Scan barcode
A review by keepcalmblogon
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
lighthearted
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 had a hard time giving this book a star rating because I didn’t feel like I should like it as much as I did due to the stigma around romance, but I found this story to have a good plot, complex characters, & well-written smut. So, I’m giving it 4 stars because there were still a few things here & there I didn’t like or believe.
I found it quite interesting to be inside the head of a character with whom I did not relate. Piper & I are total opposites & the only reason I felt like she’d be kind to me IRL is because she truly is kind, & I’d probably remind her of her sister Hannah. Despite Piper’s high maintenance, I wouldn’t describe her as superficial. She might seem that way to anyone who didn’t know her, but right off the bat, Piper would get lost in thought & have deep, complex feelings. When given the opportunity to be snooty vs. polite, she always picked polite. In the end, I rooted for Piper & she deserved everything she got.
Brendan is also a complex character despite his outwardly stoic, rigid nature. When peeking inside his head, Brendan is a very emotional man. There were only two scenes in the entire story in which Brendan acted before he thought, otherwise, he was very considerate. The only character flaw I found with Brendan was that he used the term of endearment baby & it didn’t feel natural coming from him. He’s a mildly old fashioned, gruff fisherman, I could see him using something like sugar or darling. Baby sounded too much like a city-slick womanizer.
One of my favorite aspects of Tessa Bailey’s writing in this book was her wholly original use of adjectives & nouns for certain sex organs & actions. I won’t give examples so we can keep this as PG as possible ;)
SPOILERS: But the one scene I didn’t believe for a second was when Hannah pushed Piper to go back to LA & then told Brendan that she probably won’t come back. It was totally unlike Hannah to stop believing in Piper & basically tell her to give up. I completely understand that, as a plot device, it was a pretty big climax to send Piper away & have Brendan show up in a huge romantic gesture, but using that at the sake of the characters’ principles was kind of cheap.
I found it quite interesting to be inside the head of a character with whom I did not relate. Piper & I are total opposites & the only reason I felt like she’d be kind to me IRL is because she truly is kind, & I’d probably remind her of her sister Hannah. Despite Piper’s high maintenance, I wouldn’t describe her as superficial. She might seem that way to anyone who didn’t know her, but right off the bat, Piper would get lost in thought & have deep, complex feelings. When given the opportunity to be snooty vs. polite, she always picked polite. In the end, I rooted for Piper & she deserved everything she got.
Brendan is also a complex character despite his outwardly stoic, rigid nature. When peeking inside his head, Brendan is a very emotional man. There were only two scenes in the entire story in which Brendan acted before he thought, otherwise, he was very considerate. The only character flaw I found with Brendan was that he used the term of endearment baby & it didn’t feel natural coming from him. He’s a mildly old fashioned, gruff fisherman, I could see him using something like sugar or darling. Baby sounded too much like a city-slick womanizer.
One of my favorite aspects of Tessa Bailey’s writing in this book was her wholly original use of adjectives & nouns for certain sex organs & actions. I won’t give examples so we can keep this as PG as possible ;)
SPOILERS: But the one scene I didn’t believe for a second was when Hannah pushed Piper to go back to LA & then told Brendan that she probably won’t come back. It was totally unlike Hannah to stop believing in Piper & basically tell her to give up. I completely understand that, as a plot device, it was a pretty big climax to send Piper away & have Brendan show up in a huge romantic gesture, but using that at the sake of the characters’ principles was kind of cheap.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content