Once again, Tessa Bailey has created a masterpiece! Get it? Masters? Golf? ⛳️ okay, so I never thought I’d be into a golf romance, but here I am… swooning over Wells and Josephine. Tessa really knows how to create a relationship full of banter, steam, unconditional love, and dialogue that leaves me feeling like I’m watching a RomCom!

Cannot wait for the next book in this series!
Thank you @NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the Advanced Readers Copy.

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers and Netgalley for the eARC! Tessa Bailey is one of my favorite authors so I didn’t hesitate to request when I saw her book was available.

Fangirl Down was fantastic. A solid 4 stars! The main female character finds herself in a bad situation after a hurricane comes through her town and her favorite grumpy golfer rides in to save the day. Perfect grumpy/sunshine trope. The conflict was believable and not drawn out. Ohhh and it’s Tessa so you know there is spice! What more do you need?

Definitely worth a read. Check it out February 13!

My very first golfer romance and let me tell you—Tessa did not let me down. Love a grumpy sunshine trope and their chemistry made me blush. Need more in this series asap!

Thanks to Netgalley & Avon/Harper Voyager for the E-ARC! Loved this book! Loved both characters & the golf references. Tessa Bailey keeps getting better & better!!

4.5 Stars. Josephine is the last fan professional golfer Wells has, but in a fit of temper on the course he loses even her. When Josephine’s family golf shop is destroyed in a hurricane Wells hires her has his caddy as a way to help her out. The pair are a match made in heaven and Wells’s golf game improves drastically as they attend tournaments together. Of course working in such close proximity means their attraction to one another reaches a tipping point and neither can resist the other.

Tessa Bailey books are hit and miss for me and this one worked. I found the concept to be absolutely delightful and I chose to not think about the fact that Wells was technically Josephine’s boss when they started dating. I really liked both Josephine and Wells. They were both fun characters and that had some very sweet moments. As with all of Tessa’s books, this one was very steamy with lots of dirty talk. I appreciated Josephine’s Type 1 Diabetes representation and the depiction of the reality of day to day life with the chronic illness. For the record I do not care at all about golf and still really enjoyed this book, so those who don’t enjoy the sport should not avoid this book for that reason. The book teed (sorry not sorry for the golf pun) us up for a romance between the friends which I am looking forward to reading.

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

3.5 ⭐️ This was super but. I liked some parts but had a hard time with others


"No one trash-talks my golfer but me."
"And no one gets too close to my caddie but me. Stay beside me out there, Josephine."


WHAT TO EXPECT
✨ sports romance
✨ comeback story
✨ he’s a washed up golfer about to quit
✨ she’s his number one fan and becomes his caddie
✨ boss x employer
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ insta lust
✨ ‘I hate everyone but her’
✨ possessive and protective alpha male
✨ she had a crush first but he falls first
✨ slight denial of feelings
✨ sexy bets
✨ 3.5/5 🌶️
✨ diabetic rep (FMC)
✨ TW: child abandonment


My Thoughts:

This was a cute golf romance with the grumpiest hero and the most sunshiny heroine.

What I liked:

The characters and their growth. Josephine was an absolute delight. Just a sweet, genuine, and kind person. And Wells was the epitome of a grumpy asshole who pushes people away before they hurt him. But Josephine's loyalty is unwavering and her belief in him was so heartwarming. And I love that Wells learned to let others in and have faith in himself.

The initial chemistry between Josephine and Wells is delicious! I love his nickname for her, belle. So cute! There's so much lust and tension, especially at the beginning. I ate that sh*t up.

Wells' comeback story. First off, golf - not exactly a sport I care about - but I found it to be interesting here, so bless you Tessa Bailey. And second, who does love a good come back? Wells was a total asshole who burned a lot of bridges and destroyed his career. It was less about him learning how to be a good golfer again and more about him becoming a better person. I thought it was sweet that the person that sparks this desire to start doing better was Josephine, but in the end, he ends up realizing he also needs to do this for himself.

The ending was super cute! Josephine and Wells deserve their happy ending, and Tessa Bailey delivered. My heart was full of love and so happy for these two.

I am SUPER eager to read the next book in this series! The MCs are Josephine and Wells best friends, Tallulah and Burgess, and it's going to be an age gap, single dad, grumpy x sunshine, nanny x boss, hockey romance! I have such a good feeling about their story. 👏


What I didn’t liked:

The slow pace from 50%-80%. Once the MCs finally get together, all they do is bone since they're just so ridiculously horny. And I get it. I would be too. But it was a lot of smut that got boring after a while since there really wasn't anything else going on and no progression plot-wise.

