Dream Girl Drama
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Sad news friends….this just did not work for me! I usually really enjoy Tessa’s books, I know exactly what to expect and I have a lot of fun with them, and I was excited for this one, but truthfully it just made me miss Burgess lol I fell in love with Sig and Chloe in the first chapter and had high hopes, but it just went down from there. The insta love didn’t work for me, I also felt like the writing was a bit repetitive, I just didn’t FEEL it. Chloe also came across as the super stereotypical “dumb blonde” and I didn’t love that either. There were aspects that I liked…Chloe did have some growth at the end, dual POV, spice (if you enjoyed the spice in Fangirl Down you may enjoy this one 😉🍑), fun banter, and the hockey family..I love them! I did like that we pushed our comfort zone a little with this one, with them being future step siblings and all lol I have an idea of how I could have connected with it better, but don’t wanna spoil it for anyone so dm me if you wanna chat! ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thank you Tessa Bailey, NetGalley, and Avon for this e-arc, it comes out February 4th!!
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My Ranking of this series (we will be getting a fourth book!)
The Au Pair Affair
Fangirl Down
Dream Girl Drama

I really enjoy the Big Shot series by Tessa Bailey and have been waiting for the build up of Chloe and Sig's book but it fell a little flat for me. It really felt like there was no build up - no will they or wont they because it is so glaringly obvious they will.

Review of Dream Girl

2 Stars

I was intrigued by Dream Girl’s premise—strangers fall for each other only to find out their parents are engaged—but the execution didn’t live up to its potential. Chloe, a sheltered harp prodigy, felt too naïve for her age, and her reckless decisions were frustrating rather than endearing. Sig, a professional hockey player, started as a nice guy but quickly came across as obsessive, with his focus on Chloe overshadowing his own storyline.

Their romance lacked tension, chemistry, and emotional depth, and the stepsibling dynamic was brushed off too casually. While Tessa Bailey’s signature steamy scenes were present, the shallow character development made it hard to root for the couple. Some entertaining side characters added humor, but they couldn’t save the story.

Dream Girl had a promising setup but ultimately fell flat. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dream Girl Drama is a charming hockey romance that pulls you right in from the very beginning. I loved how Sig and Chloe met and how they hit it off right away. Sig wanting to do everything and anything for Chloe which made the story extra cute. I do think the story fell a little flat in the middle. It felt like nothing happened in the middle of the book besides going back and forth as to whether they should be together. Then the third act breakup lasted the whole rest of the book. The side characters made the story much more enjoyable and kept me reading until the end.
Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this E-ARC.

This is my first Tessa Bailey book and wow. Now I have to go buy all of her other books.
I’m not really into the love bombing or extreme love in books. This was pretty lovey. But the spice scenes definitely made up for it. The spice is nice if you like it. And honestly, if you’re more into the love part of the books you can just skip over the spice parts.

Sig meets his dream girl by chance one night on his way to meet his dad and his future wife. He falls madly in love, they share a kiss and a promise to connect after the dinner Sig is late for. What he doesn’t is that the girl is his future step sister.

Chloe is a child prodigy of the harp. She has lived her entire life under her mom’s thumb. Until she meets Sig at the country club one night. The thought of this rugged man makes Chloe’s pixie girl energy spike to 1000. Until he walks into the dinner she’s supposed to be having with her mom and her future husband.

What follows is a long and hard (if you know what I mean) struggle over a love that they can’t have.

Will they be able to be together or will they have to run away to Sweden to be able to share their love for each other? You’ll have to read to find out.

Only Tessa could be like “Step-siblings? That’s hot.” And I say that with love. It’s very on brand.

Dual POV, first person, lightly spicy.

Chloe is an Uber rich Connecticut girl and Sig is a hockey player that comes from humble beginnings. Their parents are engaged, and the two unknowingly meet on the way to their parents’ announcement dinner. The chemistry is off the charts good.

