Loved this follow up to It Happened One Summer. Felt the plot wasn't as strong as the first book in the series, but this one really focused on character development.

I was so excited to get to read this book early and I was not disappointed. I actually liked this book more than “It Happened One Summer”. I connected more with Hannah then Piper in that book too, so it was no surprise that I fell right in love with Hannah and Fox!

Hannah is at a cross roads in her life, she’s tired of being at the bottom of the latter, she needs a change in her career but also in her life. The almost years long exchange of texts with Fox is the most exciting part of her day, and now that her newest movie is filming in Westport WA, she might have the chance to over haul both. Fox hasn’t stopped thinking about Hannah since last summer. Their ongoing text exchange is all he has needed since she left, but now that she’s back and a future with her could be real he has to face some hard truths and revelations about himself in order to keep her.

I really loved the growth of these two, Fox in particular had a lot of growing up trauma to work though. This two bring out the best in each other and make them more aware, better humans.

As always with Tessa Bailey this was a spicy, steamy one but it was also a very slow burn.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am sad to leave Westport and the Bellinger sisters.

Tessa Bailey's newest rom-com was highly anticipated but lived up to zero of my expectations.

Picking up where we left off with Brendan and Piper in "It Happened One Summer," the story follows Piper's little sister Hannah. Hannah is in the fishermen's town of Westport for work and she finally decides to be the leading lady in her own life. Fox is Westport's local flirt. He's in it for a good time not a long time. Except when it comes to Hannah. Ever since the two became friends, she's all he can think about - something that's never happened before. Everyone expects him to live up to his playboy reputation, so he does. Hannah can't stay with Piper during her stay in Westport so she crashes at Fox's bachelor pad. As the two grow closer - just as friends - they can't help denying their feelings for each other.

The premise seems great, but even the superior friends-to-lovers trope couldn't save this story. Tessa Bailey's writing is unique but the execution of this story was done so poorly. You don't have to sympathize with characters but the actions and words of these leading characters make it difficult to support any of their decisions.

AHHHH!!! i will eat tf out of anything tessa bailey writes and publishes. if she were to give me a blank book I would agree that it was the most wonderful book i'd ever read. after reading 'it happened one summer' i knew i needed fox and hannah's story immediately. i absolutely loved this book and found myself not able to put it down! i still find myself preferring brendan/pipers book over fox/hannahs buT something about this whole westport world.... can't get enough of the characters and i would simply like a group hug with all of them please.

This was only my third Tessa Bailey book but I have a feeling it will be far from my last! I think I am going to start checking out her backlist of books as soon as possible. I absolutely adored Fox and Hannah when I first meet them in It Happened One Summer so I was beyond thrilled to see them get their own chance to shine. They were quirky, flirty, and I could not get enough of the banter between the two of them. I also loved how music played such a big part in both of their stories. It allowed both, Hannah and Fox to show their emotions when words just wouldn't be enough. This story just oozed charm and heart. It was basically a warm hug but in book form.

A big thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for letting me read this book early.

Hannah decides to move up into the leading lady spotlight. She wants to follow a new job opportunity and to finally let her crush (who is also her boss) know she likes him. After convincing him to move his movie from LA to Westport the whole gang is reunited, But with Brendans family in town Hannah cannot stay with them. Instead, she stays with his best friend Fox. While living together during the filming in Westport, Fox suggest a faking dating scheme to help make Hannah's crush Sergei jealous. But both seem to realize early on the tension between them is more then just best friend material and when they decide maybe having a small fling over the filming process isn't such a bad idea. But while doing this, both have to face some inner demons when they realize love is on the horizon.

Just when I thought I couldn't love Tessa Bailey more, she comes out with Hook Line and Sinker! This book left me with all the feels! Hannah was so relatable! I often feel like the supporting role in my own life and wanting to follow a different path but have a hard time sticking up for myself. I loved the intro of the book being all text communication. I loved that we got a part of LA brought to Westport. We also got little glimpses of Piper and Brendan without it taking away from the lead characters. I didn't think anyone could top them, but Hannah and Fox give them a run for their money! My only wish is that we would have gotten a little more relationship time at the end. I just want even more Fox and Hannah!

In the follow-up to It Happened One Summer, Tessa Bailey delivers another deliciously fun rom-com about a former player who accidentally falls for his best friend while trying to help her land a different man…

King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he’s a guaranteed good time—in bed and out—and that’s exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She’s immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his… personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is.

