Member Reviews
I cried more than once which means this is a five-star read!
I’m usually not a fan of insta love, but Ms. Bailely did a remarkable job of making me feel and understand these characters feelings and chemistry.
I do enjoy forbidden love, and I don’t agree that grown step-siblings are taboo, but I went with it and I didn’t regret it. The ending was a complete surprise that I didn’t see coming.
Sig
Swoon...could he be any more perfect? Sig was an alpha hockey player who, rightfully, worried about Chloe. BUT he didn’t ram rod her into doing anything and taught her how to do it for herself. Everyone should be so lucky to have someone that only wants what is best for them, even at the cost of themselves.
Chloe
Chloe was not your stereotypical spoiled, rich girl. She was spoiled and rich, but she still had empathy and human decency even though she was very sheltered. Ms. Bailey made me understand why Chloe was so innocent and couldn’t do a number of every day tasks. I was rooting for her the entire story!
I usually give me favorite quote from the book, but I couldn’t pick just one. Here are three:
Sometimes she could tell that Sig was recording and cataloging things inside of his head, but she never knew when, where, or how he would unearth them for future use.
Why did he continue to give her reasons to be in love with him when it hurt so badly?
“I can feel myself wanting to lie to you, Chloe-and I don’t do that. So I’m just going to ask you to drop it.”
Amazon: I will review after the release date.
UGH I absolutely LOVED and DEVOURED this series! Dream Girl Drama gave everything it was supposed to give. I absolutely adored these characters when we first met them in The Au Pair Affair and this book did nothing but make me love Sig even MORE!!
Chloe and Sig meet and have wonderful couple of hours knowing they’ve found the one theyre meant to spend forever with. Only to both be so late for a dinner finding out… THEYRE GOING TO BE NEW STEP SIBLINGS?!….. Sig spends the whole book fighting the pull he has for her and staying “FRIENDS”.
This forbidden love story was so perfectly done. They were sparks to each other while trying to keep that line. It also shows the friendship to lovers / someone who will do anything for the one they love in a realistic way.
When Chloe has her “come too” moment I absolutely loved how Tessa chose to take her character. She gave me Pairs Hilton in the 2000 vibes ( QUEEN) and when that moment came I loved the maturity she gave her character.
You spend the whole book keeping your fingers crossed they have found something, some way they can be together. You love the relationship and friendship you read about these two characters!
The MMC is yearning personified. I enjoyed every second of it! Tessa bailey is the best. She’s great at balancing personal growth with quirky and fun personalities. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and I can’t wait for the next one!
Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey is a fun book, as all Tessa books are, but I'm knocking half a star off because the big drama in the book is that they are (or are about to be step-siblings) if they grew up as brother and sister it would be one thing, but they met as adults and their parents aren't even married to each other as of yet. It is not a familial relationship, so I didn't get that, at all.
When Sig and Chloe were first introduced in the first of this series, The Au Pair Affair, sparks flew and I knew (hoped) that they would eventually get their own book. Hockey player Sig and harpist Chloe fell for each other immediately and have to get over the whole step-sibling thing before they can get their happily ever after. I'm not going to spoil this, but it's fun, Tessa knows how to make you laugh, sigh, and want more and more and she doesn't let us down with this one.
I'm still mad over the whole brother/sister plot, but it wouldn't keep me from recommending or re-reading this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
Hello new book boyfriend, Sig! I loved reading the less grumpy MMC, Sig genuinely has a heart of gold and we love to see him fall and fall hard for our precious FMC Chloe. These two were so cute and I totally dig the insta-love here.
Tessa Bailey is always a fun time. Turn off your brain and enjoy another Big Shots.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the arc.
I LOVED THIS BOOK. I have devoured every book in this series so far and I cannot wait for more!! When I tell you Sig is top notch boyfriend material I am not kidding.
They met by chance and it was kinda of love at first sight, the problem was things were about to get a whole lot more interesting! I highlighted so many passages in this book, because the banter was perfect in true Bailey fashion. There was also some heartfelt moments. Let's not forget the spicy!!!
Also, the Orgasm Donors and Sir Savage made a hilarious cameo! Let me just say I didn't know there was such hostility between baseballs players and hockey player... IYKYK! :) Overall, I loved this book. I cannot wait for it to come out in audio.
Per usual, Tessa hits it out of the park. I’m LOVING the hockey romance kick we’re on here. Would devour 10 more. Stat. The only thing was that I feel like it shouldn’t/wouldn’t be a big deal that they were step siblings and met later in life, but maybe romance books have just fucked my head up.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher..
This book just wasn’t for me. The writing and the plot didn’t feel like an adult novel, although this had adult topics.
