Tessa Bailey never fails me and Dream Girl Drama is no exception. Sig and Chloe had me hooked from the get go. An unlikely pair with instant chemistry, they both recognized their soulmate immediately.

"But "good" wasn't enough to describe the moment he met Chloe. No word existed for that. There was simply an understanding that his life would never be the same-and the life he'd led up to knowing up to knowing Chloe became a collection of indistinct sounds and shapes, while the present became incredibly clear, like a window being defogged."

Sig could not believe his luck, that is, until he walked in to his father's fiancé's house to meet her and her daughter....Chloe.
For most people, being future step-siblings may not interfere with their relationship. Unfortunately, Sig was a professional hockey player and Chloe was a musical protege vying for a place with the Boston Symphony. He was a public figure. She could be. Things could get messy and threaten their jobs and reputations. Everything they have worked for their entire lives were at stake. Oh, did I also forget to mention, no one approved?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dream Girl Drama. The relationship between Chloe and Sig is multi-faceted. We see the impulsive sexy side, the sweet caring side, and the best friend aspect of their relationship. I love that they are both willing to sacrifice everything for the other. This is not a one sided relationship even though it may seem like it at first simply because Sig has more to offer tangibly. Chloe, however, soothes his soul and that is worth more than money or fame. There were a few slow chapters in the middle but they definitely helped build the angst in the relationship which is palpable.
Will Sig and Chloe ever be together like they want or will they be best friends forever? Can they ever overcome the stigma of being step-siblings? Can Sig keep their parents from getting married? Or will Sig and Chloe have to give one another up for good?

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I am just going to say that Tessa Bailey is one of the queens of easy-read spicy rom-coms. I read this book when I needed a little break from reality and it delivered! I have also read the others books in this series and this one complimented them nicely. You could read in order or as a standalone. The only negative thing I have to say is I couldn’t really understand what the big faux pas was about the relationship. They would be step siblings not real siblings (ew) haha.

Told from narrator not a pov. Forbidden romance. Sports romance.

This was an easy book to read and understand what is happening which could be both a good and a bad thing.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book!

The story was cute but could have been better. It was a nice slow burn where the characters actually got to know each other but fell flat because there weren’t many side characters. They were sprinkled throughout the book but nothing meaningful came of it. The story is essentially only about the 2 main characters. Spoilers below:






•••



This entire book, Sig and Chloe have no friends. They do not talk about their “relationship” with anyone really. It would have been really nice to see Chloe fully confide in someone. She wants to become independent but yet becomes dependent on Sig. She’s not the strong FMC that I love to see.

Sig talks to no one. We don’t see many interactions of him with friends or team mates. He’s also extremely possessive which in some books works, but in this one it really gave me the ick. They couldn’t have a relationship but he would make her delete peoples numbers out of her phone. I would have liked to see more internalized jealousy.

oh gosh am i a tessa bailey girlie!!!!

i've been reading all her books since ihos first came out and NO ONE can make me lose my mind like she can.

i was so intrigued with this book bc this was tessa's first foray into forbidden/taboo romance (that i've read) and i just know it was gonna hit in classic tessa bailey fashion. it was horny AND sweet (yuh!)

this is a future step-siblings forbidden romance and it was so fire!!!! it was slow burn and hot and so romantic and kinda insta love-y, but like, come on it's tessa bailey and her insta love-y books are my favorites (hello!!! i am an ihos stan). our fmc chloe actually reminded me a lot of piper from ihos and i think that just made me love chloe even more bc there's nothing better than an underestimated fmc that proves everyone wrong!!

and sig gauthier??? tessa bailey again gave us the most obsessed down bad for his girl mmc and i loved every pathetic (complimentary) minute if it.

sig and chloe are actual soulmates and i loved seeing how their relationship progressed and the little and big ways they showed their love to each other! the ultimate acts of service/words of affirmation couple. i loved the build up and the mutual yearning sm and the epilogue???? no one writes and epilogue like tessa bailey!!!

i'm her fangirl for life and i can't wait for the next book in this series!

thank you avon and netgalley for this arc! it comes out feb 4!

Dream Girl Drama
By Tessa Bailey
3⭐️

Tessa Bailey has become a hit or miss for me, I was really excited for Chloe & Sig because I am all for the overprotective hero and the sort of forbidden relationship but this just was not it. This is yet another book where a characters nickname feels really forced and cringe, dream girl as a nickname just doesn’t feel natural to me. Also i don’t remember Chloe being so infantilized when she was first introduced as a character. I get it’s supposed to be cute and charming but being so ridiculously childish here did not read the way I think it was meant to. Other than the insta love and issues mentioned above, this was a quick and easy read.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for this gifted arc!

