I say this every time but Tessa really NEVER misses. This book had me giggling, kicking my feet, smiling, blushing, groaning, tearing up, and had me in my feels so bad. I can never get enough of how down bad Tessa’s MMCs are for their women and god this was just SO GOOD. Wells and Josephine complemented each other so frickin well and I loved that Josephine was Wells’ one constant in his life, a lifeline he needed so desperately. And I loved that Wells was a strong lifeline for Josephine as well, letting her be independent but also ready to let her lean on him when she needed it. The ending had me ready to bawl like a baby and got damn this is one of the best TB novels I’ve read to date.

This was an absolute gem of a book! Who knew that a golf romance could be so addicting?! Tessa Bailey made golf sexy for everyone! I was immediately hooked with the flirting and banter between the two MC's!

Tessa Bailey somehow always manages to take the most off-the-wall concepts and turn them into the most amusingly heart-warming tale possible. I do not care one iota about golf, but Wells and Josephine love story was a hole-in-one!

I'm going to be honest. I was a little skeptical of the whole golf thing. I'm not a golf person and I would contend that it's one of the least sexy sports (if it even counts as a sport). But leave it to Tessa Bailey to make golf sexy. Or at least sexy enough to be the backdrop of a romance novel.

Wells Whitaker used to be golf's golden boy, a rags-to-riches story that had captivated the sport. But lately he's been losing, throwing fits where the media can see him, and basically hemorrhaging good will. Except from his #1 (and maybe only at this point) fan, Josephine Doyle. She still turns up to cheer for him... until he crosses a line, rips up her sign, and spouts off some truly rude words in her face. Meanwhile, she's dealing with lapsed health insurance, a failing pro shop, and type 1 diabetes. So when Wells turns up with an offer to help her get some money - and get his game back on track - she reluctantly says yes. Only to find out that they have a lot more chemistry than they could have ever expected.

I've been a tad bit underwhelmed by some of Tessa Bailey's more recent books, so between that and the golf, I was a little apprehensive. But this book is sexy, funny, emotional, and entertaining. There's tension, emotional growth, and yeah, that dirty talk that Bailey is so famous for (and it's actually pretty sexy this time). Wells and Josephine have undeniably electric chemistry, and their interactions consistently crackle. The underlying stories of Wells' struggles with his self-worth and Josephine's desire to be more than her T1D really help to ground the story into something more.

Sure, it's not a perfect book, but overall, a really enjoyable and steamy read.

4.25/5

This book was quite funny! The inevitable romance between the golfer and his caddy played out with sweetness and humor, and being set inside the world of professional golf was a lot of fun to read!

Josephine has golf in her blood, and pro-golfer Wells Whitaker on her mind and in her heart. Even after a years long losing streak, she supports him from the sidelines as Wells' Belle, his last remaining fangirl. When they both need a life-line (both figuratively and literally), Wells brings her on as a caddie on his last chance for a comeback. But there is more there than just a golfer/caddie relationship, right?

I hate golf, and I wasn't a huge fan of sports romances until recently, but none of that mattered while I was reading this book. Josephine and Wells are *chefs kiss* characters with top-notch chemistry. They both felt like real people with real problems and held their own as characters. The spice......whew....the spice. It was so good! Descriptive without being gross and hot, hot, hot. The romance side of things was fast-paced and sweet with a possessive and caring MMC and a feisty knowledgeable FMC. I loved every minute of this book!

If someone can make me interested in a sport that I otherwise have no interest in, it’s Tessa Bailey. She managed to make golf enjoyable and I loved the endearing interactions between the two main characters. This was a good mix of sweet and spice and a nice read after a really heavy read. The growth in Wells throughout the story was truly enjoyable to read and Bailey has me already eager to read the second story which follows Tallulah and Burgess.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Voyager/Avon and Tessa Bailey for this ARC!

Fangirl Down is a golf romance and the first book in Tessa Bailey’s new “Big Shots” series. I’m fairly new to sports romances and even though I’ve enjoyed all I’ve read so far, I wasn’t sure if a golf romance would be my thing. I love Tessa Bailey’s books though so I knew if anyone could win me over, it would be her. Not only did she win me over, but Fangirl Down is actually my new favorite book from her.

I fell in love with the premise of the story, that Wells Whittaker, a down-on-his-luck pro golfer ends up turning to his biggest fan to help him out of his slump. I also adored the main female character from the first moment we meet her. Josephine “Joey” Doyle is smart, sassy, upbeat, loyal to a fault, and she probably knows more about golf than even Wells does.

I wanted to hate Wells at first because he was so unpleasant to Joey, but just like Joey’s charm quickly won Wells over, his newfound appreciation of Joey once he finally stopped having a pity party and opened his eyes won me over. He especially won me over though when he learned that Joey is a diabetic who has been rationing her medical supplies to save money. Once she agrees to caddy for him and help him out of his slump, he becomes determined to mount a comeback and split his earnings with her so that she can afford to take care of her health and buy the supplies she needs.

