This was all the tropes, and I loved that about it. It's not for everyone, but I was immediately enchanted by these to and how much they adored each other. I went in with suspension of disbelief in what the plot and challenges were, and totally enjoyed it. Tessa's books are definitely hit or miss, but for me, the Big Shots series absolutely knocks it out of the park. This has been one of my favorite's in her overall portfolio - this hit all my guilty reading pleasures: a sports romance, pets, obsessed MMC, no love triangles, sports team dynamics and rivalries.

Tessa, you introduced so many new characters and budding potential romances in this book. Please please please keep writing stories about this hockey team!

✨I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review✨
WHY IS THIS NOT HIGHER RATED.
WHY.
This was so good. Why did I cry so much?
BRING BACK YEARNING!!!!!!!!!!
Sig is the dictionary definition of yearning and I found that I need him in a biblical sense.
The only thing that could have made this any better is if my real husband Wells Whitaker was involved.
No but seriously I loved this. It was sweet and sappy and sad and full of emotion. So much longing and hoping and UGH it made me feel.
Chloe is described as a manic pixie dream girl but I don’t think that’s an accurate description of her; I think she’s just a bored rich girl that likes attention. There’s nothing wrong with that! She also had so much love and humor, but at the end of the day she was just a rich girl that got away with whatever she wanted. She needed Sig to keep her grounded, and Sig needed her to lift him up and bring him to life. They really were the perfect pairing.
Highly recommend this to anyone looking for yearning and not much else. I wouldn’t even really consider this to be a sports romance since you barely see Sig play any hockey.

I love Tessa Bailey! however, this was not her best. I was a bit uncomfortable with the plot for some reason and the FMC was a little annoying. I would continue to read Tess Bailey but I had to put this one down. ;(

Dream Girl Drama
by Tessa Bailey

Dream Girl Drama picks up right where Au Pair Affair left off, diving back into the irresistible chaos of the Big Shots world with Sig and Chloe front and center. When professional hockey player Sig ends up stranded in a country club parking lot, fate (and a broken-down truck) puts Chloe directly in his path, again.

Chloe is determined to carve out a life independent from her controlling mother’s influence, and Sig, rugged and loyal, is right there cheering her on. What makes this story shine is how deeply they care for one another—it’s never one-sided, never performative. It’s genuine. Add in some deliciously forbidden tension, a fast-paced plot, and Tessa Bailey’s signature charm, and you’ve got a romance that’s easy to devour.
I especially loved the emotional push and pull—the way they clearly knew they loved each other, but timing and circumstances kept them apart until they couldn’t resist any longer.

This is a spicy adult romance with heart, heat, and a whole lot of swoon.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the opportunity to read Dream Girl Drama.

This author is new to me, but I will be keeping an eye out for anything else they publish. I loved the story and the characters. The pacing of the story was great and the characters were relatable.

This is a perfect example of why I hate #InstaLove. This book starts off cute and with some good chemistry before the main plot curve is dropped. We then spend the next 70% of the book with PINING and craziness as we’re led to believe the couple built this amazing relationship OFF PAGE. Do I believe their love? No. Did I feel like their HEA was earned? No. Did I root for them? Absolutely NOT! I was at 81% wondering if the book would ever get good. I truly didn’t understand the MMC driving factor to prove his worthiness by providing a life for her that she never asked for. I also abhorred how she was a
typical “clueless blonde.” I think it’s time to update my #AutoBuyList.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a book that I was very excited about because I did want to see how these two dealt with their issues. Sadly, I was let down big time.

This story was downright infuriating. Nearly everything these two did got on my nerves. Not once did either of them really seem to sit down and act like the adults they are allegedly supposed to be. Additionally, the whole thing is insta-love. Within the first few pages of the book, Sig is practically waxing poetically about how he’s head over heels for this girl. Nevermind that it seems purely physical and definitely criminal (since they meet while stealing alcohol).

Chloe is one of the most obnoxious characters I have ever read. She is immature, spoiled, and useless. She practically begs to be able to go off on her own and move to Boston to spread her wings, but doesn’t seem to give a care about actually even trying to be a responsible adult. Instead she lets Sig take care of everything and bed over backwards to keep her in the rich lifestyle she’s used to while she spends her rent money on eye creams. On top of all this, she just doesn’t have a personality beyond harp prodigy.

And Sig. I wanted to like Sig so much as I enjoyed his little tidbits in the previous book of the series. However, here he was just annoying. His entire existent starts to revolve around a girl he met one evening and he’s willing to throw everything away for her. This is a grown man who, instead of acting like it, acts like a love sick whiny baby pouting that he can’t date a girl that he thinks is hot because she’s going to be his stepsister. There was no growth.

Wanted to like the book, but not for me.

CHLOE AND SIG FOR THE WIN! Oh my god these two are a force that CANNOT be reckoned with! I knew from the very first time Tessa introduced these characters that Sig was and is going to be a goner for Chloe. The man that Sig is has brought me to the knees. I could re-read this book over and over and over again, and NOT get tired of the way Sig does everything in his power to take care of Chloe in his own, non-stalkerish way. The yearning this man has towards her... HE IS A MAN!

I can tell you that every book in this series is going to be the death of me. Thank you Tessa for bringing this world to light!

Tessa Bailey does it again with Dream Girl Drama.

