bookwormjin's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Death of parent and Infidelity
vixenreader's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
If you are frustrated by people with bad self esteem issues, then this book may not be for you. However, the chemistry between the leads, and the message, is really good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, and Sexism
Moderate: Infidelity and Death of parent
Minor: Injury/injury detail and Medical content
There is shame towards men who are seen as “ladykillers” and some shaky parent-son relationship issues addressed.now_booking's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I feel like it’s pretty much impossible not adore the characters in this series- even when they’re kind of out-of-touch like Piper in Book 1, or incredibly damaged by toxic masculinity and society’s hypersexualisation of handsome boys and men like with Fox, in this book, this author creates something angsty and beautifully broken out of characters that on the surface could be perceived as flaky and sort of vacuous.
The premise of this rom-com-ish but angsty romance is that from childhood, Fox has been told he will be a heartbreaker and a massive success in sexual exploits much like his ain’t ish father. As a result, feeing the need to live up to society’s expectations and also getting burned the one time he tried to buck that weight, he’s a commitment-phobic womanizer. A commitment-phobic womanizer who is best friends with sweet but lacking in confidence, Hannah. This genesis of this friendship is mentioned several times in this book but makes much more sense and makes this a richer read if you’ve read book 1 in this series (Piper’s book). Everybody loves Hannah and feels protective over her and Fox has been warned to keep his filthy reputation away from everyone’s favourite little sister (Hannah).
I liked that there was a lot of growth realised by both characters. Hannah finds her inner leading lady and begins to believe in herself and her worth, while Fox begins to heal from years of low self-worth and the damage being hypersexualised from a young age made on him. I think sometimes this was angstier and more love triangular than necessary- especially in situations where a single conversation would have solved the angst and would have fit in the narrative as Fox and Hannah have excellent communication and were quite open and honest with each other. I think another weakness of this was that even though we clearly knew and had affection for Piper and Brendan from the first novel, the supporting characters somehow didn’t pop as much as they did in the first book. That said, this was a really solid romance that took me on an emotional journey that felt deep and real and heartfelt and that really tackled a male main character’s emotions and society’s normalization of sexualisation of young boys and men with a lot of nuance and heart, and it’s not something I’ve read thematically before in a romance. Recommend if you’re looking for angst with some laughs.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Avon Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of this rom-com-ish but angsty romance is that from childhood, Fox has been told he will be a heartbreaker and a massive success in sexual exploits much like his ain’t ish father. As a result, feeing the need to live up to society’s expectations and also getting burned the one time he tried to buck that weight, he’s a commitment-phobic womanizer. A commitment-phobic womanizer who is best friends with sweet but lacking in confidence, Hannah. This genesis of this friendship is mentioned several times in this book but makes much more sense and makes this a richer read if you’ve read book 1 in this series (Piper’s book). Everybody loves Hannah and feels protective over her and Fox has been warned to keep his filthy reputation away from everyone’s favourite little sister (Hannah).
I liked that there was a lot of growth realised by both characters. Hannah finds her inner leading lady and begins to believe in herself and her worth, while Fox begins to heal from years of low self-worth and the damage being hypersexualised from a young age made on him. I think sometimes this was angstier and more love triangular than necessary- especially in situations where a single conversation would have solved the angst and would have fit in the narrative as Fox and Hannah have excellent communication and were quite open and honest with each other. I think another weakness of this was that even though we clearly knew and had affection for Piper and Brendan from the first novel, the supporting characters somehow didn’t pop as much as they did in the first book. That said, this was a really solid romance that took me on an emotional journey that felt deep and real and heartfelt and that really tackled a male main character’s emotions and society’s normalization of sexualisation of young boys and men with a lot of nuance and heart, and it’s not something I’ve read thematically before in a romance. Recommend if you’re looking for angst with some laughs.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Avon Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment, Infidelity, and Sexism
Minor: Grief
siob___'s review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexism
arthur_ant18's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, and Bullying
Minor: Grief
meghanm404's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Sexism
cluckieduck's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Fox - you dirty talker, you. The so-called maestro of feminine wetness - I absolutely loved getting to know him in this book. It Happened One Summer was just an ok read for me - nothing ground-breaking, merely a cute, little rom-com, but HL&S was a fantastic addition to the duology (with a fabulous epilogue - I'm gonna need a novella or something to expand on that whole sitch, 'cause what was given in the epilogue isn't nearly enough)!!
Fox had a third, and most important, reason for keeping his hands off Hannah. She was his friend. She was a woman who genuinely liked him for something other than his dick. And it made him feel terrifyingly good to be around her. To talk to her. They had fun. Made each other laugh.
I found the relationship between Fox & Hannah was well-fleshed out. Normally I don't enjoy mind-games played out for the sake of creating conflict, but the cat-and-mouse game that they participate in lent really well to the story, as both fight against their own perceived roles - Fox as the player and Hannah as the supporting act. Hannah's anger at the objectification of Fox was entertaining to read, and her unwavering support and confidence in Fox (which he lacked) helped make me fall in love with both.
She thought that compassion made her a supporting actress instead of a leading one, and didn't realize that her empathy, the fierce way she cared, made her something bigger. Hannah belonged in a category far more real than the credits of a movie. A category all her own.
For such a promiscuous male lead, I'm glad that this ended up being quite the slow-burn romance because we were able to really dive deep under Fox's skin and witness Hannah's rise to the leading lady of her own story.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexism, Cursing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Grief, Drug use, and Blood
0701mango's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
For me, it didn't really hit as hard as It Happened One Summer. I really liked the characters and I loved their chemistry, but I found myself dissatisfied with the plot points and progression.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Sexism
The male lead, Fox, is shamed and emotionally and verbally abused by certain people for his frequent sexual encounters.kb33's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
I’m not a huge fan of the previous Tessa Bailey books I’ve read, nor do I like when the male character is a huge player. But this book...
Hannah and Fox were so great, so likable and relatable. Hannah took a chance in her job, not because of a man, but because she planned to anyway, and Fox just made her feel better about it. Fox knew his reputation and the things he’d done to perpetuate that were all bullshit, and he’d already been wondering if he could be different. Hannah just helped give him the courage to visualize it and do it. And sure, some people will bitch about “woke” or complain about trying to remove masculinity instead of just toxic masculinity, and I’m pretty sure those people just feel guilty about their role in toxic masculinity so fuck them. I thought it was truthful, brave, and amazing.
I also liked that the little additions of Piper and Brendan didn’t feel phoned in like in so many other series.
And the epilogue. Holy shit. Not over-the-top sweet, and so perfect.
Hannah and Fox were so great, so likable and relatable. Hannah took a chance in her job, not because of a man, but because she planned to anyway, and Fox just made her feel better about it. Fox knew his reputation and the things he’d done to perpetuate that were all bullshit, and he’d already been wondering if he could be different. Hannah just helped give him the courage to visualize it and do it. And sure, some people will bitch about “woke” or complain about trying to remove masculinity instead of just toxic masculinity, and I’m pretty sure those people just feel guilty about their role in toxic masculinity so fuck them. I thought it was truthful, brave, and amazing.
I also liked that the little additions of Piper and Brendan didn’t feel phoned in like in so many other series.
And the epilogue. Holy shit. Not over-the-top sweet, and so perfect.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Toxic friendship and Death of parent
lnzava's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent