I was torn between giving this 3 stars or 4 stars.. at one point it was going so well that I thought for sure this is a 4 star book but then it just became cringe.
I love a good sports romance- doesn't matter the sport. I had fun reading this, can't deny that. But.. something about it was cringe. Fangirl turned lover is a trope I thought I'd enjoy but then it just kind of gave me the ick. I love a dominant and possessive male character but Wells was just... too much for me. I felt like Josephine having diabetes was being shoved down my throat ever 2 chapters and it felt like I was reading a WebMD article on diabetes. I loved the sass, the flirting and the ending of the story- and how we have an intro into the 2nd book in the series w/ Tallulah and Burgess. The ending + the epilogue to the book was the redeeming factor for me because I was getting the ick at some points. I think I just hold Tessa Bailey to the standard that I have when I read It Happened One Summer and Hook Line and Sinker.. that everything after those books has not met that quality.
I love Tessa Bailey, and I love the fun and quirky stories she writes- just lately some have felt cringe and just hard to read. I am excited for The Au Pair Affair!

I'll be honest, this author is very hit or miss for me. I'm a huge fan of sports romance and I loved the blurb so I thought I'd give it a try. Sadly, this one was a big miss. This book started out rocky but I brushed it aside and kept going and kept going because this book felt never ending. The writing was okay but didn't have anything special or unique to it. It's almost like this author has a formula and uses it every single time. This just makes the books feel predictable and boring. I also never felt the chemistry between the two main characters and the spicy scenes felt awkward and disconnected. Overall, it was just okay and very meh. I do think others will love it though.

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for my gifted copy on #netgalley All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Never did I think that I'd be into golf romance, but if Tessa Bailey writes it, I read it. Fangirl Down has grumpy x sunshine, dual POV and all the other elements to make my inner fangirl heart swell. Josephine and Wells are so loveable and their romance is so sweet and swoonworthy.

This was my first Tessa Bailey book and I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed! I didn’t think golf could be hot but dammit she made me want a surly Wells Whitaker! I absolutely adored the banter and the spice and even teared up at the ending! This was definitely a solid 4 star read for me which was awesome. The characters are fleshed out and still reasonably flawed, they’re both likable and I really liked the diabetes representation and the meaning behind it!

This book exceeded my expectations. I am not a fan of golf, but from the little I’ve read of this author I thought I could trust her to suck me into the story, and she did. And this isn’t one of those sports romances that barely touches on the sport. No, Josephine and Wells spend a good part of this story playing and/or discussing the sport. Don’t let that detour you. Trust me, it works.

It’s not really a surprise that Wells starts out being a jerk in this story. Yet somehow, even while he’s still often an asshole, he quickly gained my sympathy. Wells just doesn’t know how to interact with people, especially nice people. And Josephine is a very nice person. She is someone you want in your corner. Eternally optimistic and loyal to a fault. It was fun watching these two fall in love. Their banter was often biting, but Wells always ended up spewing his truth to Josephine without his brain’s permission. And Josephine didn’t let him off easy when his walls went up. She pushed and prodded to get to that soft center and help him let out his demons.

Although I know the heat level this author writes and I know what her book covers looked like back in the days before the current cartoon-ish covers in romance became so popular, this story still got more down and dirty than I had expected. In a good way. Yowza! The intimate scenes between Josephine and Wells took their chemistry from a boil to an inferno.

If you’re a fan of a gruff and grumpy hero who will fall on his sword to make the heroine happy, this is the book for you. If you are a fan of strong female characters who stand up for themselves in a male-dominated situation, look no further. Also, if you enjoy a couple whose relationship blossoms under their mutual respect and admiration for one another, pick this one up.

Looooove me a Tessa Bailey book and this is one of her best! Not many sports romances that can make golf an attractive sport, yet somehow TB does it. It has some seriously sexy times not always seen in a chicklit (rimming anyone?) but again, TB makes it work. There is some serious subject matter that elevates the book to a more thoughtful piece regarding our nation's healthcare and skyrocketing prescriptions. I found the ending to be super sweet and heartwarming and found the side characters to be enjoyable.

This one wasn't quite for me, but folks who are looking for smoking hot chemistry, dirty talk, and a grumpy alpha hero will eat this up. Thank you to Avon for the advanced reading copy!

Top Pick - 4.5 Stars

A grumpy and sunshine rom-com that’s an ace in the hole.

There are all sorts of sports romances out there, but I never thought for two seconds I’d be reading one involving golf. Especially not one with golf fangirl’s. I mean, I never thought golf players had groupies, but Bailey proved me wrong. Add in the grump/sunshine trope and I was dialed in.

We have grump, Wells Whittaker, who used to be the up-and-coming golf hotshot and is no longer the golden boy. He’s been failing for a while. Sunshine is the incredibly optimistic, golf-infatuated, Josephine Doyle. Somewhere between the hole that Wells quits on and the crushed expression on Josephine’s face… plus a hurricane hit that wipes out Josephine’s golf pro shop, Wells gets a crazy idea. Josephine should be his new caddy, not give up on him, and help him get back to being good at what he loves.

Of course, there’s so many things that can wrong or right from here. A female caddy, while not unheard of, isn’t as common. Though I’m happy to say that female on the PGA tour is on the rise. Also, Wells is considered the bad boy of the tour. He’s got that Marshawn Lynch vibe when it comes to dealing with the press and interviews. What makes this whole book work though is Josephine’s interactions with Wells and the slow transformation that Wells has from being a selfish jerk to wanting to do everything for Josephine. He becomes this smitten, dedicated fool and out of that finds a new love for the game.

There are jokes, awkward situations, best friends that are definitely getting their own book, and plenty of steam. A Tessa Bailey book isn’t a Bailey book without plenty of scorching hot sex. This one continues to deliver on point. The story also touches on misogynistic elements in golf and showcases a good dynamic of a hero being protective and possessive yet still providing his lady love with agency. Getting to read these two falling for each other was a pleasure.

This book reminded me of the all the sports rom com movies I’ve loved over the years. Think The Cutting Edge or, if you want to go golf, Tin Cup. This easily gets the stars because I couldn’t walk away from the book and stayed up nearly all night to finish this one. I’ll be ready to read the second book featuring Josephine’s best friend and a hockey hero.

~ Landra

I have a lot of feeling about this book. First off, 4/5 on the spicy af scale. But like… this book started out so strong and then something switched. I loved how absolutely strong and independent Josephine was. The chemistry between her and Wells was super hot. Plus the banter? My god. Excellent. 10/10 on the roasting of each other. But then… you start to get to the last few chapters and the dialogue changes. He’s saying stuff that just feels like no actual human would say to another human. It just felt weird. I still loved how it wrapped up. Even if the last chapter was weirdly wayyyyy too unbelievable. Epilogue saved it. Still a really good read up until that point. I really enjoyed it a lot. I actually can’t wait for the book about her friend and the hockey player. Hopefully there will be an appearance.

I am a big fan of Tessa Bailey, I own many of her books, and I told myself I would read this without thinking about the writer. She just never disappoints! The main character has her own motivation separate from the MMC, she is strong and stands firm in her decisions. She is a fangirl and has a deeper connection with, not only the MMC, but with the sport he plays. The foundation of love was so important for me because I wanted to root for her because of the person that she was outside of her story with the MMC and I was so glad I was able to read this!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and, as you can see, I am very appreciative.

Tessa Bailey is unequivocally the romance queen. I have read and enjoyed many of her books over the years. Fangirl Down is not my favorite of her books, but I enjoyed it.

I am a big fan of the grumpy sunshine trope, and Fangirl Down does it very well. Josephine is an enthusiastic fan of golf who loves supporting her favorite athlete. Meanwhile, Wells has lost a lot of his support in the golf world for his bad attitude. They complement each other and bring out the best in one another: Josephine helps Wells get back his golf game, and Wells helps Josephine build the confidence to run the pro shop of her dreams.

Wells is so incredibly charming. It is immediately clear under his gruff exterior that he has a heart of gold. Josephine is diabetic, and he cares deeply about her health and even follows her blood sugar on an app. He rushes to her when the app indicates she’s in medical distress. While he would clearly do anything for her, he also never makes her feel like a burden or like he sees her as delicate.

I think that it’s important for books to cover what life is like for someone living with a chronic illness. Josephine has to constantly monitor her blood sugar and pay attention to her diet. It is important to Josephine that she be seen as a whole person beyond her diabetes as well. Bailey also addresses issues with the American healthcare system and the insanely high cost of insulin. This is the reality for so many people, but it is not talked about nearly enough in books, especially not in romance novels.

