I have been stoked for this book for SO long!! I’ve seen it being hyped up left and right and I’ve read TONS of 5⭐️ reviews for it on Goodreads. When I got approved to read and review this book through NetGalley I was all like, “Yeeeesss!!! Squeeeee!!!” But, I’m super bummed to report that I didn’t love it 😬

There were parts I really liked and there were definitely some rom-com worthy funny moments. There was also a lot of character growth from both Piper and Brendan, which I applaud 👏🏻 But, I really didn’t feel like the speed that their relationship developed was authentic. I mean, Brendan was a total douche to Piper and then after one semi-normal conversation BAM 💥 love connection. I just didn’t buy it and felt like I couldn’t connect to their story. I also didn’t like how even though Piper and Brendan were both catching feelings, Piper would get nervous and try to distract Brendan by clouding his thoughts with shameless flirting and sex. Come on girl, don’t fall back on bad habits!!

I know I am totally going against popular opinion here, so I would definitely still recommend this book. All of the rave reviews count for something!!

5/5 Stars

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

I loved this book! I always enjoy Tessa Bailey's books, Her romances are some of my favorite. I'll admit that I was a little nervous with Piper as the main character. I was afraid I would find her annoying and I did to an extent but I loved to see her grow as a character. The STEAM in this book, someone go get me a fan! I didn't expect the amount of steam that I got but I am living for it. I loved the sister relationship, the romance, and the setting. I can't find anything that I didn't like about this book! I would highly recommend that all my romance lovers pick up a copy of this book!

Wow. This book was just wow. It was everything good and pure and STEAMY. This book 100% reminds me of Alexis from Schitt's Creek so if you like the show, you will love this book. This book made me laugh out loud and made my heart grow and all I want to do is wrap up the book in a big hug. And read the next one ASAP please and thank you. This book is about Piper who, after getting herself in jail after a wild stunt, gets "banished" to a small coastal town in Washington state with her sister, and a small allowance. Watching Piper's journey in Westport, WA and her growth and finding herself was just magnificent. I love Abe and Opal and Piper's relationship with them. I really loved Brendan and how he grew alongside Piper. And I can't wait for the second book. The writing was amazing and I couldn't put it down and I honestly think this book deserves all the stars!

All I'm saying is that if I don't get relocated to a small fishing town and fall in love with a hot, bearded, 6'4" sea captain that gives me everything, am I really living?!?! This was my first Tessa Bailey book and she has me, hook, line and sinker! I promise no more sea puns. I am obsessed with her writing. This story was fantastic! It made me laugh, cry, and swoon. Piper was such a wonderful character and I loved seeing her growth from LA Party Girl to finding her true fit in a tiny town where she should be an outsider, but becomes a vital member of the community. She had such growth and truly showed a multitude of layers and insecurities that we never would have known she had when we first met her.

And Brendan! There is not much I can say about him aside for I want one of my own. I'm usually not the biggest fan of one of the characters in a romance book being a widow, but ugh I loved Brendan. He's grumpy and surly, but so endearing and he wants to give Piper the world and you can't ask for more than that in a rom com hero. The smut was FIRE and I can't wait to see how the rest of this series plays out, especially Hannah and Fox's story. I. AM. READY.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

I had high expectations for this book, especially based on the amount of love shown for it on twitter and as has been the case with numerous other buzzed about books this year, it fell far short of my expectations.

Let’s break it down to what I liked and didn’t like.

First of all, the author bills this book as inspired by the tv show Schitt’s Creek and the FMC is inspired by Alexis Rose. Now, you may not be aware of this but I LOVE the show Schitt’s Creek and was super excited when I heard that it was the inspiration for this book. However, it pains to me admit that the book does not hold a candle to the tv show.