Now, Hannah's in town for work, crashing in Fox’s spare bedroom. She knows he’s a notorious ladies’ man, but they’re definitely just friends. In fact, she's nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport’s resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker’s eye… yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can't deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost.

Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she’s walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and… and… man overboard! He’s fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he’s all in, she'll choose him instead?

I just love this world Tessa Bailey has created. I loved the first novel in this series and this one was even better! I can easily see myself living seaside and spending time with a steamy crab fisherman!

I'm glad that Hannah came back to town and I love this friends to lovers troupe. Hannah and her sister are the BFFs I love to read about. Okay, I just love everything about this series.

This sequel follows Hannah as she returns to Westport with her film crew and finds herself putting her friendship with Fox to the test.

I will start by saying I liked this book even more than It Happened One Summer. Friends to lovers is my favorite trope and I loved the chemistry between Hannah and Fox. We got to see months of texting turn into a friendship, and when Hannah returns to town and is staying in Fox's guest room, the forced proximity causes the tension to bubble over.

I enjoyed each character's growth as Hannah tries to see herself as more of a leading lady and Fox tries to move past his reputation as a playboy. It's a Tessa Bailey book so there is obviously some steam, but it felt like there's less than some of her other books (maybe because it comes later in the story). I loved the music element woven throughout the story between Hannah's career and passion for the industry.

Overall I recommend it if you like a steamy romance! Thank you Avon and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hook, Line, and Sinker takes place approximately 6 months after It Happened One Summer. In this story, Fox (Brendan’s best friend and a designated former playboy) falls for Hannah, his friend and Piper’s sister. The tension was PALPABLE between these two in the first book, and come to find out, they’ve been texting nonstop ever since Hannah left Westport.

Now, Hannah is back in the fishing town for work, and because she’s currently residing in Fox’s guest bedroom, the forced proximity tension is just delicious.

At the core, both Hannah and Fox are struggling with the same insecurity - they both believe they are simply not enough. While Hannah sees herself only as a “side character”, Fox believes that he can only offer a good time and not a lasting emotional connection. These two characters are very honest with each other, and the dialogue through novel really contributed to us readers understanding what makes these two tick.

Music is deeply important to this couple, and it’s clever to have them “communicate” through song choices. It would be super fun to have a playlist that goes along with all the songs/artists referenced in the pages.

Things I loved:
-the text exchanges
-how much Westport is given a distinct sense of place! Tessa Bailey does an amazing job capturing the feel of the town, and it’s clear to see why Hannah is feeling nostalgic about the sleepy fishing town
-“Therapy is the only thing that LA gets right”
-Bellinger sister goodness!
-Fox calling Hannah “Freckles” and Hannah repeatedly referring to Brendan as "The Mean One"

My only frustration with the book is this: At times, it felt like Hannah and Fox were having the same argument/disagreement over and over. I found myself wishing that Fox could just get it together already! It felt like Hannah had to do a lot of the heavy lifting when it came to believing that their relationship could work long-term.

Overall, if you enjoyed It Happened One Summer then I’m sure this one will be a winner for you as well! Happy reading!

Overall rating: 4
Spice rating : 3 (this was a slower burn than I expected, especially for a Tessa Bailey book!

*** slight spoilers below***

4.5/5⭐ 4/5🌶

Tessa Bailey has done it again! I LOVED Hook, Line, and Sinker so much! I instantly fell I love with Fox and Hannah! The tension and spice is *chef's kiss* While I was reading I wanted to make a playlist of all the music they talked about. I really liked the emotional journey Fox and Hannah go on, it was much deeper than I thought it would be for a rom-com.

One of the things I didn't like though was the epilogue, don't get me wrong this is an amazing book I just don't like the 10-years-later-HEA epilogue. I think I generally don't like most endings like that,

- Friends-to-lovers
- forced proximity
- HEA


Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the e-ARC

This book has my very favorite thing: texting dialogue! I just find it so fun and realistic to our real lives right now! I really liked both Fox and Hannah - I thought they were unique characters. The music focus was so much fun and Hannah’s love for it really shone through. This one had a very slow burn - worth the wait bc in true Tessa Bailey form she brings the 🔥🔥🔥🔥

But…. Overall this book fell super flat for me. I just did not feel invested in the characters and I found myself frustrated with the redundant conflict. I wanted more banter. More chemistry. I wanted less thoughts in their heads and more words to each other.

In the books defense, I had a super crazy week while reading, SO don’t let me deter you!!

•Did my mood affect my reading? Probably.
•Did most of my friends love it? Yes.
•Will I keep reading EVERYTHING Bailey releases? Also YES.

