A forbidden step-sibling romance with all of Tessa Bailey’s signature quirk, charm, and humor? This should have been right up my alley. The book started with so much chemistry and tension that I couldn't put it down, but as the story went on, it didn’t quite live up to my hopes.

What really bothered me was that the main conflict—their step-sibling status—didn’t feel like a strong enough barrier. The idea that they couldn’t be together because it would look bad didn’t seem to have real consequences or any true stakes, nor did it feel like a genuine obstacle. I struggled to understand why it was such a big deal since they met as adults before even knowing their parents were together. It started to feel a bit over-the-top, almost soap-operatic.

I really enjoyed the hero, Sig. He’s sweet, protective, and a bit of a softie with Chloe, which I thought was charming. He’s thoughtful and tender, and I loved that about him. Chloe, though, came across as immature at times, which made it harder for me to connect with her. She seemed to constantly rely on others to take care of her, and it felt like she wasn’t growing much as a character. However, I did appreciate how much she loved Sig—for who he was and not his status/life. They are undeniably sweet together, but the chemistry felt more like instant attraction than anything deeply emotional.

While there were some fun moments, especially with the slow burn and the tension-filled pining, the whole "forbidden" aspect kept them apart for too long. I really wanted to see more of them together, rather than in what felt like a repeated cycle of pining and resistance. That said, there are hints at other relationships that I’m excited to see develop in future books. This wasn’t my favorite Tessa Bailey novel, but the cover is adorable, and I still love this world she’s created.

Tropes:
Tropes:
🏒Forbidden Romance
🏒Future (adult) stepsiblings
🏒He Falls Harder
🏒Possessive/Protective MMC
🏒Slow Burn
🏒Hockey Romance

I’ll preface by noting I didn’t read the first two books of this series but I don’t think it made much of a difference. I have a tendency to do that accidentally when one story line really excites me and I want to dive in. Well I dove in and ready this book in half a day because I couldn’t put it down. It starts off hot which sometimes can be a concern cause I do love a build up but don’t worry you still get that, almost to the point that you’re like ok already!! I really enjoyed this couple as they had such strong believable chemistry from the start, their burn for each other was palpable. Sig is the perfect balance of rough and gentle (plus who doesn’t love an hockey player??) and Chloe was bubbly and easy to love. Tessa knows how to write rich girls that are helpless in a way where you actually adore them which is a talent in itself. Chloe reminded me of the Bellinger sisters which are two of my favorite characters of hers. Without giving away the plot, I’ll say there were points where I didn’t know how they were going to make their relationship work despite them being so clearly in love but even through their struggle I was enjoying every scene because their dialogue was a mix of passionate and “aw shucks”. Sad that it’s over but now I have to go back and read the first two books in the series since some of the characters were introduced and I have the next book to look forward to this Summer! Special thanks to AVON | Harper Voyage and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I was so excited to read this ARC. I’ve read the other books in the series and loved them. This is probably my favorite out of the three. I loved the storyline and the banter between Sig and Chloe.

I'm still trying to decide how i feel about this one, the first 15% of the book i was hooked and super interested. Chemistry was undeniable and sparks clearly flying.
Suddenly everything changes, and FMC is helpless and so spoiled it was laughable as if she was truly a child. She doesn't know how to cook, clean, or do laundry and the mmc is suddenly paying for luxurious hotel, then her apartment and handing out his credit card for lavish shopping trips.. I know this is fiction guys but my last paragraph happened in 5% of the book. 15-20% through was absolutely agonizing and so cringy i couldn't bear it.
But if there is anything Tessa bailey can do is make a comeback. The remaining 75% of the book was cute, and the spice was spicing. IYKYK what scene i am talking about, overall i did enjoy it despite the FMC being completely useless and embarrassing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was always a little nervous for this couple and their time in the spotlight. The Au Pair Affair left me intrigued but worried. The taboo aspect of this romance took me out of it almost entirely & I lost touch with the couple. Overall I enjoyed the twist and am thankful they got their happily ever after.

I love Tessa Bailey! Such a great book by her. She knows how to write a sports romance! Definitely add this to your TBR. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC!

