"Bailey continues the delightful story she began in the hilarious rom-com It Happened One Summer (2021), in which Californian Hannah met fisherman Fox... The music and seaside setting add flavor and color to this delicious, slow-burn love story."
I put my entire life on hold the moment I opened It Happened One Summe r. I read it in one long, luxurious sitting, reading each page twice, not wanting to miss a moment, and dreading The End. I knew I was reading one of my new favorite books, and I will reread it for years to come, whenever I need a dose of small-town coziness and hard-bodied sea captains. Tessa disarms you with a laugh, heats things up past boiling, and then puts a squeeze inside your heart. The tenderness, vulnerability and heat I am always guaranteed with a Tessa Bailey book are the reasons she is one of my all-time favorite authors.”
"Her voice feels as fresh and contemporary as a Netflix rom-com... Bailey writes banter and rom-com scenarios with aplomb, but for those who like their romance on the spicier side, she’s also the Michelangelo of dirty talk. She wields filth like Da Vinci does a paintbrush, and there’s a lot to be said for an author who can fill such exchanges with all the requisite heat, enthusiastic consent, and yes, even humor, of such a scenario without veering into corny territory."
A romantic comedy delight. If you loved Schitt’s Creek , It Happened One Summe r will be your absolute jam.
I could not stop smiling. Romantic comedy perfection.
★ 11/01/2021
Bailey's steamy, friends-to-lovers romance is the sequel to It Happened One Summer but can be read as a stand-alone. Hannah has returned to Westport and is living in Fox's guest bedroom while the film company she works for shoots in the small fishing village. The entire population of Westport believes Fox is a player—a reputation he's cultivated and earned with out-of-town hookup trips. But he hasn't had to "go to Seattle" since meeting Hannah a few months ago. Hannah knows Fox is a good guy. He's never made a move on her; in fact, she's been exchanging texts with him for months and considers him one of her best friends. Hannah, for her part, is nursing a crush on the film's director. She wants him see her as more than a useful assistant but hasn't gathered enough courage to act on her feelings. As Fox and Hannah spend more time together in Westport, their physical attraction becomes undeniable. The source of their overwhelmingly hot chemistry could just be their forced proximity, but they'll have to risk their friendship to find out. VERDICT Bailey's plot is fast paced with plenty of humor laced throughout. Fox and Hannah are well-developed, likable characters with emotional depth that will resonate; they have a lot to overcome, but readers will be rooting for them. Recommended for general purchase.—Heather Miller Cover, Homewood P.L., AL
2021-11-17 A playboy fisherman learns he can be more than just a pretty face.
Fox Thornton is a king crab fisherman and the resident Casanova of the small coastal town of Westport, Washington. He’s the life of the party and has convinced everyone—even himself—that he’s not capable of anything more. Imagine his surprise when he strikes up a friendship with Hannah Bellinger. They bonded over a shared love of music when her sister fell in love with his best friend, and Hannah and Fox continue their friendship via text after she returned to Los Angeles, where she works as a production assistant. Hannah doesn’t even think of Fox as a romantic possibility: He’s unbelievably handsome and effortlessly self-confident, while she often feels like a supporting actress in her own life. When the film she’s working on begins shooting on location in Westport, Hannah crashes at Fox’s apartment. It seems harmless enough—she fancies herself in love with a co-worker, and she can’t imagine Fox would ever see her as anything but a friend. Living in close quarters ratchets up the emotional intimacy and sexual tension, leaving Fox and Hannah to each question long-held assumptions about their own worthiness as romantic partners. Fox has never had anyone that values him for who he is rather than how he looks, and the major arc of the novel is his journey to accepting that he has value beyond being handsome and charming. It’s an unflinching look at how toxic masculinity harms men, for Fox must unpack the weight of cultural norms and expectations he’s been internalizing since childhood. The romance between Hannah and Fox unfolds slowly, with side plots that keep the reader entertained while the main characters do the hard work of figuring out how to be together.
A slow-burn romance showcases characters trying to become the best versions of themselves.
