This book was absolutely amazing! Tessa Bailey did it again, writing a book that I could not put down. I loved reading Hannah and Fox's story, and diving back into Westport is all I ever wanted.

I am not normally a fan of friends to lovers books, but I am a fan of THIS friends to lovers book. The romance arc is everything I want when it comes to friends to lovers.

If I could give this book a rating greater than 5 stars I would, it was one of my favorite reads.

I really enjoyed this book and thought the characters were developed really well. It's a good plot for those that have felt they are support rather than the lead in certain aspects of life. I liked how Fox and Hannah supported each other and built each other up in both personal and professional life. It was all very sweet and full of understanding and love. Expressing feelings is a good thing!
I've enjoyed every Tessa Bailey book and love all her characters. Looking forward to more from her!

A great sequel to the first book! I couldn't wait to read Hannah and Fox’s love story. It did not disappoint! Tessa Bailey does a fantastic job of making her characters relatable as well as providing enough humor and romance to keep the story interesting.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

TESSA BAILEY THE MASTERMIND!! This was AMAZING! Hanna and Fox are the perfect tension between friends and (soon to be) lovers. Literally couldn’t put it down and binged in one night.

I went into this sequel expecting two things: modern writing and excellent steamy scenes. I got both, just not in the way I anticipated. Hannah and Fox are two of my favorite characters I've ever read--which is good, because this book was heavy on the character, light on the plot (and the amount of steam, comparatively). At no point did that bother me, frankly; this is the perfect absorbing, read-in-a-day type of story that leaves you feeling full, warm, and fed. I was halfway through and adding a pre-order to my cart, hoping my memory would allow me to feel like I was reading this one for the first time all over again.

This ARC did contain a few typos and inconsistencies in timing, in the earlier chapters, but nothing detrimental to the reader's understanding.

I loved this book. I loved how Hannah and Fox connected through music. I loved how Fox was completely gone for Hannah and that she had no idea. I loved that they were friends first. I didn't love how Fox was treated by his family and the town but I did love that he wanted to be something more and that Hannah saw who he could be. This book was funny and hot and romantic and I....loved it..

I have never started a book and had butterflies all the while reading it until Hook, Line, and Sinker. This is such an adorable, feel-good romance with a really solid plot. Both Hannah and Fox's personal growth feels natural and I found myself rooting for them the whole time, both individually and as a couple. And the mutual pining/slow burn was everything I needed.
It also definitely reminded me of The Bromance Bookclub series by Lyssa Kay Adams, so if you like her, definitely pick up this book. You won't regret it.

I loved this book and this series is fantastic. After reading book 1, I couldn’t wait to see Hannah and Fox’s love story. This story is a friends to lovers story. Tessa Bailey does a wonderful job of making her character relatable. Thank you so much for approving me for this!

I was EXTREMELY excited to read this book, and my expectations were met and far, far exceeded. Hook, Line, and Sinker is a novel following up on Fox and Hannah's friendship to romance that started budding in It Happened One Summer. First of all, Hannah is the sweetest girl. She is considerate of others, smart, and spunky. And Fox....whew. You know those Tik Toks about choosing your top 5 book boyfriends? Fox is most definitely top 5. He is charming, hot as hell, vulnerable, funny, and I loved how these two really brought out the best in each other, their truer, confident selves. Fox always thought he never deserved anything good or permanent, I'm so glad he learned different. He ends up selflessly fighting for Hannah like she fights for him. I laughed, I cried (multiple times), and fell in love with their love. This definitely surpasses any other friendship to romance I've read. And it means so much because they really blossomed a beautiful friendship first. Tessa is a genius, and really writes the hottest, sweetest men.

"Keep going. Confess every last word. Think of Hannah getting on a bus back to LA. 'I had it bad for you. If the convention didn't make it obvious, I thought for sure the Fleetwood Mac album would do it.' His voice stumbled. 'I've got it so bad for you, Hannah. Really' -he blew out a breath-'really bad. I tried to keep you out of here.' He knocked his free fist against his chest. 'But you won't go. You're never going to go. You just won't.'" I mean, SOBBING!!

"Fox's fist wound in her hair, his hips shifting beneath her. 'You didn't strip for me just to be kissed, Hannah.'"

When I was approved on Netgalley for an advanced copy of Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey I was in disbelief. The Bellinger Sisters series has so much well deserved hype around it! It Happened One Summer was inspired by Alexis Rose from Schitt’s Creek, which alone was enough of a draw for me. And it totally delivered on that premise. This sequel centers around the sister from the first book, Hannah and her best friend Fox (also from the first book). When comparing the two, I would say this one is a little more angsty and made me a little more sad than the first one (not in a bad way). It gave me a lot to think about with toxic masculinity, how our expectations of others can influence how they perceive themselves, the sexualization of children (like saying “he’s gonna be a heartbreaker”), and how impressionable kids are. As far as the chemistry between the characters, I really enjoyed it. It was built on the foundation of a friendship established over months of texting that created a deep trust between them. I enjoyed the character growth that each of them had and how they helped each other get there.

With the way this book ended, I get the impression that this is a duology. I had a couple questions left without closure surrounding the sisters’ mother and step-father. It didn’t bother me too much though. Otherwise, I really enjoyed both books and would recommend them if you want to read a romance with some spice.

