It Happened One Summer A Novel

if i ever hve to read the phrase recharging station one more time i will DIE!!!!!

Cliche but not in a good way. The conflict was the same throughout so the 3rd act conflict was not significant. The characters are very 2D and predictable. I like the premise but very smutty for no good reason

🦇 It Happened One Summer Book Review 🦇

❓ #QOTD What's your go-to summer read?❓

🦇 Holly's It-Girl Piper Bellinger is the paparazzi's beloved wild child. There's always the promise she'll go a bit too far for the Gram, including hosting a rooftop party that lands her in jail after a bad breakup. Hoping she'll learn some sense of responsibility, her wealthy step-father ships her off to her late father's dive bar in the small town of Westport. She's not there for five minutes before she meets grumpy sea captain Brendan, and the two instantly clash. Will Piper reconnect with her past (charting a course for a new future in the process) or can she get back to LA before the end of her three-month sentence?

💜 Despite how much my beloved Booksta girlies adore her writing, I honestly didn't know what to expect from Tessa Bailey (and I'm glad, because I love shaping my own opinions). From chapter one, there's this instantly familiar yet distinct voice that SCREAMS chick-flick rom-com (with Kesha playing at full volume in the background). Piper is Alexis from Schitt's Creek meets Elle Woods ala Legally Blonde. She's vibrant and bubbly and yes, a little ditzy, but after a few chapters, you start to love her for the heart behind it. Brendan is all salt water and deep grumbles, strong yet stuck in his ways. My latest concern with rom-coms lately has been a lack of chemistry. Too many books rush to the smut, forcing two characters to fit when they just don't. Chemistry sparks off the page pretty quickly between these two, though--not in lingering glances, but in actions. Brendan has memory foam installed over a bunkbed so Piper can stop bruising herself. He changes her locks because everyone in Westport has a key to her building. It's not insta-love (but once things progress, these two burn HOT), and I'm grateful for that.

💜 It's the underlying messages that bumped this up to a rare 3.5 stars. People have been putting Piper into a box for too long, telling her she's just like every other girl in LA, that she won't amount to more. Brendan shows her she has so much more to give than she realizes. We start adoring Piper through Brendan, and that's a powerful thing. Meanwhile, Piper recognizes her worth and accomplishes far more than she thought herself capable. There's an underlying theme of guilt and grief from both sides, too; Piper for her late father, and Brendan for his late wife. They heal together and end up stronger for it.

💙 It's the third act that made my star rating falter. Piper clinging to pieces of her past, that lingering what-if of falling back into her comfort zone and old ways--Brendan shouldn't have faulted her for that, turning it into a blowout fight when Piper admitted EARLIER that she didn't know what to do. After that, it's a number of conveniently placed obstacles that keep them apart. Piper's sudden decision to go back to LA felt out of place given her character development, too. Though it wasn't a full third-act breakup, it was enough to feel exhausting.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Emily Henry, Ali Hazelwood, and Hannah Grace.

✨ The Vibes ✨

⚓ Small Town Romance

⚓ Contemporary Romance

⚓ Schitt's Creek Inspired

⚓ Grumpy/Sunshine

⚓ Opposites Attract

⚓ First in a Duology

⚓ He Falls First

💬 Quotes

❝ I can be in a room full of people that I know & still not feel like I belong. ❞

❝ This girl. He'd be keeping her. There was no way around it. ❞

❝ Apparently he enjoyed that now. Being confused & charmed & pulled apart over this woman. ❞

❝ "I like the things that make you Piper. Don't go changing them now. ❞

This was a fun read!! The dialogue was repetitive, though. And the POV jumped around a lot, from paragraph to paragraph even. But overall, a good time.

Love every second of it! A book to read when you're feeling down and bored. Great writing, compelling main character. Nothing much really happens though, but well executed.

Idk if this is a cultural thing or what but some of the language she uses in the sex scenes is so cringey to me and my friends.

i can’t articulate on how much i love brendan and piper (and hannah!). i wish i could read this again for the first time. (i rarely give 5 stars to books, and i must say, i didn’t even think twice with this one.)