If you’ve read a lot of Tessa Bailey, you know she has a particular type of humor that makes her books light and sweet. That’s all here but what was unexpectedly here also was how deeply romantic this turned out to be.
The taboo element made the conflict everything outside of them. I want to say it’s refreshing to have a conflict that isnt a third act breakup or miscommunication but their particular type of conflict isn’t really “refreshing” 😅
That said, it allowed the author to weave a true, visceral and almost tangible love story. I felt their need for each other in my bones and I am just so surprised by this. I like Tessa’s books but this far surpassed my expectations.
I can’t help but still be stressed about what would have happened if we hadn’t seen that turn of events but we DO get a HEA.
I might add to this review later but I just finished it and I’m so shocked by how much I loved it, I’m just gonna bask in the warm fuzzies for a bit.
Thank you Avon / Harper Voyager for the ARC!
I love, love, love this book. I feel like I have been waiting years to read Chloe and Sig's story. I wanted to know immediately what was going on between them in The Au Pair Affair. It is a taboo subject however, it was so well written and thought out.
Chloe and Sig share a moment at a country club minutes before finding out they are going to be step siblings. In the months leading up to their parents' wedding, they become best friends and both find their purposes in Boston. Sig does everything he possibly can to have a real, appropriate (as appropriate as they can be) relationship and is also trying to financially and emotional support Chloe while she learns to be independent from her mother. Both Sig and Chloe are working hard to reach their goals and support each other at every event, which gets them into a bit of trouble in the media.
Many have said, to be loved is to be known. Sig knows everything about Chloe including the exact time she would be watching her favorite shows or practicing her harp. He knows her favorite snacks and wants to be the only one who can get them for her. Their banter is playful and happy but they lean on each other for all of the bad times too. Their dialogue is deep and realistic. We learn their greatest fears and anxieties that are very relatable.
I loved the pacing of this book and really appreciated how we could see them becoming best friends and not just super hot for each other. The side characters were so entertaining and I especially love Pierre! While this is a taboo situation, it never felt like it crossed a line or felt icky in my opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC of this book!
Chloe and Sig are a match made in heaven. The tension and overall relationship between these two was top tier. When they finally got together it felt like all was right in the world. I really loved how they were so supportive on one another. At first it seems that Sig is much more devoted than Chloe, but as you read on you realize that they just show their love for one another differently.
I will say, I still do not understand what was so taboo and bad about the relationship between Chloe and Sig. They met before they knew they were to be step siblings, they are not in any form related, and they are both adults who did not grow up together. I would understand people's displeasure a but more if they grew up and were treated as brother and sister, but they met on a random day when they were fully grown in their 20's. As long as they are consenting, who cares. While it was I guess nice to keep their parents in mind, I don't think it was necessary for them to not be with one another. I also think as long as they sent out a disclaimer about their relationship to the league it should not have been an issue that would have affected Sig's NHL career.
Chloe goes through some great character development throughout the book. She starts off as being a sheltered country club girl who has always been told what do do and plays it safe. She has never left her bubble but wants to. It is not until she meets Sig that she finally gains the courage to tell her helicopter mom to shove it and start living her own life. Although Sig basically took care of everything for her, she needed that otherwise she would fail and give up on herself before she even got a chance to spread her wings. By the end though Chloe is a more independent person who understands what is important in life.
Sig on the other hand understands what is important, but what he doesn't seem to know is that is it okay to take things for himself and also how to tell his mom off. I truly disliked her for being so dishonest. However, if she wasn't keeping that secret from Sig, he never would have met Chloe. Sig never seems to think himself as good enough which is where Chloe comes into play. She helps him come to terms with that he is worthy and deserves so much more in life than what he has settled for.
Overall, I really loved this book. It was so great to see past characters and see what is in store for the series. The plot was great, the spice was spicy and the characters were relatable and amazing.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really didn’t know how this one was going to shake out. Kept us on our toes until the very end, that’s for sure!
Future stepbrother and stepsister? We met Sig and Chloe in the last book and I certainly had questions about their interesting dynamic.
They certainly had chemistry but their relationship and how many conversations they had about being stepsiblings messed with my head a little bit.
Sig is the grumpy guy who is a total cinnamon roll for his girl and Chloe is the doe-eyed rich girl moving to the city after never living independently.
I wanted to like this one more because I thought the first two books were hilarious, but this one didn’t hit quite the same way.
Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy!
