This gave me so many Schitt’s Creek vibes with the main character giving me Alexis from season one where she is still just a spoiled rich girl who doesn’t know how to live like a normal person. Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential and she used her wild child reputation to have an out of control pool party that lands her in hot water with her Stepfather Daniel who cuts her off and ships her out to the pacific northwest town of Westport where the bar her dead father owned is and that she is in exile for 90 days with her sister Hannah accompanies her. When she gets there she meets bearded sea Captain Brendan who thinks he won’t last a night in the No name bar and in town without all the amenities that she is used too. Piper is determined to show her stepfather and Brendan that she is more than a pretty face and that she can hack in in Westport and thrive. This was so much fun to read and I loved the growth Piper had throughout the book and how she realized that she was worth more than she thought and she was more than what people saw on social media. It was a great love story between Brendan and Piper and that Brendan needed to figure out how to be not so rigid and that change can be good. So just such a great read and I can’t wait to read about Hannah’s story.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voygager and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

This reads exactly like any other Tessa Bailey book - which isn't a bad thing! I find her novels to be quite predictable and she seems to follow a formula, which makes reading her books really light and fun. I know exactly what I'm getting, every time, and sometimes that's exactly what I need. This is a fun one for readers who are looking for something easy to read - this would be a great beach read, for instance!

4.5

i wasn’t i initially sold on this one; with both the mention of schitt’s creek in the blurb and the fact that the cover looks a LOT like alexis and mutt, i was worried it would be unoriginal. nonetheless, my allegiance to the hot and hammered series makes tessa bailey and auto-read for me, and thank god for that. piper and brendan are hot hOT HOT! the story was captivating and new. i’m a sucker for a coastal setting. impatiently waiting for hannah’s story next!!

#netgalley

I’ve seen this described as the raunchy enemies to lovers romance of the summer, and while I agree there’s plenty of romance and dirtiness, there are a few issues I had with it. First of all, as an advocate for enemies to lovers, there was hardly enough of the enemies portion of their relationship, and they were enemies only for kinda silly reasons. In fact, enemies is probably too strong a word to use. I feel that the author could have filled out that part of the relationship and dragged it out for a lot longer. I also really couldn’t get over my dislike of the airheaded main character for much of the book, and Brenden’s general personality just wasn’t sexy or attractive to me. I probably will pick up the next book however, as I want to see how Hannah and Fox’s relationship turns out.

This book was everything. I’ve been having serious withdrawals ever since the Hot and Hammered series ended, but It Happened One Summer has officially filled that void. The characters were all so lovable, the ambiance was perfectly written, and the romance was hot as hell. It Happened One Summer is now on my favorites list. A must read for romance lovers!

At the start of this book, it was hard to relate to the female protagonist. Piper is a wealthy LA socialite, who lives her life through the photos on her phone. Since most of the world over the age of 25 doesn’t live like that, she wasn’t relatable. However, this story gets hilarious rather quickly. Once she is banished to a fishing village in the Pacific Northwest, she begins to discover that life can actually be lived instead of just photo-shopped. She begins to grow and actually experience life instead of setting up a ‘flattering scene’ to put on Instagram. She gets to the heart of who she is by learning more about the life her parents lived before her father died in a freak fishing accident when Piper, and her sister Hannah, were toddlers. Shortly thereafter, their mother leaves for LA, abandoning her hometown, because it is too painful to stay. Piper and her sister, Hannah, discover much about their father, and they meet people who share background stories about this man they hardly remember. In the process, Piper learns about what matters in life. She also meets Brendan, a ship captain and a widower. She shares parts of her past with him and they really get to know each other.

The growth arc is fun to watch for Piper. It’s pretty dramatic. Brendan also experiences some growth, but his is slightly more subtle. The pacing is solid and the tension feels right for this story. It’s not a thriller, so the tension doesn’t need to be high, but it is entertaining and a fun story to read after the first couple of chapters. There are several times when readers may disturb others with laughter, so choose your location carefully when reading! There are some cringe-worthy moments as well; overall, this is a fun story!

