Tessa Bailey does it again! I love anything she writes and this book is no exception. The friendship that grew between Chloe and Sig while trying to avoid the undeniable chemistry was my favorite part of the book. It shows a real solid foundation for their romance and this book was so fun to read. Chloe's character was so funny and i can probably relate to her a little bit which is why i love how Tessa wrote her character. I would suggest everyone should ready this book. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. Such a pleasure to read this gem!

I’ve been so excited for this book ever since Chloe, the clueless harp player, & Sig, the overprotective hockey player, were introduced early in this series. With their parents about to marry, the soon-to-be step-siblings know they shouldn’t give in to the insane chemistry—plus genuine caring—that connects them. But they met before they knew the step-siblings thing. That should count for something, right? Unfortunately, no one at either of their jobs is sympathetic & if they cause a scandal he won’t get his hockey contract renewed & she won’t get trained by a harp mentor. What’s an almost step-sibling to do? Scorching hot chemistry, yearning for days, & Bailey’s trademark humor make this an A+ read.

I adore Tessa Bailey and will read anything she writes. Heck, I recommend her all the time but this one fell flat for me. I couldn’t get into the forbidden romance (and it was an easy issue to remedy). I also felt like the relation was a bit extreme, borderline co-dependent. I loved seeing the Bearcats in this one and I look forward to the next one. This one was just not for me.

I received an arc from Netgalley and the publisher.

I’m normally an extreme lover of Tessa Bailey’s books. She’s normally and automatic 5 star for me. When I read the Au Pair Affair and got that first glimps of Sig and Chloe, I was extremely excited to read their story, but maybe I hyped it up too much in my head?

I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t love it like I thought I was going to. There were moments where I felt truly connected to the characters and their emotions, but then others I didn’t. I felt their heartbreak and their pain, but then other times I just felt so disconnected from the narrative.

I think this would be a good bugger book if you’re looking forbidden, sports romance that doesn’t involve a lot of brain power, but still hits the romance spot.

3.75/5 ⭐️

I absolutely love Tessa Bailey and will read anything that she writes. Her stories usually draw me in and keep me captive. Fangirl Down - The Au Pair Affair, I loved them both and devored them as I did all the great books that came before them. i enjoyed this book as well, but I didn't have the same need to tear through it that I did the many other books she has written...and honestly maybe I am the problem. This was a book about a taboo love and I was having a problem with their relationship being taboo. This is the story about two people who meet and are immediately drawn to each other and then learn that their parents are getting married and they will be step-siblings. They are both adults when they meet. They meet before they know about their parents' relationahip and they have never lived in the same house as siblings. I couldn't figure out what the big deal was. That being said, on the one hand Sig is an imposing professional hockey player and on the other he is a cinnamon roll who will do anything to make Chloe happy. And while I had trouble with the concept that their relationship was taboo, Tessa made me understand what the characters were feeling and I was upset for them. I also like watching Chloe finally come to live in the real world. Sig and Chloe both grew throughout the course of the book. While this wasn't my favorite Tessa Bailey book, it is still Tessa Bailey and, therefore, by definition is still a good book worth reading.

The central emotion of this book is a tangible and deep yearning that I simply can't shake, even a couple weeks after reading it.

📕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Dreamgirl Drama by Tessa Bailey

📙 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Big Shots character series. Book 3.

📗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: E-book on Kindle. Courtesy of NetGalley.

📘 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Sports romance

📔 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: Forbidden romance, slow burn, hockey, opposites attract

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: Sig and Chloe meet in this fated moment, and both swear they have found the one - until they both are interrupted by their dinner plans. Turns out, their plans are with each other, because they show up to the same house to hear their parents' great news: they're getting married.

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: Yearning. Deep, emotional yearning. Tessa Bailey has been all jokes promoting this one, saying she never thought she would write a stepbrother romance... yet here I am, begging her never to do it again because it tore me apart.

The way these two meet is so cute, and so full of banter that even as a reader who knows what's coming, you are begging for them to get their happy ending.

