Reviews with content warning for Grief - Aconteceu Naquele Verão

You better be proud of me, BookTok, for reading this book. I really only picked it up because a) it was a quick hold from the library through Libby, and b) one of my book besties can't stop talking about it. While I'm overall glad I ended up giving it and Tessa Bailey a chance, I have to say while it's not the worst romance ever, it's certainly not in the upper echelons.

The premise was an interesting, unique one, which I think worked really well to make the characters fun and easy to root for. The chemistry and heat were definitely there (I've heard how steamy Bailey's romances are, but wow, that was more heat than I'm used to, and I ended up having to skim the spicy scenes; nothing wrong with that, just not my thing) and the relationship between Piper and Brandon was rootable and believable, yet something about the timeline really just didn't make sense. It often felt like we were skipping steps in their relationship, moving very quickly through the stages to get to "yup future children" in about one month of knowing each other. While I really liked them together, their romance just progressed to fast for me.

There were other little things I wasn't a fan of (OH MY GOD IF I HEAR "RECHARGING STATION" ONE MORE TIME I'M GOING TO SCREAM — I almost dropped a star solely for that) but overall I can see why others can't stop talking about this one, even if it's not my favorite.

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kassidyreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

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madeleineelr's review against another edition

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funny 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

3.25

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beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted fast-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? No

5.0

I wanted to read this book because I have never read any of Tessa Bailey’s work and I am on a mission this year to explore new authors. My only thought when I finished this is WHY THE HELL HAVEN’T I READ TESSA BAILEY’S BOOK SOONER!

This book has two points of views. The first point of view is Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential and her reputation as a wild child in Los Angeles means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When a bad break up ends with too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in jail, her stepfather decides enough is enough and cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father’s bar in Washington. Piper hadn’t even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside of the glamourous life. So what if Piper can’t do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. But how bad can it be? She’s determined to show her stepfather – and the gorgeous, grumpy local – that she’s more than a pretty face. The second point of view is Brendan Taggert and he lives and breathes Westport. Everywhere he goes, he keeps bumping into Piper. Brendan knows that Piper isn’t going to last long and can’t wait until she goes back to LA. Brendan is also dealing with issues of his own – his wife was a fisherman’s wife and the daughter of his former captain, who died seven years. He has no motivations to move on until he realises that Piper is more than a pretty face. As Piper reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan – and this town full of memories – may have already caught her heart. This book is a contemporary romance adult fiction novel.

I bloody love this book. It was amazing and had me hooked from the start. It was everything I loved in a book and more. I love the whole opposite attract scenario and this one was done brilliantly. Like Brendan being a complete control freak and having his own little routines and then Piper just being like I don’t know what to do or when to do it. I love Piper’s character development throughout the whole book. From the start where she expects like the BARE minimum from guys and still manages to get screwed over, to Brendan doing the bare minimum and Piper being like I don’t know how to react to this? I also love the enemies-to-lovers side of it with Brendan not wanting to go near her at first and then slowly wanting to spend more and more time with her. Piper is hilarious like some of the things she did that was I laughing and cringy at because I would have done the same thing just to try and fit in. I just don’t have anything to hate about this book, I was sat in work thinking about this book, I was sat with family thinking about this book. This book was living in my brain rent-free, completely rent-free. Like I wouldn’t shut the hell up about this book.

This was the first Tessa Bailey book I bought and read and now I want to read all of her books.

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thatswhatshanread's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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

3.5

Well. IT definitely happened.

I was really drawn into this story from the beginning—it seemed like a great, light romcom for the summer, and I loved that the MC is based off of Alexis Rose from Schitt’s Creek. The characters were endearing and fun, the love interest was intense but also adorable and soft at heart, the setting was quaint and cute. In a word, this book is fun.

However. About halfway through, it started to lose its magic for me. I felt the main relationship got too serious too fast, and the (very NSFW) intimate scenes… idk they really made me cringe. And there were multiple. Bailey’s descriptions and dialogue in these parts was just uncomfortable to me and really made it hard for me to get past them. And then the story after that really just centered around sex and lost a lot of its substance to me. There’s a HEA of course, everything in its perfect place.

Piper and Brendan were cute, and I loved Piper’s close relationship with her sister. Idk, maybe it’s the depression speaking since I know this book has such great reviews, but I tried and I just didn’t love it.

If you’re wanting a summer romcom mainly for the steam, some laughs, and the promise of a ending where everyone is happy, then this one’s for you.

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kaetheluise_nckl's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

recommended by Laura

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