I love Tessa Bailey and this one rocked. The story was great and the family drama was just enough. There’s angst, family secrets, and twists and turns. Plus spice of course. Overall a fun read.

This was soo good! There was so much chemistry between Chloe and Sig that it was palpable while reading.

We learn that their parents are getting married within the first couple of chapters, so we already know they “can’t be together” early on. This makes the whole book exciting because it’s not only “taboo,” but also gives you the rush of it being a sneaky forbidden romance.

The side characters were all important in different ways and they helped add a fun dynamic to the story. I loved seeing the hockey boys get protective of Chloe. Plus we got a little extra Burgess and Tallulah time.

I appreciate that there wasn’t a petty fight or third act breakup to make this work; their relationship was passionate but mature. And of course they got to the point where they threw caution to the wind 😍

I really loved this!! I hope we get some more books in this series 👀

This is a Tessa Bailey book! The spice is spicing, the characters are charming, and the plot is... there! This is a major step up from Burgess's book, which I was very upset with. (See my other review for very specific grievances.) Sig and Chloe make so much sense together, and their story beginning all the way in book 1 of this series makes it even more satisfying. Definitely back to her A game with this one.

Rising hockey player, Sig Gauthier, runs into some car trouble at a posh country club where he meets his dream girl, Chloe Clifford. Their chemistry is instant and the only thing they want to know is when they can see each other again. Little do they, they do see each other again, but under very uncomfortable circumstances: their parents' engagement dinner. They need to figure out how to break up this wedding or they may never get to know how powerful their chemistry really is.

I ATE this storyline up. When I first got a glimpse of Sig and Chloe in The Au Pair Affair, I knew this was going to be my favorite story in the Big Shots series. Spoiler: I was right. I also love some good family drama mixed in. The only thing keeping me from giving this book 5 stars is I felt like some dialogue just wasn't necessary and I wasn't a fan of the whole Elton situation (although this may be a set up for another book so I understand why it needs to be there). Overall, this book meets the hype and the spice was 👌🏻

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc!

Tessa Bailey has a way with words, and Dream Girl Drama brings her signature wit and steamy romance to life. This time, we meet Sig Gauthier, a professional hockey player who is instantly captivated by the adventurous Chloe Clifford after a chance encounter at a country club. But when Sig learns that Chloe is his future stepsister, the seemingly perfect spark between them suddenly becomes a whole lot more complicated.

While the premise of Sig’s dream girl becoming his soon-to-be family member creates plenty of tension, the stakes feel a bit lower since there’s no actual blood relation between the two. Some readers may find it hard to buy into the reasons keeping Sig and Chloe apart. Despite the family drama, it’s difficult to ignore that they’re not bound by any real taboo.

Chloe’s character, too, might be hard for some to connect with. As a 25-year-old harp prodigy who’s lived a sheltered life, her naivety about the real world—like how rent works—can come off as frustratingly out of touch. Her decision to spend $700 on face creams instead of paying rent reflects a level of immaturity that could be hard to sympathize with, especially considering the sacrifices others are making for her.

Still, fans of Tessa Bailey will enjoy the banter, tension, and chemistry between the characters, even if the conflict feels a bit stretched at times. If you love Bailey’s style, this is worth the read, but it might not have the same impact as her previous works in the series.

As a huge fan of Tessa Bailey, Dream Girl Drama quickly became one of my all-time favorites! Bailey’s signature blend of swoon-worthy romance and laugh-out-loud moments shines in this story. The chemistry between the characters is electric, and the witty banter had me hooked from the first page. It’s the perfect mix of heart, humor, and heat—Bailey at her best! If you love romances that make you laugh and melt your heart, this one’s a must-read!

I loved Fan Girl Down (#1 in the series), I found The AuPair Affair (#2) to be meh, but Dream Girl Drama has righted the ship. Like many other reviewers, I found the obstacle keeping Sig and Chloe apart -- mainly that they're stepsiblings-to-be who met as adults -- to be overly contrived. I don't think society would care enough that it would affect their careers. I found Chloe and Sigs behavior around it all to be a bit juvenile. However, as per usual, Tessa Bailey nailed the insta love and yearning. Her heroes are my favorite. Sig manages to dirty talk and then also take care of Chloe -- not because he has to or because she can't (although she has a bit to learn, but because he wants to). This book introduced the reader to several characters whose books, I assume, will finish out this series. I look forward to reading those books!

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon for access to this e-ARC!

4/5. Releases 2/4/2025.

The Vibes:

—stepsiblings-to-be

—hockey

—"my mind's telling me no but my body is telling me yes"

—BIG mutual pining

Heat Index: 7.5/10

The Basics:

When Sig (hockey player, ambitious, self-made), and Chloe (spoiled little rich girl, prodigy, sweet but naive) meet, it's love at first sight. The only problem? His father is engaged to her mother.

