🔎 ARC Review

Ending 2024 with a BANG 😏

Dream Girl Drama

Big Shots #3

Publication Date:February 4th, 2025

@tessabaileyisanauthor
@avonbooks
@netgalley

My Rating:
🌟 5/5

📚 Read If You Like:
Forbidden Love
Hockey Romance
Future Siblings?? 😉

When professional hockey player Sig Gauthier’s car breaks down and his phone dies, he treks into a posh private country club to call a tow truck, where he encounters the alluring Chloe Clifford, the manic pixie dream girl who captivates him immediately with her sense of adventure and penchant for stealing champagne.

Sparks fly during a moonlight kiss and the enamored pair can’t wait to see each other again, but when Sig finally arrives to meet his dad’s new girlfriend over dinner, Chloe is confusingly also there. Turns out the girlfriend is Chloe’s mother. Oh, and they’re engaged.

Sig’s dream girl is his future stepsister.

Though the pair is now wary of being involved romantically, Chloe, a sheltered harp prodigy, yearns to escape her controlling mother. Sig promises to teach her the ins and outs of independence in Boston—but not inside his bedroom. They both know there can never be more than friendship between a famous hockey player and his high-society, soon-to-be stepsister. But keeping their relationship platonic grows harder amid the developing family drama, especially knowing they were meant for so much more…

🔎 My review
I have loved Sig since he was first introduced in the series and I am so glad he got his own time to shine! Sig is a giant teddy bear deep down and I love the way that his character developed after meeting Chloe and I loved watching Chloe be the independent woman she should be. I was screaming at the book for them to be together and was so frustrated 😠 for them. You will have to read to find out what happens 😏🌶🔥. I cannot wait for book 4 and see Robbie and Skylar ⚾️. So excited to finish 2024 with a Home Run!!!


Thank you @tessabaileyisanauthor, @avonbooks, @netgalley for the ARC ❤️

#books #bookreviews #bookstagrammer #bookworm #bookstagram #bookobsessed #romance #tessabailey #avonbooks #DreamGirlDrama #NetGalley #siggauthier #bigshots #hockeyromance #spicyromance #smut

Dream Girl Drama is a fun, fast-paced spicy sports romance. When Sig and Chloe meet, there's an undeniable spark between them—only to discover that their parents are about to get married, complicating their developing attraction. The decision to remain close friends causes lots of tension, longing, and angst between them. The chemistry is 🔥 It’s very insta love/lust so there really isn’t much of a relationship development. At least there’s an unexpected twist at the end.

♥️Forbidden romance
🏒Professional hockey player/harpist
♥️Opposites attract
🏒Love at first sight
♥️Spicy 🌶️🌶️
🏒Friends to lovers

Oh thank heavens we finally get to read Sig and Chloe's story! Eeeep! Their characters from Au Pair Affair needed their own book & Tessa Bailey did not disappoint!!

Our adorable story begins as an ideal, picture perfect romance...that quickly turns into a forbidden love, thanks to their parents' surprise wedding. Despite the hurdles they've been faced with, Sig and Chloe's chemistry cannot be tamed and I was DEVOURING it! Playful banter, sexual tension, and realistic emotional moments were perfectly intertwined as their story unfolds.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager | Avon for the opportunity to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinions!

I really love Tessa Bailey so this pains me, but I'm giving this book 2 stars, it was really really slow and I wanted to DNF it several times.

Dream Girl Drama
(Big Shots #3)
Tessa Bailey
Pub: 2/4/25
4☆

When professional hockey player Sig Gauthier’s car breaks down and his phone dies, he treks into a posh private country club to call a tow truck, where he encounters the alluring Chloe Clifford, the manic pixie dream girl who captivates him immediately with her sense of adventure and penchant for stealing champagne.

Sparks fly during a moonlight kiss and the enamored pair can’t wait to see each other again, but when Sig finally arrives to meet his dad’s new girlfriend over dinner, Chloe is confusingly also there. Turns out the girlfriend is Chloe’s mother. Oh, and they’re engaged.

Sig’s dream girl is his future stepsister.

My thoughts:
If you’re in the mood for a steamy, forbidden love romance with that TB steam and dirty talk we all know and love, look no further. Chloe and Sig’s story sucked me in right from the get go and then BAM step siblings card drops. Even though I knew it was coming, it still surprised me.😆 While this wasn’t my favorite of the series (that honor still goes to Wells and Josephine) it was still a bingy good time full of stolen champagne, family drama, off the charts chemistry, and one era I will never tire of … hockey romance.

What I enjoyed;
🏒 Hockey Romance
🏒 MN References
🏒 Taboo/Forbidden Love
🏒 Insta Love
🏒 TB Steam & Dirty Talk
🏒 Other Big Shots Cameos

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this one!

After LOVING the first in the series and disliking the second, I was nervous about the third book.
However, I was pleasantly surprised by this one! I enjoyed it and was excited based on the glimpses from previous novels. I really enjoyed how Tessa went back and showed us the relationship from the start rather than picking up from the current timeline. Solid 4 stars out of 5, I am very intrigued for the next book! Especially after Tessa's title drop!!

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for feedback.

I’m waffling on whether this book is a 2 or 3 star book! I really liked the chemistry between Sig and Chloe. I think this is one of the rare TB books where there is a very strong emotional connection but the whole “future step siblings” storyline was weird. It felt like if they were so devoted to each other they could’ve just issued a press release explains the situation and then continued their relationship rather then drag it out for 80% of the book.

The other part I struggled with was the spice. Do not get me wrong, I love a good spicy scene and TB writes some of the best, but the spicy dialogue in this book was so cringey!! It felt like a frat boy wrote those scenes using phrases that he thinks sounds sexy. It kind of ruined those scenes for me because of all the corny sex talk.

Those points aside the book was good. Sig was a tad over jealous at points but that’s kind of standard in romance novels these days so I personally wouldn’t avoid a book just for that.

Wasn’t my favorite book to read. Not of fan of love at first sight (aka I see her and immediately fucking her in public). The book did grow on me at the end especially with the baseball brawl scene.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC of Dream Girl Drama.

I was absolutely thrilled when I was approved to read this book. Having previously been obsessed with Fan Girl Down but not quite as enamored with The Au Pair Affair, I wasn't sure what to expect from Tessa Bailey's latest release. However, Dream Girl Drama exceeded my expectations and turned out to be an incredibly enjoyable read that I simply couldn't put down.

The MMC is incredibly swoon-worthy and perfect, while the FMC is utterly adorable. Their chemistry is palpable, and their interactions kept me engaged from start to finish. Tessa Bailey has a knack for creating characters that feel real and relatable, and this book is no exception.

In true Tessa Bailey fashion, Dream Girl Drama is a quick and easy must-read. I am eagerly anticipating the next book in this series!

Overall, Dream Girl Drama is a delightful addition to Tessa Bailey's collection, and I highly recommend it to fans of her work and new romance readers alike.

As a fan of Tessa Bailey, I was so excited to dive into Dream Girl Drama. The premise sounded fantastic, and I was eager to see how everything would unfold between Callie and Beckett. Beckett’s character was such a highlight for me—he’s charming, layered, and so easy to root for. However, I found myself getting frustrated with Callie at times. While she had her moments, there were parts where her actions and decisions felt repetitive or overly dramatic.

One thing I felt was missing was more focus on the hockey element. Beckett’s hockey career is such a big part of his life, but it didn’t feel as central to the story as I expected. A bit more of that would have added depth and made the book feel more cohesive as a sports romance.

That said, the chemistry between Callie and Beckett was undeniable, and the banter Tessa Bailey is known for delivered in spades. While Dream Girl Drama wasn’t my favorite of her books, it was still an enjoyable read and worth picking up if you’re a fan of hers or just love a steamy romance with a dash of sports.

This met my expectations, but unfortunately my expectations were rather low. There was planty of tension to keep me turning the page - the main characters don't get together until 70% in, and I had to know how they got out of the whole we-may-be-related-by-marriage-soon situation. But I craved more character growth and reasons to believe why they felt so strongly for eachother (besides being extremely hot and talented). No one does spice like Tessa Bailey, but there were so many things that had me scratching my head:

-Sig is a walking red flag of possessiveness and jealousy?
-Chloe is literally a manic pixie dream girl?
-They got together immediately after confirming their relationship would jeopardize professions they've spent their entire lives working toward?!
-Sig drops that he wants to get married and have children, preceded by no conversation about what Chloe wants, and Chloe doesn't bat an eye?!

I've been obsessed with this series since I first read (and reread) Fangirl Down. Book 2 got me very excited to learn Sig and Chloe's story, and WOW it did not disappoint! It's hard to rival my love for Fangirl Down, but this does it!

This book is everything you want in a sports romance: romantic with lots of sexual tension, saucy, and has lots of hot hockey players. Chloe is a fun and relatable heroine that you will love to learn more about if you've enjoyed meeting her in The Au Pair Affair. Her journey from an heiress striking out on her own with the help of Sig is inspiring and speaks to any woman who's ever had zero clue about what she's doing but figured it out along the way through pure drive, trial, and error. Sig is a protective, romantic love interest, and I enjoyed discovering the truth behind his parentage and how this affects his relationship with the love of his life.

Read this book if you love:
- Sports Romance
- Insta Love- but with lots of complications!
- Pining & Complex Romances
- Struggling but Determined FMCs
- Protective Male Love Interests

Very few authors do a man obsessed like Tessa Bailey does. And Sig is the textbook definition of a man obsessed. And Chloe is just as obsessed with Sig as he is with her.

This book is higher on what I’m calling sweet angst, and high tension. The entire book I was on the edge of my seat waiting for them to get together and live their happily ever after!

For me, the problem lied with I just had a hard time connecting with the FMC. (For example, she spent her months rent that Sig gave her, on multiple face creams a few days before rent was due…. And just figured she could sweet talk her landlord into giving her a few extra days to pay it.)

Like all Tessa Bailey books, I loved this one. Finally, getting Sig and Chole's story was amazing. It was a bit heart-wrenching at times, but it was mixed with a whole lot of spice, some very funny bits, and, of course, one hell of a love story. I loved that the story started back when they actually met, so we got to see the whole story of their relationship unfolding. Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC. 5 stars.

Very cute slow burn hockey romance. Loved the chemistry and relationship between Sig and Chloe. He was so supportive in letting Chloe figure out how to be her own person and survive in Boston. Definitely teared up a bit towards the end. Such a good book to end the year on.

Have enjoyed this series thus far and liked hearing Sig’s story. Sometimes it was too much ‘will they or won’t they’ but ultimately enjoyed the happy ending and epilogue.

Thank you, Netgalley and Tessa Bailey, for the opportunity to e-ARC read this book!

I will preface this by saying that I love Tessa Bailey and have always enjoyed her books! This book was a hit with some misses for me.

Hit:
Hot damn 🥵 the tension between Sig and Chloe could be cut with a knife in this book. The yearning, the going over the moon for her, just *swoon*

The spice was SPOICEY. I was surprised by the amount of spice in the book honestly, but you won't find me complaining about it!

Plot line was fun, almost taboo, Chloe and Sig are step-siblings to be, and after a whirlwind of an introduction, they are inseparable. Sig helps Chloe reestablish herself in a new city while she begins her career as a harpist, harper, harpey... whatever they are called. She's a prodigy and is incredibly talented! Sig is a professional hockey player and does side hustles, just to make sure Chloe has everything she wants or needs, which is just amazing!

Tbh, I am someone who never sees a plot twist coming, and that pattern continued with this book! I had a lot of fun reading this book!

Miss:
Chloe annoyed me. Maybe I want more substance to my FMC, but I tend to not be a fan of the damsel in distress of sorts. She has lived a very high social-standard of living, but I felt like she lacked something.

I enjoyed this book and I enjoy Tessa Bailey's writing, if I want an easy to read book with spice, plot, banter, and a little bit of everything in between, then I love to pick up one of hers!

I wanted to like this more than I did, because in the previous book of the series they were side characters and I was *so* interested in their deal. Their chemistry was on fire and I was wanting them to be together 100%

My issues -

It’s built up as a huge potentially career ending scandal if Sig had a relationship with his potential future stepsister Chloe, and that’s the entire reason they’re struggling to stay apart even though they’re massively interested/attracted to each other
But they aren’t even step siblings yet, their parents are just dating - and besides that they met *before* their parents introduced their relationship in the first place.

In the real world this would not be a massive scandal.
This is barely a fluff PR piece on a slow news day.

Also, Sig is refusing to date her, even as she throws herself at him, but also won’t let anyone other men talk to her, let alone date her. Scares other guys away, manipulating her to agree to not give anyone else her number and then deleting contacts of men she had talked to
I just … don’t like that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper voyager for the arc

Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey
Book 3 in Big Shots Series
⭐️⭐️ 2/5 Stars

I had so much hope for this book, however it wasn't for me. I loved the first book in this series and struggled with book two but hoped book three would turn it around for me and it did not. Their meet cute in the beginning of this book was so fun and it was a good start to the romance. Then quickly the twist of them going to be future stepsiblings is thrown at them halting any romance between these two. However, it does not stop them from growing closer and being there for each other whenever they need one another. In the beginning, I did think it was sweet how Sig wanted to spoil Chloe and give her everything but it quickly got annoying for me. I did not like how the FMC was written at all. Chloe was portrayed as an idiot. She wasn't able to do anything on her own and just kept spending all of Sig's money. Then the whole issue in the book of them being future stepsiblings so they can't date is just weird to me. They are adults who did not grow up together and their parents are not married yet only just recently engaged, so why can't they date? It seemed like a nonissue to me. I did finish the book but only because I was curious type of twist would happen at the end to get to the HEA and the twist only annoyed me more. I would not recommend this book. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC copy but this book unfortunately wasn't for me.

Suspend some belief and maybe a bit of common sense to enjoy Dream Girl Drama. The instant love story is funny, sweet, and spicy. Sig is a talented hockey player who falls hard and quickly for the sheltered protégé harpist, Chloe. The one issue is their parents are to be wed to one another. With Sig and Chloe's high-profile lives, a step-sibling romance is out of the question. The two fight their feelings but eventually give in to the attraction felt between them. As consequences become more serious, they decide to call off their intense romance. But after a series of all-to-neat revelations, the two find their happy ever after.
I thought the story was fun and funny in spots. The intensity of their feelings was a bit much for me and the ending wrapped up too quickly and neatly in my opinion. But I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to other spicy romance lovers.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.