Then you're treated to 300 pages of Sig loving Chloe so intensely and so silently you want to cry the entire time. And Chloe being so heartbroken and wishing for their fate to be different. I honestly could barely take it.

You guys know I am a Tessa Bailey fan through and through, but even if I wasn't I could say she nailed this. I highlighted half of the book. I can't wait to get a physical copy, so I can reread it all over again.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 3.5/5 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.

[Light spoilers—mostly for The Au Pair Affair]

3.25/5 stars

I really enjoyed this book; it feels like a true redemption for the author. The writing just clicks in a way that I personally thought was missing in Fangirl Down.

The one confusion I had was the timeline between the previous Big Shots book (The Au Pair Affair) and Dream Girl Drama—specifically with dictating that Tallulah and Sig are already engaged. It did not align with the epilogue in The Au Pair Affair. As someone who read these back to back, it was somewhat disappointing to realize the timelines were deliberately jumbled. It added an unnecessary layer of confusion, making it harder to fully immerse in the story and diminishing the impact of the narrative.

Regardless I really appreciated Chloe’s character development, especially for someone so unconventional. The growth felt genuine and added so much depth to a character I wouldn't have expected to connect with.

Overall, this book was an engaging read that kept me hooked from start to finish. With the way things are shaping up—and as a huge baseball fan myself—I’m itching to read Corrigan and Skylar’s story!

2.5 ⭐ Funny enough, it was the taboo romance that ultimately put me off the story—not for the reason you might expect.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ contemporary romance
✨ boston setting
✨ she's a harp prodigy who comes from a wealthy family and has zero life skills
✨ he's a hockey star
✨ soon-to-be step-siblings
✨ love at first sight
✨ taboo romance (but was it really?)
✨ 2.5/5 spice
✨ "good girl"
✨ third act breakup
✨ HEA


My Thoughts:

I know with this 2-star rating, you're probably thinking, "Yikes, it must be bad." But honestly, it's not a bad book. It has everything fun about a Tessa Bailey story—a super sexy, head-over-heels-in-love man, amazing tension, and lots of spice. The writing and pacing are also fine. There was just one big problem I couldn't get past, and it completely derailed my enjoyment of the story.

The forbidden/taboo step-sibling romance felt so overly contrived that I couldn't get into the story because in real life, it would never have been a problem.

Two people in their late 20s who randomly meet and fall madly in love, only to hours later discover their parents are engaged and they will be step-siblings, is not weird. But apparently, for Sig and Chloe it is SUPER inappropriate and would mean the end of their careers (as a hockey player and a harpist). What? Why? They are adults. They didn't grow up together. They didn't even meet until their parents (who recently started dating) announced their engagement. So how on earth would this be considered inappropriate? And listen, I don’t even read a lot of taboo, so it’s not like I’m just normalizing a step-sibling dynamic. But they weren't even step-siblings!!! They weren't even related!!! And they're adults, so WHY DOES IT MATTER? I just genuinely do not see any issues with this at all. It was a forced issue, only done to create drama. And the resolution . . . don't even get me started. 🙄

Since the step-sibling drama is the main conflict, the story completely fell apart for me right from the beginning. Which is a shame because I actually really liked Chloe and Sig's dynamic and loved reading about them together. But whenever the step-sibling drama came up, it became too frustrating to read and completely pulled me out of the story.

More about the characters . . .

I really loved Sig. He fell so fast and hard that Chloe became his everything. It was a bit much, but honestly I love a simp and Sig is the definition!

Chloe was sweet but incredibly ditsy, irresponsible, and, frankly, as dumb as a bag of rocks. It was hard to take her seriously when she acted so childishly—not because of her personality, but because of her complete lack of real-world and critical thinking skills. Her cluelessness made it difficult to connect with her. What bothered me even more was how she went from being infantilized by her mother to having a similar experience with Sig. While it was sweet that he wanted to help her, he definitely overstepped and, in the process, prevented her from facing real-life challenges. I guess I just wish that even by the end she could stand on her own two feet without help.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

Dream Girl Drama gets a hat trick for Tessa Bailey!

