As I began tor read this, I could tell early on I didn’t like the main character but I didn’t give up and I’m glad. This was s a great story and the character arc in Piper was refreshing. I enjoyed getting to know the quaint town and all the characters. There was a lot of depth to this story and I was pleasantly surprised. A little too R rated in some parts but overall al great story. Thank-you for the advanced copy!

Schitt's Creek was my favorite show ever, and this is the romance that it inspired. I ADORE Tessa Bailey already but anyone new to her books will love her after this one. She's a must read author. Loved this!

Typical Tessa Bailey fare: an entertaining plot, a satisfying love story, and two characters you can't help but root for. I wouldn't necessarily buy this for the HS teen crowd as it's an adult romance, but I'd be happy to recommend it to any school staff wanting a light, enjoyable romance.

I’ll admit, it took me awhile to get into this one. At first I found it hard to relate to Piper (and in many ways I couldn’t!), but eventually I fell in love with how vulnerable tge characters were.

After that, I couldn’t wait to get to this book each day! Even though I didn’t have high hopes at first, it ended up being such an enjoyable read!

Rating: 4/5
Laughing Score: 2/5
Crying Score: 0/5

Plot: Piper is a fashion influencer who is the life of the party, thanks to her reputation as a rich socialite. After one event gone wrong, Piper’s step dad cuts Piper off and ships her to Westport, a small town on the coastal in Washington where her father was from. Hannah, being the loyal sister that she is, joins Piper on her adventure of going to run her late father’s dive bar. When they get to Westport, this dive bar that has been ‘well maintained over the years’ is nothing that they expected and neither was gruffy sea captain, Brendan.

My thoughts: I found myself loving this book and story, but there were certain characteristics of the characters that drove me crazy. I could not help imagining the show The Simple Life with Paris HIlton & Nicole Ritchie, when I thought about Piper and Hannah When I thought about Brendan, I thought about Jack from Revenge. These characters added a lot to the story, and were fun to read about, but at some points I felt like it was too much. I found Piper to be very endearing, and I liked reading her story and seeing the real sides of her. I thought her and Brendan were cute together, and their relationship read like it could be a movie. There’s something beautiful about romance novels centered around small charming towns like Westport, and the people who find themselves there. This was my first Tessa Bailey book and I will definitely be reading more!

It Happened One Summer comes out on July 13, 2021. It’ll be a perfect beach read :) Thank you @netgalley and @avonbooks for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. Tessa Bailey is one of my favorite romance authors and she does not disappoint with the start of this new series. The characters are sweet and complex, and the comedy felt organic. It would be easy for Piper to be a spoiled rich girl who everyone hates, but the complete opposite happens. The reader falls in love with her almost instantly, as does the grumpy Brendan. This book is steamy and also super emotional, as there are some serious themes of grief which I was not expecting. If I have one gripe with the book it is that the blurb kind of sets up a lighthearted rom-com and, while this definitely has those moments, it also is pretty heavy at times as well. I think the author does a great job balancing these themes, but I also think it might be helpful for readers to know what they're getting into before picking it up. Overall though, I loved it. I've already re-read it!

I’d liken this book to a Bravo reality show (or Schitts Creek) meets Deadliest Catch. A socialite/influencer ends up in a small PNW fishing town, and of course falls in love with a gruff fisherman. There’s some emotional backstory and family issues for both Piper and Brendan, and the story is generally fast moving. The steam is of course 🔥🔥🔥/🍆🍆🍆 given that is TB. Thankfully while Brendan is an alpha male, he isn’t an alpha asshole from the earlier days of TB. If you’ve enjoyed her Fix Her Up series, you’ll enjoy this one as well. It’s an enemies to lovers story, and has some great banter and the chemistry is off the charts. It releases in mid July this summer, and would be a great distraction to pickup before hopefully heading on a summer vacation.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely love seaside tourist towns. Westport sounds like the ideal place to live for me, even if it wasn’t for Piper!

My two favorite things about this book were Piper’s growth throughout the story, and her relationship with her sister. Although I’m astounded whenever I read about rich no-longer-kids that can’t do anything for themselves since they’re used to daddy’s credit card paving the way, Piper and Hannah didn’t stay that way for long. I loved reading about them working together to figure out what to do with their time in Westport, and I loved how Piper so easily made friends there.

I guess the trope here would be opposites attract. I enjoyed Piper and Brendan’s relationship, and how she was able to pull him out of his seven year funk following the death of his wife. Brendan also helped Piper find herself outside of the party scene of LA. I thought they balanced each other out pretty well and ended up being a good fit.

The sex scenes in this one were a little too over the top. I’m all for a steamy sex scene, but in this case it felt like they were trying way too hard to be sexy and just turned out awkward and forced. I sent a screenshot of a particular salad-tossing scene to my boyfriend and a friend to laugh about, because it just was so unnatural and unsexy. Also if anyone ever referred to my vagina as my “entrance” in real life, I guarantee you I would vomit. If you’re the sort of reader that prefers closed-door romance, this one is definitely not for you.

Overall, I enjoyed this quick little romance. I could picture myself in Westport, and overall enjoyed the characters. I read on Goodreads that this was inspired by Schitt’s Creek, so if you’re a fan of the show then this is the rom-com for you! I’m excited to read Hannah and Fox’s love story next, coming in 2022!

Piper has grown up in LA after her dad was lost at sea. She has her step dads credit card and is "spoiled". After a public break up at a party she decides to break into a hotel pool and throw the ultimate party complete with police helicopters and an arrest. As her punishment she is sent back to Westport where she was born to do something with the bar her dad owned and her step dad pays someone to keep it in operation. Her sister Hannah joins her. Turns out the bar hasn't been kept up in years, and a certain boat captain is not happy to see a newcomer or someone who messes with his routines.

