The title previews exactly what this book is: The Read of the Summer. It’s a perfect, one-sitting, romantic beach read that I could not put down.⁠⁠
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Some things I loved:⁠⁠
☀️Piper is unapologetically herself. In many books, when the female lead is girly and pretty, the plot centers around her changing herself completely. But in this story, Piper embraces who she is and what she can do, who cares what people might think about the spoiled socialite. That’s not to say she doesn’t grow and learn more about herself as she lives in Westport.⁠⁠
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☀️This book has great character development for both love interests. Brendan is a big burly sailor who’s a teddy bear underneath. Their relationship feels realistic, authentic, and above all is the cutest thing to read. It makes you love love. ⁠⁠
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☀️The PNW. Enough said.⁠⁠
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☀️Super lovable and supportive sister dynamic that I don’t see enough of in stories.⁠⁠
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Things that were lacking:⁠⁠
☀️There was a significant lack of diversity in the story, hopefully in the next book of the series this improves.⁠⁠
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🌶️🌶️🌶️⁠⁠
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Please do yourself a favor and grab a copy of this story on July 13, 2021.⁠⁠
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Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review and the opportunity to read this work of art.⁠⁠
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I’m a fan of anything Tessa Bailey writes and this book is one of her best. Her books are steamy but they have heart and great characters.

I loved Piper as a character (she has a great character arc), the star of the show for me was Brendan. Tessa Bailey’s male characters can sometimes lean to the more possessive side but I feel like he was really balanced. Definitely grumpy but ultimately charming and possibly more feminist if that makes sense?

Ultimately I really enjoyed the book and I can’t wait for the next installment about Fox and Hannah!

A sexy rom com with sizzling banter inspired by Schitt's Creek you say? Oh yes, I'm immediately interested.

What's that? It features a picturesque small seaside town featuring colorful locals with hearts of gold who embrace the flamboyant outsider with open arms and embrace her as one of their own? Please go on.

And a relationship between sisters that is not rooted in jealousy, insecurity and misunderstandings but rather a sweet best friendship/bond that can never be broken between two polar opposites who see the best in each other. I AM SOLD!

Seriously, there were so many things I loved about this book. It's fun, sexy, sweet, and swept me off my feet. I loved the banter between Piper and Brendan so much--you just know those two are going to make it. The sex scenes were definitely more intense than I normally like, and I wished the sexy, subtler banter was more present in those scenes. But on the other hand, I really admire how Tessa just went for it in those scenes! I don't smoke but...hand me the cigarettes?

Thank you for offering this for review and we loved having Tessa on the podcast!

I live in Arizona and it is blazing hot this time of year. The only thing that I think could be hotter would be the chemistry between Piper Bellinger and Brendan Taggart. Yet the two could not be more opposite from each other. Maybe that is the attraction?
Partygirl Piper is banished to a small seaport town in Pacific Northwest after getting into some trouble in L.A. She needs to prove herself in a place where everyone has known each other from a young age. Brendan is a captain of fishing boat, set in his routine, but when Piper shows up, it makes him look at life differently.
While this is a light rom-com, it is written with such romantic intensity and passion. I couldn’t put it down and I cheered for the main characters throughout the book. It was a huge breath of fresh air and beat the summer heat. I’ve read the author’s “Hot & Hammered” series and am anticipating the continuation of this new series. Grab cool drink, sit in the pool, and forget everything else with this fun read.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this going into it. The rich, blonde, partying blonde girl stereotype did not appeal to me. However, being that it was written by Tessa Bailey, I gave it a chance. I absolutely loved it! Brendan is perfect and I loved the way things played out. The sex scenes were hot and I enjoyed the unique aspects of the plot.

Piper is a spoiled Hollywood socialite who has had to endure very few consequences in life. When she instigates an out-of-control party and lands in jail, her stepfather chooses to cut her off and sends her to her deceased father's hometown, where fishing/crabbing is the way of life.

Piper and her sister, Hannah, meet the locals including one very grumpy fisherman, Brendan. Though they get off to a rocky start, Piper is determined to show she is more than a pretty face. She and Hannah work on fixing up their father's old dive bar and find a very helpful hand in Brendan. Throughout the book, Piper grapples with the contrast of her old life in LA to her new life in Westport and realizes that she may not have been as happy as she thought she was in LA.

