⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm a sucker for instalove so I just knew I would love this book and I was right. Sig and Chloe meet at a country club and instantly feel connected, but it all comes to a halt soon after when they find out that their parents are about to marry and they're supposed to become step-siblings.

Dream Girl Drama delivers big time tension from the start & the instalove that is absolutely believable and I ate it up. Sig and Chloe decide early on to deny their chemistry and to remain friends, and we all know how that usually goes, right!? Tessa Bailey writes the push and pull so well and I just wanted so badly for them to finally give in and just love each other like they wanted!

I was so intrigued by Chloe and Sig in previous books, so I'm not surprised that I ended up loving them both. Seeing Sig being so protective of Chloe was one of the favorite parts for me and I never found it to be "too much". I definitely recommend this book - it's the perfect weekend read with hilarious internal monologue, sweet moments that makes you go "aww" and push and pull.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for the eARC for this book and the opportunity to read it before its release in exchange for my honest review.

This is for you if you love this:

💕 Forbidden Romance
💕 Instant Love
💕 Boy Obsessed
💕 Grumpy x Sunshine

Listen.

Do I love the instalove trope? No.
Do I like the thought of (potential) step siblings getting together? Not really.
Will I pick up every Tessa Bailey novel and fan myself like Scarlett O’Hara the whole time I read it? Every single time.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Avon and NetGalley. I didn’t realize this was the third book of the Big Shots series, however I enjoyed this book about Sig, a hotshot hockey player, and Chloe, a prodigy of the harp. An il-fated timing romance that ends with a happy ending, this book did not disappoint. I loved seeing the female character find her backbone and voice towards her demanding mother. If you love steamy romances, then this book is right up your alley, especially if you live for a slow burn that heats up the pages. Tessa Bailey is quickly becoming one of my favorite romcom authors!

3.5 stars, rounded up!

Chloe, this books dream girl, is a expert harpist and verified rich girl. Chloes life is carefully calculated and she has very little say after where its going. Chloe meets Sig, the MMC and hot hockey player, and they fall into insta-love. The problem? They soon find out they are about to be step-siblings.

I really liked this book! The chemistry between Chloe and Sig was palpable, and the best part of the book. I do not read a lot of forbidden romance but I feel like this one was done mostly right, I believed spicy and sweet scenes and could feel the tension when they had to pretend like they weren't 100% into each other. The steamy scenes were steaming and the plot was easy to follow. I really enjoyed Sigs character with the overall princess vibe of Chloe. I appreciated that the 2 main characters were both in their mid-to-late twenties.

What didn't work as well for me, annoyingly enough, was the romance. It felt much more like insta-lust to me than insta-love ,WHICH IS FINE, except that they kept throwing the l-word around. Chloes character was also a bit too flightily and helpless for my taste but that is likely a personal preference. I also kind of hoped the third book would be a different sport, but also do not think this is fair to list as a fault and more of an opinion. I prefer Sir Savage I guess :-)

Overall, I would recommend this book if you are into spicy sports romances.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the other two books in this series, I was so looking forward to Sig and Chloe’s story, and I was beyond excited to receive the ARC. Sig is a professional hockey player headed to meet his estranged father’s new girlfriend when his truck breaks down outside of a country club. Chloe, a harp prodigy who is obscenely wealthy, finds him and helps him charge his phone to call AAA. The two are instantly connected and infatuated with each other. After spending time together and promising to meet back up after their respective dinner plans, the two part ways until they learn that their respective dinner plans are actually the same dinner. Chloe’s mom is Sig’s dad’s new girlfriend - make that fiancée. The two are devastated to learn of their parents’ relationship and what it could mean for them, but are determined to be in each other’s lives as more than future step-siblings.

