Fox 🔥 and the epilogue 🥺 - those are my thoughts.

But really, this book was a little bit of a slow burn. It felt intentional though because the friendship that develops between Hannah and Fox was so good and pure. Their initial text messages 🥰

I also loved how Hannah begins to learn more about her family and is able to feel connected.

I loved It Happened One Summer, but I really think this is my favorite of the two.

Tessa Bailey never fails to impress me. Her characters are constantly drawing me in and her storyline is even better. I couldn't get enough of Hannah and Fox throughout Hook, Line, and Sinker! The banter and their connection was almost overwhelming. Tessa's writing style is something I am so in love with and she captures me with all of her writing. This book is debatably one of the best I have read so far this year!

4.5./5 stars

First off, I want to thank Avon and Harper Voyager for sending me this book to review!

Okay to start I do prefer "It Happened One Summer" because it's more of my vibe but this was also QUALITY. Honestly Tessa Bailey is quickly becoming my favorite author. This book was a lot heavier and that's maybe why I didn't like it as much because I like to avoid super heavy topics but it wasn't too bad and I think it was handled well. It also was more slow burn which I normally I don't love but I still enjoyed reading this and waiting for the build up. The tension was delicious ;) I was a big fan of Hannah's character but Fox was meh to me. I am also not a fan of womanizers and I sort of struggle to sympathize with Fox but I did understand. I know he has his problems but still. Now the spice? Top Notch y'all. Awooga. Overall, really enjoyed this book as I received it and proceeded to devour it in a couple of hours.

The Plot: Being that I did not read the previous book in the series, I was a bit lost at points but overall I got the gist quickly. Ultimately it boiled down to both Fox and Hannah finding worth within themselves, finding the confidence to change the trajectories in their lives both romantically and professionally and I think the author did a decent job for the most taking us through the journey and tying it up neatly.

I did kind of dislike that Piper, Opal, and Brendan were nonexistent in the book. They were collectively mentioned a total of maybe three times? It’s just odd that Hannah is so close to Piper and it was the main reason for her going back to the town and yet… she was an afterthought. It’s the same issue with Fox and Brendan. Brendan is Fox’s best friend and they had a bit of tension at the beginning of the book and yet like Piper, Brendan is not mentioned until towards the end and solely as a plot device.

The Main Characters: I enjoyed Hannah and Fox for the most part. I just feel like neither were fleshed out enough for me. It was a nice change to show the objectification of men and how toxic masculinity can affect someone's mental health. Seeing Fox have this battle within himself and ultimately overcome it was great. When it comes to Hannah I hated that her personality was basically reduced to “music lover”. If only because it takes me out of the story when she’s just dropping artist and song names and if you don’t know a particular one, you have to stop reading and look it up because she’s using it as a way to describe a setting or her feelings at that moment… also because I feel that it ages a book. I would have also loved to read a bit more about Hannah’s feelings on her father but maybe the author already touched on that a lot in Piper’s book that I haven’t read yet and didn’t want to rehash it.

The Romance: Let me just say I LOVED that there wasn’t much miscommunication. If there was any, it was resolved quickly. As it should be. I hate when there’s miscommunication between characters in their mid-20s to early 30s and the author makes us read a third of the book before it’s cleared up. Like come on now, they should know how to communicate at this point. I also was so happy there was no love triangle like I initially thought there would be.

However, there weren’t any swoon-worthy moments in the book for me. This is mainly due to every big moment in the book being tied into sex. I wish it was something the author had not done because the sex scenes were just not great. I wanted to skim so badly but I had to force myself to read them because the author decided to have almost all of their epiphanies and declarations happen during sex.

Final Thoughts: It’s chick-lit. It followed the formula and followed it near perfect. I read through it quickly and it was an enjoyable read overall. I could see myself picking it up again. I just wish Bailey had delved a little bit more into the plot points that weren’t tied down by romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓉’𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒸𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓈 𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒’𝓈 𝒶 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝓎𝑜𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒾𝒹𝑒.  
  
Hook, Line, and Sinker is the highly anticipated follow-up to It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey. After spending the summer in Westport, Hannah goes back to her life in LA and to her secret crush on her boss, but she can’t seem to also stop thinking about a certain fisherman who bought her a highly coveted Fleetwood Mac album. Fox has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt, but Hannah seems to be immune to his charm and looks, and wants to be friends. The two build a friendship via texting each other song recommendations based on the kind of day they have (can it BE anymore adorable?!) When the film Hannah is working on is in need of a new location, Hannah knows just the place. Now, Hannah's back in Westport, crashing in Fox’s spare bedroom, and the more time she spends with Fox, the more the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur.   
  
