Love Tessa Bailey and she’s always going to be an auto-read author for me. The first book in this series remains my favorite, this one didn’t do it for me personally. Didn’t get attached to the characters or get into the tension and chemistry.

This is a delightful rom-com that is as charming as it is steamy, with a fantastic blend of fan-favorite tropes and a heartwarming family twist. The chemistry between Sig and Chloe is palpable from their very first meeting, and their banter keeps things light, fun, and engaging. Tessa Bailey does a wonderful job of creating a story that feels fresh while also tapping into beloved dynamics like the "manic pixie dream girl" and the "forbidden romance."

The added bonus of a beautifully designed deluxe paperback, complete with gorgeous sprayed edges and colored illustrations on the inside cover, makes this edition even more special for fans.

Though the storyline occasionally veers into predictability, the romance and the emotional growth of the characters keep things interesting, and the final resolution is satisfying without feeling rushed. Overall, a lighthearted, steamy read that fans of contemporary romance will adore!

This review is breaking my heart to write. I love a Tessa Bailey novel, and I was so excited for this one, but it just really wasn't hitting. I felt this one was written more to fit the trope of step-siblings versus to tell a story.

Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did I think it was her best work? No.

The major conflict between the two main characters felt as though there was really no weight behind it. I think this is what led to me feeling as though the book didn't hit the same as previous ones.

I am sure plenty of people will love this one, but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so fun to read! I love a good slow burn but when I tell you this slow burn had me sweating and hanging off the edge of my seat by chapter 9, I am not joking! I have never wanted a slow burn to hurry tf up as badly as I did with this book. The chemistry and yearning between the main characters was so palpable from the start, I could not put it down until I knew they were going to get through their conflict😆! It was cute and funny and Sig had my heart melting at almost every turn! I don't know that I've rooted for MCs to have an HEA more than I did for Chloe and Sig! This book just proved to me that forbidden romance is in fact one of my all time favorite tropes and it was done beautifully in this book 🙌

Dream Girl Drama
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Sad news friends….this just did not work for me! I usually really enjoy Tessa’s books, I know exactly what to expect and I have a lot of fun with them, and I was excited for this one, but truthfully it just made me miss Burgess lol I fell in love with Sig and Chloe in the first chapter and had high hopes, but it just went down from there. The insta love didn’t work for me, I also felt like the writing was a bit repetitive, I just didn’t FEEL it. Chloe also came across as the super stereotypical “dumb blonde” and I didn’t love that either. There were aspects that I liked…Chloe did have some growth at the end, dual POV, spice (if you enjoyed the spice in Fangirl Down you may enjoy this one 😉🍑), fun banter, and the hockey family..I love them! I did like that we pushed our comfort zone a little with this one, with them being future step siblings and all lol I have an idea of how I could have connected with it better, but don’t wanna spoil it for anyone so dm me if you wanna chat! ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thank you Tessa Bailey, NetGalley, and Avon for this e-arc, it comes out February 4th!!
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My Ranking of this series (we will be getting a fourth book!)
The Au Pair Affair
Fangirl Down
Dream Girl Drama

I really enjoy the Big Shot series by Tessa Bailey and have been waiting for the build up of Chloe and Sig's book but it fell a little flat for me. It really felt like there was no build up - no will they or wont they because it is so glaringly obvious they will.

Review of Dream Girl

2 Stars

I was intrigued by Dream Girl’s premise—strangers fall for each other only to find out their parents are engaged—but the execution didn’t live up to its potential. Chloe, a sheltered harp prodigy, felt too naïve for her age, and her reckless decisions were frustrating rather than endearing. Sig, a professional hockey player, started as a nice guy but quickly came across as obsessive, with his focus on Chloe overshadowing his own storyline.

Their romance lacked tension, chemistry, and emotional depth, and the stepsibling dynamic was brushed off too casually. While Tessa Bailey’s signature steamy scenes were present, the shallow character development made it hard to root for the couple. Some entertaining side characters added humor, but they couldn’t save the story.

Dream Girl had a promising setup but ultimately fell flat. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dream Girl Drama is a charming hockey romance that pulls you right in from the very beginning. I loved how Sig and Chloe met and how they hit it off right away. Sig wanting to do everything and anything for Chloe which made the story extra cute. I do think the story fell a little flat in the middle. It felt like nothing happened in the middle of the book besides going back and forth as to whether they should be together. Then the third act breakup lasted the whole rest of the book. The side characters made the story much more enjoyable and kept me reading until the end.
Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this E-ARC.