The premise of the book is promising: Piper Bellinger is a rich, white, spoiled socialite from Beverly Hills, a professional party girl, who, after an embarrassing public breakup ending her longest relationship (3 weeks!), gets herself arrested for breaking into a hotel pool and throwing a huge party. Her stepfather, a movie producer, ships her off to Westport, a tiny beach town populated by fishermen, where she was born, to run her late father’s bar. It’s a fish-out-of-water story (no pun intended) and I actually liked the premise, the opposites attract romance between wealthy, privileged Piper and gruff sea captain Brendan.

However, my problem lies, as always with the execution. In the show SC, we got 6 delightful seasons of watching Alexis come into her own, growing and evolving and learning and it was slow and painful and all too relatable.

In this book, from start to finish is maybe 6 weeks? 8 if I’m being generous. And in that time span, party girl Piper, who in a scene that has a lot of FOLD IN THE CHEESE vibes, almost burns down the apartment over her late father’s bar in an ill-advised attempt to brown ground meat, and ends up remodeling said bar and running it and becoming a bar tender with NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE IN ANY OF THOSE THINGS. How does she do this? It makes NO SENSE. Now, you might be wondering, well, geez, you read PNR, you read about shapeshifters and vampires, make THAT make sense?!? And here’s the thing: PNR follows its own set of rules that involves a lot fantastical elements and world building. But if you’re gonna write a contemporary, especially one that is heavily inspired a recent, much beloved tv show, you have to pay careful attention to the character development.

That’s not to say this book is not without it’s charms. I do actually like the characters, I liked the romance, the sex, as is TB’s trademark, was HOT and the dirty talk FILTHY. I loved Piper’s relationship with her sister, and both their relationships with their grandmother who they meet for the first time. I think TB also does an excellent job of setting up the next book in the series between Hannah and Fox.

I also want to briefly touch on the MMC, Brendan. Widowed for 7 years, he’s allowed his sense of responsibility and obligation keep him tied to the memory of a wife he was never truly in love with. In fact, it’s only after meeting Piper that he finally takes his wedding band off, a true symbol of him finally casting off the locks of his self-imprisonment. Part of the reason the sex scenes in this book are so hot (aside from the fact that it’s a Tessa Bailey book) is that Brendan has been celibate since his wife died and when he decides to go after Piper, it’s with the full gusto and appetite of a man truly starved in that aspect of his life. His character development is handled much better than Piper’s.

BUT, again, that pesky little detail of character development really makes it hard for me to fall into the story when the entire time, I’m questioning how Piper goes from point A (beginning of the book, rich, spoiled party princess) to point B (end of the book, she fixes up her father’s broken down bar and starts running it) in the mere span of 6 weeks.

I think a lot of people could suspend their disbelief when the rest of the story is so charming. I, sadly, wasn’t one of them.

This was the perfect book to read this summer! I loved it and only want more of Piper and Brendan!

OMG, for my first Tessa Bailey book, I have to say that I hit the jackpot. After reading the synopsis, I knew this story sounded so good as I love opposites attract romances, but I was so surprised how much I fell for these characters.

Piper is a 28 year-old and living her life off her stepdad’s Hollywood money. She shops all day and parties all night, documenting her exploits on Instagram.

Honestly, that type of heroine does not appeal to me in the least, but Bailey had me totally loving this girl. Instead of rolling my eyes, I was just smiling while envisioning Piper in a grocery store asking Siri what to make for dinner because she was completely clueless with the concept.

While she does seem shallow on the surface, Piper’s earnest in her desire to find her usefulness when she’s forced to leave her glam life and make it in a fisherman’s town in Washington state.

Brendan was also quick to judge Piper but soon came around to love her as well. He too was a complete surprise to me but one I absolutely adored.

This surly boat captain is set in his routines and with one glance totally dismisses Piper as the ditzy, city girl. And yet it’s her “Piperness” that he totally falls for in such a genuine way.

I loved seeing him fall under her spell and become captivated by who she is. He doesn’t want to change her in the slightest which is what endeared me to him the most.

What really made me fall for this book boyfriend however was how much of a dirty talker Brendan was! Oh man, I did not expect that but he was so HOT!