This swoon worthy romance is very different then It Happened One Summer. For starters it’s an agonizing slow burn with not nearly as much sexy time as IHOS but the tension is very 🥵. It’s a much deeper and emotional story as Hannah and Fox have a longer time to get to know and connect with one another, but it still manages to stay light hearted and fun. The music element also creates a beautiful love language and sets the tempo.   
  
It was easy to catch feelings for these characters, I had a crush on Fox from his introduction in IHOS, but unfortunately about halfway through I felt it start to fizzle out. With no real conflict, Hannah and Fox struggle with imposter syndrome and insecurities that could of been worked out better, it started to became overly repetitive and boring. My biggest complaint though has to be the lack of lovable supporting characters. IHOS did a phenomenal job with this, obviously since we have this book. But majority of this book is just Hannah and Fox, dare I say they’ll a little self absorbed with each other. I missed falling in love with Westport and it’s people and there was not nearly enough Piper! The saving grace is the epilogue. Fast forwarding years in the future we get a dreamy recap of Hannah, Fox, and even Piper and Brendan that wrapped everything up in an exquisite bow. I’m a sucker for a happy ever after.   
  
Overall this is a cute and quick read and can be read as a stand-alone but if you haven’t you should definitely read It Happened One Summer. 
 
And yes I did create a playlist for this one how could I not!
  
Read if you’re in the mood for:  
- Friends to lovers  
- Slow burn   
- Emotional connection to music  
- Finding your passion   
- Sweet escapism

I really liked this book I thought it was sweet and steamy. It just took me a while to get through and I’m not sure why. I preferred Piper over Hannah, but Fox over Brendan so I loved learning more about Fox and seeing him learn about himself throughout the book. It just seemed like every other page was talking about his past habits when it felt like they were already very clear. I also wanted a little more drama with Sergei but maybe that’s just because I like the love triangle tropes and this book never felt like fake dating when they were pretty much always real dating. Overall, a good story and I just loved the small town vibes.

An angsty, slow burn romance that was vulnerable, emotional and steamy. ⁣
⁣
I loved 𝘐𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 so I was super excited to read 𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐫 and I'm very happy to say that it did not disappoint. I loved Hannah and Fox's story. It had a slower friends to lovers build up but it packed lots of emotion and the angst made it well worth the wait because the sparks between them were 🔥🔥🔥!⁣
⁣
I loved Hannah and Fox's relationship. They were so good for each other. I enjoyed how we got to watch their relationship grow from them sharing music and adorable text messages back and forth to all the angsty forced proximity moments between them. Watching Fox learn to love himself and consider himself worthy of Hannah touched my heart. Plus, we get glimpses of Piper and Brendan in this book, which I loved.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me an advanced ecopy of Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey in exchange for an honest review.

I had read the first book in this series in 2021, It Happened One Summer. Hook, Line, and Sinker stars the younger sister of the heroine of that book. Frankly, I do like Hannah better than I did Piper, only because Hannah is much easier for the average person to relate to than Piper was.

OK, so I was so tempted to drop this to 3 stars because of the bizarrely unrelatable existential crisis the lead male had: He was so hot that from a young age, every adult in his life told him he was going to be a f-boy, therefore he can only believe that about himself. Add to that that his dad was a Casanova who couldn't settle down and Fox LOOKED like his dad, therefore this was further confirmation to him that he can be nothing serious in life.

BUT, what stopped me from lowering the rating was Hannah. She was remarkably functional and healthy about the whole thing. It was really nice to read a book about a female that had the self-confidence to say no to Fox when it was unhealthy to and to say yes to Fox when it was healthy to. And her handling of conflict with him was also very mature. It was refreshing to read a romance with a strong, AND soft female lead.

In case anyone reading the book cares to know, the sex in it is decidedly spicy.

A cute romantic comedy that builds on a spark in a convincing and steamy way. It was sweet to see that while some of the character development was obvious even as it was happening off-page, there was still plenty of on-page tension and progression to keep the plot moving.
And ermagersh I am thankful for the epilogue giving them enough space and time for it to make sense that they were married with kids instead of the normal usual "one year later and wow she's pregnant and they're magically together foreverrrrrr" hastily-thrown-together HEA.

Yesssssss- Hannah and Fox finally.

I could not have been more thrilled to read this. I love friends to lovers but what I love even more is that we know the basis of their friendship. This is definitely one where you should read the previous book first.