I’m a big fan of the “he fell first” trope and so I enjoyed every moment of watching Wells realize what an absolute gem of a person Joey is. She’s not just a great caddy, but the more time they spend together, the more Wells appreciates that Joey is the perfect partner for him in every way. Throw in some of Tessa Bailey’s fun banter and sexy, steamy moments and Fangirl Down was a hole-in-one for me!

I highly recommend for fans of:

⛳️ Grumpy-sunshine
⛳️ Sports romance
⛳️ He fell first

Tessa Bailey does it again! She is the master at interweaving a plot full of romance to make your heart melt alongside spice that would make your toes curl. Wells and Josephine had an awesome relationship and I loved how they partnered with one another to form an unstoppable team. I never thought I’d love a golf romance, but here we are!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy <3

Fangirl Down follows Josephine and Wells as they caddie/golfer relationship, and their romantic one. The book is filled with tons of banter and so much spice. After tearing up Josephines fansign, Wells feels bad and wants to make it up to her, only to find her after her family’s pro shop is ruined from a hurricane. His solution? Help pay for renovations. However, Josephine doesn’t want to just take his money because she’d be his pity case, plus he was mean to her and she didn’t like it. So she vows to earn his money and becomes his caddy.

I absolutely adored this book and loved every second of it. I had a hard time understanding the timeline of events though, and found how fast they got together just a little not my vibes. Their relationship dynamic was so cute and i did think they worked well together, considering the difference in attitudes. I was a little worried of how it was going to end, given how the plot progressed, but I thought I was such a natural end for these two characters and it made so much sense to me.

There were times where it felt like an overuse of a phrase or word that made me stop and question how many times it would be said, or there were times where it felt like her disability was brought up as the only reason to love her. “She was so capable” and it felt like the relationship was built of off that and not off of the two o them.

Overall i enjoyed the books a whole lot !

A fun, sexy sports romance, right on par (pun intended) with Tessa Bailey’s previous work! I loved the chronic illness representation and the grumpy x sunshine chemistry so much.

Josephine Doyle has been grumpy, professional golfer, Wells Whitaker's fangirl "Well's Belle" through his ups and downs...including his current really far down. She shows up on the sidelines when his tour takes him to Florida.

Josephine runs her family's golf business in Palm Beach, Florida, and when a hurricane leaves the business in bad straights and she has no insurance. Wells steps forward and offers her a job as his caddie.

They find themselves falling in love as Wells recognizes Josephine as the only one who has believed in him throughout it all. But as Josephine finally gets the money to get her family's business back up and running, she's faced with the hard choice - staying and helping the man she's fallen in love with or returning to run the family business that has always been her dream.

I really liked the representation in this book - Josephine has Diabetes Type I. I don't feel like this is something that is shown in main contemporary romance books. And while I enjoyed the romance of the story, it felt maybe a little too rushed for me?

Overall, I enjoyed the story!

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I LOVE Tessa Bailey and I keep finding backlist stories to read, but I was thrilled to get this ARC right before publication!

Can I just say Wells is the grumpiest grump of a golfer, but I absolutely loved him. And our FMC Josephine has Type 1 Diabetes and has been a big fan of Wells since he’s been on the tour. So much, that she calls herself ‘Wells Belle’ and has followed him to different golf tournaments.

I adored Bailey’s witty banter throughout this one. Sometimes the banter or dirty talk feels a bit more contrived in romance novels, but Tessa Bailey nailed it in this one. And the steamy scenes were perfect! I also think it’s one of the first golf romances I’ve seen so if you’re a golf fan you will enjoy this.

I liked the idea of this, but I do think the book was a tad long. Characters weren’t too bad, but kinda full of romance stereotypes. I didn’t get through this as fast as I thought I would have.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Boyager for this digital ARC.

Look- I love me some Tessa Bailey dirty talking heroes, AND I’m always up for a sports romance, but even I side eyed the premise that this book featured the bad boy of golf. If I’m being honest, golf and bad boys aren’t something that usually go together in my mind. Regardless, I hit that request button as soon as it became available for review.

Fangirl Down introduces Wells Whitaker, once the rising star of the golf world, and his number one fan, Josephine Doyle. When the book opens Wells has fallen hard in the golf world, not even making the cut anymore and acting out in destructive ways. His number one fan, only fan really, Josephine has stuck with him, always on the sidelines cheering him on, through all these recent troubles and bad behavior. But something happens that causes her to finally tell him off and leave. Josephine has her own dreams, and health issues, but renovating her family’s pro shop and being able to afford health insurance is right at the top of the list. After a bad storm, all of those dreams are threatened, and Wells offers her a deal that she can’t refuse. So, she accepts a job as his caddie for the next several tournaments,

This book was fun, and I ended up completely sold on the idea of bad boys in golf. Josephine is the only support system Wells has and he is determined to help her through her recent troubles. He is bad-tempered with everyone else but seems protective of her. Josephine is a take charge; anything is possible kind of woman and wants to be taken seriously. She has type 1 diabetes, and has always had to take extreme care, but she is tired of people not seeing her for her capabilities. Finally, out from under her parents at times overbearing protectiveness she is determined to make all her dreams come true.