Read if you love:
-Sports Romance (Hockey Player x Musician)
-Step Siblings to be(?)
-Opposites Attract
-Insta Love - He falls first and HARDER
-Rom-Coms

I was a little conflicted with the one! This step-sibling to be duo was well done, but hilariously taboo. The pair have a hilarious meet cute that involves a broken down truck, a country club... and a bottle of stolen liquor leaving our MMC head over heels insta loving this new mystery woman. Unknowingly the new mystery woman who has seemed to steal his heart right from his chest.... winds up being the daughter of his estranged father's newest fiancé... meaning he just fell for his future step-sister. Both of their parents have issues... and his father is known for going through rich women for their money before inevitably having the relationship fail.... leaving Sig with hope that there is a potential future for him and Chloe yet.

I'll save the storyline for you to go through on your own... but this is definitely one you won't want to miss! Here are some of my favorite quotes in case you need anymore convincing!

"But Chloe? Yeah, he already knew he'd commit to that. F**king hard. She already wanted to come to Boston, didn't she? He'd just do the long-distance thing until she decided it was right for her. And he'd make it right. He'd bring her down to Boston and show her everything. Every corner. She didn't think she was built to thrive there? He'd help her believe the opposite."

"But Chloe... she was the first nice thing he couldn't live without."

"Out of everything I've ever had, you are the nicest." She let those words fly right out of her, unchecked. "And the truck is part of you, keep it."

"You aren't in charge of my love life." "I AM your love life, Chloe."

"A man who calls you pretty, Chloe, is a f**king fool. You aren't pretty, you're brutally godd**m beautiful. You glow with life. You're crazy. You have heart. You have love pouring out of you. You're brilliant and creative. So gorgeous I've lost thousands of hours of sleep." ... "Pretty?" He shook his head. "I'd spit on a man for calling you pretty. You're extraordinary. The first and last of your kind."

"You're a f**king star that fell out of the sky and I was lucky enough to be standing in the right place."

Thank you so much to Tessa Bailey and NetGalley for providing me a gifted copy of this eARC.

While I love Tessa Bailey books, this one was not my favorite. It was a light hearted easy romantic read, but the premise of two people whose parents are set to be married and falling in love, was off putting to me.

One of my favorite Tessa Bailey Books by far! If you love insta love that’s forbidden this book is for you! Some things are just meant to be!

Another great addition to this series! We met Sig and Chloe in the last book, and finally get the rest of their story. Easy, fun, and steamy read. Forbidden love trope, where they are trying to find their path to each other. Still loving the series and look forward to the next one!

I really wanted to like this book. Like so bad. It’s a hockey romance for goodness sake and I LOVE hockey. But I just, didn’t. I finished, BUT it kind of felt like I was reading Wattpad fanfiction about 5 seconds of summer when I was in middle school. Of COURSE their parents happen to be marrying eachother, of COURSE she impulsively moves to Boston with him the night they met. It felt very predictable and very overly staged. The relationship between son and father and daughter and mother and the whole “if you loved me you’d leave her alone”. It just was not my favorite. I did tear up towards the end, I won’t lie, but it just wasn’t for me. And the naked harp playing just.. no.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon publishing for an advanced copy.

What can I say? I read this in a couple hours so obviously I liked it. I do have to admit I picked it up and put it down numerous times in the past. The name Sig just rubbed me the wrong way and I couldn’t get past it.

It turned out to be a cute read. I enjoyed the “oh no our parents are getting married” trope, even though the ending was so easily spotted. The romance was a little iffy for me since it was insta love and I am not a fan of that.

Apparently it’s the third book in a series and I didn’t read the first two. I highly doubt I missed anything though.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think if there were a different female MC I would have rated this higher. I found Chloe to be pretty childish and she had a lot of growing up to do. The story line was ok but I found the whole step sibling thing to not be as much of a deal as they made it out to be. I did like Sig!! Protective hockey player had me sold.

This was really cute! I was really looking forward to Chloe and Sig’s story and was so curious to see how it would play out. I liked how it ended, but I will say that in the beginning, I didn’t love how many times the story jumped forward several months. To me it almost felt like we wouldn’t get the dynamic between Chloe and Sig as much if we hadn’t read The Au Pair Affair. Other than this, I enjoyed the story and thought the couple was really cute!

This was an ok romance. It felt long for the story and the premise was hard to buy into - I kept thinking "Who cares if they are about to be step-siblings?!" Had they just said something in the beginning all of the drama would have been avoided. The sex scenes were great.

I saw the ending coming a mile away - but I suppose it's really the only way TB could end this story and please the masses lol.
The FMC is a bit infuriating, but I liked her ending.
Not my fav TB, but I certainly didn't hate it. Probably my least fav in this series though.

Sig and Chloe meet and have an initial attraction. The same night they learn their parents are engaged to be married.
Sig is a professional hockey player - the best in the league and Chloe is on her way to be a harpist in a Boston orchestra. Being in the spotlight means their relationship will also be frowned upon.
Sig is a well written character and deeply cares for Chloe and her well-being. Chloe, however, is a ditzy rich girl who doesn’t know how to do anything for herself. I found the soon-to-be step siblings drama a little confusing. I don’t think it would be that big of a deal, but since it was the problem of the story I give it 3 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC.

While I was a big fan of Fangirl Down, the connection between the two characters in the third iteration of the series fell flat for me. Sig & Chloe don’t truly have story archs, either of their own or together, that compelled me to get past the incredulous plot that two adult step-siblings would be such a PR nightmare. Sorry but for me, I wasn’t sold on this from the lead up and it just continued to fizzle to the very end.