“she’s not setting up a step sibling romance? No way, something else is happening here.” (My thoughts during The Au Pair Affair) BUT it’s Tessa Bailey so of course she was and of course she nailed it… Tessa’s books always make me laugh, blush, kick my feet, giggle maybe even heckle a little but this might be the first one that actually made me cry tears of joy. Honestly when you read the last page of this book I dare you not to cry too, okay? Sig is a perfect Tessa Bailey MMC- he is the definition of slutty and pathetic (non-derogatory as always), he is down bad for Chloe and ready to go to any length to be with her from page one. On the flip side Chloe is a tried and true manic pixie dream girl the likes of which I haven’t seen in a rom-com in a long time… and I LOVED her. She pulls off aloof and charming perfectly, I just wish she had had a greater arc to independence rather than just going from her Mom to Sig. Along the same lines, I felt like this book was lacking a fair amount on the side characters. I wanted a little more Tallulah and Burgess, or just interactions with People other than just each other. That being said, she did set up the next two big shots book and I am so ready for them 👀
I've been waiting for this book since I met Sig and Chloe in "The Au Pair Affair."
I've loved this series and Sig and Chloe may be my favorite. Gruff Sig inexplicably drawn to this self assured waif and the very large obstacle looming in their way create a pair that you just root for the entire time.
Fleshing Chloe's character out more from spoiled rich girl to sheltered prodigy ready to live on her own terms, and Sig, who watches his friend fall in love and supported him now finding himself in a painful situation.
It all happens with Bailey's trademark banter and spice. Definitely a fun read!
Dream Girl Drama is book 3 in the Big Shots Series and it’s another winner! We first meet Sig and Chloe in the Au Pair affair where it set the stage for their “what are they” dilemma that we finally get into in the newest book. They have an electric first encounter at Chloe’s country club where sparks fly between them and the chemistry is immediate. Unfortunately for them, they run into eachother later that same night when they find out their parents are together and they’re going to be future STEP-SIBLINGS. even though there’s no biological connection, they both know deep down getting together isn’t good for either one of their images or careers. Throughout the book, we see them struggle to balance remaining friends while fighting their true feelings for eachother. It takes you on an emotional rollercoaster that I truly didn’t know how it was going to end. I loved the book and this entire series has been excellent so far. The angst, love, heartbreak, and spice were all perfectly done! Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Publishing for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I can’t wait to continue this series!
Such a great fun read! Lots of laughs and giggles! Once again Tessa Bailey made me feel like I belonged inside this story! I felt like I know Chloe and Sig on a personal basis! Loved it and laughed through it!
I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did but it was perfect. So much angst, steam, and spice. I would say this book might be a little bit of a slow burn compared to some other Tessa Bailey books, but she doesn’t edge you for too long. Sig and Chloe meet and there are immediate sparks and they can practically see their future laid out before them……and then they find out their parents are marrying each other. They still can’t ignore their connection, but instead they choose to remain friends in spite of the chemistry they share. This leads to a whole lot of pining, intense stares, and tingly parts. This book breaks your heart a little and puts it back together while making you laugh. If that’s what you’re looking for, give it a read.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey is a delightful read. I do admit that I found the FMC insufferable at times, but her quirks add to the charm of the book. I also didn't quite understand why their relationship caused SUCH big issues with their careers... but I digress. Overall, it was an enjoyable book that I definitely recommend.
I also am begging for the rookies to get their own books in the future!
So stinking cute and hot! I’m not usually one for instalove but omg both these characters were so funny and crazy that I pretty much got immediately on board. The slow burn and the awkwardness were *chef’s kiss.💋*
If you’ve read the Au Pair Affair then you’re familiar with Chloe and Sig already. Sig was Sir Savage’s locker room bestie with the strangely intense relationship with his step sister, Chloe.
That’s right- step sister. If you’re into taboo couples, then you’re in for an angsty treat with this one. (If you’re more like me and don’t understand the taboo, then it might feel silly at times lol.)
Also included: slight dog theft, the dilemma of whether baseball or hockey is better, passionate harp playing, codependency, and incredible 🔥🔥🔥 dirty talk.
I absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a light, funny, and hot read! Tessa Bailey has yet to disappoint me.
First off I want to say thank you to Avon/ Harper Voyager for the ARC! I loved the first two books in this series and couldn’t wait to read this one!
Tessa has such a way with combining humor/outlandish circumstances with real life emotions and issues. I loved how supportive Sig was of Chloe even from the beginning. I did feel somewhat guilty rooting for their parents relationship to end however in the end I’m glad they also got a happy ending and Harvey wasn’t evil like I thought, although he is not perfect.
I’m not sure why but I just couldn’t connect with Sig and Chloe like I did with the couples from the previous books. Chloe really got on my nerves at times with how aloof she was to how the real world worked and it’s frightening that there are actually people in this world like that.
Tessa I’m asking for a novella of the rookies Corrigan and Mailer, they were good comic relief.