I loved this book SO much. It was funny, cute and I loved the characters! Especially Sig and Chloe! All of the characters felt so realistic and I loved seeing their dynamic throughout the book!

Professional hockey player Sig finds himself broken down outside a country club, when gorgeous dream girl Chloe comes to his rescue. The sparks fly immediately, with a promise to meet up later after their respective prior commitments. Little did they know their commitments were one and the same: dinner with their parents who announced their engagement. Torn on how to pursue their attraction, Sig offers to take Chloe to Boston with him and teach her how to live on her own for the first time. The more time they spend together, the higher the tension, but their parents’ wedding is fast approaching too.

I am not usually one for the insta love trope, and I wasn’t initially sold on this. It felt at first like the instant chemistry wasn’t believable enough to risk pursuing a step sibling relationship, but I ended up enjoying the way this one played out. I loved Sig as the protective MMC, even if it was a bit overbearing at times. Chloe’s ignorance to the world around her (like not paying bills on time and shopping with rent money) was frustrating as a reader, but it really helped shape her character. While we got some more detail in the epilogue, I do wish we had seen a bit more of Chloe’s development throughout the story. The underlying family dynamics Sig and Chloe were each dealing with added a great layer of depth, and I felt like it wrapped up nicely. Read this if you like taboo relationships, down bad protective MMC, sports romance, and family secrets.

Thank you to Tessa Bailey, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Overall I really did enjoy this book and really read it fairly quickly. I was shocked at the ending because I knew they would work out, but when I was on the second to last chapter of the book and they still were not back I was a little worried. But I loved the twist at the end! Throughout the whole book I kept thinking that the whole step sibling thing was like Serena and Dan from Gossip Girl except for the fact that no one cared whatsoever on GG that their parents were dating and then married so what's the big deal?? That being said I loved Sig. He is absolutely the definition of SIMP and I ate that up. I did appreciate the epilogue being 5 years in the future so we got to see more of what happened because once they were finally happy and together the book ended (which I know is not a crazy thing), but I just wanted a little more! Also no way that it took them 5 years to get pregnant! They never used any birth control ever -- I totally thought that was going to be the surprise twist ending, but I am glad I was wrong. With all this being said I am very excited to read the remaining books in this series! I hope the foreshadowing in the epilogue is the next book!

Tessa Bailey is such a queen of writing romance that hits your heart, tears it apart, and puts it back together again. The third book in her Big Shots series is just as good as the first two, with this book focusing on hockey star Sig and the harp prodigy Chloe. From the second Sig and Chloe meet their chemistry was off the charts and both know that they are on the brink of something amazing. Until they find out their parents are marrying each other, making their relationship impossible.

I absolutely loved the tension between Sig and Chloe as well as the friendship that grows along side their love. Bailey did a great job of tying everything together and I can’t wait to read her next one.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collin’s for the advanced copy. I enjoyed this book although the drama about the step siblings dating each got old very quickly and the way it was resolved was even more annoying. The whole time I was reading the book, I thought everyone around the main characters was making too much out of nothing. I haven’t read any other books in this series but I’m not sure if I want to now.

I have loved all the books in this series so far so I was soooo excited to recieve an ARC from NetGalley for this book! I was first intrigred by Sig and Chole from Au Pair Affair and how their attraction would play out. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about these future stepsiblings who are clearly attracted to each other. But their forbidden relationship was soooo good. The angst and tension was perfection. Chloe was such a fun character to read because she was so funny! She was so sheltered and childish but her relationship with Sig helped her grow. AND SIG!!! All he wanted was to take care of Chloe and make sure she was ok. He ultimately wants to help her grow but cannot ignore his feelings for her. This wasn’t my favorite book from the Big Shots series but I enjoyed it.


Thank you to Harper Voyager, Avon and NetGalley for this arc!

You know what you’re getting into when you pick up a Tessa Bailey book, and Dream Girl Drama gives you exactly that. Mostly like-able characters, solid writing and satisfying sexy times. There were several things, though, that kept it from being a 5 star read for me.

