I’ve read 12 Tessa Bailey books in the last 9 months—this is the best one yet!

⭐️ 5/5
🌶️ 4/5 Explicit Open Door, 2+ scenes
POV: Third person
Standalone: Can be done, but I liked book 2 and characters reappearing in book 3.
Setting: Connecticut & Boston, Mass.
MMC 🏒: Sig, 29, Pro Hockey player for 6 years, raised by a single mom. Burgess’ friend.
FMC 🎶: Chloe, 25, plays the harp, lives with mom, wealthy, sheltered. Tallulah’s friend.

Key tropes: Forbidden Love, Angst, Care taking, Stern Brunch Daddy

Move over It Happened One Summer, Getaway Girl, and Unfortunately Yours. I’ve got a new favorite Tessa Bailey book!!!! This is so completely different—the pinning, the angst, the chemistry! I had no idea TB would write a combo slow burn AND insta-love, but gosh it worked! Fans of TB’s incredible gift of writing spice/steam, fret not, it’s there, you just have to wait more than 50% of the book.

Thank you soooo much Avon, Net Galley, and of course Tessa Bailey for the eARC of this book. I bought and listened to Fangirl Down & The Au Pair Affair back-to-back in July 2024 and was crushed when I realized not only would it be a 6 month wait for book 3, but I was dying to know Sig & Chloe’s story. This comes out February 4, 2025 and I’m pre-ordering my own copy through my newly opened local Romance bookstore, Friends to Lovers, or wherever I can find a book signing on the East Coast.

A note to the copy editor: Darien, CT is South of Boston, MA. When Sig drives to CT, he’s driving Down (not up). When he drives back to Boston, he’s driving North. It’s also about 170 miles apart, not 300. I’d round it to 200. Thanks!!!

ugh my first Tessa Bailey ARC and it was not my fav of hers…Dream Girl Drama follows Sig and Chloe (who we are introduced to in the Au Pair Affair) as they try to navigate their tricky “forbidden” romance. Off the bat I really liked Sig - he’s down to earth, hot (duh), and pretty no-frills for a famous athlete. Chloe started strong in the first few chapters then unfortunately devolved into the cliché dumb spoiled blonde.I kept hoping that Chloe would find her footing as a character and get her act together but she just…didn’t. I am tired of reading of the helpless dumb girls that need saving by the hot manly athlete, and sadly Dream Girl Drama fit this mold to a T.

Tessa added some new spicy elements to this one which I appreciated but since I couldn’t connect with the characters it felt a bit distant for me. Pierre the bulldog was SO CUTE though, I loved Grace’s attitude, and I feel like we’re definitely in for a treat with Skylar and Corrigan’s love story (eventually).

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the book, great character development and will highly recommend to friends! I found this enjoyable and fun to read.

Tessa Bailey always knows how to write for her audience. Her voice is so consistent and clear. This jump into a more “taboo” romance was new for me. I don’t think the set up is my favorite, however reading Tessa’s writing style is like a warm comforting hug. Is predictable in the best way possible, as in you feel a safe sense of familiarity.

LOVE!! OBSESSED!!

I am a Tessa stan and have yet to meet a Tessa book that I don't have a fun time with. However, this one stood out as especially good. Probably her best since It Happened One Summer.

I just loved how Sig was such a simp and SO down bad for Chloe. Chloe somehow gave dingy but also smart and I don't know if I want to be her or with her. Their chemistry was there from the second they met, and the longing felt organic, not forced. Overall, this was a major slay and I'll be screaming about it comes out (& and tbh long after that too)

3 stars !!

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for providing an e advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review!

it was such a fast passed read, enjoyed some parts and struggled with others tbh (probably going to elaborate a bit more before it is released)

tessa bailey and a step sibling romance is the best thing to ever happen to me… i’m being so serious

Thank you endlessly to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and to Tessa for letting me have the privilege of reviewing this ARC.

Tessa Bailey is my comfort author. She has been ever since I turned the first page of It Happened One Summer. Every time she publishes a new book now, I cross my fingers and pray that I’ll get to review an early copy, because I’m always waiting on the edge of my seat to see what her wonderfully chaotic and imaginative brain has come up with this time. Last February I flew to Georgia to get to meet her, and to have her sign a copy of Fangirl Down, and she laughed about this scene that she had written about hockey players rivaling baseball players over a girl, and I’ve been patiently waiting ever since to get to read that scene. The time has finally come!!