✨ Stepsiblings
✨ Forbidden Romance
✨ Good Girl
✨ Pining

If you've read the Au Pair Affair, you'll recognize Sig & Chloe–Dream Girl Drama is their story and it does NOT disappoint.

About Dream Girl Drama
Chloe is an incredibly sheltered musical prodigy from a wealthy family. She's 25 and doesn't know how to drive, cook for herself, or have any realistic concept of money. That's not entirely her fault, though. Raised by a 1%er who would prefer to show off her prodigy child rather than let her fly, her wings have been clipped since she was six, heard someone play the harp, and then snuck into a theater to play it herself. Increasingly stifled by her overbearing mother, she dreams of going to music school in Boston, but is afraid she won't be able to learn how to take care of herself, especially if her mother follows through on cutting her off as she keeps threatening.

But a chance encounter with Sig changes everything.

On his way to meet his father's latest mark–he has a pattern of attaching himself to wealthy women and somehow leaving them with his own pockets lined–Sig's ancient truck breaks down outside a country club, where he meets Chloe. He falls hard and fast and it's not long before things start heating up between them, only to be reunited shortly afterwards when they learn their parents are getting married.

As an NHL player with an expiring contract, his career can't take the risk of salacious headlines. And he won't risk Chloe being cut off by her mother because of those same headlines.

As the days count down to their parents' wedding, they try to bury their mounting feelings for each other, consoling each other with the close friendship that's grown over the months since they met.

But what happens when those feelings are easy to see in pictures of them together and her bright pink, bedazzled jersey with his name on it gains attention from all the wrong places?

It's not just his career and dreams on the line, but her's too. Training to be the first chair harpist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra means that her reputation must be pristine and above reproach too.

My Thoughts
I loved it, easy five stars. Maybe like 4.75 because I did still like Fangirl Down just sliiiightly better, which still surprises me. I am not a golf girly, but that one remains my favorite of the Big Shots series so far!

Chloe could have come off as annoying and spoiled and irritating, but instead she just comes off adorably ridiculous, a bit like a golden retriever:
"We need more people like you in this world. There would be less chaos."
"Meanwhile," [Raymond] mumbled, still blushing, "the chaos is coming from people like you."


She also wants to break out of her sheltered bubble, despite the fact that it would be much easier to remain in it. She wants to go to school and continue to progress, not just skate by on her natural talent. She wants to learn to take care of and cook for herself, learn to drive, even if these things are hard or uncomfortable to learn. And she's not stuck up at all, in fact when Sig talks about trading in his 1998 pick up truck, she threatens to handcuff herself to the steering wheel to stop him.

And the pining, oh my god.

"I want to give you nicer things, Chloe. What you're used to."
"Out of everything I've ever had, you are the nicest."



This is a man who is so far gone, he drives three hours to get her lucky blouse for her after she mentions not knowing what to wear to an interview because she didn't have it.

"You love her?"
"I exist for her."


The pining and heartache are exquisite. I highly recommend Dream Girl Drama if you like pining MMCs who will do anything for their love interest, sportsball romance, or forbidden love. This hits all the spots and has only made me even more eager for book 4!

“‘You love her?’ ‘I exist for her.’”
A sheltered harp prodigy and up-and-coming hockey star feel the earth shattering connection from the moment they meet. The only thing keeping them apart? Their parents' impending nuptials and the threat of losing their dreams. As the third book in Tessa Bailey’s amazing Big Shots series, we finally get Sig and Chloe’s story and it does not disappoint.

The reality of Chloe’s situation is that she's a naive young woman who has been sheltered all her life and hasn’t had the opportunity to take risks. Sig sees the strength and bravery in Chloe and helps her find her place in the world she hasn’t really been a part of yet, at any cost. But in their attempts to not step over the line of friendship drawn between them, we’re treated to the hottest of slow burns. Tessa Bailey writes sexual tension that will knock your socks right off (literally… I was kicking my feet with excitement while reading this!) and is so worth the wait.

