Quick Synopsis

#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…

Publisher’s Synopsis

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?

Book Review

I decided to read Fangirl Down after hearing Tessa Bailey discuss it in conversation with Tia Williams at a local event. I was bewildered to hear Bailey say that this was the first book of hers that her husband has ever read. That’s right. Tessa Bailey has written over 20 novels and her husband had not read one until Fangirl Down. She joked that she had to write a book about golf to get him to read one. I also chose to read Fangirl Down as my first full Tessa Baily length novel, because I played golf competitively for 8 years. (And you never see a sports romance about golf.)

Fangirl Down is a sports romance about a professional golfer, Wells Whitaker, who is ready to give up the sport after a few years of lousy finishes. He was once lauded as golf’s next biggest star, which makes his current situation feel so much worse. Despite how he performs on the course, Well’s biggest fan, Josephine, has stuck by him. And a series of unlikely scenarios result in Wells making an offer Josephine cannot resist: be his caddie and help turn around his game while splitting Well’s winnings.

From the start, the concept of this book was strained. A huge golf fangirl? Weird. A woman who calls herself a fangirl? Even weirder. A professional golf bad boy? *Giant eyeroll* Did I mention that Josephine acts loud and obnoxiously from behind the ropes on the course and is somehow not escorted away? The premise of this novel is really reaching in trying to fit a unique sport into a typical, tropey sports romance box, or cover if you will.

While I would not call this a novel with no plot, Fangirl Down’s plot was very thin. In fact, after initially establishing the stakes and premise, there is not a lot of pages spent advancing the plot. It was a bit of a plot sandwich, or should I say plot Oreo? The plot was strongest at the beginning and ending while the middle was filled with a lot of crème (pun intended).

It was clear from this novel that Bailey does not play or watch golf. It was like she asked a friend a few things and skipped researching the sport prior to writing the book. That is, there are a number of inaccuracies, which feel rather unacceptable to me. If you are going to write a book about a subject, put in enough effort to get the details right.

I am definitely willing to overlook a few inaccuracies if the rest of the book is good. But that is not something I can really say about Fangirl Down. In addition to the weak plot, the characters are barely developed. Josephine is essentially a fan of golf and runs a pro shop that has been in her family for generations. She is also a red head, is a butt admirer, and has a best friend named Tallulah. That is essentially all I know about her after reading an entire book. I feel like readers are given a bit more about Wells although not enough to consider him well-developed.

So you may be wondering how a book with very little plot and even less character development is almost 400 pages. I guess it is filled with unfunny banter that is trying to be humorous and quirky and quite cringey sex scenes. I think if you like Bailey’s spicy content, you like it. However, it made me really uncomfortable and have been surprised to see not reviews point out its glaring issues.

The misogyny runs deep in Fangirl Down, particularly when it comes to gender roles and expectations around sex. Let’s start with the fact that Josephine clearly tells Wells to back off and that she does not want to further their relationship, including physically, multiple times. And basically immediately after, Wells tries to convince her to abandon her self-restraint and pressure her into sex. That is one minor example. Some of the things that come out of Well’s mouth sound like romantic platitudes of a drunk man following you down the street late at night. I was gobsmacked at just how much misogyny was woven into every part of this book, from the possessiveness of Well’s actions to the outright objectification of Josephine to an ass tattoo that reads “Property of Wells Whitaker.” Like Tessa girl, is this what your life is like? Because I am starting to understand why your husband has not read your books.

I could go on and on about how the diabetes representation was inappropriate, especially for a 27 year old. Or the awkwardly wedged in best friend so another book could be written. But I will end this review by saying that Fangirl Down is a sad attempt at a golf romance veiled in smut and misogyny. I recommend it if you are a huge Tessa Bailey fan or just need some smut and do not care about the plot, writing, or characters.

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