One of the things that pulled me into Tessa Bailey's books is how well she writes small town romance with so much heat and heart. And while It Happened One Summer was definitely sexy, it just lacked the connection I was looking for.

I really wanted to like this book a spoiled rich girl is finished to a seaside town to learn the value of hard work, and finds herself falling for the grumpy boat captain instead. Unfortunately I found the protagonist somewhat annoying even as the book progressed. What was the real nail in the coffin for me though was how aggressively possessive the hero is, I'd finally had it when a plot point revolved around our heroin being upset by a phone call and the hero getting angry that she did not want to share every detail of the upsetting phone call immediately. The whole thing just brushed a little too close to the kind of real life toxic and controlling behavior you see an unhealthy relationships.

Read because I was seeing this all over Instagram. It totally delivered! The character development was great and I'm totally obsessed with Brendan. We love men written by women!

I enjoyed it! I had a hard time with some of the characters (which I think was the point). A nice, light, summer read!

I absolutely loved this book! Both main characters were a little bit quirky, but equally loveable. I loved their quick friends to lovers transition, and the steam in this book was amazing!! I really enjoyed Piper's character development and how she was strong and confident, but also able to be vulnerable. I appreciated the Schitts Creek inspired characteristics and could absolutely imagine Alexis in Westport. I couldn't get enough of this book and cannot wait to read more and hear about Hannah and Fox's story in Hook, Line, and Sinker!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of It Happened One Summer in exchange for my honesty review.

I discovered Tessa Bailey last year with the Hot and Hammered series. She quickly became on of my favorite romance authors. Her books are so fun but also have realistic qualities and great amounts of spice.

It Happened One Summer is about Piper Bellinger. Piper is a social media spoiled princess living the high life in LA. She gets in trouble and gets banished to a small fishing town. She must discover herself and her priorities before she is allowed to come back. Along the way she meets fisherman Brendan and he throws major wrenches in her plans.

I love the chemistry between the two and the spicy scenes are so good! The communication between the two is actually wonderful and you don’t get hung up on on issue if they would of just talked!

Can’t wait for the second in the series “Hook Line and Sinker” due March 2022

There is nothing I love more than when I'm reading a book and I can tell I love it by how much I don't want it to end, but also cannot stop reading. You could not have paid me to stop smiling while I read this adorable book. Everything was *chef's kiss*: the characters, the writing, the steaminess, the setting, UGH. I loved it.

When my bookstagrammer group #candidbabesbookclub is RAVING about a book, I know I have to read it and It Happened One Summer did not disappoint. This book was SO good. (It’s also off the charts steamy if that’s something you enjoy. 🔥🔥🔥)

I loved the story. I loved the characters. I loved the setting. I loved the writing. I might be a little in love with Captain Brendan Taggart but it seems he’s taken…

The crab fishing aspect was really unique. Piper’s character was interesting and so much more than the caricature some people saw her as. Loved her growth. Loved her relationship with her sister. Loved her.

There is a second book coming and I will be begging for a copy of it because I CANNOT wait to read it. 🙏🙏🙏

LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED

Can you tell I loved this book? When I say that this book was a perfect read, I mean it. I was completely connected with the characters and completely enthralled with their story. Piper and Brendan's story broke me apart and then put me back together again. The spice was top notch and the emotion was real. Words really can't express how much I adored this read. Watching Piper realize that maybe, just maybe, she could be more than she's always been and then Brendan reach outside his routine was just such fun.

I devoured this book in a day and then got mad that I read it so fast because then it was over. That's how much I loved this book. Tessa Bailey has easily become one of my favorites and I can't wait to read Hannah's story.

It Happened One Summer was easily one of my top reads of 2021. I ADORED this book! I had mixed results with Tessa Bailey’s last Avon series, but after reading this one I know I’m going to love the next book as well.

This was the slow burn, sunshine grump, Schitts Creek inspired romance of my dreams. Sometimes Tessa Bailey’s heroes don’t work for me, I LOVED Brendon. He’s such a soft grump, and how he falls for Piper made me love him even more. It is nearly impossible to read this and NOT hear Alexis Rose in your head if you watched Schitt’s Creek. Piper is the perfect heroine for this story and I love how the show inspired her character.