I’m glad I stuck with it
After the action packed first few chapters, I was hooked. And then I got bored. However, I am so glad that I stuck with the book because the tension and emotion until the end was addicting. I’ve never read a similar story line, and it was super refreshing to read. Would have given that extra star if the characters were a little bit more complex than just the naive rich girl and just the insanely obsessed guy.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dream Girl Drama is a fun, flirty, and at times emotionally satisfying read. It offers a perfect blend of romance, humor, and steam, with characters that feel real and a story that pulls you in from the start. If you're a fan of Bailey's work, you won’t be disappointed. It’s a perfect pick for readers looking for a lighthearted but steamy romance with a touch of celebrity drama.

I love Chloe and Sig's story. They both have far more self control that most people I know, and have been struggling so hard to stay away from each other while they support each other in other ways.

Chloe has moved to Boston to attend Berklee and has left her family, and their money, behind. As a result, Sig has decided to help support her at his own expense, and help her find her footing in the city.

This was a rollercoaster of heartbreak and such pure happiness, I couldn't stop. I laughed and cried and felt so much from this, and I've just loved this entire series so much!

“𝒊 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒊 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆.”

𝟑.𝟓 ★

dream girl drama is the third installment in the “big shots” interconnected standalone series. after being introduced to chloe and sig in the au pair affair, we are FINALLY given all of the details of their mysterious, complex relationship. when sig is on the way to dinner at his dads house, his car breaks down on the side of the road leading him to a steam, chance meeting with chloe who happens to be the woman of his dreams. it isn’t until he finally he arrives at his dads house for the dinner, that he finds out that his dad is getting remarried to chloe’s mom and she’s going to be his step sister in a matter of months. sig and chloe have to navigate the complicated, forbidden relationship that they’ve created as chloe breaks away from her controlling mother and learning how to navigate the world on her own for the first time.

if there’s one thing that you can guarantee with this book, it is that the chemistry is undeniable and the tension will have you literally gnawing at the bars of your enclosure because it feels like a cruel edging for a good chunk of the book. 😭

the book start outed incredibly strong for but started to be more “meh” towards the middle, their relationship kind of becoming the same thing over and over for a good while. i found the ending of the book quite clever and truly think that it was the only way to end the book without the ending being silly or incredibly unrealistic.

despite the characters chemistry, the characters as individual people i honestly did not care for that much. chloe, despite striving to be this independent person who can do things on her own just transfers her dependence from her mom onto sig. other people have described her as childlike and i don’t know if i would say that but more of she prefers to live in blissful ignorance because part of her knows she could never *truly* fail. sig literally agreeing to support her and get her to move to boston within hours of meeting her was absolutely wild to me but he does have a pretty dirty mouth that made me overlook most of his flaws?? 👀

OKAY AND SIDE NOTE - WHAT IS WITH TB AND 🍑 PLAY? i honestly don’t mind it at all but girly really has been putting it in a lot of her books lately.

thank you avon, harper voyager and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. 🫶🏻

I saw a little bit of myself in Chloe, not being adept at navigating the world by myself, and relying heavily on others to take care of me and guide me. So I felt a kinship with her right away, even in just the earlier glimpses we saw of her in Fangirl Down and the Au Pair Affair.

I'm a huge Tessa Bailey fan, so of course I was right in line for her latest book to come out. This one had a little more angst than what I expect from her though, definitely some gut shots I wasn't expecting! I hurt for Chloe and Sig, the tension between them was so taut and they held out for so long. Then things just kept piling up to keep them apart, and I was aching!

Of course, being Tessa Bailey, there is all the things you expect - the spice, the dirty talk, the spine-tingling tension build up, the humor and the heart. This one I felt the stakes were a little higher than what I've read previously (which is about 1/3-1/2 of her offerings) and so there were times when I needed to set this book down and take a break from it for a moment. A little heavier than normal.

Still, I loved it. I can't wait to see what's to come in this series, because there is definitely some set up for more!

This is not my usual genre, but I found this to be totally refreshing. Often times these stories can be so predictable. The ending really was great and I felt like there was a lot of depth to the characters.