Fox is a sexy ship captain and Hannah is the sister to the local bar owner (Piper), and also a home town girl - kinda. They are a little bit grumpy sunshine and a lot a bit friends to lovers as far as the tropes go.

In this new story- Hannah and Fox have always had flirtation- they are friends first though and Fox is such a player that neither doesn’t want to risk it. What happens though when the player becomes the wingman? A romantic comedy of epic proportions ensues.

I love everything Tessa Bailey and this was such a joy to get to read. I am a fan for life and cannot wait for what she releases next. In true Tessa Bailey fashion too- prepare for some gooooood smut and steam!

I LOVED this book it was so good, I was not shocked that I was going to like this book cause I really liked it happened one summer.

I discovered I loved Tessa Bailey's books last year and one of those was It Happened One Summer, since Hook, Line, and Sinker is the follow-up to that book I was of course excited to read it!

We follow two characters we were introduced to in the first book, Fox Thornton and Hannah Bellinger. We got a glimpse into the two characters' lives and their friendship continued on once Hannah left Westport. They continued to text and soon became best friends and a major part of each other's lives. Fox has a reputation of being a bit of a player and Hannah seems completely immune to his charms. He isn't used to women wanting to actually talk to him and get to know him. Hannah's work brings her back to Westport and will be staying in Fox's spare bedroom. She doesn't see an issue with this since they are just friends. Besides, she has a crush on a colleague that Fox is helping her win the affections of. She and fox are totally just friends. Yet, the more and more time they spend together, the more they aren't so sure if being friends is enough for either of them.

I loved this rom-com. This book was a great addition to the duology and I enjoyed Hannah and Fox's story very much!

I’m not sure how to rate this because I feel like it deserves more than 3 stars but less than 4 so I’m going with 3. I liked it despite the slow burn whichever I don’t usually enjoy and some of their banter was fun! I just wish we would have had a little more character development in this book.
Fox and Harper’s connection through texts were fun and flirty and so relentless to the times. Fox had to deal with a lot growing up, which affected how he saw himself and went into relationships-that is, not thinking he’s relationship material, but Harper showed him he’s so much more than he gives himself credit for. And the steam factor is there as to be expected with Tessa’s books.
If you were a fan of the first book, you’ll enjoy this one.
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my review.

This story is a continuation of It Happened One Summer now featuring supporting characters Hannah & Fox. Hannah has left Westport for L.A. and is now back to the daily grind as production assistant to her long time crush and Director, Sergio. Early on we find out Hannah has continued her friendship with Fox via text messages. She’s missing Westport and now that her sister Piper is settled, Hannah finds she finally wants to step into the spot light herself. First step is pitching Westport as a production site for Sergio’s next movie. Step two is trying to get on the good side of the movies music producer so she start her dream career. Lastly, her third and final step is finding her very own leading man and subsequent HEA.

After reading It Happened One Summer, there was NO WAY I was going to pass on an invitation back to Westport. Hannah & Fox provided a very charming slow burn friendship building up to more…did I say slowly? Once it finally got to the more there were some definite fireworks. These two characters compliment each other perfectly and they have a very genuine, endearingly sweet relationship. The epilogue really made this book for me, it was so heartwarming and lovely. On a side note, I appreciated the insight I gained on Imposter Syndrome. It was hard for me initially to put myself in Fox’s shoes so to speak. But the more I contemplated the implications of imposter syndrome the more I understood the character and his actions.

Tessa Bailey has created a must read series with the Bellinger sisters.

Tessa Bailey had fast become one of my favorite romance authors. Her characters feel authentic and fun and I wish I could climb into one of her books.

I really enjoyed Fox and Hannah's slow build to their romance. Fox clearly had some things to work on and I appreciated Hannah's patience and understanding that he needed that time. Fox's issues stemmed from his parents attitude growing up and his unfortunate position of "hall pass" in college.

Hannah didn't have as many issues or hang ups but had her own journey to go on, discovering who her father was. I loved all of this so much. From the songs, to the feelings to her grandmother. Couldn't get enough, it was very touching. I also thought Hannah's transition to asking for what she wanted was well done. Gotta stand your ground!

If you like swoony romances I highly recommend Hook, Line and Sinker!

It Happened One Summer was an amazing book by Tessa Bailey, but I personally found myself drawn more to Hannah than Piper. So, when I heard Hannah and Fox’s story was going to be told, I was thrilled. This book did not disappoint. It had me laughing, crying, and swooning throughout. I would recommend this to just about everybody!

"Sunset lit the car in a deep orange, and she felt that rich color spread inside her chest, too, where her heart battled to keep up with the love that bloomed freely and wildly, a lot like the spring storm creating warm, white noise around the car. I love him. I love him."

