Thank you Avon & Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC!

I am forever a Tessa Bailey fan and was SO excited to get approved for this ARC! I binged the first two in this series and devoured this one. I was genuinely curious how this story would end, because the solution was not clear. I loved it!

Thank you again for the ARC!

This is honestly the only palatable way to do a stepbrother trope. They are both adults the entire time, they were not raised as siblings, they meet before they know they’ll be siblings. They obviously make the stepbrother trope into a big thing for the plot, but I don’t think the trope is my problem with the book. I think that, while not a trope I enjoy, the trope was palatable even as a major plot point because we saw how it all came about. The writing is where I was kinda let down by it all. This was lust not love or romance, and that made the dynamic very odd and really limited the characters and the plot cause we had no page time to do anything but lust. I think we had a lot of potential here to build out some interesting characters and the stepbrother plot could’ve been fine if we just stopped thinking about sex for two seconds.

I was really interested in Chloe’s relationship with her mom. The dynamic was unhealthy but interesting and probably her most relatable character trait. It felt like it really had the potential to grow into a great plot point and character development if it had just been given a bit more page time. I wish we’d seen more of their dynamic. Similarly, I wish we’d gotten more about Harvey and Sig’s relationship not just centric on Sig trying to break up the parents because that felt like it could’ve added a lot of depth to Sig. There was a lot of potential if we’d just set aside the lust and “it’s so wrong but it feels so right” vibes that Sig and Chloe were giving off for at least a couple pages because that got a bit repetitive and it took so much of the page count that I wanted to be spent developing them.

All of this will they won’t they have sex, Will they won’t they get caught, meant we had no time to see them grow and Chloe basically remains intolerable the whole book and Sig remains a caveman the whole book. It’s meh.

Tessa Bailey does it again with Dream Girl Drama! Sig and Chloe's hard fought romance will have you swooning in no time.

I have been (im)patiently waiting on Sig & Chloe's story, and it definitely lived up to all my expectations. Dream Girl Drama had the perfect amount of pining, swoon, and spice! I loved the chemistry and banter between Chloe & Sig and oh my goodness, the tension was the cherry on top. In typical Tessa Bailey fashion, she did not disappoint!

Read this one if you like:
🏒 Hockey Romance
❤️ Forbidden Romance
✨ InstaLove
🌶 Spicy, Open-Door Romance

It’s always a treat returning to beloved characters! Tessa Bailey writes the most wonderful love stories, sprinkled with the perfect amount of messy romance to make you can’t stop reading 😂 Dream girl drama was filled with just the right amount of swoon worthy, (very forbidden haha) romance & the absolutely undeniable chemistry between characters that we’ve come to love from Tessa!

I hope you guys enjoy this one as much as i did!

I was so thrilled to get the ARC for Dream Girl Drama! Thank you NetGalley and Avon!

I enjoyed this latest installment of Big Shots from Tessa Bailey, although it's still no Fangirl Down (and I didn't like Au-Pair Affair at all). Dream Girl Drama focuses on Sig from APA and Chloe, who start out as two strangers meeting, then predictably sparks fly, and then they learn they’re about to become step-siblings.

The chemistry between Chloe and Sig was great, but felt more like lust than love, and their relationship developed at an unrealistically fast pace. Sig’s “princess treatment” of Chloe initially seemed sweet, but he was obsessive and controlling. And Chloe’s extreme naivety and privileged detachment from reality—like spending rent money on eye cream—made it hard to connect with her. But they were both so for each other that they ultimately were likeable.

The spice was top notch as usual, fingers in butts and all!

Dream Girl Drama is book 3 in the Big Shots series. Readers are introduced to Sig and Chloe in previous books, however, you do not need to read books 1 or 2 to read this book. So if you would like a fun, quick read about forbidden love and hockey, then jump right in.