While the story delivered in so many ways, the tension wasn’t there for me. Two adults meet, and it’s love at first sight. When they later learn that their parents are getting married, they are heartbroken that they can’t be together because they’ll be related by marriage in the future. It’s as if they never watched Clueless. I get that it would be weird if their parents had married when they were children and they had been raised as siblings, but they were both in their mid to late 20s, they met before they knew about their parents (ok, so it was only a matter of hours before they found out their parents were dating, but even so, they met before they knew about their parents), and they had several months between when they met and when they became related by marriage. Maybe it’s just me, but it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.

I will say, that “roadblock” (or lack thereof), was the only thing I found really lacking in the book. The chemistry between Sig and Chloe is amazing, as is their banter. They become best friends from trying to not be romantically involved, and that friendship becomes an incredible foundation for their subsequent romance. Chloe’s journey from sheltered, privileged, and naive to someone willing to work hard to achieve a goal and to stand up for herself is excellent,

3.75/5 stars

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

I was so excited to receive the ARC for Dreamgirl Drama after loving Fangirl Down and the Au Pair Affair. However, this one fell a little flat for me. Chloe felt underdeveloped as a character and was giving ‘too dumb to function’ - whereas Sig’s macho protector role felt like a stick-figure caveman. Not to mention that all the conflict and angst in this book would have been solved if Sig’s parents just talked to him like an adult. I’ve never seen a miscommunication trope used that way, but it sure was just as frustrating as usual. Anyway, still love Tessa Bailey and would 100% read about the other characters in the Big Shots series, but I was overall disappointed with this one.

2.5/5 stars
⭐⭐💫

Tessa Bailey's books will always be a must-read for me! This latest book in the series is a hit! But, I forgot I hadn't read the second book so I was lucky enough to get to read that gem too!

What's not to love - hockey player, forbidden love, and lots of steam! SO good!

This started so cute! I loved how they had their little meet cute... Then they were slapped in the face with reality at a dinner where their parents were trying to tell them they were getting married, making them stepsiblings... If I put that aside, this was a really steamy book and I enjoyed the story. He is possessive yet so supportive and king. He would give her the world if she asked. She is a go with the flow kind of girl, but dedicated to what she loves. They definitely fall fast and hard with one another. This is a instant forbidden romance that really kept me turning the pages wanting to know how they were going to make this work.

I really enjoyed their story, had it not been for the little soon to be related issue. I love how Sig encourages her to step out of her comfort zone and embrace her dream. He is so supportive and encouraging. She leaves behind her cush life and he literally supports her through her training to reach her dream. Their chemistry is written so well and definitely the best part of the book. I just kept getting hung up when I was reminded they are going to be or are stepsiblings...

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! #DreamGirlDrama #NetGalley

Finally Chloe and Sigs story, and it did not disappoint! I have been waiting for this since they were introduced. The chemistry and will they/wont they pull between the two makes for a classic Tessa Bailey romance, with all the right plot twists!

Another Tessa Bailey novel with an over the top, down bad MMC who would literally do anything to spoil the FMC. Mutual pining. Forbidden Romance. Hockey/Musical Prodigy. And as always, Tessa's special spice blend.

I was SO EXCITED for this story... Tessa Bailey could write literally any trope combo and I'd be into it.

This was my first [almost] step-sibling book... it was insta-love, which I don't usually love. But Sig + Chloe were AMAZING. I loved their instant chemistry. I loved that Chloe's naivete brought Sig's protective side out instantly. They both saw each other so clearly where it matters.

I adored Sig's desire to take care of Chloe. He really stepped up for her where it mattered. He took the burden of caring for her and figuring out how to make everything work, and followed every half-thought or idea she had and made her dreams come true. AND HE FREAKING CALLED HER DREAM GIRL WHILE HE DID IT.

Chloe had no idea how much Sig was giving up for her. Her feelings were just as strong as his, but she never pushed... until the tension was just too much.

I will say, the pacing in this one was so different. We time jump and bounce through time pretty quickly, but that pace allowed for the story to progress pretty quickly... we saw every day moments over the months of Sig's dad's engagement to Chloe's mom. Their friendship, although clouded in a lusty haze, was the foundation of everything.