I really liked this one, the plot and characters were unique. Piper is a privileged spoiled woman in her mid-late twenties and at the beginning of the story she’s hell bent on ruining her life. She has no responsibilities, no job, because her stepfather is loaded. Anyway, he gets sick of her making bad decisions and sends her to her late father’s hometown, where she meets a cantankerous sea captain.
I love a good rough man who is secretly a softie trope, so this book was up my alley.
Some parts were super cheesy, and over the top, but the underlying story made it worth it. Pipers growth was realistic, even if some aspects of Brendan’s personality were not.
It’s a perfect beach/summer read, if the title didn’t tip you off.
So mark your calendars for July 13th and grab a copy!

I loved this steamy romantic comedy. Piper and Brendan are so cute together. I love their banter! Their romance is super hot! This story just warmed my heart and was just what I needed! Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this review copy with me in exchange for an honest review!

Tessa Bailey's strength as a writer lies in the characters she creates: her romantic leads are usually fully fleshed out and specific, but total opposites from each other. She's perfected her own formula in this book; Brendan and Piper's chemistry sparks off the page, and every new emotional twist is just all the more impactful because you can't help but care so much about the leads.

just hearing "schitts creek inspired" had me hooked. this was a great book! I really loved Piper as a MC and Brendan was just swoon worthy. I loved getting to know the people and the town and loved seeing how everything flowed together t tell the story. This had me interested from page 1 and it was such a fun read!

I really enjoy Tessa Bailey and this one didn't disappoint. Looking forward to Hannah and Fox's story next!

The acknowledgements for this book thank Schitt's Creek and the character of Alexis Rose as inspiration for Piper. If I hadn't already been sold on this book by Tessa Bailey as the author, that would have done it right there.

This book broke me. The characters were so well written. Piper is a social media influencer banished to the small Pacific Northwest town of Westport after one too many scandals. Brendan captains his own crab fishing ship there. I adored Piper, as she started to figure out who she was and question what gave her worth. And I loved Brendan. The story multiple times indicates he is a man, not a boy. And that's so true in his honesty and approach to life. Seeing their relationship and how they struggle with their two different worlds felt so real.

The community of Westport almost features as another character. The people who live there have clear ideas about what makes Westport and who belongs.

Plus the book has all the steam and character-driven intensity we can expect from a Tessa Bailey book. I adored this, and am really glad it's the start of a new series. Hannah needs a book. And so does Fox.

Thank you to Avon Books and Harper Collins and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 rounded to 5

I loved this book. Piper's transition from party girl to town sweetheart felt a little abrupt but it still worked for me. But honestly, I really think that these cartoon covers are just a real bait and switch considering how hot this book is.

This was honestly such a good read. I LOVE Alexis from Schitts Creek and Tessa Bailey did such a great job with having Piper have the same vibe as Alexis with still letting Piper shine as her own character. Brendan and Piper were off the charts with chemistry and I always love the grumpy burly man. He was perfect for Piper and she was perfect for him.

I cannot wait for the next book!

Omgosh I love love love it. It's very tricky to write a stuck up rich girl character and make her likable. Most of the time they come across selfish and whiny. However, Piper was the best. I love her so much. She was genuinely sweet and caring. Brendan was just as charming. He's that lovable grump that you just want to hug. I couldn't have loved these two anymore. I also loved all the side characters. This whole story is full of great characters. The setting is just as charming as the characters are. Overall, I just adored this book! I will pick it up over and over again.

Squeeeeeee! This was GREAT! My favorite Tessa Bailey by far. It’s the perfect slow-burn, steamy, chemistry filled romance. Piper and Brendan are perfection. The fact that the author modeled her after Alexa from Schitt’s Creek made me like her even more. And Brendan! I love my alpha males that don’t speak much but what they choose to say is remarkable. And those steamy scenes - phew! They are done perfectly. A solid winner that I will definitely reread.

This is by far my favorite Tessa Bailey rom-com. The chemistry of Piper and Brendan is fire and jumps off the page! I thought that my e-reader was going to burst into flames reading the sex scenes! You can see sparks flying every time they interact. They were so good together! I absolutely love Schitt’s Creek and when I heard that the novel was a Schitt’s Creek inspired rom-com, I got so excited! Similar to Alexis, Piper is a character you think would be annoying but is charismatic with depth that you realize as the story goes on. We see her learn her lesson and watch her change and grow, while not losing who she is at her core. The strength of this character is that she doesn’t change completely. She still has weaknesses, but we also see her new strengths. We learn to love and root for Piper. It was important to show that she always had the capacity to become more mature and responsible, she just needed to have the right circumstances to allow her to become that person. Brendan is also a complex and well written character. He’s dependable, loyal and steady, which are all good characteristics, but these also hold him back. He’s loyal to a fault and really struggles with being loyal to his past. This is very interesting to read because you can see both the good and bad with that. He is also very set in his ways and routines and Piper just upends that, which is good for him. It allows him to also grow and change and become more spontaneous. The people that both Piper and Brendan become by the end of the book are perfect for each other.

In addition to the main characters, I enjoyed the other relationships in the book as well. I loved Piper’s sister Hannah. She was so hilarious and adorable! The sisterly bond between Piper and Hannah was awesome. They were always and will always be there for each other no matter what. The town of Westport was a perfect setting for this story and Tessa describes it so well. This is a fun and fast paced romance. I can’t wait for the sequel featuring Hannah and Fox, who were sparking some chemistry of their own! I highly recommend this book for rom-com lovers. I predict that this will be a big hit and perfect beach read for the summer! Definitely put it on your TBR pile for 2021!