Sig and Chloe are everything. Their chemistry, their trust, their undying devotion to each other. From start to finish the sizzle of attraction between the two characters was like a spark threatening to light my kindle on fire. Also, the added humor from the “Orgasm Donors” never ceases to bring a goofy smile to my face. I hope we get to see those two idiots fall in love in future books. (Please.) No notes, 10/10, Tessa hit it out of the park, again.

Oh Tessa! I love everything you do.
This book had some major positives for me and a few negatives, which is abnormal for a TB book (and especially a Big Shots book).
I thought the story was unique- two high profile people with a genuinely niche problem (but not unheard of), whose social/business lives were not going to tolerate this kind of controversy- it made sense. Jobs and contracts have been cancelled for much smaller things. The crisis felt real. What I loved about this is that Tessa did such a great job of making their love feel really real to me and they certainly struggled against it. At no point did it feel fake or exaggerated, which is such a hard thing to do in a romance novel, obviously. It needs to be just right. Especially if you have a gruff, aggressive man. He tends to be written as lustful over in love, and I don't feel he was written that way.

I didn't care for the FMC at first- this 2010s era manic pixie thing is a bit stale, but I think she was written that way on purpose. I was feeling the ick. But then, lo and behold, a character arc. A reckoning. I was very happy to get to the chapter when she was smacked in the face with realization that Sig had been working his butt off to provide for her, and she had no sense of what was going on. Although- to be fair- he doesn't seem to have a lot of marbles either. Where is his communication? Where are his limits? I guess being in love really does make you an idiot, lol.

Something about this type of guy character irks me but that is just an opinion. I know there are plenty of women out there who love a guy who checks up on women constantly and doesn't trust them to walk alone in a city but that is NOT me. That is the only reason I would be inclined to lower the rating a star- I just kept rolling my eyes and being like "shut up Sig," or "go away, she's fine." in my head. I guess I don't get off on that level of supervision. He's either teaching her independence, or he's not? But, I can't begrudge the girls who love that, and I loved everything else about the book, especially and particularly its bedroom scenes (as always), so it can keep its fifth star. Thank you so much for letting me read this early!

Future step siblings meet and fall for each other, but they can’t be together, because it would look “weird”. The whole storyline revolved around this and this was probably why I couldn’t fully enjoy this one. This one wasn’t the worst, but it def wasn’t my favorite. For me, I just couldn’t understand why it would be weird for them to be together when they met as adults before they even knew their parents were together. All they would have to do is say that publicly and I felt like it wouldn’t be weird at all? Maybe I am not familiar with famous/rich people customs and right vs wrong?

Honestly, the stakes are weird, and the plot is light. Mostly, there's the impending deadline of their parent's marriage hanging over them which (apparently) threatens to ruin both Sig's desire to become hockey captain and Chloe's pursuit of a first harpist position. The interactions between the two are more than flirtatious, but they remain just friends until, well, they don't anymore because this a romance novel.

This was a fun and quick read, but didn’t have tropes that I personally enjoy. Tessa’s books are fun if you just want to zone out and have a palate cleanser romance that isn’t super heavy or emotional and that’s great if that’s what you’re looking for. Not my favorite, but also not bad?

By far my favorite of Tessa’s new series! Go ahead and add this to your TBR pile now, trust me. Dream Girl Drama may have just overtaken Hook, Line, and Sinker as #1 for me!

Sig and Chloe are absolutely precious together and their story was such a delight. You honestly find yourself rooting for them from the beginning! The side characters are just *chef’s kiss* (PLEASE write Corrigan & Mailer’s books!!!!!). And the resolution of the book is so well balanced against the relationship of the characters Tessa created. So 👏🏻 good 👏🏻!!

THANK YOU to NetGalley for the arc!