- Forbidden romance
- Sports romance
- Future step siblings
- Possessive MMC


We are introduced to Sig and Chloe when they first meet. Their chemistry is electric and they know they are meant for one another. They each depart to go to a dinner, where they soon realize they are soon to be step siblings. As the drama unfolds, we learn more about Sig and Chloe. Sig is hard working, hockey player trying to get officially signed on the team so he can take care of his mother. Seriously, who doesn't love a professional athlete that had a rough upbringing and just wanting to do right by the woman who raised them? Chloe, on the other hand, grew up in a well-to-do household and was a child prodigy of the harp. These two could not be more opposite on that front. Sig's character obviously wants to take care of his dream girl, Chloe, even if it make things harder for himself. Chloe then comes off as child-like and a bit annoying. She is quite helpless in literally everything. Despite this, there are a few cute, romantic moments that melt my heart and I ended up rooting for the characters, hoping they would find a way to be together in the end.

Overall, I found Dream Girl Drama to be a quick, cute read that kept me entertained, even if I was frustrated at some points.

Some things I did not enjoy:
Sig's father is estranged and they don't have a great relationship. Why did he even invite Sig to dinner with him? In fact, I didn't like any family member in this book.
I did not enjoy the 'twist' ending. I found it predictable and it almost ruined the entire book for me.
The characters aren't relatable and there isn't much of a romance. They have the chemistry, but there isn't much build-up or slow burn. What do they see in each other?

This is the first book I've read by this author and I have to say I struggled with rating it. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the story as a whole I did struggle with the main story trope of "forbidden love". The FMC is a child prodigy harpist and the MMC is a star hockey player. The focus is that the two main characters meet at a golf club and have instant attraction/lust. Then two hours later they find out her mother and his father are getting married. This will result in them being step-siblings in a few months. My issue is 1. The FMC is 25 years old and the MMC is 29 years old and they have never met before that day, 2. they had no previous relationship and were not raised together in the same household, 3. They are both consenting adults. If they had been raised together and developed feelings then I could see the "forbidden love" trope as believable, but not in how this story was written. If the author had written this book with family drama getting in the way of their relationship minus that trope then I would have found this book more enjoyable. I know that the other factor for the trope was public perception and the risk to their careers but a press statement probably would have been sufficient and might have added to the believability of the story line. I really wanted to give this book 4 or more stars but I could not get past this issue, in my opinion.

Having said all that I do like this author's writing style and her character development as well as her side characters and I will read more books by her. I gave the book 3 stars as I know some will disagree with my opinion and feel like the story and trope was done well. Most everything else about the book I enjoyed. I just wish that trope had been written differently or at least only a minor trope of the book.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon Books and the author Tessa Bailey for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I get excited every time Tessa Bailey writes a book. Even though this one wasn't my favorite in the series, I seriously loved it. The TENSION in this one, the STAKES. We get real conflict! I love it!

I really enjoyed this cute/ “forbidden” romance. I love the step sibling trope and this was no exception. Sig was definitely my favorite character. He was obsessed with his girl and wasn’t afraid to show it. Another great addition to this series!

After meeting his dream girl, Chloe, NHL superstar Sig Gauthier realizes they can't be together since she is soon to be his step-sister.

Tessa Bailey is a master of the spicy romcom. Here's what I liked in this one:

Chloe: She was a really good character. She has a whole personal journey she goes on along with the romance with Sig. She decides to be more independent and live her life the way she wants to. I was rooting for her the entire time.

Sig: He's such a book boyfriend. I loved the way he was devoted to Chloe. He would literally do anything for her.

The spice: Bailey is the queen of the spicy romcom and she hits a lot of high notes on this one!