The last 10% felt rushed. We spent the entire book building up to the finale of a golf tournament but when it came to the day he plays, it's completely skipped over and there's a flash forward to Josephine and Wells spending their time together in Miami. This was very out of place considering we got a play by play of the days beforehand.

Josephine was overly dramatic during the 'third act conflict'. It's not quite a breakup, but there's definitely a separation while she cools down. Wells legit did her a favor but she got so irrationally made . . . it just annoyed me.

The dirty talk. This is always my one thing that's a hit or miss in Tessa Bailey novels and unfortunately, it mostly didn't work for me here. There were a few sentences that had me cringing a little bit:

- "I'm one stroke away, swear to God. Please. Just a little suck to get through the next two days."
- He bent her over and banged her motherf*cking brains out.
- French kissing her ripe c*nt with a starving tongue.
- This was going to be the best nut of his life.


So, did I like this book? Sure. It definitely had its moments.

Would I reread it? Probably not.

Would I recommend it? To the right audience. I think there will be a lot of Tessa Bailey fans who will love this - especially since the MMC is so damn grumpy.

Wells Whitaker, once golf’s golden now golf’s resident bad boy, is suffering from a long streak of extraordinary bad playing. The man who had fans around the globe finds himself down in the trenches, with only one remaining supporter. While everyone else seems to have given up on him, Josephine Doyle has always been on the sidelines, cheering him on. No matter how bad he plays, how much he grumbles, there she is, waiting with a smile. But when Wells decides to up and quit and his fangirl finally throws in the towel, he realises that he might just have made the biggest mistake of his life. Determined to make it up to the woman who’s always supported him from afar and believed in him even when he no longer believes in himself, he offers her a spot as his caddy in the upcoming games to turn his game around. Josephine is quick to agree, desperate for the prize money that could help her rebuild her pro golf shop which has been devastated by a natural disaster. As they travel together and become inseparable on the golf course and off, sparks fly. Before long, Wells starts winning again and Josephine finally sees the man that she knew he could be all along. But no one ever finds the love of their life in a fangirl…right?

Leave it to Tessa Bailey to get me invested in golf, of all things.

I could tell you about so many things in this novel that made my heart pound—the fact that Josephine is a diabetic and that it was dealt with so incredibly affirmative and supportive without ever making it seem like the book was preaching down to you, or how fleeting success and glory and all the so-called friendships that come with being at the top really are the second you don’t perform as well as you should or the subtle commentary, but really, this book is all about Wells and Josephine. They’re the heart of this story in all the ways that count (and not just because it’s a romance).

Wells is such a relatable grump. The more the public believed in him and the more he heard the whispers and felt the pressure of the elite sport, the more he questioned his own place in that elite hierarchy to the point where to be grumpy and failing was still better than trying. Because if you try, you might fail. Better to not try and therefore not fail at all, right?

As for Josephine, she was on the way of making a name for herself in the golf business and convincing her parents that she can do things on her own and doesn’t need them hovering over her because they fear her diabetes diagnosis (with which she has been living for decades and knows perfectly well how to manage) just when a fateful storm made her lose all her progress. Rebuilding not just your store but her faith in her own strength just shows what a steadfast woman she is. Pairing two such stubborn and strong characters together who are similar in so many ways was a huge risk but by god did it pay off.

The romance. Holy, the romantic scenes were to die for. It’s hard to put it into words but Wells finds so many ways of communicating just how devoted he is to Josephine throughout the novel but there’s another layer of emotion and almost reverence that is added whenever we get to see Josephine from Wells’ point of view. Smitten and devoted are not strong enough to express just how much Wells loves Josephine—and how much I love him in turn. I’m going to need every man in the whole universe to step up their game immediately. I cannot tell you how many times I paused reading this book and contemplated the dire reality of Wes not being a real human being, that’s how much I loved him.

And Josephine is the fangirl we all want and need in our lives. Her unflinching ability to detect when Wells is trying to put himself down (even when he’s not even saying it out loud) and making certain that he knows he is worth so much more than he thinks had me bawling my eyes out multiple times. To have someone in your corner who goes that hard for you, whether you’re there or not? Who defends you yet also determines that she’s the only one who gets to annoy you and make fun of you because then you know it’s just in good fun and not meant to pierce skin? Yeah, that’s Josephine for you. No wonder Wells wants to worship at her altar, I would have proposed to her the second I met her.