I was gifted a copy of the book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Dear Piper and Brendan (from It Happened One Summer)
I love you both, you were one of my favorite couples from 2021 and I thought there was no way it got any better, so please do not take offense when I say it DID get better for me. Not to take anything away from your story, but I was completely unprepared for all that is Fox and Hannah. - Sincerely, your biggest fan from last year

Now that that is out of the way, and in case you couldn’t tell, I absolutely loved this book! It was funny and steamy and I was surprised to find myself crying more than a couple of times, but most of all it showed that you could overcome your past with the right person at your side supporting you. Slow burn, friends to lovers, this was a story where you literally feel the solid friendship they had first while at the same time knowing there was so much chemistry between them underneath the surface.

We talk a lot about book boyfriends in the book world, but Hannah is my book girlfriend! She really is one of my all time favorite characters, with how unassumingly cool she is and how she takes care of everyone. Best of all, she is definitely a ride or die chick with anyone she loves, and that is what Fox needed, someone who believed in him and would be by his side no matter what. Gah, I wish I could adequately put into words how much I love her! And Fox, he was a real surprise for me, because his love and leave ‘em type is not my favorite. However, I fell hard and fast for him once I got to be inside his head, and my standards for Hannah were so high but he was so deserving of her love.

I loved being back in the town of Westport, and getting a glimpse of my other favorite couple. I just wish there were about 10 more Bellinger sisters so that these amazing books could continue! The book title is fitting because everything about this book, including the happy tear inducing epilogue, had me falling for it hook, line and sinker.

When I read the first It Happened One Summer I was amazed at how much I loved the book! I have read a lot of Tessa Bailey books and I have loved them all, she doesn't disappoint. Finding out there was a second book to IHOS I was so happy, the hints in that book about Fox and Hannah having feelings for each other were enough to make me already know I needed the book before even reading the summary of it. Seeing their friendship throughout Hook, Line, and Sinker develop into more and seeing Fox overcome his mental obstacles with anyone taking him in a serious relationship was such a great storyline. I loved how this book wasn't just about their relationship together, you get to see them both grow as their own people!

Tessa Bailey is one of those authors you can pick up and just smile once you begin. Her books are always sunny and make you believe in the good in people.

Hook, Line, and Sinker is the second book in the Bellinger Sisters duet. I will be honest, I hadn't read the first one IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER, so I was a little lost in some aspects. I do think I would have enjoyed the book a little bit more if I had the background from the first book, so beware.

However, in total the book was adorable and cute. Two opposites brought together by music. This book has a bit of a slow burn so be prepared but when they finally come together and admit they like one another...It's fireworks!

Tessa Bailey doesn't write bad books. For fans of slow burn romance, boaters, lovers of music, and any fan of Tessa Bailey.

A huge thank you to Avon Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5🌟 4🌶

This duology is everything I ever wanted in romance novels and Tessa Bailey never fails to deliver when it comes to captivating stories, complex characters and the most delicious smut! If you haven’t read It Happened One Summer, do it now (before this comes out!)

What I LOVED: This slow burn, friends to lovers romance was everything I wanted and I had the best time going on this journey between them towards what they deserve! What started off as a ploy to make Hannah’s crush Sergei jealous eventually became the love story for the ages! The journey they had to go through first between Hannah finding her confidence and Fox battling his demons, it was so worth it finally seeing them together as they deserve! The smut and romantic dates hit me right in the feels 😫

What I LIKED: I’ve had a soft spot for Hannah since IHOS when she was Piper’s supportive litter sister so to see her in this book, working towards her dreams and in becoming the main character of her own life made me so emotional! It was inspiring seeing her move forward in her professional life and love life all the while being an amazing friend and sister.

I loved Fox so much more in this! He was flirty as ever, a master at dirty talk and adorably obsessed with Hannah but learning about his backstory and how the toxicness has affected him as a person drew a different light to how I saw him and it was so heartbreaking, I just wanted to give him a big hug 🥺

What I DIDN’T ENJOY: I’m never a fan of HEAs that happen on the very last chapter unless it has a really good epilogue but with this, I felt that I just needed more story before the very emotionally fueled epilogue 🥺

THIS BOOK IS PERFECT FOR: fans of romcoms with love stories that just capture you from the first page and unforgettable characters whose stories will stick to you forever! I highly recommend this duology!

My god, I absolutely LOVED this. I can’t even describe how much I adored this book.

I was a big fan of It Happened One Summer, so much so that I requested this ARC immediately after finishing, but I am absolute TRASH for Fox and Hannah. This was a slow burn of the best type: sexual tension and emotion GALORE. I read it in one day because I neeeeeeded them to get together!

I’ll admit this wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I thought we’d get playboy Fox and straight laced Hannah doing the whole friends with benefits thing but what we instead got was a ton of character growth wrapped in a super emotional love story. This was DEEP. It had those regular feel good rom-com vibes but it was so much more. Definitely one of my favorite books of all time!

In Tessa Bailey's sequel to It Happened One Summer, we are introduced to younger sister Hannah Bellinger and her movie career. Hannah is only a production assistant, but she lives with a music soundtrack to everything in her life. She longs to lend her musical mind to movies. When her idea to shoot the latest film in Westport is accepted, she not only gets to see her sister Piper again, but she may just get the opportunity to jump all in with her music aspirations.

Fox Thornton is still viewed as the ladies' man in Westport, but ever since the previous summer when he met Hannah, something has changed. No longer has he gone on his escapades out of town...he's been caught up in texting Hannah almost every day. But he knows he doesn't deserve someone like her. There is no way someone like him should even have a chance at the perfect, girl next door.

Both Fox and Hannah struggle with inner demons. Fox has lived up to the "good time" reputation he believes every one expects of him. Hannah longs to be a leading lady but has resigned to being the supporting friend. Both are given the opportunity to lift each other up and to perhaps heal and soar.

Hook, Line, and Sinker has to be one of the steamiest novels I've read in a while! The story quickly envelops you, and you become invested in the lives of both Fox and Hannah, hoping they each find what they need to mend themselves and their relationships.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and to NetGalley for the digital ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Yup! I'm in love with this book and the Bellinger sisters. Just take me to Westport now.

If you've read the first book in the Bellinger Sisters series, It Happened One Summer, then you have met the love interests for this book. Fox and Hannah. And these two have my heart. Both are in vulnerable places in their lives, but they also are both such strong characters and they don't even know it. It just takes their friendship and support from one another to acknowledge they are much more than they thought.

After Hannah spent her time in Westport helping her sister, she left to return to LA and her life there. She is working on a film and has had an attraction to the director, Sergio. When he is needing something MORE for his film, Hannah suggests filming in the the town of Westport. She will get to see her sister and her fiancé, and she will get to see a friend that she has grown close to by texts over the months, Fox.
Fox is a self proclaimed manwhore, if you will. He knows he's not made for the forever. He is made for fun. He's the sidekick and never the one in charge. He's second place. Not someone you see as number one. But Hannah sees something more in him through their texts and through the music they share with one another. They become friends.

Can I say how much I enjoyed their text exchanges? I'm not always one to like texts or letters in books, but this was perfect for their relationship. I got to see a friendship blossom and see their personalities evolve. They got to show the people around them and each other who they really were.

Hannah glowed in this story and she got to become the leading lady in her own journey. I LOVED her. I loved the way she cared for those around her and I loved her passion for music. She cared for Fox as a friend and so much more. To see them together was to see relationship goals. They lifted one another up.
And Fox?? I knew there had to be more to him than meets the eye. He could be #1. He may be the good time guy, but you could see so much more in him when he was with Hannah. But I knew he was going to have to f it up at some point.

Hook, Line, and Sinker is for you friends to lovers, forced proximity, slow burn romance lovers. While it was slow burn, you could feel the tension throughout. It was burning right off the pages and you could feel it was only a matter of time. The characters and their journey moved at the perfect pace for them. We got to see these two vulnerable people become who they were meant to be and we got to see them come together as a couple. It was sweet, it was hot (duh, it's Tessa Bailey) and it was perfect. I just wish there was another sister so we could hang out in Westport even longer because I'm in love with the whole crew of Westport.

I posted this on goodreads: 4.5 stars! wowowowow so freaking good! thank you so much netgalley and avon and harper voyager for the arc!
i loved this book so much! hannah and fox had me hooked from page one! i truly adored the slow paced romance and watching the two of them fall in love! hannah is such a strong and true leading lady seeing her and fox both gain and learn to believe in themselves through their own journeys was beautiful! i really really loved how this book focused on fox and his healing journey, so many times it is only female mc focused but to see the emphasis on him and how he came to terms with his past in order to love himself was truly a work of art.
i highlighted and annotated so many lines in this book tessa bailey truly has a way with words! i am so so excited for this book to come out on march first and everyone can fall in love with these characters just like i did.