This is a hard review to write because I have so much to say, yet seem to be lacking the vocabulary to truly get across how stunning of a read Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey was. It's strange because about 10% in I messaged my friend and said, "You know, it's good, but it's not grabbing me like Brendan and Piper's story was." Boy, was I wrong. Both books in the series are absolutely fabulous (the Tessa Bailey we all know and love), but they're brilliant in totally different ways. There are some light spoilers below because I just cannot express my love for this book without being clear about what made it so special.

Our glimpses of Fox from It Happened One Summer gave up this perception that he's a delicious-looking alpha male who enjoys the endless company of ladies (so long as they're gone in the morning, or he is) but hasn't a single female friend. When I picked up Hook, Line, and Sinker I expected that he'd be this untouchable rake who is taken in by his feelings for the heroine, Hannah, and ultimately must choose between his life as a playboy and the life of monogamy with the girl of his dreams. Not so.

In fact, Hook, Line, and Sinker takes on toxic masculinity in a startling twist in this equally heart-warming and heart-wrenching story of a man who truly believes that all he has to offer the world are his looks. I'm so used to reading books about rakes and just believing that it's the life they want for themselves. Yet Bailey gives us a hero who has spent his entire life being told that his only redeeming quality is his physical attraction and it destroys him inside bit by bit. His journey to understanding that he has more to offer the world, more to offer a woman, had me weeping on multiple occasions. His internal dialogue, and the stories he shares with our heroine, were equally terrible and touching.

This book ended up being a bit of a slow burn (at least as far as intercourse goes) because, though Hannah desires him, she refuses to let Fox believe that all he's good for is a quick lay. She's such a powerful heroine in that she has the opportunity to fulfill her own desires with a willing participant, but she can see that Fox is more than he thinks he can offer and she's going to wait until he sees it too. Don't get me wrong though, it's hot as fuck regardless. I also loved Hannah's personal journey towards achieving her professional dreams and tackling that imposter syndrome that affects so many of us women.

At the end of the day, this book, like our hero Fox, was so much more than it appeared to be from the outside. It's not often that a romance novel embeds itself in my soul (for more than a really good sex scene) but this one has me thinking hard about the men in my life and about how I'm going to raise my own son (due in August). We're so focused on feminism in romance novels that I think we don't stop often enough to think about the toxic masculinity that affects our heroes as well, though I do think there's been a step away from the typical alpha males we've seen in the past.

This book--Fox and Hannah--should be treasured.

tessa bailey has perfected the honest, hilarious, and hot af romance novel. two things i really enjoyed about hannah and fox’s relationship were their honesty with each other and how their love helped to make the other feel whole. i was excited for hannah and fox’s story and this did not disappoint. imo, the better of the two bellinger sisters books.

#netgalley

Gahhhhh I love Tessa Bailey. I don't know how she always manages to write such good chemistry! So spicy!

I was expecting a typical friends to lovers, but that is not what I got. It was like an epic love story and a tale of self discovery for both Fox and Hannah.

I still can't decide it I liked this more than IHOS. But they were both amazing and I want to move to Westport ASAP.

This book managed to have one of my big book pet peeves and still get a five star rating. I hate the idea that a guy pushes a girl away "for their own good." But this was different because Fox's past and experience was really the thing holding him back. I feel like we can all relate to the insecurities thrust upon us. He just needed to talk them out a long time ago.

Hannah ended up being quite the leading lady and I loved seeing Fox support her in her career.

Can't wait for this one to come out in March and low key wish Piper and Hannah had another sister cause I'm not ready to leave Westport.

5/5 stars!

We're back in Westport, and this time the story is all about Hannah and Fox! These two were introduced in It Happened One Summer, and I couldn't wait to read their story. While their first interactions were all based on superficial judgments, these two actually forged a really cute friendship in the first book. When Fox took Hannah to the convention and secretly bought her that Fleetwood Mac record? Ugh so cute.

This one takes place several months after the first book ends. Hannah is still finding her way in the adult world, starting with taking control of her career path. She wants to be a music coordinator for films, but is still a lowly production assistant. Fox is still a cavalier playboy with no intention of setting down roots. The two maintain their friendship with daily texts that they both look forward to, maybe a little too much. When Hannah gets the opportunity to move her movie to the Westport to film, she jumps on it. Having no room at Piper and Brendan's place, Hannah rooms with Fox, what could go wrong with that? They're friends, right?

Hannah is such a gem. She's a genuine person that sees the best in people without being overly naïve. She sees through Fox's façade of being carefree and charming playboy. Obviously, Fox doesn't react well to someone actually being interested in him because what's there to even love about him other than his looks?

I knew there was so much more to Fox when we first met him. I loved all of his personality layers. He and Hannah complemented each other so perfectly.