And the funny thing is, that these characters work so well together because they mirror each other. Josephine is just as devoted to Wells as he is to her. And Wells is just as compelled to make sure Josephine lives out her dreams instead of giving them up to make sure that he will fulfil his own. They believe in the other so much that eventually, they find the strength to believe in themselves again. Can you say healthy, supportive partnership?

Of course there’s drama and there are moments where you just want to shake them and knock their heads together like coconuts (third-act fights are the worst) but their love transcends all the little squabbles and minor…okay major obstacles that you can’t help but know that these are meant to be together.

Anyways, thanks for coming to my TED Talk about just how perfect this romance book is. Safe to say that this is now my favourite book by Tessa Bailey. It’ll be hard to top Josephine and Wells’ story. Do yourselves a favour and pre-order this.

Steamy, saucy and incredibly witty, Fangirl Down is the spellbinding grumpy/sunshine sports romance you didn’t know you needed in your life. If you’re a fan of the he falls first and he falls harder, then this is a must-read.

This is the first Tessa Bailey book I couldn't finish. Every book since Hook, Line & Sinker has gotten consistently worse. I think she'd benefit from taking bigger breaks between books or more in-depth editing practices. The characters felt one-dimensional. I DNF'd at 63% so I gave it lots of chances.

I LOVED this book! It was, by far, the cutest romantic comedy I’ve read in a while! I was actually giddy the whole time I was reading it.! I wasn’t sure how I felt about a golf romance initially, but as usual, Tessa Bailey delivered. I loved Wells and Josephine individually, as well as together. They’re so cute! Easily a fun, easy five star read!

I absolutely adored Tessa Bailey’s upcoming sports romance, FANGIRL DOWN! The main character is a huge fan of a professional golfer, but when he nosedives her career and is rude to her, she disappears. Then, he hears a hurricane has hit her town and discovers the golf shop she owns was destroyed. Determined to help her, he hires her as his caddy—but can he turn his career around, or is it too late?

This book was so much fun to read. I think I finished it in a day and a half 😅 I also loved seeing how the characters grew over the course of the narrative and helped motivate each other to be better.

I highly recommend this book if you like…
⛳️ golf
💪 strong, self-reliant female main characters
😍 a man absolutely GONE for his woman
💍 “we’re not official so why am I imagining marrying you”
🔥🥵 a LOT of spice. Like, so much.

Tessa Bailey hit a hole in one with this book! I can’t wait to go read the rest of her novels now ❤️

4.5 stars ⭐️.

Holy hell I loved this. When Tessa first made the TikTok about a fangirl becoming her golfer’s caddie I was super into it but didn’t think it would happen. Welp. It did and it was great.

After loving Wreck the Halls I didn’t think Fangirl Down could measure up simply because Melody and Beat were pure perfection, but this might be my new favorite Tessa Bailey book. It’s different from Wreck the Halls but still hilarious and sweet.

I would rank this as the funniest TB book I’ve read, but it doesn’t skimp on the sweetness either. Even when his life is a mess Wells is still a goner for Josephine. And the side characters? Josephine’s parents were hilarious and I am SO READY for Burgess and Talulah’s book.

The only thing I didn’t care for was the pseudo-third act break up where they didn’t really break up but sort of took a break? It just felt forced. By that point they were already in such a strong place and had established that they confront things head on, so it felt weird when Josephine was hiding things and avoiding the conversation when prior to that being straight forward was central to her character. So, I would liked this a bit more if Josephine had continued to caddie for Wells and worked at the shop in her off time; she’s a golf genius who loves the sport, so it felt weird that she would pass up that opportunity.

ARC provided by Netgalley.

I've never read a golf sports romance novel before. I'm not a fan of golf either. If it had people and drama like this I would totally become it's biggest fan. I enjoyed reading, Fangirl Down. We got a taste of what book 2 will be about and who. I can't wait to read it.

If you like author Tessa Bailey, you will love this book. Bailey is the queen of the grumpy/sunshine trope and lord'a'mercy can she write a spicy sex scene!

Wells is a pro golfer bad-boy who is bottoming out. Josephine is a golf lover and Wells' biggest fan, despite his grumpiness. Unfortunately, Josephine is also a Type 1 diabetic without health insurance, and after a series of hard events, she's about to lose the family golf shop. When Wells discovers Josephine's predicament he swallows his pride and gets back into the golf tour... with Josephine as his caddie!

