It Happened One Summer
Ratings251
Average rating3.7
This started off as a slow burn for me but when the flames between spoilt rich girl Piper and small town fisherman Brendan ignited...kapow! I was fully invested.
A great enemies to lovers tale that swept me into the romance.
Brendan made the book for me. A rough around the edges hero who encapsulates chivalry in every way.
Loved it!
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...
I read this during my quarantine period. And I dunno, maybe because of Covid, I just don't like it very much. I don't like the hero, though I adore his sidekick. I rather like the female main, but then again she's sort of a bimbo. Maybe because she is, but with some substance.
In the word of a true Malaysian, I would say “Bolehlaaaaa...”
On the other note, yes, I think romance has made me jaded.
This was my first book by Tessa Bailey and I really enjoyed it. After just binge watching Schitt's Creek for the first time (and a second and a third time), I'm obsessed with anything/everything having to do with the Rose family so when I saw that this book was inspired by our girl Alexis, I had to read it.
After being arrested and costing her movie producer stepfather a major investor in his movie, party girl Piper Bellinger is sent off to the quaint little fishing town of Westport, WA, where she was born and has inherited a run down bar from her long deceased father. With her sister, Hannah, in tow, Piper decides the perfect way to get back into their stepfather's good graces is by renovating the bar to prove that she can be responsible and care about something other than partying and being in the spotlight. Along the way, Piper meets grumpy fishing boat captain Brendan and forms new connections with the residents of Westport, leaving her wondering if she really wanted to go back to her old life or if she could be happy living in a small town.
The chemistry between Brendan and Piper is off the charts in this book. It's filled with hilarious and flirty banter and there are plenty of steamy moments. Not only is the romance great but Piper's overall journey was really fun to read. I'd definitely recommend this book and can't wait to read Fox and Hannah's.
ARC provided by Netgally in exchange for honest review.
not to bad but not good enough to have you struggling to put it down. the first few chapters dragged on but it got better towards the end. cute overall although the love interest grunts a few times to many (like why?)
read for bookoplathon 48 hour round, may 2022: water & feed scroll
this was so fun and tessa knows how to write steam fr. i enjoyed the crab fishing and the idea of a small costal town since i've never lived in a place like that. the characters and their relationships were so cute
It's been a while since i read a good romance, this book is really good. I liked all characters, with the exception of the mother and the stepfather of the main character (they're really shit parents). I thought that the romance got very serious very fast, but it was believable. And now i want to read the next one.
“I've never said it to anyone before, it didn't feel like I always thought it would.” “How did you think it would feel?”“Getting it over with. Like ripping off a Band-Aid.” “And how did it feel instead?”“The reverse. Like putting a bandage on. Wrapping it tight.”
I attempted the audiobook for this and stopped it after the first few chapters because I realised that perhaps audiobooks aren't for me so I ended up just reading on my kindle as usual.
Despite how popular this book is, I was actually shocked by how much I enjoyed it. On the outside this book could seem to be viewed as just a small town romance but it ended up being about self acceptance.
Piper felt like she didn't belong anywhere and that nothing she did was ever good enough. I loved reading and seeing her journey to self love and learning that she never had to change a thing about herself, she just had to accept and understand that she has always been more than a few clicks and likes, she had people in her life who valued her as a person off-screen.
Brendan was such a good character and I found myself shouting at the universe ”when is it my turn?” because he was such a good book boyfriend with how encouraging, supportive and overall good guy he was.
This would've been a five star for me if I could have potentially gotten closure when it came to Piper and Hannah's mother and Opal, their grandmother. I'm a sucker for happy endings and this gave me one but I would've loved for it all to have been tied together in that way. I also wasn't particularly fond of the miscommunication in this book since it felt slightly out of left field when the communication had been so perfectly executed throughout the whole book except this one instance.
Overall, this was a super fun and sweet read.
Every now and then you have those books that make you so mad that you didn't read them sooner, and this book is one of those. Please don't ask me why I waited so long to read it, because I honestly don't know. I ate this book up— absolutely devoured it! It Happened One Summer follows the story of Piper, a spoiled, rich party girl from LA, and Brendan, a grumpy fisherman from a small town. After some trouble lands Piper in Westport, she is forced to be without all the finer things that her step-father's money could buy. With the help of Brendan, her sister, and the town, Piper discovers that there is more to life than money and riches. Brendan— my goodness— the man. The. Freaking. Man. I loved him so much. He had moments where he was an absolute grump, but also moments of tenderness that made me melt a bit. The tension between he and Piper was so thick, but the payoff was very much worth it and very HOT. I cannot wait to get to Hannah and Fox's book soon because the glimpses we got of them throughout this story were so cute. This is an adult romance, 18+ sexual content.
