One of my favorite reads of 2021. I absolutely adored this book, it was written beautifully and with wit and humor. This author is not new to me, but I have to say that this is one of the best books I have read from her so far. Any romance reader will want to devour this book.

“You can’t live life worrying about what people will think. You’ll wake up one day, look at a calendar, and count the days you could have been happy. With her.”

Oh what an angsty, bingeworthy follow up to It Happened One Summer! I was excited and let’s be honest, extremely shocked when I received the approval to read the e-ARC of Hook, Line and Sinker. Tessa Bailey absolutely delivered in her sequel. I loooved it! While the first book was on the lighter rom-com side, this one dove a little deeper into the characters. Hannah is adorable but quiet and reserved. Fox is.. a total FOX but flawed and riddled with insecurities. I absolutely loved their story, their chemistry and the music connection.

I can’t wait for this book to be out in the world so everyone can fall in love with Hannah and Fox! Now if only there was another Bellinger sister! 🤔 I am 100% not ready for this series to be over.

5⭐️
Read HLAS if you love;
🎧Friends to lovers
🎧Slow burn
🎧Forced proximity
🎧Lovable & relatable characters

Pub Date: March 1, 2022

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books, and the amazing Tessa Bailey for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

If you enjoyed It Happened One Summer, I would definitely recommend Hook, Line and Sinker!! If you haven’t read IHOS, go do it now and make sure to pre-order your copy of HLAS!

This was so much fun to read! The companion novel to this one, It Happened One Summer, has been a surprise favorite of mine this year, and I loved the opportunity to jump back into the world of Westport.

Again, thank you NetGalley and thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for this fantastic ARC. It was the perfect beach read for my vacation state of mind.

The opening of this book was so unique! The opening conversations set up the love story, gave it history, and made it believable. Never did I feel like there was “insta love” in the story. It was also such a sweet read. I really loved Hannah and Fox; both separately and together.

Hannah. I LOVE HER sOOooOo MUCH!!! I enjoy music, but have never felt it as deeply as her. Hannah, feels the music in her soul and it is 100% believable. It makes her unique and gives her so much depth as a character that you want to call her up for coffee and talk about the latest hot movie soundtrack.

Fox. . . I love this man! His internal struggles are deep-rooted and hard to watch him work through. There is also so much more that I want to say about his internal dialogue, but I really don’t want to give any spoilers.

If you are looking for a light and genuinely sweet read, I strongly recommend this book. It is high is entertainment and low in the drama department.

Um okay I am obsessed with Hannah and Fox and I’m so glad I got to read this early. It hooked me IMMEDIATELY and didn’t let go the entire time. I also lovvvvvved the dual POV, which doesn’t happen often. I wish we got a little more of Brendan and Piper, but I’m so sad to leave Westport.

Ahhh! This book was amazing! An angsty, friends to lovers, forced proximity dream. I loved It Happened One Summer and couldn't wait to learn more about both Hannah and Fox. Everything about their relationship was adorable. Fox falls hard and fast for the only female friend he has ever had. As a guy who sticks to one night stands this is a big deal to him. Hannah also falls hard but is trying to balance the possibility of a work place romance and what she wants to do career wise. Hannah and Fox bond over their love for music and tend to communicate with songs when they don't know what to say. Together they work through a lot and when they finally give it a chance it makes up for all the slow burn tension. I am such a fan of the way Tessa Bailey writes her characters. The way her men worship their women and communicate so well and in healthy manner. I loved this book and this series. Im so excited and grateful to have been given an early copy of this book!

Reading this beautiful friends-to-lover story between Fox and Hannah right after reading It Happened One Summer and just WAITING (impatiently) for them to get together was the best treat! Fox and Hannah are such beautiful souls and are so perfect together. There was so much yearning and i felt every emotion alongside the characters. I really related to hannah and how she never felt like she had ✨Main Character Energy✨ but SHE DOES!!!! Hannah was so lovely and deserves all the happiness.

Tessa Bailey can take ALL my money

I am in love with this book!! It is literally everything I look for in a book- it's spicy, it has amazing witty banter, it's friends to lovers (AND ROOMMATES!!),and I loved Fox and Hannah's story so much. This was by far my favorite read of 2021 and my new favorite book. I cannot wait to by a physical copy so I can read it over & over again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored Tessa Bailey's It Happened One Summer so when I saw that she was following up with Hannah and Fox's story, I knew I needed to read it immediately. The book opens on a text exchange between our couple that nicely bridges the time gap between the end of the previous book and sets up context for their story.