Thank you so much to Avon for the eARC of this one! This book is out in January!

2.5 /5 stars.
I think I just need to accept that I'm not the biggest Tessa Bailey fan. If you are: I think you will love this. This is classic Tessa in every way: smutty, intense, dual POV, chemistry-laden romps with an overtly emotional 3rd act break up.
This follows the next pairing in her sport's series: Sig and Chloe. I actually liked Sig/Chloe in the Au Pair Affair: they had this sort of "will they won't they" thing going on as they were soon to be stepsiblings. Here they grapple with their careers (harpist/hockey player), their intense attraction and love for each other, and trying to balance what they can and can't have.
I think my biggest problem is this just isn't real stakes for me. You're STEP siblings. Does anyone actually care about that, especially ADULT step siblings? This isn't a blended family when you're children and deep rooted strange emotions get caught up: as adults, its practically meaningless. So it just felt really strange.
The smutty scenes are good. Really good. Still more intense then I tend to like, but really enjoyable.
But overall I just couldn't get into this beyond the sex and found myself skimming all over the place.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Avon and NetGalley!

Looking back at my reading history, I’ve read the majority of Tessa Bailey’s most recently released books, all with mixed results for me. One thing is for certain about a TB book: regardless of the quality of the story itself, she will always bring the spice. This one is no exception. 🌶🌶🌶/5 on the spice scale for sure.

This story follows Sig and Chloe, two characters whose romance was alluded to in the previous book in the Big Shots series, The Au Pair Affair. I actively disliked The Au Pair Affair but loved Fangirl Down, so this one was a risk for me!

Sig and Chloe’s romance begins as a meet-cute when Sig’s truck breaks down outside of Chloe’s family’s country club. They make a connection right away, but by the end of the night, they find out that their parents are getting married in six month’s time, and they are about to be step-siblings!

Sig is a professional hockey player living in Boston, and Chloe is a harp prodigy that dreams of making it in the big city. Chloe decides to impulsively follow Sig back to Boston the night they meet so she can try to be successful on her own without her family’s money supporting her. Here begin’s Sig and Chloe’s friendship.

This supposed friendship is where my problems with this book began. We are told that Sig and Chloe have become best friends in the months since Chloe moved to Boston, but we don’t actually see any of it. Months of character building flies by in approximately 5 pages, and it left me grieving for the delicious friends-to-lovers story that could have ensued. I suspect that this was likely intentional on TB’s part, and she probably really wanted to lean into the “future step-siblings” trope and how this would come to a head once Sig and Chloe finally realized that they were not “just friends” anymore instead of the actual friendship-building element? Anyways, drama ensues, and the conflict is resolved exactly how I predicted it would. The story ended up being perfectly fine and enjoyable enough.

I enjoyed a lot of the side characters in this book, and there were several moments that made me smile. My main grievance with this book comes down to weird pacing, and *POTENTIAL SPOILER AHEAD* for the love of god, can we please stop using a pregnancy as the only evidence of a HOA?

Overall thoughts on the Big Shots series thus far:
Fangirl Down: 4/5 stars
The Au Pair Affair: 2/5 stars
Dream Girl Drama: 3/5 stars

I’ll probably keep going with the series because they are fun light reads, and you can feel that Tessa Bailey is having a lot of fun writing sports romance.

Thanks again to Avon and NetGalley!

Thank you NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy!