Chloe is comically unaware of her privilege. She runs to Boston with Sig under the premise of being independent and away from her mother. She then has Sig pay her rent and expenses, but thinks she’s independent. Her growth after her revelation that she’s not independent is great. And this is the first Tessa book where the MMC doesn’t go all “alpha male” in the second half of the book and annoy me. Chloe puts her foot down when he does and it was so refreshing.

Overall, I ate this up. The way it wrapped up was perfect and I can’t wait for more of the series.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I am really enjoying Tessa’s Big Shots series! Dream Girl Drama tells us the love story of 2 characters we were introduced to in Au Pair Affair, Chloe and Sig. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the whole “I’m in love with my future step sibling” thing but I’m happy to say that it was not weird! So if that is making you hesitant to read this, just trust me. Their story is worth the read.

The story begins with Sig and Chloe’s “meet-cute” and I was immediately rooting for them. Unfortunately, soon after they meet they find out their parents met before them and are planning to get married. Any future or even an idea of a first date was thrown out the window pretty quickly. Some unexpected decisions lead to Chloe leaving her sheltered and fancy lifestyle to go live in Boston to prove to her mother and herself she can live on her own and Sig vows he will look out for her. And that he did.

Protective Sig lives to give Chloe everything she not only needs but wants. No matter the cost. He can’t be with her romantically, but that doesn’t mean he has to stay away. They become best friends over the next 6 months both wanting more but they behave…until they can’t anymore.

❤️I loved Sig’s protectiveness and adoration for Chloe.
❤️I enjoyed Chloe’s character growth.
❤️My heart ached for them both and the situation they were in.
❤️The chemistry and tension were excellent!

🌶️This book contains open door spicy scenes. If that is not your cup of tea, I would pass on this one.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you to Avon & Harper Voyager|Avon, NetGalley & Tessa Bailey for this eARC to review

3.5 stars rounded up. I really enjoyed the story of Sig and Chloe, navigating their issue and their careers.
It took me a little bit to get into the story and the reason why I struggled *at the start* was the insta love.
The immediate nickname, and on the first night they met Sig was claiming he’d die before jeopardizing Chloe’s future. Also struggled, as at the very start, exactly when they start spending time together, the author throws in a few time jumps so there is no real building of the relationship.

I thought the back story’s were really well done though, and surprisingly I enjoyed that more than the romance, though the romance picked up for me just before half way through. Steamy scenes and the lead up were fantastic 👏🏼

Dream Girl Drama is Book 3 in Tessa Bailey's Big Shots - a sports themed romance series. This book (along with Book 2) is hockey based, which may be my new favorite genre. The main plot of this movie has to do with Sig, a pro hockey player, who falls in love with privileged Chloe. The main conflict of the book is that their parents get into a relationship and Sig & Chloe could become related by marriage. I could have done without the constant reminders of stepsiblings (because any sane person knows that they're not related by blood), but the signature Tessa Bailey spice was there and I enjoyed the read.

Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager & NetGalley, for the digital ARC.

3.5 stars. It was fun and light hearted with challenges but overall a decent fun read. She was so incompetent and he was so obsessed with her. He’s a hockey player and he will do anything to be with her even if she is his future step sister.

5 stars

“It’s the purest thing I’ve ever felt in my life. It’s like I’ve loved her since I took my first breath.”

SWOON!!

My favorite book in so far in this series!! Sig and Chloe’s relationship is full of angst and yearning- they are star crossed lovers, whose relationship appears over before it even begins.
After meeting by chance, and they have immediate chemistry and an intense connection. However, hours later, they discover that their parents are about to get married, making them future step siblings.
I LOVE an “immediate connection” story, and this one did not disappoint! These two are opposites in many ways- Sig is older, established in his NHL career, while Chloe has led a sheltered existence- a child prodigy harpist, her life has been limited to living at home, practicing, and performing. She is desperate for independence, and when Sig offers to help his future stepsister move to Boston, she jumps at the chance to escape her controlling mother.
The tension between these two is off the charts- torn between their desire and the taboo nature of their relationship, they toe the line constantly, finding it harder and harder to resist each other. Sig is GONE for his dream girl- Chloe has never lived on her own, and her dependence on him fuels his need to protect and take care of her, while at the same time helping her to grow and spread her wings.
“I exist for her” Sigh…..

