For the last few months, I've been desperately checking NetGalley to see if I'd gotten approved for this book. And when I tell you I screamed when I saw the email... well, let's just say my family are still scarred. I'd fallen in love with Fox and Hannah in the last book - probably more so than Brendan and Piper themselves. I absolutely loved their characters, and the little glimpse we'd gotten in IHOS was already enough to hook me.

I waited 24 hours before I sat down to write this review because I knew that I needed time to really gather my thoughts about the story. In short, I loved it.

I feel like it's pretty rare to find a story where the female main character hadn't done something to slightly tick me off once. But here she was in Hannah Bellinger. I LOVED her. She's the type of person who's the epitome of pureness, sunshine, happiness... all the positive adjectives you can think of. In saying that however, she's not written like a Mary Sue - she's got her flaws, her adversities, and the character development she goes through to overcome them was absolute perfection.

Speaking of character development, Fox's storyline was also beautifully done. I'm not going to lie - there were a few parts in the book that made me want to just sock him in the face... but I can honestly say he semi redeemed himself in the end. (Honestly, if I were Hannah, I'd have expected slightly a bit more grovelling but each to their own, I guess). His character does a complete 180 from our first interaction with him in the previous book, but I found it done so well that I loved going through this journey with him. His emotions were real, raw, and justified, and the thought process he goes through to overcome his issues in order to properly be with Hannah were entirely believable.

All in all, I loved the plot. I found it well-paced, their relationship development well-done, with all plot holes tied up in a neat little bow at the end. The only thing I found a bit up in the air was Hannah and Piper's relationship with their parents - there was barely any mention of them and I found that a lot of it was left unsaid, however this was minuscule.

It's kind of bittersweet to say goodbye to this universe, I genuinely didn't want it to end, but it was still beautifully done. If Westport were a real place, it'd have gone on my bucket list for sure.

Thanks to Tessa Bailey for the two beautiful books, and thanks to NetGalley and Avon/HarperVoyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fox and Hannah’s book!! I cannot tell you how excited I was to receive an e-arc of this book. I was obsessed with It Happened One Summer, and Tessa Bailey has done it again with Hook, Line, and Sinker! THIS SERIES IS EVERYTHING!! The setting, the characters, the relationship development.. its all just *chefs kiss*. I am so enveloped by this little town Tessa has brought to life, and these books just give me all the best cozy, happy vibes. The serotonin boost is real.

On to my thoughts on Hook, Line, and Sinker - I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Fox and Hannah were fantastic together. Hannah was sweet, trusting, and so honest; perfectly balancing Fox’s rough edges and serious emotional baggage. This poor boy was SCARRED, but Hannah saw right through the walls Fox put up in an effort protect himself from really being seen. This story actually ended up being a lot deeper than I expected, but in all the best ways. It was really cathartic to see this healthy relationship unfold between Fox and Hannah, and to watch them work through their issues together. I feel like it’s hard to find that balance between a healthy relationship and still having enough drama to keep the story interesting, but this booked did a great job of it, the same way It Happened One Summer did. Really I think I’m just a major fan of Tessa Bailey’s writing style and how she develops her characters. She also does an incredible job of making a book feel wholesome and adorable while also creating chemistry that is off the charts. This book was a sloowwww burn to the point the tension was almost too much to bear, but when it finally broke - OH MAN it did not disappoint. Fox and Hannah didn’t just have sparks, but freaking fireworks going off between them. I’m going to stop rambling before I give anything away, but just know that this book is SO worth the wait! I already preordered my copy for March and will definitely be rereading it when I get the physical book in hand!

I usually don’t read romcoms this was actually a first for me and I really enjoyed it! I will definitely read more from Tessa and post reviews on my accounts closer to release day :)

What an adorable, heart-warming friends to lovers romance! My knock on IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER was I felt the main characters were so sexual (not that this is a problem) and it didn't necessarily match up with their personalities on a day to day. Tessa Bailey did such a great job balancing the tension/build up, steam, and soul searching. When I say the build up was superb.... I mean I was reading this in an airport and sweating. SWEATING, I tell you. I could not put it down. Friends to lovers is not my favorite trope, but this relationship felt very real and the progression was natural, not forced. Also, I really love steam (which is why I enjoyed IHOS), and while this one had less steam I still absolutely loved the scenes we did get.

