We Love a Hockey Man Simping for his Woman!
5
Dream Girl Drama Book Cover Dream Girl Drama
Big Shots (Book 3)
Tessa Bailey
Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy, Sports Romance
Avon
February 4th, 2025
ebook, paperback, audiobook
318

A steamy chance encounter between a professional hockey player and the manic pixie dream girl he just can’t seem to forget takes a turn when the pair realize that their parents are engaged—in an all-new rom-com by #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey.

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…

“Let me ask you something. What is the point of being labeled a prodigy if I have to practice all the time? Doesn’t prodigy mean I just get to show up and be amazing?”

Does the Hive collectively fangirl over Tessa Bailey? Yes, absolutely and without doubt we all simp for Tessa. Would that mean that we should refrain from gushing publicly about our love of Tessa? Never ever. How dare you suggest that!? Dream Girl Drama is the latest in the Big Shots series from Tessa Bailey—a spicy, interconnected standalone series featuring hunky sports players in unconventional situations. Think a bad boy golfer, a terrifying marshmallow of a goalie, and now a forbidden romance for a rags to riches hockey man.  Spoiler Alert: I freaking loved Sig and Chloe’s borderline forbidden romance and I’m about to tell you all why I did.

Hockey Slapshots gifs via tenor

Sig is a simple man. He lives for hockey, he takes care of his mother, he knows the value of the “things” of life, and he is 100% absolutely gone for Chloe Clifford. This is why the girlies read Tessa Bailey. Not only does she write scrumptious bad boys, but she makes them salivate and surrender to the women in their life in a way that if we had a button to make a fictional man real, every Tessa Bailey fangirl would be hard-pressed to choose just one of her men. In a nutshell, Chloe is a lucky lady. However, luck is not on Sig and Chloe’s side. Chloe’s overbearing mother and Sig’s rakish father have fallen in love and have surprised their kids with the news of their impending marriage. Both Sig and Chloe find themselves attempting to stay away from each other and  go to great lengths to try to deny their ever-present feelings, but when they are as closely entwined as a non-couple couple could be, how can they make it work? It’s all so precarious. Their public lives cannot survive a “step-siblings in love” headline.

Harp gif by Ajeet via giphy

“Maybe you should listen to Gretzky…” With her conversation with Tallulah ringing in her ears, Chloe went up on her toes and whispered against Sig’s chin, “And take a shot.” 

Is this a forbidden romance? Yes and no. That’s tricky to break down. I promise if you get the ick from step-sibling situations, you’re in good hands with Tessa. Dream Girl Drama encompasses everything in the title. The drama of “will it work out”? Will Sig be able to land his dream girl and have everything he ever wanted only for that  very drama to get in the way. Chloe is a sheltered prodigy harpist whose mother reminds me way too much of Jennifer Coolidge’s stepmother performance from A Cinderella Story than I’m comfortable with it being. But Tessa makes it work and that’s why I adore her storytelling.  Chloe’s arc is one of transformation, and finding inner strength. She becomes the beautiful butterfly we all want her to be, and with a sweet Pierre sidekick to help her.  We are all here for the drama, the swoon, and the spice.

Dream Girl Drama lives up to every single one of my expectations. While reading, I had one of my fellow Bestie Bees, Val, gushing about how much she adored Sig. In fact, she said that “Dream Girl Drama is the book I’ve been waiting for since I fell in love with Tessa Bailey’s It Happened One Summer”. If you know Val, then you know that’s the highest praise ever in the Tessa-verse.

“Pretty?” He shook his head. “I’d spit on a man for calling you pretty. You’re extraordinary. The first and last of your kind.” 

Available everywhere today, Dream Girl Drama is the perfect read to warm yourself up for all of those Valentine’s Day vibes or if you need an escape from reality. You absolutely need to get your own copy. Trust me. Sig and Chloe need you all to meet Pierre. Happy Release Day, Tessa! We love you!

—The Hive Bees