This follow-up to 2021's It Happened One Summer absolutely delivered on the romance and humor! A friends-to-lovers romance, the two main characters develop a bond in the first novel that continues in Hook, Line, and Sinker. I wish there were more Bellinger sisters to continue the series!

Hook Line and Sinker
Tessa Bailey
Fox and Hannah
In this sequel to It Happened One Summer sister Hannah, completely immersed in music, is working as a PA for a movie. She yearns to work on the sound track but is just a lowly PA. Then she gets to chance to suggest the filming in Westport, the fishing town where her sister has fallen in love and married a ship captain. Eventually she even gets to suggest a new soundtrack. It is also the town where Fox lives. During the previous summer, to give her sister and the captain a chance for romance, Fox had taken Hannah to a vinyl record show. Since then they’ve been texting back and forth. When Hannah arrives in Westport their romance takes off. But Fox keeps holding back because of his well deserved reputation as a man whore. Can they overcome this?
Tessa Bailey comes through on this sequel. The characters are completely charming. The action is both delightful and sensuous. It is just brilliant!
I would recommend this book to my patrons.

Welcome back to Westport, WA! Tessa Bailey has done it again. How soon is too soon to convince my husband we need to move here so he can become a king crab fisherman alongside Brendan and Fox?
Kidding… kidding… mostly.

I’ll start by saying, friends to lovers is not generally my thing. I’ve never thought it was angsty enough… until now. Hook, Line, and Sinker singlehandedly has me rethinking my stance on this trope. If you’re reading these, please drop some of your fav friends to lovers books in the comments, I’m in the mood to binge a few to see if this is a one time love!

I related to Hannah so well in this book. The way she explains feeling like a support person in her own life instead of the leading lady really hit me hard. The way she can communicate so well with just a song. She pushes people in just the right way without being too forceful, but getting her point across. I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever related so closely to a character before.

And Fox… sweet Fox. He’s going on my list of favorite cinnamon roll characters EVER. I feel this overwhelming need to protect and love him. He experienced so much growth both personally and professionally. He faced some hard truths and had so many breakthroughs.

All in all, this is one of my favorite reads so far this year, and will likely be in my top 10 for the entire year come December. I loved It Happened One Summer, but this one is why Tessa Bailey is now an auto-buy author for me. I loved this book with my entire heart and soul. I can already feel the hangover setting in.

"How did I look at her?"
"Like a summer day showing up after a hundred years of winter."

Tessa Bailey does it again with Hook, Line, and Sinker, the follow-up to It Happened One Summer! In the first book of this series, we hear Piper and Brendan's story, and Hook, Line, and Sinker focuses on Hannah and Fox's story. I loved getting to know these two better and revisiting the town of Westport!

The shared love of music between Hannah and Fox was one of my favorite things, and it plays into the book so well. Their chemistry, their stubbornness, and their vulnerability all made for a great story! It's impossible not to love the Bellinger sisters and Tessa Bailey! I definitely recommend you check this one out next Spring!

THANK YOU to Avon Books for the review copy!

I was SOOOO excited to get the copy of this after tearing through Piper and Brendan's Story. I loved it. I love how the focus was truly on Hannah and Fox with only small sprinkles of Piper and Brendan. I love how Hannah grew in this novel and did NOT give up on Fox. True leading lady vibes. Love loved this one. I really flew through it and was quite sad when it was over. The Epilogue was absolutely perfect as well!! Such a well done series!!!

So I finished this in one evening. I knew I was going to love it, but I didn't expect to blow through it quite this fast. I don't have words for the thrill and joy I'm feeling from riding along on this journey. My heart is light and my stomach is full of butterflies. This friends to lovers was just the pick me up I needed. To see healthy communication and a couple working through their conflicts was refreshing. Neither really ran when things got tough, but they did give each other space and support to work through their issues and struggles. I officially want to move to a port town and marry a fisherman. *Don't tell my husband.

TW: Parental abuse (mental) mentioned

Wow, just wow, I loved this book so much! Ever since meeting Fox and Hannah in "It Happened One Summer" I had felt the spark of chemistry between them...and especially after he left that Fleetwood Mac album for her, that was so so SWEET! Who would've guessed he's been pining for her ever since, ugh my heart!

Hannah and Fox have been texting since the summer she spent in Westport but just as friends and I really liked that. They got to know each other as friends first but without realizing it they already are a little bit in love with one another. Fox has never had a female friend so that's really new for him and the way that Brendan and Piper keep warning him off of Hannah kind of sucked. The way that everyone thought so poorly of Fox and his sexual habits was super sad and I was angered on behalf of him. Hannah was angered too and I loved seeing her stick up for him, she saw something in him that no one was willing to look deeper for in him.

The delicious sexual tension they had when sharing Fox's apartment as so good as well. The pining Fox did just made me all warm and fuzzy, and all his insecurities about making him Hannah work as a couple were just heartbreaking, I'm so glad she had the strength to be there for him and convince him of what a good person he is.

One thing I did not care for was Brinley's reaction to Hannah wanting to learn from her. She went above and beyond into bitch mode instead of realizing the teaching opportunity placed in her lap. She had the chance to further cement women's position into the film industry and she just saw it as as an attack against her and her job. That pissed me off, why do a lot of women have to be this way? Hannah didn't even know if she wanted to have a job like that she just wanted to test the waters. Ugh!

Anyway, Hook, Line and Sinker was dare I say better than It Happened One Summer. I really connected with Fox and Hannah on an emotional level that I didn't with Piper and Brendan. And you don't HAVE to read It Happened One Summer but I really recommend it, you get to see immediately what kind of person Hannah is and that first interaction with her and Fox going to the vinyl convention was so so so good. I will definitely be reading more Tessa Bailey in the near future!

Thank you so much to Avon and HarperVoyager for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this sequel! Fox and Hannah are the cutest couple to follow up Brennan and Piper.
When Hannah finds a way to move an entire movie shoot in order to visit her sister, she ends up with more than she bargained for when she has to bunk with Fox.

The fun relationship we see planted in IT HAPPEND ONE SUMMER is beautifully grown into a story of acceptance, healing, and love. Hannah and Fox play off of each other so well and keep you rooting for them the whole time.

Thank you dearly to Net Galley and Avon Books for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

I want to start this review by making clear two things about myself: 1. I am not a fan of the friends to lovers trope and 2. It Happened One Summer has been my favorite romcom of the year (and probably top 5 of all time). Keeping both of these things in mind, I'd like to collect my thoughts about Hook, Line, and Sinker as concisely as possible.

Things I loved:
Ms. Bailey can write a delicious man like no one else. The spicy scenes were beautiful, romantic, sexy, and honestly everything that I loved about IHOS. I absolutely adored Fox, I liked the way that toxic masculinity was addressed in the story, I liked the way that the two characters resolved their arcs in the story. Do not get me started on the tears that came over me during the epilogue. I was definitely convinced, dare I say became a fan, of the friends to lovers trope through this book. (Looking at "people we meet on vacation" which was my least fav romcom of this year, I would say the tension and will they / won't they in this book had me excited).

What I wish was different:
Now, this is going to be a longer list than I wish it was. Especially since IHOS was perfection in terms of character development and plot.

I'd like to simply ask; what happened to Hannah? I could try to buy into the little sister plot, and the character traits that go with it, but I was not a fan of the way that Hannah was infantilized throughout the novel. There were certain phrases, specifically ones referring to her being a "girl" rather than "woman" by Fox/other men in the novel which made me, a 20smthn lady feel super uncomfortable. Also: massive cringe/mood killer when the question of her virginity comes up.. Hannah is an adult, why did this even need to be mentioned? Especially when the reader had learned about her past relationships several chapters ago. It makes Fox seem out of touch with Hannah. I really disliked the way that she suddenly became a child. In IHOS, Hannah was not the shining start that Piper was but that's because it was Piper's story. Hannah showed grit, courage, stubbornness, fierceness, and strong character that never made me assume that she was a "secondary character". Hannah's ability to give advice or to help other people because she's introspective and empathic does not make her a background character of other people's lives, it simply makes her a person with different skill sets and maybe a tad more introversion than others. (Still, she's proven time and time again that she's extroverted and bold.) The self doubt, self demeaning, and self esteem issues showed here were not the Hannah I expected.

All in all, I did really enjoy this book. I love Ms. Bailey's writing and this hardcopy will be going on my shelf once it is available to the public. The steam and romance in this are 5/5. The MC is 3.5/5. The Main Love interest is 5/5.

“ Apart from being dark and dramatic . . . what makes a man your type? What is eventually going to make a man The One?
Hannah: I think . . . if they can find a reason to laugh with me on the worst day.”

What you will find in this:
✔️Close proximity
✔️Romance between high end LA girl and Fisherman

Dnf at 45% because I couldn’t connect to the writing and I found too much of repetition. The story didn’t hook me right in.

