I loved the first book in the Bellinger Sisters saga (It Happened One Summer). So I was very excited to get an eArc of the second book in the series, and get to spend more time with the characters from that book, but this time focusing on a new couple in Hook, Line, and Sinker.

I enjoyed this book, Hook, Line, and Sinker, just as much as the first.! The author does a great job of showing the friendship between Hannah and Fox, while also setting the stage for a very believable friends-to-lovers trope. I loved both characters separately. Hannah building confidence in her job and getting unwavering support from Fox was so uplifting. And in turn, Fox had to start questioning all his defense mechanisms because of Hannah's unwillingness to just let him laugh his way through everything, or downplay his strengths.

Bailey wrote the two of them as such an adorable couple. There was tension and conflict, heartfelt moments, and great spice! Tessa Bailey is one of new favorite auto-buy authors. Definitely put this on your TBR and watch for it to come out in 2022.

I loved It Happened One Summer so I was beyond excited to get the opportunity to read an ARC of Hook, Line, and Sinker and it did not disappoint. I loved getting to know more about Hannah and Fox and appreciated the complexities of both characters - especially Fox. I didn’t want the story to end and I can’t wait to continue reading more from Tessa Bailey. This book was amazing and I’d highly recommend, especially if you love It happened one summer. Thank you Tessa Bailey, Avon, and Net Galley for the ARC.

Wow this book will stay in my heart for years to come. I loved It Happened One Summer and truly thought Tessa Bailey wouldn’t be able to top it but I was SO WRONG.

Fox and Hannah are everything - they are hot as hell, heartwarming, and perfect together. I’m obsessed like I’ve never been before!

The angsty steam in this is so beyond any friends-to-lovers that I have ever read. I usually think of friends-to-lovers as gentle and sweet but this was so hot - a slow burn in the hottest way.

Cannot recommend this book enough!!

Thank you to Tessa Bailey, Avon, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this incredible book in exchange for an honest review!!

Can I just jump straight to the epilogue and tell you that it totally made me swoon??? Seriously, every romance novel should end on a note like this one did. All the struggle this couple went through to get that ending was so worth it.

Fox and Hannah have a friends to lovers story that was also a slow burn. You can see that they both are attracted to each other, and they both have some obstacles standing in their way.

Fox's was a bit of a surprise for me. He's the ultimate good looking guy who doesn't have to try for attention. He gets it with his looks alone. You'd think that would be what every guy wants, but not Fox. We got a good look into how even being extremely good looking can have a downside to it.

Hannah put her issues perfectly in this book. She see's herself as the supporting actress in life, never the leading lady. What she doesn't know is that to Fox, she is the leading lady.

I adored Fox and Hannah's friendship. It was a great foundation to building more between them. I think it's also why I loved that epilogue so much. Great read!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: March 1, 2022

I was so excited to receive a review copy of this anticipated follow up to Tessa Bailey’s It Happened One Summer! We find ourselves back in the quaint fishing village of Westport and this time our focus is on heartbreaker Fox and the other Bellinger sister, Hannah.

This is a fun, slow-burn, modern romance read. It was so nice to revisit the town of Westport and a number of characters and locations from the first novel in this series. This was the perfect read to curl up under a blanket to on a chilly day but in the end I just wasn’t as invested in Hannah and Fox as I was with Piper and Brandon. If you’re a fan of witty banter, music, and steamy scenes that lead to an HEA, this could be for you (but definitely read the prequel first!)

I did have some issues with Fox’s behavior in a few of their more intimate scenes, especially the first in Hannah’s room. He obviously has a lot of work to do on the inside and I think it improves as the book progresses, but it played up this dangerous notion that “he’s hot and strong and can get/take whatever he wants” and I genuinely wasn’t sure she was going to be able to stop him or stand up for herself.

Additionally, I found his jealousy-fueled “my Hannah” comments later to be wildly problematic. Claiming possession over a woman is neither sexy or romantic and stalled my progression through the book a bit.

