Tessa Bailey is always an absolute delight and I was so excited to get to read this one early. I saw her speak at the Ripped Bodice and she talked about this book and I knew it would be good -- and Tessa does not disappoint. It felt very Susan Elizabeth Phillips Fancy Pants era with a modern twist.

It's a grumpy golfer (yes, Unhappy Gilmore) who meets his biggest fan, which was absolutely adorable and not too over-the-top (it's a fantasy for a reason).

My only complaint is that the main character has diabetes like Tessa Bailey's daughter (I also hope her daughter does not, in fact, read the butt stuff) which makes it really personal and sweet, but it is mentioned on what feels like every other page which is a lot - and it felt like we didn't know much about the MC other than her diabetes, which she didn't want to define her, but it unfortunately largely did. It also felt like their third act breakup was avoidable since they work in the same field.

However! It was still super sweet - and the smut was smutting. There's a reason this woman is the Michelangelo of smut and this book proves it yet again. She really is the best person in the romantic comedy genre right now - so funny and smart, with lots of topical pop culture choices. There's a reason she's the ultimate rom-com author for me and the rest of TikTok.

This one is sweet, fun, playful, and perfect for anyone who loves a good sports romance with some comedy and heart thrown in. I truly can't wait for the next book in the series, because who wouldn't want to read about an enormous hockey player with an adorable daughter?

So glad Tessa Bailey's entered the sports romance world and can't wait for more of 'em.

Never did I imagine myself loving a golf romance as much as I loved this book. From the witty banter to the steamy scenes 🔥🔥🔥 I could not get enough of Wells and Josephine. Fangirl down sucks you in right from the very beginning and will keep you up reading through the night.

Thank you to Tessa Bailey and Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Holy cow! I couldn't put this down. Who would have thought a GOLF romance could be so dang erotic?! This is the story of the ultimate fangirl, Josephine, becoming the saving grace for a down-and-out golfer, Wells Whitacker (such a golfer name, good job Tessa!). Once the up-and-comer, Wells pissed away his talent with anger and defiance, but that never stopped Josephine from watching from the sidelines with a sign, "Wells's Belle." She was his greatest fan. Then a hurricane wrecks her family's golf pro shop and her insulin is running out and what will she do? Become Wells's caddy, of course! Because even though he was done with golf, and annoyed by the fierceness of Josephine's loyalty, he couldn't stop thinking and worrying, about her after the hurricane. Helping Wells out of his funk, and onto the leader board, Wells and Josephine are quite the team.

I absolutely could not put this book down. It is by far one of her best, in my opinion. I'm partial to sports romances anyway, but this is my first golf romance. I WANT MORE! Josephine and Wells have such great chemistry, and the sexual tension is so prominent. The sex is HOT HOT HOT and there's a lot of it! I think this is borderline erotica! I loved Josephine, and related to her on a personal level with her diabetes (I have an autoimmune disease) and how her family practically babies her even though she's a grown, responsible woman. Wells was dark and moody, and super sexy with his perfect butt and tattoos. Well done, Tess Bailey, just...well friggin' done!

:::insert golfer's clap:::

This book was fine. It was typical Tessa Bailey, and very on brand for what's popular right now (grumpy/sunshine and sports romance, cartoon cover, instalove, lots of banter) – whether you think all of those things are good or bad is probably what will determine how much you enjoy this book. The FMC is very much not like the other girls, and that always grates on my nerves. Cute, fine, not my all time favorite but not terrible. Perfect quick read for a cozy day in!

Fangirl Down is automatically going on my favorites shelf on Goodreads. This was the perfect storm for me with romance- and god, Tessa makes golf hot (I would think an impossible task previously).
The best mix of “I hate everyone but you and I am like really obsessed with you” kind of man, and a really endearing main female character who shines in her own way.
Not only was this unbelievably hot because of the sex scenes, but also the way these characters feel about each other and pine over the course of the novel had my blushing and squealing whilst reading.
I will absolutely be reading the second book in this series when it comes out - hopefully the Summer comes fast! 5/5

This is one of my all time favorites of Tessa’s. I couldn't get enough of they dynamic between Wells and Josephine. There's character growth, no HUGE third act break-up (but def some difficulties). This is so sweet and spicy. I loved every minute. Definitely a re-reader.

A fun read! Wells Whitaker is down on his luck, and self sabotaging his professional golf career. His number one fangirl, Josephine Doyle, goes from being the last fan on the green to agreeing to caddy for him to raise money for her family pro shop. But being his caddy means being in close proximity and these two can't fight the attraction. It did feel very fast paced, but will go over well with romance readers.

I gave this book. 5 stars - Tessa Bailey doesn't miss! This was charming and so steamy! Our male main character was dedicated and our heroine was quirky and relatable. I really enjoyed learning about T1D and I cannot wait to recommend this book to fellow romance readers.

Admittedly, I don’t care about golf. When I imagine golfers, especially the professional ones, I’m not picturing anyone like Wells. At some point I paused and googled pictures of golfers and they weren’t doing it for me. I understood why Josephine was into golf but I skimmed a lot of those parts. That being said, it was easy to root for Wells and Josephine. I’m a sucker for stories where the MMC falls first and falls hard and Wells definitely fulfills that. Their relationship was easy, breezy, and pretty steamy but lacking some depth (especially on Well’s part). Not my favorite Tessa Bailey book but an enjoyable and quick read.