Hook, Line, and Sinker features characters that were featured in one of Tessa Bailey's other books, It Happened One Summer. They were secondary characters, but Tessa gave readers enough of them that you wanted them to have their own book.

Hannah and Fox's friends to lovers story is swoony and brimming with feels. It was everything I wanted in their story and yet so much more.
Fans of this author's books will fall absolutely in love with this original read and fans of romance books will certainly gobble this up!

I can't wait to read more from this series and author.

4 stars - A beautiful friends-to-lovers romance that had me laughing from the very first chapter.

After reading It Happened One Summer, I was pretty much salivating for this book. So I ran over to NG, put in my request and anxiously waited approval. (Lucky for me, I read The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood during this time, so the wait wasn't too agonizing.) Then I finally got approved, sent it to my Kindle, and proceeded to binge read the heck out of this beauty. And it was really good!

In and of itself, Hook, Line, and Sinker is a swoon-worthy romance. Fox and Hannah are a perfectly matched couple. They understand each other on a special level. They start as friends and grow so close they can't help but take notice of their chemistry. It was built up so well, and I truly enjoyed it.

That said, this book also has the pressure of following up It Happened One Summer, which I was obsessed with. I'm still in love with it. So I can't help but compare the two, and I personally preferred book 1.

But with THAT said, I still had an amazing time reading this one. Like I said, the romance was lovely. And now please allow me to declare my undying affection for Hannah and Fox. Both of which have their own hang-ups, but watching them grow and work through them was a delight.

And it must be said that Fox is so head over heels for Hannah the entire way through this story and I LOVED it. Did he mess up? Of course. But his remorse was instant every time, and he always put in the effort to make it right and learn to be better. I respect that a whole heck of a lot, and it was so refreshing.

Overall, Hook, Line, and Sinker was a lovely, fun friends-to-lovers romance that I can already tell I'm going to love more and more with each re-read. Because I WILL be re-reading it. And even though I personally preferred It Happened One Summer, I am positive there are going to be readers who prefer this one because it IS a great novel. I definitely recommend picking it up no matter what, because Fox and Hannah are more than worth a shot!

**note: the blog post link is to a review post scheduled to go up closer to release date on 2/26/22!!

I must be honest and admit that I wasn't a huge Bailey fan....until this series. I enjoyed the first book in this series so much that when I saw my approval for an advanced copy of the next I devoured it immediately.

I must say....this one was even a bit better. I love that Bailey took an issue, slut shaming, and really dove deep into how it really can impact one's life. In this case we see the victim as the male. The author did a fantastic job of allowing us see what can truly become a tumultuous low in self esteem when everyone around you thinks they have you pegged.

It was just brilliant. I really found myself completely enthralled. Great job Tessa Bailey.

After reading "It Happened One Summer" I was dying to see where Hannah's story would go. Unlike her sister, Piper, Hannah is a little too comfortable playing second fiddle. When given the chance to make herself seen and heard, she goes to the one place where she doesn't feel unseen: Westport. Welcoming her to the coastal town is her sexy, carefree friend, Fox. Seven months of friendship has created a safe place for both Fox and Hannah, one that is tested in "Hook, Line, and Sinker".

What unfolds is both personal and professional growth for Fox and Hannah. Can they shake off the thoughts of others and their own insecurities and take their friendship to the next level? Hannah is hands down my favorite Bellinger sister. "Hook, Line, and Sinker" is chalked full lessons in self worth, determination and second chances at love.

*Thank you so much NetGalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review* I devoured this book! Holy cow, I was addicted from the start. I'm just so in love with Hannah and Fox. I'm so glad we were able to get a book on their romance.

I preferred this book to 'It Happened One Summer'. It read differently and I enjoy more of a slow-burn romance. Also, Fox is just more interesting lol The characters were relatable and entertaining. I honestly loved this book! If you enjoyed 'It Happened One Summer' I'm sure you'll appreciate this one as well.

My only complaint would be the dialogue. I had this same issue with the first book. A lot of it can come off cheesy at times (especially during the spicy scenes). It doesn't take away from the story though! This is just personal preference.

Where to begin? (1) Everyone should stan Tessa Bailey for clear skin. (2) Sequels usually disappoint but this ONE SLAPS JUST AS HARD AS THE FIRST. (3) Am I joining to the friends-to-lovers train? If so, I am happy to be part of the club.

This book!!! Wow, the angst, the tension, the friendship, the tenderness, the STEAM. I was so excited that I got approved to read this novel because I was completely obsessed (still am) with It Happened One Summer, and when the author announced that Hannah would get her own book, I could not contain my excitement.

