but also the right amount of forbidden for it to be angsty. The spicy scenes were also very spicy and lmaoo idk why tessa is getting so creative with her sex scenes because wdym she fingered his ass. I liked the banter between them but I felt like at one point the step sibling drama became too much and I wanted more development and fluffy scenes for them.

The plot, I was shocked to see that there was a plot outside the romantic one, I liked how it was played out and how it intertwined with the romantic plot, who knew tessa bailey would write a good plot twist because I was shook lol she should focus on the plot more at times for her books because I was very invested in this books. I didnt like one thing tho, which is that with every book the sporty parts just disappear like I would actually like to read about them.

Overall, it was very enjoyable!

read it if you like:
-Dysfunctional family
-Forbidden romance
-Dive fmc X downbad mmc
-Angst, tension and spice
-Sports drama (contract stuff, very less sports stuff)

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
(Copied from my goodreads review)
This book was SO sweet. I adored the main female character, and loved seeing the addition of a harp player?! Like that is so unique! This book had a lot of tropes that I think readers will love. It had forbidden romance, which in my opinion caused some scrumptious tension, a slightly broody hockey player, & a plot that kept me interested! I will say that the beginning had me hooked, but towards the end I felt it fall off slightly and would have liked to see more development between the characters. Overall I think if you liked the previous book in the series, you will enjoy this one!

I was so excited to read Sig and Chloe’s story. I was worried it would be questionable with the step siblings storyline but it wasn’t as cringey as I thought. I feel like it was a little rushed but in the end it was worth it! Their story is sweet and spicy but worth the read.

Tessa Bailey can do no wrong. Dream Girl Drama has the perfect amount of possessive MMC in Sig, with sweet naive Chloe, and a good dose of "we definitely shouldn't be doing this but I love you so much I can't stay away". Of course, it's a little outrageous, but that's what I'm here for. I want to read about a brawl in a dog park between hockey players and baseball players. I want Chloe to get a dog from her harp teacher and Sig not even really question it. I want Sig to go out of his way to love and provide for Chloe in ways you wouldn't think a pro hockey player would. It's also hilarious, I adore Mailer and Corrigan and hope they get a book too. I loved it, and hope the series isn't over yet.

I love Tessa Bailey but this was not my favorite book.

The dynamic between the two main characters was a little weird and some of the things that happened in the book felt so forced. The pacing was a little weird and I somehow wanted more and less of this story

I wanted to like this one so bad but it was definitely not one of her best books.

This book absolutely wrecked me in the best way! I have been a huge fan of the series since having a friend beg me to read Fangirl Down, and I immediately fell in love with it.

Fangirl Down made fall in love with Tessa Bailey, Au Pair Affair made me obsessed with single dad books, and Dream Girl Drama made me cry like nothing else!

I wish I could spend the next hour of my life going to every single way that I loved Sig and Chloe. From their very first moment of meeting to the very last page, I was in love with every second of them. Literally as I finished reading, my jaw was just dropped knowing that it was over! I need like ten more books about them, I need to every single detail about Chloe’s and Sig’s life!

This is not your typical Tessa Bailey rom com...there is a lot of angst between the two main characters and less witty banter, but I still really enjoyed this one. These characters are so well developed, and the slow burn is gut wrenching, but through the heartbreak I really rooted for this couple. And of course, Tessa Bailey always delivers super spicy bedroom scenes. The one thing I didn't love about this book was I felt like the FMC was kind of bratty, and it could get tiresome. However, I do understand why she is like that (growing up in a sheltered wealthy environment) and by the end she had grown on me a little bit.

A quick and classic read by Tessa Bailey that I was able to get an ARC from NetGalley. I have read Tessa Bailey's work before in the past and her books are always like a 3 to 3 1/2 star for me. They are always just okay for me. They provide an interesting plot, but I am always left with wanting more as they never dive deeper than the surface level. This is probably my least favorite book in the series. Sig and Chloe did not do it for me AT ALL. The story started off interesting where strangers fall for each other only to find out their parents are engaged—but the story didn’t live up to its potential. It was filled with instalust as usual, but with a twist of taboo due to them being potential stepsiblings. I don't know how many times they had to bring it up (it was constant). I did not like Chloe at all- she was portrayed as a "superficial airhead" and couldn't do anything for herself. Plus, her actions were almost childlike. Sig was okay, just overly obsessed with her, and I didn't get that. Finally, the end was so predictable, I saw it coming from a mile away. I feel like I need to stop reading these author's books. I feel like her earlier books were so much better, and now the author tries to find the weirdest thing to add to the book as a shock.

Dream Girl Drama

Read this book if you like:
-Icy hockey MMC
-Forbidden romance
-Romcoms
-FMC character growth
-Slow, hot burn leading to extra spicy scenes
-Unrelentless love
-Unexpected endings
-Pup side kicks
-Third person POV
-Intertwined characters of romance book series

I’m not a sports romance fan, BUT I am a Tessa Bailey fan & she may have me doubting my preferences now. Ice hockey pro Sig & harp prodigy Chloe were hot for one another once the moment they met; however, they soon find out his dad & her mom are engaged!!! 😭 This drama filled, roller coaster adventure has the duo struggling to define their can-never-be intimate, but very romantic relationship all while falling deeper into love with one another under the nosy, skeptical public eye. This book had an ending I didn’t see coming! Tessa Bailey took the romcom and threw out all the overused, repetitive romance tropes on this one - making it such a refreshing book to read. This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand-alone. Thank you @tessabaileyisanauthor and @netgalley for the chance to read & review this ARC!!

Tessa Bailey can be extremely hit or miss, in my view, but the Big Shots series has been solid from the start and Dream Girl Drama. is no different.

We saw peeks of the unusual relationship between Sig and his, almost, stepsister Chloe in The Au Pair Affair, but we get a full retelling of their connection in this. And let me tell you, I did NOT expect it to be quite so full of longing. Yeah, this is easily 200 pages of unbridled want and longing on both sides.

It is still a Tessa Bailey book, so there are passages and characters that I could only roll my eyes at or cringe a little internally, but I flew through the book in less than a day.

* Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

I'm just a sucker for a Tessa Bailey book! This is my favorite of the three so far in the series even though I don't think dating your future "stepsister" from a marriage that happens when you're in your 30's is as big of a deal as it is in this book 😂 I loved it and binged it as always! Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC for one of my autobuy authors