I absolutely LOVE Tessa Bailey books! Fangirl Down was one of my favorites that she's written. The relationship between Wells and Josephine was so amazingly romantic and steamy. I also loved how Josephine's character was diabetic. My husband is diabetic so it was great to see a protagonist who was also Type 1. I can't wait to read the next in this series!

*ARC Review*

I am a massive Tessa Bailey fan and this is one of my favorites of hers! The reader gets to experience a super fan, Josephine, turn into the "good luck charm" of a pro golfer, Wells. Both main characters have their flaws, and we get to see them pair up and work through their issues in a really beautiful way. I loved the story but had an issue with the ending sequence.

*Spoiler* After a full book of Josephine being Well's caddy and becoming successful and showing that even though she is a woman she is competent and one of the best on the PGA tour.... we don't get the happy ending of Josephine helping Wells win the the Masters (one of, if not the biggest golf tournaments in the world). She is only there on the sideline as a fan (which is how she started the story). I feel we got to see this lovely character arc of Josephine who grew to understand her strength, and then it was just taken away from us in the last 7% of the book. It gave me a sour taste in my mouth for the ending (which was happy).

Definitely give this one a read, I cannot wait for Burgess and Tallulah's book!

Tessa is one of my favorite authors and sometimes I think nothing will be as good as her other books. Fortunately, she’s proved me wrong because I love this book just as much as I loved the Bellinger sisters. Grumpy, down on his luck golfer meets his sunshine #1 fan, and then it just gets hotter and hotter. He’s obsessed (as he should be) and she’s dedicated to getting him back on his game. I also can not wait for the next book in the series, it’s going to be perfect!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager Publishers for this ARC!

An ‘I can fix him’ fangirl from Florida?? It’s like Tessa wrote this just for me! I really loved the dynamic relationship between Wells and Josephine. The tension was amazing, the banter was fun, and the bumps in the relationship were realistic and resolved well. Overall, just a super cute supportive romance!!

(4.5★)

“𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐬𝐨 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞.”

Tessa Bailey's novel Fangirl Down is a grumpy x sunshine romance that centers on golfer Well Whitaker and caddie Josephine Doyle.

This was my first ever golf romance and I loved every single second of it. The characters, the plot, and the tropes were all amazing.

I adored Well's gruff exterior and the way he was gradually becoming more open with Josephine. The fact that he truly cared for her and was protective of her was also everything.

I also admired Josephine for her independence and diligence.

This book was made so much better by the detailed smut and particular micro-tropes Tessa included. 

Though, it did become a little monotonous as it passed the 70% mark.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyage, and to the author, Tessa Bailey, for providing ‘em with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

This Tessa Bailey book is undoubtedly the most Tessa Bailey book she ever wrote, and I was here to enjoy it!

Wells and Josephine captivated me 20% in the book, and I knew it would be one of my topread of the year.

The narrative kicks off with Josephine, Wells' devoted fan, navigating the aftermath of his career literally failing into pieces. We follow their relationship evolving from #1 Fan girl to loyal friend and more… I could really draw parallels with "Hook, Line and & Sinker," where I was initially fearing a clichéd damsel-in-distress scenario but, Tessa Bailey worked her magic, introducing endearing and comical characters. The banter/flirting was amazingly executed I truly laugh out loud several times!

Knowing that I am a fan of hockey romance and could not really move on to another sport, I was reluctant to deep dive into a golf centric book but I might just be warming up to it. Never say never ⛳️

As a fan of the grumpy-meets-sunshine trope, this book was my cup of "TEE" (don’t hate me for this, I might be a golf girlie afterall). I really could not put it down !

5⭐️ and 4🌶️

I love everything tessa bailey!!

I had the honor of hearing her talk about this book and her future 3 (maybe 4?) in the series at a meet and greet and was so happy to get an arc to this book.

It was swoony, it was steamy, it was everything you love and expect from Tessa Bailey. You either love her or you don't and I did love this one.

2.5 rounded up for the bits of this that i did enjoy

i want to start by saying, i definitely think this will be great for a lot of other people but it was not great for me. it started off so promising but about halfway in fell completely flat. i gave up at 76% percent bc i am bored out of my mind. its entirely too insta-love from the get go which was fine at first but there was like zero depth in this relationship, the smut is cringe beyond belief, and quite frankly i just don’t think there is any sort of really plot everything about this just feels surface level. i also feel as though wells gave off heavy coercion vibes? before making their relationship official there is technically a break up initiated by josephine, she lays down strict ground rules that they need to stop what theyre doing bc she wants to be taken seriously in the pro golf world. immediately he doesnt really care that she said no or to follow what she wants. then a week later he is once again ignoring her wishes and is back to convincing her to have sex with him.

basically to sum it up, it was good until it wasn’t. there were too many random moments through out that just absolutely ruined everything for me.

i’ve reached a point where i no longer can tell if its a “its you, not me” thing when it comes to TB books. i dont know if maybe im just not her target audience but i do believe its time i give up on trying to make myself like her books.

I overall enjoyed the book! It was cute and easy. I liked the grumpy/sunshine trope at the beginning but I felt like her love of her families golf course fell kind of short. I just felt like she was a lot more eager to join the PGA and maybe she shouldn’t get stuck with her family business? It was still cute but her uncertainty halfway through felt forced.

I devoured this book from start to finish. Classic Tessa Bailey with a fun new read. I will read everything she writes

Tessa Bailey has done it again!

Every single book I’ve read of hers has been amazing and this one did NOT disappoint. Such a good sports romance, and an amazing amount of spice to plot.