As with any Tessa Bailey book, Wells and Josephine have a hot and heavy relationship. Lots and lots of sexy times and dirty talking. Their work relationship quickly turns to friendship and then to intimacy. I liked this couple, and I liked that Wells realized early on how indispensable she was to his improving his game. How smart she was about the game of golf and used that to help both of them. The last twenty percent or so lagged a bit, but I really liked the HEA.

The main protagonists in the next book in the series were introduced and I am pretty excited to see how this love story plays out. I remain a fan of this author and am looking forward to her next release.

Tropes/Themes:
-MF romantic comedy
-Sports romance (golf)
-Professional Golfer x His #1 Fan
-Grump x Sunshine
-Opposites attract (bad boy x good girl)
-Forced proximity (she ends up works as his caddy)
-Caretaking
-Chronic illness rep (diabetes)
-Book #1 in an interconnected standalone series

Big thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!! I ended up holding off on reading this until after release because I wanted to listen to the audiobook. This book is for all of the delulu fangirls out there expecting their idols to fall madly in love with them. It’s been a while since I’ve read a Tessa Bailey book that I absolutely loved. While this isn’t a new favorite for me, I ended up really enjoying it. This was super silly and fun! As I’ve come to love from Tessa Bailey, it included a grumpy hero that becomes 100000% obsessed with the heroine. While I can’t speak to the accuracy of the representation, I respected that there were a lot of on page conversations about having and loving someone with type 1 diabetes. Also - don’t let the cover fool you, this has the classic Tessa Bailey filth and dirty talk as well. All in all, I really enjoyed this and definitely plan on continuing on in the series.

This is the most spicy book I've ever read & I am deeply obsessed with it!!!

Thank you, NetGalley, Avon, and HarperCollins, for the gifted copy of "Fangirl Down"

Wells is officially my favorite literary man. No one can change my mind... he's perfection.

I came for the golfer, but truly, I stayed for how awesome it was to experience a woman caddy in PGA tournaments. A woman represented in a male dominant sport is *chefs kiss* I loved it when she stood her ground & proved that she was worthy of calling the shots for Wells.

I want to be Josephine when I grow up. She rules.

Let's get to the point, the spice... I wasn't ready, but I was so pleased I pulled off the bandaid to travel into the world of the Carolina Reaper queen Tessa Bailey.

Yes, this is my first book by her & it will not be my last.

I loved the romance, but I really appreciated that she covered hard topics. I thought it was really cool to learn more about Diabetes through Josphines characters. I loved that Wells was extra protective of her & tracked her blood sugar levels while he was playing a professional round of golf.

It's the sweet moments for me. *happy sigh*

I will say I wasn't really impressed with the audiobook. I didn't think the woman's voice portrayed Josephine well. She sounded super "Valley Girl." It just didn't work for me.. but I only did a few hours of the narration, so take my opinion very lightly & give it a shot if you love listening to books.

- Golf & PGA
- Diabetes Rep
- Fan to Lovers
- Grumpy Sunshine
' Carolina Reaper Spiced

Now I need that hockey book...immediately... *prays to the NetGalley gods for an approval*

Tessa is back with her romcom magic!! This was just so good, top tier banter, and a really unique premise. Highly recommend as an intro to Tessa Bailey if you are looking for somewhere to start. Looking forward to the next one in this series!

Tess Bailey, why is it that every time I think I've found my favorite book boyfriend of yours, you write someone else who just scootches right on in there?! I mean, I can't choose between all of them, but I can definitely make room...especially for Mr. Grump himself, Wells "fan me off I'm dying" Whitaker.

This man is such a crab, but oh my goodness he is sexy. I went into this a bit hesitant because I am NOT a golf fan. I don't know anything about it and I honestly have never had an itch to learn. However, if Tessa Bailey writes it, I'm going to read it and I'm so glad I was able to get a copy from NetGalley because this was solid gold.

Josephine was such a die hard fan, to the point of it almost being cringeworthy how much she stuck by him. I loved that he was so confused about his feelings throughout, but just knew he had to make her happy. She was absolutely adorable and I really liked that she was so knowledgeable about the sport and instead of being just a fangirl, she was a huge part of his team. Seeing a man realize a woman's worth outside of just looking pretty and cheering him on is a plus in my book. It's something I've come to love more and more about TB's books. All of her characters have their vulnerabilities, but instead of it being a flaw, the partner finds a way to show the other that it's really a strength.

To say that I'm excited about reading the next book in this series is such an understatement! I highly recommend reading this book (and all of TB's books), even if you're not a fan of golf! You won't regret it.

2.5?: I enjoy some aspects of romance books, but this one didn’t do it for me. Romance can be very hit or miss and this one was a miss for me. There was a little character growth and development throughout this story which is always nice. Overall, the story was very basic and stereotypical. I was able to guess what was going to happen fairly easily.

The smut at one point completely takes over the story and it could have been reduced. Not going to lie, I skipped it. I believe I was just the wrong audience for this one.

If you love sports romance, grumpy/sunshine, instalove, and want a break from all the hockey ones out there right now, this might be one you would enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in return for my honest review.