I squealed when I got a chance to read this book early! Chloe and Sig’s romance was so cutely set-up in the second book that I was REALLY anticipating this book. The angst and the yearning was off the charts. These two had chemistry from the get-go. I don’t even know how somebody writes chemistry that is so sizzling. Neither of these characters is perfect, but they are perfect for each other. This was my favorite book in the big shot series so far. Guys the dialogue, the banter, so good!

Thank you, #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

While I enjoyed reading both Fangirl Down & The Au Pair Affair, I didn't vibe with this one as much.

The FMC, Chloe, was really out of touch with reality. Like, okay, I get it. She grew up living the life of luxury so she may not be used to the simpler things. But, I wish she was more appreciative of someone helping her out when her mother cuts her off instead of using the RENT MONEY SHE WAS GIVEN FOR EYE CREAMS???? I know, too much to ask, right? I just didn't find her relatable, which put me off from the story in general.

Auto buy author. Hands down. Favorite author. Tessa is one of my favorite authors so of course I needed this book and I'm so happy I got it. 10 stars.

Thank you so much NetGalley for providing me with the digital ARC of Dream Girl Drama! I have been looking forward to reading this book for awhile especially after reading Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey. This book had everything I love about romance books in it. The yearning, banter, chemistry, and the absolute delicious forbidden romance. I love it when a sports romance is done right and let me tell you, Tessa Bailey can WRITE sports romance. I love brooding men who fall to their knees for the fmc. Sig treats Chloe like she is his universe. I felt the tension through the pages. I personally loved his possessiveness. Something I really like about Tessa Bailey's books are that they are easily digestible. It is super easy on the eyes, so I can simply glide through the pages and it's as if I am watching a movie through the words. LOVED!!!!

What a cute book! Chloe and Sig meet and the attraction is instant - I absolutely loved their playful banter right out of the gate! Pulled apart by their parents engagement announcement, the two decide to remain friends while secretly harboring feelings for each other.
I loved Chloe’s development throughout the book. Bubbly, friendly, but incredibly naive at first, it was fun to watch her grow and mature as she learned to be independent and stand on her own. Learning to sacrifice for others is not easy, and I felt like this was portrayed in a realistic way that showed the hardship.
And Sig…swoon! Everyone deserves an Sig. So caring, loyal, thoughtful but with a delectably dirty mouth and the moves to match. In short, the perfect book boyfriend.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review RAC.

Wow!! I am not a huge rom com person but this one was epic. It wasn’t typical cheesy one. This would be perfect to be a movie or TV show!! I love the plot. I’ve never read this author’s book before. I thought she slayed this one. Now I have to read her other books. Please make this as a movie!!

Two stars to this will they-won't they "forbidden" romance. Although Bailey writes sexual tension and "steamy" scenes well, the plot and characters overall strain credulity, resulting in a disappointing read.

Hockey player Sig meets manic pixie rich-girl rebel Chloe, and the pair fall deeply into instalove just hours before learning that Sig's estranged father is engaged to Chloe's wealthy and controlling mother. Despite being painted as a bored, jaded rebel in the opening scenes, Chloe turns out to be ridiculously sheltered and knows essentially nothing about the outside world. She doesn't know how to drive, has apparently no concept of how bills get paid, and doesn't know not to tell her most sensitive secrets to a reporter.

Additionally, the whole taboo aspect of their relationship seems silly. Sig and Chloe try to resist each other because a stepsibling romance would bring scandal to their parents, but a) they're not stepsiblings until their parents actually marry, b) they didn't grow up together, making the "stepsibling" label a technicality at best (and unlikely to strike anyone living in 2020s America as particularly scandalous), and c) they roundly reject their parents' feelings/judgement at the start, so why do they even care? And how exactly would this relationship actually effect Chloe's mother's reputation? It's a flimsy excuse for keeping the characters apart.

My thanks to Harper Collins/Avon and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Tessa Bailey has done it again! The queen of raunchy romance books dabbled into sports (again) this time and i had the time of my life reading through these pages. Tessa has never disappointed me. At this point she could write a grocery list and I would still read it.

Without spoiling much i will tell you this book will give you EXACTLY what you came from. Romance, knees-shaking heat, comedy, and everything in between!