There's some great banter in this book, and Bailey does a really good job of keeping her grumpy alpha male from crossing over into misogyny and infantalization. If you're a fan of fun and steam, definitely check this one out!

This is 100% my favorite Tessa Bailey book to date. It is lighthearted and fun, laugh out loud funny, but also so sweet and endearing.

First, I am not a golf fan, in the slightest. So if that’s you, don’t count this one out. I ended up loving the golf and the golf jokes and just all of it.

Also, grumpy sunshine is a favorite trope and Wells is the grumpiest grump who has ever grumped and I FREAKING LOVE HIM! And boy do I love a man who falls first and HARD!

Josephine, what can I say about her? How about that I absolutely love her too. She’s a type 1 diabetic and that is just so cool to see in a book. This is only the second time I’ve ever read a book with a FMC with type 1 diabetes. It was so well done in this book too, and the taking care parts that go with that are top notch!

Honestly it took me less than 24 hours to read this book. It was hilarious and fun and adorable and I will definitely be going back to it anytime I need a comfort read because it’s that good.

I was nervous to read this one. A romance between a star athlete and his biggest fan and the power difference that would cause had the potential to be very uncomfortable. Plus, the last couple Tessa Bailey books haven't hit the mark for me. Add to it that this book was about golf of all things and I was very concerned.

It was good though. More than good if I'm being honest. This might be my favorite Tessa Bailey book yet. The bickering between Wells and Josephine was constant and funny without every actually being mean, and even thought the story took place over a short time period, it didn't feel rushed.

I'm also very excited for Tallulah's book (and the two more books in the series Tessa Bailey mentioned on her Instagram stories??)!

Did I think I was going to like this book? Yes, I did. However I don’t know if I have enough words to tell you how amazing this book is. Spice ✅ Witty banter ✅ Amazing characters ✅ superb character development ✅

Wells and Josephine’s story is unique, well thought out, and one of my absolute faves. This is a mashup of Tin Cup and Happy Gilmore with some spice sprinkled in. I loved it. Also, I’m super excited to read Tallulah’s story.

Shockingly, this may be my favorite Tessa Bailey book so far. I know I say that after each one she writes but still lol I put off reading this for a while because I really didn't think I would be able to get into a romance about a golfer, but I never should have doubted Tessa. If there is anyone who can make golf sexy and fun, it's her, and oh boy did she.

Wells and Josephine had AMAZING chemistry from the very first page, and I was completely hooked. I enjoyed both of their POVs a lot but especially Wells, he was just perfection. The Grumpy/Sunshine vibes in this were elite and doubt even get me started on the spice. Tess always delivers with the spice, and while this definitely wasn't her spiciest book, it was still quite hot.

I also really liked the diabetes rep in this and thought Tessa portrayed really well.

I can't wait for Tallulah and Burgess' book next! I can already tell it's going to be amazing and I'm going to love them. I mean hockey/nanny/age gap romance??? YES PLEASE!

Tessa Bailey has done it again! I could not put this book down and was disappointed when it ended. If you love grumpy/sunshine, he falls first, sports romances and lots of spice, then this book is the one for you!

The best golf sports romance I have ever read! Tessa Bailey somehow made golf seem interesting to me, which is something that I thought was impossible. She included just enough detail to make me intrigued, but not so much that I was bored reading about golf. I loved our main man Wells. I loved how sassy he was and how much he cared for Josephine. This was one of my favorite Tessa Bailey books ever. I also cannot wait to read the next book in this series!
Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

Tessa Bailey’s Fangirl Down was such a delight of a book! Wells Whitaker was a rising star in golf until his attitude got the better of him, but through it all, there was Josephine Doyle, his biggest fan—until he blows up on her and quits and he realizes he’s made the biggest mistake of his life. Josephine has dreams of her own when Wells walks back into her family’s business with the proposition of making her his new caddy and with this opportunity her life changes in more ways than one. I love this grump/sunshine dynamic! Josephine is funny and strong and independent. Her struggles with her diabetes and her resilience in finding her path her own way is inspiring. And Wells has so many layers, and I love underneath all the grump he’s so thoughtful and cares so much about Josephine. This book is super steamy and fun with just so much heart. I really couldn’t put it down and it just kept me smiling so hard. This is definitely one of my top Tessa Bailey reads!