Dream Girl Drama is the 3rd in Tessa Bailey’s sports romance series and it follows Sig (hockey player) and his insta-love connection with Chloe (harpist)

I did not enjoy this.
Here’s a few reasons why:
- insta-love. Like beyond anything insta-love should be.
- The insta-love didn’t develop much. It mostly did “behind the scenes” and we just had to take their word for it (a lot of telling not showing)
- The plot lol. Two adults find out they like each other and then they find out their parents are getting married. Who cares? You’re not 14 and going to be living in the same house. It’s not a crime.
- The way the MMC infantalizes the FMC is cringe. Just the infantalization of Chloe in general in this book (first by her mother and then by Sig). Like she’s never left her big giant mansion, doesn’t know how to drive, etc etc. and yes, Sig teachers her how to drive and do laundry and take the train but he still infantalizes her!
- After so long, how can the FMC continue to find more things to waste money on at Sephora? Eventually you have the whole store. It was such a weird thing for her to constantly be spending money on.
- Zero depth to the characters.
- The pacing of the book and jumps in time are jarring. I felt like there was actual minimal time that they’re interacting on page.

I think it’s clear I didn’t enjoy this one, which I’m sad about because I absolutely LOVED Fangirl Down and while the Au Pair Affair wasn’t my favorite, I still enjoyed it.

A must read for anyone that loves love.

I’ve never rooted so much against a couple because I was rooting so much for another.

It was a sweet, heart wrenching story of two soulmates destined to be together but couldn’t because they were to be related by marriage. They’d have to settle for being best friends. That only made it harder. They’d have to break all contact. And that when the tears began. My tears.

Being an english bulldog mom, I very much enjoyed the addition of Pierre. After being a constant companion to Chloe, I was sad that he just faded from the story and hoped he’d show up in the Epilogue.

Love love loved this book. I'm such a Tessa Bailey fan that I literally squealed aloud when I was approved for this ARC.

Chloe toes the line between sheltered rich girl and woman who wants independence. She is naïve enough to be believable but not so much that she's annoying. Sig is a dreamy overprotective suitor/future stepbrother.

Tessa Bailey has become an auto-read author for me. I will never say No to something that has come from her rom-com brain. Which is why I jumped at the chance to read and review an ARC of Dream Girl Drama.

Sig and Chloe have always been mysterious side characters in the Big Shots series, making appearances every now and then. I had big questions about their relationship! Sig was always described as her protector and Chloe came off as a bubbly, sweet rich girl.

Dream Girl Drama finally gave us their story and it was full of laughs, mutual pining and spicy romance scenes. It was everything I wanted for Sig’s story.

If you are a fan of protective MMC‘s who are down hard for their girl, then you need to read the Big Shot series. Fangirl Down & The Au Pair Affair should be read first for maximum enjoyment.

Dream Girl Drama draws you in from the first chapter with their meet cute. Sig and Chloe give off "the one" vibes right away. These two give the taboo step-sibling trope a run for it's money. The push and pull of their morals and trying to stay on the right side of the defined relationship was really touching to watch. These two characters create an incredibly intense bond while worrying about the other and the potential impacts. I enjoyed Tessa's depiction of the selfishness of those closest to Chloe and Sig as well as showing the strong bonds of friendship they had outside of their parents. It made Chloe and Sig struggle to maintain their boundaries that much more intense to read. Sig is top of the line MMC with the way he takes care of Chloe and her needs. I do wish the story had a little bit more of the history on Sig's mom's background although the lack of focus on her made me really feel an absentee parent vibe.

I absolutely hate to give a Tessa Bailey book anything less than four stars, but this one isn’t for me. Her writing itself was just as great as I expected, but the timeline threw me off. Reading the beginning, all the way up to “now”, felt like I was sprinting the whole time. Even though the parents said they were getting married in eight months, yet the chapters continued to jump to thirteen months ahead and still talked about the wedding in future tense. There were many cringy moments that I wish I could get past. I think if I had read the books leading up to this one and had an emotional connection to Sig and Chloe then I would have enjoyed this more.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC!!

4.5 stars —> rounded up to 5 for the burn!

Tessa returns with Sig and Chloe, two characters we met in Au Pair Affair. As the couple navigate their desires pending the marriage that will make them step-siblings, we get to come along for a very angsty ride.

While Sig’s dirty talk is nowhere near as feral as Wells’s, I found the anticipation and fast burn of this one totally worth the read.