The Review:

Full disclosure—Tessa Bailey can be hit or miss for me. I didn't request her last few titles for that reason. However, Dream Girl Drama featured stepsibling shenanigans, so I had to... and this has revitalized my interest in her.

Do I think stepsiblings being together is a big deal when they meet as adults? Not at all. Do I kind of doubt that as many people would make a huge deal about it as this book seems to think? I mean, yeah. The central conflict is a little contrived.

But I can forgive a lot of that when the chemistry between the leads is this good, and when the conflict basically exists to fuel angst and pining. There's so much longing in this novel. It's one of the rare books that really sells love at first sight, and from then on it's like... Sig and Chloe are both fully aware that they're in love. He does everything for her; she adores him. It's that knowledge and the LUST and the desperation that makes it so good.

And you get some good growth from both of them, especially Chloe. She's a flighty, spoiled woman with no concept of the real world. Sig spoils her in turn, and she kind of stays out of touch because of that... Which is why we get a really fun little journey for her. I feel like a lot of books would have had that growth occur off the page in order to keep her "likable". She's sweet, but again, she's REALLY spoiled. I found that her flaws only made her more lovable, though, and I was honestly about it.

I can't lie... I wasn't crazy about how this resolved. But again, the plot is sort of inconsequential—you're living for the push-pull between Sig and Chloe, and how much they just FULLY love each other. His feelings for her and the way he expresses them are just... swoon. And it makes for a really fun book.

The Sex:

Definitely the hottest Tessa Bailey book, for me. Hot hot hot. Like I said, the longing is just intense, and when they finally give in? HOLY SHIT. There's a ramp up period that had me kicking my feet.

The sex is more just an an out and out semi-rough (sorta) bang out than anything super creative.... But it's hot. And you do get the Forbidden Tessa Bailey Finger in Peach Emoji content we've all come to know and love.

I'm really glad that Tessa gave this concept its due, and it really got me interested in her books again. To the backlist I go!

And obviously... if you're looking for something that's just a teeny bit taboo... Taboo training wheels, if you will.... This is it!

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have been enjoying this series and while I didn't not like this book, I felt like this wasn't Bailey's best work.

After the teasing for this book in The Au Pair Affair, I was really excited for this "forbidden love" trope. However, the chemistry fell flat for me in the face of what felt like a lot of immaturity on behalf of both main characters. Chloe was a little too "Anastasia Steele" in her blank-slate-ness. Given that I know Bailey can launch a character in three sentences or less, this felt like an odd choice. Sig was OK as a counterbalance, but for someone who is a responsible problem solver, he never managed to get it together in terms of his father, manager etc. Maybe I am too old for flighty 20-somethings to be tolerable, but it was a miss for me.

As for the rest, if you want a Tessa Bailey, you got a Tessa Bailey. The spice was spicy, the ever after was snagged happily and the cast of supporting characters was a hoot. Fans of the author and genre will still enjoy this as a quick romance book right in time for Valentine's day.

sigh i dont know why i decided to put myself through another TB book, i swore her off after fangirl down but i am too much of a slut for a forbidden romance with this kind of premise.

in typical fashion it is extremely insta love and in the worst way. these two are well into their 20s, maybe even early 30s and they act like two 14 year olds that fear the world will end if mommy and daddy dont approve of them.

i had to dnf at 47% bc i just couldnt listen to one more word out of any characters mouth 💀

I have read as many Tessa Bailey books as I can and this one was no different. I absolutely love the characters. This being book 3 in her big shot series, it was a really well written book that follows the first 2 books but can be read as standalones. If you’re looking for a fun quick read, I highly suggest this series or any book by Tessa

This is my first novel by Tessa Bailey and I am intrigued to read more of her works. She has this easy, funny style that makes you connect with characters on a level you want to connect to them. You get attached to them very easily. Also, the spice was a nice edition that I didn’t necessarily expect, so I was pleasantly surprised.
All in all a quick and fun read, with some depth to it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the ARC! Very much appreciated.

First time reading Tessa Bailey's work. Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read, and I appreciated the main characters' connection. However, I found the plot devices a bit distractingly unrealistic and the development too rushed.

If Tessa Bailey writes a book, I read it so this was no exception. I have enjoyed both of the previous books in the series, but this one fell a little flat for me unfortunately. It was entertaining and full of Bailey's wit, I just couldn't connect with the storyline. Perhaps I'm a little more accepting then high society on the East Coast, or professional sports organizations, but the fact that Sig and Chloe are not in fact related by blood makes the tension and reason for them staying apart non existent for me. I also find it hard to believe, even after a life of being taken care of that Chloe, a 25 year old women, doesn't realize that life requires money. It came across as entirely naive and incredibly selfish that she did not consider how spending $700 of her rent money on face creams would negatively impact the person supporting her financially.

The ending was predictable and my Scorpio heart would absolutely not forgive as readily as Sig did. Overall, I had a fine time reading this book, there were just elements I couldn't get over.

4,5

Tessa Bailey hits every single time!! I loved Dream Girl Drama from beginning to end. It has Tessa’s signature fun and is composed of two amazing and entertaining main characters who are absolutely obsessed with each other. I really enjoy this book and I’m so excited to get the gorgeous first edition of it!

Each book in this connected companion series is fire 🔥 I loved Sig and Chloe’s story.

Tessa has this way of writing down bad men that needs to be studied and then taught to real life men. It’s that powerful.

I’m crossing my fingers she lets us in on Corrigan and Skylar’s story next???

Until then, I will read whatever she writes next. Thank you for writing impossible to put down books, Tessa!!!!

I recently saw a reel on instagram from dylaansreading where he was talking about potato chip books, saying “you don’t have to have a gourmet meal to enjoy what you’re eating” and that was EXACTLY how I felt about this book.

Tessa Bailey is queen of the fun, entertaining, a little bit outrageous, but very steamy romance. The chemistry with these 2 was off the CHARTS, and I absolutely flew through this book. The step sibling conflict I didn’t care for too much, but I’m not counting that against the book in my rating because it’s very clearly in the synopsis, and I knew what I was getting into when I picked it up. It didn’t take away from the entertainment factor or the couple’s chemistry in my opinion.

This book hinted at 2 others in this series in the hockey realm, and oh my GOODNESS I am excited. I also just realized Burgess and Tallulah already have a book, and I’m really that asap. I definitely recommend this if you’re looking to gobble up a steamy page-turner potato chip book.

Thank you to Avon/Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5⭐️Tessa Bailey does it again. Hilarious internal monologues, well developed characters, a love story that just won’t quit. Love this big tough hockey man who is completely at her mercy, the helpless rich girl trying to make it in the real world with no idea how money works at all. The back and forth about the importance of keeping the POS truck that is near death. I love these two.
Don’t be scared by the step sibling story line. It happens to be a trope I enjoy but I know some people see that and won’t even give it a chance. Give this one a chance! You will be pleasantly surprised with some of the twists and turns. This is a slow burn, these two really try to do “the right thing” by society but fate has a different idea in mind. The tension is so thick throughout, you just know the wait will be worth it (and it is)
Time jumps tend to drive me mad but thankfully this one has a series of forward jumps at the beginning and not a lot of back and forth, this I can handle.
Of course the rest of the boys on the team are great, the friends on Chloe’s side are amazing as well! Tessa Bailey always gets me so invested in the side characters, add in an adorable dog and some baseball vs hockey drama and it’s just perfection.
Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for the NetGalley ARC!

🥵🥵🥵.. that's all I have to say!

I've read a handful of books by Tessa Bailey, and they are definitely a hit or miss for me... but I could not put this one down! I was invested from the beginning and rooting for Chloe and Sig's love story despite it being considered "taboo." The taboo is a high focus point of the book, so if that bothers you, this book may not be for you!

I have not read the other books in this series... YET... but if they are anything like this one, I will be picking them up!!

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book.

I have read a few Tessa Bailey books and have to say this was not one of my favorites.

Sig is a proud hockey player who came from little and appreciates the security in his financial circumstances upon joining the NHL; never needing the flashy car when he has his trusty truck. Chloe is a sheltered, harp-playing-prodigy who suffers the expected ignorance of someone who grew up never having to worry about money. I wanted to believe the rationale behind Sig & Chloe’s decisions, but they seemed so dichotomous with the groundwork that Bailey laid out for who these characters are.

Sig suddenly wants to spend all this money he doesn’t have to keep Chloe used to her privileged lifestyle, and Chloe does her best to learn the real world but what spoiled human spends hundreds of dollars on eye creams instead of paying her rent?! Even when Chloe gets exposed to the realities of being an adult (bills! Rent!), she still manages to flit through life.

Bailey builds romance and sexual tension wonderfully and I loved the smutty scenes. The content and heart of the story did not grab me as much as her previous work (of which, Hook Line & Sinker is one of my favorites of Bailey’s), and I think it’s mainly because the characters grated on me.

Lots of associated conflict due to the almost-step-sibling issue. I know romance novels are not always based in reality, but all of this felt a little put on.

Not my favorite Tessa Bailey romance, but will likely please some readers. Rated 2/5 for romance scenes and Chloe calling out toxic masculinity.