Dream Girl Drama - ARC Review
⭐⭐/5
Despite the taboo nature, I was pumped for this book after loving Chloe and Sig as side characters in AuPair Affair. Unfortunately, this book was disappointing. Below are my reasons why:
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:
-Sig's Actions Were So Confusing: Sometimes Sig would empower Chloe to be more independent and seek her dreams. Other times he kept her in the dark in purpose and allowed her to be naive so she had to depend on him… I did not understand this. Also, him leaving out info so she would need him gave me some ick.
-Insta-Love: This may be the fastest zero-to-fully-committed and rearrange-my-whole-life love I have ever read. Like maybe 2hrs?
-Lacking Development: Both of the characters and the plot were lacking development. Very little happened for the first 50% and the characters’ whole personalities were that one was a hockey player and one was a harpist.
-No Contraception Convo: They are both adults who have had sex before. Why, oh why did they not discuss protection?
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Thank you @netgalley for my eARC copy. I was given this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

As a golfer, I was OBSESSED with Fan Girl Down. Sadly, I don’t love the Au Pair Affair, but the sexual tension between the side characters (and future step siblings) Sig and Chloe was TENSE. I immediately searched for Tessa’s next book centered around that couple in the series and signed up for an ARC.

Overall, I liked this book but it still fell super flat compared to Fan Girl Down for me. There was immediately insta-lust/love that made my slow burn loving self roll my eyes; however, it did end up being a slower burn later in the book. My main issue with this one is the manufactured drama involved with these two adults who almost hook up, realize their parents are getting married, and turn into “step siblings” as adults. Personally, I didn’t find two grown, consenting adults who are about to be step siblings super taboo. I didn’t understand why they couldn’t date or simply beat their parents to the alter. Since this was the main story line, this one dragged on for me a bit. The only saving grace was the intense chemistry these two had. This part made this book better than the Au Pair Affair.

Hopefully the next few books in this series of interconnected standalones will have better storylines! Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

Wow! What a book. I loved the instant love, and then the rest of the story of the two of them trying to figure out how to be together. I thought I would struggle to like Chloe, a rich girl who has no responsibilities; however, she was crafted as such an endearing, kind, and fun person, you cannot help but fall in love with her. Then there was Sig, he was a great example of what people look for in partners; supportive, empathetic, and stable. Not to mention he had such a dirty mouth, what a turn-on, although this is par for the course for Tessa Bailey, she is a genius with the dirty talk. The secondary characters were lively and fun, adding humor and diffusing some tense plot lines. This was such a fascinating and amazing story, I feel like it really stands out. I truly enjoyed this book. Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

I cannot tell you how excited I was to get this ARC! Country club princess Chloe and hot as hell hockey star Sig have this change meeting and immediately sparks fly. They agree to meet up later after dinner with their respective parents only to find out their parents are marrying each other. Some real cruel intentions vibes going on. I enjoyed this book and as always Tessa brings the perfect amount of spice! Would definitely recommend her fans check this one out. Thanks to Net Galley, the author, and Harper Collins for the ARC!

so much fun! i loved these characters so much. the writing was fantastic. i was never bored and kept wanting to read all night until i finished

Thank you @AvonBooks and @HarperVoyager for an ARC copy of this book. I was very honored to be given one and have heard so many wonderful things about Tessa Bailey books.

This book was a fun, light and easy read. However, I am not a huge fan of the step sibling troupe. I think I would have liked the characters of Sig and Chloe better without this troupe. I did enjoy reading about Chloe’s personal growth over course of the story. I felt like Sig was a little over the top controlling. I also felt like the first half of the book was a little rushed. I did enjoy the family feel of the hockey team and would enjoy reading more of their stories!

I would recommend this book for people who enjoy Forbidden romance or Sports romance.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and to Tessa Bailey for this ARC opportunity!
I honestly wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but I wound up really enjoying it! I was a little bit hesitant with the step-siblings plot (I have step-siblings and I did an audible gulp when I realized that was where the plot was heading).
BUT!! And that's a big BUT, I really liked how Tessa handled the situation that they were in. Sig and Chloe meshed super well together and if they didn't have the whole potential step-siblings issue, I think their relationship would've been smooth sailing. But this book made me laugh and smile and I had a great time reading it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC.

I was excited to read my first Tessa Bailey book, having seen her name all over bookstagram, I just don’t think this was the best first book of hers to start with.

The soon to be step sibling love story didn’t sit well with me, and the FMC seemed more helpless than naive. I’m all about a strong MMC in romance books, but it seemed like the author gave him control issues instead of making us fall in love with him. (Didn’t like that he bought all the poptarts out of the stores around her so he was the only way to get them…)

I just love a hockey romance, and this one just didn’t float my boat.