🟢🪝My review for HOOK, LINE AND SINKER by TESSA BAILEY🪝🟢

🪝4.25 STARS🪝

Fox is a rugged and sexy crab fisherman known as a “good time guy”, not the guy for serious relationship’s just like his love ‘em and leave ‘em father.
Hannah is a music aficionado working as an assistant in film. She wants to earn her way up in the business without using her famous dad’s name and reputation. She doesn’t see herself as a person who stands out and she doesn’t put herself “out there.”
The two spent time together as friends when she was in his town with her sister for family business.
After she returned home they continued texting daily, music is a really cute way they share their feelings with each other.
Sending links to music or comparing their day to a band or album.
I love this aspect of the book! It was really fun and affective at relaying their mood.
Plus great music was playing in my head 🎶
At the core, I feel this story is about beliefs that the characters hold onto about themselves, beliefs that others put on them and that they created themselves. These are things that affect them and their behavior greatly.
It’s about self doubt and how that can affect multiple areas of your life.

It is also a delightful romance.
There is banter, really fun conversations and interactions.
They have great friendship and with that comes some very hot chemistry.
Plenty of steam, though it is a slow burn. When it happens, it’s fiery!
The two characters dance around their attraction and feelings, it’s not an action packed romance.
It is a steady, slow build.
There are plenty of moments where it hit me in the emotions. There’s emotional struggles the characters have, there’s big emotional revelations.
There are some very swoon worthy moments throughout, especially towards the end.
I think both characters are very likable, their story took me on a journey of finding yourself, letting go of all the judgmental things that aren’t helpful and letting love in and letting love win.
The epilogue was so sweet, sexy and emotional. It was the perfect ending for me.
I loved this story and characters.

#HookLineAndSinker #TessaBailey #NetGalley #romancereviews

Tessa Bailey is one of my go-to rom-com authors when I am looking for something steamy with substance. I think I may have enjoyed Hook, Line and Sinker more than the first book in the series. In the second installment of the Bellinger Sisters series, we follow the story of Hannah and Fox in the months after she returns to LA. When she is back in the small fishing town for a movie production, Fox lends her a spare room to stay in. This is such a slow burn friends to lovers romance but the tension and flirtation builds so well throughout the story that you cannot put it down. This could be read as a standalone but you definitely will miss out on some of the universe building that happens in the first book.

I came to the book with a lot of expectations because of how much I loved It Happened One Summer and how invested I was in Hannah and Fox just from Brendan and Piper’s POV observations and suspicions. So invested that I immediately hopped on NetGalley to request an ARC as soon as I finished IHOS.

Tessa Bailey did not disappoint with this second installment in the Bellinger Sister’s series. This was one of the best executions of friends-to-lovers troupe I’ve read. I loved Fox’s pining over Hannah and her insistence on empowering him and seeing through the bull shit façade he puts up to protect himself from getting hurt. Both characters saw personal growth that allowed them to be better people and partners for one another. The issues and trauma they worked through are less common in romance books (and perhaps fiction itself) including imposter syndrome, toxic masculinity, external expectations, and male slut-shaming.

In terms of critiques, I was disappointed by the several months time jump. I liked that it gave Fox and Hannah time to develop a friendship, but I really wanted to see several of the events in IHOS from their POVs. I would have loved learning more about their trip to the convention in Seattle and Fox finding and buying that Fleetwood Mac record. And him losing the need to visit Seattle every weekend. Heart squee!

Additionally, while I like that they worked through their issues, there was too much time spent on internal dialogues on these subjects when a conversation could have saved them both from self-sabotaging and hurting the other. I was surprised that they kept having to clear these relationship hurdles when IHOS had so much open communication. It felt like the miscommunication troupe, which is one of my least favorites. Just talk to each other! It dragged the pacing down and took me out of the story and I started skipped paragraphs of internal dialogue.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to any fans of slow burn, friends-to-lovers, and forced proximity romances! It included an epilogue ten years later that concluded the series in a neat bow.

I LOVED It Happened One Summer. It’s one of my favorite books in 2021 for sure. So, I literally begged for an arc of Hook, Line, and Sinker. I can’t believe I’m saying this but….

I liked this one even better!!

Friends to lovers is a favorite trope of mine so I enjoyed watching Fox and Hannah’s friendship develop into love. Fox’s backstory is heartbreaking and made me fall in love with him. His personal growth throughout this book is beautiful. Hannah is the supportive person he needed in his life and is such a wonderful person.