Besides the amazing character development, there is just so much to love about this book. You get a small town cast of characters, a brewing side story for book two, and a great opposites attract love story all with Bailey’s amazing writing.

I don’t hand out 5 star ratings often but this one definitely deserves it. I highly recommend this as the perfect summer read. Now I’m off to read more of Tessa Bailey!

*Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Socialite Piper Bellinger finds herself falling in love with a fisherman when she is exiled to a small town in the Pacific Northwest after one of her stunts goes too far in this delightful adult romantic comedy.

What a scrumptious treat! I absolutely adored everything about this book. While Piper and Brendan each had understandable insecurities about themselves and their future together, I never doubted the love growing between them - their affection for each other felt authentic and genuine. The pair exuded chemistry when together, whether they were talking or enjoying some steamy *waves fan in face* sexy times. As someone who has had to consider the realities of changing my life to be with a partner, I connected on a deep level to Piper's decision to stay in Westport. The secondary characters, plot, and setting come together to make a delightful world I want to visit again and again. It's the perfect Alexis Rose-esque and Schitt's Creek homage I could hope for.

tl;dr A steamy romance filled with complex characters, a heartfelt romance, and a town I want to visit again and again.

Omg, I absolutely ate this up. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it because I didn't really vibe with Piper during the first few chapters, but once we got to Washington and the story really started I could not put it down. This had all the steam you would normally expect from a Tessa Bailey novel (see also: butt stuff!), but it came served alongside an extra heavy dose of emotional connection and this just really, really worked for me. While I did clearly really enjoy this, I will say, this book had A LOT of gendered language (her feminine sex, his masculine strength, etc etc etc). I kind of expect that from Tessa Bailey at this point so it didn't bother me as much here as it has in her previous books, but I did just want to mention that as it happens pretty much every other page lol. Other than that this was SO MUCH FUN and I cannot WAIT for Fox and Hannah's book. I NEEEEEEEED IT.

CW: death of a loved one

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

It Happened One Summer is a dirty delight from beginning to end.

I have spent time ranking my fave Tessa Bailey books & heroes before for funsies so please trust me when I say this book & Brendan + Alexis’s relationship are new faves & this book is basically a master class in romance.

Socialite Piper Bellinger has just been arrested for helping to break into a pool & throwing a major party when her Hollywood stepdad gives her temporary marching orders: she’s a liability to his film funding & needs to move to Westport, Washington, the town where she was born—& the town where her fisherman father lived when he died—for three months while her latest scandal blows over. She can help with her dad’s bar while she’s at it.

When Piper & her sister arrive, they find that the bar & the apartment are dumps & the people there—chiefly a hot but evidently married fisherman captain named Brendan Taggart—are less than charmed.

But Brendan’s actually a widower. & against his wishes he is charmed. Relentlessly so.

Where to start. Since this is a Tessa book I’m going to lead with the chemistry which is blistering. The sex scenes are filthy magic.

Brendan is G O N E for Piper soon after they meet & it’s a joy seeing how different they are & yet how he doesn’t want her to change. He loves her vanity & her desire for praise & spectacle & also her giant heart & bravery & sense of humor.

& three cheers for Piper, who by the end of the book knows who she is, what she wants, & who she wants it with. She’s learned what’s real & what isn’t.

This book is funny too—Brendan on Insta 🤣🤣— & hit every emotional note for me. It’s a feast for my carnal soul, it made me smile, & it made me wish for a sec that a real Brendan & Piper are in Westport, living their best life…on every flat surface in their home.

5 ⭐️. Release date: 07/13

I read this book a week ago and I cannot get over how obsessed I am with it!!! Imagine Schitt’s Creek meets Deadliest Catch and you have the premise for this book. (Which is so crazy since both of those shows were what I watched all the way through during quarantine last year.). While that sounds crazy our Alexis type character, Piper, is sent to live in Westport where she meets a crab boat captain, Brendan, and had an epic romance and I was so here for it!!