And the steam. Holy cow Tessa can write some exquisite steam, she is truly a master of working hard core spicy scenes into a romance. But at the same time, this was a slow burn. And it was perfect for the plot. The tension, the pacing, everything was perfect.

Reading about Fox and Hannah made me SO excited for the next book. I just want to stay in Westport forever with these great characters.

Five stars!

This was such a fun read!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for my advanced copy!

I have a love hate relationship with Tessa Bailey. I am not a huge fan of her Hot and Hammered Series. ( I DNFd Tools of Engagement) I loved Reborn Yesterday. I was hesitant going into this one because I knew it was going to be a hit or a miss. It was a hit! I am so glad I read this book!

What I Enjoyed-

*The Premise -The cover and the premise was what drew me in. So cute.

*The Setting- I loved Westport. I come from a small town and I love reading books set in small towns.

* The Steam- Tessa Bailey always brings the heat! If you love a steamy, sexy romance this book is for you!

*The Romance- I liked Piper and Brendan together. I think the relationship progressed to quickly but in the end I was convinced they needed to be together.

*The Family Aspects- I loved the sisterly relationship between Piper and Hannah and I am excited to read / listen to Hannah's book when it releases in 2022. I also loved the theme of connecting to your family roots.

Why This Wasn't a 5 Star Book

This by no means was a perfect book. It took a while for Piper to grow on me. As stated above- the romance wasn't really hitting me right in the beginning. It happened fast.

Overall- A quick and enjoyable read. One of Tessa Bailey's better books. I will definitely be picking up Hook Line and Sinker when it comes out.

I don’t often listen to romance books, but I make exceptions. And I’m really glad I did with this book, because IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER was an audiobook I would recommend anytime.

The reason why I picked up this book was without a doubt the comparison to Alexa from Schitt’s Creek. The novel and plot itself has nothing to do with Schitt’s Creek, but Piper does certainly have some similarities with Alexa – and I loved it!!

Also, I’m a HUGE fan of Alaskan bush pilots, and apparently fishermen are also high on my list of book boyfriend material. I thought the idea of making the hero a grumpy but assertive fisherman and setting the book in a little town on the Northern West Coast was a great one and made Brendan very attractive in my eyes, even more so than already described.

Also the book had many great relationships. Piper and Hannah were adorable. Truly, sisters who are tight make for great foundations to build on. And absolutely love it that each sister gets her own love interest – best friends dating sisters – a plot that never gets old.

When it comes to the main couple, Brendan and Piper were wonderful together. Loved their bander. Loved how much Brendan was interested in Piper and actively pursued her. And for Piper it was a wake up call after the ugly break up with her past. It was actually quite eye-opening to meet a man who loved everything about her, exactly the way she was. Although her character growth throughout the book was really well done.

Overall, I had fun with this light hearted romance. The banter was great. The relationships between the characters were even better. And the romance although sexy, wasn’t overly steamy which I was happy about. The book was a successful read for me. I laughed and chuckled my way through it and I can’t wait to read Hannah’s book, which I’ll be listening to as well, since my request for the ARC got denied. Oh well.

Goodness I loved these characters so much. And the setting... I wanted to move there immediately! The story was really cute and I found myself unable to
Put it down. It was a little steamier than I was prepared for, but all in all it was a great read! I can’t wait to read book 2! Thank you netgalley for my free copy.

I was 100% on board with this story being that it is Tessa Bailey whom I adore and hearing that this is inspired by Alexis from Schitt's Creek. Piper is 100% Alexis and it was so fun! The end bit had some of my least favorite miscommunication-esque trope and it definitely dampered my enjoyment. But overall this was a really fun read that kind of played up on them being physically attracted to each other but not interested/hate-to-love deal. Super quick to read!

I saved IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER for vacation and thank god I did, because it was the perfect page-turner treat for hours of flight delays and layovers getting where I was going.