Hannah Bellinger isn't leading lady material. Or at least she doesn't feel like she is. She's never been one who enjoys being the center of attention-- she leaves that to her sister, Piper-- and she's more likely to stick up for someone else than herself. Hence why she's spent years being a lowly PA rather than pursuing her dream career of scoring movie soundtracks. Hannah's determined to take charge of her life and her first step towards that goal? Convincing the movie she's working for to film in the small fishing town of Westport rather than LA. Hannah's sure the moody atmosphere would be perfect for the indie flick, but that's not the only reason for her suggestion. She can't seem to get her mind off of Fox Thornton, the playboy relief skipper she met last summer.

Fox Thornton is an unapologetic playboy. He knows he's good-looking and doesn't shy away from female attention. He has a reputation around Westport as being a carefree flirt, and it's one that he's always been happy to live up to. Until he met Hannah. She was the one woman who never seemed to fall for his tricks. Instead of being interested in his looks, Hannah was more interested in becoming his friend. The pair have spent months trading texts and music back and forth, and Fox can't help his growing feelings. So, when Hannah comes into town and crashes in his spare bedroom, it takes all his willpower not to screw up the fragile balance they've got going on. As the weeks go on, the line between friendship and relationship starts to blur, and neither Hannah nor Fox can deny the sparks between them. Fox knows if he wants what he has with Hannah to last, he'll have to confront his deepest insecurities, but will his true self be enough for someone to finally choose him?

I've wanted Hannah and Fox to have their own story from the moment they met, and it was everything I was hoping for! They had this fun, flirty banter in the first book, so I was very excited to see how it would play out here. Spoiler alert: it was amazing! I loved how they built this solid friendship based on sharing different music and loved seeing them bond through songs they'd send one another. The dynamic between them just felt so natural and sweet, and their chemistry was through the roof. Not only that, but their development both as a couple and as individuals was excellent. I could relate to Hannah feeling like the secondary character in her own story, and Fox had all these deep insecurities that he kept locked away that just tugged on your heartstrings, and it was so satisfying watching them both grow and better themselves. The only reason this wasn't a full 5 stars for me was that I thought the third act conflict was resolved rather quickly, but that's just me being nitpicky. If you're looking for a breezy but steamy friends-to-lovers book, I highly recommend running to pick this one up.

This is a super sweet friends to lovers romance with a musical score threading their story together. I loved their texting and the songs they talked about added texture that moved their friendship (and romance) along.

This is second in a series but works well as a stand alone which isn't an easy feat.

“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 spent being happy.”

Clearly I have no chill, and decided to dive right into my early copy of ‘Hook, Line, and Sinker’. It doesn’t release until March 2022, but the people shouldn’t be left in suspense about my thoughts. 😂

In ‘It Happened One Summer’ Tessa Bailey introduced us to the friend pairing that is Fox and Hannah as support characters. In HLaS it’s their time to shine, and shine they did. Providing slow burn friends to lovers tension and all of the feels.

While these two formed a friendship during the IHOS timeline, we as the reader got to see the breadcrumbs of future love spreading. Hannah has always had dreams of creating the score/soundtracks for films. Oh and a long time crush on the director she works for as a PA. Sadly, she’s been stuck in side character mode in her life. Reluctant to take the leap to leading lady, because she’s just so good at being on the sidelines. Fox has been labeled the pretty faced, heartbreaker since he was young and has spent the better part of his life living up to those expectations. Hannah makes him want to be more than that reputation and people’s low expectations of him. Hannah and Fox together build each other up and give each other the confidence to break out of the roles they were placed in and kept themselves in, all while falling in love.

I loved this story so much, because we are really shown how much these two care about each other. They are friends first, and really love and lift each other up that way. Even though they want each other so badly, they keep that on the sidelines until they are both ready. The unrelieved tension at times was unbearable, but totally worth it in the end. These two do have some internal push and pull that will send your head spinning, but all the sweet moments, emotional moments, and steamy moments more than even out the angst. Add in the fact that we are back in Westport with some of our faves from book one, and this is just a good read that gave exactly what it needed to give.

So, if you’re looking for friends to lovers and a story where the characters grow individually and together, then ‘Hook, Line, and Sinker’ has what you need. While I don’t know that you HAVE to read book one to catch up with this one, I highly recommend that you do. The first tastes of this love story start there, and I guarantee you’ll be a little sad you didn’t start there first!

“You make me feel like I’m in the exact right place,” He exhaled into her neck kissing it reverently. “Nothing to run or hide from. Nothing I want to avoid.”

**I want to note this is written in third person POV. I personally love the way Tessa Bailey does 3PPOV, but I know many people want a heads up!

