Cover Image: Hook, Line, and Sinker

Hook, Line, and Sinker

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Member Reviews

TL;DR:
- 4.5 stars
- Content warnings: dangerous profession
- Really well done story between two leads who needed to learn they were enough for the love stories they watched everyone else fall into. Just like with It Happened One Summer: worth reading if you're into Schitt's creek! or just a little PNW escapism. A little bonus friends to lovers this time around as well.

Loved:
- I do not think it is possible for me to over-exaggerate just how much I was deeply excited for Hannah and Fox's story and I was NOT disappointed. They were everything to me and more. I loved It Happened One Summer with Piper and Brendan (Hannah's sister and Fox's best friend respectively) but I was waiting with every fiber of my being for Hannah because I saw so much of myself in her. AND oh my god. I shed so many tears! I laughed very hard!
- I put in my notes: "she [Bailey] is getting better and better at writing vulnerability in men and it's honestly so fucking hot lol" so. Do with that what you will. I was so impressed with Fox's growth.
- Their insecurities were so REAL it was almost painful. Half my notes were like "oh NOOOO no but I get it but NOOOOO" and you know what? I'm not even sorry.
- I said this verbatim for It Happened One Summer but it rings true this time as well: Bailey wrote one heck of a cute PNW town. The whole time I was reading I wanted to google Westport to see if it was real and how long it would take to get there from SF. Very good chops there.

Less into:
- Like with It Happened One Summer but not to the same degree nor the degree of her early books: there's still a slight power imbalance in the man strong / woman small dynamic between Fox and Hannah perhaps by the nature of Fox's job. But it was not distracting this time. Just a callout if you're not into that.

Overall, this is a very very well done romance with beautifully developed characters and wonderful story that felt real. SO real. Pick it up ASAP.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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I was SO excited to read Hannah and Fox's story after It Happened One Summer.
This story was notably less smutty than the other one, which is overall nice and cute in the theme of Fox calming down overall. I love it when the hero of a story is pining. This story ticked all the boxes but fell flat at the end. Overall, I had a lovely experience reading.

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What impressed me most was Bailey's ability to balance the steamy passion with genuine emotional depth. The characters felt real, their struggles and insecurities relatable, which made their love story all the more captivating. Set against a picturesque coastal backdrop, this book offered a perfect escape into a world of sun, sand, and romance.
Tessa Bailey's writing style is not just engaging but also witty, keeping me entertained throughout. Each chapter left me eager to discover what would happen next, and I couldn't help but cheer for the characters' love to triumph. The book seamlessly blended the elements of romance and adventure, making it a thrilling page-turner.

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I've read a few reviews saying that this book wasn't as good as the first, but I completely disagree. I enjoyed the friends to lovers plot and appreciated the character arcs. It was really rewarding to watch Fox start to recognize that he didn't have to play down to people's expectations of him and I was really rooting for him to have the difficult conversations with those around him who always thought the worst of him. He was just so deserving of an HEA. Hannah was great, too, but I just couldn't understand her crush on Sergei. He just seemed so blah. Anyway, super cute book.

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Oh my goodness, I’m not sure if I’m in the minority here but I loved this book even more than IHOS! I absolutely adored the music element to this book- I feel like I connected to Hannah on a deeper level due to her love for music. Also the way that Fox did little things for her I absolutely melted. I am a sucker for a friends to lovers book and this one was no exception, I loved it so so much. And the EPILOGUE- so many tears were shed. I hope to be back in Westport one day, as I’ll miss it.

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a must-read for fans of romantic comedies. With its irresistible blend of romance, humor, and heartfelt moments, this novel is a perfect escape into a world where friendship can evolve into something more meaningful. Tessa Bailey has once again crafted a captivating story that will leave readers swooning and eagerly anticipating her next book.

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Bellinger Sisters #2 did much better for me than the first, but I still don't feel like these men are even remotely close to being worthy of these sisters. The angst is a little too angsty, the jealousy and 'alpha male' tendencies are little too strong for me. But I felt this stroyline was better suited than Piper & Brendan's wild world. Also, still having trouble with the sex scenes.

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I struggled to get into this book. After readying (and loving) It Happened One Summer, this felt repetitive and couldn’t hold my attention.