The only thing that I was iffy on was the conflict of being step-siblings. I get being concerned but I didn't find it to be that big of a deal. However, I still really liked this!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

4.75✨ 3.5🌶️

aaaaaaaaaaand tessa does it again!!!! truly the only author who can write an insta-love story and make me FERAL for it. sig and chloe are everything to me. the yearning…the pining…the TENSION…the LOVE between these two…UNMATCHED. i genuinely couldn’t put this down.

sig is so incredibly down bad from the second he hears her voice, and you know what…that’s how it should be! chloe is also the cutest and i love her character development throughout this. she is literally just a girl and that’s so real. watching these two love each other so much but try to stay away was both amazing and so painful. the outcome was so worth the slow burn though. i love these two pure souls so much, and im so excited for everyone to read their story when it’s out next year.

the biggest thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC. even after ive read it im still in shock and so grateful that i was given the opportunity to read one of my favorite author’s latest release early. 😭🩷

Dream Girl Drama had so much potential to be an amazing read but sadly left me disappointed. I loved Fan Girl and The Au Pair Affair so I had high expectations coming into this one. I thought the premise had a ton of potential: two strangers meet, sparks fly and they are crushing hard on each other, and then see each other again at a dinner only to find out that they are going to be future step-siblings. I immediately was intrigued by that and was curious where this was going to go. I lost interest within a few chapters for many reasons and I contemplated DNFing the story more than once but I chose not to because I needed to know what happens in this story between our two main characters. I will say as I type this review that the insta-love trope is one I personally am not a fan of! 😤😤😤 If you love insta-love your thoughts on this perhaps will differ from my own. Sig and Chloe meet and they fall in love with each other instantaneously which is honestly shocking to me considering they only just met that night! 🙀🙀🙀 I can understand them feeling sparks and having a crush on each other but full-fledged love is way too soon. I also think that Chloe is incredibly childish and I wasn’t able to relate to her at all. She didn’t even realize that things cost money until she moved to Boston?! 🤯🤯🤯 I mean I get that she was sheltered her whole life so I understand her being naive but that was baffling. Another thing that infuriated me was the fact that Chloe spent the money that Sig specifically gave her to pay her rent for her apartment on $700 worth of eye-cream from Sephora! 🙄🙄🙄 Something I did enjoy about the story was all of the family drama. There was lots of this in the story and I thought the twists involved with that were fun to read. I also enjoyed the side characters and the super cute dog! 🐶 This book clearly was not my cup of tea but if you enjoy instalove, future step-siblings, forbidden love, family drama and Tessa Bailey books then I recommend giving this book a try anyway! 🫶

This book started off really good and was very promising at the start. Even though it was insta-love.....
I really liked the first encounter with our main characters and the chemistry they had together. Unfortunately, this book started to grow bland and like an old soap opera, with huge overdramatic things happening when they found out they were going to be step-siblings soon. I really liked how our male main character treated and spoiled our female main character. It was really cute and fun to read. But Chloe just seemed too childlike with her childish behaviors, and the things she would do just reminded me of someone way younger than she was supposed to be.....
Very odd. I was pretty surprised by the twist at the end and definitely didn't expect it. The romance was kind of lacking past the first half of the book which was a bit disappointing. This book just wasn't for me personally.

The angst and pining were palpable, but I wish that they had a resolution before the last few chapters. After they had been through the thick of it trying to shove their feelings down, I just wanted MORE for their happy ending.

From the little hints we got in the previous book, I was so ready to read Sig and Chloe’s book. “Dream Girl Drama” is a flirty, romantic and dreamy forbidden-ish hockey romance that I loved so much.

Sig is a professional hockey player and when going to visit his father, his truck breaks down and then his phone dies. Lucky for him he breaks down in front of a posh country club but the staff won’t let him in to charge his phone. And he last expects his dream girl to come to his rescue and say that he’s an old friend of hers. Chloe Clifford is a harp prodigy with a big heart and a sense of adventure. The chemistry between them is instant but the time is limited as both have places to be. And both are shocked to see each other as the same party and they find out that they’re going to step-siblings. Sig is determined to keep his dream girl in his life so he moves her to Boston with him and their relationship moves to best friend status even though they both still have feelings for each other.