If you read IHOS and didn't really vibe with Brendan don't let that stop you from picking up HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER. Read this is you gravitate towards the damaged and beautiful :) Fox was a F O X.

Instagram Review to come!

I was so happy to be back in Westport!

Fox… what can I say about him? I LOVED his character! Finally getting a main man character like this was amazing. I loved seeing him grow and change, we normally don’t get to see this! As much as this was Hannah’s book this was also Fox’s book as well!

Loved the writing, loved the story! I loved it all! I smiled so much, I laughed out loud and I cried ugly tears! This is the kinda romance I’m always looking for!

Tessa Bailey is an auto buy author for me now!

Thank you to the moon and back for the ARC copy for review Netgalley!

I loved "It Happened One Summer" but I think I might love Hannah's story even more. This is friends to lovers and had so much more banter and angst than I was expecting.

Hannah and Fox are heartbreakingly beautiful as they both face their insecurities and fears together. Music is established as a sort of language between them because Fox sees the way it means so much to Hannah and wants to be a part of something she loves. It is such a sweet relationship between two people that refuse to give up on the other person even when they don't fully believe in themselves.

I loved all of the glimpses of Piper and Brendan being happy together, and it was amazing to get a glimpse into the future in the epilogue giving a sense of closure to both sisters stories. This was such a wonderful duology that I will definitely end up reading again at some point!

As I said in my review for the first book in this series, I’m so pleasantly surprised by this Tessa Bailey series. I’ve been fairly vocal about not loving the alpha assholes that are sometimes overpresent in romance books, and in many of her early books. I’m much more into a cinnamon roll, Ren Bergamn esq, hero. Brendan (from the last book) and Fox both took me by surprise in how they sneakily fit into that mold.

I’ve come to realize that I seem to instantly fall for books where you get the ‘group chats’ or text messages between the characters. There’s just something about that easy back and forth banter that just sucks me right into their story. You mix that with the music and communication through songs and records for both Hannah and Fox and I was a goner for this book. I also really enjoyed that both Fox and Hannah helped each other grow throughout the story. It felt balanced and real. In so many books, it seems like there’s only one character doing the emotional work. 1 person is already ‘there’ and the other is working to catch up (with help of course) and let’s be honest. That’s not real life. We are all a work in progress (and as Jess Sims always says, a masterpiece at the same damn time) no one is ever ‘perfect’ or done, or has it all figured out. We need more of this! More books showing that it’s ok to not be ok, and to work on your emotional issues to get there. On that same note, we need more Foxes. We need more male characters who #1 aren’t afraid to specifically ask for consent, but also being vulnerable, and taking on the issue of sexulization and how toxic that can be for both boys and girls.
Of course, there’s also the forced proximity of sharing an apartment, the always delightful small town fishing village, and oodles of chemistry and 🔥🔥🔥. Add this to your TBR to grab when it releases March 1st.

Tessa Bailey has done it again. The second book in the Bellinger Sisters series is by far my favorite. We are reintroduced to Piper's sister Hannah and Fox, Brenden's shipmate. Hannah and Fox start texting one another at first once a month, and slowly but surely they are texting each other everyday and using music to communicate their feelings. Their friendship blossoms and they become each other's voice of reason. After Hannah's latest film moves production to Westport, Hannah and Fox are forced to confront their true feelings.

This book is an extremely slow burn, friends to lovers trope that is so different from Bailey's other works. Hannah and Fox work through their perceptions of themselves. It was an extremely emotional book, that left me on the edge of my seat frantically turning the page wanting to know what was next. You will be dying to know if these characters find their happily ever after.

