Bubbling up with Helena

• Title: Fangirl Down
• Author: Tessa Bailey
• Publisher: Avon
• Release Date: 2/13/24
• Genre: Romance
• Age Range: Adult
• Rating: ★★★.5
• Publisher’s Summary: #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey launches a super sexy sports romance series with a rom-com about a bad boy professional athlete who falls for his biggest fan…Wells Whitaker 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 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?

Tessa Bailey is unequivocally the romance queen. I have read and enjoyed many of her books over the years. Fangirl Down is not my favorite of her books, but I enjoyed it.

I am a big fan of the grumpy sunshine trope, and Fangirl Down does it very well. Josephine is an enthusiastic fan of golf who loves supporting her favorite athlete. Meanwhile, Wells has lost a lot of his support in the golf world for his bad attitude. They complement each other and bring out the best in one another: Josephine helps Wells get back his golf game, and Wells helps Josephine build the confidence to run the pro shop of her dreams.

Wells is so incredibly charming. It is immediately clear under his gruff exterior that he has a heart of gold. Josephine is diabetic, and he cares deeply about her health and even follows her blood sugar on an app. He rushes to her when the app indicates she’s in medical distress. While he would clearly do anything for her, he also never makes her feel like a burden or like he sees her as delicate.

I think that it’s important for books to cover what life is like for someone living with a chronic illness. Josephine has to constantly monitor her blood sugar and pay attention to her diet. It is important to Josephine that she be seen as a whole person beyond her diabetes as well. Bailey also addresses issues with the American healthcare system and the insanely high cost of insulin. This is the reality for so many people, but it is not talked about nearly enough in books, especially not in romance novels.

Sports are not my thing, and I know very little about golf. I never felt like I was out of my depth reading Fangirl Down. Bailey does a great job explaining what the readers need to know about the sport in order to understand what the characters are talking about.

There is another sports romance book in Bailey’s Big Shot series coming in July, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.