Tessa Bailey has long written romance that is light and heartfelt, with a sudden emotional punch that leaves you reeling for more (wink). In this small town that Bailey has reinvented within the pages of Hook, Line, and Sinker, I have read a story that buried itself into my heart so much. Flail is a small word that doesn’t even encompass what I feel about Hannah and Fox.

From meeting Hannah in It Happened One Summer, it was inevitable that her story bring out the joy and despair of a friendship to lovers trope. Bailey’s specialty of engaging conversation and familiar style is the perfect combination to channel this wonderful love story.

There is an intensity that these two individuals bring, paired so wonderfully with songs and melodies so easily imagined in your head. The chemistry between the characters, from this small fishing town, and from Bailey’s literary magic makes the reader become vulnerable and a bit blissed out.

I enjoyed every moment of it, and I think you will too.

*Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*

I picked up It Happened One Summer on a bit of a whim last month and was thoroughly charmed by the small town of Westport, Washington, and its cast of characters. As much as I loved Piper and Brendan, I couldn’t help but be invested in Hannah, Piper’s sister, and Fox, Brendan’s best friend. So you can only imagine my excitement when I realized Piper and Fox would be getting their own story!

Hook, Line, and Sinker takes place a couple months after the ending of It Happened One Summer, although you don’t necessarily have to read the first book to understand the events of the second. When the film Hannah’s working on ends up shooting in Westport, she ends up crashing in Fox’s spare bedroom. Of course, there are other matters at hand that complicate things: the fact that they’re best friends, the fact that Brendan (and Piper) have repeatedly told Fox that Hannah’s “off-limits”, Hannah’s crush on her director, Fox’s playboy reputation… Hook, Line, and Sinker was everything I could’ve asked for. It’s adorable, has sizzling chemistry, and some of my favorite tropes.

From the blurb of Hook, Line, and Sinker, you already know what’ll happen — Fox will try to help Hannah win over her director, the two of them will fall in love, and everything will be okay. The pacing of Hook, Line, and Sinker is quite fast-paced, and honestly, I was so invested in Hannah and Fox’s will-they-won’t-they that I couldn’t put it down, even if I knew it was a romance novel, and those are usually predictable in some way.

Just like Fox, and the town of Westport, I was enamoured with Hannah. Having spent her entire life playing the supporting role and never the leading lady, it was truly a joy watching Hannah learn how to stand up for herself, both professionally and personally. She’s kind, loyal, encouraging, and sweet — all things that I love reading more about. And while I’m not usually a fan of most bad boy tropes, I couldn’t help but love Fox. He’s not really a “bad boy”, just a boy who is unfairly judged, and I loved how Bailey wrote him. While a mostly lighthearted story, Hook, Line and Sinker does discuss how harmful initial judgments, and small comments can lead to toxic masculinity, and can be harmful to men too.

When we first met Fox and Hannah in It Happened One Summer, Fox is a bit of a playboy, but one who is intrigued by Hannah. And unlike his past flings, he genuinely cares about her and her interests, and becomes her best friend. Watching Fox and Hannah’s friendship develop, and watching Hannah break down Fox’s walls was just so heartwarming. By the end of Hook, Line, and Sinker, I simply wanted to give Fox a hug and say “I’m sorry”. Together, Fox and Hannah make each other better — Hannah shows Fox he’s more than what other people think of him, his reputation, and his looks, and Fox shows Hannah what’s out there if she just speaks up for herself every once in a while. Without each other, I think it would’ve taken the two of them a lot longer to grow as characters: Hannah wouldn’t be able to see herself as “leading lady” status as quickly, and Fox wouldn’t have been able to settle down, or take his promotion.

Hook, Line, and Sinker is a perfect summer read. I’ve never been one for small towns and beaches, but the It Happened One Summer series might’ve converted me!

I didn’t know what to expect after It Happened One Summer, but I sure didn’t expect to be completely blown away like this, WOW! This book is INCREDIBLE. Everyone is going to fall instantly In love with Hannah and Fox’s story. This friends to lovers romance is the perfect balance of angst/tension and downright steamy hot passion. The character development (especially with Fox) was perfection. This book had me feeling so many emotions on so many levels. I instantly was immersed back into this wonderful world that Tessa Bailey has created for us. This is a 5 star book not to be missed. I will be pre-ordering the paperback as it will be treasured on my bookshelf long into the future.

Tessa Bailey does not disappoint with Hook, Line and Sinker. This friends to lovers romance is absolutely beautiful and heartwarming. I really loved Fox and his development through the story. I definitely recommend reading this 5 star book.

I was looking forward to having Hannah get her own story and this didn't disappoint. It was so comforting being back in this world and I was quickly absorbed in the relationship between Fox and Hannah. The tension and steam was balanced well with the heart/depth. It could be read as a stand-alone, but fans of It Happened One Summer should definitely enjoy this.