Tessa Bailey does it again with this friends to lovers story for Fox and Hannah. There are way more tropes thrown in there too, a little forced proximity, roommates, small town romance. I was so happy to get this opportunity to travel back to Westport and get the story I knew was coming from the moment Fox and Hannah first met in It Happened One Summer. What I wasn't expecting and absolutely love was that Tessa Bailey didn't let these characters make stupid and immature decisions. Communication happens between these two even when they are struggling and it was so beautiful. The musical aspect of this book was a necessary and fun touch. I loved finding out which song Hannah or Fox would choose for their mood or to answer a question and was happy to hear all their choices. My favorite, Modest Mouse even got a mention and I think I squealed while I read it.

This story is a slow slow burn with lots of building tension. This book was less spicy than the previous book in the series, but spice was well timed and perfect for Fox and Hannah and their chemistry.

Hook, Line, and Sinker is a must read and a wonderful addition to the series.

I received a galley of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily give my review.

This book is just what I needed to give me a mental break from work, grad school, and real life in general. Swoony and romantic, with tempered humor and only the best lyrical references-Fox and Hannah gave me a world I could retreat to and enjoy. I loved the HEA and the epilogue was perfect. While this book is part of a series, it is not necessary to read the first to enjoy the second.

I received an ARC courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. The opinions are mine alone.

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey is the follow-up to It Happened One Summer. This book follows Fox Thornton and Hannah Bellinger. Fox is the King Crab fisherman who is a self-proclaimed bachelor. Hannah is the assistant to a movie producer but wants to be the music soundtrack producer. When work is looking for an ideal location, Hannah suggests the quaint town of Westport so she can see her sister... and her friend Fox, who she's been texting since last summer!

Hannah and Fox have TONS of emotional baggage and self-image issues. You know how you want this book to end, and are rewarded with how the story progresses. This was a great follow-up to It Happened One Summer. My only issue is that there are only two sisters... and I want MORE of Hannah, Fox, Piper and Brendon!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me an advance copy of Tessa Bailey’s latest romance novel, Hook, Line, and Sinker, in exchange for an honest review.

#HookLineandSinker is the sequel to the first book in the Bellinger Sisters series, It Happened One Summer. Unlike the first novel, the second book focuses on Hannah this time instead of Piper. I sense a trilogy coming at some point in the near future, but for now, the reader definitely does not need to read the first book in order to enjoy this one because Piper is barely featured in it.

Unfortunately, book two did not draw me in like the first one. In my review for the first novel, I wrote that Hannah was not necessary to the story and seemed as if she were a throwaway character. Here, it seems as if Piper is the throwaway character, so hopefully they will converge as a foursome by book three.

I loved the idea of Hannah and Fox as a couple. Between music and the entertainment scene, I was so much more excited for this novel, but for some reason, the execution fell flat. I do not know if the author did not enjoy writing these characters as much as the characters in the first novel or what, but the whole story felt like a long-drawn-out tease where nothing even remotely interesting happens and I am reading just to get it over with by the midway point.

I do hope that the third novel will be a redeeming reward for making it through to the end of book two. However, if you are choosing to read this as a standalone novel, then I suggest you skip it and read the first one instead.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon books for the ARC of Hook, Line, and Sinker!

I’m a huge fan of Tessa Bailey and I really enjoyed It Happened One Summer, so I was super excited to read the second book in the duology! Though I didn’t really think it had as much Spice as It Happened One Summer, the romance and love Story between Hannah and Fox progressed at a perfect pace and constantly had me smiling to myself as I was reading. I love that they seem to bring out the best in each other, helping each other to not only feel free to be their truest selves but encouraging it. The support they provide to one another is beautiful, and I really enjoyed watching them grow! This was such a fun read, I just wish this was more than a duology. I could totally go for more books that take me back to Westport in the future!

Hook, Line and Sinker picks up where It Happened One Summer left off. When the movie Hannah is working on needs a new location, she offers up the idyllic Westport, which puts her in close proximity to Fox, who is "just a friend." Neither want to acknowledge their growing attraction, especially with the pair sharing an apartment. But when the line between friendship and flirtation begin to blur, Hannah and Fox must decide whether to leave their past behind and take the plunge into a possible forever.

I was not ready for the magic of this book! This angsty, ultra slow burn friends to lovers romance was everything I hoped for and more. The forced proximity was pure perfection. The burn was so slow, I think I might have been more sexually frustrated than Fox!

