It Happened One Summer
- Tessa Bailey
- Albany, WA
- February 10, 2023
GOODREADS BOOK BLURB:
Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father’s dive bar… in Washington.
SERIES / GENRES:
FIRST WORDS:
The unthinkable was happening.
Her longest relationship on record … over in the blink of an eye.
Three weeks of her life wasted.
Her longest relationship on record … over in the blink of an eye.
Three weeks of her life wasted.
MY REVIEW:
almost perfect:
☆☆☆☆☆ 4.5/5
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.
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.
He appreciated the cycle of things. Tradition. The reliability of weather changing, and the shifting seasons setting people about a routine. It was the consistency of this place. Enduring, just like the ocean he loved.
I love the way this romance plays out. Mild enemies-to-lovers with a dash of instalove – it takes the best of both without dragging anything on. Things happen too quickly to be entirely believable, but when you’re fighting things like fishing schedules and punishment deadlines, you’ve got to keep things moving along.
Brendan always thought battling the ocean would forever be his biggest challenge. But that was before he met Piper. Maybe he didn't know the how or the what of the thing between them yet, but his gut never lied. He'd never lost a battle with the water when listening to his instincts, and he hoped like hell those same instincts wouldn't fail him now.
I’m very excited to get my hands on Hook, Line, and Sinker – all the glimpses we get of Hannah in It Happened One Summer make me very excited to get more from her, and I’m keen to see if I can give in and start adding all of Bailey’s books to my TBR.
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