- Forbidden relationship
-He’s a hockey player
- Protective MMC
- Forced proximity

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I have been waiting for Sig and Chloe's story and "Dream Girl Drama" did not disappoint. Tessa Bailey is just so good at writing romance and spice. Sig is a grumpy hockey player looking for his next contract. Car trouble leads to a country club meet-cute with harpist and rich girl Chloe. The lust is immediate and intense. And then comes the cold water of learning they are soon to be step=siblings.

Sig and Chloe still cannot stay away from each other. He gives her the confidence to strike out on her own in Boston, but also takes care of her while she is there. At least until Chloe starts to truly grow up. They are best friends who both seem to want so much more, but external forces seem designed to keep them from advancing their relationship.

There is SO.MUCH tension between Sig and Chloe and it is so hot. It was fun to see Chloe develop as a person and Sig is the perfect grump to her sunshine. It did take a certain suspension of belief to think that becoming step-siblings as adults would pose the level of issues contemplated here, but it was doable. Chloe and Sig were so far gone on each other, and while the story was definitely insta-lust, it was not insta-love.

A good read in a very enjoyable series. 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

Review posted to Goodreads 1/20/25

3.75⭐️
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I went into this not really expecting much, and honestly probably expecting to not like it, but I must say... I am pleasantly surprised. If you go into this expecting a sports/hockey romance with high spice, this delivers. If that's not your vibe, this is not for you.

What to expect:
- interesting take on the step-sibling trope(? - i'm not sure if this is even a trope?!).. more like future step-siblings because their parents are planning to marry.
- hockey player mmc (Sig) and prodigy harp player fmc (Chloe)
- some cringey and ick moments (imo)
- spicyyyy scenes.. like real spicy
- some decent character development
- insta-love/lust

Some parts were a little slow for me, and like I had mentioned, sometimes I just got the ick so bad.. but overall a fun story that again surprised me quite a bit!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey is about a hockey player who meets a harpist and falls for her bad. Then finds out it’s his future stepsister! Sig and Chloe attempt to be just friends but being friends with someone you’re in love with is really hard for both of them.

Thank you Net Galley and Avon for this arc.

This book is insta love but also slow burn at the same time. Wow does the slow burn payoff. Within this book you get to see Chloe grow so much. She goes from a clueless part of the .1% to living on her own, taking public transit in Boston, and having Sig teach her how to be independent…well semi independent. Watching them pine for each other is *chefs kiss*.

This series keeps getting better! Honestly, who wouldn't want Sig? He's encouraging and protective, without taking it too far. Chloe's growth throughout the story is great: she challenges herself professionally, expands her independence, and develops boundaries with suffocating parents, Fabulous.

The major conflict of the story seemed a little overdone: two adults who have never met before but then find out they will become "stepsiblings" can't be together? It's framed as an issue within the setting of social expectations for high-profile athletes and...professional symphony musicians. It's a stretch, but provides interesting relationship tension.

"Dream Girl Drama" can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the previous title in the series to get an enjoyable look at Sig & Chloe's relationship from another perspective. I hope to read more titles in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

This was super cute!! Sig & Chloe couldn't be more obvious soulmates, despite everyone in their lives attempting to drive them apart. I thought this was an interesting spin on the friends to lovers trope, considering they have immediate chemistry when they first meet, but due to their parents' impending nuptials, shift to best friends mode. You can really tell how deeply they care for one another, and all of that build up makes their slow burn so, so worth it!