First, that was some insta-INSTA-love. Sig was all in on Chloe in the first couple of pages.
Second, manic pixie dream girl isn’t my favorite. But it’s right there in the blurb, so I knew it going in. I will ignore the fact that Chloe jumped into a car with a virtual stranger to go to Boston because, well, manic pixie dream girl.
Third, the big taboo…wasn’t? These two adults met and decided they were into each other before they found out that their parents were getting married. Where’s the taboo?

Still, I enjoyed Sig and Chloe together. I liked that Chloe was a harpist—that’s a career you don’t see every day—and that she did grow (some) through the story.

I have to go with 3 stars here because Dream Girl Drama was better than The Au Pair Affair, but Fangirl Down is still my favorite of the series. Looking forward to Big Shots 4!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC. Opinions are my own.

Dream Girl Drama is book 2 in the Big Shots series. I really enjoyed this forbidden romance. The tension between Sig and Chloe definitely is top notch and the spice? whew...

3.5⭐️ this is all of what I normally would expect from a Tessa Bailey book. I honestly enjoyed the forbidden romance aspect, but it was very much insta love. Because it was forbidden, nothing really happened until about halfway through the book. That helped me stay intrigued. Chloe was a little hard to connect with with considering she was very reliant on others despite wanting independence. However, I feel like she showed her strength in the end. Sig very much the male main character that must give his woman anything she wants. So all in all, not bad.

Thanks to @netgalley, @avonbooks, and Tessa Bailey for the advanced reader copy. So grateful to have the opportunity. #netgalley #dreamgirldrama #advancedreadercopy #bookreview

Dream Girl Drama is the second in Tessa Bailey's sports romance era! I enjoyed everything about it. It was sweet, spicy, and endearing. I was rooting so hard for these two.

I will always read a Tessa Bailey! This is the final installment of her Big Shots Trilogy. Out of the three, this was my second ranked of hers. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Sig and Chloe, and the trajectory of their relationship. I think the crux of their "will they/won't they" is a bit flimsy with the step-sibling trope. They act like this drama is because they are blood-related. It feels forced. But Bailey's pacing and writing style are clear and fun. It never drags, thought the other teammates get a bit more attention than I feel is necessary (filler alert).

The word I kept thinking of while reading this book was "messy." And I mean that in the best way. I was so excited for Sig and Chloe's story after reading about them in The Au Pair Affair. I would definitely recommend reading that book first because it is the perfect introduction to Sig and Chloe and their messy, confusing relationship. This book was fun, if stressful and tension-filled at times, and I devoured it. Tessa really knows how to dance with the taboo.

I feel like the male leads in Tessa Bailey books are hit or miss for me. She writes them as aggressive and it sometimes is too much. Sig was nicely balanced, aggressive without being over the top. There was a lot made of the “taboo” nature of the relationship between Sig and Chloe. But I thought it was weird how much emphasis it got. I did love seeing Chloe grow and change, although the timelines felt a little off based on the previous book in the series.

“You love her?
I exist for her.”

“What is an Sig?”
Chloe released a gusty sigh. “The most perfect human on earth.”

I am loving Tessa Bailey’s “Big Shots” sports series! These books all have a big athlete with a tough exterior, ruled by intense worry and protectiveness, and the partner that melts their heart. Humor, romance and spice. Dream Girl Drama follows the pattern, but this relationship hits dangerously close to taboo. Handled deftly, and even though I could foresee the way this had to work out, that’s ok because of course we all want this to work out!! I wasn’t crazy about the immaturity of the female lead, Chloe, who really does seem to need someone to take care of her. But Sig is great, love his overprotectiveness, it always cracked me up. And he just loves this girl unconditionally. The side characters from the hockey team make a reappearance here and do not disappoint, as well as Burgess. There’s also some new side characters that add humor like the landlord and Grace, the mentor. I was excited to see the tie in to baseball because now I’m pretty confident this series will continue! Yeah!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!

Okay, so I DO like this book. However, I was a little confused. The timelines are off a bit, but maybe I am missing something??

Anyway, on to the review. I will be honest: I felt like Chole was a bit infantilized. There were so many times that I found myself annoyed because she couldn't manage simple things, such as throwing away an empty Pop-Tart box. Like, girl, what? My 6-year-old knows how to do that.