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It was nice to go back to Westport with Hannah and see how things were going since the first book. I liked Hannah and Fox together, it was very friends before lovers, and I appreciated the way each character grew alongside the slow burn relationship.

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This was an adorable sequel to It Happened One Summer. Tessa Bailey did an excellent job writing a sweet romance with a lot of spice! I liked Hannah way more than her sister, but Fox was pretty annoying.

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Steamy, sweet, cliche, and unique all at once! Such a good book …. Living near the ocean and having a large fishing culture it felt like it was really “relatable” or local. Can’t wait to read the next one!

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While a quick read and a good romance some of the sex talk seemed degrading and unnecessary. But Hannah didn’t seem to mind, so maybe I’m just old-fashioned. I liked all the musical references and enjoyed how she always thought in song.

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I….gave Tessa Bailey four stars???

I am as shocked as anyone.

But I really fucking loved this ????

I know I know. I hear you.

I have never given any of her books more than a 2, and I’ve actually DNFd a lot of them. (I never dnf so this is big)

But this one felt different. There was no unnecessary sex happening (in fact, no sex at all until 70% in which is refreshing). And while there were cringey nicknames, they were way way way toned down here.

Also, there’s something sweet about Fox and Hannah that endeared me to their friendship in a way I haven’t felt about any of her other characters.

Maybe this was just right time, right place but I was there for the vibes this time.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬-𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝙄𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧, 𝙏𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖 𝘽𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙧𝙤𝙢-𝙘𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙣…

📍 Read if you like:
• Friends To Lovers
• Small Town
• Steamy Romances
• Forced Proximity

I loved It Happened One Summer so much last year and I’ve been meaning to pick this book up since I finished that one, but for some reason, I put it off for so long.

I’m so glad I finally picked this up though, it was just as adorable and steamy as the first one. I didn’t love it as much as the first, there’s just nothing beating Piper + Brendan.

However, Hannah + Fox still had a beautiful love story. It is a friends-to-lovers trope, which normally isn’t my thing… but it worked so well for me this time.

I loved the small-town setting in Washington. It was so lovely returning to this community. I’m so sad to see the Bellinger Sisters series come to an end, but I’m just glad they ended in a spontaneous way.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Avon for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Sexual content, death of parent, infidelity

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When i originally read It Happened One Summer i enjoyed it but i didn’t necessarily love it. BUT THIS ONE!?
Pipers sister Hannah has convinced her LA movie team to move their project to Westport, WA for filming. Hannah meets back up with Fox, her handsome player friend that shes been texting for 6 months. Fox has a reputation for being a player but Hannah sees him for himself and not for the front he puts on for everyone else.
This book was super cute and a slowwwwww burn but i couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait for it to be released so i can add it to my shelf.
Thank you so much Avon, Harper Voyager, and Tessa Bailey for allowing me access to this ARC.

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Hook, Line and Sinker was a great follow up novel to It Happened One Summer. Tessa Bailey brings the spice and I look forward to reading every book she puts out in to the world. Fox is officially my new book boyfriend.

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I get why this book is high demand with witty banter, uncomplicated characters and a few typical tropes. I enjoyed reading it, but I honestly thought I have read better.

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4.5 star!

I’m so glad I read this book. I was in a serious book funk. This story had me hooked and kept me excited to continue reading how these two would get on.
Friends to lovers story beautifully written.

Every element I love about romance was found within these pages.
Would definitely recommend.

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Thank you to Netgalley for the early ARC of this book. This was my second book from Tessa Bailey and I can definitely tell that she is an author that I would love to read all of her titles. She does a great job with writing angsty, slow burns and also somehow throws in so much emotion and steam into the mix. I cannot wait to read more by her!

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Fox and Hannah have a friends to lovers romance trope going with a splash of love tutor mixed in which are some of my favorite tropes.. Yet, I had to DNF this book because it was just boring. Fox and Hannah just moved too slow, which would be okay if it was meant to be a slow burn but this isn't or at least it wasn't written well enough. Tessa Bailey is usually a hit for me, but this is a miss. Fox's relationship hang-ups also didn't feel real, but contrived for fictional drama so it didn't feel realistic and popped me out of the fantasy.

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