This book has the perfect amount of plot and steam. Though I definitely found myself blushing while reading this one around others I love a good steamy read and this one for sure delivered. Brendan is both gruff and sweet and has a heart of gold. Serious book boyfriend vibes from this one!!

The chemistry is so dang good between these two and I loved every second of this story! I cannot wait to read the sequel!! It can’t come soon enough!

Also Tessa is amazing to chat with! Loved reading this one with @lovearctually and doing an amazing author chat last night that had us all laughing and begging for more books!! I’m definitely adding Tessa Bailey to my auto buy authors!! Good thing I have a few of her other books on my tbr shelf already.


Thank you NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review!

Piper Bellinger is a party girl and wild child, and very popular and famous in LA. When she gets dumped and embarrassed in a cruel way, she makes a poor decision that lands her in hot water with her rich stepfather. He cuts her off and she and her sister end up at their late father's bar in Washington state. She soon bumps into sea captain Brendan, and sparks start to fly.

This was such a fun story! I loved Piper and her sister Hannah (who came along for support), as well as her love interest, Brendan. Piper had low self-esteem from being somewhat aimless in life, as well as being mistreated by men. It was great seeing her recognize that she can become a more responsible person with goals in life, without giving up who she is. It's refreshing to see a romance where the woman can be girly and sensitive and not feel the need to change those aspects of herself. Brendan was also a great character. He was honest and true to himself, but was able to open his eyes to a different way of relating to people by accepting Piper for who she was.

Piper felt accomplished by working on the bar with Hannah, and she learned some hard lessons along the way. I would've liked to see more of a resolution with her mom and step-dad, but maybe we'll get that in the next book.

Tessa Bailey is a great writer and there were many spicy scenes! I'm excited for Hannah's story!

Tessa Bailey does not disappoint when it comes to romance! I've only read one of her other books, but this one blows that one out of the water (and I thought it was excellent, so high accolades).

This was such a fun and summer read that I could not put down. This book offers dual POVs (thank god) and has one of my favorite tropes, the sunshine/grump pairing. The main couple in this book gave me literal butterflies every time they interacted. Not to mention the hero in this book, Brendan, is making it to my Book Boyfriend's list, and a contemporary character has not made the list in a WHILE. The way his POVs spoke about Piper, the main character, had me SWOONING. I love him he's so broody and wonderful and sweet.

This story was so entertaining and heartfelt and unapologetically silly at times, which I loved. I loved Piper so much. I want to be her friend. She is so fearless, but also human and insecure about herself. Her inner voice was hilarious and her train of thought was ridiculously wonderful. This story was also deep and talked about the repercussions of life in the spotlight and we got to see how much Piper's seemingly perfect socialite life affected her confidence and livelihood.

Not to mention this book had an amazing sibling dynamic between Piper and her sister Hannah. I am such a sucker for strong and healthy sibling relationships that when a book omits it or pits siblings against each other I immediately dock my rating. Piper and Hannah remind me a lot of me and my sister and how they would go to the ends of the Earth to protect each other. I loved it.

What a refreshing summer romcom, I loved every minute of it! Also, I cannot wait for book two where we get Hannah's story!!

Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley, for providing me with this ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) in exchange for an honest review.

Tessa Bailey does it again! This book is so much fun! Piper is an LA socialite with no direction. She's known for partying and fashion and little else. After an all-nighter gone wrong, her step-father sends her to the coast of Washington for three months to get her act together. Piper's only comfort is that her sister has offered to come with her.

Brendan says he has sea water in his veins. He's a fisherman through and through. He likes his routine and quiet and is none too thrilled when Piper shows up in his small coastal town to shake things up.

I loved these two together. An homage to Schitt's Creek, Piper was a bit rough to like at first; however, this was real for her character and necessary to see the change in her while in Washington. I do love how Bailey shows the growth in Piper while still remaining true to herself. In the same way, I really loved how Brendan knew who he was and was unapologetic about it. There's something so attractive about that confidence and stability. He and Piper were the perfect yin and yang for one another and when they got together, in true Bailey fashion, the connection was super hot.

