Hook, Line, and Sinker

I'm reluctant about ever piking up a TikTok recommendation again, because what the hell was this? I initially liked Fox (the name???) a little more than Brendan since he didn't grunt as often as the latter did. The epilogue was the only thing halfway decent about this book. Hannah remains the “supporting actress” and plays the role of a therapist perfectly. There's a huge lack of diversity within the book (who's surprised?) in addition to lackluster smut.
(Excuse any typos... it's literally 4a.m. and I'm mad for wasting my time on this book)

This is a delicious slow burn, friends to lovers romance. Hannah and Fox are first introduced in It Happens One Summer. Hannah being the supportive younger sister of Piper and Fox being Brendan's friend and fellow fisherman. We see glimpses of Hannah and Fox's friendship building in IHOS so when the opportunity arose to read their story early, I jumped on it.

In Hook, Line, and Sinker, Hannah's work brings her back to the tiny fishing town of Westport. In need of a place to stay, Fox offers up his guest bedroom despite warnings from Piper and Brendan to not get involved. What ensues is the continual build of a friendship that quickly turns into something more for both Fox and Hannah, however both have reservations that keep them from acting on it. This was a really angsty, enjoyable read. I highly recommend to Tessa Bailey fans and anyone who has not read her books yet, the Bellinger Sisters series is a great place to start!

Thank you to NetGalley/Avon for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I like this one a lot better than the first book. Somehow, it got more depth and there's more to the plot than just a romp in the bed. The slow burn kinda work here and I really like both the main characters with all their flaws and strengths. I like how Fox is not scared to be honest with Hannah, albeit the hesitation, the self doubting.

Fox is flawed, he got issues, but he is adamant and he's good. Hannah, meanwhile, is head-strong, a little bit unsure of herself and her capabilities, but she sure is lovable. She wouldn't go down with a fight and she sure got some fire in her. I love her to bits, especially when she got such good taste in music and she has songs for every occassion.

All in all, a good read. I still believe in romance novels, after all.

This was ok, liked the first book ever. Kind of surprised because Hannah was one of my favorites from book 1 but this was missing some magic from Piper's story. I liked the realness of Fox's insecurities and how people made assumptions about him; it felt very real. I liked the moviemaking component as well and how Hannah grew in her role there. Some minor plot points felt too similar to the first book though. I felt like some read exactly the same as the first and the framework was recycled. I also love an epilogue, but this one felt too cheesy for my liking. 

5 Stars

I loved it. Slow burn, Friends to lovers, and very spicy.

“You're wonderful, and I love you. Okay, you stupid Idiot? So when you've done some thinking and pulled your head out of your stubborn ass, come and find me. You're worth the wait.”

Hannah and Fox built each other up and it felt so real, working on each others self esteem and trauma. I loved the epilogue. Epilogues are my favorite.

I think this book surpasses the first book in the series.

In this addition, we follow Piper's sister, Hanna. She is trying to pursue a career in music in some way and convinces the film she's working on to film in the small town piper moved to. There isn't room for her to stay with Piper, so she stays with Fox. What follows is a touching romance.

The main reason I liked this book more is because I thought Fox was a less annoying LI than Brendan. He was just less douche-y and more fun. I really liked the explorations these two went through within themselves and together. It took some popular tropes and put a spin on them which I appreciated. Overall, an enjoyable book.

This story was just so so sweet! Friends to lovers is not a trope I normally reach for, but I really loved it in this story! We met Hannah and Fox in It Happened One Summer, and I loved the glimpse we got of them there. Seeing it all play out in their book was an absolute delight. I really love all of the back story we get about Fox and his upbringing. It helped me really connect to his character and just root for him that much stronger. Hannah is such a unique FMC. She is strong and independent, but she also has insecurities that hold her back from reaching for what she really wants. This book was a much slower burn than It Happened One Summer, so fans of tension will love! There was so much tension and I both loved and hated it (IYKYK). The payoff was worth it, but seeing Fox discover his worth was probably my favorite part of this story. This is an adult romance, 18+ for sexual content.

I thought this one was super cute and I absolutely love Fox and Hannah but Brendan will always hold a very special place in my heart forever. <3

I loved the character growth in Fox because a few times, I wanted to slap him so badly. I'm also glad Hannah got over her crush with the douchebag director (C'mon he seriously was a douchebag...)

Overall, I really do recommend this one, but I did like It Happened One Summer a tad bit more.

4.5*

I absolutely loved this. It took me some time to read this but once I got back into it, I flew through it. I really enjoyed Hannah as a character, I could really relate to her. Fox was hot but I struggled a little bit with his character. One thing I love about Tessa Bailey's writing is that it is so easy to fly through. I'm a sucker for friends to lovers and this had me in my feels. The pining is this book I LOVED! I liked reading from both Hannah and Fox's points of view, it made me feel more connected to each other them. I really fell in love with Hannah, I just adore and understand her. This is so close to 5 stars but I felt that the pacing kinda dragged at some points. Overall, I had a great time reading this!