This book follows best friends Hannah and Fox on their journey to finally realizing they are made for each other. We got see glimpses of their budding friendship and hints of something more going on between them in the first book, and it was EVERYTHING. I love angst and mutual pinning and this book did not hold back. I love how they just understand each other and protect one another and look at each other like they hung the moon. They are mutual simps and I am here for it.

Fox and Hannah are both so imperfectly perfect and human and actually talk to each other when something is wrong or a "plot twist" appears. The amount of miscommunication in this book is zero because they actually communicate. I was actually waiting for the "miscommunication trope" that happens in most books, especially friend-to-lovers, to come but it never did. They are so open with each other (and guarded at times), but they talk about their reservations and insecurities and try to work it out. Beware, this is a SLOW BURN (but no complaints, I love a good slow burn).

I had a fantastic time reading this book, and I cannot wait to dive into Tessa Bailey's backlist and highly anticipate more new releases.

Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley, for providing me with this ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) in exchange for an honest review.

HOLY WOW. I swear ever since I read It Happened One Summer I have become a Tessa Bailey addict! I just can’t get enough of her writing. I was so excited for Hannah & Fox’s story & man did it not disappoint. I honestly don’t even know where to begin. This is a perfect acquaintances turned best friends to lovers with so much sexual tension & angst. Hannah comes to visit for a little & ends up crashing at Fox’s place. While she’s there she convinces him to help give her guy advice so she can impress & bed her coworker she has had a crush on for forever. With Fox being a major ladies man he has lots of experience in that area. The hangar & playfulness of these two is perfection. I really loved getting to watch them fall for each together. I also really was happy with how Fox discovered that he didn’t want Hannah going after someone else… & that he didn’t want a revolving door of women anymore. I can’t say enough good things about this book or this series - just read it! I promise you will not be disappointed.

. I didn’t think this book would be able to top It Happened One Summer, but it did. It sooooo did.

Super sweet, slow burning, pining, friends to lovers goodness that hit so close to my heart I was sobbing at the end!

Full review to come when we get closer to release date, but seriously, pre-order now!!! It’s so freaking good!

Thank you Avon for the ARC of this book!

I was super excited to read this book. I’ve read a few books by this author and LOVED them.

I went into this book not realizing it was actually book 2 in the series, but it still worked well as a stand alone.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved Hannah’s personality. She is sweet and funny and so considerate. I love how she tried to find her way throughout the book.

Fox was… sigh. I love Fox. He struggled with being labeled as only “a good time”. It hurt seeing what people thought of him and how he had to deal with it.

The writing was amazing. The story was good. I didn’t connect with the characters as well as I hoped, but the story was still enjoyable.

Thank you for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book, the second in the Bellinger sisters series. I am glad I picked it up on the strength of the first book and not on the synopsis. That back-cover summary not do this story justice--or perhaps, in trying to summarize, it relies on tropes rather than letting the delightful messiness of Fox and Hannah's relationship shine through.

I read this back-to-back with It Happened One Summer, and the seeds for Fox and Hannah's relationship are planted there. What's nice about those first glimpse of Fox and Hannah together in that book, and again in the first chapter here, is that the two are clearly friends. (I love a good epistolary section to show a friendship developing.) And yes, there is burgeoning love there, too, but that friendship is what helps them to stick with each other even when things get hard.

Fox and Hannah, who've been apart for about half a year, reunite in this book because Hannah has managed to get the film she's working on as a PA relocated to Westport, the little WA state town in which her sister Piper, Piper's fiance Brendan, and Fox all live. This is her chance to push herself professionally--and maybe to spend more time with Fox, with whom she will be staying during the film shoot. Fox, meanwhile, is actively avoiding attempts to push himself professionally, because in doing so, he lives to down to every low expectation people have of him as a playboy and generally fun-loving and lovable scoundrel. Despite his quiet commitment to Hannah, he's certain that he's not good enough for a relationship with her and believes everyone else thinks this as well. It's a good thing that Hannah doesn't.

Sergei, the film director on whom she's had a crush, is a non-entity in this story, really. No one really stands a chance next to Fox, and it's his hang-ups (and a few of Hannah's) that are the real obstacles to them being together.

This is really a book about people coming to grips with who they are, who they want to be, the various scars and wounds that prevent them from getting there, and the way that trusting another person helps them overcome those obstacles. To that end, this book is perfect for you if you enjoy authentic, flawed people working through their issues in healthy, loving ways, and being there for one another even when they make mistakes.