Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey on January 29, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, Fiction / Romance / Sports, Fiction / Women
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
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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…
The chemistry between these two was extreme. I don’t know that it felt like love, more like lust. And Chloe seemed so helpless at times that it became a little annoying and was off base. Sig was doing everything for her and getting nothing in return. To me, it made Sig’s character seem less of a man. I am a huge Tessa Bailey fan, but this one was outside of my ability to understand. I think some people will really enjoy this book, but it was just so-so for me. What I loved the most about these two was how they were genuinely best friends. It was a slow burn romance that it really gave them the opportunity to become close.
I rated this novel 3.5 stars. If you watched Clueless and rooted for Cher and Josh to get together, this book is for you. It’s very much your stereotypical Bailey novel. Is it the best book I’ve ever read? No, but did I have a great time reading it? Absolutely, and that’s par for the course when it comes to Bailey’s books, and I’ll keep eating them up every time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Publishing for the advanced reader copy of this spicy romance.