Sports are not my thing, and I know very little about golf. I never felt like I was out of my depth reading Fangirl Down. Bailey does a great job explaining what the readers need to know about the sport in order to understand what the characters are talking about.

There is another sports romance book in Bailey’s Big Shot series coming in July, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Tessa Bailey’s books are always a must read and this one certainly didn’t disappoint! Fangirl Down was such a fun read full of golf, flirting, love and spice! I really enjoyed this one!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tessa Bailey has been hit or miss for me over the years, but one thing always remains true - her characters are always good, and her humor is great. While this wasn't my absolute favorite from her, I enjoyed this and thought it was the perfect romcom for a Summer day.

No one does the grumpy-sunshine trope like Tessa Bailey! This book was both laugh out loud and swoonworthy (plus spicy) to basically make it the perfect read. The romance in this book is top notch and I thoroughly enjoyed Wells and Josephine's story!

I just love everything about this!
Loved Wells he was so grumpy and really just upset because he kept feeling left behind and left out. And his #1 fan Josephine is there when he is winning or losing.
Loved how he went to look for her cause he missed her support then offered her an opportunity. This was just so sweet. And the diabetes rep, loved how it didn't define her even though it was a huge part of her life.
OMG those spicy scenes were earned and hot. It's Tessa so you know what that means 🔥
I can't wait you continue this series with Burgess.

Trying to make the most boring sport sexy was really a bold move.

I'm conflicted on this one. We all know I am in the top 10% of Tessa Bailey fans. I almost always give her books 5 stars. But this one was below par. (lol) I think the fact that the heroine was a fan girl gave me the ick and I really couldn't recover. It made the romance feel weird to me like she was just trying to hook up with her idol and he was just into her because she was the only one into him. This also took me so long to finish when I normally fly through TB's books in one day. I just got bored and wasn't inspired to keep picking it up.

However, I did find some things to enjoy and it did get progressively better throughout. I thought how he cared about her diabetes was sweet, and I loved that he was secretly talking to her dad. There were some hot scenes (even if the booty scene was totally not for me.) Overall I did end up enjoying the reading experience so it gets 3 stars. I'm sure this book is someone's total cup of tea and I can see why.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of FanGirl Down by Tessa Bailey.
I have next to no interest in sports romances usually, but when i saw Tessa Bailey was venturing into the genre I knew I would read it.
Despite golf not being really being ‘my thing’ this book managed to make it seem interesting. The characters are cute and the epilogue makes the whole story! The introduction of the characters who will be starting the second book makes me so excited to read that one too. Maybe I like sports romance after all ⛳️

One of my favorite Tessa Baileys in a while! Wells is a professional golf player who is in a major slump; Josephine is his biggest, and most loyal fan. She also runs her family's pro shop. After Wells tears her sign up and quits in a fit of anger, she ditches her fandom. But when Wells shows up at her pro shop after a hurricane to check on her and propose that she caddy for him and split the prize money, she can't resist jumping back on board.

Things I liked: Chronic illness representation, simmering chemistry, great spice, the mutual loyalty between the two of them, Josephine's parents, Wells's backstory
Things I didn't like: don't love a man with anger problems, but I get that that was his flaw to overcome.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tessa Bailey is amazing and "Fan Girl Down" is an entertaining, super steamy, and heartfelt read, that I devoured in a day it was so good.

Our leading male Wells is a hot mess struggling and sabotaging all aspects of his life. In a desperate attempt to end his career for good, he pushes away his dedicated super fan, Josephine, but he can’t quite seem to shake his thoughts of her. In the process of wondering about her Wells checks on Josephine he decides to give his career another shot, to help her achieve her dreams he hires her as his caddy. The two of them find themselves and their way to helping each other through with a lot of amusing banter and spicy moments.

Finally, I want to give a very big thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Who says golf can't be sexy??? As always, Tessa delivers a fun and sexy book with Fangirl Down. It is the perfect amount of shenanigans, smut, and snark. Tessa has a formula that works with her books and I love that with each one I know exactly what I am getting and know that I won't be left disappointed. I would absolutely recommend this book.