A review by gnomepatronus
Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

3.25

Okay, let’s drop the puck on this review because I really wanted this book to be a 5-star hat trick that lit the lamp and made me cheer like I was in a playoff game. But instead? The first 75% was like watching your team pass the puck around without ever shooting—frustrating, slow, and leaving me questioning all my life choices. THEN the ending came along, hit me with a breakaway goal, and salvaged the game. It was enough to make the book a solid read, but I won’t be throwing my jersey over it anytime soon. (Yes, I googled hockey references…LOL, I am becoming a good hockey reader..LOL)

Chloe, our rich-girl FMC, starts out so extra she could be Paris Hilton’s stunt double on The Simple Life.Actually, I think Paris and Nicky had more sense than our girl Chloe! Seriously, this girl doesn’t know what money is, what things cost, or how to function without a personal assistant. She’s also a musical prodigy so she’s never worked for anything in her life. The first 30% of the book? I wanted to force her into a Budgeting 101 class and say, “Honey, get it together.” BUT, her absolute cluelessness gave her plenty of room for growth (and I mean PLENTY)…eventually turning her into an actual human I could root for.

Then there’s Sig. Sweet, bossy, budget friendly, lovable, overworked Sig. He’s a professional hockey player with the energy of “I don’t need it..” He supports his mom, drives a truck that breaks down more often than my willpower in the snack aisle, and lives in an apartment so shabby it looks like Goodwill did a charity drop. He’s gruff, rough around the edges, and basically the anti-Chloe in every way. And ends up supporting her so she can move to the same city as him. (As in, paying for rent in a luxury apartment, and giving her extra money. Yes, part is self-serving, but still..he is going to go broke to support her)

Now, the forbidden romance? A definite bright spot! It didn’t feel too over-the-top, and the tension between Chloe and Sig was palpable. But here’s the problem: Chloe’s childish behavior lasted too long,and Sig? The poor guy needed a little more balance. They were written so exaggeratedly to fit their archetypes that I couldn’t fully connect with them until they both hit their character development glow-ups. Just as I was getting into it, they backslid into over-the-top clichés.

This is one of those books where readers are either going to LOVE it or leave it. For me? It’s a “read it once, chuck it in the penalty box, and move on” kind of situation. (Did you see I got another hockey reference in there)

BUT, credit where it’s due: the ending did tie things up nicely, and if you’re a fan of forbidden romance, character growth arcs, or hockey hunks with trucks older than dirt, you might enjoy it more than I did. As for me, I’ll stick to pretend screaming at hockey games and leaving Chloe and Sig to work out their issues on their own ice.