I loved this book! A grumpy-sunshine PERFECT romance.
Brendan was EVERYTHING. I'm obsessed with him! So hot, swoony and sweet!
At first, I had my doubts about Piper but I ended up loving her very quickly too. Her kindness won me over and I liked her relationship with her sister a lot.
The chemistry and the steamy scenes... PERFECTION. Couldn't stop listening to the audiobook. Loved the setting too.
One of my favorite romances of the year, for sure!
Can't wait for the next book.
I'm not big on romance typically because characters don't feel real to me. This book was an exception. I really liked being alongside Piper and watching her growth, much like Alexis from Schitt's Creek. I thought Brendan was such a sweet love interest. Fox and Hannah were also such great characters and I'm so excited to read more about them in the sequel! I liked the setting and could clearly picture the sea as I was reading.
5 Stars
It was like a movie in my head, the writing flowed so effortlessly. The Westport town was so cute, and I liked getting to know the Bellinger sisters, Piper and Hannah.
I loved the sisterhood and Piper and Hannah always had each others back. I can't wait to read Hannah's book next.
Brendan Taggart, the big bearded sea captain. Grump meets his sunshine. “First of all you don't have to be tough. Not all the time. I don't know who decided my perfect, kind, sweet, incredible girlfriend needed to fit some goddamn mold, but you don't. You just be Piper, okay? Shes who I'm in love with.”
TITLE It Happened One Summer
AUTHOR Tessa Bailey
Genre Romance
—
Emotional Impact 6
Characters 7.5
Plot 3.75
Worldbuilding / Magic System 4.5
Dialogue / Prose 5
Official Rating 5.38
—
NOTES Mid ass climax - last 10% of the book basically ruined a 6.5+ for me
Oh to be so intensely beautiful that hot and handy small town men will take up renovation projects in your name without you even asking.
I felt I really ought to read a Tessa Bailey as she's so ubiquitous in the contemporary romance space and I'd say this was fairly standard. Not a future favourite unfortunately.
When Piper, a rich socialite in LA, has a crazy night and ends up in jail, her stepfather sends her back to her small hometown to teach her a lesson. Her sister goes with her so she isn't alone. In this small fishing town where their father died lives Brendan, a grumpy widower who's only love is the ocean. What follows is a hilarious, touching, lovely story about grief, loss, and love.
I really enjoyed this book. This is my first Tessa Bailey novel, and it did not disappoint. The characters were so unique and fun. My favorite aspect was that Brendan never once wanted Piper to change. Just because she fell in love with the town, the way of living, and Brendan, she was never expected to change the way she felt or acted or the things she liked. That was incredibly refreshing to see. The romance was sweet and heartfelt, there were some great steamy moments, and the other relationships between characters were nice. The only downside for me was how domineering Brendan was. That normally doesn't bother me, but he was very confrontational.
Overall, I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a cute, steamy summer romance.
TW: alcohol, death, sexually explicit scenes
It's a rollercoaster of stupidness. The maicharacter is so indecisive and naive, it hurts. Character growth? It flies out of the window every second page.
The first third was good. And then we switch between a sex descriptions/ sex talk and actual relationship.
It's not hate to love, it's not slowburn. It's just a ditzy stupid blonde with miscommunication
pleased to say i was completely surprised by how good this one was. i had low expectations but damn. it was very hot.
I finally was able to sit down and read this book and o m g – I LOVED it. It was such a beautifully written love story with twists, turns, challenges, etc. If I could recommend one book to someone wanting to start reading rom-coms, it would be this one. I absolutely loved Piper's character growth, it was so amazing to see.
It was aight. Not terribly clever or original, but cute enough. Simple and sweet FMC's are usually tough for me. I like the sardonic morally gray ones. I'm interested in the next one though. Fox seems more up my alley as far as male leads go.
3.5 ⭐
I enjoyed this one, but was pretty standard romance. It was spicier than I expected at times which was kind of awkward and entertaining
TITLE It Happened One Summer
AUTHOR Tessa Bailey
Genre Romance
—
Emotional Impact 6
Characters 7.5
Plot 3.75
Worldbuilding / Magic System 4.5
Dialogue / Prose 5
Official Rating 5.38
—
NOTES Mid ass climax - last 10% of the book basically ruined a 6.5+ for me