Hannah has always viewed herself as a supporting actress, never the leading lady. Fox has allowed himself to become the womanizer that everyone expects him to be so that he's laughing at the joke, not becoming the joke. Wow, can Tessa Bailey write complicated men so well. I loved the way she peeled back the layers of Fox's story to get to the very heart of him. On the flip side, we see Hannah stepping out of her comfort zone and asking for what she wants. The character growth from both of them is phenomenal and their friendship and love story was a treat to read.

(On another note, this author writes the hands down best steamy scenes that are absolutely worth the wait.)

In the end, I think I liked this installment a little less than the first book; however, it was still a fantastic read and one I'm sure I'll revisit in the future.

Thank you so much Tessa Bailey for sending me an ARC copy of Hook, Line, and Sinker. I've heard a lot of great things about this book and felt an extreme need to read this book myself. I just recently started getting into romance novels. I love everything about this book. The story is awesome and the book Cover art is beautiful. I would definitely recommend this to all my friends and family and also to anyone who loves a good romance.

NetGalley/ARC review--many thanks to the publisher and author for the early access read!

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey is the second in the Bellinger Sisters series, and they should really be read in order. HLS is technically a standalone, but I think you'd miss a lot if you read it first/only.

Hannah Bellinger returns to the sleepy fishing village of Westport WA when the production company she works for goes on-location there. She's determined to go from lowly PA to soundtrack designer, taking herself from supporting actress to leading lady in her own life, at least professionally. She's less sure about taking the leap with her longtime crush and director, Sergei, and she's been feeling that was for the duration of her 7-month texting-based friendship with the town playboy, Fox Thornton. They connected in book 1 when Fox was charged with babysitting Hannah, and their friendship has just stuck. What will happen when Hannah ends up sharing Fox's bachelor pad while she's in town? Can Fox change his ways when he realizes he's head over heels for his best friend?

I was super super excited to read Hook Line and Sinker after getting the teaser in book 1, and it did not disappoint! The back and forth is perhaps a little drawn out, but it feels pretty dang realistic.

Spoiler free Hook, Line, and Sinker eARC review

3.75/5 stars

“Take some time and think. Because next time you tell me goodbye, I’ll believe you.”

I enjoyed this one WAY more than It Happened One Summer.

For starters, I love Hannah. She is a selfless character who is sure in what she wants and is not afraid of the execution that may take. I loved seeing her grow as a character and gain confidence. I also loved how much she believed in Fox, but also that she wasn’t going to let him get away with his self-doubt.

I also really loved Fox. He was a character that has been through some things that had led him to believe he wasn’t worthy of love. It was sad to see him be so hard on himself, but seeing his character growth was so great. My favorite thing about this couple is that while they may have had their doubts, they never gave up on each other.

I definitely favor Hannah and Fox over Piper and Brendan.

Overall a fun read! I think the writing still feels a little rushed, but I enjoyed this one more.

Also, I just KNOW Fox is SO HOT.

I was so looking forward to this story ever since Fox and Hannah met! This was such a cute book and definitely has more emotional depth, so there are lots of chunks where both Fox and Hannah are into their feelings and thoughts before there is dialogue or action to move the plot along. And it makes sense because the characters, especially Hannah, are that type rather than Piper and Brendan who were just boiling with spice and brighter. Hannah is an intense person internally because of how she interacts and feels with the music she's deeply infatuated with and Fox is deep into his thoughts because of insecurities and his growing attraction to Hannah. Hannah is definitely relatable with how she felt like a supporting character only but she definitely can communicate well with songs and assert herself when absolutely necessary. Fox is just the darn sweetest. People may write him off as a simple man, but there's so much more to him beneath the surface.

The plot was super cute and hit with Fox's backstory and how Hannah wasn't letting him get away with running away anymore. I adore the both of them as a couple but maybe I'm greedy and wanted more because most of the book was like a sort of type of slow burn with the attraction sizzling through the roof but not enough official couple moments! But I did enjoy all the other subtle things that expressed their love for each other before it was official-official. Fox's sweet little gestures (but he can still get dirty) and quiet Hannah's assertiveness with him was such a perfect match. They kept each other honest.

I think I loved Hook, Link and Sinker even more than It Happened One Summer! So sexy and so fun to read! I devoured this book in one sitting and then wanted to read it all over again. A perfect romance novel!

HUGE thank you to Netgalley and Avon+Harper Voyager for sending me this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. I absolutely ADORED the first book in this series. I was so beyond excited when I saw Hook, Line, and Sinker was available to request on Netgalley. And then I was approved and I did the biggest happy dance. I love these books!!