Hockey player Sig and Dream Girl Chloe fall for each other (after meeting once) only to discover their parents are engaged. Family drama tests their resolve to keep things platonic (it never works). The chemistry between Sig and Chloe is undeniable, with sparks flying from their first meeting. However, the speed at which their relationship develops makes it hard to believe they’re truly in love. Chloe’s journey, leaving her controlling mother only to end up with someone equally overbearing, was disappointing. While the story had its entertaining moments, the pacing was uneven, making it difficult to stay fully immersed. I found myself more entertained by side characters such as the other hockey players, the parents, and Grace. A fun read overall, but it left me wanting more depth from our main characters.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶🌶

It started off so good with instant attraction and chemistry, but then lost momentum with the realization that their parents are getting married. Then there were almost 140 pages of "we can't " and "I want you" that just got annoying and repetative. Chloe is one of the most obnoxious characters I've ever met- basically a child that has always gotten what she wants- is have no idea what Sig sees in her. Sig is the perfect golden retriever bf, so I just wanted to shake him to get him to move on.

The spice was delicious as Tessa Bailey always serves on that front, but the story line didn't do it for me.

Thank you to @Netgalley for letting me read an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review.

I've honestly struggled a bit with this series but what a strong serve this book was. Don't get me wrong - books 1 and 2 are decent, but I didn't really get the feels from either. DGD on the other hand? Feelings. Everywhere.
This is Sig and Chloe's story - we've met them in Au Pair Affair and I would say that buildup helped with this story.
It's a testament to how wonderful I found Sig's behaviour towards Chloe, their romance, and Tessa's writing in this book, that I had the feels by the end.

Chloe. Chloe, Chloe, Chloe. She alone made me knock one whole star off. That sort of reckless way of living, freeloading while others suffer (especially as a rich girl who's slumming it to teach her mother a lesson) is just not my cup of tea. A general plea to romance authors - could we start seeing women who have a smidge of sense, empathy and depth of character? I've forgotten what those look like in the genre.

All in all, a really engrossing book, with Tessa's signature heat, a heroine I had to tolerate, and a lot of heart. 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tessa Bailey to letting read this ARC. Tessa Bailey is one my favorites. Sig is part the hockey team. Chole and sig find out that there parents are dating and they fell in love. So they both think they could be step-sibling. I think it's kinda odd. Later on Sig finds out his isn't his birth father. He runs to tell Chole and that he wants to finally want to be with her. This also can read standalone book.

2.5 Rounded up.

Listen, I like TB, I do! I love her Bellinger sisters series to death, but her more recent works seem to fall short of the mark for me. I wasn't a fan of The Au Pair Affair, though I loved Mailer and Corrigan, and I loved them in this one too. Pierre and Grace were great, and I loved that Sig got a father figure in the end. What I didn't love? I wasn't too much of a fan of Sig's behavior. I can get behind an insta-lust trope. Insta-lust is a thing! I hate when people say it's nonsense that they were lusting after each other that quick, but they act like people don't have one night stands after making eyes across the bar. I do, however, agree that there was no real merit upon which Sig could've loved her at all. She didn't have much going for her, and while she began to stick up for herself a big towards the end, she didn't do enough. There was a lot of red flag behavior coming from Sig that she should've put an end to a lot quicker than she attempted to. He should've just been avoided as a whole, to be honest because it got kind of scary when he would tell her to delete men's numbers from her phone and to promise to never be alone with another man again because she wasn't allowed to be with anyone but him. That's some real controlling stuff. You can't sit there and think you're made to be with someone, two days after knowing them. I think they could've actually been good for each other had they both developed a sense of character and Sig wasn't so alpha male coded. It had a promising premise, and I do love the taboo toeing the grey line of the step siblings plot, although, why would the public care about two people who met as adults becoming step siblings at some point? No one. Weirdos, that's who. Anywho, that's my two cents on this book. The stars are really there for the sort of sweet ending, Grace, Pierre, Corrigan, and Mailer. I want the old TB back.

Rating: 5/5 stars
Spice: 2.5/5

HOLY SHIT, I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I stayed up to finish this book; I couldn't put it down. I was obsessed with Sig and Chloe in "The Au Pair Affair," but I am completely in love with them now.

Their story starts hot and heavy with the sexual tension and chemistry between Sig and Chloe. I'm so happy that we got to see the beginning of their relationship, it made the slow burn so worth it. The emotions I felt reading this were insane; I was bawling by the last 30 minutes. Tessa can make me feel all the feels while reading her books; I love and hate that. The writing was impeccably well done. I don't usually like step-sibling relationships, but I loved it. It was written so well and thought out.

Now, for the characters, I ate them up. Sig a man I want, possessive, caring, will die for your type of man. The way he cared for Chloe no matter what made my heart so full. As for Chloe, her character growth was amazing. She truly became an independent woman who went after her dreams. She and Sig could not be more different, yet so perfect together.