This was everything I wanted from these beloved characters! Tessa Bailey threw a curveball at me with this one. It was surprising how easy it was to read and how much I loved it, easily topping the first. This review has been made possible thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

Tessa Bailey does it again! I truly LOVE this series and would love if there was more. I said it after reading the first one, IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER, but fans of THE SIMPLE WILD would adore this series. These book boyfriends are on point and had me swooning the whole time. From the start I knew I would enjoy this book but I honestly didn't expect to like it more than the first- but I did! Hannah is so sweet and so much more down to earth than her sister, which made me relate to her way more. Fox is a babe and that's all you need to know. I love that the setting continues from the first and there is just something about hot sailors that has me wanting more of these books!!

Don't sleep on this series, I truly feel like these are some of Bailey's best work.

Fox Thornton (first introduced in “It Happened One Summer”) is happy with his reputation as bonafide good time. By day, he’s employed as a king crab fisherman (one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet) and by night, he’s a total heartbreaker. His carefully constructed life is thrown for a loop when he meets Hannah, the sister of Piper Bellinger (his best friend’s girlfriend and the main character in IHOS). Hannah is not his usual type - the petite blonde is completely indifferent to Fox’s charms and has a giant crush on her boss. Fast forward to Hannah being in town for work and needing a place to stay and Fox soon finds himself with a roommate.

Fox has no idea how to navigate this situation. Never in his life has he been friends with a female - let alone lived with her. He knows that Hannah is off limits and to further prevent himself from pursuing her, he decides to help her with her love life. With Fox’s help, Hannah begins to woo her crush. The more Fox helps Hannah get what she wants, the more Fox realizes that what he really wants is her. It doesn’t help that they’re living together and he’s starting to imagine a life he never thought he’d get - a one woman, domestic kind of life. Can Fox beat his inner insecurities and commit? Or will Hannah become her biggest fear - another notch on his bedpost?
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In “It Happened One Summer”, I was immediately drawn to the shy younger sister of Piper and the hunky best friend, Fox. I was so pleased when I saw that Tessa Bailey was writing a followup focusing on these characters and even more pleased when I was approved for the ARC! The things that bugged me slightly in IHOS were gone in “Hook, Line, and Sinker”. What felt rushed in IHOS was a slow, satisfying burn in this book. The slower build up between Fox and Hannah was steamy and compelling.

If you love a SPICY friends to lovers trope with relatable characters set in a sleepy seaside town, You will love “Hook, Line, and Sinker”. I finished it in less than 24 hours and couldn’t put it down.

8/10 stars for me. Refreshing setting, interesting characters, and slowburn that’s worth the wait!

You’ll find this review on my page on its publish date (3/1/22) at TheChattyBookworm on Instagram!

I cannot believe that Tessa Bailey made a sophomore novel I loved even more than the first. Everything I didn't enjoy about Piper's story was made up for with Hannah and Fox (swoon). They're just the cutest!

I loved the banter between Hannah and Fox and how they managed to stay connected through such long distances. Their support of each other (which I was so glad was not just one sided) sealed the deal for me. Hot, funny, and sweet, this book added an extra cherry to the top of the Bellinger Sisters duology.

Solid book. Tessa always does a great job with dialogue. I do wish this book was a little steamier. Reading the first book in the series is not 100% necessary, but definitely helps understand the B plot.

This book was much different than what I was expecting. This was a slow burn, friends to lovers romance. Not as much comedy or steam as in It Happened One Summer. This book was more focused on personal development than it was on the relationship between Hannah and Fox. At one point in the book, I thought they would be better off as friends and was content with this book ending with them not being together. The first 60% of the book was a bit boring. I enjoyed the ending more and ended up increasing my rating. Thank you for a copy of the ARC.

After becoming completely obsessed with It Happened One Summer earlier this year, I knew I needed to read Hook, Line, and Sinker immediately. And I was not disappointed, in fact this book exceeded even my already very high expectations. Fox and Hannah's story will stick with me a long time, and whereas it is more of a slow burn that IHOS - it is no less special.

Hannah and Fox have been texting in the months since Hannah moved back to LA, until Hannah convincing her director crush to film their next movie in Westport. Hannah finds herself crashing in Fox's spare room and trying not to sleep with him. Fox is also trying not to sleep with Hannah, as Brendan has told him repeatedly she is off limits. But as the two reveal more to each other, they begin to help each other with their misconceptions of self and to shirk everyone else's opinions and expectations.

Piper and Brendan makes cameos in this book, as one would expect - but it really is focused on Hannah and Fox, the recalls to IHOS are infrequent. As I mentioned, this is more of a slow burn where the two are working on trusting each other and rehabbing their own thoughts of themselves. But over the course of the book, Hannah and Fox go through so much growth and I'm honestly so proud of those two. And that epilogue!! Be still my heart.

I love these sisters and their men and Tessa Bailey. That is all.

**Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

I appreciate the depth and development of these characters from the first book in the series. However, Tessa Bailey leans hard into hyper-masculine and hyper-feminine stereotypes that are not for me.

Tessa Bailey is quickly becoming my favorite romance author! Her comedic timing, believable characters, and heartfelt prose make her books a joy to read. I loved the dynamic between Fox and Hannah. They both had excellent character development and their conflicts/struggles were realistic without being boring. This felt like watching a real-life relationship play out before your very eyes. I always appreciate an epilogue especially when you know there won't be another book (Two sisters, two books...unless there is a secret sibling we don't know about LOL).