This is soooooo depressing to rate but I honestly hated this book. I genuinely was such a lover of the relationship between Brendan and Piper. I found her to be so sweet and adorable and their chemistry jumped off the page. Even reading about Fox and Hannah in It Happened One Summer I was giddy and couldn't wait to read this book. Unfortunately, this was an utter flop.

Where to even begin? Hannah is literally a pick me sorry. Her music obsession had me rolling my eyes especially when she was talking about her obscure and mainstream music taste. Ok yes, you can like the Beatles or the Strokes but you're going to tell me that you're not also going to shake your ass to One Direction or Justin Bieber once in a while. The whole storyline with her career and the band, I simply could not deal. I just thought she was soooo cliche my eyes were stuck in my brain.

Moving on to Fox, I definitely had fewer problems than with Hannah and enjoyed his POV more. But like I'm going to give this man the business card for my therapist because he needs help! His obsession with what others think about him when he is 31!!!!!!!! I can't. Yes ok coming from the queen of intimacy struggles I understand it can be difficult to tell someone you love them, but brother come on. The entire book was him like hey girl I love you wait just kidding I'm bad for you wait actually come back you're the one wait sorry never mind I'm bad news. I can't! Also, friends to lovers is the utter definition of god-tier but I literally feel like they had negative chemistry. The sex scenes, which I'm normally like screaming over, had me cringing and wincing so much. I just feel like if they were allegedly best friends before this he wouldn't treat her with the disrespect that he did.

Overall, read at your own risk. It was fine but I was bored for most of it and now I'm just really sad that I didn't like it. Only a two-star instead of a one for the few cute moments between them and the epilogue that saved the day.

This book surpassed my expectations and my (not insignificant) appreciation for its predecessor. I already knew that the Hannah/Fox energy was my type on paper (we're talking peak Raven/Beast Boy vibes aka the best of all ships). It's a swoony friends-to-lovers story with strong communication and wise decisions about when to give space, when to push, when to discuss weighty issues. I loved Fox dearly, but it was Hannah's intuition, protectiveness, and steady mind that most impressed me. Even their final act drama felt mature and considered, and what a freaking joy that is.

While I loved Piper's self-discovery in Westport, I think Fox's journey ended up being yet more powerful for me. Where the town is idyllic and tight-knit in the first book, Fox's experience shows how that same small community can trap you in amber with expectations for your behavior, a specific preemptive measure of your potential. The story also plays around with the ways toxic masculinity affects everyone. The pressure on Fox's image and his slow unfurling of honesty with Hannah to see a different, happier path forward for himself were cathartic. I also don't mean to shortchange Hannah stepping up to the challenge of fighting for the career she wants. I loved the way she grows into pursuing her passion and sticking up for her vision.

This is a tender love story with a built-in soundtrack that gave me the full ambience I crave when reading (my spotify queue was very active while I blazed through this book). It has all the sexual tension and then some. It has thoughtful conversations and unwavering trust and support. It has personal growth and the seizing of new dreams. The further I read, the more satisfied I was with its trajectory. A true delight. Thanks to Avon for my copy to read and review!

Tessa Baily is my everything.
This woman knows romance in a way that is so deep and pure and STRONG.
I love Hannah so much, she is so strong and such a relatable character in every way. Both her and Fox are flawed and loveable and stubborn and I want to hug them and kiss them and wrap them both in a blanket with tea and cookies.
This book follows Hannah, music lover and sister of our previous heroine. She stays with Fox her long distance friend of about a year while working on a movie set and trying to move up in her career. The tension and the flirting and the FRIENDSHIP makes this one of the most heart melting romances I've read in a long time.
Don't even get me started on the sexy scenes. Fox is a renowned player and that really comes through in his dirty talk. The confidence and skills are abundantly clear and I loved the way it really made these scenes stand out.
I'm not the biggest fan of a 10 year epilogue but that's just a personal preference and I do wish we had gotten more with Piper and Brandon. Hannah and Fox felt a little isolated in the book which made me sad because I love Tessa's characters so much.

I loved this book! I read It happened one summer and I liked Piper but I LOVE Hannah! I see myself in her more because I am the younger nerdy sister and my older sister is the spotlight queen. Fox is also way yummier than Brendan in my opinion but I’ve always had a thing for bad boys! ha! Also adding in the music with there feelings and everyday life is something I do every day so I related to that a lot. This book was so freaking good! I’ve been in a killer book slump and this book brought me right back out of it! Go read it!