I cannot wait to see more from what the Bearcats world has to offer, especially from the "orgasm donors" boys.

This book was cute and I was excited to have access to the ARC.

I struggled with the main conflict for this story- it seemed like this should have been a nonissue, especially with the solution at the end.

This book had plenty of tension, and the steamy chemistry was excellent. I loved their relationship and Chloe’s growth and determination. It was a cute, quick read!

Tessa Bailey books tend to be hit and miss for me. I enjoyed this, but it wasn’t necessarily my favorite. I was so excited for Sig and Chloe’s story after the last book, and I did enjoy it.

They meet, there’s insta love, which admittedly is not my favorite trope, but they realize their parents are getting married and they’re going to be step-siblings. Maybe I read too much taboo because this didn’t seem like as much of a big deal as it was made in the story. They were both adults and it just didn’t seem like it needed to be an issue to be honest. I loved the characters though. She was adorable and naive and he was swoony. They absolutely had chemistry, which was my favorite part of this one! Definitely a fun read!

- Forbidden romance (sort of?)
- Sports romance
- He falls HARD
- Hockey player/harpist
- Chemistry for days
- Slow burn

Thank you so much NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for providing me with a copy of Dream Girl Drama to read and provide my honest review! I read this book in 6 hours; I couldn’t put it down nor did I want to. I have been waiting for this book since catching glimpses of Sig and Chloe in The Au Pair Affair, and it was even better than I could have hoped!!

I never thought that I would find myself into a (future) step-siblings romance, but at this point, I think Tessa Bailey can make me a believer in anything. I adored Sig and Chloe. Their relationship felt so genuinely sweet and not at all weird. I believed in them. Their tension and mutual pining was everything I could ever want. Tessa is the queen of writing an instant connection that feels real and, yet again, she knocked it out of the park with Sig and Chloe. Once they met I could not help but want them together.

I absolutely loved the way Sig was so down bad for Chloe. The way was he was just willing to do absolutely anything for Chloe is just everything I want in a romance hero. “I exist for her” PLEASE. With each book I love the mmc more than the last. And Chloe was such a sweet fmc. I loved her determination and resilience. Chloe and Sig were such a great pair.

This story was everything you expect from a Tessa Bailey novel, sexy, fun, and ridiculously readable with the hero of our dreams. Tessa manages to write genuinely charming stories that are funny and a little bit silly and don’t take themselves too seriously, and that is why they always do it for me! This series is everything to me. I know I just finished book 3, but I cannot wait for book 4!!

Tessa Bailey is an autobuy author for me. I was so excited to get an early copy of this book. I am not sure any of her new books hold a candle to her old books, but I still enjoy them immensely.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Tessa Bailey book. Her writing style is so easy to get lost in. Sig and Chloe meet and instantly hit it off. Little do they know that in a couple of hours, their parents are about to let them know that they are getting married. Sig was such a sweetheart, and Chloe’s character felt a bit flat to me. I wish we’d seen her grow more throughout the story. I also wish we’d gotten more of their relationship. I wanted more build-up! Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I loved the forbidden aspects of it and the big twist at the end which i was NOT expecting at all!! I will say the only negative thing is the length of some of the chapters, one of them even being 20 minutes long (how long my kindle said it would take me -a fast reader- to read) I do feel as though the end was slightly rushed but loved the HEA that it ended with. I also loved the little easter eggs for the next book, and the meet cute for the characters.

Review:
As someone who thrives on dark, taboo romance, I already adored Sig and Chloe from their previous appearances, but seeing them take center stage in Dream Girl Drama was everything I needed. Sig’s possessive, protective nature paired with Chloe’s quiet, unshakable strength hit that perfect dynamic I live for. Their relationship is a masterclass in tension and tenderness, with just the right balance of banter, spice, and heart.

From the fiery steamy moments to the soul-deep connections, I couldn’t stop rooting for their happily-ever-after. Tessa Bailey absolutely nails it—this book is pure gold, and trust me, you’ll hate every second these two spend apart.

Definitely not my favorite of the series so far, even though it was set up so well in the first two books. Once we finally get to see Sig and Chloe together, I felt there wasn’t a lot of there there beyond the fact that their parents were marrying each other. The pacing was a little off for me with big time jumps and then a lot of action taking place over two weeks. The resolution was also obvious from the get go which made the build up a bit anticlimactic for me. Chloe also pissed me off with her clueless routine and complete dependence on Sig. Sig was a great character and the highlight of the story for sure.

I read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

As much as I was falling for the characters relationship and story, I always had the future step sibling relationship in the back of my mind as well. I did love how he treated her and showed his care. I did feel like the FMC was rather immature, and I couldn't really get behind that. I was really looking forward to their story and overall I really did enjoy this book and ate it up rather quickly, but I wouldn't rate it higher than a 3 Star. Thank you Net Galley for the E-ARC of this book!