Can I give more than 5 stars? I can't express how much I loved this book. A friend to lovers with all the angst, love, and friendship I could ever want. I can already see myself rereading this book for years to come.

Fox, Fox, Fox. I love him so. A playboy who is sick of being seen as such, he has fallen for his surprising new best friend, Hannah Bellinger, music nerd. They text all the time, share their theme songs for the day, and yet Fox doesn't dare cross the friend boundary with her. When Hannah convinces her longtime crush and director boss to bring his latest movie crew up to Westport because she knows it's the perfect set for his script, she finds out that her sister Piper's guest room will be occupied by Piper's future in-laws and has nowhere to stay. Until Fox offers up his spare room. WHAT COULD HAPPEN?! Forced proximity! Secret record players! Waning crushes on directors! Feelings of inadequacy stemming from one's asshole father's wiley ways!

Fox's character had so much depth in this book, and I had many moments when I just wanted to go give him a hug. Tessa Bailey does such a great job exploring the ramifications of toxic masculinity in his character. Hannah was also an interesting character as someone who generally is the supporting character of everyone else's life rather than the star of her own. This was a surprising slow burn, and despite some hot moments, I kinda wanted more. However, I'm not complaining too much-- I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Fox and Hannah. It feels like this might be the end of the Westport books, which makes me SO SAD. I loved everyone and don't want to let them go yet!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

In the second book in the Bellinger Sisters we follow Hannah, sister to Piper, who we met in the first book It Happened One Summer. Hannah is a more relatable down to earth character than Piper. She seems like a girl that a reader could instantly be friends with. Hannah has a deep love for music, especially records. Fox begins his interest in Hannah in It Happened One Summer, and continues his affection at the start of this novel. Hannah and Fox try to remain friends only while living in with Fox while Hannah is on location filming for work. This is an epic friends to lovers romance, full of steam, angst and affection. Highly recommended.

So, SO many thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC of one of my most HIGHLY anticipated releases of 2022! I actually got the approval notification while hospitalized after an emergency surgery, and that email was the first thing to bring a smile to my face in days. I had to wait a couple days until after discharge, so I could finally be free the hazy brain fog of painkillers and experience this book in all its glory!

So often, series, even series of standalones in the rom com genre, experience a second book slump. Well I'm just here to let you know, if you loved the first Bellinger Sisters book, you will ADORE Hannah and Fox's story. There is no second book slump here, no disappointment, no let down. In fact, it was the book that broke my post-op depression reading slump!

We return to our beloved fishing seaside town in the Pacific Northwest, with some familiar characters and many new ones to love. I don't want to reveal too much this far ahead of release day, but I will say – for those who read It Happened One Summer and were dying to know Fox and Hannah's story...it was everything I could have dreamed it would be and more. Adorable, funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking...I ran the gamut of emotions with this one.

Pre-order, pre-order, pre-order! You will not want to miss this one next spring.

Wow, wow, wow!! This book is steamy and hot! Whew! I loved It happened one summer with Brendan and Piper and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one to read Hannah and Fox’s story. It did not disappoint! Hannah and Fox have undeniable fireworks between then and some strong sexual chemistry! This book was a fun, quick read and was totally unputdownable. It leaves you with feel good, happy vibes! I can’t wait to keep reading more from Tessa Bailey!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC in return for my honest review!

Do you need a bit more Feyre and Rhysand without the magic? Lookin' for that forbidden romance tension between two people who become their best selves when put together but take FOREVER to figure that out????

Because that's Hook, Line, and Sinker from @tessabaileyisanauthor ⚓🎧🎣🎶

Fox Thornton's character is basically Simon Bassett from Bridgerton (except better because I kinda hated Bridgerton). He's described as blond, but being a gruff, handsome, fisherman in small town PNW I pictured Jeffrey Dean Morgan. He can get any and every girl he wants and the whole town knows it, but can he redefine himself to take hold of true love?