I’m going to be honest, I started this book and the first 20 or so pages had me questioning what all the hype was about. The heroine seemed insufferable and I couldn’t see how this book was going to work at all. Then it sunk its claws in me and I couldn’t put it down. Piper is not at all what I expected and how she started is a far leap from where she ended. Not only that but Brendan and his dedication to her was mouthwatering. now let’s get down to the nitty gritty!

what I loved:
-I’m always a fan of a hero who is an asshole to the heroine on their first few meetings, and this one takes the cake. he makes a judgement about piper, realizes his mistake, and spends the rest of the book chasing after her.
-the wedding ring. I’m not going to say anymore, but it was my favorite aspect of their relationship and what it meant and there’s one scene that had my heart in my throat relating to it.
-he BUILDS HER A PERGOLA. I swoon when the hero’s build things for their heroines. it’s so sexy.
-piper and her ability to start something and see it through despite how her life has been before is gratifying to watch. she got her hands dirty and broke a sweat which was just what I needed for me to soften to her.
-dirty talk queen strikes again.
-brendan and his love for spoiling her? delicious. how he loves how “high maintenance” she is? divine. brendan’s desire to earn her and be worthy of her? I nearly died.
-he cooks for her and builds things for her and spoils her and I just could go on and on about how mouthwatering and delicious this competent hero is and how he scratches all my itches for what I want out of a hero.
-I don’t want to spoil but piper at the end was heartbreaking and seeing all this crap get piled on her ripped my heart out.
-piper and brendan actually have fights and it’s over reasonable issues within their relationship. it’s refreshing seeing this in a romance because more often than not I find when fights are in a romance, they’re not don’t right. it still ripped my heart out and made me want to yell at brendan and give piper a good shake, but it was fitting.
-he’s a fisherman. I just.... I love. men with dangerous jobs are where it’s at for romances.
-piper’s realization of who she is, what she deserves, and what she isn’t is beautiful.
-don’t let the cover deceive you, this book is FILTHY.

what I didn’t love:
-nothing really. I’m surprised by this, but then again, this is a 5-star book for me so it stands to reason that I have no qualms with it.

as much as the first 20 or so pages deceived me, I actually think they’re vital to the story. they make you formulate assumptions about piper before slowly tearing them all down. so although at first I wasn’t a fan of them, they did a lot of heavy-lifting plot and character wise and I respect them. so if YOU don’t love the first 20 or so pages, just give it a minute and let this book slowly rip you apart. it’s definitely a new favorite.

*I received this ARC through NetGalley and voluntarily read this book. my thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me the chance to read an advanced copy!*

I loved Tessa Bailey’s Fix Her Up series, so I was super excited when I got accepted for this widget! Unfortunately, I DNFed about 30% in. I just could not connect to either of the main characters at all. She was so, so snobby and unrelatable. And he was just rude, and surly, and standoffish. Maybe some day I’ll go back and try to finish it, but I know it won’t be any time soon. This isn’t to say it’s bad, or that other people won’t love it, it just wasn’t the book for me!

I don’t know why I left this one on my shelf for so long. . . It was fantastic!

Piper Bellinger is spoiled. Her mother and stepfather give her everything she wants (and more!) and it’s still not enough to fulfill her party girl image. When one wild night goes too far Piper ends up in a situation her family can’t control. As punishment she’s sent to live in the town she was born in, a far cry from her rich and famous lifestyle.

Washington life is wildly different from Beverly Hills. Will Piper and her sister Hannah survive living on their own, with a fixed income, and no socialites to be found?

A little bit of smut and a lot of sweet makes this a perfect summer read!

It Happened One Summer by @tessabaileyisanauthor is the perfect summer romance read! Thanks @netgalley for the ARC!!

Piper is a vapid, LA Instagram celeb with a rich stepfather. When her boytoy of three weeks breaks up with her, she and a friend break into a hotel pool, have a party, and then she gets arrested. Having had enough of her antics, her stepfather exiles her to the small fishing town where she was born and lived until her father died in a fishing accident. She and her sister (who tags along for moral support) are left to fend for themselves and live/work in the bar that their late father owned.

Obvi Piper is a total fish out of water, but meets Brendan a local, brooding fisherman and immediately “catches” his eye (fish puns for days)! Brendan pretends he doesn’t like Piper, but goes out of his way to constantly help her out. Eventually he gives her a ride on his skin boat and they fall hard for each other.

I really liked both characters, particularly Piper who starts out shallow and morally adrift, but finds herself as the story progresses (love a good redemption storyline). She and Brendan have some amazing chemistry. In prior Tessa Bailey books I’ve found her male characters full of toxic masculinity and sexual aggression, but Brendan was very kind and upstanding. My only complaint was that while Brendan was a man of few words in the streets, he didn’t shut his dirty yap trap in the sheets. Zip it Brendan, you are killing the mood with your sexy Ted talks! And can the men in romance novels stop yelling “mine” at women’s genitalia? No sir, actually this vagina is mine, that giant, ever-erect penis is yours.

Smut- 4 stars
Romance- 4 stars
Story- 4 stars
Heroes possessiveness of heroine’s vaginas- 0 stars

Rich girl's stepfather gets fed up and banishes her to a sleepy town to run a bar for the summer. Of course, there's a beefcake sea captain who offers instant friction with the spoiled rich girl. I like a plot like this. Usually there more depth to the slicked girl and Piper has a lot of depth. I was head over heels for Brenden at the first description of him. I liked the chemistry between the two. I liked all the characters in the story and I really liked Westport. The last part of the book was the best; it's swoonworthy, like something out of an old movie. Read is book and fall in love with it.

This is finally the rom-com I needed!!! I love the enemies to friends to lovers concept in this book., it is not a new idea but works well with this book. Piper and Brenda fight their feelings from the first meeting and when they give in.... O-M-G. This book continues to get a little filthy/dirty when Piper and Brendan take their relationship further, and I was not turned off by it. Sometimes other books can overdo the raunchy and swearing, this was the right amount.

Recommended to those who need a good rom-com!

Thanks to Netgalley, Tessa Bailey and Avon & Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 7/13/21

This is a true romance novel. No big bad, no mysterious past to solve - just two people meeting and falling in love. It was by turns funny and hot and emotional and sweet but at all times it was about these two people and how they felt about each other. I loved it.

Oh my goodness. Oh my gosh! You guys! This is it!

This is the kind of high I endlessly chase. The kind with all the feels and butterflies. The kind that makes my heart sit up and take notice, flipping and fluttering and delivering that most delicious ache in my chest. The kind of book I want to keep on reading forever because I'm so effortlessly and hopelessly in love with the characters and their rich, heartfelt relationship.

It Happened One Summer was solid gold.

I can't even tell you how much I loved this book. I was hooked immediately, drawn in by Piper's effusive charm. I am a huge fan of Schitt's Creek and I was a little concerned about how a character loosely based on Alexis would translate here. But it was perfection. Tessa Bailey perfectly captured the depth that lay beneath Piper's shallow, airheaded veneer. The story perfectly captured the sweetness of her heart. Even her insecurities were written in a way that made them relatable and endearing and, frankly, impossible not to love.

And Brendan? Holy Hannah you guys, you are not ready for the magnificence that was Brendan. Honest to goodness I think he might be one of my all-time favorite romance heroes. The sea captain was so virile and manly. He was gruff and growly in that way that I love, and completely bowled over by his feelings for Piper in that way that I love even more. I loved his steadfast, true heart. I loved his tamed alpha vibe. He was everything I love about romance heroes.

The chemistry between these two was absolute fire. It sparked and sizzled page after page keeping me hungry for more as I greedily devoured the perfection of their romance. It was sinfully sexy, but somehow done in a way that added depth to the romance. I keep throwing the word "perfect" out there, but honestly - that's how I felt about so much of this book.