“Famous for being famous” socialite Piper Bellinger has, at 28, finally gone too far. After a renegade party impulse turns felonious, she gets exiled from L.A., cash flow cut off and forced to survive by her wits alone in the coastal fishing town where she was born, but which she hasn’t set foot in since she was 4 years old.

Piper is modeled on Alexis from Schitt’s Creek, right down to facial mannerisms and gestures. She starts out sort of a caricature, but quickly becomes more winsome than intolerable as she takes on a hopeless cause with chutzpah, forges bonds with townsfolk & long lost family, and locks horns with fishing boat captain Brendan Taggart.

Frothy, light, and hot as hell, this is the ideal “take me away from this airport concourse & sleep-deprived misery” read. I laughed out loud so many times. I soldiered through some 🔥🔥 sex scenes in public because Captain Taggart and his beanie & carpentry skills were extremely worth it. And I am SO FLIPPIN’ PUMPED to read Fox and Hannah’s story!!!

Thanks to Tessa Bailey for writing a great escapist romcom. Thanks @avonbooks & @netgalley for the dARC. This one came out last month so if you are also searching for a delicious escape in book form, it can be yours now!

This book had everything that I love in a romance novel. It was equal parts adorable and steamy and I couldn't put it down all weekend! Tessa Bailey does it again.

Very typical contemporary romcom. Story was entertaining enough. The characters are a little superficial but likable. Thank god for a good HEA.

I mean, if I needed any more validation that Tessa Bailey was an auto-buy author for me- this book was it. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE❤️ Also, I know everyone has been saying this, but if you are a fan of the show Schitts Creek, you need to read this book!

Piper is a popular socialite. Known as a wild card, her party antics have made her a social media queen. Fresh off of a breakup, Piper lands herself in some trouble after breaking into a hotel pool and throwing a wild party. Fed up with her bad behavior, her step father gives her an ultimatum. Spend some time in her late fathers small Washington hometown learning the merits of hard work or be cut off. Turns out, Piper and her sister own their fathers old bar. Feeling like she has no other choice, and with her sister in tow, Piper heads to Westport.

From the minute these two women step into town, they cause a scene. Completely out of her element, Piper gets herself into all sorts of hilarious messes. And pisses off one Captain Brendan Taggart. The grumpy, hot, king crab fisherman seems to bump into Piper at every turn. While he tries his best to resist her, the chemistry between these two is pretty evident. I absolutely loved their story. I laughed, I cried and I couldn’t put it down!

The Schitt's Creek take on this book was so perfect!! Alexis was one of my favorite characters in the show and Piper fit that role perfectly. Piper was intending to serve her time in Westport then back to life as she knew it, but then Brendan! I loved reading Piper and Brendans love story. Looking forward to part 2.

Thank you NetGalley for this Arc.

Thank you to the publishers at Avon and NetGalley for this e-ARC copy of It Happened One Summer.

Calling all Schitt's Creeks fans.....THIS IS YOUR BOOK, but with a lot more adult moments!

I have so much to say about this one. I devoured this book in about 24 hours. Tessa Bailey just keeps getting better, and her writing does not hold back! Fair warning, if any of that offends you or is just not your thing, this may not be the book for you and sorry not sorry but I LOVED THIS ONE!

Piper Bellinger, you have quickly become one of my favorite characters this summer! Piper is off to Washington with her sister, and this is beyond her element as she's a Beverly Hills girl through and through! Within minutes of her arrival in steps Brendan, a local fisherman. This socialite ends up in a very small town where everyone knows your name...I know read that without singing the Cheers song!

Piper and her sister begin connecting with their past, set out on a Flip or Flop adventure, and will have you laughing through this rom-com. Will they find love? Will this new place be just what they needed or will they book it back to CA as soon as they can? No spoilers here, I'm not a fan...but don't spoil your opportunity to read one of the best books that was launched this summer!

I know you've already heard the comparisons to Schitt's Creek, but for those of you who love Schitt's Creek as much as me, this is the book for you this summer. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!