Overall, this book was super fun and very sexy! The character development was steady and made sense and the relationship between Piper and Brendan was full of banter and chemistry! I think this would be a great beach read this summer and would recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This is my first book from Tessa Bailey and it did not disappoint. I have had her recommended to me tons and glad I finally picked up on of her books.
Piper and Brendan have amazing and intense chemistry that melts off the pages.
Piper is an IT girl, crave attention and loves social media. She however always seems to fail in the relationship department. She gets into some trouble and is sent off to a small town where she meets Brendan.
Brendan is a widow and a total charmer, but his feelings for Piper start out with little interest and thinking she is nothing but a spoiled brat.
This is such a great story you won’t want to put down. Lots of fun and romance.

This book was EVERYTHING. Once Piper set foot into that quaint little town, my heart was stolen by her transformation and chemistry with Brendan. Their encounters were so humorous and the sexual tension had me turning the pages at max speed to see what would come of it. The author did an amazing job at capturing both an extremely steamy and extremely sweet relationship. I loved the protectiveness of Brendan and the fact that he wanted those important conversations and respected Piper along with being attracted to her. The ending felt a bit abrupt but overall the story was incredibly enjoyable.

Schitt’s Creek fans – this book is for you! Tessa Bailey’s latest steamy novel is loosely based on the popular TV series. A Hollywood darling is cut off from her family’s wealth and essentially banished to a small beach town. She’s forced to run her late father’s dive bar in the hopes she’ll learn some responsibility, but immediately gets into a spat with a local sea captain.

This opposites attract romance promises all the sexual tension and steamy scenes that Tessa Bailey is amazing at writing! It made my list of the best books of the year!

I was expecting plenty of eye rolls at the spoiled main character, but she was so well written that her antics never felt over the top or exaggerated. There were plenty of genuinely sweet moments and authentic emotions that helped me connect with her and root for her success at proving herself.

As for the male lead - swooooon. I adored his gruff outer layer that so obviously was a cover for a kind, thoughtful man. Cheering for these two was a bundle of fun, both because of their intense attraction but also their complimentary qualities.

By far, my favorite of Tessa Bailey's books so far!

I have a complicated relationship with Tessa Bailey. I read the entirety of the Hot and Hammered series, and it was a mixed bag for me. However, when I saw that her next book was inspired by the one and only Alexis Rose, I couldn't say no. A burly fisherman and a sparkly disgraced party girl? I am definitely here for it. And it was enjoyable! Just similar enough to Alexis to be in on the joke, but not such a carbon copy that it felt like fan fiction. And the burly captain definitely fulfilled all of my expectations.

However, there was something that bothered me about their spicy scenes. It just felt off-- and I couldn't put my finger on it until I was reading some other reviews for this book on Goodreads. Someone mentioned that while the sex scenes are well-written, they don't necessarily align with how the characters have been acting throughout the rest of the book. And that's exactly it! It almost feels like her spicy scenes are generic paragraphs cut and paste with the character's names added. They're not bad scenes, they just seem a little disconnected from the rest of the storyline.

Overall though, I would recommend this book if you enjoy Tessa Bailey books, and I'm definitely invested enough to see what happens between Hannah and Fox in the sequel!

Loved the dialogue and chemistry between the two main characters. A fish-out-of-water story that Bailey pulls off with genuine characters and an easy-breezy rom-com writing style.

*Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review*
This book came right in time for all things summer and I absolutely loved it. The book follows Piper after she partied too hard pushed her stepfather to his limits, ultimately causing her to end up in Westport, the town where her late father made a life for himself and her family. Piper starts off as the wild party girl, but really comes into her own while staying with her sister in a new place. This was a romance, and the romance was fantastic, but this was also a story involving character growth and development. I loved seeing Piper's progress and really coming into her own and finding things that make her herself. Brendan was the perfect hero as well as the perfect contrast to Piper originally. This book also had "Schitt's Creek vibes, so it was super funny, light and totally enjoyable. Surprisingly, this was my first Tessa Bailey book and I want to read more by her. The characters and plot were my favorite and Piper and Brendan were great protagonists, but I also loved the side characters Bailey incorporated into the story. It made it feel more cozy. I highly recommend picking this book up this season!

Tessa Bailey gave us a fun, steamy, and sweet summer romance with It Happened One Summer. I've never seen Schitt's Creek (this is inspired by it) but I love a good rom-com. This one had just the right amount of emotion but also felt light hearted.

Piper Bellinger is an influencer who's never had a real job or real responsibility. She's in her late twenties and made a big mistake that included a rooftop party and a night in jail. Her stepdad is sick of bailing her out and decides she needs to learn some responsibility. He sends her to Westport, the town where her late father is from.