This is my first Tessa Bailey book and wow. Now I have to go buy all of her other books.
I’m not really into the love bombing or extreme love in books. This was pretty lovey. But the spice scenes definitely made up for it. The spice is nice if you like it. And honestly, if you’re more into the love part of the books you can just skip over the spice parts.

Sig meets his dream girl by chance one night on his way to meet his dad and his future wife. He falls madly in love, they share a kiss and a promise to connect after the dinner Sig is late for. What he doesn’t is that the girl is his future step sister.

Chloe is a child prodigy of the harp. She has lived her entire life under her mom’s thumb. Until she meets Sig at the country club one night. The thought of this rugged man makes Chloe’s pixie girl energy spike to 1000. Until he walks into the dinner she’s supposed to be having with her mom and her future husband.

What follows is a long and hard (if you know what I mean) struggle over a love that they can’t have.

Will they be able to be together or will they have to run away to Sweden to be able to share their love for each other? You’ll have to read to find out.

Only Tessa could be like “Step-siblings? That’s hot.” And I say that with love. It’s very on brand.

Dual POV, first person, lightly spicy.

Chloe is an Uber rich Connecticut girl and Sig is a hockey player that comes from humble beginnings. Their parents are engaged, and the two unknowingly meet on the way to their parents’ announcement dinner. The chemistry is off the charts good.

Chloe is comically unaware of her privilege. She runs to Boston with Sig under the premise of being independent and away from her mother. She then has Sig pay her rent and expenses, but thinks she’s independent. Her growth after her revelation that she’s not independent is great. And this is the first Tessa book where the MMC doesn’t go all “alpha male” in the second half of the book and annoy me. Chloe puts her foot down when he does and it was so refreshing.

Overall, I ate this up. The way it wrapped up was perfect and I can’t wait for more of the series.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I am really enjoying Tessa’s Big Shots series! Dream Girl Drama tells us the love story of 2 characters we were introduced to in Au Pair Affair, Chloe and Sig. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the whole “I’m in love with my future step sibling” thing but I’m happy to say that it was not weird! So if that is making you hesitant to read this, just trust me. Their story is worth the read.

The story begins with Sig and Chloe’s “meet-cute” and I was immediately rooting for them. Unfortunately, soon after they meet they find out their parents met before them and are planning to get married. Any future or even an idea of a first date was thrown out the window pretty quickly. Some unexpected decisions lead to Chloe leaving her sheltered and fancy lifestyle to go live in Boston to prove to her mother and herself she can live on her own and Sig vows he will look out for her. And that he did.

Protective Sig lives to give Chloe everything she not only needs but wants. No matter the cost. He can’t be with her romantically, but that doesn’t mean he has to stay away. They become best friends over the next 6 months both wanting more but they behave…until they can’t anymore.

❤️I loved Sig’s protectiveness and adoration for Chloe.
❤️I enjoyed Chloe’s character growth.
❤️My heart ached for them both and the situation they were in.
❤️The chemistry and tension were excellent!

🌶️This book contains open door spicy scenes. If that is not your cup of tea, I would pass on this one.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you to Avon & Harper Voyager|Avon, NetGalley & Tessa Bailey for this eARC to review

3.5 stars rounded up. I really enjoyed the story of Sig and Chloe, navigating their issue and their careers.
It took me a little bit to get into the story and the reason why I struggled *at the start* was the insta love.
The immediate nickname, and on the first night they met Sig was claiming he’d die before jeopardizing Chloe’s future. Also struggled, as at the very start, exactly when they start spending time together, the author throws in a few time jumps so there is no real building of the relationship.

I thought the back story’s were really well done though, and surprisingly I enjoyed that more than the romance, though the romance picked up for me just before half way through. Steamy scenes and the lead up were fantastic 👏🏼

Dream Girl Drama is Book 3 in Tessa Bailey's Big Shots - a sports themed romance series. This book (along with Book 2) is hockey based, which may be my new favorite genre. The main plot of this movie has to do with Sig, a pro hockey player, who falls in love with privileged Chloe. The main conflict of the book is that their parents get into a relationship and Sig & Chloe could become related by marriage. I could have done without the constant reminders of stepsiblings (because any sane person knows that they're not related by blood), but the signature Tessa Bailey spice was there and I enjoyed the read.

Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager & NetGalley, for the digital ARC.

3.5 stars. It was fun and light hearted with challenges but overall a decent fun read. She was so incompetent and he was so obsessed with her. He’s a hockey player and he will do anything to be with her even if she is his future step sister.

5 stars

“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.”

SWOON!!

My favorite book in so far in this series!! Sig and Chloe’s relationship is full of angst and yearning- they are star crossed lovers, whose relationship appears over before it even begins.
After meeting by chance, and they have immediate chemistry and an intense connection. However, hours later, they discover that their parents are about to get married, making them future step siblings.
I LOVE an “immediate connection” story, and this one did not disappoint! These two are opposites in many ways- Sig is older, established in his NHL career, while Chloe has led a sheltered existence- a child prodigy harpist, her life has been limited to living at home, practicing, and performing. She is desperate for independence, and when Sig offers to help his future stepsister move to Boston, she jumps at the chance to escape her controlling mother.
The tension between these two is off the charts- torn between their desire and the taboo nature of their relationship, they toe the line constantly, finding it harder and harder to resist each other. Sig is GONE for his dream girl- Chloe has never lived on her own, and her dependence on him fuels his need to protect and take care of her, while at the same time helping her to grow and spread her wings.
“I exist for her” Sigh…..

- Forbidden relationship
-He’s a hockey player
- Protective MMC
- Forced proximity

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I have been waiting for Sig and Chloe's story and "Dream Girl Drama" did not disappoint. Tessa Bailey is just so good at writing romance and spice. Sig is a grumpy hockey player looking for his next contract. Car trouble leads to a country club meet-cute with harpist and rich girl Chloe. The lust is immediate and intense. And then comes the cold water of learning they are soon to be step=siblings.

Sig and Chloe still cannot stay away from each other. He gives her the confidence to strike out on her own in Boston, but also takes care of her while she is there. At least until Chloe starts to truly grow up. They are best friends who both seem to want so much more, but external forces seem designed to keep them from advancing their relationship.

There is SO.MUCH tension between Sig and Chloe and it is so hot. It was fun to see Chloe develop as a person and Sig is the perfect grump to her sunshine. It did take a certain suspension of belief to think that becoming step-siblings as adults would pose the level of issues contemplated here, but it was doable. Chloe and Sig were so far gone on each other, and while the story was definitely insta-lust, it was not insta-love.

A good read in a very enjoyable series. 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

Review posted to Goodreads 1/20/25

3.75⭐️
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I went into this not really expecting much, and honestly probably expecting to not like it, but I must say... I am pleasantly surprised. If you go into this expecting a sports/hockey romance with high spice, this delivers. If that's not your vibe, this is not for you.

What to expect:
- interesting take on the step-sibling trope(? - i'm not sure if this is even a trope?!).. more like future step-siblings because their parents are planning to marry.
- hockey player mmc (Sig) and prodigy harp player fmc (Chloe)
- some cringey and ick moments (imo)
- spicyyyy scenes.. like real spicy
- some decent character development
- insta-love/lust

Some parts were a little slow for me, and like I had mentioned, sometimes I just got the ick so bad.. but overall a fun story that again surprised me quite a bit!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey is about a hockey player who meets a harpist and falls for her bad. Then finds out it’s his future stepsister! Sig and Chloe attempt to be just friends but being friends with someone you’re in love with is really hard for both of them.

Thank you Net Galley and Avon for this arc.

This book is insta love but also slow burn at the same time. Wow does the slow burn payoff. Within this book you get to see Chloe grow so much. She goes from a clueless part of the .1% to living on her own, taking public transit in Boston, and having Sig teach her how to be independent…well semi independent. Watching them pine for each other is *chefs kiss*.

This series keeps getting better! Honestly, who wouldn't want Sig? He's encouraging and protective, without taking it too far. Chloe's growth throughout the story is great: she challenges herself professionally, expands her independence, and develops boundaries with suffocating parents, Fabulous.

The major conflict of the story seemed a little overdone: two adults who have never met before but then find out they will become "stepsiblings" can't be together? It's framed as an issue within the setting of social expectations for high-profile athletes and...professional symphony musicians. It's a stretch, but provides interesting relationship tension.

"Dream Girl Drama" can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the previous title in the series to get an enjoyable look at Sig & Chloe's relationship from another perspective. I hope to read more titles in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.