This was the kind of story that filled me up inside. I swooned so hard, I'd be surprised if you can't see my heart-eyeballs from space. I loved literally every moment i spent reading it. It was smart and snappy, devilishly dirty (Lawd, but in the best way) and an absolute joy to read. I'm hopelessly in love with these two. My heart isn't ready to let them go - but I am stoked that there is at least one other book in this series. I can't wait to learn more about Hannah and Fox - who played their hand at scene-stealing more than once in this story. I feel like I'm already half in love with them and I can't wait to see what comes next. Lest there be any doubt, I am already all-in for more where this fabulousness came from!

Received from NetGalley for review.


This is hard to write. I like the author’s books but this was one I couldn’t get into. It starts off as 1st person POV and then changes to 3rd, personally I hate 3rd person POV. The heroine is a spoiled little brat who is sent to the town where her parents used to live. When does someone who is in jail start talking with a guard about the shade of khakis they are dressed in? I wanted to like it but couldn’t get very far.

If this is your trope, you may like it. I give it 3 stars due to the fact that it could be me and not the book. (less)

Am I the only one that can't get enough of Tessa Bailey?? I can read all of her books again and again, I love her work. This book was no different, it did give me Schitts Creek vibes and I couldn't stop laughing at Piper's stupid antics, I as I was reading I kept forgetting that she is 28, not 18, her younger sister was way more mature, and I know I was not the only one thinking this will also make a great show.

Piper was sent to Westport by her rich producer stepdad to teach her a lesson on responsibility, since she is a hot mess and has really nothing going for herself. Her real dad was a fishermen, and owned a business so the sisters inherited it, and of course Hannah was not going to let her sister fend for herself, plus, its only for 3 months. But the girls had a huge rude awakening.

Then we meet Brendan, who, as soon as he meets Piper he's already judging her, until he actually gets to find out while talking to her that she not this spoiled brat that he thinks she is. I loved their connection, from the start I knew this was going to be something explosive, it was hard for me to envision Piper acting like an adult, but when they were together it was something magical. These characters were amazing.

I cant wait to read Hannah's story to see what happens with Brendan and Piper, because this love story left me hanging and I am very ansty over here, lol.

Thanks NetGalley and the Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I don't think I could possibly have loved It Happened One Summer more than I do. It has everything that makes a great book in my opinion. It's hilarious, sweet, has a gruff grumpy widower, a slightly clueless heroine with a heart of gold, a small coastal pnw town, great secondary characters, and holy sh*t it's hot. I really love Piper and Hannah's diehard bond. Just trust me on this, you need to read this book, it'll make you laugh and maybe even have a tear or two. I can not wait for Hannah's book!

This book was super cute! After meeting Piper, the quintessential and stereotypical LA bimbo, we're immediately transportation to a sleepy fisherman's town, where Piper is truly a fish out of water. After meeting Brendan, the Captain of this sleepy fisherman's town, it's instantaneous that opposite's attract; however, through a lot of self reflection and growth, both Brendan and Piper start to realize that what they are leaving behind may be worth it for the future that's in front of them.

A feel good, uplifting, summer romance, Tessa Bailey does not disappoint here. If you're looking for an easy and good time, this is the book for you.

I loved this book. It did take me a few chapters to start liking Piper. The enemies to friends to lovers is definitely involved in the entire plot. It's one of the things that I loved most about the book. I also loved Brendan, he is big and burly but lets his guard down with Piper. The book ended very well and would love to continue reading the series.

I have mixed feelings regarding this book's description. It compared Piper to Alexis Rose from Schitt's Creek, which immediately got me interested in reading It Happened One Summer. However, except for the fact that both characters begin as wealthy it-girls, lose their funding in some manner, and love clothing and impractical shoes, I didn't see too many similarities... which is probably why I was so disappointed with the first portion of the book. Fortunately, around the time Brendan became important, I forgot about the comparison and began to enjoy the novel in its own right. I guess one part of the comparison to Schitt's Creek was accurate: I was disappointed with the start of both but happy I stuck around by the end.

Due to the weakness in the start of the story, bolstered by the stronger ending and robust characterization, I would probably give this book 3.5 stars. But I'll bolster that up to 4 since the "romance" (re: smut) scenes definitely earned 5.