Readers who fell in love with the Big Shots crew in Fangirl Down, like I did, will fall even harder with Sig and Chloe’s story. Dream Girl Drama brings us witty banter, a protective, cinnamon roll MMC, a strong, sassy FMC, a slow burn, sexy spice, and forbidden love (did I mention the sexual tension?!?). I’m so thankful to Avon and Harper Voyager, as well as NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read this amazing story.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-arc!

Tessa does it again! At this point she is just my comfort author. I will read any book she writes immediately. I have been waiting for Sig and Chloe’s book since they were first introduced and this did not disappoint! The book started off a little slow for me, but by 25% I was invested. I loved Sig from the start. He knew what he wanted and that just so happened to be Chloe no matter what he had to do to make it happen. Chloe took a bit for me to like, but by the end she really did grow on me. She was written a bit more childish than I would have liked, but that might just be me. All and all this was a great book to start my year off with and I can’t wait for the next one. The two rookies just so happen to be my favorite characters and I am excited to get a whole book centered around one of them.

Literally swooning.
Completely obsessed

I love Tessa Bailey and every MMC she writes outdoes the last. Tbh I didn’t think the “scandal” of the series was that big of a deal BUT maybe I’m biased. This book is full of angst and longing and everything I love in a romcom, but especially the TENSION wow. Tessa knocked this one out of the rink. I fell in love with both main characters and dream of how they’re living on the daily.

I have truly evolved as a reader... who would have ever thought my first book of 2025 would be a stepbrother & sister forbidden romance.

Thank you, @avonbooks @harpervoyagerus and @netgalley, for the #gifted copy of "Dream Girl Drama"
Pub Day: February 4, 2025

Guess what, I love it. Yes, I had to suspend what reality is in my head to love Chloe & Sigs' relationship because you can't tell me the idea of it all is a big little bit icky yucky. Don't let the tropes make you nervous because it's all worth it in the end!!!! Trust a green pepper soul!

When Sig dropped the line "Kiss Me, Dream Girl," I knew I was going to immediately fall for this book. The want and need that the protagonists have for each other is ✨️phew✨️ something else. *fanning face* There's a lot of scenes that have rent-free space in my noggin... lemme tellyou!!

I love the characters that Tessa creates. I am obsessed with every single one of the hooligans on that hockey team. I just can't get enough of these sports centered worlds & the fact that there's a baseball book coming. Shook. The addiction to this series is REAL!

I will take all sports romances from Tessa for $500, please.

🏒 Forbidden Romancw
🏒 Slow Burn
🏒 Billionaire
🏒 Fated Pair
🏒 He Falls First
🏒 Hockey Player MMC

So yeah, if you are craving some carolina reaper spice in your life... Preorder Tessa's latest in the Big Shots series now.

Sig, a professional hockey player in Boston, and Chloe, a harp prodigy born with a silver spoon in her mouth, meet after a chance encounter and are instantly drawn to each other. With plans to meet up later, they go their separate ways, which happen to be to the same place. They find out Sig’s father and Chloe’s mother are engaged to be married. In just a few months, they’ll be step siblings. That evening, Chloe leaves with Sig to Boston to learn how to be an independent 25 year old, and try to resist the connection they have.

Unfortunately, this was not my cup of tea. The insta love (lust?) was over the top, and though there were moments I liked the characters, I found Chloe to be extremely ignorant and thoughtless, and Sig enabled all of her behaviors. The entire conflict of the story was a bit dramatic (hence the book title, I guess) and I truly wish we could have seen more of development of their friendship/connection, as opposed to just being told, “oh it’s been six months and now we’re best friends.”