Luckily, Piper has an amazing sister that tags along to help. Piper and Hannah both learn a lot in Westport but some completely unexpected things happen. Piper starts to fit in with the town and the people, and she starts to fall for the bearded surly fisherman, Brendan.

Not only does Piper start to fall in love but she learns a lot about who she is and where she's from. I loved watching her change and grow. She had a fantastic relationship with her sister and I loved seeing them accomplish the things they put their mind to. Now to the highlight of the book.... Brendan.

Brendan is my favorite hero Tessa Bailey has written. This man. He's so devoted, so swoony, and even though he and Piper seem like an unlikely pair, he is the perfect man for her. I love a good opposites attract story and this one was fantastic. It made me smile, laugh, swoon, and I even shed one or two tears.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this one a lot and I'm looking forward to more in this series. Bring on Hannah and Fox's book!

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be and more. I loved Piper and how she both got to continue to be herself AND discover new horizons and goals in life. Don't even get me started on Brendan and his instantaneous attraction and subsequent devotion to her. I can't handle it. So good.

Piper Bellinger is heavily inspired by Alexis from Schitt's Creek, which is, despite my attempts, apparently not a show that can fully capture my interest and attention the way it has basically everyone else. But Piper? Piper captured me nearly immediately. She's accused of having no substance in chapter one and reading her processing that accusation is just fantastic and then everything that unfolds from there on is, in a word, captivating. And when grumpy Captain Brendan Taggert appears on page, my heart was ready. I am also obsessed with Hannah and can't wait for her book.

So, obviously, I'm a huge fan of this book and that's in large part because one of my favorite things in books will always be a person (usually a woman) really coming into her own. It's a journey I love reading about. And this book pairs a thing I love with a man who adores Piper the way she is and is totally content to spoil her because he doesn't find anything wrong with who she is as a person. I mean.... I loved that. Also, this book is very steamy so shout out to Tessa Bailey for i>that.

This book may not appeal to everyone though, so let's talk about a couple of things that may impact a person's enjoyment of this book. First, there is heavily gendered language used here equating biological sex to personality traits and it's real heavy in the sex scenes. Second, the conflict here is both so obvious you know how it's going to go and could definitely hamper one's enjoyment if one really doesn't like third act breakups or miscommunication. Third, if Alexis Rose annoys you, I wouldn't really recommend giving this book a try. Fourth, this book is pretty white and straight. Fifth, I would say that Daniel (step-father) sending his step-daughter to a small town to run a bar (???) was a weird choice and I'm still not sure Piper ever really understood like what things cost, but you know, who cares about the plot really?

But, for me, this book was a delight and I adored it. It was compulsively readable and I was laughing and also swooning and also I almost cried a few times. I've mentioned before how I like books that touch on grief and I thought this book was fascinating in how it included a few different grief storylines. I loved Opal so much. Hannah and Fox are intriguing as all get out. Also, this book said hugs have rights and I am here for that.

Content Notes: hospital scene, death of a parent, death of a spouse, death of a child, alcohol consumption, jail, fire, storms, explicit sex scenes

Comparing this to Schitt's Creek definitely got me invested. Just like Alexis Rose, Piper from "It Happened One Summer" grows in ways you don't expect, and her relationship with Brendan grows on your heart.

loved this romance and being in a new place and finding romance. He was quite a gruff man but had a heart of gold. loved the sister's relationship and fixing up the bar. I loved the friendship that happened first and then the romance. loved the wingman and meeting up with her sister. Overall I would read more books by her.

Oh wow. I really and truly love Tessa Bailey. So much. This book slowly stole my heart during the first half and then had me smiling like a huge dork for the remainder of Piper & Brendan’s story. They were so fun and cute. Piper is such an Angel and Brendan so swoony I think I stopped breathing a couple times. Highly HIGHLY recommend this one.

This book was so lovely! The story was incredibly engaging and the romance was sweet and sexy. The characters are all so loveable, and I just wanted the best for them all. If you're looking for a feel-good, heartwarming story, please pre-order this and pick it up! Tessa Bailey has weaved a cozy web of community that made me not want to leave this small town fishing village ever again! I will definitely be reading more by this author, especially the upcoming companion to this story.

This book was amazing!!! The family connections and secrets, the small town atmosphere, opposites attract trope with a little enemies to lovers thrown in, and grump vs. sunshine made this book a complete delight!

I loved Brendan. He was surly but solid and a complete cinnamon roll of a man! I loved Piper way more than I thought I would and it’s because the writer made us root for her and want to be her friend.

I also loved the side characters Hannah and Fox and am very interested to hear their story!

One of my favorite reads of the year, the perfect poolside read!