This review contains SPOILERS!
Sig is an NHL player. He meets his “dream girl” on the way to a dinner with his deadbeat dad. Chloe is rich and protected from the world. She’s also a spoiled wild child. When she meets Sig she drags him along into her spoiled games. Then SURPRISE, their parents are getting married! They realize that they can’t be together because *GASP* they will be step siblings! Whatever will they do?
Sig might be a 2 time NHL all star but he still drives his beat up old truck. His dad ran out on his mom when Sig was young but has dropped in and out of Sig’s life a few times. Sig believes bad stuff about his dad. Sig uses his money to buy his mother nice things because she has always struggled for him. I actually took the time to look up NHL salaries and what kind of increase a player would get from being a 2 time nhl all star. The numbers don’t make sense in this story. I figure his saintly mother must be living pretty high on the hog on his hard work. Just saying. (Yes, I understand that Sig was saving some money for his future but that still doesn’t account for the amount he would be making.) Late in the story reader finds out that Sig’s mother lied to Sig his entire life about his dad being a lying, thieving, deadbeat and that’s okay because reasons. She lied to Sig about his paternity. She made him HATE the man he thought was his father. Did any of this explode his relationship with his mother? No. It just allowed Sig to realize he could be with Chloe because the man he had always thought was his dad was suddenly not his dad so no one would think it was weird that they fell in love.
Chloe is a harp virtuoso. Her mother pushes her to be the best while also coddling her and forcing her to continue living with her even though Chloe has opportunities to study and perform around the world. Chloe’s mother is cruel and passive aggressive. At times I wondered if the author was leading up to saying that Chloe has a developmental issue because she is so awkward and protected by her mother. Her mother not allowing her to live like a normal adult doesn’t make a lick of sense. Is the mother keeping Chloe’s money for her own use? Is Chloe living with death threats? And then there is the fact that Chloe tries to get into trouble in order to make her life interesting. It just makes her into a spoiled rotten brat. Chloe happily spends Sig’s money. That was the most reasonable part of the story. It really drove home how coddled Chloe was her whole life.
I can’t get past the fact that the reason they need to stay away from each other is absolutely stupid! Why can’t they date if they are only going to be step siblings? He’s 29 and she’s 25? Why does his stupid hockey team give a crap when they could just put out a statement that they are adults and it’s not the team’s business? And please spare me the reasoning that the team is now being headed by a *GASP* women so the team can’t have any possible issues with any of the team members or the press will destroy them! I actually screamed when the new GM told Sig to stop being around Chloe because they couldn’t afford the backlash right now. That is so ridiculous.
You might have guessed by now that I did not like this book. I kept thinking it would redeem itself but it was the same stuff over and over and by the end I was hoping each of them would seek counselling and move on from each other. That’s not good in a romance. I generally like books from this author. Unfortunately, this book hit me the wrong way. There will be plenty of readers who enjoy this story and I am happy for them. I will still read books from this author in the future but I might be more cautious before doing so.

I surprisingly enjoyed this book! This is my first Tessa Bailey novel and I was a little worried it would be too spicy/cringe but I really enjoyed the characters in the story. I listened to the majority of this book and the voice narrators were amazing! It was dual narration. I think it made the story even better! Overall a quick fun easy romance to read

Loved this book!! Super fast paced and full of drama. I really loved the characters and how their relationships developed. The perfect romance book.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: February 4, 2025

Got the ick early on when he became her sugar daddy within 2 hours of knowing her. Insta-love, infatuated attraction mislabeled as love. If you like books with a helpless female + possessive macho male savior dynamic, maybe this is for you. Open door but less spice than you’d expect from Bailey.

This was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of the year because I love the characters in this series so so much!

I really liked this one and fell more in love with Sig and Chloe. They were just so great to one another, especially when Chloe was learning to stand on her own two feet. The romantic tension was also 👌

I didn’t find it super believable though, that anyone would really care if they were step siblings in today’s day and age. It isn’t a crime and I just think if it was explained properly, people wouldn’t care. BUT, I get that is why this is fiction 😂😂😂.

Anyway, definitely worth a read!

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Read this if you like:
🏒 Forbidden Romance
🏒 In love with your (almost) step sibling
🏒 Helpful and caring MMC

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Dream Girl Drama.

Unfortunately this book didn’t do it for me. Sig and Chloe were some of the most unbearable characters I’ve ever read. Chloe is frankly an embarrassment to women. Sig is so infatuated with this woman he’s known for 12 seconds he’s bankrolling her entire life even though he can’t afford it???? What?

I’m sorry but this one is a no from me.

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This rom-com delivers on Tessa Bailey’s signature steam, centering on a chance encounter between professional hockey player Sig and free-spirited Chloe—only for them to discover their parents’ engagement will make them future stepsiblings. The initial spark between these two is undeniable, and the forbidden dynamic ups the tension significantly.