Tessa Bailey has the gift of writing characters with such vast emotional depth and Hannah and Fox are no exception to this rule. Hannah speaks in song lyrics, letting her mood flow with music. She is loyal to a fault, whether it be her sister, Piper or Fox. Consistently, Hannah shows how committed she is to Fox, no matter how hard he pushes her away.

Fox is so beautifully broken. I absolutely adored his character. While he is content to live up to others' expectations of his actions, because it's easier. But quietly, he harbors his silent love for Hannah, secretly collecting vinyl just because she loves it.

If any couple deserves a happily ever after, it's these two. Hannah is Fox's North Star, ever steady, always believing in his worth and what they have together. The epilogue for this book was so beautiful and gave my heart the biggest hug. It closed this series up with a perfect bow that was pure perfection.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This was a fantastic slow burn friends to lovers. Hannah is for every person who has ever felt imposter syndrome in their industry. The way Hannah and Fox build each other up and support each other is so wonderful and true couple goals. I loved how Fox secretly pined for Hannah from the seemingly the moment he met. This is probably my favorite Tessa Bailey series and I need more.

Hannah and Fox have found themselves searching each other out as companions each day through text. When Hannah convinces her director they should move the location of the movie they are shooting to Westport. Since Hannah is unable to stay with her sister she somehow finds herself sleeping in Fox’s guest room. They one rule, they will not hook up or fall for each other.

Hook, Line, and Sinker is the second installation in the Bellinger Sisters series (although, since there are only 2 sisters, I imagine the series is over sadly!). After receiving and loving an ARC of Happened One Summer, I immediately requested this one! Hook, Line, and Sinker follows the relationship between Hannah and Fox, who we meet in the first book and had instant chemistry. Unfortunately, their story didn't quite pull me in like Brendan and Pipers and I didn't tear through this one like the first, but it was still a sweet romance.
We also didn't get much Piper, so you could probably read this one first/without the other, but I highly recommend It Happened One Summer too. Then again, I will read anything Tessa Bailey writes (especially when I'm in the mood for escape romance).

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon books for the ARC of Hook, Line, and Sinker!

After loving It Happened One Summer, I was ecstatic to get my hands on Hook, Line, and Sinker!

Unfortunately, Hannah & Fox’s love story didn’t pull me in the same as Brendan and Pipers. While I was rooting for them, I felt their connection was lacking and I wanted more depth and emotion.

It’s safe to say Tessa Bailey is a steam queen, which I love, but to me this one was all steam and not much growth as a couple. However, I did enjoy watching Hannah grow as an individual and stand up for herself in her career.

I was also disappointed that there wasn’t much interaction between Hannah and Piper. I truly enjoyed their sisterly bond in It Happened One Summer and would have loved to see more of them and Opal together in Hook, Line, and Sinker.

All in all, it was a cute romance full of steam so if that’s your cup of tea and you liked the first in the Bellinger sister series, then I’d recommend picking this one up!

Let me first say that I loved the first book in this duology - and this was was different, but still good! Compared to It Happened One Summer, this book is less on the steamy side, but way more on the emotional side. The relationship definitely does have raw sexual tension and attraction that we know and love from Tessa Bailey, but the focus is definitely on the main characters trying to break down some emotional walls.

I love Westport and I love the Bellinger Sisters and I love the grumpy fishermen. My only wish is that they suddenly have a long-lost sister so we can get a third book!

Book: Hook, Line, and Sinker. Book 2 of the Bellinger Sister Series.⁣⁣⁣
Author: Tessa Bailey ⁣⁣⁣
Genre: Contemporary Romance⁣⁣⁣
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣⁣⁣
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🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦: This story follows Hannah and Fox in a friends to lovers romance. I love how the two main characters bond over music. Both characters show growth individually and together during the book. I love how Hannah gained the courage to start being the leading lady in her own life. More importantly, I loved the growth Fox made during the story, coming to the realization that he can and is worthy of love.⁣⁣⁣
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Note: I did not read the first book in series and felt this book worked well as a stand alone⁣⁣⁣
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I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review