Plus, the glimpses of Piper and Brendan were so much fun. As you know, I need an epilogue in a romance book and this epilogue literally brought tears to my eyes.

I will pretty much read anything Tessa Bailey writes at this point. She’s an auto buy author for me.

This book gave me so many different emotions. It felt like a hug from a friend, it’s slow burn friends to lovers left me feeling happy and content. Tessa Bailey really brought out the emotion with this book, and I fell in love with it.

My heart just hurts for Fox. His background and how he was raise makes me burn with anger. But I love how Hannah was steadfast in her hope and love for him. She would not give up.

I really enjoyed how they used music to help communicate with each other and on other personal levels. The connection Hannah was able to find and nurture with her deceased father was absolutely perfect.

This is book two in the series, and could be read as a standalone, but I’d recommend reading in order. Both were five star reads for me.

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey set sail on a love story filled with sea shanties, record stores, Hollywood stars, and one of the best reformed rake tropes I have ever seen. Fox Thornton is a notably-flirtatious king crab fisherman who is at a nexus in his career. No one has ever taken him seriously, but know his best friend wants him to become Captain of the ship, something Fox knows he doesn’t want. Hannah Bellinger is a dedicated production assistant from Hollywood determined to make her mark in the music department. Instead of designing the soundtrack for her life, she wants to design the film soundtrack. When an opportunity at work comes up to pitch a new filming location, she knows it’s her chance to show initiative. Hannah offers up the small fishing town where her sister is, the place where her biological father was from. Hannah is sure she can crash with her, but her sister’s guest room will be full and the only other place to stay in town is with her long-distance friend Fox. Will they maintain their friendship or will they defy town gossip and allow things to develop into something more?

Let me just say this book is working through a lot. Yes, it is a genuinely funny and cute romantic comedy. It is also examining the role of toxic masculinity in the formation of intimacy or vulnerability in young men. It looks at the difficult ways we manage our perception of ourselves and our ability to take up space in the workforce. It follows a young woman’s journey to accepting her connection to her deceased biological father. Ultimately it unpacks the way internalizing personality traits informed by others’ treatment can harm anyone. I really loved the way Bailey cares about approaching difficult subject matter and working through it in character interactions.

Now, it helps that our protagonists are absolutely adorable. I will protect Fox and Hannah at any cost. Their relationship formed over a shared language of music was wonderful. It was nice to see how they both acted as a sounding board for eachothers work-based insecurities. I also enjoyed watching Hannah and Fox navigate their jobs outside of their shared apartment. They were actually shown being competent at their jobs and it paid off in the narrative. Their emotional and vocational journeys went hand in hand and readers are allowed to believe their paths are growing in a similar direction.

The clash between the big Hollywood production and the small town was easily smoothed over so it never becomes an antagonistic focus in the text. The secondary characters are fully formed and a helpful way of informing character development. Musically, the book was my jam (seriously the soundtrack would absolutely rock). I am down with the concept and characters, so I would highly recommend giving this book a go. If you were a fan of That Kind of Guy by Talia Hibbert this book is right up your alley. Get ready to place your shipment for Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey set to release March 1, 2022. Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager via NetGalley for providing the eARC of Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read and review an advanced copy of this book. Oh my word! I didn't not want this story to end! We first met the Bellinger Sisters in book one which featured older sister Piper returning to the sea fisherman town that her father was from and where he is know as a hero after his death. Piper ended up falling for fisherman captain Brandon and is settling down in this town. Both sisters step father is a big wig in Hollywood and Hannah is working on a film, attracted to the director while texting and flirting with Fox - who has told his buddy Brandon, Hannah is off limits. When the crew is in town filming and Hannah needs a place to stay and Fox has an extra room well you can see where this is going.....loved, loved these characters, this book, this town and all! I did not want this book to end.

The spice! The emotions! The humor! This was a great follow-up to Bailey's It Happened One Summer and Fox and Hannah were a delightful pairing. I sped through this one and would highly recommend for any fans of Bailey's contemporary romance.

Hook, Line, and Sinker is definitely my new favorite Tessa Bailey romance.

