ohmynameiskaylee's Reviews > Fangirl Down

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Steamy and oh so cleverly written, Fangirl Down is Tessa Bailey’s most ingenuitive novel to date.

“Being around her again was like waking up after a lung transplant and remembering what it’s like to breath.”

Wells Whitaker, our broody (and muscular) male protagonist is my favorite by a long shot. The feminist in me usually doesn’t allow me to enjoy the “macho man” character, but our temperamental golfer was the most balanced lead I’ve seen from Bailey in quite some time. There were a couple comments from time to time that I could’ve done without (I mean, do we actually need MMCs that have a repulsion to the color pink…it’s 2024 for crying out loud), but all in all, Whitaker was able to sacrifice comfort for the love of his life, and no I’m not talking about golf. Hello matching outfits *wink wink*.

I was a little worried when we were initially introduced to our female protagonist, Josephine. The fangirl lifestyle is one I’m very well acquainted with, albeit not with sports, but either way, I was holding my breath. We’re all well aware that women can’t do…well, anything without being dragged through the mud for it. Experiencing that on a daily basis means I don’t necessarily want to read about it when I use my spare time to escape into fictional worlds. That being said, I was relieved to say the least when the main plot didn’t emphasize the conversation surrounding fangirl culture.

Was this book insta-love? Absolutely. As an avid love at first sight skeptic, I usually tend to avoid the trope at all cost. But in classic Tessa Bailey nature, she allowed me to indulge just this once. The banter between these two? I needed more. The clever comebacks we got out of their interactions left me pining and I wanted to see that energy carried out throughout the entire novel. Nonetheless, I was giggling like a little schoolgirl. Crumbs, I mean I was eating them up. Their dynamic on the green was what kept me coming back for more.

The epilogue…don’t even get me started. I say this with every Tessa Bailey novel, but alas, this was her best one yet! It gave me all the feels. I could picture their lives to vividly together, even if their happily ever after was a little premature.

I do want to clarify that this will be an acquired taste! Much like its predecessors, Fangirl Down is very spice-minded. The characters are in their honeymoon phase basically the entire novel and are lead purely by lust. I would say Josephine and Wells’ story is a good palate cleanser though!

As a single-dad + nanny enthusiast, I’m counting down the days until we get Tallulah and Burgess’ romance. He’s also a hockey player? Count me in, coach!

Thank you to Avon and Tessa Bailey for so kindly providing me with an ARC. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.