As always, Tessa Bailey knows how to write a good spicy scene (though I felt like there surprisingly weren’t too many in this book) and did a good job building anticipation. If you’re a fan of her writing and love an overprotective MMC that worships the ground the FMC walks on, I think you’ll enjoy this!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such an enjoyable read and absolutely loved everything about this book, from the humor to the character development Tessa Bailey definitely knows how to put everything in her books!

um... okay. i didn't like this. like, at all.

i've heard mixed reviews on literally all of tessa bailey's books, so i feel like i went into this with really low expectations just in case, and whew am i glad i did. because otherwise i would've been severely disappointed.

this started out really well. like for the first maybe 20% or so i was reallyyyy into it, and the chemistry was very much there, and the characters were eating, and even the questionable plot had potential. but then it just kinda went downhill. the drama of the step-sibling thing was just so... weird? like, i feel like it could've been an entertaining storyline but maybe the way it was written just didn't work? and then i started losing my interest in the story, and the characters started to bother me, and i just stopped caring about them.

i will say, the spice was certainly... something. so many people warned me about how cringey tessa's spice scenes tend to be, and yet i still wasn't prepared. it literally felt like a robot writing about the most mundane sex but trying to spice it up. no.

will i read the rest of this series or other tessa bailey books? admittedly, probably. i have always said that my curiosity will make me insane one day. but like really, i didn't like this.

thank you to netgalley & avon and harper voyager for the arc! all opinions are my own <3

This was such a great read! Thank you NetGalley for this story! I love Tessa's writing she knows how to keep the plot going along with throwing in the drama and spice just as needed! This is the 3rd book in the big shots series. This story follows the FMC Chloe and MMC Sig. Chloe is a music prodigy while sig is a hockey player. But guess what they're soon to be step siblings... will this become taboo or will they let it go?

This is the third installment of Tessa Bailey’s Big Shots sports romance series and I was so eager to dive into Sig and Chloe’s story after catching glimpses of their chemistry in the previous book.

Their meet cute was playful, fast paced, and filled with sparks right from the start. But after finding out that they were soon-to-be step siblings, I expected more flirty banter and tension, but was left feeling like the forbidden love trope fell a bit flat. Sig was madly obsessed with Chloe, but her almost child-like depiction felt far different than the confident, alluring dream girl we met in the first chapter. And while I love a protective man, things like paying her rent after she blows all her money at Sephora felt more enabling than endearing. I guess I just wanted more maturity from them.

That said, the drama was still entertaining, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and Tessa delivered on the spice, as always (don’t think we didn’t notice the 🍑 play lately, and we love it). While these weren’t my favorite characters of hers, the book still had its fun, steamy moments that kept me hooked and I couldn’t help but root for them through their tough times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review ❤️

This forbidden romance between Sig and his soon to be "step-sister" Chloe has so much tension building. They know they can't have each other even though they met before they knew their parents were dating, but they want each other so bad. There is insane chemistry and Tessa does a great job of getting that on paper. I love the hockey storyline and the bond between Sig and his teammates. The twist at the end was something that I wasn't expecting in this slow-burn romance. Around 2/3 in, it does get spicy which is expected from a Tessa Bailey book. This was a good, quick read!

If you’re in the mood for a forbidden romance with all the angsty spice you could ask for, this book delivers. It nails the tension between Sig, the broody hockey player with a soft side, and Chloe, the quirky harp-playing free spirit with a rebellious streak. Their chemistry is undeniable from the start—hello, steamy moonlight kiss—but the twist? Their parents’ engagement throws a major wrench into their love story.

This book is a wild mix of swoony romance, messy family dynamics, and laugh-out-loud moments. Sig’s gruff protectiveness and Chloe’s vibrant personality are a perfect “opposites attract” combo that’ll make your heart ache in all the best ways. Add in slow-burn tension, hockey drama, and heavy spice, and you’ve got a rom-com that’s impossible to put down.

Dream Girl Drama is fun, flirty, and brimming with heart. Highly recommend for fans of forbidden love, taboo, angsty pining, and broody heroes who fall hard! 💖🔥

Thanks to NetGalley and Publisher - Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for the opportunity to receive the ARC.