Beyond these two, I loved the setting on the coast of Washington and am beginning to realize I really love a guy who is good with a boat....something I should have known after reading Float Plan by Trish Dollar. Hannah, Piper's sister, and Fox, Brendan's crew mate, were a great addition and I was excited to learn at the end that these two will have a book of their own.

Overall, this book was the perfect summer read. Tessa Bailey has long been a favorite of mine and this book is the now at the top of that list. 4.5 stars!

The only negative I can come up with for this book is how strongly I disliked Piper at the beginning. Honestly, that had me rooting against her for a bit but BRENDAN... good lord! Tessa Bailey broke the mold with this grump!

This has a steam level of 100/100 and off the charts chemistry so I enjoyed every page!

Talk about opposites attract, wow. I have been in a reading slump this entire year but I ate this book up in just a couple sittings because the chemistry between the main characters just made me swoon.

It Happened One Summer follows the story of a Hollywood socialite named Piper after she hits rock bottom in her step-father's eyes and is shipped off to the Pacific northwest. When she arrives in the small town that her parents originally met, she meets a grumpy deepsea fisherman named Brendan and they have instant chemistry. The story follows the couple as they overcome their own problems as well as them both growing together as a couple.

To me, this book was PERFECT! I loved everything about it, and found it to be absolutely effervescent, and magical. I can't wait for book 2!!

Piper Bellinger is a rich, Instagram famous, party girl. Her stepfather works in Hollywood, and she's been given everything she could ever want. She doesn't have a job, or any life goals or aspirations. Her "friends" are more like semi-friendly acquaintances, and she has never had a romantic relationship longer than 3 weeks. When yet another guy dumps her, in public no less, she's feeling low. So, she decides to do something outrageous to get everyone's mind off her humiliation, and it's fantastic until she ends up in jail. In the morning, her stepfather has had enough, and he exiles her for 3 months to the small fishing town of Westport, Washington, the birthplace of Piper and her sister Hannah, as well as both of her parents.

Brendan Taggart is the captain of a crab fishing boat. He has lived in Westport his entire life and has no plans to change that. He's a widower, and his wife has been gone for 7 years now, but he hasn't really moved on. He likes things with plans and routines, and he coasts along that way safely, both at home, and out on the ocean. Until the Bellinger sisters roll into town and blow up his perfectly ordered existence.

Brendan and Piper had chemistry like WHOA, and sparks flew between them from the start, even when they were bickering. Piper is feeling vulnerable because she has no clue what she's doing. She's never had to cook, or clean, or grocery shop, and she's a mess. Hannah, while more down to earth, is still mostly hopeless, so she's no help. Also, Piper's feeling unsure about being in Westport, as her mother left town with the girls when they were little, after their father's death, and they've never been back. Piper only has vague memories of her father, but he is a fallen hero in this town, so it's hard to reconcile that in her mind. Brendan has ghosts in town too, with his in-laws still acting like their daughter died yesterday, and Brendan feeling disrespectful even thinking of finally moving on. They both had a lot of internal and external issues to deal with individually, before they could consider tackling things as a couple.

Hannah was a wonderful side character here. She and Piper have a tight sisterly bond, and I loved their connection. Fox, as Brendan's right-hand man on the boat, was another awesome character, and I can't wait to to see them fall stupid in love with each other in the next book. Fox is quite the ladies man, and seeing a player brought down to his knees is always a treat! Many other fun and interesting people in Westport were delightful as well. I fell in love with the town right along with Piper!

But, Piper and Brendan were the stars of the show here, and what an amazing story they had. They both learned so much about themselves, and how they wanted their lives to turn out. They had to work together to make it happen, and I adored their bond. Neither of them had a connection like that before, and they were both at a bit of a loss as to how to handle it. But watching them stumble, and fall, and get back up and try again was inspiring. Piper especially grew so much into the person she was meant to be. Her journey was so sweet, sometimes silly, but mostly earnest, and lovely. I fell in love with her just as much as Brendan. Brendan though, that magnificent hero of a sea captain. He was so perfect, and wonderful, and just gah! He was everything. He's definitely now in my top 5 Tessa Bailey heroes, and I truly love them all, so that's a high honor!