Sig Gauthier, one of the stars on the Boston Bearcats NHL team is having one of those days. While driving his old, rundown truck to Darien, CT to meet his father, Harvey Lerner's newest girlfriend, Sig breaks down right in front of a ritzy country club. Realizing that his cell phone is dead, he heads inside the country club to use the phone but is greeted with resistance since he is not a member. When Chloe Clifford sees this gorgeous guy having problems, she jumps right in insisting that he is her guest. Sig is just knocked off of his feet by this tiny beauty he nicknames Dream Girl. After spending some time at the club together that ends in one perfect kiss, Sig and Chloe decide to meet up later after Sig's thing with his dad.

When Sig arrives at his father's girlfriend's house he is introduced to Sofia, his girlfriend.....oh....and also Chloe.....Sofia's daughter! And guess what???? Harvey and Sofia are engaged. Pour the ice water on Sig and Chloe's sizzling attraction! Chloe is a harp prodigy and has led a sheltered albeit wealthy life. When Chloe brings up to her mother that she wants to move to Boston to pursue her harp playing dreams, Sofia refuses to let her and cuts her off financially, but Chloe decides to go anyways....Sig can help her navigate life.

Sig is waiting for his new multi-million dollar contract to sign but in the meantime he is trying to help pay for much of Chloe's expenses. While he spends so much time with her their chemistry is exploding out of control but neither one of them wants to cross that line since they will soon be step siblings.

As these two are trying to navigate through life, they spend a lot of time together. Pretty soon the public notices and wonders who the girl is that has caught Sig's attention. At the same time Chloe is finally working with Grace Shen, the first chair harp in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Grace is being a mentor to Chloe so she can take over the first chair when Grace leaves for Europe. When it comes to light that Chloe is Sig's future stepsister, the team's management has a serious discussion with Sig as does Grace with Chloe. Chloe decides that they need to put some distance between each other. Of course this doesn't last long and before you know it these two are giving into their feelings, consequences be darned. Just when it looks like Sig and Chloe could never have a real relationship, something they never expected happens and these two can finally have their happy ending.

I just loved this steamy, taboo love story. Sig was just such a fun, determined guy. Chloe was very naive in many ways of the world but I love how Sig helped her though it. I loved all of the other guys on the team, especially the rookies! I can't wait for Corrigan's book next!

A tremendous thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to be an ARC reader for Dream Girl Drama. This book is available on 2/4/2025.

I hate that I didn’t love this book as much as I thought I would. I am a big fan of hockey romances, however Sig and Chloe fell a little flat for me. I had a difficult time believing that the insta-lust would blossom into something long term. The timeline hopping in the beginning took away from that relationship building that would have made that a little more believable to me. As someone who has studied music at the college level, it perplexes me that Berklee, of all places, wasn’t able to *challenge* Chloe because she had natural harp talent. There were times where I did feel the connection between the two characters. I just really wished we got to see more of that connection building from the start instead of jumping six months ahead. The tropes in this book just were not for me personally, but fans of insta-love, taboo, and an overprotective MMC may really love this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC 🤍

I was super intrigued about Sig and Chloe in the last book, and couldn't wait to hear their story. It's very insta-lovey, both when the first met and throughout the whole book. It does skip ahead a few months pretty early on which distracts from the insta-love, however, they are literally obsessed with each other from day one. And while Sig's protective macho man act is sweet to an extent, it gets to be a bit too obsessive.

Chloe was at times irritating. She has no personality besides fun and ditzy. She goes to buy laundry detergent to do her own laundry for the first time ever but buys fabric softener instead. Really? Can she not read? But there were parts where I liked her too, how she fought for independence and what she deserved and got out from under her mother's thumb.

It's a bit of a taboo romance as they learn they're about to be step-siblings after their first chance meeting. Wanting to figure out how they'd end up being together was what kept me going, and I had NO idea how they'd make it work, but I liked how it resolved. Because of a this, there was a lot of angst and pent up tension and chemistry which is always fun to read and made it an enjoyable romance overall.

3.5⭐️ rounded up