"sizzles with romance and wit...Bailey expertly captures both the intense chemistry and true friendship between Hannah and Fox as she takes them through humorous mishaps and miscommunication. This sparkling rom-com will have readers hooked." — Publishers Weekly
"Bailey continues the delightful story she began in the hilarious rom-com It Happened One Summer (2021), in which Californian Hannah met fisherman Fox... The music and seaside setting add flavor and color to this delicious, slow-burn love story." — Booklist
“A romantic comedy delight. If you loved Schitt’s Creek , It Happened One Summe r will be your absolute jam.” — Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of The Soulmate Equation
“I put my entire life on hold the moment I opened It Happened One Summe r. I read it in one long, luxurious sitting, reading each page twice, not wanting to miss a moment, and dreading The End. I knew I was reading one of my new favorite books, and I will reread it for years to come, whenever I need a dose of small-town coziness and hard-bodied sea captains. Tessa disarms you with a laugh, heats things up past boiling, and then puts a squeeze inside your heart. The tenderness, vulnerability and heat I am always guaranteed with a Tessa Bailey book are the reasons she is one of my all-time favorite authors.” — Sally Thorne, USA Today bestselling author of Second First Impressions
"Her voice feels as fresh and contemporary as a Netflix rom-com... Bailey writes banter and rom-com scenarios with aplomb, but for those who like their romance on the spicier side, she’s also the Michelangelo of dirty talk. She wields filth like Da Vinci does a paintbrush, and there’s a lot to be said for an author who can fill such exchanges with all the requisite heat, enthusiastic consent, and yes, even humor, of such a scenario without veering into corny territory." — Entertainment Weekly
"Two delightful people find both themselves and true love in Tessa Bailey’s sequel to It Happened One Summer , Hook, Line, and Sinker... Bailey is a master at articulating emotion through both narrative prose and dialogue, and readers will feel everything going through the hearts of this charming yet imperfect couple. Every page in this fabulous novel is pure romance gold." — BookPage (Starred Review)
"Bailey’s plot is fast paced with plenty of humor laced throughout. Fox and Hannah are well-developed, likable characters with emotional depth that will resonate; they have a lot to overcome, but readers will be rooting for them." — Library Journal (starred review & Pick of the Month)
"With her singular talent for writing romantic chemistry that is both sparkling sweet and explosively sexy, Tessa Bailey once again delivers—It Happened One Summer is everything I want in a modern romance, with two complicated, appealing leads, a setting that feels lived-in and also fresh, and storytelling you want to sink into even as you can’t stop turning pages. The total package from one of the genre’s very best." — Kate Clayborn, author of Love at First
"Tessa Bailey writes pure magic! It Happened One Summer has everything you could want in a rom-com—heartwarming romance, laugh-out-loud humor, and scorching hot chemistry between the lovable socialite and sexy ship captain. I absolutely loved it!" — Alexis Daria, bestselling author of You Had Me at Hola
“Bailey strikes rom-com gold in this outstanding tale... [She] is bound to earn new followers with love scenes hot enough to boil water and a hilariously naïve Schitt’s Creek -inspired protagonist who is clearly out of her depth.” — Booklist (starred review) on It Happened One Summer
“I could not stop smiling. Romantic comedy perfection.” — Lauren Layne, New York Times bestselling author on Fix Her Up
“What presents itself as a light, sexy beach read transforms into a thoughtful exploration about identity … Come for the fun look at the workings of a film set and the maybe-more-than-friends “Bridgerton”-esque “I burn for you” tension, stay for the smart commentary on toxic masculinity, healing one’s inner child and how others perceive us shapes our own self-understanding.” — USA Today
“Readers may be sad to say goodbye to Westport, but they'll love to watch these two sail off into the sunset … Full of mutual pining and sweetness." — Shelf Awareness
“For readers who have been fans since Bailey’s debut, the love scenes do not disappoint, and the signature antics and comedic scenes that have you laughing and turning pages abound in the novel.” — BookTrib
“Get a beach towel, a comfy chair, a summer drink, and sink your whole self into this breezy rom-com for an hour or two of total relaxation. Tessa Bailey’s writing stands out in all the right sexy ways. It is truly nice to find a funny romance that sinks into complicated feelings about self-worth, giving way to a heartfelt story about the love we give ourselves… a tearjerker, and the tension is to die for. Tessa Bailey’s writing made every little scream I inflicted on my blanket worth it.” — Buzzfeed
"With her singular talent for writing romantic chemistry that is both sparkling sweet and explosively sexy, Tessa Bailey once again delivers—It Happened One Summer is everything I want in a modern romance, with two complicated, appealing leads, a setting that feels lived-in and also fresh, and storytelling you want to sink into even as you can’t stop turning pages. The total package from one of the genre’s very best."