Of course, the author's signatures were on display here, especially her unrivaled dirty talk, of which I am a big fan. She always brings the heat, and I love to see that having a cutesy, illustrated cover hasn't changed that! I highly recommend this book. It was the PERFECT summer read, and I will never forget it.

This is definitely my favorite Tessa Bailey book (though I've only read one series of hers - the one right before this). Very steamy and also sweet - the main character Piper is based on Alexis Rose from Schitt's Creek and Bailey really nailed it there. She's got that materialistic, super social, but secretly vulnerable thing going on at the start, but she is also kind and thoughtful and a good sister. After a very public and embarrassing breakup, Piper decides to cause a (literal) splash by breaking into the hotel pool at the Mondrian and inviting hundreds of other people. It doesn't end well - Piper gets arrested and as a result her stepfather (the only father she has really ever known) cuts her off financially and sends her to a small fishing village in Washington, where she was born and where her birth father died tragically. It turns out that her stepfather has been paying someone to take care of the bar her late father owned, and he sends Piper there for at least three months to run the bar. Her loyal sister Hannah goes with her and they quickly find out that the bar has been claimed by the locals, the apartment above it is disgusting and overrun with rodents, and no one really seems to want them there. As they settle in, sparks fly between Piper and Brendan, a hot local fishing boat captain and widower who finds Piper frustrating and annoying but also super attractive. Their romance is cute and sometimes frustrating, but again, very steamy. I liked the way this one turned out but I just really can't wait for Hannah's book, which is coming out next year.

It Happened One Summer is Tessa Bailey's take on the classic trope of a rich girl sent away to learn responsibility and finding herself and a romantic awakening along the way. Add in a LOT of sex and you've pretty much got the book nailed down! (Pun not intended.) While billed as an Alexis Rose/Schitt's Creek inspired Rom Com, I would recommend not looking too closely for any Schitt's homages - this story stands apart from the show!

This was a fun read - if you love Hallmark movies, are looking for something a bit more sexually engaging, and don't want to get too attached to character backstories - this is right up your alley! I enjoyed this book for what it was, but Piper and Brendan's brand of romance just wasn't it for me! I totally appreciate the time and creativity the author put into the main characters' physical relationship, though! So I bumped from 2.5 to 3 stars!

Don’t let this rating fool you I ate this book up! 3.5 stars
This was sweet and really funny and I had a good time with this! (Also read it embarrassingly fast) The steamy scenes….LORD they were amazing. Like Tessa really went there and she delivered!!! But I also couldn’t get past the sometimes annoying/cringy writing, how Brendan barely had a personality outside being super “masculine”. Overall I was expecting a bit more depth to the story that I wasn’t getting which is fine cuz I enjoyed it for what it was. It was fun and lots of people will love this!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this ARC!!

As a huge Schitt's Creek fan, I had very high expectations for this book. Tessa Bailey did not disappoint in the slightest--this was easily one of my top favorite reads of the year thus far.

Piper is largely based on Alexis Rose, the stereotypical airheaded influencer living the LA party lifestyle. When she gets into some legal trouble, her stepfather sends her and her sister off to their birthfather's hometown of Westport, WA--a small fishing community on the Washington coast.

Piper quickly finds herself entangled with Brendan, the captain of a crab fishing crew, and resident grouch of Westport. The evolution of their relationship and the individual evolution of their characters was so well done, I felt like I knew each of them personally by the end of the book. Even though the 3rd person omniscient perspective is not my favorite, I felt like it was done in a way that kept me hooked and felt natural to the characters and to the story.

Spice-wise, this was chef's kiss. Absolutely fantastic dirty talk and spicy scenes. This was my first Tessa Bailey book and suffice it to say I will be reading many more of her books.