While the chemistry between Sig and Chloe sizzles, the plot sometimes takes a back seat to the steamier moments. Chloe’s desire for independence and Sig’s commitment to teaching her the ropes of navigating Boston are intriguing, but the focus remains heavily on their mutual attraction, leaving the story feeling lighter in depth than some of Bailey’s previous works.

Still, fans of Tessa Bailey’s brand of humor and romance will find plenty to enjoy here—especially if you like a forbidden vibe and a whirlwind of sparks. Although it didn’t fully deliver on the plot for me, it’s a quick, sexy read that plenty of rom-com lovers may find hard to resist.

[3 Stars🙂] I'm normally a big fan of Tessa Bailey's books, but Dream Girl Drama was a big miss for me. My body felt like it was in cringe mode the entire book and it wasn't necessarily due to the almost step-siblings taboo romance between Sig and Chloe. It was that nothing happened in this book. It was 300 pages of the same thing over and over: Chloe being helpless, Sig doing whatever it takes to make her happy, and the instalove-turned-mutual-pining "we shouldn't be doing this" conversation. To be honest, I was ready to DNF at 30% but pushed through because TB is a favorite author of mine and I wanted to give the benefit of the doubt. But maybe I should have listened to my gut instinct on this one because it didn't get better for me.

+Thanks to Tessa Bailey, Avon/Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for the ARC of Dream Girl Drama! All thoughts in this review are my own.
____________________________________
Details:
💘Romance
>>>🎈Romantic comedy
⚾Sports romance
>>>🏒Hockey romance
👀Dual, third-person POV
🥀Third act breakup (yes--kinda?)

Characters and tropes:
🪢Family ties
⛔Forbidden love
❤️‍🔥Instalove
🤐Secrets

Spice:
🧨Slow burn
🥵Explicit content and language (extreme)
____________________________________
Emoji Ranking System:
🤩Excellent to Fantastic (4.75-5.00)
😍Very Good to Great (4.25-4.50)
😊Good to Really Good (3.50-4.00)
😒Just OK to Decent (2.75-3.25)
😑It's A No (1.00-2.50)
🚫DNF

Sig is a professional hockey player and Chloe is a harp prodigy. Chloe is severely held back in life by her mother. They meet at a country club when Sig's truck breaks down. There have an instant connection that jumps from the pages of this book. They want to go home with each other but Chloe has a dinner to meet her mother's boyfriend. Little does she know she's also going to meet Sig there. When Chloe's mom tries to hold her back, Sig offers to take care of Chloe.

There is a bit a forbidden romance here because Chloe's mom and Sig's dad are getting married. Chloe and Sig don't feel it's right to be together when they will be step siblings. Honestly, I didn't think this was enough conflict to keep the story going, but somehow Tessa Bailey made this work. These two characters jumped off the page. They were so well written. Sig's dedication to Chloe was my absolute favorite part of the story. These two characters are so hung up on each other. Sig made me swoon. There some slow burn here with sexual tension that jumped off the page. I would label this as a Sports romance, Forbidden Romance, Instalove. I loved every second. Huge thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Tessa Bailey always brings the heat, but Dream Girl Drama takes things to a whole new level with a sizzling meet-cute, off-the-charts tension, and the kind of family drama that had me gasping. A steamy chance encounter, a country club escapade, and a little (okay, a lot) of bad timing—what could possibly go wrong?

Sig Gauthier is a hockey player with a heart of gold, and Chloe Clifford is the epitome of a manic pixie dream girl with depth (thank God). Their first meeting is electric—midnight champagne theft and all—but when they realize their parents are engaged, things get complicated. Sig vows to help Chloe gain independence, and she swears they can stay just friends, but let’s be real... the chemistry is too good, and that tension? Unbearable (in the best way).

Bailey does what she does best—banter that crackles, a hero who absolutely adores the heroine, and steam that’ll have you fanning yourself. But what makes this one stand out is Chloe’s journey. She’s more than just the quirky, free-spirited girl—she’s fighting to break free from expectations, and Sig is right there, helping her find her own way (swoon).

If you love forbidden romance, forced proximity, and a hero who worships the heroine while also being just the right amount of cocky, this one’s for you. Just be prepared to yell “JUST KISS ALREADY” at least five times.

Tessa can do no wrong I am
Convinced! I love all of her couplings and they leave me happy with the end result but still craving more

I'll give it a solid 3.5.

The tension and the chemistry were out of this world, as were the heart-crushing, soul-ripping emotions this book drew out. Bailey has, in my opinion at least, always done very well with the emotional gut-wrench aspects of her books.

On the other hand, I didn't quite see what the issue was. The issue that kept the two apart and made up the conflict was a little exaggerated, I think. Sure, it's going to get strange looks, but I find it hard to believe it went to these extremes.