Hannah is the overshadowed, hard working sister of Fox's best friend. She has a song for every moment, and her love language is vinyl. To Fox's dismay, she won't stop seeing past his cracked exterior to the loving heart inside 💘

Sounds so cheesy, right?!?? But the setting is lovely, the dialogue is excellent, the introspection is adequate, and the romance is 🔥. It's a little heavy handed at times, but I couldn't help but root for these characters!!! And it definitely left me wanting to read more from Tessa Bailey.

I LOVED Pipers story but Hannah's story I found to be more my jam. Maybe it's because I could relate to Hannah and saw my husband in Fox right down to the feelings they both felt regarding who they were and how people saw them. This book is a slow build that starts out as a friendship and the burn was well worth the wait.

There's an epilogue that jumps 10 years into the future that seals the book perfectly. I might've even shed a few tears upon finishing it.

Tessa was writing this book during the height of covid and her husband was in bad shape and in the hospital for 3 months. I can't image how scary that was for her and her family. So glad he pulled through! Her acknowledgement section in the book talks all about it and is so heartfelt and beautiful.

Thank you so much Net Galley, Tessa Bailey and Avon Books for an advance copy of this book!

Oh my goodness. After breezing through “It Happened One Summer”, I could not wait to get to the sequel. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

The sequel picks up right where the first book left off (so it would be beneficial to read the first book before the second). You have young, beautiful Hannah Bellinger who played second fiddle to her older, outgoing sister Piper and Fox, the charming local who snags all the ladies. Two complete opposites but naturally have fallen for each other.

Okay so I am not a fan of slow burn romances and this one was so exception. So that would be my bone to pick but that might be someone’s else jam just not mine. It was so frustrating to see the cat and mouse game between the two.

While this did not give me the same ooey gooey feelings as it’s precedent, it still made me feel & make me warm in the face (if you know what I mean).

The epilogue made my swoon & make my heart so happen.

It did make me wonder if there will be a third in the series and where it will go from here. And once you read, you’ll see what I mean. I have a couple ideas and those who have read, I would love to discuss!

I have rated this book a 4.5 out of 5.

This was super cute, and I really enjoyed the buildup of the relationship, as well as both characters a lot. As some others have noted, I appreciated that a lot of the character development was there for Fox, as well as for Hannah. Fox was a really well-rounded character, and I really bought into his pain and his character growth.

My only real criticism is that the pacing felt a bit off with this one. It's a pretty slow burn (although definitely very spicy), and so it when Fox and Hannah finally "get together," it feels almost like everything should be resolved and the book should be over, making the final quarter a little bit anticlimactic and not as interesting to read.

I did really love the characters and setting overall though, and I will definitely continue to read books by Tessa Bailey! This was so fun.

Love love love Tessa Bailey! I was hooked with It happened one summer but now im involved with this one. Love her writing style and the depth of her characters! Will be hand selling this book as soon as its published!

While I didn't love this one as much as the first book, it was still a classic Tessa Bailey full of steam, romance and a couple I could help but fall in love with. I loved the friends to lovers trope and even the slow burn although I found it got a bit repetitive after a while. I'd recommend this to lovers of slow burns, forced proximity and friends to lovers.

Hannah loves music. She loves being behind the scenes of movie sets adding the background music to make the movie a hit. When given the opportunity to move a movie set to a small fishing town, Hannah doesn't realize how much more is in this town. She's been texting with a fisherman from the town and ends up having to stay with him. Can she keep their relationship in the friend zone? He's known as a player. He's her sister's husband's best friend.

This book was the perfect laugh out loud rom-com. It brings to unlikely people together for the better. I'll be sure to read the 1st in this series too! #BellingerSisters #HookLineandSinker #NetGalley #TessaBailey

I read IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER and was so happy to have requested (and been accepted) an eARC on Netgalley for HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER because I immediately wanted to dive into Hannah and Fox's story. While I LOVED Piper and Brenden's story, Hannah and Fox were the characters I was immediately drawn to and I think a lot of readers would relate and will be so excited to get their hands on this book.