Hannah and Fox have such great chemistry as a couple, but I also adored Hannah and Fox's stories, watching them come into their own in their storylines. I can't wait for March 2022 to bring this heartwarming and hilarious romance into more hands!

This was perfection.

Hook, Line, and Sinker was the absolute perfect conclusion to the Bellinger sister’s stories.

As soon as this was announced I was dying to get my hands on this. I absolutely adored Fox and Hannah’s story, and I’m so glad it was everything I wanted and more. This had me laughing, swooning, and smiling throughout the entire book.

Tessa Bailey, you have a fan for life!

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Avon Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so so cute and such a good follow up to It Happened One Summer. Loved this spicy friends to lovers story!

A read It Happened One Summer a few months ago, and I thought it was amazing. So, hearing that it had a sequel I was excited to get back to these characters, but also nervous that it wouldn’t live up to its predecessor. But those fears have been squashed!
Where Piper and Brendan’s story had been fun, romantic, and steamy, Hannah and Fox’s steered more towards meaningful and cathartic while also keeping the steam and spice. Hannah is the ever relatable “go with the flow” girl trying to figure herself out. And Fox is stuck in a box of assumptions made about him, and can’t decide whether it is better to stay or break free. Together, the two create an emotional story that hits you in the feels when you don’t expect it to.
I’ve honestly never read a book with such a layered relationship as this one! It keeps you emotionally invested until the very end leaves you with a nasty book hangover.
I’m really sad to be finished with the Bellinger Sisters series, but very happy that I got a opportunity to read them.

I ate this story right up. It was a fun laid back coastal story. This is the second installment in this contemporary romance dualology. It is multi-perspective following Hannah and Fox, who were both side characters in the first book. While I have not read the first book, it was easy to get caught up and Tessa Bailey provides enough information without giving up the story. Hannah and Fox, both are dealing with some internal struggles, but they have developed a budding friendship over text with their love of music. However, even though feelings are developing, they live thousands of miles apart. Not to mention that Fox has gotten several warnings from his best friend and Hannah's sister to be on his best behavior, since he does not have the most stellar reputation with the ladies. When Hannah suddenly gets the opportunity to visit her sister and catch up with Fox, she jumps on board and things get heated( in a good way).
This is the second book I have read by Tessa. I enjoyed this story, it was cute! It was a story focusing on where both characters needed to work on themselves and fight their attraction, with a bit of miscommunication. There was some tension, especially with them staying in the same house. I personally would have liked a little bit more heated moments, but that is my personal opinion. I loved Hannah's character, she is fun and optimistic but still struggles with self doubt and taking her shot, which I know everyone deals with. Fox, I felt a bit more on the fence with him. Sometimes he was great and others I was like what is his problem. I really enjoyed the setting on the coast of Maine, it was nostalgic and looking at the hard life of a fisherman. Overall, great story, fun time and I would definitely recommend checking this out. I will be going and picking up the first one because I definitely can’t miss out.
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Holy smokes Batman if I could have given this book more than 5 stars I would have. Fox and Hannah are the perfect couple. I absolutely love their dynamic and how well the compliment each other in every way. I think this is my first time reading a friends to lovers romance and I am absolutely sold! The writing of this book is phenomenal, I loved getting to get to see how both characters felt and loved getting to see Piper and Brendan as well.
I also loved how Tessa Bailey put the “That kid is going to be a heart breaker” theme in there for Fox and what mindset that can give a kid when put into their mind at such a young age. I definitely think Fox and Hannah both had amazing character development which only made me fall in love with them even more.
And the epilogue was absolute perfection!

Tessa Bailey does romcom well. And after adoring It Happened One Summer, I knew I wanted to get my hands on Hook, LIne, and Sinker as soon as I could. This is the ultimate Friends to Lovers: Boy Falls First edition. In book one, Fox and Hannah are support characters. HL&S gives them their HEA. They are friends first, and really lift each other up that way. Even though they love each other and want to be with each other, they keep that on the sidelines until they are both ready. The tension at times is unbearable, but it is totally worth it in the end. I will always one-click a Tessa Bailey novel, and can't wait to see what she does next.