But I felt a lot of feelings and though I felt the characters were a tad bit one-dimensional (please give Chloe some growth bc we don't see a lot of change from that naive, rich-girl persona she started with) it was still a good read.

Overall I have to say I enjoyed this book as a whole. I did have some issues with the FMC. She just seemed extremely unrealistic. She was 25 and had never been to a Sephora. Sheltered is a term that is probably used in the description of her, but that's a choice because it almost seems like she was held hostage. She didn't know how to do anything on her own, even buy laundry detergent. Besides those moments, I did enjoy the forbidden romance trope. I loved the tension and the angst. The suspense on if Sig would figure out his family secrets. It kept me going. Overall I really enjoyed it.

Not my favorite Tessa Bailey book. I really struggle to get thru this. It started out great. Sig, an underrated NHL hockey player, gets stranded by his old beater truck near a posh country club/golf course, where he meets Chloe. The spoiled princess prodigy harp player. They hit it off, they part ways, and hope they see each other again some day. Sounds intriguing.

Soon after, they run into each at their parents dinner, in which an engagement is announced and they realize they will soon be step brother/sister. And that is where it lost me. The ongoing back and forth of Sig and Chloe trying to navigate their relationship without crossing any lines became monotonous throughout the entire middle of this book.

While is was nice to see the character progress in their careers, I felt like emotionally they were both severely immature.

And don’t get me started on the audio. It may just be that the female narration was so monotone and emotionless that it really turned me off to the whole thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper for this arc in return for my honest review.

Pub date: 04 February 2025

I always prepare myself for a little bit of cringey-ness when I go into a Tessa Bailey book, but this one had an extra helping. The premise is forbidden love - Sig meets Chloe and falls in insta lust/love with her just hours before he re-meets her in the context of finding out that her mom is marrying his dad. She is a super spoiled rich girl, whereas he was raised by a single mom without much money. He *lives* for taking care of her. I just found their dynamic to be kind of icky. I get that a lot of romance is fantasy, but this one was a challenge for me. It had some redeeming factors; enough to bring it up to a solid three star rating, but if this was not my favorite of hers.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy reading Tessa's books. I like that she dove into writing a mixed-sports romance series because I've been enjoying every single one so far. Dream Girl Drama was a fun and easy read about two people that don't exactly meet each other at the best time considering their parents are getting married. They try to keep things neat and proper, but from the first interaction, you know it'll be entertaining to watch them fail.

Chloe was a type of female character that I don't often read about. She was pretty naive about almost anything that had to do with "adulting" lol. I understood how she got like that, but there were still times where I would give her a hard side-eye about her naïveté. Sig was a pretty typical Tessa MMC. He fell hard for Chloe fast and then committed himself to providing for her in every way. I did like that Chloe eventually went through some personal growth and opened her eyes to the fact that the way she had been living her life was not sustainable for herself or Sig. It was a bit of a slow burn, but in Tessa fashion, there was plenty of steam throughout. I enjoyed this addition to the series and am looking forward to the next one!

When I first found out about what the third book was going to be about, I was so excited. A forbidden romance is always going to be one of my favorite tropes. Now I wouldn’t say this falls under that category, it was a decent book. The tension was great and he is certainly down bad for the fmc. I do wish there was just more that could actually make it forbidden, you know? Thank NetGalley for the ebook!

I received an ARC of this book and it was another sweet read from this series! I love a hockey romance and while I may not have understood the seriousness of the predicament of “we are going to be step siblings”, like yes, not a great look, it was wildly serious in the context of their lives, and that’s what the story was about. There were a lot of moving parts and insta love galore, but there was also such a sweetness on the way they felt about each other. Chloe has been way too sheltered and has a lot to learn and Sig has been thru it and has a completely different upbringing than Chloe, but they seem to hair fit together right from the start and seeing the depth of their feelings grow without being able to express it was both the biggest edging and a bond that was made so much more deep by their enduring friendship and care. There was a beauty in that and their love story meant more for it. Definitely another fun, lovely, angsty, spicy, Tessa Bailey read!

I am a huge Tessa Bailey fan and I am always first in line to read her novels! This one fell a little flat for me because I'm not huge on the insta-love trope. It also wrapped up a little to nicely and convenient in the end for me. However, I still very much enjoyed the story and the characters! I liked the humor and the overall flow of the story. Miss Tessa is still one of my go to authors!

Sorry not sorry but if Tessa Bailey writes it, I’m going to read the hell out of it. This book was sizzling hot and also somehow remarkably sweet. I loved reading about Sig and Chloe in the previous books and I was fully invested in their will-they-won’t-they as they worked to overcome the negative appearances of dating a step-sibling. Sig was obsessed with Chloe and I. Was. Here. For. It.