I have to admit I’m predisposed to skepticism about BookTok popular books after a rough CoHo experience. But, I’m so glad to say that I’m starting to be proven wrong more often, and luckily, It Happened One Summer is another sign of possible good taste leaking through social media. It certainly doesn’t start great; the last thing I want to read about is an internet-famous airhead, but it quickly becomes much better than I expected.

The best thing about Piper is her innate kindness, which slowly creeps up on you as the story continues. It starts with a few small moments, and by the end, you don’t want anyone to hurt this precious person. Unfortunately, her ‘friends’ in LA did such a good job of moulding her into a specific type of person, and it’s not until she’s removed from this environment that she can begin to question whether or not she’s happy in her life.

Brendan is as stereotypical of a fisherman from a small town as you could hope for. Rough around the edges, married to his routine, and wary of outsiders, it takes a lot to shake him up and realise that he’s not really living. I loved his habit of just walking out when he determined a social interaction was complete and his follow-through of seeing a problem and fixing it with as little discussion as necessary. He doesn’t play games and does everything he can to fight Piper’s attempts to deny her feelings and their potential.