4.5

what a man

I don't know why it took me so much finishing this book, but it was good. I prefered the first part than the second one, as it draged...

Now I want to move to a small fishing town in Washington... best Tessa Bailey book I have read so far. Especially since I wasn't constantly cringing at the mannerisms of the main characters, so I could focus on the mounting tension.

Absolutely no. Just no. I couldn’t finish it for the life of me.

It’s a great book to read between more “heavier” books. I really liked to know the Bellinger sisters and can’t wait to read Hanna’s story. I like how this book it’s about Piper and you get a glimpse of Hanna and now there’s a book just about her!

4/5 This man must smell like fish, you can’t convince me otherwise, but at least he could make you come *cough* unlike real men *cough*.

As I read this exactly at a time when I was just done watching Schitts creek,u I was apprehensive to get into this book because as I don't have the habit of reading the blurb it felt nice to read it as its pace was good that you could never leave this book but it isn't the same for all of you.Because you will eww when it comes to some steamy scenes brewing in the book. For me this was a great read, as for as the writing and the pace is concerned.

This was an alright book. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't love it. I was expecting a lot more because of what others said, but I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea. The romance wasn't the best, but it had its moments. It's a nice, easy book to pick up when you don't have anything to read.

Honestly, was not sure what I was expecting— but I LOVED this book. I’m immediately ordering the next one.

I didn't think the book was as good as the reviews and tiktoks lead me to believe. I give it 2.75 stars, I didn't hate it but the scenes people said are steamy are average at best and I felt like she went from spoilt rich kid to normal chick in a paragraph. Just didn't hit like I expected

i read this a while ago. not sure why i didn’t add it to my reading list 3.5 stars

This was my first Tessa Bailey and it hit the spot! For anyone craving a fun, easy, and steamy romance, look no further. After reading the synopsis and seeing that the main character Piper was inspired by Alexis Rose (Schitt's Creek) I knew I needed to read it. This book was over-the-top but I felt like I was watching a TV show in my head while I was reading. Did I wish the story moved a little faster? Yes. Was Piper annoying at times? Definitely (but I think that was the point). Was it predictable? Yes but not in an annoying way. Not a new favorite romance but I did enjoy the journey and characters. I will be reading more Tessa Bailey in the future and I'm even more excited for the next book which is supposed to feature Piper's sister

Pretty enjoyable and lovely characters.

It Happened One Summer was damnably sweet. This book has everything you could want from a contemporary romance: Brendan aka grumpy hero with heart of gold (that's actually a teddy bear inside), and an equally amazing heroine aka Piper that would do anything for people she loves. More things I love about this book is Piper and Hannah's relationship, they're the best sisters to each other, always there to support one another, they're bestfriends. I adore it so much. Another thing I love is Brendan and Piper's characters development; both as an individual and in their relationship. It was a beautiful journey and not going to lie I shed some tears during last two chapters and the epilogue. This was my first Tessa Bailey's book I've ever read and honestly she impressed me greatly. The sneak peek about Hannah and Fox's book at the end was very interesting--they have completely different dynamics with Piper and Brendan--their clash of personality (Fox's flirty and cheerful and Hannah's eccentric and I-do-not-give-a-fuck) is chef's kiss and I'm looking forward to read their book! Overall if you love a small town romance with grumpy/sunshine leads, supportive sisters, and great side characters, you should definitely read this book!

Read this in one sitting. Have been putting this in my tbr for awhile never knew this book was THIS GOOD! Omg

i read this AFTER i had read hook, line, and sinker, so i did know how piper + brendan’s relationship was gonna end … but WOW. i absolutely loved their chemistry and banter. it was honestly never a dull moment with them!! the spicy scenes they had were also great 😳 i think this book was a lot better than hl&s. i LOVED brendan and piper’s characters and i loved how much hannah/piper sister content we got. there were a lot of sad parts in the book as well so i cried a lot throughout it too. i thought the epilogue was adorable and i liked how tessa bailey set the scene for fox & hannah :) i don’t know what else to say besides that i really enjoyed this book!!