Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

Jun 17

Synopsis

Wells Whitaker (POV Character) was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his “promising” career is a killer hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter. No matter how bad he plays, the beautiful, sunny redhead is always on the sidelines. He curses, she cheers. He scowls, she smiles. But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life.

Josephine Doyle (POV Character) believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. And considering Josephine’s professional and personal life is in shambles, she could really use the cash…

As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in neighboring hotel rooms, sparks fly. Before long, they’re inseparable, Wells starts winning again, and Josephine is surprised to find a sweet, thoughtful guy underneath his gruff, growly exterior. This hot man wants to brush her hair, feed her snacks, and take bubble baths together? Is this real life? But Wells is technically her boss and an athlete falling for his fangirl would be ridiculous… right?

*Blurb taken from Goodreads

Review

This was my first Tessa Bailey. I get the buzz, now! She has romance framework down to a T, but instead of feeling repetitive and underwhelming, I came away satisfied by the characters, the classic tropes, and the little quirks that made Fangirl Down just unique enough to stand out.

I’m always hesitant to go into a dual POV romance because, inevitably, the plot gets thrown to the wayside in favor of long chapters dedicated to how the MMC feels about the FMC. And while that’s all well and good, things get boring and repetitive. Not here! Bailey gives us consistent plot progression while delving into the thoughts and emotions of both Wells and Josephine. Gold star! I truly enjoyed this as a dual POV, and coming from the kind of reader I am, that’s HUGE.

I’m a fan of sports romance, but golf? Again, went into this one hesitant. Yet Bailey brushed off my preconceived notions of how boring the sport is. Josephine has such passion for golf that her enthusiasm bleeds off the page. Will I be golfing anytime soon? No. Did I appreciate this character’s love for the sport? Absolutely! And that enthusiasm was essential to the bond between her and Wells, as our MMC had lost his love for golf.

These characters made me smile and laugh from the ease of their banter. We have a classic grumpy-sunshine here and I cackled at the quips made back and forth between one another. We enter the storyline with the understanding that Josephine and Wells know one another via her being his biggest fan and cheering him on at his events, even if they’ve never communicated beyond that. To makes things better, there is NO third-act break-up here. (Bless.) I’m so tired of the third-act breakups in romances, therefore reading this was like breathing again.

I highly recommend this to anyone interested in a dual POV with characters who banter well, women representation (and acceptance) in male-led sports, and some spice! Very little angst here, and after some heavy hitter fantasies, a light romp was exactly what I needed.

Critiques

Audiobook: Callie Dalton did a great job, so this isn’t a critique of her! I just wish there had been a male narrator for Wells’s chapters. Bailey is such a powerhouse, and with the marketing push this novel got, I’m shocked we didn’t have two narrators in this dual POV written by a huge name in romance.
MMC: Wells Whitaker takes us away from toxic masculinity and I glad for it! But, I do have to point out that my man has some growing up to do. He’s quite immature, and while that seems to be Josephine’s thing, I winced. A lot.

Nothing major from me! I will note there is some *peach and tongue* fun that happens in a spice scene. If that’s not your thing, be on the look out!