As much as I couldn't relate to Piper, I found myself actually relating to Hannah. Also, the “taming the rake” trope is my favorite. The chemistry between Hannah and Fox was wonderful. I loved that Hannah had a song for every moment and feeling and Fox started to communicate to her in that way. I loved the humor and the nod to the importance of communication and mental health in a relationship. The epilogue was adorable. It was a good read.

3.5. It was fun. But both of the books in this series are written with so many cliches that it's off putting. The characters are well developed and their chemistry works. I just wish the writing compelled me a bit more. It was still a good time!

Side note:the narrator of this audiobook had a very nasally voice that was quite distracting.

I didn't love this one quite as much as the first book, but its Tessa Bailey so its still so good!

Hannah and Fox are both great characters but I just didn't feel the same chemistry between them as I did between Piper and Brendan. I still love the town and side characters, and like the exploration of Fox's past and worries.

This book comes out at the perfect time to comfort and relax me.

The story follows Hannah Bellinger who has always felt like a secondary character in her life.
She works as an assistant in film production but aspires more professionally, especially something that involves music.
The film production takes us back to Westport, allowing for the reunion of Hannah and Fox, with whom she has been exchanging daily messages for 7 months.
Fox has been sexualized his entire life, destroying any sense of self worth, impacting his interpersonal and professional relationships.

What I liked most about the book was that it was the male character who faced the greatest development, showing a potential impact of toxic masculinity and the damage it can do to boys.

A refreshing point of view to the Friends to Lovers trope.

This book was everything I hoped it would be and more. Heartfelt, sexy, and funny. Basically everything I want in a romance.

Hannah and Fox both deal with imposter syndrome on some level and watching them work through it both individually and together makes it so satisfying when you get to the end.

Friends to Lovers. Can be read as a standalone but you'll definitely get more out of it if you read Piper and Brendan's book first.

I enjoyed the premise of Hook, Line and Sinker. Tessa Bailey is great at beginnings and I was ‘hooked' ;) quickly. Fox's struggle pulled me in right away and Hannah was the perfect compliment to him. It was a unique take on masculine expectation, and I love that Bailey chose to emphasize this.
I'm not sure what happened... maybe Bailey wasn't confident with her premise? Because it seemed like a third of the narrative was an explanation of the character's psychology instead of touching base with where the characters were at every now and then and just letting the scenario play out. About two thirds of the way through when the narrative switched to internal reflection I began to skim until dialogue hit, because it was apparent enough where they were at from the ‘action'. Good book! Glad I read it.

** re-read Ok gave this another chance, and I guess I just wasn't in the mood for this on the first go!!!! I really really enjoyed Fox and Hannah's story. Fox is a self proclaimed playboy and everyone in town knows it. He plays into their jokes and laughs with them so they don't laugh AT him. Hannah becomes a good friend and is firm she's interested in something other than sex from him. He doesn't know how to handle that. They build a foundation on friendship and they slowly breakdown each others walls. **


Couldn't finish it.

Story wasn't as interesting as Piper's. I love Hannah but I couldn't get past chapter 7.

I forced myself to get this far and had to give up.

I was hopefully because “it happened one summer” was decent, but I didn't like this one unfortunately.

Fox Thornton. The Westport heartbreaker. Hannah Bellinger, the feisty short stack, who's heart Fox would never break. Will these two best friends be able to stay away from another while she breaks down Fox's emotional walls whilst he shows her what it's like to be the main character?

Ever since Fox and Hannah met through her sister, Piper, and his best friend, Brendan, the two have had this inexplicable connection. Cue the daily late night texts about what kind of music day they had while Hannah is in LA and Fox on his fishing charter. Cue the feelings sinking in.

When Hannah is in town working on a movie, she decides to stay with Fox, due to her ears being permanently scarred by her sister and Brendan. Being under the same roof makes it hard to fight and hide the attraction that Fox and Hannah feel towards one another. Cue Fox's reputation of being town harlot and Brendan's overprotectiveness of his future sister in law. Fox and Hannah are in for it, that's for sure. He's never felt this away about a woman, he's finally able to open the floodgates for her. But will they stay open?

This story is about working through your own insecurities and sharing them with the ones you love. It's about letting love in and learning not be scared of it. It's about taking chances and treating yourself like the main character.

Tessa Bailey did it again folks. She knows how to do it. She writes complex characters that have real life issues. She's able to show real and raw emotion in her words and the intensity of love as well. The way she uses the male love internet in this story as the one who is learning to break his walls down is beautiful. It's a great change of pace and shows the reality of life, that's it not always the women who need the help. Great story, great characters, a lovely book!

I loved this and to be honest, I cried at the end haha.