I loved Sig and Chloe so much and I really enjoyed their story. There’s more to them than just them becoming step-siblings. They had an instant connection and I could feel it the moment they met. I did laugh at their first meeting and how Chloe was. She’s fun, caring and just wants to have the best life she can. Chloe came from money and was sheltered by her mother but her zest for life is something that I loved about her. Sig has so many green flags and had me swooning more than once. I could tell from the beginning how much he cared for Chloe and even though they couldn’t be together as a couple, he took care of her as his best friend. The tension and chemistry between them was delicious and I loved the slow burn teasing of them finally giving into their feelings. There are circumstances that kept them apart but Sig was not letting that come between them. I loved his determination on figuring out a way for them to be together and I did not see the plot twist of how it was going to work coming. The ending was so romantic and the perfect way to wrap up their story.

I'm generally a no-drama kind of person, so if it weren't for the fact that I've enjoyed Tessa Bailey books in the past, the title of the book alone would have had me taking a hard pass. I'm glad I gave it a shot, though, because the author fully delivered on her reputation for fun and spicy reads!

Professional hockey player Sig lucks into meeting the girl of his dreams when his rusty old truck breaks down at a ritzy country club. Instant sparks fly — that is, until the two discover that their previously-single parents are now engaged to each other. Suddenly, it's hands-off for these future siblings-in-law, but taking control of their hands doesn't mean they have any control over their hearts. Recognizing that Chloe is The One, Sig is determined to find a way for them to be together. Can he break up the impending marriage of their parents and ensure they won't be related? Can they be together without it affecting his career or hers?

While there were some moments that I found Chloe a teensy bit grating due to her entitlement and naiivety, I think that's because you're *supposed* to find those traits irritating. It sets the stage for some satisfying character growth in the end. And, yes, Sig's utter devotion to Chloe borders on toxic, but thankfully the author has Chloe calling him out on that at times. It's refreshing to see a doe-eyed female lead not completely enamored by this domination, able instead to assert her independence in romance even when she's learning to be independent in other areas of her life.

Read if you like:
Instalove
"She's mine"
"Your wish is my command"
Protective devotion
Quirky and spontaneous female leads
Serious but warmhearted male leads
Open-door spicy scenes

Big thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager, NetGalley, and Tessa Bailey for an advance copy of this book for honest review.

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for an ARC of Dream Girl Drama! I have mixed feelings about this book. First I love that they both acknowledge the insanity of their instalust/love, however both main characters are insane and sometimes insufferable. First Chloe has lived in such a bubble that she doesn't understand to pay her rent on time repeatedly, spending the money on eye creams instead. Note this money isn't even hers and she knows that. She acts like moving away from her mother is making her independent but she relies on Sig for literally everything.
Sig is an overprotective, manipulative crazy man. He bought all the strawberry pop tarts in a 10 block radius of her apartment so she would need him or so he could swoop in as the pop tart hero.

Sig (a frugal hockey player with an upcoming contract renewal) and Chloe (a sheltered harp prodigy) find love at a country club after Sig's car breaks down on his way to dinner with his gold digger dad, said dad's new conquest, and her daughter.

Little does he know that his dad's new conquest's daughter is actually Chloe. Cue Sig and Chloe dancing around their newfound relationship (step-siblings!) while also dealing with their budding feelings. How taboo.

Anyone who read the previous Big Shots book (me!) got some delicious glimpses of Sig and Chloe. I immediately wanted more. And boy did this book provide!

Sig and Chloe are a protective boyfriend lovers wet dream. They are swoon worthy.

This is by far the best book in the entire trilogy, and the previous books were the best Tessa Bailey books I've read! An impressive feat to beat all of those that came before.

Tessa Bailey knocks it out of the park EVERY SINGLE TIME. I've given all books in this series five stars so far and I don't see that stopping anytime soon. Her books have the most wonderfully possessive and protective men that will do ANYTHING for their girl and I eat it up every time. The spice? Incredible. Sig is the top tier book boyfriend and I love how he loves Chloe. These two have my entire heart. I will be rereading this entire series for the rest of my life. I cannot get enough of Tessa Bailey and her brain.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.