Again, I came in already PUMPED for these characters and this book made me love them even more. Especially getting Fox's POV and the contrast between being in his head versus seeing him through Brenden's POV. I really enjoyed seeing the comparison and the difference between who he is and how he is perceived - seriously, well done Tessa! And Hannah is always just this lady cinnamon roll - I loved seeing her come out of her shell more and her friendship with Fox. Although, at NO point in this book did I feel like they were actually platonic friends and honestly wish we got a little more of that because I feel like they deserved that on top of their HEA, too.

The only thing that really brought it down for me was that the "hurdles for their relationship" felt too repetitive. I feel like we went through the same character development multiple times where I would have liked to have seen it resolved sooner or perhaps other conflicts for them to have gone through on their journey from friends to lovers. That said, I loved both of their developments and their individual storylines.

I think anyone who enjoyed IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER will not be disappointed to return to Westpoint and our favorite king crab fishing boat for this one!

After liking the previous book in this set, Hook, Line, and Sinker was something of a letdown. The story has good bones— Hannah is a strong character and the plot is decent. However, I think the story would have been strengthened by utilizing the community and the movie folks more and spending less time in Hannah’s and Fox’s heads. Tessa Bailey does a really nice job with supporting characters. I’d like to have horrendous to know some of them a little better.

Tessa Bailey never fails to write books full of humor, heart and heat and Hook, Line and Sinker is no exception!

I got approved to read an ARC of Hook, Line, and Sinker- the sequel to It Happened One Summer which follows Piper’s younger sister Hannah. Hannah sees the world through music and hopes to become a soundtrack music composer. While staying with Piper last summer she starts a friendship with Fox Thornton. who has a reputation of being a ladies’ man and so he and Hannah cannot date. However, there's an undeniable attraction between the two as they strike up a texting relationship while Hannah is in LA. Through a turn of events, the movie Hannah is working on will be filmed in Westport, but she can't stay at her sister's since her in-l.aws are in town so Hannah is offered a place at Fox's apartment, Can Hannah and Fox remain friends while her work bring her to town? Or will their close proximity as roommates while she’s there drive them to find more than music to bond over?

Noteworthy: A slow burn romance in the beginning, but picks up mid book. Also, one of the spicest scenes in self-love I've ever read!!! Definitely as spicy as IHOS!

I read this one in less than 24 hours. Not usually one for romance, but I picked up the first bellinger sister novel on a whim and had to get more.

I absolutely adored this read. I thought I read It Happened One Summer fast, but this one I could not put down! I think I’m becoming a big fan of friends to lovers. Fox was just such a sad lovable character that had me rooting for him hard to overcome the his challenges. Hannah was such a fun character to go from the background/sidekick to the leading lady of her life. These characters definitely learned their worth in this journey. I loved seeing the old characters and being back in our fav small town Westport. There was such fun banter, so many great scenes between Fox and Hannah, and even Hannah and her Grandma. I loved the whole story. I can’t wait to see what Tessa Bailey puts out next!!

An almost tooth-achingly sweet end to the Bellinger sisters duet, and a 3.5 star read rounded up to 4.

This book will really speak to anyone who's ever felt comfortable being overshadowed by the people around them, who was more engaged with the ease of their daydreams than trying to make them a reality, or who carries the weight of a characterization given to them too early in life to be true.

It's slow-burn, and incredibly low-heat for Tessa -- she's often someone whose cartoon covers mislead people into believing her books are not as spicy as they are, so if you're looking for a book to ease someone into Baileydom, this is it.

HL&S is cozy and lovely, but lacked some of the oomph her other books do, both in the spice (ahem) and emotional categories. Honestly, though: You can't go wrong with Tessa Bailey.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is the second book in a series. I liked the first book, "It Happened One Summer"- I gave it 4 stars. I liked this second book even better, though. "Hook Line and Sinker" just has more developed characters and a more intricate plot.

Our hero Fox has always been a player when it comes to women, and while he has genuine feelings for Hannah, he doesn't know if he's capable of "manning up" the way Hannah deserves. Hannah has always been a "supporting character", a giver who loves and helps the people around her- but she can only do so much on her own. I appreciated that the author didn't manufacture silly plot points to keep the characters apart, instead she helped them grow.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.