This is my first time reviewing a contemporary romance and I don’t really know where to start. All I can say is that I absolutely loved Hannah and Fox’s story. I’m a sucker for any kind of friends/enemies to lovers and forced proximity tropes. I loved watching Hannah and Fox’s relationship bloom into something. I especially liked that their text messages from the past months apart were included at the beginning of the story. It really gave nice context to their friendship. Overall, I think that Hook, Line, and Sinker was slightly less good than It Happened One Summer, but I still totally loved it. This series was my first experience with Tessa Bailey’s writing and I loved it! The setting, characters, banter, and romance were all done so well. And the smut is *chef’s kiss* amazing.

If you are looking for a fun, easy-to-read, smutty romance then definitely check out It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey!

Tessa Bailey gave us the swoony friends to lovers story we needed. It was sweet and angsty and honestly just really well written! I actually really enjoyed how well the characters communicated and talked through their problems.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy. All opinions are my own.
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Tessa Bailey….I just couldn’t even wait to read the final book in the Bellinger Sisters. I love these ladies. Heart of gold and their men….hearts to match.
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Hook, Line and Sinker gives us Hannah’s story. Sweet, sweet Hannah. I loved the friends to lovers trope. It fit Hannah and Fox perfectly.
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This one had great chemistry and wooo, it was hot. I mean. Blushing in my chair steamy. Bottom line. This one was a win. I read it in one sitting and had a stupid grin on my face the majority of the time.
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Highly, highly recommend you read the Bellinger Sisters. Start with It Happened One Summer…trust me on this one.

I don’t even recognize myself anymore but I have fallen back in love with reading FINALLY! Thanks to @avonbooks and @netgalley for this e-galley of the new @tessabaileyisanauthor in the Bellinger Sisters series!

This book is Hannah and Fox’s who we meet in the first installment ‘It Happened One Summer’. Hannah is Pipers younger sister and Fox is Brendan’s best friend and fellow crew mate in the small fishing town of Westport. Hannah is back in LA working on a movie but her an Fox have maintained a texting relationship. When the movie needs a new location, Hannah suggests Westport and circumstances just happen that her sister is going to have company so she ends up staying with none other than Fox. Can they remain just friends or will it be more?

Ok I loved this one! The chemistry was SO GOOD. Scorching. This one is a slow build and slow burn and I was just as frustrated as the characters at times 😂 but the payoff is SO worth it. 🔥🔥 Their relationship starts with forced proximity and Fox vowing to help Hannah win over the director she has a crush on and boy do I love watching jealousy play out. And my gosh their communication. I just love when characters can communicate and work through issues together instead of using it as a way to drive conflict and these two were chefs kiss. I love how patient Hannah was and how she saw who Fox truly was and never gave up on him. It was all just everything I look for and love in a romance - make sure you grab your copy when it comes out next March!! // ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️

3.5 - Following two side characters from It Happened One Summer, Bailey’s newest novel is a thoughtful friends to lovers romance that, while it has its spicy moments, lacks the heat and chemistry of the first entry in this series.

Hannah has never had the same “leading lady” energy as her older sister; she is stuck in a dead end job as a production assistant, too scared to make a move on her long time crush or ask for a promotion to work on the music side of the filmmaking process. Fox has been type-cast as a playboy; terrified of walking in his philandering father’s footsteps, he sticks to one night stands in the big city so he doesn’t break any small town hearts. When Hannah finally speaks up at work and offers up her hometown of Westport as the perfect filming location, she finds herself crashing at Fox’s apartment. Months of near-constant texting have laid the groundwork of a solid friendship, but close proximity almost immediately leads to sexual tension. The novel is at its best when examining the toxic masculinity Fox was raised with or when it gets slightly meta in exploring Hannah’s experiences as a side character. While there are definitely some spicy moments between Hannah and Fox, the romance lacked the spark I was craving. Hannah was much more emotionally mature than Fox, and I had to seriously suspend my disbelief to accept that Fox could process his childhood trauma and long-standing relationship issues in a few short weeks. A better established friendship or a longer time frame might have benefited the story.

This is my begging Tessa Bailey to please give me 20 more books for these sisters. I loved Piper and Brendan but Fox and Hannah truly took me by the throat. I loved their slow burn, pining and longing, friends to lovers, forced proximity.
The fact that Hannah went from not speaking up to standing her ground, knowing what she wants and getting it, being so emotionally smart and sweet and the way she didn’t let Fox believe those things about himself, she trusted and believed in him while everyone else had an idea of him. I think the way Fox was so protective and in tune with Hannah was also super sweet and one of my favorite things. I wish I saw a little more Piper and Hannah because I think their sister duo was so great but overall, I loved this book so much. Hannah truly did not give up on Fox and their relationship was one of my favourites.

This book truly gave me a book hangover and I can’t wait for this to come out in paperback so I can reread it all over again and highlight so many of my favorite scene and quotes