Sig. I loved how down bad he was for Chole. I loved his golden retriever style and how he wanted to do anything to make her happy. However, at times, I felt it was too much. Here I am back to the pop-tarts, but sir, you did NOT have to buy an entire store out of their stock of pop-tarts. She needs to be somewhat self-sufficient.

They did have great chemistry. The spicy was just enough and Sig's dirty mouth mixed with his sweetness toward Chole was phenomenal. I could have done without the constant reminder that they were about to be stepsiblings. we know.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I would recommend this book to my audience and friends.

Thank you HarperCollins Publishers & NetGalley for this ARC!

Oh boy... so first of all, I loved the beginning, I was instantly hooked by Sig, the burly hockey player from Boston who instantly love-at-first-sight falls for Chloe, our sweet, ridiculously wealthy female lead. However, after the first chapter or two and their steamy run-in, we soon learn his dad is engaged to her mom, making them step-siblings to be. Enter the ick factor. But it doesn't stop getting icky from there - in fact, every single character seems to take this as a challenge to step up the ick like 10 notches, and Chloe becomes this whiney baby version of her previously coy and confident self. She doesn't even know how to do ANYTHING because she grew up so rich that she's basically useless. And Sig becomes this weird older brother type and he MUST protect her - he'd do ANYTHING for her - because that's what older brothers do, right?!

I'm so sorry but I really couldn't get over the dynamic after that and it's just gonna be a no from me, dawg.

This one was a little rough for me, I think because I just couldn’t figure out what the big deal about 2 grown adults dating when their parents had basically also just met was? Like obviously it would have been different had their parents married when they were young and they had grown up together under the same roof but that wasn’t the case whatsoever so I don’t know… part of me had a hard time getting over the who cares of it all.

I think it’s time I stop reading Tessa Bailey’s books as I haven’t read once since It Happened One Summer and I should have stuck with it, but man I love the step-sibling trope so I had hopes that this one would at least be good! Unfortunately it was not, I felt Sig’s immediate stepping in and paying for everything for Chloe was over the top, unrealistic, and honestly did not build any love for the characters. He also tried to meet what she was used to instead of compromising and I wish we had seen her adjust to living without a trust fund rather than seeing her almost not afford the rent Sig is paying for cause she used her rent money for eye creams.

Chloe was so cute, felt like a Disney Princess but also felt a little bit too spoiled, and not really willing to learn from her mistakes. Sig coddled her nearly as much as her mother in a whole other way, and honestly these two just don’t work at all. There wasn’t anything that really showed them as good friends much less a relationship besides them spending their free time together, but yet she still had Sig pay for so much.

I just wasn’t a fan of this book at all, and if I hadn’t received an ARC I would have DNF’d it. After this experience, I likely won’t be trying another Tessa Bailey book unless she switches genres as I’m always willing to try those for any author!


I’ll be holding my review for all booksellers for a few weeks, but this review is up on places like Goodreads and StoryGraph.

This was not my favorite of Tessa Bailey's books. It had some of the elements I enjoy, such as the friends to lovers trope, and the beginning meet-cute was a perfect rom-com with steamy scenes. It started to lag when Chloe tried to live in Boston but had no concept of money, and the issue of their parents marrying which would technically make them step-siblings. I didn't see the problem in two adults having a relationship even if their parents did plan to marry. What I didn't like was the jokes and references to Chloe being Sig's sister or implications that they would be siblings. That was a bridge too far for me. I like a forbidden romance, but I definitely don't like reading about people joking that they are kissing cousins/siblings. Tessa Bailey is always a popular author so I will continue to read her books. This one wasn't for me, but I do recommend libraries have it for the fans who will want to read her next book.

It has been a couple of years since I’ve read a Tessa Bailey book. I had loved her writing when I first got into reading so I was super excited to read a sports romance that involved hockey. Although I’ve loved her books in the past I do think I’ve outgrown her writing. This is not a bad thing but she does write easy fast paced romance books that are perfect for the beginner reader. I tend to like romance books that cover more heavier topics involved. I still enjoyed this and it was a quick read. I do want to point out that her books are written in 3rd pov.