"Two delightful people find both themselves and true love in Tessa Bailey’s sequel to It Happened One Summer , Hook, Line, and Sinker... Bailey is a master at articulating emotion through both narrative prose and dialogue, and readers will feel everything going through the hearts of this charming yet imperfect couple. Every page in this fabulous novel is pure romance gold."
BookPage (Starred Review)
"Tessa Bailey writes pure magic! It Happened One Summer has everything you could want in a rom-com—heartwarming romance, laugh-out-loud humor, and scorching hot chemistry between the lovable socialite and sexy ship captain. I absolutely loved it!"
"Bailey continues the delightful story she began in the hilarious rom-com It Happened One Summer (2021), in which Californian Hannah met fisherman Fox... The music and seaside setting add flavor and color to this delicious, slow-burn love story."
Bailey strikes rom-com gold in this outstanding tale... [She] is bound to earn new followers with love scenes hot enough to boil water and a hilariously naïve Schitt’s Creek -inspired protagonist who is clearly out of her depth.”
Booklist (starred review) on It Happened One Summer
06/01/2022
Seven months after the action of It Happened One Summer , Bailey gives listeners another glimpse of the Bellinger sisters. Hannah, a production assistant, misses her sister Piper terribly. After suggesting filming in the small town of Westport, WA, she impresses her director and crush, Sergei, and returns to town. But Piper's in-laws are visiting, which lands Hannah in the guestroom of the sexy fisherman, Fox, who has a heartbreaker reputation. The forced proximity is more than either can handle. Romance and narration are slow, and listeners may get whiplash from the will-they-or-won't-they game. The sex scenes are on fire, but some sexy talk is cringeworthy. The story is light on comedy as well. The prologue, a series of texts between Hannah and Fox, helps with the backstory and showcases the romantic undertones of their friendship, but it is not ideal for the audio format. Lauren Sweet's narration gives depth to the characters, particularly Fox. Kudos to Bailey for spotlighting the slut-shaming of men and the 10-year epilogue that helps wrap up this duology. VERDICT Optional purchase for fans of Bailey's other books or if romance circulates well.—Emily Pykare
Narrator Lauren Sweet draws listeners into the friends-to-lovers romance between movie assistant Hannah Bellinger and fisherman Fox Thornton. When her director is looking for a location for his movie, Hannah suggests the fishing village where her friend Fox lives. While Hannah has romantic feelings for Fox, he believes he is unworthy of her love. Sweet brings out all his insecurities and vulnerabilities. As Hannah fights to overcome Fox’s uncertainty, Sweet adds a lightness to Hannah’s flirtatious teasing. Sweet croons seductively as the two finally overcome their obstacles and give into their passion for each other. Sweet’s performance perfectly matches all of the emotions in this story. S.B. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Narrator Lauren Sweet draws listeners into the friends-to-lovers romance between movie assistant Hannah Bellinger and fisherman Fox Thornton. When her director is looking for a location for his movie, Hannah suggests the fishing village where her friend Fox lives. While Hannah has romantic feelings for Fox, he believes he is unworthy of her love. Sweet brings out all his insecurities and vulnerabilities. As Hannah fights to overcome Fox’s uncertainty, Sweet adds a lightness to Hannah’s flirtatious teasing. Sweet croons seductively as the two finally overcome their obstacles and give into their passion for each other. Sweet’s performance perfectly matches all of the emotions in this story. S.B. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine